CHAPTER 4: Subject X
Author's Note: Finally, trying to write again! I'm also ready to try and pick up on Pyromancy and FITCR again, so hopefully it won't be too much longer before either of those get updated, too. I'm sorry I took so long! OmniXenderman has been helping me along with this story, and it was his encouragement after a long bought of writer's block that got me back to write this chapter. As a bonus, Chapter 5 is following this chapter quickly, but you'll notice a distinct difference in writing style. He will no longer be a simple consultant with this story, but a coauthor, and Chapter 5 is all his. Thanks so much to all of you who've faved, commented, bookmarked, left kudos, and encouraged me for this story while I was away. I hope this chapter doesn't disappoint.
November 14, 11:30 P.M.
Toshio checked over the Jinrou. He was on his guard, knowing how dangerous Tatsumi would be when he awoke. However, if either of the Jinrou had survived, they would be valuable for research.
"Why?" he muttered to himself, "Why are the Jinrou so different? Why is it possible for them to sustain off human food, rather than a strict diet of blood? Why are they stronger than the Shiki and capable of walking in the sun? Why do they lower themselves to serve the weaker Okiagari?" He turned his eyes to the eternal fifteen year old, Natsuno. "Is it simply because the Shiki are the ones who sire them? But if that was the case, why did Natsuno want to destroy all of them, including himself? Could it be that he WAS carrying out his sire's desire and not his own?" The young doctor placed a hand on his hip an rubbed the back of his head with the other. "No, that's rather unlikely." He sighed. "Come on boys, one of you has GOT to still be alive."
As if on cue, both of the Jinrou began to move. Toshio smiled. "I believe I've found my Subject X," he chuckled.
Tatsumi opened his eyes and jerked to a sitting position. Toshio stood on his guard, ready to defend himself if need be. Tatsumi looked around. "Where the hell am I?" he grumbled. His eyes settled on the doctor. "Who are you."
Toshio blinked in surprise. "You don't remember, either?" the doctor sighed, scratching the back of his head. This was a sigh of combined disappointment, relief, and confusion. He heard a groan behind him as the younger Jinrou began to stir. Making sure his back was to a wall, he turned to look at the undead teenager. Should Natsuno have full memories, this whole room could quickly become a blood bath.
"What...? Where?" Natsuno groaned, shaking his head and rubbing his eyes with his thumb and forefinger.
"Finally awake, are you, Natsuno?" the doctor addressed him.
Natsuno slowly raised his head. His eyes widened and blurred for a moment as the room's florescent lights hit them, causing him to flinch and rub them once more as they adjusted. When his vision fully recovered, his eyes settled on the doctor and the older Jinrou. The boy's face and eyes were instantly clouded with confusion. He clearly didn't recognize his surroundings, nor the two older males in front of him. "What's going on?" He looked around the room, finally realizing his arms and legs were restrained, just as the other person in the chair across from him. A sudden panic took him. "WHY THE HELL AM I TIED UP!?" he exclaimed.
Toshio sighed and placed a firm hand on the boy's head. "CALM DOWN!" the doctor ordered, "You're both restrained for your own good! Natsuno, look me in the eyes for a moment." Natsuno wasn't sure why, but he did as he was told. "Do you recognize me?"
Natsuno stared at him in silence for a moment. "No," he finally answered, firmly.
"I see," Toshio sighed. "You've both lost your memories as well." Toshio crossed his arms and clicked his tongue. Megumi's memory loss made sense, she'd suffered head trauma. But neither of the Jinrou appeared to have sustained any cranial damage. "Then again," Toshio thought to himself, "Jinrou DO have a faster heal rate than their Shiki counter parts."
"What do you mean, we're strapped down for our own good?" Tatsumi asked.
"I wasn't sure how either of you would react to waking up," Toshio replied, catching Natsuno by the chin and looking the boy's features over, watching the teen's eyes for any signs of abnormalities or pain. "I must say, you're both pretty well healed, for having been so close to an explosion."
"Explosion?" Tatsumi and Natsuno asked simultaniously.
Natsuno jerked, his eyes widening as a sudden wave of pain hit him. He closed his eyes and groaned, shaking his head. "T...Tohru...?" Natsuno murmured the name of his lost friend.
Toshio raised an eyebrow. "You remember something?" he asked.
"I..." Natsuno tried to think, but there was only one memory surfacing, "I... Tohru, something... happened. What happened to Tohru?"
Toshio sighed. The blonde had been Natsuno's only friend in the whole village, up until Kaori and her brother Akira began Vampire Hunting with him. If Natsuno remembered anyone, it came as no surprise to the doctor that Tohru would be it. He looked at Natsuno for a moment, contemplating whether or not to tell him. Knowing what he planned to do, what he would most likely be putting the older teen through, the doctor decided against it. "Tohru's not here," he said, "That's all I can tell you is Tohru the only one you remember?"
Natsuno started to nod, but then stopped. Another quick, painful memory hit him, it was fleeting, but the color pink flashed through his mind. He groaned and shook his head. "No... Not just Tohru... Someone else. A girl, with pink hair."
"Megumi?" Toshio asked.
Natsuno quietly cringed at the sound of his former stalker's name, even though he didn't remember much. A look of fear quickly crossed Natsuno's face as one memory in particular over took him. He closed his eyes and shook his head. He remembered lying on a mat in the middle of the floor of Tohru's bedroom, as the pink haired girl slid out from under Tohru's bed. He remembered the inability to move his body and stop her as she leaned in over the blonde, threatening to do some sort of unspeakable harm to him. That feeling of dread and helplessness swept over him. "Let me go," he groaned, as he opened his eyes.
"You promise you won't cause any trouble?" Toshio asked. Natsuno gave a quiet nod. "Alright," the doctor sighed unbuckling the restraints. "What about you over there, Tatsumi?" he asked as he set about letting the teen loose. "If I let you go, do you promise not cause me any trouble?"
"You haven't even told us who you are or what you want with us," Tatsumi replied.
"Right, neither of you recognize me," Toshio sighed. He turned to Tatsumi. "Do you remember anything at all?"
"... A little girl," Tatsumi said, hanging his head after a moment of thought. "Dark hair, dark eyes, frail. Her name eludes me, but she and I were close."
"Sunako?" Toshio sighed.
"Is that her name?" Tatsumi asked.
"Apparently, you both only remember the most influential people in your lives as of the last few months," Toshio said, with a nod. "Yes, her name was Sunako." Toshio didn't have to hesitate on his decision not to remind Tatsumi the full details of what had happened. "Your sister," he lied, "she was young and frail, like you said. She had a condition where she couldn't go out into the sunlight."
"'Was, had, couldn't'?" Tatsumi parroted, "You speak as though she..."
Toshio cut him off quickly. "Dead? I honestly can't say. The civil war in Sotoba occurred quickly. She and a close friend of my own have both been missing since it began. I don't know what's become of either of them, but it was believed the two were together when they went missing."
Tatsumi glowered at the doctor. "Why would she be with a friend of yours?" he asked.
"He was her favorite author, and they had become friends," Toshio answered honestly, "Relax, he's a monk, he wouldn't have done anything indecent to her." Toshio popped a cigarette into his mouth and began searching his pockets for a match or lighter. "Not that I can say the same for her with him, though," he thought worriedly. Tatsumi let out a quiet sigh of relief.
"So, who are you, then?" Natsuno interrupted.
The doctor chuckled; Natsuno was already starting to sound like himself. "I'm Doctor Toshio Ozaki," he reintroduced himself to the pair, "I'm currently leading the surviving villagers to recovery, now that the fighting amongst ourselves has come to an end." He began to unfasten Tatsumi's restraints.
"Fighting?" Tatsumi asked.
Natsuno rubbed his head. "You said there was a civil war, and mentioned something about us being in an explosion?" he grumbled.
"That's right," Toshio answered, "The villagers turned on one another, shortly after Tatsumi and his family had moved to Sotoba. Some idiot decided to set off a few sticks of dynamite, and you two were closest to it when it went off. I found you boys under the rubble and decided to bring you here to check up on you. You both seem fit as a fiddle, though."
"What caused all that?" Natsuno asked, "The fighting, I mean."
"A strange illness broke out," Toshio answered, "The villagers were fueled by unpleasant rumors and mob-like fear and they attacked one another."
"What were the symptoms?" Tatsumi and Natsuno both asked.
"Anemia, heart failure, photosensitivity, low pulse rate," the doctor explained. "NO pulse rate," he thought to himself. "Dilation of the eyes, change in appetite... Yet, any other afflictions not related to this illness seemed to heal quickly. Most patients needed heavy blood transfusions."
Natsuno began to look himself over, his eyes trailing toward Tatsumi as well. "We were in close proximity to an explosion, yet we're virtually unscathed," the teen observed. "This illness, are we...?"
"Quick to catch on as always," Toshio laughed, ruffling a hand through Natsuno's hair. "Yes, you've both contracted this illness, but, a mutation of it. You both suffered anemia, and still have the accelerated healing factor. However, your need for blood transfusions isn't as strong, and you're not photosensitive. Also, from what I can tell, neither of you have had a change in appetite or diet." He sighed. "Of course, I've only listed SOME of the symptoms, not the worst of them, nor the more advantageous of them," he acknowledged to himself. "If you boys don't mind, I'd like to run some test to see what makes your symptoms different."
"How do you intend on doing that?" Natsuno asked.
"I have... samples... of the main strain," Toshio answered.
Natsuno and Tatsumi both raised an eyebrow. If the doctor hadn't stopped to take a drag off his cigarette during those pauses, they both would have thought he was choosing his words carefully in order to hide something.
"I don't care about this illness," Tatsumi sneered, "What about our memories?"
Toshio closed his eyes for a moment and shook his head. "I can't promise I'll get your memories back," he stated, "But I'll try."
"So, if we agree to this," Natsuno started to ask, his eyes scanning around the room, "Do you expect us to stay here?"
Toshio stopped and looked around. His clinic wasn't exactly habitable. There wasn't anywhere he could really let the two stay, not to mention the blood still splattered on the wall. Besides, a few people in Sotoba knew who Tatsumi was and about Natsuno's presumed death. In fact, Natsuno couldn't be sent back to his house, either. Toshio wasn't sure if Yuuki was still alive, but the last he remembered seeing Natsuno's father, the man's sanity was sorely lacking. The doctor wasn't sure if Yuuki would remember his own son any more, or if his sanity could take having the boy come back to life a second time. Besides, the two Jinrou would both need to be invited back in. He watched as the dark haired teen rubbed his arms and shuddered a little. "No, not here," Toshio sighed, patting the boy on the shoulder. "I'll put you both somewhere a little safer."
"Safer?" Tatsumi asked.
"This building isn't very stable any more, and a lot of the supplies have been moved already. I'm running my research out in Mizobe, the area's mostly untouched by the fighting," Toshio explained, "I'll help you two get set up close by over there. Come with me." Toshio lead the two Jinrou outside and loaded them back into his truck.
November 15th; 5:30 A.M.
The trip was slow with the roads out, and Toshio remained on guard, just in case either of his passengers suddenly had a full unexpected memory recovery, or were lying about what they did or didn't remember. However, the trip back to Mizobe was uneventful. The sun was coming up just as Toshio reached the abandoned clinic. The Shiki might not be fully asleep yet, but would be getting there soon enough, either way, they were locked downstairs in the basement. He assumed it would be safe enough to let the Jinrou come inside.
"I've got to stop in and grab something real quick, boys. You're welcome to come inside for a moment," he invited.
"What is this place?" Tatsumi asked as the pair followed the doctor inside.
"It's an old clinic that doesn't get used much anymore. I'll be doing my research here," Toshio explained.
"THIS isn't your safer place is it?" Natsuno asked.
Toshio gave a light chuckle. "No, Natsuno, it's not. I'm going to set you two up in an apartment close by. I'll need you to come in to the clinic from time to time for check ups, blood tests, and stuff, but I have one very strict rule about it. I will be in and out of here day and night, but I only want the two of you to come here during the day."
Tatsumi and Natsuno both started to inquire why, when they heard noises, something or someone bumping or shuffling around. The pair looked at each other curiously, then began looking around. "What was that?" they asked.
"What was what?" Toshio asked.
"You don't hear that scuffling noise?" Tatsumi asked.
"Damn, they're not completely asleep yet, are they?" Toshio thought, his eyes darting away from the Jinrou, toward the door to the basement. He paused, before saying anything, as if he were listening. "No, I don't hear anything," he said. He really couldn't, but he believed they could. He cleared his throat. "Mice in the basement, perhaps," he shrugged it off.
"Wait, you sure you don't hear that?" Natsuno asked.
Toshio chuckled. "I forgot to mention, that's another side effect of this virus of yours," he said, "You boys have heightened senses, better hearing, vision, stronger senses of taste and smell, quicker reflexes, too. Like I said, it's probably just a couple of rats." He cleared his throat. "Anyway, you two wait here, make yourselves comfortable. I'll be right back."
The two Jinrou exchanged looks, again, they felt as though the doctor was hiding something from them, but decided not to question it. Tatsumi simply shrugged his shoulders and Natsuno simply meandered around the lobby while the doctor went down the hall to grab the things he needed. As the sun light slowly began to shine through the many windows of the entrance, Tatsumi and Natsuno both noticed the entire building became still and quiet. They could hear Toshio fumbling around down the hall, but nothing more. Even in the daylight, the silence was somewhat unnerving.
Natsuno had started glancing over the books left sitting in the lobby bookshelf at this point. Tatsumi, meanwhile had been staring at the door to the basement. He reached out and turned the knob. Klick-clack. "Hmm... It's locked," he muttered under his breath.
"Don't go snooping for trouble," Natsuno warned.
Tatsumi flinched and glanced back over his shoulder at the dark haired teen with a smile. "I guess the doctor was telling the truth about that sensitive hearing, after all," he thought.
Toshio came back into the room, a briefcase in hand. He took a drag off his cigarett and looked at the two newest subjects under his charge. No scratches, scuffs, cuts, or bruises on either of them, they looked the picture of health. However, they were both covered in dirt, soot, and blood. Natsuno's yellow hoodie had seen better days, it was tattered and torn and dirt was smeared across it. Tatsumi's red and black jump suit wasn't much better off. Toshio sighed. "I guess my first order of business is to find you boys an apartment and get you in it so you can get a bath. My NEXT order of business will be to find you both some new clothes and get you guys something to eat." Toshio sighed, "They may not need the blood, but it's not a good idea to let them go hungry, or they might start looking for it out of necessity. and they won't even realize why they're doing it." He snuffed out his cigarette and headed for the door. "You boys ready to go?"
"Say, Doc?" Natsuno started, falling in behind the doctor. "I have a few questions."
"Sure, Natsuno," Toshio said, "Like what?"
"You say you're going to do all this for us? Would you have done it if we hadn't agreed to help you?" Natsuno asked.
"For you...? Yeah," Toshio admitted, "I suppose I would have." He smiled at the boy over his shoulder. "Don't ask me why, but I kind of feel like you're my responsibility."
Natsuno raised an eyebrow, unsure how to take that statement, but feeling slightly irritated by it. "Ok, next question, once you've got us set up, how are we going to pay for everything, and am I going to have to go back to school?"
"No, that would require moving you into the main city outside of Sotoba altogether. That's not going to be easy. If you're concerned with schooling, I can get whatever's needed for you to home-school."
"Hardly!" Natsuno scoffed, tucking his hands in his pocket, "I'll be glad to be free of the burden if I can help it."
Toshio blinked. That didn't sound like Natsuno at all. The boy was known for being studious in hopes of getting out of Sotoba and into a big city college. Granted, it wasn't something the teen had to worry about either way now that he was undead, but it seemed out of character for him not to be interested. Or at least it did for a brief moment, until Toshio remembered Natsuno also hated being around a bunch of people. He probably studied to the point of stress in attempt to avoid them while he was alive. The chance to be free of all that stress probably did sound inviting to him. "Fair enough, but I'll still get you some books to look over," Toshio bargained.
"Ok, sure," Natsuno agreed languidly.
"As for paying for everything, I AM a doctor, from a long family line of doctors. Money isn't an issue," he assured them. "Tatsumi, you're welcome to look for a job if you want spare pocket cash so you can feel independent if you want," he added, "But otherwise, I want you both to think that whatever I spend on either of you is payment for services rendered."
"Ya," Tatsumi's little verbal tick was very much in tact, "Sounds good to me," the green haired Jinrou replied.
The three of them loaded back into the truck and Toshio drove to a little further into Mizobe. He found a rather decent apartment complex that was still operational. Given his influential status, it didn't take long for the paperwork to be filled out and approved, listing apartment 54171 under Dr. Toshio Ozaki with two residents Tatsumi and Natsuno Jinrou.
He waited for the boys to shower, then took them into the shopping district, buying them as much food as they could stomach, fresh clothes, a pantry full of food and cleaning products, bath supplies, and a shelf's worth of books. "You boys are already proving expensive," Toshio said, half teasingly as they loaded the last of their shopping bags into the vehicle. He ruffled a hand through Natsuno's hair as he added, "I expect you to read everyone of those books before asking for any more, you hear?"
Natsuno scoffed and slapped the doctor's hand away. "Don't treat me like a kid, ok?" he complained. "You don't have to worry about that," he added reassuringly, as he tucked his hands into his pockets.
Toshio drove the two back to the apartment and helped them move their new stuff in. Toshio was glad he'd found a decent apartment that had already come furnished with a table, a sofa with a couple of matching living room chairs, a glass and wood coffee table, two beds, and all the necessary appliances, it made shopping for them much less of a hassle than it could have been.
The apartment was a three bed, one-and-a-half bath, two story structure which allowed the Jinrou plenty of space to move around in, but only two of the bedrooms were fully furnished, as the third was left open to be used as either a spare bedroom or an office. The walls were barren white, and both Jinrou found the color bothered their eyes when the overhead lights were turned on if they looked directly at the walls. However, the carpet was fresh, plush, and a dark shade of brown, the sofa and chairs were black, and the beddings were a dark almost blood red. The walls being their only complaints, the Jinrou felt they could easily start to like the place.
Toshio and Natsuno put away the groceries while Tatsumi brought in the clothes. As Tatsumi leaned over the back of the truck to pull out the bags, he stopped and started looking around. He felt as though he was being watched. He looked around, but saw no one in the area. Still, he couldn't shake that feeling. "Ya...?" He walked away from the truck and looked around, still, no one was in sight. Everything was still and quiet, even someone with normal hearing could have heard a pin drop. "Who's there?" he called. He waited, but got no answer. He clicked his tongue and shook his head. "Maybe it's just my imagination, or a cat or something," he grumbled, returning to his task at hand.
"So, Doc, what's our relation?" Natsuno asked.
"I'm sorry?" Toshio replied, just as Tatsumi walked back into the apartment, his arms full of bags.
"Tatsumi and me," Natsuno clarified. "What do we have beyond both having this illness your researching? And come to think of it, why do you feel like we're your responsibilities?" he began grilling the doctor. "I just don't get it?"
Toshio closed his eyes. "Seishin, wherever you are, forgive me. We both settled into jobs that involved truthfulness and life saving, and here I'm about to tell yet another lie," he thought to himself. "Tatsumi's your older brother," Toshio said, "And I'm your uncle."
If Natsuno were to look in the mirror, he'd realize just how much the two of them looked alike in order for that to make sense. However, this wasn't the case. "Then, why don't I remember our sister, too, or Tatsumi, for that matter?" he asked.
"Like I said, you both remembered the most influential people in your life within the last few months. Tohru was your only friend in Sotoba, and I'm not even going to get started on the relationship between yourself and Megumi. But, while you were in school with them, Big Brother over there was busy taking care of your little sister and her illness. She had the main strain, which made her a bit more frail and she couldn't go out in the sun, so her care kept him rather preoccupied." Toshio almost felt as though he'd spoken more truth than lie.
Finishing with the groceries, Toshio lead Natsuno and Tasumi upstairs to the bedrooms, letting them each pick out which one they wanted. "If either of you want the unfurnished bedroom, we can just move things around to accommodate," the doctor suggested.
The unfurnished room seemed smaller than the other two, so both decided against using it for anything other than storage. Tatsumi took the larger room for himself and Natsuno the middle bedroom. Bedrooms picked out, Toshio excused himself, leaving the 'boys' to handle putting the rest of their new items away on their own. While Tatsumi hung his clothes in the closet, Natsuno slipped inside the bedroom and looked over the clothes laid out on the bed.
The teenaged Jinrou picked up a shirt and looked at it with a raised eyebrow. It was black leather, almost biker style, zipper and everything, but it clearly wasn't a jacket, just a shirt, with gold spikes around the colar and sleeves. Glancing over, Natsuno noticed that not all, but most of Tatsumi's clothes were a similar style, suggesting either biker, or gimp. "You've got a strange taste in clothes, you know that," Natsuno commented.
Tatsumi chuckled. "I can't help what looks good on me, ya?"
Natsuno rolled his eyes. "Great, he's a playboy," he thought, having already realizing his own bookworm status when he and Dr. Ozaki had gone into the bookshop. "Whatever man," Natsuno snorted, tossing the shirt back on the bed. "What are we eating tonight?"
"I'm not sure, but I'll figure it out," Tatsumi answered, "Did the doctor leave anything out?"
"No, we weren't thinking about it while we were putting up the food," Natsuno admitted.
"Don't worry about it, I'll find something," Tatsumi promised.
"If you say so, I'm headed down to the living room," Natsuno said. He stopped back in his room long enough to grab one of his new books. He didn't look at which one he'd picked up until he was halfway down the stairs, "The Shawshank Redemption?" he read out loud. He shrugged his shoulders and settled down on the couch, cracking the book open.
Meanwhile, downstairs, a young woman with short red hair stumbled into the landlord's office, requesting a room. Just as Tatsumi and Natsuno, she was covered in blood and dirt and her clothes were tattered. She explained to the secretary that she was a refugee from deep within the main part of Sotoba. That was all they needed to hear. Mizobe had been effected by what was going on in Sotoba, but not to the extent of the main area. No further questions, the girl was set up in apartment 51472.
Tatsumi finished hanging his clothes and made his way down stairs. He paused and smiled when he saw Natsuno flopped over on the couch, open book sprawled across his chest, fast asleep. Leaving the teen there, Tatsumi entered the kitchen for a few moments.
"Gyah!" Natsuno sprang awake, his hands flying to his head, his eyes darting around the room.
"What's up with you?" Tatsumi's voice shook Natsuno back to reality. "Got a headache?"
"No," Natsuno answered quickly, "No, it's nothing."
"People don't wake up screaming like that over nothing," Tatsumi said, pushing a plate of food in Natsuno's face. "Come on, if it's not a headache, then what? A succubus sitting on your lap?"
Natsuno shot Tatsumi an irritable look. Truth be told, it was memories of Megumi and Tohru trying to resurface. The fact that Tatsumi's joke wasn't too far off only irritated him further. "I said I'm fine!" Natsuno snipped in typical teenaged angst.
"If you say so. Here, eat!" Tatsumi ordered. He smiled as Natsuno took the plate. Annoying this kid in an older-brotherly fashion was going to be fun.
"Thanks," Natsuno said, taking the plate. One bite and Natsuno's eyes widened in surprise. He found the chicken curry Tatsumi had just handed him to be exemplerary. He didn't have to say anything, for Tatsumi to take note of his approval.
"I see you like it," Tatsumi chuckled. Natsuno nodded. Tatsumi smiled, leaned back into the chair. He crossed his legs and propped his feet on the coffee table. He somehow had enough memory in tact to know this was considered rude in Japan, but he didn't really care. "So, do you believe that cooky doctor's story?"
"What story?" Natsuno asked.
"That you and I are brothers and he's our uncle?" Tatsumi asked.
Natsuno snorted. "You heard all that, huh?" he asked, leaning back on the couch and making himself comfortable. "I'm not sure what I believe," he admitted. "All I know is neither of us know who we are, and he's the only one offering any sort of explanation. But, he's clearly hiding... I don't know, he's hiding something. Best to keep my head down for now, play the 'good boy' until I know what the hell's really going on, you know?"
Tatsumi chuckled. "I knew you didn't look as innocent as you were acting."
"If he's telling the truth, I don't suppose it'd be too awful," Natsuno said, "But, if it's not true, he sure is going out of his way to hide whatever it is he's hiding."
"The story about him being your uncle makes sense at least," Tatsumi said, "You two do sort of favor one another."
"Whatever," Natsuno scoffed, shaking his head. He wanted something else to talk about, but there was nothing. Memories lost, neither of them had stories to share, neither of them knew the name of a book or movie or show they would have in common. Natsuno's shrugging off the conversation of the doctor left the room still and quiet, until there came a knock at the door.
Both Jinrou jolted to their feet. They looked at the door, then to each other, both on high alert. If it had been the doctor, they imagined he would have simply walked right in. But for someone to knock? No one should have known they were there.
A moment passed, then there was another knock. It was almost hesitant. Tatsumi opened the door. "Ya!?" he exclaimed as a pair of arms quickly wrapped around him.
"Oh, Tatsumi! It really is you!" a girl's voice exclaimed excitedly. "I thought you were dead! I thought I was the only one left..." she sobbed. "What are you doing here?"
Natsuno cleared his throat. "You want to introduce your friend, or should I leave you two alone for a moment?" he asked, a smirk across his face at the bad joke of asking for an introduction.
Tatsumi shot him a look that simply read, "Smart ass!" Said look quickly turned back to confusion as he pried the red head off of him. "Woah, woah, slow down! Who are you?"
The girl froze in a silent moment of shock. "Who am I?" she exasperated, taking a step back. "Y-you don't remember me? It's me, Yoshie? Wh-where's Sunako did she make it out of Sotoba? Why where you with the doctor? He's the one who started al of this, remember?"
Tatsumi shook his head. "I don't know what you're talking about," he answered, gripping the door frame. "Sunako...? Nobody knows where she is."
Yoshie covered her mouth. Her excitement for seeing an old colleague still alive was quickly crashing down around her as Tatsumi's words hit her ears. "You've lost your memory, haven't you? You don't remember anything?"
Tatsumi shook his head. "No, I'm sorry, but I don't."
Yoshie frowned. "I see..." She started to apologize and walk away. But something stopped her. "I don't know what this doctor's told you, but if he's gotten you to trust him, then he's feeding you lies," she warned. Her eyes opened wider, as she finally took notice of the teenager standing behind Tatsumi. "Oh? Who's this?" she asked. "Is he one of us? I don't remember him."
"This?" Tatsumi glanced back at Natsuno and cleared his throat. He wasn't sure if anything the doctor had told them was the truth or not, but it was the best explaination he had to offer, himslef, at the moment. "This is my kid brother Natsuno. Natsuno, this is... What did you say your name was?"
Yoshie glowered at the older male for a moment. Now she knew the doctor had been lying to them. "Yoshie," she said trying to bite back her irritation at the whole situation. "You may not remember me, but you and I are old friends. Do you mind if I at least come in?"
"Yeah, sure, sure, please!" Tatsumi said.
"This place was getting a bit dull anyway," Natsuno snorted under his breath.
Yoshie tried to act like she didn't hear Natsuno's comment. "So, you're Natsuno, huh?" she said, walking up to the teen. She leaned forward, coming mere inches from her face touching his, then smiled. "I see what Shimizu saw in you. She'd be relieved to know you're alright."
"Shimizu?" Natsuno asked.
Yoshie sighed. "BOTH of you have forgotten everything?" she asked. She shook her head. "Whatever, I don't intend to relive the horrors tonight." She glanced back toward Tatsumi. "I'm just glad to know some of the Okigagari are safe." She turned back to Natsuno and backed him against the wall. "Which reminds me, little Jinrou. You're new at this, and I know you've lost your memory so you probably don't know what I'm talking about, but for future reference, should you EVER get it in your head to try it again... It takes a LOT more than a bullet to the head to kill us." With that, she turned and started out the door. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have an appointment with your current benefactor." With that, she walked back out the door.
"What was that all about?" Natsuno asked, once Tatsumi closed the door.
"I don't know, but I think she liked you," Tatsumi said, "She was all over you."
November 16th, 8:30 A.M.
Tatsumi came down stairs, to the sound of rapid knocking at the door. "Quick, invite me in!" Yoshie pleaded, her arms wrapped around herself.
"Ya...? Wha...? Uh, yeah, come on in," Tatsumi said, confused. "What's going on?"
Yoshie shook her head as she pushed past Tatsumi. "What I just witnessed was horrible! I don't know what that doctor wants with you, but you two should leave here," she insisted.
"Excuse me?" Tatsumi asked.
"The Shiki...!" Yoshie exclaimed. "The doctor, he has them at the abandoned clinic," she stammered. "He almost let one of them burn to a crisp in the sun this morning."
Tatsumi clicked his tongue. "Would you please slow down and explain a few things to me?" he asked.
Yoshie turned and looked at him. "Tatsumi, you and I, and Natsuno aren't human," she said in a low growl. "We're..."
"I'm sorry, am I interrupting?" Toshio's voice rang in the air. Yoshie stopped and looked over to the door way, to find the doctor standing there. "I see you boys didn't waste any time finding lady friends?"
Yoshie glared at the doctor. She knew who he was, but he didn't know her, and she preferred to keep it that way. "We'll finish this at a later date," she said, "Excuse me." She quickly pushed her way past the doctor and retreated to her own apartment next door.
"She looked as though she'd seen a ghost," Toshio commented. "You weren't doing anything unsavory with her, were you, Tatsumi?"
"No," Tatsumi said. He couldn't help noticing the look of fear in Yoshie's eyes when she saw the doctor. He wasn't sure what she had been on about, but decided not to tell the doctor he'd been the topic of conversation. "So, what brings you here?"
"You and Natsuno, of course," Toshio said pulling the door shut. "I'm going to crash on this couch for a few hours, I've been up all night working. Then I'm going to go over my notes and prepare for tonight's work, and either the two of you can come with me to the clinic, or I can do it here, but I'm ready to draw your first blood samples today."
"Yeah, sure," Tatsumi answered. Something felt off. He understood now why Natsuno was playing the good boy until he knew what was going on. The air around the doctor was all wrong, some kind of tense, nothing like it had been when he'd drove them into town the day before. Then, there was Yoshie, and whatever she had been carrying on about. "Shiki? Who or what are the Shiki? Is she referring to this virus he's working on? Is that what they call the patients?" Tatsumi kept a close watch on the doctor for the rest of the day, but tried not to be obvious about it. Natsuno could tell something was off, too, when he finally pulled himself out of bed. Night terrors had woke him more than once during the night, and it was almost twelve noon when he finally drug himself out of bed.
When Tatsumi offered to fix Natsuno something to eat, Toshio forbade it, insisting he didn't want either of them eating anything else until after he'd drawn the blood samples. In this, he'd forgotten his own rule about keeping them fed to the point they wouldn't hunt on instinct. By the time he'd had all his paperwork prepared, it was two in the afternoon. He decided against taking them to the clinic and drew the bloodwork there. By this point, Tatsumi was too tired to cook, so the three of them partook of the previous night's left overs. It was four in the afternoon when Toshio finally left.
Tatsumi almost expected Yoshie to come back shortly after, but there wasn't another sound from her apartment the rest of the day. Natsuno carried on by himself, nose in a book, trying to act as though he didn't notice Tatsumi pacing the floor. "Is that all you do, is read?" Tatsumi asked, leaning over the edge of the chair.
"Reading helps keep my head clear," Natsuno answered, not looking up. "What the Hell's got you so tense, anyway?"
"Your girlfriend came back by this morning," Tatsumi teased.
"MY girlfriend?" Natsuno scoffed, looking up at Tatsumi, "YOU'RE the one she came here to see."
Tatsumi chuckled, reaching over and catching Natsuno by the chin. The teen's cheeks had flushed red at the accusation. "You're kinda' cute when you're flustered," he teased.
"Sod off!" Natsuno scoffed, swatting Tatsumi's hand away, "Don't play with me like that."
"What's the matter? Don't tell me you're not into girls?" Tatsumi continued teasing.
"NO! ... Yes... I mean..." Natsuno shook his head. "Damn it, I don't know," he growled. The growl was followed by a painful sounding grunt as he palmed his temple. He closed his eyes and held them shut tight for a moment, forcing back the two haunting faces that refused to leave him be. "What the hell happened?" he thought, "Should I tell Tatsumi what's going on? No, come on, I know I can shake this."
"You ok?" Tatsumi asked.
"I'm fine," Natsuno insisted.
"Another headache? Should I go ask Yoshie to come nurse you back to health?" Tatsumi teased.
"Go away!" Natsuno growled, tossing a pillow at the older Jinrou.
Tatsumi could have easily dodged the pillow, but for some reason, he took it full in the face. "I'm telling you, I think she liked you," Tatsumi urged. He frowned. "You really don't feel good, do you?" He knelt down in front of the couch. "Look, I'm going to run out and grab some take out, alright? After being forced to wait so late into the afternoon, I'd rather not cook. I may be a few hours, though."
"Fine, whatever," Natsuno said, waiving him off. "Bring me back some beef, if you're picking up for both of us."
Tatsumi smiled. "Sure thing." He tossed the pillow back on the couch. Hitting the wall just above Natsuno's head, the pillow landed back on the teen's face, before Natsuno could even pull the pillow off his head and yell at the older Jinrou, Tatsumi was already out the door.
Tatsumi had said he was going for food, but Yoshie's earlier outburst was weighing on his mind. Leaving for take out was a convenient excuse to leave the apartment without putting Natsuno on edge as well. Instead of heading into the more active part of town, he turned and went toward the clinic.
Tatsumi crept up to the clinic. By now it was late. He could see a perfect view inside the lobby from behind a single nearby tree. "There's the doctor... Who's that cute little number there with him?" he mumbled to himself, "Kinda' young for you, isn't she, Doc?"
From where he was, he not only could see what was going on, but he could hear it. Toshio reached into his pockets and froze. He clicked his tongue as he began to pat himself down.
"Doctor? Is something wrong?" Megumi asked quietly.
Toshio patted his pants pockets, his shirt and coat pockets, internal and external, even the breast pockets. He clicked his tongue and sighed. "I must have left the key to the door back in the exam room," he grumbled. "Wait here, Megumi, I'll be right back."
"Ok," Megumi nodded.
Toshio turned and ran back down the hall, toward the exam room. Megumi shivered a little, as she stood alone in the hallway. The windows were wide open and from where she stood, she could see an expanse of trees and ruined buildings. The moon hung high and bright. Even with her advanced sense of hearing, she couldn't detect the sounds of so much as a bird or insect. Not knowing the full extent of her own condition, she found the scene both enthralling and frightening. She waited patiently for the doctor. She could hear him complaining that it wasn't sitting where he could find it immediately, that it must have fallen out of his pockets onto the floor at some point. Beyond the doctor mumbling to himself in a berating manner, she heard nothing else.
Suddenly, she jumped and gasped as she heard a knock on one of the glass doors from the front of the clinic. "Hello? Doctor, are you in there?" Tatsumi called.
"Huh, who are you?" Megumi asked, as she pitter-pattered across the floor to the doorway.
"Oh, hi there!" Tatsumi greeted her. He didn't care if he met the doctor or not, he was curious to know what was going on. "Is the doctor here?"
"He is, but I don't think he's seeing anyone right now," Megumi replied.
"Can you let me in? I'm..." Tatsumi paused for a second, "I'm his nephew."
Megumi blinked at him for a moment, then opened the door. "Why didn't you say so? Come on in? Shall I tell him you're here?"
"No, it's fine. I just wanted to stop by, but if he's busy, I won't bother him," Tatsumi said with a smile. "Is something the matter?"
Megumi pointed at the basement door. "We can't get in, he lost the key."
"Down there? Why do you want down there?" he asked.
"We live down there but we only come up at night," Megumi answered innocently.
"What?" Tatsumi asked. "What the hell, Doc? What kind of sick perverted stuff are you into?" he thought. "I can probably open the door for you without the key," he offered, "Do you have a hairpin?" Megumi reached into her ponytail and pulled out a bobby pin. Tatsumi smiled. "Perfect." He took the hairpin and picked the lock. He could have easily broke it, but he didn't want to leave any signs that he'd been there. Within seconds, the lock was open. "There we go! Why don't you run back and tell my uncle you checked the door and it was unlocked?" he suggested, "Then come back and show me where you live, ok?"
Megumi nodded. "Ok!" She turned and darted down the hall, "Doctor?" she called, "Neh, Doctor, it's ok. The door wasn't locked."
"What? Are you sure?" Toshio asked.
Megumi nodded. "Uh-huh! I got it open, so I'm going to go on to bed, ok?"
Toshio sighed and nodded. "Yeah, alright. Good night, Megumi. Don't worry, I'll lock up once I find the key."
"Good night!" she replied, turning and heading back toward Tasumi.
"She must have broke it when she tried to see if it was locked or not," Toshio thought to himself, "I'll have to change the lock tomorrow, if that's the case. I'm sure I locked it." He continued his search for the key.
"Come on," Megumi said, wrapping her arms around Tatsumi's. She blushed a little. "Wow, you've got some big muscles," she complimented.
Tatsumi chuckled and rubbed the back of his head, "Yeah, I guess I do." He looked down at her thinking, "All the better to carry you outta' here with if you're in some kind of trouble." His eyes widened as he looked up and saw the room's other occupants. "Ya...?"
"TATSUMI!?" the other three Shiki exclaimed, all backing against the wall in shock.
"Megumi, what's he doing here?" Masao asked.
"You guys know him?" Megumi asked innocently.
Tohru and Ritsuko both face palmed. "Oh brother," they sighed in unison.
"Megumi, why are you clinging so tightly to him, anyway?" Masao asked, "I know you two got along, but really, this is too much!"
Ritsuko glared at Masao. "Would you shut up?" she scolded, "Why he's here is a much bigger issue than why she's got her arm around him. She doesn't remember anything, after all."
"Ritsu," Tohru called her name, somewhat taken aback by the sudden outburst.
"Sorry," Ritsuko apologized, "I don't know what came over me."
"He says he's Doctor Ozaki's nephew," Megumi said, "Why are you all acting like he's dangerous?"
"Who are you guys, anyway?" Tatsumi asked. There was a collective gasp from the other three Shiki.
"TELL ME you're joking?" Tohru pleaded.
Tatsumi shook his head, honestly. "I don't recognize any of you. Should I?"
Tohru groaned and sank to his knees. "Damn it all."
"Tohru..." Ritsu tried to console him.
"Tohru...?" Tatsumi stood and stared for a moment, "And Megumi...?" He glanced back at the girl with the cute pink pigtails. "These are the two that Natsuno's been trying to remember, or not to remember!"
"Do you remember us?" Tohru asked, half hopefully.
Tatsumi shook his head. "I don't remember anything about either of you." He frowned when he realized this was causing Tohru some sort of deep grief. "But, I know your names."
"Big brother, are you alright?" Megumi asked, running over to Tohru's side.
"He'll be ok, Megumi," Ritsuko said, wrapping her own arms tighter around the blond. "This is just a bit much for him at the moment." She hugged Tohru tighter and quietly whispered words of comfort into his ears. The others blushed slightly, their keen sense of hearing allowing them to still hear every hushed syllable to escape her lips. Even so, her dulcet tones had the desired effect, calming the distraught Shiki to the point he was able to continue conversation.
"So," Tohru said, more determinedly, as he rose back to his feet, "If you don't remember us, why are you here? Is Doctor Ozaki using you as a test subject, too?"
"Test subject? Is that what this is? He's using you all as lab rats?" Tatsumi asked. "Is he keeping you here against your will?"
"In a manner of speaking," Tohru sighed.
"But it's not like we have any choice," Ritsuko added, "We can't go out in the sun, we have a very specific diet that we have to adhear to, and anyone else who knows of our condition would try to kill us on sight."
"Geez, Nurse Ritsuko, we've only been down here two nights, and you already sound like a Stockholm victim," Masao muttered under his breath.
"I'm surprised you even know what that means," Tohru quietly retorted.
"And you've become a real jerk, too, Tohru!" Masoa added.
"Stop it!" Megumi shouted, her hands balled into fists in front of her. Everyone looked to the pink haired girl. Her eyes were wide and starting to tear over. "I don't remember what happened to us, I don't know why we're here, but we can't fight with each other like this."
Tohru sighed and gently patted Megumi on the shoulder. "You're right Megumi," he sighed. "We're all stuck down here, we may as well try to get along."
Tatsumi watched the scene, growing more and more confused by the minute. "Ok, can we clarify some things real quick?" he asked, rubbing the back of his head. "He keeps the door locked, why don't you guys just rush him and run out when he opens it?"
"It's not that easy," the three cognizant Shiki replied.
"You don't even remember the rules of what we are, do you?" Tohru asked. Tatsumi shook his head. "We can't go out in the sun, we can't enter a place with a living quarters attached without being invited, and holy relics are a big no-no," he said putting it plainly. "There are inpatient quarters in the clinic upstairs, even though it's temporary, it still counts as living quarters. He only invites us up to the clinic at night, and then only to certain rooms."
"So we're stuck down here until he calls us," Ritsuko interjected.
"Which means if he goes off his rocker again and decides to set this place on fire, we're all as good as toast," Masao added.
"Wouldn't the Mizobe fire station reach us before it came to that?" Ritsuko asked.
"Even if so, that means we'd be exposed when they search the place," Tohru replied with a shudder. "At this point, I'm not sure which is better, staying here and letting him conduct his experiments, or attempting to find a way out and risk the villagers."
"Why are they so afraid of this disease?" Tatsumi asked.
"Disease?" Masao started, but he was stopped by Tohru, who held up his hand to shush him, then motioned with his head toward Megumi.
"It was sweeping the whole town. Those of us who contracted it were left for dead and buried, only for them to find out later we weren't," Tohru explained. He bit his bottom lip as he remembered the people he'd tried to protect, his brother and sister, and Natsuno. He wrapped his arms around himself, starting to withdraw again. "Not everyone who caught it survived," he said regretfully.
"It can only be contracted through physical contact," Ritsuko added.
"So those who hadn't caught it thought it would be better for them to simply kill those of us who were afflicted," Tohru finished.
"And that's why the civil war?" Tatsumi asked.
"THAT you remember?" Tohru asked as Ritsuko and Masao simply nodded to Tatsumi in affirmation.
Tatsumi shook his head. "No, I don't even remember that much," he admitted, "I only know because the doctor told us about it after he pulled us out of the pit."
"US?" the Shiki all asked in unison.
"My little brother and me, or at least, the doctor says he's my younger brother," Tatsumi said, tapping his foot and crossing his arms. "To be honest, neither of us have our memories fully in tact. We don't remember each other, but the doctor says we're brothers and he's our uncle. He said we have a version of this virus, but it's different."
"Yes, I suppose so," Tohru sighed. "So, why are you here anyway?"
"There's this girl who says she knew me. She followed Doc out here last night, this morning, she was banging on the door to our apartment, raving about how he's lying to us, how dangerous he is, and that she'd seen he was holding the 'Shiki' here in the clinic and almost let one burn in the sun. She didn't make much sense, but she left quickly when she saw Doc come in. I came out here to see what she was talking about."
"I'm not sure I believe him, Tohru," Masao growled. "He was with THEM before all of this started. How do we know he's not working with the doctor now, and this whole thing isn't a trick?"
Tohru raised an eyebrow, he didn't expect Masao to be clever enough to think of something like that. The blond rubbed the back of his head as he looked over to his former friend. He contemplated it for a moment, then shook his head. "I don't think so, Masao, he may be faster and stronger than each of us individually, but even if he remembered everything, he wouldn't have willingly come down here with so many of us by himself."
Tatsumi gave a low growl, and his fangs involuntarily retracted in defense. "Are you threatening me?" he asked.
"No, if you truly don't remember us, there's no point in that," Tohru sighed, "But as upset as we are with those of you who brought this plauge into the village, if we all suddenly rushed you, like a pack of wolves, you'd be the one at a disadvantage."
Ritsuko shook her head. She understood Tohru's grievances, but she didn't like this new side of him. She wanted back the sweet, happy-go-lucky Tohru she'd come to care for. They'd both made peace with their fates until Toshio had stopped the villagers from carrying out their death sentence. Tatsumi stepped back and accessed the situation. Masao was tall and lanky, nothing but skin and bones. Tohru had some muscle to him, but nothing that suggest he knew how to handle himself in a fight, a game of basket ball or baseball at best, maybe, but not a fight. And as well built as their frames were, neither of the girls looked very threatening, either. That being said, however, he was outnumbered, and the doctor had said that this thing made those who had it stronger than normal.
"Perhaps caution is my best course of action here," he thought to himself. "Look, whatever happened before, I'm sorry," he said. Tohru and Masao bit their tongues as they looked at him, the Jinrou stood before them with that all-too-familiar look of false innocence, but his voice was more sincere than either of them could recall having ever heard it. "If there's anything I can do to help you guys out?" he started to offer.
Megumi's eyes widened. She through her arms around his again, he paused as he felt his arm squish between her soft, yet cold breasts. "You could come visit more often!?" she exclaimed. The fact that she was the one who'd allowed him into the clinic in the first place meant that if a Shiki already had entrance to a building, they could invite another Okiagari inside. "It's boring down here, just the four of us at night," she said with a pout.
Tatsumi smiled at her and gave a slight chuckle. "Yeah, that might be nice," he agreed.
"That would be ok, wouldn't it big brother?" Megumi asked, looking to Tohru.
"Tohru," Ritsuko whispered, poking the blond's arm.
Tohru shook his head. He wasn't sure how Tatsumi would get in and out of the basement without the doctor knowing he was down there from here on, but it seemed like Megumi was really keen on the idea. "If you can find your own way in, without Doctor Ozaki finding out what you're up to, I suppose," he agreed.
"Speaking of, what's taking him so long?" Ritsuko asked.
"He lost the key," Megumi said, with a slight giggle, as she slipped her hand down her top after a moment of fishing, she pulled out a small metal key.
"Wha? Megumi!?" Tohru exclaimed.
"I wasn't ready to come back down here, just yet," Megumi said, "I wanted to see outside, and was going to leave the key on the desk up in the lobby for the doctor to find later." She turned to Tatsumi. "Here, you take it up with you," she said, handing him the key.
"Yeah, sure," Tatsumi nodded, taking the key from her.
Tatsumi started to leave, but before he did, he let his eyes settle on Tohru for a moment. He didn't know what any of the Shiki had been through, but he could see it in their eyes, they'd all seen untold horrors, and the blond was suffering from an array of emotions; guilt, pain, terror, futility, perhaps even lonesomeness. Tatsumi could read it all right there in a single glance at Tohru's face. He almost felt sorry for them. They started to hear the doctor's footsteps heading back down the hall.
"I think he just gave up looking for the key," Masao said.
"If you don't want him to catch you here, now would be a good time to leave. Be thankful you can out run him," Tohru said, nudging his head toward the doorway.
"Right," Tatsumi nodded, "I'll see you guys later."
The blue haired turned and ran up the stairs. He quickly, but quietly shut the door, then tossed the key on the desk. The key hit the desk with a thunk. Toshio froze when he heard the metallic clang, then took off running down the hall. Down in the basement, all four Shiki let out a startled yelp, covering their ears as the sound echoed through the building. Megumi gave a frightened whimper and sank to her knees. Having heard the Shiki, Tatsumi started to turn back to check on them, unaware of what he'd just done. However, he now heard the rushed footsteps of the doctor coming closer.
Toshio slid to a stop at the end of the hall and looked around. He'd expected to find Megumi still walking around, or an intruder. But there was no one. Tatsumi was already out of the clinic and long gone from sight. Toshio checked the door, surprised to find it unlocked, yet unbroken. "What the hell?" he muttered to himself. He glanced toward the door and saw something glint on the desk. Walking over, he found the key. "Why is that here?" He picked the key up and looked at it. "I'm slipping already, am I?" he thought to himself as he locked the door to the basement. "Metalic sounds? I don't know what caused that one just now, but I know how it effected them if they heard it. I'd be better off not going down there right now. But... Did I recreate that test with Tohru? I'll have to go over my records." He light up a fresh cigarette and took a deep drag off of it. "We have to be thorough, after all," he said as he released the smoke into the air.