Yin and Yang

Kage-01.

That was what they called him, kage: "shadow". The name fit him perfectly.

That was all he knew, the shadows. They were just alike:

Dark…

Shady…

Never to see the light of day…

"Hey, Yan! You heading out now?" a voice asked from the kitchen.

"Yeah, in a minute." He checked his watch. "Are you ready, Yuzuki?"

Tiny hands pulled on his jacket, and he turned, looking down at a silver head of a little girl who was waiting on him patiently. He hadn't even heard her enter the room, she was so small and quiet. The same hands reached up to him and he took her left one. Her lovely dark eyes blinked at him expectantly.

He suppressed a sigh. "Did you finish the last book you got?"

She nodded slowly but surely.

"I'm not making any promises."

She pouted, and once he saw that quivering lip, he knew he couldn't say no to her. "If we get everything done early today, maybe we can go." That was enough to make the girl smile, and seeing the adorably bright smile on her face that warmed his heart almost made him grin, too. Almost.

"We'll be back in a few hours!" he informed the occupant in the other room.

"Don't forget the note!" the voice from the kitchen reminded. The front door clicked shut, indicating the two had left.

He'd never seen the outside of the laboratory in which he was imprisoned, the only source of light being the painfully bright fluorescent bulbs that were in the room where he was forced to perform what they liked to call "tests". His cage, however, was always pitch black as to prevent the shadows from lurking.

He knew nothing beyond this cage, besides his shadows. He'd been confined here ever since he could remember. It was his home, his birthplace. It was where he ate and slept, his only refuge away from the the labs where he was forced to complete his "tests".

He was never told when he was taking these tests. A week, a month, maybe even a year—he'd been in that place so long he didn't bother keeping track of anything, especially not the timespan between each test day. But he always knew when it was a test. He'd wake up in one of those incredibly bright rooms strapped to a chair, and there'd be a window on his left where he knew the doctors were watching him. And like always, there was another child, another Minimum Holder—he later found out that was what the doctors called him and the other children—standing on the other side of the room looking terrified. He was right to be afraid.

Once he was fully conscious, and as soon as he saw the other child, the shadows under them peeled off the floor and formed a single formidable wraith. The child shrank into the farthest corner of the room and cried out, drawing the shadow's attention, and the serpentine silhouette slicked over and, like an angel of Death, ravaged the child. And he would just sit there, unable to do a thing to help, for once the shadows came out, it was out of his control.

They lusted blood, the blood of the doctors, the people who poked, prodded, practically tortured him and were currently watching his every movement like he was some kind of animal, but there was no way to obtain it, so they settled for the next best thing…

None of his victims came out of that room alive.

At first it frightened him, watching children his age die, knowing he was the cause but having no idea how to stop it; it terrified him so much it gave him nightmares. He tried to stop it, calling to his shadows, but they did not listen. And as his victims cried out for mercy, he could do nothing but listen as his hands were restrained and it was nearly impossible to block out something so macabre. So he closed his eyes, writhing and crying out along with his victims in empathy. And then it was over, and all of sudden, he was back in his pitch black cage.

After a year, it was routine. He didn't cry or try to block out the terrified screams. He didn't do anything but just watch, taking in the carnage, and then fell asleep, always waking up in his familiar dark environment as if it were all a nightmare. But the lingering, metallic smell of blood in his nose told him it was no mere dream.

He eventually learned to accept the darkness. It was the only thing that kept the shadows at bay.

Light was his darkness now. As much as he had yearned for it, he couldn't have it, not as long as the shadows still lurked about for their next victim…

"Aw, what a cute little girl!"

"Look at all that white on her. She looks like an angel!"

"And that boy she's with isn't half bad-looking, either."

Yan rolled his eyes at the not-so-discreet conversations going on around them and pulled his hood over his head, doing to the same for Yuzuki. It was hard to blend in with a crowd when he and Yuzuki were together, but at least it didn't draw bad attention. But he could do without the girls gawking at them while they were shopping.

"He's so dark and brooding..."

"Why are the dark ones always so sexy?"

"I don't know, but I'm not complaining."

He was glad to see no one from that one café among the pedestrians, and he was especially relieved knowing Yuzuki was oblivious of all the attention and the blatant remarks from those women. Her face was practically glued to the pastry shop, and it was only a matter of seconds before she would stubbornly pull on his jacket until he bought something for her.

"Don't even think about it," he warned as she ran back to his side. "We haven't gotten everything done yet, and we won't have enough money left for the bookstore if I buy you junk food." The little girl pouted, but she stayed by his side. He couldn't help smiling as she kept glancing back at the freshly baked goods.

"How about a cookie for the sweet little angel helping her big brother with errands." Yan turned to the baker, a nice elderly widow by the name of Jo-san, who was also Yan's boss. "Is that alright with you, Yan?" she asked him politely. Once again Yuzuki appointed her fair gaze onto him pleadingly.

And once again, he couldn't say no. "How about when we're finished, we'll stop by on our way out."

"Okay then, dear. Have a good day."

Yan pretended he couldn't see the old baker sneak a small Danish butter cookie to the little girl.

His life in the lab changed when he woke up and found a little girl in front of him. She wasn't the first girl he would fortuitously slaughter, but there was something about her that was different.

All these years in the lab and he'd never seen a girl like this. Her skin was so pale it seemed translucent under the bright fluorescent lights in the room, and the white walls, floor and ceiling almost made her glow. Her platinum blonde hair framed her round cheeks, and her deep, space cadet eyes wandered the room curiously. But what really surprised him was the lack of fear he usually saw whenever he woke up. She didn't seem afraid at all. She just looked… innocent. He'd never seen anyone so small and helpless.

Like always, the shadows beneath him and the girl came to life and formed a single entity. It slithered up to the girl, and she finally took her eyes off the walls when she realized something was approaching her. Instead of fleeing like most kids did whenever they saw the silhouette, she watched it with the same curiosity she held when she was looking at the walls.

And then she smiled. The damn kid was smiling in the face of Death! And laughing! That poor, sweet little girl; she had no idea what was coming next. At least her last moments alive wouldn't be spent in terror. And if things couldn't get any more bizarre, the shadow did the most unexpected thing: It transformed into a docile animal—a bunny of all things!—and let the girl pet it! He had no idea what the hell was going on, but something in his chest hummed lightly as the little girl continued to play with his shadow, taming the monster that he couldn't control all his life.

The following day, he awoke to find himself in a different room. It wasn't completely dark like his old room, but he couldn't really compare this room to his old one because the darkness made it nearly impossible to see anything. The slivers of light seeping through the metal door were an unpleasant sight to him. He had been without light for so long he despised it. But thanks to the light, he could finally see the inside of his room.

Across the room, he saw there was another bed, and slumbering peacefully in it was the little girl.

As if she sensed his gaze, she stirred and rubbed her eyes as they tried to adjust to her new surroundings. He could tell by the way her brows furrowed dubiously and how her ashen eyes wandered about it was still a little hard for her to see, but it was different for him. He'd been kept in the dark so long it was easier for his eyes to adjust. Once she spotted him, she smiled that terribly bright smile of hers.

It made him cringe. Why the hell was she so damn happy? Didn't she realize she was never going to leave this place, that she was nothing but a guinea pig to these people? Was she not sad that she would never see her family ever again?

The shadow immediately took its lagomorph form again and bounded to the little girl, who began laughing. He'd never been around someone with positive energy before, and it sent a warm sensation through his chest.

It was… different, but not unpleasant. All his life, he'd spent every day wondering when the next test will be, how many more he would have to take until they finally had the results they wanted, and now those answers had finally come. This was the result: a bubbly little girl who didn't seem to fear anything, least of all his shadows. And now he was stuck with her.

But, perhaps, that wasn't such a bad thing.

He'd seen the men as soon as they left the marketplace. There were only two, and they were both wearing jackets with pressed pants, something that didn't stand out too much in the crowd, but it was remotely obvious to Yan they weren't ordinary citizens. They'd been following him and Yuzuki all day, and he was afraid he knew why.

"Yuzuki, come here." The hushed whisper came out calmly as not to alert the little girl.

Yuzuki, however, was finding it difficult to break away from the book she was currently rapt in. After a painstaking second to finish off the page she was on, she marked it and took her book with her to see what Yan wanted. "Is this what you really want?" he asked, gesturing to the book clutched tightly against her chest. She nodded and handed it over so he could purchase it.

After buying the book, Yan took Yuzuki to the far side of the store by a wall of books. It was close to the door, but out of sight from their stalkers.

"Yuzuki, listen carefully," he said quietly. "When I say, I want you to get out and run to the pastry shop without me."

The little girl looked confused by the unusual request. Looking back at the door, Yan knew it was only a matter of time before those men came in, and he needed to get her out of there before they found them.

"I won't be long. I forgot something on the list and I need to go back to get it." Still looking unsure, Yuzuki grabbed a bit of Yan's sleeve and frowned, which twisted his heart. He hated seeing her frown like that. "I promise it'll only take a sec. Jo-san will keep you company." Hesitantly, Yuzuki finally nodded.

The bell above the entrance jingled, and as he predicted, the stalkers came into the store, casually strolling through the center aisle of shelves stuffed with books. Gently nudging her to the door, Yan whispered, "Go, now!" and the little girl scurried off to Jo-san's shop.

The sound of the bell drew the strangers' attention, and not long afterwards did Yan leave the store, making sure their eyes were on him.

They called her "The Lullaby". It was a strange name, and it had no number. It made her seem special compared to the other subjects, and though he didn't know why she was given that name, he thought it suited her.

Every time those lab coats came, it was the only time he ever saw her show something other than happiness. It was disturbing how she felt safer here in this room, with him and his deadly shadows, but in a way, it was also comforting for both of them.

The first time they tried to take her away, it immediately filled him with ire. Two doctors opened the door, letting in an excessive amount of light. His shadow grew taller and volatile, instantly going in for the kill. However, he felt the warm sensation in his chest again when he looked at the girl. She'd never seen him draw blood before, and he'd be damned if he lost control now.

Stop!

As soon as the thought entered his head, the shadow recoiled and retreated back to him. This seemed to bring out the exact same reaction from everyone, except the little girl, as everything was stock still and there was not a single sound to be heard. Finally snapping out of their initial shock and fear of him, the doctors advanced towards the girl once more. It took all his willpower to keep the shadow back as they took her away.

When she returned, she was smiling as if nothing happened, but he could see the tremors in her arms and legs as she made it to her bed. He cursed those bastards.

Each day they took her, he'd started to gain more and more control over his shadows, and he practiced how to manipulate them at will. He didn't know how she did it, but the only thing that could help him overcome this seemingly impossible feat was this godsend.

The Lullaby.

He didn't know why, but he felt a connection with this girl, as cryptic as that sounded to him. She never wanted to stay away from him for too long (as proved from the constant struggling whenever those doctors came to take her for her tests), and he always anticipated her return. He had reason to assume she was only drawn to his shadows, but that thought was cast aside each night he awoke to find her cuddle at his side. Physical affection was not something he was accustomed to, but the chilly sensation of her little hands clinging to his shabby shirt, ironically, brought out that warm sensation in his chest since the first time he set his eyes on her.

He felt it resonant within him strongly one night. It was always had for him to sleep, even before she became his roommate, so he just lied there, watching her. Suddenly, her eyes opened, and they met his equally dark ones, her smile once again coming to life. She clung to him once more, and, hesitantly, he put an arm around her protectively.

That night, he made a solemn pledge to protect this girl from anyone or anything that would cause her harm, including himself.

"Where'd he go?"

"I don't know! You said he went this way."

"He did, but the girl's not with him."

"Damn it! Why is it so damn hard to watch a couple of damn kids!?"

"They're more like a couple of freaks."

"Freaks or not, we don't get paid if we don't have them. They're potentially dangerous, so we can't underestimate—"

Metal-on-metal clatter disrupted their conversation, and they turned to see the boy they had been looking for blocking their entrance, his face lacking any sort of emotion whatsoever. Another figure was standing next to him, but they couldn't really see what they looked like.

"It's him. Looks like he brought a friend."

"Is it the girl?"

"No, this one's different."

"Hey, kid! If you tell us where the girl is we promise you no trouble!"

"What the hell are you doing? We're not negotiating with a couple of freaks."

All of a sudden, both men were grabbed by the ankles and dragged across the ground towards the boy and his friend. Their mouths were bound and gagged by something wispy albeit durable, and the same material was used to bind their arms and legs. A muffled scream from his partner alerted the man, and looking over at the boy, who had yet to move, he realized a moment too late that his friend was anything but human.

It'd been a while since he'd performed a test.

He was still disoriented from the drugs they gave him, but he recognized the room, the bright lights, lack of pigment on the walls, floor and ceiling.

He didn't, however, anticipate the sight of the little girl strapped to a chair.

There were doctors still in the room, and they didn't seem to notice he was waking up. Although he wasn't fully conscious, the shadows began to manifest, but that didn't seem to concern the doctors at all. They were too busy with the girl, who was still asleep.

Then he saw a needle.

Not knowing what they planned to drug him with, the sight of the hypodermic device actually scared him. But when he saw who the needle was really for, he lost it.

The shadows congregated as he remembered the pain in her eyes, the tears she shed every time they dragged her away—and now they were going to torture her right in front of him! Damn them! Damn them all!

Finally, the shadows would quench their thirst, and for a moment, he hoped it would end there. But just before the shadow reached the last one, the needle was plunged.

Then came pain, and once again he was consumed by darkness.

"Don't worry, dear. I'm sure Yan-kun is on his way right now. Here, have a cookie."

Yuzuki was too worried to munch on any of Jo-san's sweets. She knew whenever Yan told her to go to Jo-san's shop on her own there was trouble. She wished she'd defied Yan and stayed to help, but she also knew she would probably do more harm than good if she had disobeyed him.

Not a moment too soon, the noirette came in with a smirk on his face, and Yuzuki did not wait another second to run over to him. "Yan-Yan!"

He picked up the little girl as soon as she was in arms' length. "Was Yuzuki good, Jo-san?"

"As always, she was an angel. I already put together a bag of goodies for the young dear, and there's a little something in there for you, too. I know how much you like geppei."

"Thanks, Jo-san. What do you say, Yuzuki?" Instead of answering, the little girl clung closer to him, hiding her face in the nape of his neck. Yan's smirk softened into a smile, and he smoothed his hand over her head. "Hey, it's okay now, Yuzuki. I told you I'd be back. I promised I'll always come back to you, no matter what, remember? Have I ever broken that promise?"

Removing her head from his shoulder, Yuzuki grinned up at him as if he had never left, and she yanked to get down so she could get her goody bag.

"You're lucky to have such a caring big brother, Yuzuki-chan."

Yan smiled wistfully, wanting to tell the old baker she had no idea how wrong she was. But instead, he thanked Jo-san and, taking Yuzuki's free hand, left the bakery, thinking how lucky he was to have this little girl in his life.

"It's okay."

His ears were ringing and his nose was burning from the stench of blood permeating the room. The rest of his senses were shot as he cradled her in his arms.

"It's okay. I'm not hurt."

She clung to him, tears streaming down her face. She had lost her voice, but even if she hadn't she wouldn't have made a peep. Not if it would hurt him.

"I promise that I'll always be here for you no matter what. Nothing will take me away from you."

He never would've predicted this little girl was capable of doing something so powerful. It seemed there was something dark in her as well, despite all the light she always brought into the room. And as some of his darkness consumed her, the light she emitted began to ebb away the shadows that consumed his heart.

Fun fact: Geppei are the Japanese equivalent of Chinese moon cakes.