A/N: I don't own MKnR.
Heavily inspired by S.M. Wane's 'Closure', although with a different plotline. (And by heavily inspired, I mean I liked some of the lines so much that I borrowed them. S.M. Wane please let me know if you want it changed, I just really really really liked your fic.)
- よつば -
2089
"...brainwaves stabilizing…"
"...recalibrating psion signatures…"
"...heart rate showing acceptable levels of stressing…"
"...and that's the last stage of the operation…"
"...quickly, someone check Shiba-sama's vitals!"
At the stern doctor's exclamation, the lab assistants snapped away from the vital monitors tracking the subject's condition; so preoccupied with their duties they had forgotten that he was not the only person involved in the operation that was under great duress at the moment. The command came not a moment too soon, as the nearest technician managed to catch the willowy, dark-haired lady standing in front of the main monitoring device. Her breathing was shallow and pulse slightly erratic.
"Shiba-sama!"
The doctor in charge of the operation frantically set aside the equipment and the tablet recording the entire event and scurried over to where the dark-haired lady was being led to a chair at a nearby desk. The rumpled, starch-white lab coat seemed to swallow up her frail form. As opposed to Shiba Miya, Doctor Reisen Chieko was a short, somewhat stocky lady, with a stern face and a tightly pulled ponytail of slate-gray, almost navy, locks. Waving the lab assistant away and frowning, she checked Miya's vital monitoring equipment.
"Shiba-sama, you should let us know when you're approaching your limit. It is not good to strain yourself in your current condition."
It was then Doctor Reisen's turn to be waved away at; Shiba Miya sounded exhausted.
"I am perfectly aware of my condition, Doctor. Let me rest for a moment and I will be fine. How did the operation progress? Did he respond to any of the stimuli?" Miya asked, anxious.
Doctor Reisen turned to look across the small operating theater at the technician handling the devices specific for examining magic activity.
"It seems that the stimuli magic sequences are being acknowledged and absorbed. Subject resonating at a base level simple sequences of all eight systematic types. The rest of the data will need to be reviewed at a later time, as well as a check of the limbic system, but at this time, we can tentatively consider the operation a success."
Doctor Reisen exhaled a breath she didn't know she was holding in and allowed herself to relax after the many hours performing the operation. A success. If this experiment could prove that anyone could have an additional, artificial magic processor installed, the ramifications would be enormous. Not to mention…
She was woken out of her rambling by Shiba Miya's sudden coughing fit. "Shiba-sama! Are you al…"
Her line of querying trailed off as she saw the expression of concentration on Miya's countenance and the slight gathering of psions in the region. For a few moments, there was no sound except for the shuffling of assistants checking graphs and rearranging the equipment in the theater. Then the psion light in the room abruptly disappeared and Miya slumped back down into the chair.
"Shiba-sama!"
Exhaling slightly, Shiba Miya cracked open both of her eyes.
"Once everything has been documented, I need all personnel except Doctor Reisen to leave the room. Thank you all for your diligence and hard work; it has been a long day for all of us so everyone should get some rest."
Doctor Reisen had wanted to go over some of the results with the more senior technicians immediately, but she knew better than to go against the word of the eldest Yotsuba daughter. The room fell back into a tense silence as one-by-one, the lab assistants finished recording the necessary data and cleaned up their workstations. Shiba Miya once again had closed her eyes and appeared to be dozing.
In the meantime, Doctor Reisen busied herself by going over the recorded vital signs through the entire operation. Once the last of the assistants had left the operating theater Miya opened her eyes once again. With great strain, she pushed herself out of the desk to stand. At this movement, Doctor Reisen once again hurried to Miya's side, which earned her a glare.
"I may be frail, but I can still handle myself, Doctor".
Most people would have withered under that gaze, but in the many years of taking care of Shiba Miya she had become one of the few people to remain unperturbed under its intensity. She followed her over to the operating table, where the test subject was still lying sedated, with various test lines and EKGs leading to various points around his crown and chest.
"Doctor, please pull up the data on his interaction with the test sequences."
Picking up her discarded tablet, Doctor Reisen tapped a few times and soon a mass of charts and graphs was pulled up on the main monitor. Miya nodded at her in thanks and turned her attention to the screen. A couple minutes went by, and all the while Doctor Reisen observed the frown lines deepen on Miya's face. Was there something that they had missed?
She stepped away from the monitor and walked over to the bed where the test subject lay prone. Miya gently grasped the test subjects temples with fingers and once again activated her magic. Closing her eyes she slowly prodded the test subjects mind with her unique brand of magic. A few more minutes later, she opened her eyes and swayed a couple steps backwards. This time Doctor Reisen was there to brace her.
"You were checking the results with your magic weren't you? So? Does it confirm the data?" Doctor Reisen apprehensively asked.
Shiba Miya was silent for a while, looking as if she were trying to come up with a response. This made her nervous.
"I have checked the installed Artificial Magic Calculation Area. Some of the results do show promise, but I believe it is too early to call this a total success."
Doctor Reisen's pulse quickened. Not a total success?
"...I'm afraid I do not follow Shiba-sama."
Miya paused again before continuing.
"You are aware of how Modern Magic operates, Doctor?"
At this Doctor Reisen furrowed her brows.
"Well, yes. At a high level, a Magician uses a constructed Magic Sequence that targets the Eidos which rewrites the Psion information associated with the target. Because the Psion information itself is changed, the target itself changes to fit the information."
Miya nodded and continued.
"That is correct. But the thing about modern magic is that the effects are temporary simply because Magicians cannot sustain a spell indefinitely. The effects of Magic may continue to exist, but the writing itself will not-"
"-due to the physical world's tendency to obey the Natural Laws, it attempts to restore itself to a state that could come about by natural means." Doctor Reisen finished. "But what does theory on Magic Sequences have to do with the operation? We were simply…"
"The operation itself could only happen due to Magic. In essence, I forcibly altered some of his neuron structures with Mental Design Interference. Do you understand where I am going with this?"
Realization dawned on Doctor Reisen's face.
"You mean…"
"Yes. You are aware of the concept of 'Metastability'?"
"I am not a physicist, but in essence I think I understand. At the moment, his brain is in a state that accepts the Artificial Processor…"
"...but if it gets stressed too much before it is completely assimilated, there is the chance it could revert to its prior state. For now it would not be inaccurate to call the state it is in 'stable', but the smallest of pushes could cause it to fall apart."
Miya gazed back down at the bed.
"There are many things working against us. The first and foremost is that I was simply not strong enough. The Yotsuba do not consider him a Magician because he cannot alter reality, but the truth is his strength over the Eidos vastly exceeds everyone in the Clan. No one in the family would be able to best him in a contest of strength."
Doctor Reisen gave an involuntary shudder. So someone who could even strike fear into the Yotsuba existed?
"And the other factors?"
Miya glanced back at her.
"Those factors can be broadly generalized as 'Developmental'. As he is only 10, his brain is in a constant state of flux and growth. If nurtured in the right way that should not pose a problem. But, like I said, if his brain gets stressed by outside factors or his own use of magic…"
"Is there anything that can be done to ensure that?"
Miya looked tired.
"From a Magical perspective, no. I have done all I can. I do not plan to report this to the rest of the family. I need you to write the report in such a way that considers this a success. The family needs to know that he will not become undone and become a threat and turn on them. It is the only way I can guarantee his safety. We can only hope that the Artificial Processor sets permanently or that the person that comes out of there is not the monster we tried to lock away."
Miya tentatively stroked the cheek of the boy. She had a sad smile on her face.
"What kind of mother would do this to her own son?" she whispered.
She turned back to Doctor Reisen.
"That is all I have to say Doctor. I will look for your completed report in the coming weeks."
Doctor Reisen recognized a dismissal when she heard one. She was still processing the information she was given.
So the experiment is a failure then.
As she closed the door she caught the pained whispers of Shiba Miya to her one and only son.
"Tatsuya, I hope that one day you can find it in your heart to forgive what your mother has done to you."
- さえぐさ - しば -
Summer, 2092, Coast of Onna, Okinawa
The balmy afternoon sunshine beat down on the sandy beach; the waves rolled in and receded in a soothing cadence along the shores, causing the salty spray to fill the atmosphere. A teenage girl strolled aimlessly across the beach, her white dress billowing about in the ocean breeze. She had to catch the wide-brimmed sun hat to avoid losing it to the lively winds. An onlooker might have mistaken her for a local, which is exactly what she had been instructed to pose as; the specific shade of the sunscreen allowed her to slip among the sun-kissed bronze of the faceless masses that called the island their home.
It was therapeutic to feel the fine grains of sand sinking beneath her footsteps. She turned to look out over the ocean and inhaled deeply, allowing the scent of the sea to permeate her being. She closed her eyes and a relaxed smile graced her elfin features.
Sunlight fractaled and gleamed off the rippling of the water's surface. It reminded her of a Magic Sequence. The mysteries of the ocean had always drawn her in since she was young. The deep blue expanse that stretched as far as the eye could see, with the ever-changing nature of its waves and tides, sometimes gentle and soothing, yet also wild and terrible in its power. There was a comfort in knowing that she would never fully understand it, yet could spend the rest of her life learning more and more.
In the presence of the vast expanse she could put aside the duties of her name. Just another girl, whose existence was like the chaff in the wind compared to Mother Nature herself. Time and Nature cared not for mortal man, for their individual moments were like the single grains of sand that littered the shore she stood on. Just another girl living in the expanse of human existence.
She continued on her stroll, the playful wind to tousling her wavy locks. She permitted herself to enjoy this moment of peace away from her station, free from scrutinizing gazes, and the weight of her duties.
Chichi-ue was concerned about the tension in the region. The hushed discussions and concerns suggested an impending conflict. The Yotsuba were also operating on the islands, which she had gathered from the strain in his voice and the tension in his eyes. It was probably one of the reasons he was adamant about making the trip, although he would claim it was their duty as one of the Ten Clans. She absently felt the outline of the device in her pocket - a sign of her membership of a community that could bring hope and despair in equal measure. However, it was a concession the world was willing to make in a society that had tried to place as much distance between itself and the threat of nuclear war of the previous decades. Entering a Magic High School brought the weight of her gifts to the forefront of her life.
She had always hated the fact that the world saw them - her - as no more than walking weapons, the result of generations of careful arranged marriages for the optimal genetic results.
Disrupting her reflections, she realized that the ambient sounds associated with the presence of beachgoers at ease and enjoying the day had disappeared. Her footsteps stopped in the hot sand. Glancing around, she noticed the beach, once full of people enjoying the surf and sun, had largely disappeared. Movement at the edge of her vision caught her eye; she turned to get a better look at the parasol with all the activity.
A boy, a teenager she estimated, with messy, jet-black hair was surrounded by a group of large, lighter-toned men twice the size of him. They looked like trouble, a surly bunch. However, even at this distance, the resolve in the teen's pacific-blue eyes shone brightly in the afternoon glare and captivated her.
She did not understand the fear that settled into her stomach at the inequity of the situation.
She tried to move quickly while at the same time trying to tug the CAD out of her pocket. The sand, which had just moments ago brought her a sense of peace, now hindered her movements by swallowing up her small feet.
She mentally berated herself.
Why had she ditched Nakura-san? His role was for moments such as these!
The burly men had spread themselves out, attempting to flank the boy.
She attempted to run, but found herself tumbling over a dip in the sand she had missed in her haste. The wind caught her hat and it flew away in the gust. A sharp pain shot through her left leg and the salty grit of sand coated her small frame and face and she let out a small cry of pain.
…
The boy gazed silently out across the dancing waves, passive, but constantly aware of the surroundings. To the normal observer, the boy would have simply appeared to be bored, or perhaps unexpressive. However, the muscles of his lean, yet sturdy body, concealed underneath his brown parka and shorts, would subtly tense up anytime another patron of the beach came within earshot of the parasol he was sitting under.
He cast a gentle gaze down at the sleeping girl beside him. That tender look he gave was the only indication that the boy wasn't fully devoid of emotion. He was glad that she was able to finally relax enough and give into the drowsy feelings brought on by the temperate coastline weather. He tenderly reset the body-length towel that she had disturbed during her restless dream-induced movements.
The boy had noticed that the beach had slowly been clearing out. But despite the sense of strain in the atmosphere, he did not see the need to retreat from his current location. Not when his sister was enjoying a nap.
Eventually, the cause of the disturbance on the beach made itself known. A group of several coarse looking men picked their way across the deserted sands. Their lighter skin tone suggested that they were not locals. With their current path, they could only have had one destination.
Picking himself off the ground, he carefully maneuvered so as to not disturb the sleeping girl. Her rhythmic inhale and exhale indicated that she was blissfully unaware of the current situation. He strode a few meters away from the parasol to meet the men.
"May I help you?"
He allowed the terse line of questioning to be laced with a touch of irritation and threat. Of course this was ignored by the larger men. People tended to brush over him. Who wouldn't? He was just a young teenager after all. Their mistake. It just made his job all the more easier.
"Hey, hey, what's the big deal? We just saw that the beach had cleared out but you guys were still sticking around. We figured that the more company's the better, so we thought we might join you and the little lady."
The burly group of men sniggered and the spokesman for the group cast a crude glace in the direction of the parasol. The boy's brows furrowed in annoyance.
"I'm sorry, but we would rather remain undisturbed."
The spokesman let out a barking laugh.
"Aww c'mon, don't be like that."
The boy ever so slightly widened his stance. He did not like the way the conversation was proceeding, so it was prudent to be prepared.
"I am going to politely ask you to turn around and leave us be."
"Oh?"
A sense of amusement crossed the large man's face. The angle of the shadows cast by the afternoon sunlight gave him a sinister appearance.
"And if we refuse?"
The dark-haired boy frowned.
"Then I will have to ask in a slightly less polite manner."
The men froze for a moment and then burst out laughing. The furrows on his face deepend. He hoped that the din wasn't loud enough to wake his sister. The spokesman was busy trying to catch his breath brought on by the wheezing and laughter.
"Gotta pair on this one!" he exclaimed to his compatriots. The group fanned out around the boy. "Alright then, let's see what you…"
His statement was interrupted by the sudden cry of pain nearby. From the corner of his eye he saw a petite girl trip over a dip in the sand she did not see. Something flew out of her hand and landed a short distance away, glinting in the sunlight. A CAD? The ruffians all turned at the noise and the boy mentally chided himself for not properly maintaining his surveillance. However, he was also not one to pass up an unexpected diversion.
With swift and deliberate movements, he methodically struck down the men in the order he perceived to be the most to least dangerous. He had to consciously hold some of his power back so as to not unleash lethal force.
In under a minute, all of the men were groaning on the hot sand. He towered over the fallen men, pacific-blue eyes once again scanning over the environment, appraising the danger.
"W-we'll come back".
A bald man managed to growl out as he picked his cruel body of muscles off the sand to help his compatriots retreat. The boy doubted so; while he hadn't used enough force to break bones, he had made sure to leave a few of them with deep bruises and minor fractures.
He quickly scanned the now empty beach one more time before making his way over to where the distracting cry had come from. He found a petite teenage girl in a white dress sprawled out on the sand. At the noise her crimson eyes met his own pacific-blue ones.
"Do you need some help?"
At the emotionless voice the girl lifted her head. Her elfin features betrayed her curiosity. He could see that she was beautiful; not perfect, as his sister, but still lovely to look at. The boy offered a hand to the girl; for a few moments she simply stared at the hand and blinked owlishly, as if studying it, before placing her own soft hand into his rough and calloused one. He absently noted the trails of blood covering her thin digits; it made her already small hands look thin and frail.
Gently, he tried to help her to her feet, but before she could pull herself off the hot afternoon sand she gave another cry of pain and collapsed back, tears forming at the edges of her eyes. He did a quick scan over her body. Interesting. So this person was...
"You sprained your ankle."
"I-I...:"
Her face showed a mixture of shock and curiosity that slightly replaced the expression of suffering.
"You're a magician."
Well, it wouldn't do to have someone like her so close to himself and his sister. The pragmatic thing to do would be to have her as far as possible as soon as possible. The expression of shock and curiosity morphed into that of panic, her eyes betraying her distress.
"Don't move."
Sighing, the teen lowered himself next to her prone form. The girl tensed up slightly at his action. He placed a gentle hand on her arm; her breath hitched slightly but her body relaxed at the gesture. Concentrating, he allowed his Sight to take over as he employed his magic. The slight gathering of Psion light filled the area. He saw her eyes widen in surprise. He allowed his magic to travel through her body, identifying wounds and fixing them in an instant.
He let out a grunt of pain as he finished his work and folded over. The girl immediately pushed herself into a sitting position to catch him. What a strange girl.
"Are you alright?"
The boy squeezed his eyes shut and waved away her concern.
"H-how…?"
"-hairline fracture," the boy grunted out as he managed to support his upper body with his arms. Taking a moment to catch his breath, he cracked a single pacific-blue eye at his companion. She seemed to freeze at the sight. He absently noted her brilliant crimson eyes reminded him of a red rose.
"P-pardon?"
A look of confusion crossed her face.
"You had a sprained ankle, some abrasions, and a hairline fracture."
He realized he had dawdled with this girl for too long. Swiftly he climbed to his feet; he needed to check on his sister. Striding purposefully back to the parasol he had left, he registered that he was being followed. The girl was hurrying to catch up to him. He hoped she would not fall again since he did not feel like using his magic twice on the same person for the exact same reason.
"Wait, you're alright? Why am I alright? Wait!"
She trailed behind him by a few steps. Her figure suggested that she was a year or two older than he was. He tried to not let the irritation show on his face at the girl's persistence. He ducked beneath the parasol's shade. He was relieved to see that his sister was still napping, although in his absence she had once again disturbed the towel he had carefully laid over her. A sigh reminded him that they were still not alone. He frowned and cast a look at their guest. She seemed to realize she was staring and turned away from his sister to look at him, blushing.
"Is she your charge?"
The boy met her look but did not answer for a moment. He considered how to answer this girl. Shel tapped her foot impatiently for a while before he gave his reply.
"She's my sister."
He allowed his gaze to drift down once again. A look of intrigue graced her elfin features.
"She doesn't like others to stare at her," the boy warned.
"Is that why…"
"No. They harbored ill-intentions for her."
Intrigue gave way to alarm.
"Why didn't you wake her up and run? You must have had enough time to do that."
He once again looked at the sleeping girl. A sense of warmth filled his body.
"She was enjoying a nap."
The look on the face of the girl became unreadable. Surprisingly, he noted that despite the short time together, and the initial feeling of irritation, he realized her presence was not altogether unwelcome. It was slightly unnerving since he was used to keeping most everyone at an arm's distance.
"It's perfectly acceptable for you to wake her up if her safety is threatened. I know it's fine because my...I-I mean. I-I'm sure your sister wouldn't mind."
He trained his eyes back on the girl, head cocked slightly. An interesting way of phrasing that.
The girl withered slightly under the intense look, sheepishly dropping her attention to her hands.
"I will take note."
She snapped her head up at the response. The movement caused her dark hair to cascade around her face, obscuring her eyes. She let out a huff of irritation. He wondered if her hair was always like that. Normally one would have tied it up or worn a hat.
"Thank you for helping me," he thanked her sincerely.
Her crimson-rose hued eyes widened.
"You…"
"- I would have killed them if you did not distract them."
He noted that she seemed slightly disturbed at the statement casting glances between himself and his sister.
"Uh...You're welcome."
The boy allowed his lips to lift ever so slightly into a ghost of a smile. The girl responded with a dazzling smile of her own. He did not understand, but talking with this girl was easy. She did not treat him like many others did; detached, below their station, or with fear.
The wind ruffled her locks again; he amusedly watched as she grumbled, trying to get her hair in order before turning back to the now empty shoreline and the rhythmic cresting of waves on the beach.
"Wait, you still haven't told me how you healed me!"
He did not bother turning to look at the girl.
"Magic."
He could tell that the girl was pouting at the snarky response.
"You didn't use a CAD. It wasn't Ancient Magic either, so what kind of magic did you use? I couldn't get a read on it."
At this he turned to level his gaze at her.
"Don't I deserve thanks?"
"I-I...Well, thank you. Wait, but what kind of magic did you use? It didn't look like it was part of the Four Types of magic."
At her continued line of questioning he allowed a measure of the irritation to show on his face. He turned away.
"How astute."
The girl went back to pouting. She was quite good at that; she must have gotten in a lot of practice.
"C'mon-"
"I should have left you in pain," he whispered softly. "It's a secret I don't wish to divulge."
The silence stretched between them for several long seconds. The girl's cheeks blushed pink in embarrassment. He wasn't sure if this was something she did on a regular basis. Most highborn ladies would have shown much more discretion with her actions. He supposed he found the genuine reactions refreshing.
"It's of no consequence, Saegusa-san."
At the declaration the Saegusa girl whipped her head. He allowed himself to bask in her shocked expression for a few seconds.
"You know who I am?"
The boy allowed himself some measure of cheek.
"Who wouldn't?" he questioned, arching a single brow.
The girl huffed.
"I apologize for now introducing myself earlier. I'm Saegusa Mayumi. It's nice to meet you."
The boy found it slightly amusing that it had taken all afternoon to finally introduce each other.
"Shiba Tatsuya."
Her gaze became pensive, as if trying to place him. It did not worry him. They were far enough removed from the main family that the connection would not be made without some very detailed knowledge.
The girl - Mayumi - glanced at her watch. A look of panic crossed her features.
"On no! I need to go! It was nice to meet you!"
She seemed flustered. She hastened to return to where she was needed.
"Wait."
Tatsuya withdrew the CAD that Mayumi had dropped from her earlier fall. Her eyes darted to his worn hands.
"Oh! Thank you! I forgot."
She gratefully accepted the offered device.
"Will I have a chance to see you again, Shiba-san?" she turned to ask one last time before leaving. Her crimson-rose eyes sparkled. Strange. He felt a slight loss.
"No Saegusa-san. Goodbye."
Half an hour later, as he was guiding Miyuki back to the residence, he managed to catch a sun hat gliding lazily through the breeze. Uncertain of why he did so, he took it back with them when they returned to Tokyo. It matched the white dress Mayumi had worn that day.
