Hey, I'm back! Well....temporarily I should say. But I was so hell-bent on finishing this story that I made sure I that I had some way to update. Even if it means that I need to break into random people's houses and use their internet ^_^
Random guy: Hey! What are you doing in my house?!
me: *quickly posts chapters and jumps out window* Victory is mine! And I'm lucky that the window was on the first story! Enjoy the chapter and the rest of the story. See ya (unless I get arrested for breaking and entering...)
Red Rose
Chapter 29
Kanae's heart was pounding in her chest, threatening to explode due to her panic. Her cover had been blown and now everyone knew what she truly was; a Diclonius.
"Shit, why did Kouichi have to find out?" She moaned, running down the street to get away from the house. "Now I'm screwed and Cock-Uzawa's gonna be pissed at me for this and probably set off the detonators in me... Fucking blond bitch!"
As she continued her way down the road, she spotted a familiar black van in the distance. Her sensors also alerted her that Masaki was close by, therefore proving the van to be his. Kanae hurried over to the vehicle, an awaiting Masaki waiting patiently inside.
"Masaki," the girl gasped, climbing into the van. "I have something to tell you."
"Zoe knows who you are," Masaki replied monotonely.
Kanae's amber eyes widened. "H-how did you know?"
"Why else would you be in this much of a panic?" He asked, pointing out the obvious.
The pink-haired Diclonius sighed, a look of distress on her face. "What are we going to do now? Zoe knows what's going on."
"We find her and bring her back to the facility," Masaki said. "Were you at her house when she discovered your identity?"
"Yeah," she told him. "Kouichi brought me there to watch a movie and then Zoe immediately started giving me the third degree. She wanted me to leave, but I refused. I could tell that she really didn't want to start a scene in front of her friends, but in her eyes, it was the only way she could get rid of me. She pulled my ribbon off and everyone saw my horns...including Kouichi."
Masaki drove the van down the street Kanae had been running down only seconds ago, heading towards the house. "Let me know where and when to turn."
"Just keep going straight." Kanae's face was slightly paled and she nervously glanced at Masaki. "We're just going to the house to get Zoe, right?"
The male Diclonius smirked, but did not the reply. However, the wry smile sent chills down Kanae's spine and she quickly reverted her gaze. She only hoped that Kouichi wouldn't be dragged into anything.
At the facility
Director Kakuzawa stared at the two scientists in awe, not sure if was believing what they told him. "Are you sure?"
Professor Itami nodded. "Yes, we even went back and analyzed Number Forty-Five's test a second time. It is undeniable that we were correct the first time."
Kakuzawa sank back into his leather chair, taking it all in. "I guess I just never found this to be possible..."
"Yes, but this is the very first male Diclonius we have studied," Professor Silverman told him. "We knew nothing about his abilities and genetics when we first found him."
"I wonder if he knows about this," Kakuzawa muttered. "If he does, this could ruin my plan completely! Dammit!"
"But sir," Itami calmly intervened. "Didn't you want to re-populate the world with a superior race consisting of Dicloniuses?"
The director glared at him. "Yes, but they originally would've only been half-breeds. They would inherit Zoe's abilities, but have smaller and slightly weaker vectors. But now that there is a full-blooded male and female, there will be full-blooded offspring. They will rid the world completely of humans, including myself. I cannot allow that to happen. This is supposed to be my dream, my utopia. I will not let Number Forty-Five ruin everything that I have worked so hard for!"
Itami and Silverman exchanged uneasy glances but remained silent. They nervously watched as Kakuzawa rose to his feet, pacing around rapidly.
"As soon as I find out where Zoe is located, I will capture her and eliminate Number Forty-Five. By then he will be of no use to me," Kakuzawa growled, then glanced at his watch. "It is four o'clock now, so he and Number Fifty-Two will be back within two hours. I will be waiting for them..."
Meanwhile
Zoe sat on the couch silently, her gaze directed at the floor. The others waited in the living room with her, as they had decided to stay with Zoe until the the enemies arrived. At that point, they would all retreat to Takuya's bedroom, leaving the blond Diclonius at the mercy of her captors.
"I hope they don't come," Nana said wistfully as she stared out the window. "I really hope that they don't show up."
"They will," Zoe replied apathetically. "There is no doubt in my mind that they will be here. And soon for that matter."
Takuya was seated beside Zoe, his expression completely stone-faced. His heart was racing with a mixture of fear and rage and his jaw was clenched slightly.
"There has to be another way," he growled, idly glancing at his friends.
Kouji gave the brunette a sympathetic look before sighing in dismay. "I'm sorry, dude. But there is no other way. Even if Nana helps Zoe, they are likely to be overpowered."
"And I don't want Nana to be dragged into this," Zoe quietly added. "She deserves her freedom and a semi-normal life."
"So do you," Takuya shot back, his voice a bit on the shaky side.
The blond averted her eyes from the floor and looked at him. She took his face in both hands and lightly kissed his lips, the kiss soft and passionate. When she finally pulled away, she lowered her emerald eyes back to the floor.
"Takuya, you've done enough for me," she told him, trying to keep her own voice steady. "You took me in when it wasn't your responsibility and you refused to let me go when I went to face my enemies the last time. I'm sorry, but you can't save me this time."
Before Takuya could reply, there was a sound coming from outside. It sounded like two car doors being opened and closed, prompting Wanta to yip and curl into a ball in Tommy's arms. Tommy held the puppy close, while Nana nervously grabbed onto the boy's arm.
"Go," Zoe commanded her friends. "Get into Takuya's room and don't come out until we're long gone. Hurry!"
Tommy, Nana, Kouichi, and Kouji quickly scurried down the hallway to head towards Takuya's room. However, the brunette himself did not budge.
"Takuya, go," the Diclonius snapped.
She tried to gently push him along with her two working vectors, but Takuya refused to move.
"Dude, hurry up!" Kouji scolded him, rushing over to the brunette. "We already agreed that we'd go to your room, now come on!"
Kouichi and the younger teens waited anxiously in the hallway, unable to move themselves forward while Kouji and Takuya were out in the open.
"Takuya, go now!" Zoe brutally shoved Takuya now, sending him down the corrider with Kouji.
However, before anyone had time to get to the bedroom, the front door burst open. Zoe's eyes narrowed as Kanae emerged with the young man she quickly recognized.
"Hello, Zoe," Masaki said in a pleasant voice. "I was hoping that we'd meet again."
Takuya rushed back over to Zoe and protectively pushed her behind him. In a panic, the others hurried over to the couple as well, their plan now too late to execute.
"Look, just leave Zoe alone," Takuya hissed, his chocolate-colored eyes darkening a shade.
Masaki took a step closer to him, a smirk plastered on his face. He nonchalantly lowered his hood, revealing twin horns identical to Zoe's. Kanae lagged behind, her gaze lowered to the floor, as though she were ashamed. Kouichi couldn't help but stare sadly at the girl, hurt by her betrayal.
"I'm sorry," Masaki replied to Takuya's demand. "But I'm afraid I can't do that. Zoe is of great importance and it is my job to make sure that she returns to the facility."
"I won't let you take her," Takuya shot back.
Zoe tried to go around Takuya, terrified of what may happen. "Takuya, no. I have to go. Just get out of my way and pretend like we've never even met. It's for the best."
"She's right, Takuya." Kouji hated saying those words, but he knew he was right. "If we don't let her go, there's no telling what they might do."
"Smart kid," Masaki remarked, then turned his attention back to Takuya. "Now why don't you be smart like your friend and hand over your pretty little girlfriend. I promise not to hurt her....much."
Enraged, Takuya rushed forward to attack the male Diclonius, only to be flung into a nearby wall. He crashed into a small table near the front door, breaking it from his impact. The teen then fell to the floor amongst the broken and splintered wood, wincing in pain.
"Takuya!" Zoe attempted to run over to him, only be slammed into another wall herself.
"I told you to listen to me," Masaki said in a low voice as he stalked over to Takuya. "Now you'll pay the price."
The brunette wiped a bead of blood off his lip, shakily rising to his feet once again. "Yeah? And what will that be?"
"I won't take Zoe," the male Diclonius told him. "But I will make sure that she comes to the facility on her own accord."
"And how do you plan on doing that?" Takuya snarled, nervously glancing over at Zoe.
The blond hadn't been hit severely hurt, for she was slowly standing back up. Kouji and Kouichi quickly ran to Takuya's side, their faces etched with anger.
"What the fuck do you plan to do?" Kouji demanded.
"Yeah, what are you doing?" Kanae asked her partner. "This wasn't part of the plan."
Masaki chuckled. "It's a new plan. One that I recently devised just in case."
"But we can easily overpower Zoe," the pink-haired girl pointed out. "We don't need another plan."
"I think we do for a bit of amusement," Masaki said. "Besides, her boyfriend isn't going to let us take her without a fight."
Kouichi glared at the enemies, his sapphire eyes burning into Kanae for a moment longer. Kanae tore her gaze away from his, a guilty sensation running through her. Tommy joined the three teens, while Nana cautiously made her way over to Zoe to see if she was okay.
"I'm not in the mood for games," Zoe said in a icy tone. "Whatever you're planning, just forget about it. I'll go and then you will leave my friends alone."
"But your boyfriend decided that he didn't want to do that," Masaki said in a mock defensive voice. "Isn't that right, Takuya? I can call you that, right?"
"Fuck you!" Takuya spat, his hands clenched into fists. "If you want Zoe, you'll have to kill me."
"Takuya, no!" Zoe's eyes widened and her heart skipped a beat.
The brunette held his ground though, and he stared at the girl for several seconds. "Zoe, I can't bring myself to let them take you. Even if it costs me my own life, I'll risk it for you. I love you."
"Suit yourself," Masaki said with a shrug.
With that, he picked Takuya up with two of his vectors, slamming the young man into the ceiling. The blond screamed in protest, trying to run towards Takuya. However, she was viciously rammed into a wall again as Takuya crashed back to the floor. He laid there unmoving, but the rising and falling of his chest indicated that was still alive. Before Zoe knew what was happening, Kouichi, Kouji, and Tommy were each thrown across the room, rendering them unconscious from the impact. Zoe attempted to lash out at Masaki with her vectors, only to be grabbed by the throat by his. He pulled her close, his breath warm against his face.
"When you wake up, make sure you get to the facility as soon as possible," he whispered.
"Let her go!" Nana cried, sending her own vectors.
However, Kanae had suddenly become more alert and swiftly struck Nana on the side of her head. The purple-haired Diclonius collapsed to the floor from the blow, her head ringing as she, too, was rendered unconscious. Had she not been surprised, she may have been able to evade her adversary. Unfortunately, she had been too slow to react and was now lying on the floor like her friends.
Masaki smirked, his navy eyes almost black. "See you soon, Zoe. I look forward to our next encounter."
Once the words were out of his mouth, he flung Zoe across the room so hard that she crashed through the wall leading into the kitchen. Her body skidded and finally bumped into the refrigerator, where the heavy object fell on top of her. Blood dripped down her face in a light river and she moaned as the fridge's weight continued to pin her to the floor. She weakly moved it off of her, vaguely noticing Masaki and Kanae in the other room. They were gathering the unconscious bodies of her friends, sending Zoe into a panic. By the look of it, they were being brought to the facility. The possibility was an immediate definite as Masaki used his vectors to haul Takuya, Kouji, Tommy, and Kouichi outside into the van.
"What should I do about her?" Kanae asked, jerking her head lightly in Nana's direction.
"Leave her," Masaki replied. "She's no use to us. Besides, Zoe will need all the help she can get if she wishes to see her friends alive again."
"No," Zoe gasped, her head searing in pain as she desperately tried to crawl towards the front door.
Once the others had been hauled away, Masaki peeked his head inside the house one last time and smiled at Zoe. He then gave her a mock salute and slammed the door shut, leaving the blond alone. Zoe faintly heard the sound of a car starting, and a choked sob emerged from her. She then sighed as darkness overtook her, her worst nightmare come true.
Okay, that is the end of the chapter as you can see. Seeing how I finished the rest of the story, go see what happens next if you're interested. Also, let me know what you think. Sure, everyone was beaten down relatively easy, but there'll be more ass kicking along the way.
