17: An Awakening

Another two full weeks had passed since the attack on Tylon's research facility. Life had returned to normal for the most part, as normal as it could for them. They had noticed that Jack nearly never left the young woman's side, always sitting near her, either admiring her features or staring blankly out the window, thinking of what, they didn't know. How could they know what had happened to him. He seemed so strange and completely different after that horrendous night when they had witnessed him transform into some new creature of power and grace.

What's going on in your head? Jane wondered, leaning against the doorframe of the room. It's been at least a month, and still you're here… But why? What's holding you back from living life like the rest of us? She wondered, her brow becoming furrowed.

Her dazed eyes came into focus when she heard him shifting in his chair, presumably from sitting in the same position for innumerable hours. How he managed to stay like that and remain so totally devoid of the outside world, yet still remain calm and satisfied was beyond her. But that was not what she put on the earth for, not to philosophize or ponder. No, she was a fighter in blood and in spirit, one that lusted for the thrill and the adrenaline that coursed through her body in the heat of battle. But this was a time of peace, if for a moment.

Shifting her weight from one foot to the other, she hadn't noticed another presence stand behind her. Looking up and backwards she noticed Yugo standing behind her, his face fierce, as if he had just finished a very heated fight.

"How's he doing?" He asked softly.

"I'm not sure, he hasn't really moved for about three hours now." She replied, moving her eyes back to Jack, who had now turned to stare at them with a blank stare. Seeing the look of total emptiness in his eyes gave her a chill that crawled slowly up her spine, one that she rarely, if ever, felt.

Apparently Yugo had felt his cold gaze also, for he had moved slowly into the room and pulled a chair over, sitting down directly across from the motionless dragon. Yugo hunched down, leaning his elbows on his knees while clasping his hands together, directing his sight to the tile floor beneath him.

Jane had expected him to start talking from how he had moved into the room and sat across from Jack. She moved into the room also, leaning against the chest of drawers. Crossing her arms about her chest she struggled to bring words to her lips, to start some kind of conversation to strip the silence that loomed about the dull room.

Still staring at the ground blankly, Jack began to speak, "You know, I've sat here for a month now, and I know you've all stopped by a lot wondering about me," His head slowly raised to stare at the female that sat motionless in the bed adjacent to him. "And I'm not quite sure why I've stayed this long either, but somehow I feel that I can't leave her alone…"

Listening to his words made Jane feel even worse for a reason unknown to her. She didn't know why she should care so much about a particular individual when all she sought from life was the thrill of fighting a worthy adversary. She opened her mouth as if to speak, but nothing came out. He continued, "You know, I'm not sure why I changed into the person you see before you. Honestly, I don't know how it happened either," He said while laughing lightly. "It just seemed like the world had collapsed around me, like nothing was real anymore, nothing sane, and then, when I thought the darkness had complete control of me, something deep in here," He said while tapping his temple. "Just, I don't know…. Just snapped…"

Yugo had looked up from the floor to gaze at the dragon before him. He seemed to smile a little, as if he had found a small bit that was left in Jack that he found humorous. Jack looked up at him and noticed the small smile, and to Jane's astonishment, he smiled back.

"You know Jack," Yugo started. "For all that you've changed, for better or worse, your still welcome with us." He looked to Jane and she nodded in confirmation. "We're all in this for the same reason, to help the world understand that we're all equals, that zoanthropes are no different than normal humans."

As Yugo spoke, Jack brought his hands to his chin, as if pondering his words, letting them mull about inside his mind. "Yes, I know that Yugo, and I am truly grateful to have friends such as yourselves. All I hope now is that she'll awaken soon." Jack said, once again directing his gaze unto the unknown female.

As silence draped over the room once more, the lights began to flicker a bit, casting a darkened shadow on the dragon, distorting his once light and joyous features. After a half-hour more, both Jane and Yugo left to eat at a nearby restaurant. Jack was left once more to keep his ever-watchful eyes on the unconscious female before him, his mind continually begging her to awaken.

* * *

Struggling to awaken against the blaring sun, Stun dragged his limp and tired body up from the ground, covering his yellow eyes against the bright light. The day had awoken without him, but he cared not. He was free from Busuzima's distorted mind, his vile and sick hands not being able to torture his body anymore.

Hefting up his weight to standing, using the wall as a brace, he began to shuffle to a nearby dumpster, searching it for some kind of edible substance to sustain his form until he had strength enough to find what his body truly needed.

That bastard Busuzima and his psychotic mind… Stun picked up a half-eaten cheeseburger and tossed it aside, its meat moldy and the bun unappealing. He continued rummaging through the garbage until he found some food decent enough for his stomach. Slumping back down to the ground, using the wall to slow his descent, as his body still was recuperating, he began to slowly eat the food.

How long can I keep this up, keep my body intact before it collapses? He asked himself. Or am I just on this barren earth to try to attain Death's claim on me, only to be ripped from its welcome embrace? Finishing his food, he sat in silence, the distant sound of cars speeding past the only sound he chose to register.

Slowly overhead clouds passed, their slow course ever-changing. The sun was able to peek out once in a great while, and when it did, it shone its radiance upon the insect zoanthrope, the light casting dark shadows on his ragged form. But he could care less. The only thought he had left that edged upon his sanity was to how he would find the others, the ones who he assumed had 'saved' him from the diabolical and malevolent laboratory that Busuzima had caged him in.

Soon… Soon I shall find them.

* * *

Yugo sat in silence at his household, hunched over on his couch. An overload of thoughts careened through his fragile mind, all bringing him closer and closer to insanity. It had been a month since they had destroyed the facility, a month since Jack had rescued the still unconscious woman, and a month since Kenji had slipped into Bakuryu's malevolent shoes yet again. He didn't know what he should, or rather could, do about the entire situation.

"What the hell can I do?" He asked himself under his breath, his fingers running through his tussled hair. "Kenji's gone, the others are all silent… What is there left to do?"

The lamp beside him shone its light upon his face, as if trying to make light of the darkness that enshrouded the wolf. Its attempt had no effect and it seemed as though the sun itself could not break the hold that the darkness had on him.

His lips curled in silent rage, his wolven claws extending without his will. But even had he known, he wouldn't have cared. He felt like he needed something to smash, someone to fight, something to release the tension inside him and the rage and anger that were welled deep inside his heart. So he stood and grabbed his jacket from the chair next to him. Putting it on he left the house, his mind set on making his way to the gym to release his anger on the massive five hundred pound punching bag he had made them order.

"Time to test that things limits…" He said while cracking his knuckles, his eyes focused as ever.

* * *

Blurred thoughts swam about, their images barely discernable through the foggy mist of her mind. Consciousness was still a ways off, but the darkness that had swallowed her mind had edged off for the time being. Somewhere before her she noted a dark blob, though she couldn't determine what, or if it was, who, the thing was. Her mind craved to know the answers but she was unable to do so in her current condition.

Why can't I just wake up? She wondered. Is this a dream, or something else, or what?

All about her darkness was prevalent, seeming as if it were there to show her that it would claim all she sought to free, stealing away her only chance at freedom. But she knew her will to be stronger than some inhumane inanimate force that only existed because humankind deemed it so. Somehow she wished to become awake again, to be one with the world as she once was before the time that strange scientist had performed bizarre and horrible experiments on her youthful form and so forcefully shut her mind. She still knew not why he had done those things to her, injected strange substances into her body, and forced her to endure pain beyond knowing.

Somewhere deep within her core, however, she felt another being present, as if it had existed within her mind and body before, but had lain dormant until now. She could feel its primal urges and instinct-based mind along-side hers, yet she had no fear of it, like it was a part of her being all from the beginning.

What is this being, this creature, this thing I'm feeling inside me? Is it real, or just some weird effect caused by those chemicals that scientist injected in me? What is this? She wondered, searching her archive to try to find an answer. She wanted to know the answers desperately, but for now she would stay in the darkness, hoping soon that she would awaken.

* * *

Sleep had taken hold of Jack's consciousness yet again, forcing him to succumb to his bodily urges, to replenish his drained energy. Though he found it irrelevant to actually sleep, he knew his health would be affected in the long run. That, and the fact that Alice would administer sleeping medication should she find him as an insomniac.

Darkness swirled about him, sometimes slowing time to show the delicate shapes his mind chose to create, and at other times speeding up to destroy that invaluable art. He wondered what the female before him was thinking, whether she could actually think, or was absorbed in a darkness so thick that her thoughts would stray from her mental body and into nothingness.

Are Hajime's experiments floating in her mind now? His subconscious wondered. Or is she thinking about her life beforehand, or something totally different? He knew not the answers, but strove to find some solution. However, his mind was far too tired to contemplate such things and merely wished to rest.

Through his minds' eye he saw himself walking through the world, hands in his pockets, as if strolling through a park on a midsummer's day. He pictured the differences the world attributed towards his personality, the way each minute detail affected his personal environment and how he acted towards others, or how they acted towards him. He knew that his friends had helped him to change his ways before insanity and the darker side of his consciousness had taken hold of his physicality. And to them he was eternally grateful.

Slowly the atmosphere shifted, melting towards a new environment of unearthly design. Around him slow churning lava was pooled, its heated liquid contents giving rise of sulfurous toxins while casually spouting steam to distract his eyes. Above him the stars loomed, their tiny luminescent shapes shining brightly, proudly, showing their elegance to all that could view them.

Lowering his head from the tapestry above, he noticed a pair of crimson eyes before him, looming in the shade. Their foreboding presence sent chills down his spine, though he knew to whom they belonged. However, as Jack drew closer to the menacing eyes, the further away they pulled from him. The fire around him died down slowly as he desperately tried to get closer to them. Darkness closed in around him also, but he noticed it not, his mind continually reeling at how the object fled farther the faster he ran.

Slowly the world he was absorbed in collapsed around him, caving in to the sweeping darkness. His mental body was consumed by the blackness, the dark void. His voice became mute and his vision blind. A sudden red tint shone through his eyelids, making them cringe at the foreign color.

Slowly his senses returned to him as he opened his eyes to the midday sun, its bright rays dampened from the draperies closed around the windows. Forcing his eyes to focus to the new surroundings, he found the unnamed woman who had laid before him for what seemed like an eternity sitting up in the bed, her face blank, but her eyes vibrant. Combing his fingers through his hair, he leaned against the chair, slouching forward as she slowly turned towards him, her face continuing its look of impassivity.

S-she… she's awake? Is she really awake, or is this just another part of my dream? Jack's mind reeled at the possibilities. He wondered if he was truly awake, in the physical realm once more, or if his mind had played an illusion once more, playing a cruel joke on his exhausted mind, laughing in his frailty.

Slowly turning once more, the female began to take in her surroundings, as if she hadn't known of a world outside her test-tube prison. To Jack she seemed child-like, experiencing all he had taken for granted as if she had never had the chance to do so. What struck him the most was how her eyes seemed to take on a life of their own. Their light blue hue eluded his senses of their coloration, seeming to take on a different tone every time he turned away. Turning her head towards him, her mouth hung open loosely, though by the slight movement of her lips he could tell she was straining to give her thoughts a voice.

Moving towards the bedside, his hand absentmindedly laying atop hers, he quietly begged her to speak. His heightened bestial senses gave him an awareness that others lurked nearby, though he knew them to be his friends. Turning his head towards the open doorway, he found Alice and Yugo's shadows sweeping across the tile floor. Their shapes entering the doorway, he noticed their smiles shift towards a look of shock at the current situation.

"She's awake??" Alice asked, her voice choked, though she tried to regain composure. "Has she shown any other response?" She asked Jack, moving towards her and checking the various machines that supported her frail life.

Shaking his head, Jack glanced towards Yugo. The wolf returned his stoic gaze, and, leaning up against the doorframe, his right leg crossed across his left with his arms laid across his chest, gave a relieved and happy smile to the dragon. "It's good she's finally awake." He commented.

Jack returned the smile, gripping her hand in his happiness, yet still wishing she could bring voice to her thoughts. After gazing into her eyes for what seemed like an eternity, he was aware that Alice had begun to change her fluid bags, keeping them on in case her sudden snap to reality decided to careen back to her comatose state. Soon Jack senses another presence and turned towards the doorframe to notice the immense form of Alan Gado standing behind Yugo. Yugo had turned around and had began to converse with the old lion, updating him on the situation, to which he nodded his affirmation and looked up to look over at Jack, his eye giving off a slight twinkle of remote happiness.

A light and somber voice soon filled the air, the first few words barely audible. However, Yugo's heightened hearing gave him sense enough to tell it was the female that sat in the bed before them. "I think she's trying to talk," he said quietly. "Though I can't tell what she's trying to say just yet."

"……..W…Whe.." She began, her eyes still slightly glazed. "Where.."

Alice sat nearest her aside from Jack. "Where what?" She asked, concern in her voice.

The female merely turned towards her, reaching out her frail hand, the I.V. tube straining against her skin, she grabbed a-hold of the rabbit, though her grip was still weak. "Where a… Where am I?" She asked finally. After a few moments of silence, Alice responded, "You're in a hospital. You've been here for a month now in a coma."

"H…hos-spi-tal?" she responded. "How?" she continued, not knowing anyone of whom surrounded her.

"You shouldn't be concerned about that at this moment miss. All you should do now is lay and rest, your body and mind shouldn't be pushed too far after what you've been through." Gado answered, stepping forth from the dark hallway and into the light of the room.

"That's right, you should rest now," Alice chipped in. "Get some rest and if you feel up to it tomorrow, we'll tell you about what happened. But before you do rest, do you remember your name at all?" She asked, a small smile playing on her features, hoping that she could answer the question that had stalked all their minds the day after Jack had rescued her.

"C…Cas.." She started, her head dropping downwards as she strained to remember. "Cassandra, I think…"

Cassandra… Somehow her very name struck a chord in Jack's heart. He couldn't place the feeling he was getting, but he knew it had pierced the darkness that had loomed in his soul since he himself became a zoanthrope. How is it that a name can touch me so? He wondered, his brow furrowing as he dropped his head to his chest in thought.

"She'll have to rest now, so I think we should just let her be for now, I'll check on her again in a little while." Alice said, shooing Yugo and Gado out of the room, telling them to leave her to her rest. Gado slowly turned to walk away, though after Jack raised his head, gave him a slight nod of affirmation. Yugo, merely shouted his protest as the nurse shoved his flailing form from the room, leaving only the now asleep Cassandra and Jack in the room. Turning off the lights, Alice left the door slightly ajar, the thin beam of luminescent light from the hallway the only sign that life still existed outside that small hospital room.

Hunching his body in the chair, moonlight creeping onto his now exhausted frame, outlining his bleak form in a thin line of white, the dragon zoanthrope known as Jack Rouche fell into a welcomed deep sleep, retracting his thoughts from the feeble grasp of reality and fading into the near-perpetual darkness of the his fond nightmarish dream realm…

AN:

Neo: Hi all, yes, I'm still alive n well. sorry that its taken so long to upload this chappy, little over 2 months, heh… I hope this one doesn't disappoint u at all, seems a little sappy, but I think it's a good startin point (ch 18 should be good, after I get the startin foundation in my head that is…) any ideas on wat I should include in ch 18 is always welcome, I love feedback like that. n to everybody who's pushed me to continue writin this fic, I thank all of u. ur words have kept me goin, givin me new ideas, had me change others, n basically have kept me goin on this fic. I hope more feedback like ive been getting (tho I feel ur thoughts aren't fully comin thru…) will help push this fic over 25 chapters, so keep the reviews comin, whether short or lengthy (length doesn't bother me at all, so don't be bashful!) until ch 18 comes round, take it easy all!