Disclaimer: Ayashi no Ceres belongs to Watase Yuu. Don't own so don't sue.
Warnings: This fic contains spoilers as the foundation of my fic is based loosely on the anime/manga. Nevertheless, the content will become dissimilar in future chapters to come.
To:
chinoz ~ *gulps* Sorry for MIA for such a long while… anyways, I genuinely don't mind criticisms as long as it's relevant to the plot. ^____^ And the reason for Aya's 'self-discovery' is cause she annoys me in the original anime and I want her to start thinking like a sensible person instead of being such a silly airhead… . As to how important it will be to the story, well, I'm sure I'd figure something out in later chapters to tie it in… ehehe… I tend to do that quite often. ^^ Lastly, you request for more 'Aki action', I hope this chapter satisfies. *grins*
Lillian ~ *cheeky nodding her head off* Yeah, I so agree with the Aki dying bits… like why does he has to die? And Tooya too… *grrr* So nobody's gonna die in this fic, except maybe Grandpa Mikage… *wicked grin*
Silvermagess ~ *grins* Maybe it's better if you don't finish watching the anime cause as I mentioned to Lillian above, both bishounens die in the end, which is really crappy.
Hana no Ceres ~ *laughs* Is my anti-Aya sentiments that obvious in the fic? Anyways, I'm going to try my best to er, change her selfish ways. ^^ Have a couple of crazy ideas up my sleeve. Nyahaha…
MistyEyes ~ *grins* Sou sa… that's why Aya won't be the leading character in this story. ^^
Crimson Night ~ Talk about pressure! ^^
Rhapsody ~ More emotional turmoil here, on Aki's part. But lucky for him, Tooya's there to lend a shoulder to lean on. Eheh, just gave away the spoilers for this chapter. Read on! ^______^
Lina Inverse ~ Just knowing that you're reading is good enough for me. *huggies*
^_^ ~ Just to reiterate, talk about pressure!! Ehehe, will do my very best!! ^_____^
Remmirath ~ *blinks at the review* Wow… you sounded really genki there… ehehee… ^^ As for your comments, *cheeky baps self for the identical twins mistake* Ugh… that was rather unforgivable… sorry ah… I've changed it now. As for the reason for Aya's OOCness, well, I can't stand the original Aya, so I'm adding more substance into that brain of hers… *smirk*
Chibisah ~ Nyahahahaha… I really liked how you've described Aya's 'attachment' to Tooya… funny ya… ^^
Kat ~ *grins* That's why I'm here. Ehehe, to spread the love of Tooya x Aki. ^^
Koneko ~ And I present to you the fifth chapter… ^^ And yeah, we certainly need more Tooya x Aki fics… ehehe…
MidnightLoner ~ *laughs* Yeah, I know what you mean, the first time I surf the net for info, I was confused too. But that's what happens when anime transcends borders, the translation gets changed to suit the market… even the romaji names tend to differ. Ah well… at least it gets exported, so no complains there! ^^
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Chapter Five ~ Shiso's Descendant
His head hurt.
It was almost bordering on the edge of unbearable as Aki slowly opened his eyes, the pounding ache on his temples threatening to crush his skull. After several moments, his eyes finally grew accustomed to the bright lights boring down on him. No wonder it was so cold, he was lying half naked on one of those metallic surgery tables. Six pairs of spotlight shone down on him and he once again scrunched up his eyes in response when he could no longer take the brightness.
"Ah… so you're finally awake."
It was a statement that demanded his full attention but Aki loathed giving it. He recognized the voice of his grandfather, the jovialness nothing more than a mask of deceit. What a fool he must have been to trusted the man…
Then again, who would have thought he'd be betray by his own grandfather…
"I'm talking to you boy…"
Aki sighed inwardly; might as well get it over with as soon as possible, no telling what his grandfather might do if he maintained his silence. And so the young boy started turning his head towards the voice as he painstakingly sat up, squinting his eyes every now and then to make out the silhouette of his grandfather standing several feet away in the shadows.
Evidently pleased at his grandchild's show of obedience, Grandfather Mikage started laughing heartily, the sudden loud crackle breaking the stillness of the room. Nevertheless, the harsh sound merely fuelled Aki's headache and trying his best to ignore that the fact that his skull was ready to burst, Aki hissed out wrathfully, "What's so funny?"
The old man merely laughed harder before supplying the answer with an evil smirk, "Your futile show of anger, of course. Always the aggressive and foolish hothead, just like your father. Well, it's about time you learn to control your anger, boy, least it controls you. I'm sure you don't want to end up in the sorry state as your father…"
Grandfather Mikage left the sentence hanging as he thoughtfully surveyed the unwavering defiance in Aki's amethyst orbs. When it became clear that Aki wasn't going to back down, the old man threw out his trump card as he added maliciously, "We'll finish our talk tomorrow, Aki. No doubt you'll be needing your rest after the three-hour long operation…"
The last statement succeeded in getting the elderly man the reaction he wanted. Watching Aki's knuckles turned faintish white as the boy gripped the side of the table, the smirk on Grandfather Mikage's face widened till it threatened to crack the side of his face wide opened. And there was no mistaking the slight quiver of his grandson's voice as the young boy echoed uneasily, "Operation? What operation?"
But it was Aki's cousin who supplied the answer, "During your unconscious state, we were able to study your brainwaves and manipulate them according to will."
He turned to stare wide-eyed at the brunette. Fear gripped his heart and Aki was almost afraid to ask, "I don't understand…"
Kagami looked almost kind as he clarified further, "After analyzing how Aya transformed into Ceres, it was evident that Ceres had seized control of Aya's sub-consciousness, hence the Celestial Angel was able to 'appear' at will. And since you displayed no signs of transforming, I thought with a little radioactive assistance, we could somehow, well, induce Shiso to come forth sooner…"
Swallowing painfully at that bit of information, Aki visibly paled as he whispered in disbelief, "What about me?"
Grandfather Mikage snorted in disgust, "Don't start acting so cocky, boy. Don't forget that your body is nothing more than a 'stand-in' tool for your ancestor, so you might as well get use to the idea of sacrificing yourself for the greater good."
His nails were probably cutting into the insides of his palms but he no longer cared about the pain. Shaking from both his emotional rage and the cold, Aki sworn violently, "Damn you! What greater good?"
The old man held Aki's amethyst eyes as he answered steadily, "The greater good of the Mikage family of course. You are not the first child to be sacrificed."
The emotionless logic was all too much to bear and Aki felt hysterical laughter threatening to spill from within. Dear gods, what a load of crap. Was he nothing more than a guinea pig, an experiment raised for sixteen years just to be destroyed at a whim? For gods' sake, he was a breathing living being whose brain was now permanently screwed, no thanks to the two nutcases standing before him. Leaning slightly forward in his seat, Aki curled his lip as he voiced out in deep resentment, "So I am not even giving a chance to a fair trial? I am to be sacrificed, just as Aya is to be killed as well?"
The barest of nods from Grandfather Mikage was the breaking point. Without warning, Aki slid himself off from the table, his body shivering uncontrollably as his bare feet touched the cold tiles. Turning to face both men squarely in the face, Aki snarled out furiously, "Well, screw you both! Like hell if I'm going to be a tool in your filthy hands…"
Kagami realized all too late that his surgical tools were lying in a metal tray next to the boy. But before any bodily harm could be done, the blade was roughly knocked from the boy's hands, followed by a loud yelp of pain and an equally loud reprimand.
"Don't be stupid. Killing yourself isn't going to change anything."
Aki's lips parted as his eyes widened in disbelief, "Tooya…"
Seizing the chance of the brief distraction, Kagami nodded his consent and a nurse stepped forward with a needle as she expertly plunged the sharp edge into the side of Aki's neck. Wordlessly, the woman then took a respectful step backward as Aki promptly dropped into Tooya's arms in a dead faint. After the initial shock of the attack had passed, the redhead then turned blazing eyes towards his employers as he furiously demanded, "Was that necessary?"
Grandfather Mikage snapped back with a scowl, "I don't recall asking for your approval."
Kagami on the other hand, answered lightly as he swept away an imaginary dust speck from his coat's sleeve, "You of all people, should know how important Aki is for the C Project. Now bring the boy back to his room and watch him. I don't want a similar incident to happen, understood?"
Tooya swallowed back his anger as he nodded wordlessly before gathering the boy in his arms. Walking passed the brunette however, Tooya couldn't refrain himself from hissing softly under his breath, "Bastard."
Choosing to ignore the raw show of insolence, Kagami instead followed after Grandfather Mikage in the opposite direction. His mind however, was still on the two young men they had left behind. Kagami mused inwardly to himself; he genuinely liked Aki, or more specifically, he admired the young boy's fighting spirit. It was certainly a pity that he was going to have to 'kill' his cousin. If only there was another way out of this mess…
t.b.c.
