"I wonder, how many wishes have come true?
How many tears have been shed?
The answer is still
Waiting in the future."
Sora Takenouchi—"Shiny Days"
(Translated by tiara)
With Broken Wings
Chapter Eleven: "Shiny Days, Part One"
It was so cool and dark in the shelter that Kouji momentarily thought he was back in Cell 24. But that monstrosity of a cell was cold—never cool. The water in the wells nearby was keeping the temperature inside bearable enough for the patients inside the shelter.
Someone opened a trapdoor above, allowing light to shine in from the dawn outside. Instinctively, Kouji squeezed his eyes more tightly shut, only to hear several voices urging him to wake up.
"You think he's okay?"
"I don't know. I hope he is."
All these voices sounded familiar. Why?
"Shh," Izumi urged Kotemon and Bearmon, who had been trying to get Kouji to open his eyes. She then leaned close to him and gently shook him until he opened his eyes. "Wake up, sweet morning light." Kouji was never one for nicknames, claiming they were embarrassing, but it was occasionally entertaining to watch him turn eight shades of red as he did now.
"Morning," he mumbled, sitting up. His head was pounding with a dull ache. Around him, the other survivors were already up, feeling healthy or close to it.
"I'm glad to see you're both awake," Ki commented, giving them each a cup of a hot liquid. They sipped it carefully to find it was green tea with just a hint of honey. Almost immediately, Kouji's headache began to dissipate as the hot drink went down.
"Thank you," he replied.
"Thank the Chiba/Beijing Resistance," Gotsumon stated. "They packed it, knowing that you'd all need something to drink when you woke up."
In a single instant, every event that had occurred with the patients replayed in their minds. Neither Legendary Warrior could look at anything other than the floor.
"What's wrong?" Ki checked, the other Chosen worried about his friends.
"Dijon died while you were gone," Kouji informed.
"I know," Ki replied, tears evident in his ice blue eyes. "And now Ariela's gone too."
"She didn't come down with it or anything, did she?" Izumi asked, fearfully remembering Kouji's warning about how sick the woman looked.
"No, she stayed inside the tent when a Cyberdramon attacked. His Erase Claw is his special technique. Nothing survives it. Data automatically gets deleted, and there's nothing left—maybe not even an egg."
"Why didn't anyone get her out?" Kouji questioned, blinking to hold back tears.
"We had no time," Dinohumon answered. "We had to get you and everyone else to safety first."
"We've searched the entire caravan," Grizzmon informed Ki.
"And?" he pressed anxiously.
"Those who had evacuations did escape," he continued. "Several people saw Ariela die in the attack."
"There was nothing left," Dinohumon added.
"Don't blame yourselves," Ki urged, looking back to see Kouji's and Izumi's crestfallen faces. "Unfortunately, she was already going to die very soon."
"What do you mean?" Kouji asked.
"Ariela was HIV-positive. She felt that she had to warn me before I left her in charge. It had become AIDS about a year ago. How she contracted it is unknown because Dijon didn't even have it. She had maybe another year to go. If she had gotten the fever, she would have died in less than two days. That's how far gone she was." Ki then turned to Dinohumon and Grizzmon. "Can you two take them to Trailmon Worm? Gotsumon and I can watch the caravan until you return."
"Can we come too?" Kotemon asked, the wish visible in his bright yellow eyes.
"Please?" Bearmon added, also trying the same technique.
"No," Grizzmon answered. "You stay here with Ki and Gotsumon. We'll be back soon."
The two Child levels turned to Dinohumon.
"Just as he said," the other Adult agreed. "Cyberdramon might still be out there, and it is too dangerous for you."
Both Kotemon and Bearmon looked hurt by this, but no amount of convincing could change their brothers' minds. Finally, Gotsumon walked up to them.
"We've got to help Ki take care of all these people," he reminded them. "We can't help take Kouji and Izumi to the Trailmon, but we can help Ki here."
"Okay!" both Digimon replied, clearly happier.
The two Chosen said their goodbyes and followed Grizzmon and Dinohumon toward Trailmon Worm. They stood on the platform of the last car, bidding farewell to the Adults.
"Head for Seraphimon's castle," Dinohumon urged. "Ki will meet you there."
"Thank you," Kouji replied. "Goodbye."
"Goodbye!" Izumi cried as their Trailmon picked up speed.
-------
Captain Jen-Tai Liu of the Chiba/Beijing Resistance force stood in one of the towers of Seraphimon's castle, drinking a cup of hot green tea and staring at the rain. It had been pouring nonstop all day, and even the adaptive Chinese Resistance fighter was getting sick of it.
"Still pouring?" asked Tori Amano of the Japanese half of this Resistance movement.
"I doubt it will let up by morning," the nearly fifty-year-old Liu answered.
"Should I replace Tai and Peng?" Tori questioned.
"Yes. Peng already took some time off after that incident with the Cyberdramon, so now it's Taiyou's turn to rest." He then squinted as he stared into the gray haze of rain. "And expect visitors."
Tori looked out the window. Outside were two travelers almost at their gates. "Do you think they're friends or enemies?"
"I don't know, but it's better to be safe than sorry. If they're on our side, we'll apologize, but for now detain them for questioning."
-------
After slipping along the tree branch leading to the castle, Kouji and Izumi were roughly escorted by several Resistance fighters inside.
"Hey! We're with the Resistance too!" Izumi argued.
"Better not argue with them," Kouji reasoned. "We're outmatched and outgunned here. We might as well put up with this for now."
"A smart one," one of the fighters observed. "Now, get moving."
They were placed in a small room that had been converted into a holding cell. At the tops of the crystal walls were security cameras, probably backed by lasers. They were under constant surveillance, and without any method of escape.
"So much for a warm reception," Izumi commented. She sat down on the floor next to Kouji, who was not at all comfortable with their situations. "I guess you don't really like being locked up, do you?"
"No one does," he replied. "But isolation's even worse. When no one's around to help you, that's when it's the most dangerous."
The morning after the rise of Kouichi as the Kaiser, Kouji prayed for it to have been only a dream. But the bitter harshness of reality set in as he found himself in a nightmare he couldn't wake from. Icicles hung from the ceiling of the cell, dripping cold water onto him as they melted. He found a box of waterproof matches and lit a candle so he could get a good idea of the glorified dungeon that was to be his home for the next five months. The walls were made of smooth gray stone: cold and hard. For several meters along the back wall was a thin air vent to allow circulation, the diameter of which was barely equal to that of Kouji's index finger. In the far corner was a small establishment serving as the bathroom. All it contained were a steel latrine, a sixty-centimeter deep steel bathtub kept off the floor by two stacked twenty-centimeter gray bricks (two sets on either side), and a faucet (steel again) with a sink placed under it. The sink was no more than a fourteen-centimeter-deep steel bedpan intended for vomit. Kouji moved the "sink" to find a small drain hole—8.5 centimeters in diameter. Beside the latrine was a roll of toilet paper, which would have to be conserved, along with the bars—no, round cakes—of soap next to the bath. A white towel lay on the floor, and Kouji suspected that it too would soon become gray. He seemed to have the only color in the entire cell.
He tried the faucet and found the pipes to be frozen from the sudden snowstorm the night before. It didn't matter because he had an unshakable feeling that there was no hot water anyway. But his throat was sore and parched from the events of the previous day, so he was forced to remove the heavy bathtub from its perch on the bricks and overturn it, allowing him to just reach the ceiling and break off an icicle. He sat down, bit down on the icicle, and sucked on the cold water as it made its way down, burning at his dry and scratched throat. But as painful as it was, nothing had felt better. The ice cooled the painful blisters on his hands as he held it, waiting for one mouthful of ice to melt so he could take in more. Finally, when his "breakfast" was over, he returned the tub to its upright position on the bricks.
Kouichi walked into the cell unexpectedly. With him was a blonde mercenary.
"Reiyama, grab him."
The mercenary, Reiyama, grabbed Kouji's broken left arm and pulled him to Kouichi. The boy dictator sealed two halves of a Black Ring around his brother's neck, causing it to blink as it flared to life. Reiyama released his grip on the injured boy's arm while Kouichi held out his D-scanner.
"Now. Evolve!"
The clothes ripped away from Kouji's body as his skin became translucent, revealing a blue light. An egg of DigiCode surrounded him, suspending him in midair as he was forced to become Garmmon. But the pain was too much. In the Digital World, when he was in better condition, it was painful enough; but here, when he was injured, the evolution was unbearable. His body had almost gone through a complete transformation when his vitals began to deteriorate, forcing him to devolve. The DigiCode broke down around him as he fell to the floor. His brother stared at him in disgust. Never before had Kouji experienced anything more degrading than this.
Reiyama yanked him up into a sitting position. He held a syringe one-quarter of the way filled with a blue foam, and injected it into Kouji's arm, eventually numbing the pain from the evolution. His breathing and heart rate slowly returned to normal as Kouichi stepped forward.
"That was a non-addictive drug designed to act the way an opiate would: numbing pain and, in higher amounts, inducing sleep. It's experimental, but it appears to work. Now, do it again."
The Black Ring flashed in unison with the screen on Kouichi's D-scanner. The DigiCode egg formed around Kouji again, causing him to hover over the floor once more. The pain of the evolution was gone, and he found he was just as calm as he'd be with his H-Spirit.
Is this how it has to be? Am I only his slave, a Digimon and nothing more? he asked himself. If so, then why did so many people think otherwise? Images of everyone he'd ever cared about flashed through his mind. He couldn't let them down.
"Now, Garmmon, show yourself," Kouichi ordered.
No, Kouji thought, forcing his four legs to become human limbs again. I am not Garmmon, or Wolfmon, or any one of my evolutions. I am not your slave. I am Kouji. And whether I'm your brother or not, it's something you're going to have to live with.
The DigiCode around him exploded with the force of resistance. Exhausted, he collapsed, the stone floor cold against his skin. Just as after his last devolution, it took some time for his clothes to appear on his body, but it didn't matter. Kouichi exited the cell in defeat, taking his shadow with him. Kouji had won his first victory against the Kaiser, and because of that, he smiled as he closed his eyes. So far it was 2:1, with Kouichi in the lead, but he could still catch up. After all, he was going to be in there for a long time; why not make the most of it?
"I'm sorry," Izumi apologized after hearing his story. "I never realized exactly what you went through. And you faced that everyday?"
Kouji nodded. "Everyday for two or three weeks. Keeping track of time was hard in there. But after those first few weeks, he began threatening me to evolve. From then on, I did as he said. As a reward, he returned my D-scanner. With my family's life in danger, I couldn't refuse."
"I can imagine."
A young woman with short black hair stepped in for a second.
"Rest here for the night," she offered. "In the morning, we hope to ask you a few questions."
"Why not get it over with now?" Kouji asked.
"I am not at liberty to discuss it at this point. Have a good night." She then walked out and locked the door.
"With the way she was talking, you'd think we were being invited to stay here, and not forced to," Izumi noticed.
"It doesn't matter," Kouji replied. "Let's just rest for now. Maybe tomorrow we can get some answers as well."
-------
Tori walked up to Liu.
"Did you inform them?" he checked.
"Yes," she answered. "They're going to rest for the night, and the cameras are on them nonstop. There's no way for them to reach the cameras and turn them off, and Tai will notice if anyone tries to tamper with them or escape."
"Keep watch just in case," Liu warned. "I have a feeling they are more than what they appear to be."
-------
Ki cautiously walked through the forest, being sure to pass the tree harboring the castle. Cyberdramon had been following him closely since he'd left the desert. He had to lead the creature away.
So much for meeting up with the others, he thought. I'd try and contact them, but I'd just inform Cyberdramon to their location. They'll have to do this without me.
But what he didn't notice was that after several twists and turns down a treacherous path, Cyberdramon had given up chasing him and changed his direction entirely: to where he smelled the two Legendary Warriors.
-------
Liu opened the door to the holding cell to find both warriors asleep: Izumi with her head against Kouji's right shoulder, and him with his head against hers. They'd been that way the whole night, too tired after their journey to leave that position. But despite how tired they were, the sound of the door was enough to wake them up.
"I need the boy," Liu requested. Kouji stood up and followed him out the door. When they reached the interrogation chamber, Liu ushered Kouji to sit.
"Name?"
"Kouji Minamoto."
"What was that? I'm getting old, and my hearing isn't very good."
He tried a little louder, nearly straining his voice with the effort. "Kouji Minamoto."
"Can you speak any louder?"
"No. Vocal cord damage. And I've been sick."
"All right. Taiyou, Tori, I need both of you to cut off all sound in here—even the mikes."
"Yes, sir," answered a woman's voice. Feedback played from the microphones, nearly causing Kouji's eardrums to bleed.
"All right. We'll try again. Name?"
"Kouji Minamoto." He tried speaking a little louder again, but didn't push himself too far.
"I can hear you a little better this time. Age?"
"Fifteen, almost."
"Where are you from?"
"Japan. Yokohama, but I live in the Tokyo area."
"Where are you headed?"
"To find the Fuji Resistance."
"Any particular reason?"
"They're friends of ours."
"How did you get hurt so badly?"
"A fight with a Gotsumon."
"Why did it attack you?"
"The Kaiser was controlling him."
"I don't think you understand. Why was it attacking you?"
"The Kaiser's after me."
"Why?"
"I'm a fugitive from his slave camp."
Liu stood up. "The Kaiser usually doesn't care much about escaped slaves—even the political prisoners. What makes you so special that he has to see to your return personally?" Kouji remained silent. "Well?"
"I'd rather not say. You wouldn't believe me."
Slightly aggravated, Liu went to the door and knocked. A blonde woman opened the door. He gave her a couple of orders, and she turned to someone behind her. Soon, Izumi was allowed in, and she was questioned in the same fashion.
"Name?"
"Izumi Orimoto."
"Age?"
"Fifteen."
"Where are you from?"
"Tokyo, Japan. Around Mt. Fuji."
"Where are you headed?"
"We're looking for our friends in the Fuji Resistance."
"Is the Kaiser after you too?"
"Yes, but he doesn't have quite as much of an interest in me."
"Why not?"
"I don't know for sure."
"Why do I have the feeling you're lying?" Like Kouji, Izumi was silent. Liu brought his fingers to an earpiece and microphone he was wearing. "Taiyou, bring them in."
The blonde woman opened the door to allow in three Digimon. She and the shorthaired woman stood at the door to prevent escape.
"Bokomon? Neemon? Patamon?" Kouji was the first to speak.
"Kouji, is that you?" Bokomon asked. "But we heard Kouichi had killed you."
"How can he be here if he's dead?" Neemon questioned stupidly, earning himself a snap in the pants. The women by the door rolled their eyes, Liu shook his head in utter disgust, and Izumi and Kouji both had expressions of unwelcome nostalgia on their faces at this.
Patamon ignored all this and dive-bombed Kouji immediately, pleased to see the Chosen of Light once more. Of all the Legendary Warriors, Kouji was his favorite, even if the boy was hard to become friends with. But the former Great Angel's expression soon changed as he felt the lack of power from the young man. "What happened to your Spirits?"
"The power was stolen from them," Kouji answered.
"Kouichi must have used a DigiCode scan on you during a fight," Bokomon theorized.
"So who exactly are these two anyway?" the blonde woman questioned. Before either Chosen could speak, Bokomon already had introductions set:
"Meet the Legendary Warriors of Light and Wind: Kouji Minamoto and Izumi Orimoto."
"What?" the woman asked, stepping away from her post and toward the teenagers. "Kouji Minamoto? Him?" A burning hatred filled her as she walked up to Kouji and punched him in the jaw. The force of the blow sent him to the crystal floor. He could taste blood on his teeth—a bad sign. His teeth were coated with it. He traced the blood to a cut on the inside of his mouth.
"Taiyou, what did you do that for?" the other woman asked.
"Tenshi, you'd better explain yourself," Liu warned, using her surname instead.
"Tenshi?" Izumi questioned. "Are you related to Kage?"
"He's my younger brother. And Dr. Tadaaki Tenshi was our father. Does the name ring a bell, Kouji Minamoto?" He stared at her, confused. "I guess it would be too much for the great warrior to remember the man who saved his life." His expression changed from confusion to shock, but she didn't seem to care. She reached down and grabbed him by his hair just as Renamon would, pulling him to his feet.
"Taiyou, stop it," the other woman pleaded. "If they're friends of Kage's, then he obviously knows who Kouji is. If he can trust him, why can't you?"
"Kage's always been forgiving, Tori," Taiyou replied, spitting her words out in anger. "Just because he trusts somebody doesn't mean I do." She then turned to Kouji. "I want to know how many people would react if they knew you were the one responsible for the other Two. If anything, you're worse than your brother." Kouji was silent. "Have nothing to say for your defense? It's true, and you know it."
"Taiyou, stop it!" the younger woman, Tori, interrupted.
"This is not a tribunal," Liu reasoned. "You have no right to decide the guilt of someone you refuse to know."
"Liu, I've been suffering for three whole years, knowing the identity of the only person who could possibly be responsible," Taiyou answered, "and you're telling me not to pass judgment?"
"Kouji, maybe we should go," Izumi suggested.
"You were looking for the D.C./Fuji Resistance, right?" Liu remembered.
"They were here a few weeks ago," Tori informed. "They were heading east. They shouldn't be too far away."
"It's July 27 today," Liu calculated, "so you should reach their current location by the first or second week of August."
"Thank you," Kouji replied, bowing in respect and gratitude. Liu returned the bow, but in the Chinese fashion: fist-in-hand. "Come on, Izumi. If we're lucky, we'll run into Ki along the way."
-------
A fresh scent entered Cyberdramon's nostrils, leading him to the right direction.
They're here, he realized. Their scent is weak, but I can still make it out. They've been dry for long enough a time. He sniffed again. Resistance fighters… This is turning out better than I planned.
-------
Kouji and Izumi fought their way through the wet forest, the rain being made even worse by the trees, which were releasing large drops of water on them.
"I don't know why Taiyou was treating you like that," Izumi commented. "She was acting like your description of that Renamon, and there's no reason for it. You didn't even know Kage until you got sick that time."
"I didn't know them, but I think I knew their father." Izumi looked at him in confusion. "Remember around last year, after a huge battle, Kouri couldn't fall asleep because she was scared I was going to die? I told her how she, Satomi, Mom, and Dad were placed in Cell 24."
"I don't think I was there."
"You were."
"Then I was half-asleep at the time. Why do you ask?"
"Well, that wasn't even half of the story."
Over a month had passed since the fight on the beach, and Kouichi still seemed to be winning. The score had to be at 52:21, with Kouji losing more and more each day. He had only had water or ice, and the consequences were beginning to show as he slowly began weakening. His body had become thin and brittle, and his bones were very easy to break. It had been said that when a person's diet reached below fifteen hundred calories, that person would lose the capacity for all emotions. Kouji hadn't been getting any calories whatsoever, but his emotions remained. He just didn't have the capacity to show them. But that wasn't his only problem. He was forced to sleep during the day and work during the night, so the only light he ever saw came from candles, lanterns, stars, the moon, and streetlights—if he was lucky. Sometimes, cloud cover blocked the light from the stars and moon, and there were times that Kouichi ordered for the streetlights to be turned off, just so he could torment Kouji some more. It was a bit hurtful for him not to be able to see the source of his name. Most of the time, he was forced to pick up battle litter in the most deserted of places. Renamon or Reiyama usually "escorted" him, making his life even more of a living hell. But this time, however, something was different. Kouji was allowed to work on his own, in human form. But after all this time, he'd learned to be wary of gifts, remembering even back from his Digital World days that these gifts could be no more than a trap. So he listened carefully as he gathered discarded weapons and landmines, being sure not to set anything—or anyone—off.
"What about that boy there?" a deep, unfamiliar voice asked.
"Him?" Kouichi questioned. They were speaking quietly, but not quietly enough for Kouji not to hear. "He's a troublemaker."
"How so?"
"Antisocial—and by this, I mean he has no respect for authority. No one can work with him. Even my own Guard can't control him. He's also antisocial by laymen's terms, as in he's very much a lone wolf." There was the sound of a crash as Kouji dropped an assault rifle onto the ground—his only way of expressing his anger. He was getting sick and tired of this and other puns. While other slaves thought it was hilarious, he was getting all around annoyed at all of the wolf or dog related jokes at his expense.
"Is that all?" the other questioned.
"No. He's emotionally unstable—I suspect he might even be suicidal judging by the injuries he self-inflicts." Just by the slight raise in the level of his voice, Kouichi was signaling him that he was not going to let him forget how he and Izumi had suspected the now Kaiser might have been suicidal. "I have to keep him locked up in his own cell, or he can be too unpredictable. And I have him work at night when it's easier to keep an eye on him." He paused to listen and smirked slightly. There was no sound of resentment from Kouji. Just as proved by the Nazis and their treatment of the Jews and other minorities in their concentration camps, the boy didn't even have the strength to become angry.
That's what you think, Kouji thought, being sure to keep his emotions in check. Perhaps the reason why the prisoners in the Nazi concentration camps had not seemed to be showing any emotion was because they were keeping all that emotion inside to keep them going, just as Kouji was. But that was really the only thing that kept him moving. Starvation had taken a lot out of him to the point that he was dying. And if not for the bitter cold of winter or the red burning flames of anger, he would have passed out right there.
"I'd like to try and evaluate his injuries," the deep voice decided. "But I'll need to take him further into Chiba, where my office is."
"All right," Kouichi agreed. "I'll let him know."
"I'll bring my car up here."
Kouichi walked up to Kouji and placed his black-and-gray D-scanner on the Black Ring—ironically, right at the back of Kouji's neck. A flash of dark power burst out, filling all of Kouji's muscles with a numb cold. Even his heart and lungs seemed to be operating under Kouichi's orders. It was like being dead, but at the same time having a fully functional mind and body. Kouji couldn't move at all; he couldn't even ask what Kouichi had done to him.
"Is the boy ready to go?" the deep voice asked from the driver's seat of his old model Toyota Corolla.
"Almost," Kouichi answered in a benevolent voice (if such a voice was even possible from the Digimon Kaiser). But the tone he used to hiss in Kouji's ear was much more different from the mock concern he'd been showing before. "Get in his car, and don't even try moving. The second you even try to escape, that Black Ring will reactivate even more powerful that before. Here is an example." Kouichi held him still and pressed a button on the digivice. Every vital muscle in Kouji's body suddenly stopped. His vision faded to nothing as his heart stopped beating and his lungs quit functioning. But after a couple of seconds, everything restarted as if normal, causing panic to sweep through Kouji's mind. This was a complete invasion of privacy. It was far too easy for Kouichi to control all of his body functions while he could do nothing more than die. "I probably won't do that, but I will do something far worse. I might not be able to control you, but I can paralyze you so you can watch your family suffer." A fresh wave of terror washed over Kouji. He couldn't let that happen. "Tell me if you comply."
"Yes," Kouji replied, the numbness momentarily leaving his vocal chords. The sound of his own voice startled him. He hadn't spoken since the night of the fire, and he hadn't realized how weak his voice was even now.
"Then get inside," Kouichi hissed once more. The feeling returned to Kouji's legs and he slowly walked to the car. The front passenger door was opened for him and he got in.
"Put your seatbelt on," the driver with the deep voice—Dr. Tadaaki Tenshi—instructed. Silently, Kouji obeyed. He had to rely on his sense of touch for everything, as his eyes seemed to be permanently transfixed on the road ahead.
Dr. Tenshi was a tall man with the same dark brown hair as his son and the same cerulean eyes as both of his children, and he was far from cruel. He tossed away the fact that Kouji was a supposedly dangerous criminal and treated him as one of his own children. He tried unsuccessfully to strike up a conversation with him, admitting that he was secretly a Resistance fighter as well, but he was forced to abandon his idea when the young man next to him remained silent. To him, it was unsurprising that he wouldn't speak out of distrust of outsiders, but as brilliant as he was, he could never be further from the truth.
Soon streetlights summoned forth city lights, making Kouji's eyes water in pain from the intensity of the electricity. Dr. Tenshi observed what was wrong with Kouji and reached for a pair of sunglasses from his glove compartment. "Put these on," he offered. "I suppose you've become nocturnal after all this time." At a red light, he removed a box of sandwiches from the backseat. "And I suppose you're probably hungry after all that work you did." He held out one of the sandwiches. "Go ahead. Eat it."
Because the offer was close enough to an order, the cold left Kouji's arms, allowing him to take the sandwich. He bit off one corner of it and chewed carefully—not what would be expected from someone who'd been starved. For someone who had been a prisoner for such a long time, he was showing more manners than even the doctor's own children. After several minutes, the whole sandwich was gone and Kouji's body turned to stone once more.
The car stopped at the doctor's office in Chiba. Dr. Tenshi exited the vehicle while Kouji remained frozen in his seat.
"What are you waiting for?" Dr. Tenshi asked. "Get out." Again, Kouji obeyed, but he was unaware of the low doorframe and whacked his head on it, hard. But even though a large red mark had appeared on his forehead, yielding to a bruise, the boy showed no sign that he'd even felt it. "Come inside," the doctor ordered, mystified by what had just happened.
No one was inside the office, so Dr. Tenshi was free to work in private. He examined Kouji's injuries, wondering how the boy could have possibly caused so many wounds on his own. It made no sense to him how anyone so thin and fragile could withstand this many injuries, and still continue inflicting them on himself. Most people who inflicted self-injuries knew their limits, but this patient seemed to go way beyond his. He finally instructed Kouji to reach toward some of the injuries, but the young slave could not reach them. Perplexed, he picked up his phone and dialed a number.
"Step outside the room for a minute," he instructed. "I need to make a call."
Kouji did as ordered, but he couldn't move past the outside of the door. Even through the wood of the door, he could make out the doctor's voice as the call began.
"Nari, I've been thinking about what you've been arguing. I have the feeling that you might be right. I have a medical report on a boy I've just examined, and you will want to see it. Well, this boy is one of the Kaiser's prisoners. Yes, that one that keeps the Resistance fighters. This boy was said to self-inflict injuries, but many of the wounds I've observed are far out of his reach. And he's very thin—I don't think he's been eating. I want to examine his cell tomorrow, and I'll try and slip photos to you. Yes, I'll try and get the boy out tomorrow. If we're lucky, we can help him escape. I don't like what I've seen. Yes, I'll meet you tomorrow afternoon. Goodbye." He hung up the phone and saw Kouji standing outside the door. "You were polite earlier on, but listening in on phone conversations is not only rude, but an invasion of privacy. Now, back in the car."
They walked out to the Corolla, and Kouji opened the door to get in. Dr. Tenshi was already inside, and watched Kouji hit his head on the doorframe again. Only this time, the doctor was close enough to hear a strangled sound from the boy's throat and a sharp intake of breath.
"Have you grown so accustomed to being a prisoner that you are no longer human? Or is that ring controlling your actions?" Kouji didn't know if the question was just stupid or rhetorical. But then the question became an order. "Tell me if that ring is controlling your actions."
"Yes. It is." His voice was very soft, but audible enough.
"Explain what it's doing."
"It's numbing my muscles so I can't move unless I'm given permission."
"Tell me why you let the Kaiser do this."
"He has my family, and he'll kill them if I don't obey him."
Dr. Tenshi shook his head in disgust. There was no way he could rescue Kouji without rescuing his family too. "And judging by all the injuries you've sustained, I wouldn't be surprised if he did just that."
When they arrived back at the base, Kouichi placed the D-scanner at the back of his brother's neck, neutralizing the paralysis. Tired, and with a headache that caused his vision to pulse, Kouji walked off to his cell, but not without grabbing a fistful of snow to place on his bruised forehead.
Statistic from Alas, Babylon by Pat Frank. Complemented by information from Night by Elie Wiesel
The description of Cell 24 is what I never really got to tell anyone in "In the Blue" and "Atarashii Taiyou." That thing about the paralyzed muscles and Kouichi controlling Kouji's breathing and heartbeat were from A Wrinkle in Time, the icicle thing was straight out of A Swiftly Tilting Planet (where Charles Wallace sucks on one to relieve similar symptoms), and the idea about Dr. Tenshi planning to rescue Kouji was straight out of The Pretender once more. I apologize for all of the flashbacks, but it's necessary to understand the characters and their motivation. And as for the name Nari...look back into previous chapters to see if it rings a bell.