K: Well, I can't think of how to start my mass o' work right now, so I figured I'd let myself unwind a bit by writing another chappie first. ^_~ Gomen for taking so long- I've been really busy….
Y: Busy chatting online with your boyfriend, you mean… -_-
K: *blush* Urusai, Ya-chan…
Y: *grumbles and stalks off to go find Nahkti's stolen flamethrower*
Disclaimer: I dun own YGO. I DO, however, own the story's plot, so DON'T STEAL IT!!! *coughs* Thank you.
Dedications:
- GQSammy (Heh heh… ^^; I'm honored you think so. Although I bet if you put your mind to it, you could write one just as well. ^_~)
- Kleptomaniac Can Opener (Yes, Noah is a big meanie, isn't he? Sadistic little bastard… I can't help but like him… XD)
- Anime the Fallen Angel (Meh- mine are too. Doesn't help that my tablet refuses to work, either… X.X; As for Seto, Yami, and Katsuya, dun worry- I've got all that planned. ^_~ BUT it's not gonna be that easy. Not when super-smart bastard Noah is around! XD)
- Ran-chan (Believe me- they've tried. They were too busy bickering to pay attention to what they were doing and ended up falling into their own trap while Noah sat on his ass and laughed at them. -_-; As for a resurrection of Ryou, that would be kind of hard, since that would be in the supernatural shaman category, and this is scifi… ^^; *shakes her head* Ah well, doesn't matter. You'll find out what happens soon enough.)
- Silver Draggon (Still no piccy… ;~; Hell, I wouldn't even be able to type in my e-mail password anyway, since the keyboard to the comp w/Internet is all screwed up… X.X; I need to get that fixed….)
Jenechiku no Tenshi
Genetic Angel
Jikken III: Disposal
(Ryou)
I wandered through that bloody _labyrinth_ of a lab for at least an hour, trying to find the door, and somehow, I managed to make it out. Now I'm searching for my car, which seems lost in the sea of black 300Ms. I've tried just about everything- I've even set off the panic button and tried to follow the sound, but alas, I'm stumped. The siren rebounds off the walls, which makes it seem as if every car other than my own is the source of the disturbance. Thoroughly exhausted from the inane game of cat and mouse, I decide to simply call a cab. I can pick up the damn car later.
15 minutes later, not to mention around $30 poorer, I found myself at the doorstep of Mama-san's Apartment Complex. Just because I'm a hot-shot science whiz doesn't mean I can afford an actual house. As for the shiny 300M, it's a company car- I don't legally own an atom of paint on that thing. Shaking my head, I open the iron gate with the key I had been given when I first moved here, stepping into the tiny lobby and heading toward the elevator. Once inside, I pressed the button for level 5, leaning back against the wall and waiting for it to reach the floor I'd requested.
Technically, it should have been level 4, but because of superstitious beliefs, most buildings this high exclude a fourth floor, going straight from 3 to 5. 4 is supposed to be an omen of death, which is considered very bad luck- especially in the home. The 9th floor is supposedly dangerous too, since 'kuu' is 'suffering', but that's a different story. This place doesn't have a 9th floor anyway, so I guess it doesn't really matter.
The elevator shudders to a halt, its doors opening with an overzealous 'bin-bon'. Sighing, I trudged down the stained red carpet and reached the door to unit 53. Upon opening the door, I took off my jacket, tossing it on the single wicker chair in the corner of my poor-excuse for a living room. Heading to the kitchen, I opened the cupboard and pulled out a pack of instant udon, setting a kettle on the stove and waiting for the water to boil. Tossing the plastic wrapper into the garbage under the sink, I managed to get a whiff of the rancid food caked on the dirty dishes stacked nearby and gagged.
"I think it's time I cleaned up around here…" I muttered, holding my nose with one hand and turning on the faucet with the other.
It was useless to try and scrub them now, so I decided to let them soak in soapy water for a while before attempting to clean them. By the time I was finished, the teakettle was whistling bloody murder, and I nearly burned my hand trying to pick it up by the handle. Cursing under my breath, I grabbed the dingy cow-print oven mitt and carefully poured the searing water into the Styrofoam bowl. Tearing open the packet of seasoning, I sprinkled dehydrated onions and wakame on top, turning the water brown.
Poking my dinner with a pair of chopsticks, I picked up the bowl of soup and turned toward the entrance to my bedroom, ready for a night of surfing the net and checking my e-mail. That is, until I bumped into a rather chiseled chest clad in a classic black suit. Jerking my head upward, I met the eyes of the intruder, and suddenly felt an icy lump in the pit of my stomach.
"Konbanwa," (good evening) the man smirked, "I'm sorry, but I'm afraid I'll have to kill you."
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(I was tempted to leave you there, but…)
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My eyes widened, and my mouth went dry. I backed away from him, horrified as he stepped closer, reaching into his jacket for what was probably a gun of some kind. Biting my lip, my eyes darted around, searching for a way to escape. There was only one way out, and the man in front of me was blocking it. If only there was a way I could distract him somehow…
My back met the wall, jerking me to a halt. The udon in my hands sloshed around violently, the broth splashing some on my hands and making me wince. That's when I realized that there was a way to get past him- it had been in my hands all along.
Glancing up at my assailant, I noted he'd brought out a sleek silver pistol and was now aiming it at my head. Gulping, I narrowed my eyes; this was it. Either I did this now, or else I'd be just another smear on the red carpet beneath our feet. I decided to take my chances.
In one fluid movement, I threw the bowl of instant noodles in his face, blinding him as the blistering broth stung his eyes. He reeled back, clawing at his face, and I slipped past him, flinging open the door and racing down the corridor toward the emergency staircase. A minute later a shot rang out behind me, and a bullet whizzed past my head. He was on my tail again.
"Bloody perfect…" I growled, gritting my teeth.
I'd hoped the soup would've held him up long enough for me to escape, but today just didn't seem to be my day. Another bullet embedded itself into the wall beside me as I stopped to open the door to the stairs, and I nearly tripped down the first flight of them as adrenaline tore through my veins. Running as fast as I possibly could, I took the steps 4 or 5 at a time, barely keeping my balance. I finally reached the bottom floor, colliding with the door because of my momentum. I frantically turned the handle, pulling it open, and ducked as yet another bullet collided with the doorframe.
Wasting no time, I bolted through the exit, turning and tearing down the empty streets. I silently cursed the fact I chose to live in a somewhat more secluded area of Domino, since I could've gotten help if I'd lived in the heart of the city. Here, however, there was no one around to hear me even if I did try to call for help. I was on my own.
With no real destination in mind, I wove as complex a path as I could, trying to lose him. Every time I thought I finally had him, I'd hear his heavy footfalls behind me once more, and was forced to double my efforts. I could feel myself wearing down, adrenaline soon being the only thing keeping me going. I was exhausted, but the sheer will to survive kept my body moving, even though I couldn't feel my legs anymore.
I took a sharp left, hoping to throw him off, only to stumble into a dead end. I turned around, intending to go back and try another path, but stopped cold as my attacker's silhouette appeared in the entryway. I held my breath and shrunk into the shadows, hoping he wouldn't see or hear me, and waited for him to make a move.
He stepped forward, first one foot, then the other, peering into the darkness, trying to spot me. Something close to me gleamed in the moonlight, and I realized with a start that it was, in fact, my hair. The white made the light bounce off it, making it glow in the dark. That meant if I could see it, so could he.
Which meant, basically, that I was at the end of my rope. He had found me, and there was absolutely nowhere to run. There was no bowl of hot soup to save my skin this time- I was done for.
His shoes scuffed the cement, making a crunching noise every once in a while when he stepped on a discarded newspaper or soda can. I could hear him chuckling as he approached, until, finally, he stepped into the moonlight and I could see the smirk on his face as he pointed his gun at me once more.
"Well, well, you've given me quite a hard time, haven't you? Don't think I've forgotten that little stunt you pulled back at your apartment, you little smartass…"
He cocked the pistol, switching it to a loaded chamber. "I wasted a lot of ammo on you, too… I assure you, though, this time I won't miss."
I clenched my eyes shut, waiting for the end to come. I heard a bullet to the head would kill you instantly, so if I was lucky, it wouldn't hurt too bad… The shot rang out, and a rush of pain overloaded my senses. I cried out, clenching my right hand over the wound.
The sick bastard… Just because I'd given him a hard time, he'd decided to make my death agonizingly slow. He planned to disable every limb, one by one, starting with my left arm. After that, well, I had no idea what he was going to do… Either he'd kill me, or torture me further.
"Tsk tsk… You've had your fun… Now it's my turn… Quick and painless isn't an option anymore, you little brat…" he hissed, sending another bullet in my right leg.
I cried out again, tears in my eyes. The pain was unbearable- worse than anything I could have imagined. That last shot had gone straight through the bone, shattering it and continuing on out the other side, digging itself into the pavement. Simply breathing on it sent a new wave of pain washing over me, and my arm throbbed beneath my hand. I have no idea how I'm still conscious. I should've passed out long ago.
I saw him draw nearer through my half-lidded eyes, a haze of red blurring my vision. He crouched down, inspecting my condition, then nodded.
"Looks like you've had enough. Too bad- I wanted to play a little longer… Oh well, no skin off my back." He shrugged, pointing the gun at my head. "Sayonara, little smartass…"
I clenched my eyes shut, feeling the cold metal press up against my forehead. I tried to imagine who would've wanted me dead in the first place, and a single image popped into my head- Kaiba Noa. He must have found out about my meeting with Yuugi somehow. I hadn't been clever enough.
After a moment, I wondered why the gun hadn't gone off yet. A warm, sticky substance ran down my uninjured leg, prompting me to open my eyes. There was a shocked expression on the man's face, and the source of the blood came from his mouth. Looking down, I saw the tip of a dagger was embedded in his chest- straight through his heart.
The knife tip disappeared back into his torso, and he slumped over backward, dead. I glanced up at the owner of the blade, my savior, and managed to stutter my thanks. He snorted in response, brushing his bangs from his face.
He knelt, pressing a hand to my shattered leg, causing me to scream in pain. He used his other hand to cover my mouth, focusing his attention on the hole in my leg. I felt the pain lessen to a dull throb, and reopened my eyes to see what he had done.
The hole was gone. All that remained was a blood-stained circle cut out of my pants where the bullet had gone through, and a faint red mark on my skin. I looked up at him in awe, but he ignored me, moving to heal my arm as well. I had yet to see his face, as he hadn't stepped into the moonlight long enough for me to get a glimpse of him.
When he did, I couldn't believe my eyes. He looked exactly like Yuugi.
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K: YATTA!!! ^_^ I finally finished chapter 3!! *dances around*
Readers: Yatta!! She didn't kill Ryou!! *put away their weapons*
K: *sweatdrops* Gee, don't I feel loved… -_-;
Readers: *ignore her and huggle poor, frightened Ryou, congratulating Yami for saving him*
K: -_-; I'm just gonna go start on my work now, thanks…