Author's Note:
Well, every once in a while, we'll find ourselves suddenly having a comedic moment, sharing a laugh or two with friends. Time for another Extra chapter, this time in Japan! Don't worry, the perspective has returned to Amato, and we delve deeper into yet another character in the story!
Chapter 54: A Doctor's Experiments.
When the doors from the lobby opened, and the light from the sun blinded my eyes for a second, I walked out of the Akihabara Washington Hotel and onto the streets of Akiba, Tokyo itself. When my eyes caught sight of the calm, blue sky, filled with a dozen fluffy white clouds, the thought struck me. Maybe I should've told someone I'm going out for a stroll around town. Remembering back, Kiera and Aria left early today with Hinata, shopping, I think, and I got no response when I called out and knocked on the door from either of the guys, so I thought they weren't in.
Not to mention, after all that happened within the first few days into Japan. Still, the excitement has been dying down, and nothing dangerous happened yesterday, so I guess it should be okay.
"Well, I have five hours until the Koshogatsu Festival starts... I guess I can handle going through the streets alone..." Commenting to myself, I put one feet after another, arms around myself to keep myself warm from the winter wind. Looking around, the masses seemed to have grown even bigger than when we arrived, more students in uniforms combing through the corners of the roads. I wonder how it is to go to school everyday in those attires, they weren't kidding when people say how cute the girls look.
A group of them giggled as they walked past me, causing me to flinch with heat flooding onto my face because of how pretty everyone of them was. Maybe it was because of my eyes, certainly my brown hair doesn't scream foreigner that much. The male uniforms don't look too bad either, but some of them actually scoffed at my presence, something of a discrimination to foreigners Kiera mentioned.
As long as I have Fenris with me, I shouldn't have too much trouble...
Taking my time down the wide streets filled with people, many signs were hung on the roads, the Japanese language littered all over them. It felt so strange walking through a hustling and bustling city with a culture completely stranger to what I'm used to. Still, I could feel the life of the city, the beating of its heart, it was a calm and enjoyable feeling. Before long, I actually lost sight of where I was aiming to go, and leave my body wandering aimlessly from one side of the streets to another.
As with the association with Tokyo, trends and technology could be found in every corner of the city, even here in Akihabara. Many people, young and old, wore stunning colors that never seemed to sting the eyes, a perfect blend of styles. When one looks close enough, one could find minor adjustments made to the lampposts and traffic lights, knick knacks here and there which made them look like something from the future. When I finally decided to try and go to one of those arcades or shops, I finally realized I couldn't actually read any of the signs and there's little chance the owners could speak in English. Strange that I never thought that I haven't actually spoke to anyone but my friends ever since we first stepped into Japan.
That was when I also realized that Kiera and Sergio did most of the talking. In truth, I felt kinda weak and useless, having always needed to rely on them, even more so in Japan. With no real way to pick up the language anytime soon, I ended up continuing my walk, seeing how it's the only thing I could do to spend the time. Scanning my eyes at the sights wasn't too bad of an experience either.
"But... Why do I get the feeling that I'm being watched?" At the comment given out to myself, my eyes seemed to land on five different corners of the streets, behind walls and on the rooftops. Could it be a threat? With caution rising, my fingers seemed to etch closer to my holster, hidden behind my back, where Fenris lay asleep. When the sudden feeling disappeared, I tried to brush it off as nothing, and continued down the streets.
Round the corner and into a more deserted part of the district, a sudden drive pushed my legs into the alley, the building at its side was looking old and decrepit, like one of those that were going to get demolished soon. Somehow, I caught the sound of whispering and mumbling from the end, and so my legs took me down the old path which looked out of place when put together with the rest of the district itself. Near the end of the two walls, the voice got louder, and Vito came into view, a clinical clipboard in one hand, and a pen in another.
"All right, let's try another, I need to get the average duration they can sustain themselves..." Vito's eyes were serious as he stared at the board of his, speaking out words without his usual, witty tone. Some of the things he was saying was too difficult for me to even understand. Feeling that I would intrude in whatever important business he's doing, I slipped into the corner to have a seat, suddenly becoming interested in exactly what the Angel of Life do in his free time.
"ImmunoE67." Vito declared out before tossing what looks like a pill into the air, which then pops into a liquid. From there, the strangest thing happened, the water stuck to each other, and started to change. Seconds later, they turned solid, taking the form of a dragonfly, zipping around Vito.
"What the heck?" I screamed out as soon as the thought flashed through my mind, jumping up to my feet. It looked physically impossible. Did Vito just created a living thing from that pill in his hands?
"Ah, it seems the Valkyrie was right, you do have a penchant for stalking others..." Vito calmly gave out without even turning to look at me, and continued his experiment. The dragonfly floated in the air, the beating of its wings so natural. The scales glowed crimson, the color though unusual, was a sight of beauty. Landing on Vito's index finger, it looks and acts just as any other dragonfly would, but the fact that it came out of a piece of drug, that it was created artificially, still boggled my mind.
"Well, it's... just.. You looked busy, so I didn't want to intrude or disturb you or anything... so..." That was the best I could piece from the random reason popping into my mind, definitely not the best answer I could come up with. I just wished it didn't sound as though I was making the case worse for myself.
"This was the reason I left the Zanna Famiglia back then..." Vito calmly gave out, his eyes still observing the life he created. At first, I thought he meant my personality, but thinking back, he left six years ago, before Dad disappeared. Even back then, we didn't talk much, never mingled. So he left his position as the next Doctor of the Zanna Famiglia for that dragonfly buzzing around him? When I put more thought about it, perhaps he was seeking out the way to create life, straying away from birth. I guess that could have been a more tempting reason to a doctor.
"I chased Trident Shamal all over the world, just so he could teach me the techniques he used in creating his Trident Mosquitoes... but he never relented." Vito somehow went into a soft-spoken state, as if in regret, as he gave out the explanation, continuing one word after another while writing down all he could in the clipboard.
That's right, Kiera said Vito left one day, just like that. There were rumors and gossip scattered all around the mansion. Because of his attitude and personality, no one really got close to the Angel of Life other than Kiera herself, and so nothing really changed even after he left. I remember him as the medical prodigy when he was first introduced into the Famiglia by my Father. Maybe it was Dad who took him in.
Trident Shamal, the Assassin who employs the unorthodox technique of killing, by controlling and manipulating mosquitoes to inflict illnesses and diseases onto his victims. Because of that, their deaths were always regarded as natural, with no real way of linking the assassination to the man. An unbelievable character to be sure. So Vito left to find Trident Shamal, to learn from him the secrets of his mosquitoes?
"In the end, this is just something I picked up while watching him..." For once, Vito's words lacked the sarcastic tone, before he raised his arm with the dragonfly attached to his shoulder. Suddenly, Vito plunges his fist into the wall at his side.
"Crack. Crash!"
The area he punched cracked and exploded, the enormous strength of his attack ravages through the stone walls, sending cracks flying out from the area of impact. It was so much that I felt as if the building would come down immediately, considering how bad of a condition it looked like before. But it didn't, the building stood on. The crater formed from his punched had turned into what looked like an area where a truck had slammed itself against the wall.
"W-whoa!" Jumping at the sight, I couldn't help but yell out amazed. The strength might even exceed my own even if I was to go into my Awakening! When my mind searched for how Vito did all this, the crimson dragonfly kept popping into my mind. No doubt the insect has something to do with that powerful attack. He learned this just by observing Trident Shamal? "How'd you do that?" Asking out the question, I remained stunned and obviously impressed.
"Immuno Dragonflies." Vito exclaimed, walking towards me and showing to me the insect perched at his shoulder. "This is my own variation of the insect Shamal used, while his inflicts disease, mine enhances the natural strengths of the human body." Vito continued, before the crimson insect turned to ashes a few seconds after, bringing out disappointment on Vito's face. "But I guess they still need some fine-tuning. Right now, they're still not suitable for combat..." Vito mumbled out, before scratching down furiously on his clipboard.
"So... you've been to this country before as well?" Unwittingly, I asked out another question as the memory of the time he spoke in the station came into mind, how real the experience of his words felt back then.
"Yeah, I've been here, chasing Shamal's tail..." After that, Vito just sunk back into his experiments, almost as if he's blocked me off from his radar. Then, as if I just vanished or turned invisible, Vito carried on with his experiments, popping open a few more of his dragonflies. They all looked different, and when they latched onto Vito, he displayed insane stunts and amazing abilities. Things like super-speed and the ability to climb on walls were just some of the more flashy ones, then there's stuff like enhanced vision, which was difficult to figure out when he started testing that.
One by one, they turned to ashes after they were used. I would've been greatly impressed by what Vito had already accomplished, but the indifference on his face told me he was expecting more. Slowly, his actions got faster, his focus unwavering, and a small smile appeared on his face. Even from a distance, I could tell he was enjoying his little work. No, his passion is something I never thought I would see on his face. It made me realize just how much Vito actually loves his work, being a doctor and all. Somehow, a part of me believed that behind all these experiments, Vito was really just following his desire to help others as a doctor.
But with the thoughts floating in my mind, so came a tinge of worry and uncertainty. Should I really be holding him here, have him work for my Famiglia when he could be out in the world studying and becoming a real doctor? The feeling that annoyed me slowly seeped within my heart, and I surprised myself at the amount of concern I feel for the guy. Truth be told, Vito always helped the Famiglia, no matter what words he spoke and what views he gave.
Watching Vito so passionately doing the work he enjoys, even as misunderstood and shunned as he was in the Famiglia, brought forth a promise within my mind, and my heart. Someday, I don't want him to raise his daggers for the Zanna Famiglia anymore, but to raise a scalpel, helping others and having that smile always on his face. Maybe it won't come true, maybe it's just a misunderstanding on my part, or my wild imagination, but until he himself bluntly tell me not to do it, I will keep the promise.
Sitting there on the ground, I mumbled out the promise I made in my mind, spending the few hours before the festival just watching Vito and his work.
"Someday, I'll let you go on and do the job you want, Vito."
A small peek into Vito's past! Are you guys happy about the back-story? Or does it feel lame and weird? Also, we get to see Amato and his thoughts on the Angel of Life who had been watching over the Zanna Famiglia! Tell me how you feel in your reviews and watch out for the next update! Peace out!
