Malpractice

CHAPTER 2: First Experiments

Author'sNote: Fair warning, folks, this chapter is torturous. I know I love to watch my guys squirm, but I felt so sorry for my poor Tohru-Chan in all of this! I even had to stop reading what I was typing and stare at my husband's computer screen, just letting my fingers do the work during some parts of it. Again, thanks to OmniXenderman for help with this story. I still haven't introduced his theory on how things work, Toshio will have to examine all, or at least a few more of his test subjects before he draws those conclusions, but I still appreciate Omni's help with all the brainstorming for chapters to come. By the way, in this story, Toshio is the only one who knows Natsuno came back as a Jinrou. When he says there's only two Jinrou who's existence he knows about, he's referring to Natsuno and Tatsumi. Tohru and the others only know Tatsumi and Yoshie. None of them know that there were a total of four, as what happened to Seishin remains unknown to them, and Tatsumi is the only one everyone knows about.

NOTE! This chapter is subject to change!

Toshio turned on the camera. He had Tohru strapped to a dirty old hospital bed. Tohru knew what he was about to be put through was going to be painful, most likely torturous. But, he reluctantly conceded to the experiments. Toshio and Ritsuko both seemed to believe a further medical understanding of the Shiki would be helpful, either to the Shiki, or the humans, or both. Tohru quietly convinced himself that if he followed through with the experiments, then maybe he could alleviate himself some of the guilt and emotional torment he was feeling. So, while reluctant, he was a willing participant.

"The date is November 15th, 1995"

"The time, 9:35 pm."

"My name is Dr. Toshio Ozaki."

"I'm recording in the after math of a bloodbath here in the village of Sotoba. In the last four months, we have been under attack from a group of creatures, more specifically Okiagari, which call themselves Shiki. These reanimated corpses look and act just like they did before death. The difference, however, is that they rely on human blood to sustain themselves, they possess inhuman strength and speed, and an accelerated healing rate. This is my second attempt to study them. My first subject was my own Wife, Kyouko Ozaki, who's death was confirmed on the 10th of October."

"Kyouko, Subject A, is no longer with us, and unfortunately, all of my original documents and research have been lost in a fire. Therefore, I'm recreating my original examinations with a new specimen."

"In my original research, I only had Subject A, a female of the species. Now, I have the privilege of six specimens."

Tohru blinked and looked at the doctor curiously. "SIX? But there's only four of us in the basement...?" he thought.

"Subject C, Ritsuko Kunihiro, a former nurse under my employment . Possibly the only member of her species who hasn't claimed a victim to feed upon. When I procured her, she had gone several days without eating, having nearly starved herself. Subject D, Megumi Shimizu, a young girl, age 15, going on 16, the oldest SHIKI among my current test group, Death Confirmed on August 15, currently suffering memory loss due to a blow to her skull. Subject E, Masao Murasako, Age 17, born with Dextrocardia. Behind me, Subject B. Tohru Mutou, age 18, Death Confirmed September 17th, sired by Subject D. Quite possibly my most fascinating specimen among the SHIKI, as he's the only one of the four to sire a Jinrou."

"Wait...? I DID WHAT!?" Tohru thought, his eyes focusing on the doctor. "MHT?" came the muffled exclamation.

"Which brings me to Subject X, the Jinrou. I will keep separate records on the Jinrou, and thus won't reveal my Subject's identity here. What I will state is that the Jinrou is a part of the same clan, only faster and stronger, much more dangerous. While the Shiki need human blood to survive and can't enter into the sunlight, and have to sleep during the day, a Jinrou is not phased by the sun. The Jinrou can eat human food, but still occasionally needs to feed on blood. They follow the same rule of not being able to enter an occupied building without being invited, but don't seem to have any of the same weaknesses as their Shik brethren. Jinrou are rare, and I'm only aware of the confirmed existence of two."

"Tatsumi and Yoshie, those are the only two I knew of?" Tohru thought, "What does he mean I sired one? And who does he have?"

Toshio lifted the camera and walked over to Tohru.

"I have taped Subject B's mouth shut, to avoid any reflexive urges to bite during this procedure. As you can see, the boy is rather animate. As previously mentioned, I will be using Subject B to reconduct my original experiments on Subject A. Subject A's cornea had been completely clear, four days after death. Typically, the cornea clouds up, around 48 hours after death, covering the pupil."

Toshio reached down and pressed his thumb and forefinger to Tohru's eyelids, forcing the eye wide open and zooming in with the camera.

"If you note Subject B's eyes, all color has left them. Once a honey brown, Tohru's eyes are now solid black, the pupil no longer noticeable. All four of my Shiki subjects have this trait. This does not seem to be a trait that carried over to the Ji-n..rou...?"

Toshio's eyes went wide for a moment of realization and his jaw dropped for a moment. "Curious? Does it take time after rising for this to occur in a Shiki, or was Kyouko...? Tatsumi WAS the one who bit her, after all?" Toshio thought.

"As I recall, what little cloudiness there was in Subject A's eyes had begun to clear within three days. I will have to further research this phenomenon later."

Toshio hooked Tohru to an IV.

"Next, I shall draw blood through the catheter from the artery. Take note that the subject's blood is black. Such had been the case with Subject A, as well."

Tohru watched with morbid curiosity as his blood collected into the catheter bag. His father's position as clinic director and Ritsuko's position as a nurse had actually given him a slight interest in medical procedures. He still had his moments of squeamishness, but he still held a small amount of medical knowledge.

Toshio waited until the bag was mostly full, then moved it aside. Turning off the light, he focused the camera on the bag. Torhu's eyes widened as he saw what the doctor was focusing on.

"A perfect recreation of the original results. When the black blood is sheltered from light, a bright red thread-like liquid can be seen mixed together."

Toshio readied a microscope slide with some of the blood.

"Let's look at it from a microscopic point of view. The red blood cells from Subject A were still disintegrating, while small red granules could be seen in the vermeil-colored parts, proving the body wasn't completely dead, but slowly undergoing change, completely different from how a normal body decomposes..." He adjusted the camera and microscope as he spoke. "Within twenty four hours, the bright red threads had enlarged, carrying small granule-like things. The same can be seen here in Subject B's blood."

Toshio turned to face his patient, retraining the camera onto Tohru.

"There's no need for an EEG to show signs of brain activity. Also there is no question that rigor mortise is completely gone."

Toshio sat the camera on the tripod and slipped a blood pressure cup on Tohru's arm. He placed a hand to Tohru's throat.

"No respiration." He held a mirror over Tohru's face, angled so the camera can take note. The glass didn't fog. He set the glass down and began to work with the blood pressure cup. "No blood pressure, no pulse."

He approached Tohru and removed the tape over the blond's mouth, once again hovering the camera over the teenager. "Open your mouth Tohru," he ordered. Tohru reluctantly did as he was told and Toshio zoomed the camera in.

"With Subject A, I had tried using a BVM resuscitator, but it did nothing. Like wise, a heart massage and defibrillator did not revive heart beat. The closest an Okiagari comes to breathing is simulation of it in order to speak." He holds Tohru's mouth open, focusing in on the teeth. "Upon closer inspection of the dental work, you'll take note that the canines have become elongated and sharp, fang-like in nature, they're even retractable to prevent accidental self biting. I have a morbid curiosity as to whether or not one will grow back if broken."

Torhu's eyes opened wide in tearful fear at those words, snapping onto the doctor. A small part of his old self still existed, after all.

Toshio laughed. "Relax, Torhu," the doctor said, "You don't need them as long as I have a reserve supply of blood, but I'm not about to yank your fangs out, just yet."

Toshio sat the camera back on its tripod, replaced the tape over Tohru's mouth, and picked up a syringe, drawing a single pint of blood.

"Prior research shows that when left aside, blood does not coagulate, nor separate. I does however grow darker over time. I do not have samples that have been left to sit out at the moment, but as one can plainly see, Subject B's blood is a very dark black. With my previous subject, I experimented, adding several different chemicals to the blood, but had no reactions. I will be recreating these experiments over time with samples from all of my new subjects. In the meantime, THIS I can still reproduce." Toshio sliced the tip of his forefinger open and let a few drops of his blood fall into the the sample he was holding.

Tohru's eyes widened as the smell of FRESH blood hit him. The blond Shiki began to squirm against his restraints. Toshio looked over his shoulder at his suddenly VERY animate patient. It didn't take him long to figure out what had triggered this reaction. He sat down the sample, realizing he had the chance to reveal something to the camera that he'd not done with Kyouko. "Calm down, kid," he said quietly. Almost as if on command, Torhu fell still, staring up at the doctor. Toshio smiled at him. "Let me finish this," he nudged his head in the direction of the sample, then held his bleeding finger up in front of Tohru's face, "And then I'll let you have some of this."

He returned to the camera and picked up the blood sample. He smiled at the beaker, as it had the very results he'd wanted to recreate.

"As one can see, once I added my own blood, the Shiki's has returned to a bright red, as though it has revived. This dark blood is their life force." He caps off the test tube, cutting off the oxygen. "I'm cutting off the oxygen now. By the end of my experiments tonight, this blood will have returned to the same thick dead black color it had been when I drew it." He sat down the beaker and returned to Tohru, once again removing the tape over the blond's mouth. Tohru gave off a low, hungry growl. Toshio frowned. He wasn't use to this sort of behavior from the boy. "Well, I have been feeding you all blood from the medical reserve..." He took the scalpel and pressed it into his wrist, digging just deep enough to draw blood. He cautiously lowered his wrist over Tohru's mouth. Tohru hesitated, the real him struggling to stave off the 'possession' that was the hunger caused by his condition. But after a moment, he tilted his head upward and bit into Toshio's wrist. The doctor flinched as he felt the fangs pierce through the skin and Tohru began to suck the blood from him. After a moment, Tohsio heaved a quiet sigh. He placed two fingers on Tohru's throat. "Before feeding, the body was ice cold. But... I can feel a change. The consumption of fresh blood is causing a rise in body temperature. I had never even considered, does it stimulate metabolism?" He loosened the restraint on Tohru's left arm and grabbed his wrist, lifting it upward. "STILL no pulse... But some pigment and slight coloration is returning to the skin." Toshio pulled his wrist away from Tohru's mouth, taping it shut once more, now were the more painful portions of the experiment. He bandaged his wrist and turned back to the camera.

"I will reconduct this portion of the experiments for the sake of documentation. I still have a few hours before sunrise. I began at 9:35, and it is now 10:50. I have a wide variety of chemicals on hand. Some are poisonous, some are anesthetics, no matter what they are, they're all suppressants and depressants. They cause slight discomfort, but do not seem to have any permanent effect. I will start with a simple knock out gas."

He placed the gas mask over Tohru's face, completely covering the blond's nose and mouth. He turned on the gas. Tohru squirmed as the smell of the gas assaulted his nose. Even though he inhaled it, there was little to no effect. At the very most, one of his fingers felt numb, but not much else. Toshio then moved on to intravenous injections of other drugs used by doctors to render patients unconscious. Each new chemical was taken from a freshly opened bottle, with a clearly printed label, so there could be no question as to what they were. Nitrous Oxide, Thiopental and Katmine, Pentazocine and Morphine. Nothing beyond slight discomforts, regardless of dosage. Pesticides and disinfectants came next; Paraquat, Cresol and Glutardialdehyde. Toshio even swapped to cleaning products, such as Bleach. Again, none of these had an effect, beyond Torhu showing signs of feeling a burning or itching sensation that, due to his restraints, he couldn't satisfy until the sensations passed.

Tohru's screams were muffled as he thrashed about, tears streaming down his cheeks. As the final sensation of discomfort passed, he fell limp, staring up at the ceiling, giving a tiny whimper of relief. He regretted having agreed to this.

Toshio took up a fresh scaple. Tohru's eyes widened and he flinched, with a whimper. He knew this part was coming sooner or later. Toshio zoomed the camera in and removed Tohru's shirt and moved the trypod closer. "This is where things become difficult. With no way to numb the pain, or knock the Shiki unconscious, there is no way to render them unconscious during surgical procedures." Toshio poised the scalpel over Tohru's abdomen and in spite of the teen's whimper at the touch of the cold steel, began to slice him open. Toshio knew he had to work quickly or the wounds would heal as quick as they were made. He used surgical clamps to keep the cut area open. "There's no liver mortis. Not surprising. No presence of any of the gases commonly present in a decomposing body. This is also expected." He sighed and looked at the boy with a quiet frown. "I'm sorry, Tohru, I can't promise you this won't hurt." Unlike with Kyouko, there was no true disconnect between Toshio and the four Shiki. He'd delivered the three teens at birth, and watched them grow up, Tohru more than the other two, as he would sometimes have to come to the clinic while his father was at work during the summer. Then there was Ritsuko. She had been his favorite nurse while she worked under him. On top of that, there was no longer an enemy he was in a rush to rid the village of. This made things more difficult.

Still, this was for research pupurposes, to learn more about the Shiki, to help educate the rest of the world, to prevent another blood bath like the one this village was now recovering from. He took a deep breath and picked up the scalple again. "Note, the lack of function in the lungs." He sliced both open. Tohru flinched, but couldn't make a sound now. In a matter of moments, his lungs healed closed, and Tohru let out soft, quiet whimpers.

Toshio took up a mallet and struck one of Tohru's ribs as hard as he could. Tohru let out a muffled scream of pain as the bone made a cracking noise. The bone took longer to heal than the soft tissue of the lungs. Yet, the wound still healed. Toshio gasped. He glared at the Shiki. It was almost as if seeing the body heal itself without his assistance irritated him.

Using the clamps to keep the surgical lasceration from healing, Toshio took up the scalple and began to make other cuts into Tohru's flesh. However, he wasn't ready to loose one of his test subjects yet, so he avoided the heart altogether. He even slashed open Tohru's throat, just as with the slice to the lungs, it stopped the boy's muffled screaming for the duration of the time that the wound was open. Toshio's eyes widened. Then the doctor began to laugh. "Well, THERE'S something unexpected!" He turned to the camera, hands on his hips. "Tohru's tonsils were surgically removed when he was eight years old. This was in part because the morning mountain air here in Sotoba continued to cause them to swell, and even inflicted him with Tonsilitise and Strep Throat, more than once. It's possible I did not remove every last piece of the tonsils during that time, but they shouldn't have grown back. However, there they are, fully in tact."

Toshio shook his head as he finally closed the boy's body back and removed the clamps. There was no need for stitches, the wounds healed on their own. Tohru gave quiet whimpers and moans as his body began to heal. His extremities twitched a little as his body tried to work harder to close so many wounds at once. Had Toshio not allowed him to feed before hand, it may have taken him a full twenty-four hours to fully heal every single cut. Toshio looked at his watch, at this rate, he'd be leading Tohru back to the basement, just an hour or so before the sun was begining to rise.

Toshio removed the tape over Tohru's mouth and undid the restraints. Tohru made no moves to retaliate against the doctor. Knowing the person Tohru had been before being bit, this came as no surprise to Toshio. Had his first, most painful experiments been on Masao, or Megumi with her memory in full, he would have expected a full on attempt to retaliate for that last bit of torture.

Even so, Toshio could see it, what the Shiki had put Tohru through had left the blond a broken shell, now struggling to hold on to what little of his humanity he had left. Toshio brushed a few stray strands of Torhu's naturally unruly honey blond hair out of the boy's face. "Is there any lingering pain, Tohru?" he asked.

Tohru remained silent for a while, staring at the floor, not reacting. After a moment, he closed his eyes. "No, Doctor," he said, "I think I'm fine."

Toshio knew better. Tohru had submitted to this in hopes of penance for what his former masters forced him to do, but the whole proceedure had only left him further traumatized. "I wonder if I should tell him?" Toshio thought, looking the boy over. "No, if he knows, he may try to leave, and that will only put him at risk of running into the villagers." Toshio helped Tohru down from the medical bed. "Come on, let's get you back downstairs." Tohru gave a quiet nod and let the doctor lead him out of the examination room.

As they entered the main hall, Tohru twitched and froze for a moment, his eyes widening. He felt his body becoming slugish. His arms and legs starting to feel like dead weights. The sun was rising and his body was shutting down. He had to reach the basement in order to find somewhere safe to sleep. He wheeled around and looked at the doctor, an accusing look in his eyes. Had the doctor know then sun was rising at this very instance?

Toshio looked curiously at him, then down at his watch again. The doctor's eyes widened. "Damn!" He looked back up at Tohru. His watch had stopped, exactly an hour ago. "Run for it, Tohru," he said.

"Hell," Tohru scoffed, turning and rushing for the basment door. The first beams of light began to trickle through the windows and doors of the abandoned clinic. Tohru's skin began to crackle and pop, blooming with blisters, which burst into ash. Toshio quickly followed after him, pulling the keys to the basement out of his pocket. Tohru slid to a stop at the door and tried to open it, but it was locked. He sank to his knees, tears forming in his eyes. "Doctor, open the door quickly, please," he pleaded, "I don't want to die like this!"

"You're not going to," Toshio assured him, quickly unlocking and opening the door to the basement.

Tohru leapt to his feet and scrambled down the stairs, rushing to the darkest corner of the room and curling into a ball. Slowly, even these injuries began to heal. The blond Shiki quietly scanned the room, he didn't blame the doctor for locking the door behind him and not following him down. If instinct took over him, he would have attached the doctor, whether he wanted to or not. Masao, Ritsuko, and Megumi were already all lost in the thralls of the dead sleep. His only reason for still being awake was the sheer unmitigated trauma he'd just experienced. As his wounds healed, the sleep began to take over. He closed his eyes, but struggled to stay awake. Soon, he couldn't fight it any more, and his eyes closed. He fell asleep with his head rested against the wall and his knees tucked up to his chest.

Toshio locked the door with a sigh. "That was close!" He yawned. He'd been up for hours now. He decided on a quick nap, before returning to the clinic in Sotoba, and his OTHER patients.