Been awhile since I've updated although I've had this chapter done for a
couple of months now. I've been learning a bit about the craft of writing,
and I'm not always pleased when I look back on what I used to do. However,
I feel the need to continue this story, so I guess I'm going to.
Enjoy!
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"You want to know why I saved you."
"The thought had crossed my mind."
"What if...I could offer you another person's life?"
"Another person's life?" Zan studied Shigure for a long time. There had to be a catch to this offer. Gaining someone else's life? Lives were not something easily toyed with. There was always a high price, even with the seemingly most pitiful of existences.
"You do not fully trust me," Shigure said. It was a statement, not a question. Zan smiled at the surgeon's bluntness.
"You'll have to understand my suspicions," Zan replied, crossing his arms and leaning against the wall opposite to his host. Shigure pushed up from the chair he was currently resting on and walked out of the room. Though he made no motions for Zan to follow, the man knew well enough what was expected of him and did so.
A short walk through a rather bland corridor, and he emerged to an equally uninteresting room. Pale gray walls, ceiling, and floor closed in around Zan as he approached Shigure. He did not know if the oppressing color was for sterilization or to add to the dismal feel of the surgeon's entire residence. Nothing covered those walls or the concrete floor. In fact, the only other things in that room besides Zan himself were in the center of the room. Shigure was standing next to a table whose color was unknown due to the gray sheet that covered its surface. Still, Zan could take a wild guess at what color the table was.
The sheet did a poor job of hiding Shigure's secret. The folds and curves neatly made the outline of a humanoid body. Due to the stillness of the small figure's chest, Zan didn't have to ask if this poor creature was the one who's fate he was to be handed.
"So, I'm guessing you didn't want me to kill anyone," he said, turning his gaze away from the unmoving form back to Shigure. The surgeon actually laughed, upsetting his usual stoic façade and surprising Zan.
"I believe I left you with the wrong impression," Shigure grinned, slightly un-nerving Zan. "You see, I'm literally going to make you into another person."
"Explain yourself," Zan commanded, fighter's body stiffening as if in preparation for battle. He did not like being caught off guard, and this situation appeared threatening.
Shigure placed both hands on the edge of the table, leaning his weight onto it as his face turned once again somber. His eyes were cryptic, unyielding in their search to find the boy's courage. Would he be able to handle what Shigure had to present? Or would he crumble under the weight of yet another disappointment handed to him?
If the doctor was trying to alarm him, Shigure, though Zan wouldn't admit it, was doing an excellent job. He felt like a trapped animal being experimented on, and the wilder blood of his father screamed against such treatment. However, Zan had survived thus far by intelligence and will, and both kept him rooted to the spot, firmly meeting Shigure's piercing gaze with his own.
"How much..." Shigure paused, unsure how best to continue. Zan patiently waited the other out. He could play mind games just as well. "...did you love Hiei?"
Zan's mind flew through a thousand and one possibilities, but one inevitable conclusion for why such a question would be asked of him at this time in this place by this person pushed through all the others to the forefront of his mind. Frantically he grabbed the sheet and pulled it back. Shigure, leaning on the sheet at the time, stumbled back in a way that would have been comical had the half-fox not been so absorbed in finding the truth.
Staring at Hiei's lifeless body in front of him, Zan literally died. He became so overwhelmed that his mind shut down completely, stopping his heart and breath. He might have become another casualty if the sudden shock of Shigure thumping his chest hard hadn't jolted him alive. Zan stumbled, dizzy from lack of oxygen, his heart beating frantically to make up for lost time.
Once his body returned to its normal functions and Zan could think again, the overpowering emotion from before broke down into definable feelings that were easier to handle, yet painful nonetheless.
He stared at the small body so like his own. Hiei...his brother not in blood, but in every possible way else. The one person he had been able to trust in this insane joke that others called his life.
He remembered the first day those...thieves had brought Hiei to him. "Take care of this little shit," they had said. "And you better not lose his jewel, or you'll lose your head." Zan knew better. They needed him far more than they needed anything this child could offer them. Hiei could really offer them very little. Instead, Hiei had been able to offer him something very precious.
A family.
Hiei had been a quick learner and a very strong child. The minute Zan had removed the wards from his tiny body, the little fire-demon's power shot out, incinerating the surrounding forest. Zan had only been saved by his own fire heritage and Hiei's curiosity to see what the boy holding him would do.
They had bonded through their fire spirits instantaneously. Later on, as they learned more about each other's pasts and became their own persons, they would relate through those pained pasts and a horrifying future to come. Zan taught Hiei how to properly control his powers, how to use a sword, and as they grew older and more experienced, how to think. The little fire demon had a nasty temper and would often rush into a fight without considering the dangers.
It was the reason they fell apart.
The brothers' parting had not been a pleasant one. Both angry, thoughtless remarks as well as a few blows had been exchanged. The sting of Hiei's punch and words before he had flitted off were cold enough to burn:
~ "One day I will be the most powerful demon in the whole of the Makai. And when I do gain such power, I will come back to you and the pitiful home you will try to create, and I'll show you. I'll show you just what strength has given me." ~
Zan shook his head, pressing the heels of his hands into his eyes. He knew Hiei must have died of his own foolishness. But he had to make sure. Maybe he was not giving his brother enough credit.
"How?"
Shigure stood over the trembling demon, offering no comfort except for his carefully chosen words.
"You know of the Jagan?" Zan nodded, so the surgeon continued. "Your Hiei was strong enough to survive the surgery. Honestly, had he listened to my advice, he could have become a Jagan master, a very powerful demon."
"What do you mean had he listened to your advice?"
"I warned him that if he did not rest at least a week after I implanted the Jagan, the eye would overpower him. It has...a will of its own." Shigure shook his head as elderly people often do when talking of a rash youngster. "But he wouldn't listen. Not even three hours after waking from the procedure, he ran off to test it. You see the result."
Shigure expected the man before him to start wailing, grieving, screaming...anything but what Zan did.
The half-fire's shoulders did shake, but not in sorrow or pain. It started out as small snickers, barely audible to even the trained ear. They eventually became louder and stronger until Zan was holding his stomach, laughing so hard that tears were streaming down his face. He began to gasp for breath, finding it impossible to stop his laughter long enough to get in the proper amount of oxygen.
Eventually Zan's laughter turned hoarse, and the shaking of his shoulders died into a mere tremble. But the tears didn't stop. He shook his head, still holding his stomach tightly.
"You fool! She could have waited!" he screamed, tears falling to dampen his clothing. In his sudden anger, Zan stood and picked up the lifeless body in front of him, shaking Hiei as if the action meant something to the corpse.
"You lasted fifty-nine years without seeing your sister! You could have waited another week to see her, you little bastard! Was it that damn important?" Zan slapped the pale face. "Answer me dammit!"
Shigure watched on, knowing it was better to allow the other to release his frustrations now. He watched as the man finally gave up on knocking sense into his already dead friend, pulling Hiei to him as he gave into his hysterical sobs. He mumbled things from time to time, incoherent words that were mostly lost upon Shigure.
"You've forgotten my proposal already," he said, cutting through the other's sorrow. Shigure had gotten bored with the Zan's grievances. "You can save him, you know."
Zan started, whipping his head up to stare at the other. His crying had immediately stopped, but his eyes were red and puffy, and his face was soaked with his own tears.
"How?"
"I offered you another's life. I'm asking you now..." Shigure looked over at Zan, once again staring at him. Zan wondered breifly if the man had any other emotion than that consistent observance of those around him. "...would you like to truly be a part of Hiei?"
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It was a simple procedure. The Jagan became part of whoever possessed it. It had absorbed Hiei's memories when it was implanted into the fire demon. Shigure, not one to waste such precious items, had removed the third eye from the dead Hiei and placed it aside for another fool who might come to him for the power.
Unfortunately, since the eye had absorbed Hiei's memories, in a way, the child still lived inside of it. Shigure knew that the eye would reject any new master because of Hiei's unwillingness to bond with other beings. The Jagan/Hiei would live in a state of furious impatience, unable to do anything except kill all who tried to possess it/him.
But there was one exception. One person whom Hiei could trust with his memories and life. Someone who he could trust to carry out the demon's original plans and take care of his sister.
"You do understand," Shigure reminded Zan as he strapped him to the cold steel of the table. "Hiei's memories may completely take your own over. If that happens, you won't just merge with him, but you'll become him."
"I understand," Zan replied, squinting up at the doctor outlined by the bright lights shining from the ceiling. If Hiei's memories, his essence, dominated Zan's completely, then Zan would, in theory, cease to exist. His body would continue to live, but it would be Hiei's experience and personality that would survive within the shell.
In short, Zan could easily die.
"Do not ask me to reconsider again," he said.
"Very well." Shigure never comprehended why it was people risked their lives for others. It was a matter of the strong being foolish to save the weak. Why allow the weak to survive if they cannot solve their own problems? It would only cause a bigger mess in the future.
However, if others were going to allow their emotions to control them, Shigure saw no reason not to use it to his advantage. He didn't have to understand all that benefited him.
"Now try not to scream too loudly. I might lose my concentration."
Enjoy!
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"You want to know why I saved you."
"The thought had crossed my mind."
"What if...I could offer you another person's life?"
"Another person's life?" Zan studied Shigure for a long time. There had to be a catch to this offer. Gaining someone else's life? Lives were not something easily toyed with. There was always a high price, even with the seemingly most pitiful of existences.
"You do not fully trust me," Shigure said. It was a statement, not a question. Zan smiled at the surgeon's bluntness.
"You'll have to understand my suspicions," Zan replied, crossing his arms and leaning against the wall opposite to his host. Shigure pushed up from the chair he was currently resting on and walked out of the room. Though he made no motions for Zan to follow, the man knew well enough what was expected of him and did so.
A short walk through a rather bland corridor, and he emerged to an equally uninteresting room. Pale gray walls, ceiling, and floor closed in around Zan as he approached Shigure. He did not know if the oppressing color was for sterilization or to add to the dismal feel of the surgeon's entire residence. Nothing covered those walls or the concrete floor. In fact, the only other things in that room besides Zan himself were in the center of the room. Shigure was standing next to a table whose color was unknown due to the gray sheet that covered its surface. Still, Zan could take a wild guess at what color the table was.
The sheet did a poor job of hiding Shigure's secret. The folds and curves neatly made the outline of a humanoid body. Due to the stillness of the small figure's chest, Zan didn't have to ask if this poor creature was the one who's fate he was to be handed.
"So, I'm guessing you didn't want me to kill anyone," he said, turning his gaze away from the unmoving form back to Shigure. The surgeon actually laughed, upsetting his usual stoic façade and surprising Zan.
"I believe I left you with the wrong impression," Shigure grinned, slightly un-nerving Zan. "You see, I'm literally going to make you into another person."
"Explain yourself," Zan commanded, fighter's body stiffening as if in preparation for battle. He did not like being caught off guard, and this situation appeared threatening.
Shigure placed both hands on the edge of the table, leaning his weight onto it as his face turned once again somber. His eyes were cryptic, unyielding in their search to find the boy's courage. Would he be able to handle what Shigure had to present? Or would he crumble under the weight of yet another disappointment handed to him?
If the doctor was trying to alarm him, Shigure, though Zan wouldn't admit it, was doing an excellent job. He felt like a trapped animal being experimented on, and the wilder blood of his father screamed against such treatment. However, Zan had survived thus far by intelligence and will, and both kept him rooted to the spot, firmly meeting Shigure's piercing gaze with his own.
"How much..." Shigure paused, unsure how best to continue. Zan patiently waited the other out. He could play mind games just as well. "...did you love Hiei?"
Zan's mind flew through a thousand and one possibilities, but one inevitable conclusion for why such a question would be asked of him at this time in this place by this person pushed through all the others to the forefront of his mind. Frantically he grabbed the sheet and pulled it back. Shigure, leaning on the sheet at the time, stumbled back in a way that would have been comical had the half-fox not been so absorbed in finding the truth.
Staring at Hiei's lifeless body in front of him, Zan literally died. He became so overwhelmed that his mind shut down completely, stopping his heart and breath. He might have become another casualty if the sudden shock of Shigure thumping his chest hard hadn't jolted him alive. Zan stumbled, dizzy from lack of oxygen, his heart beating frantically to make up for lost time.
Once his body returned to its normal functions and Zan could think again, the overpowering emotion from before broke down into definable feelings that were easier to handle, yet painful nonetheless.
He stared at the small body so like his own. Hiei...his brother not in blood, but in every possible way else. The one person he had been able to trust in this insane joke that others called his life.
He remembered the first day those...thieves had brought Hiei to him. "Take care of this little shit," they had said. "And you better not lose his jewel, or you'll lose your head." Zan knew better. They needed him far more than they needed anything this child could offer them. Hiei could really offer them very little. Instead, Hiei had been able to offer him something very precious.
A family.
Hiei had been a quick learner and a very strong child. The minute Zan had removed the wards from his tiny body, the little fire-demon's power shot out, incinerating the surrounding forest. Zan had only been saved by his own fire heritage and Hiei's curiosity to see what the boy holding him would do.
They had bonded through their fire spirits instantaneously. Later on, as they learned more about each other's pasts and became their own persons, they would relate through those pained pasts and a horrifying future to come. Zan taught Hiei how to properly control his powers, how to use a sword, and as they grew older and more experienced, how to think. The little fire demon had a nasty temper and would often rush into a fight without considering the dangers.
It was the reason they fell apart.
The brothers' parting had not been a pleasant one. Both angry, thoughtless remarks as well as a few blows had been exchanged. The sting of Hiei's punch and words before he had flitted off were cold enough to burn:
~ "One day I will be the most powerful demon in the whole of the Makai. And when I do gain such power, I will come back to you and the pitiful home you will try to create, and I'll show you. I'll show you just what strength has given me." ~
Zan shook his head, pressing the heels of his hands into his eyes. He knew Hiei must have died of his own foolishness. But he had to make sure. Maybe he was not giving his brother enough credit.
"How?"
Shigure stood over the trembling demon, offering no comfort except for his carefully chosen words.
"You know of the Jagan?" Zan nodded, so the surgeon continued. "Your Hiei was strong enough to survive the surgery. Honestly, had he listened to my advice, he could have become a Jagan master, a very powerful demon."
"What do you mean had he listened to your advice?"
"I warned him that if he did not rest at least a week after I implanted the Jagan, the eye would overpower him. It has...a will of its own." Shigure shook his head as elderly people often do when talking of a rash youngster. "But he wouldn't listen. Not even three hours after waking from the procedure, he ran off to test it. You see the result."
Shigure expected the man before him to start wailing, grieving, screaming...anything but what Zan did.
The half-fire's shoulders did shake, but not in sorrow or pain. It started out as small snickers, barely audible to even the trained ear. They eventually became louder and stronger until Zan was holding his stomach, laughing so hard that tears were streaming down his face. He began to gasp for breath, finding it impossible to stop his laughter long enough to get in the proper amount of oxygen.
Eventually Zan's laughter turned hoarse, and the shaking of his shoulders died into a mere tremble. But the tears didn't stop. He shook his head, still holding his stomach tightly.
"You fool! She could have waited!" he screamed, tears falling to dampen his clothing. In his sudden anger, Zan stood and picked up the lifeless body in front of him, shaking Hiei as if the action meant something to the corpse.
"You lasted fifty-nine years without seeing your sister! You could have waited another week to see her, you little bastard! Was it that damn important?" Zan slapped the pale face. "Answer me dammit!"
Shigure watched on, knowing it was better to allow the other to release his frustrations now. He watched as the man finally gave up on knocking sense into his already dead friend, pulling Hiei to him as he gave into his hysterical sobs. He mumbled things from time to time, incoherent words that were mostly lost upon Shigure.
"You've forgotten my proposal already," he said, cutting through the other's sorrow. Shigure had gotten bored with the Zan's grievances. "You can save him, you know."
Zan started, whipping his head up to stare at the other. His crying had immediately stopped, but his eyes were red and puffy, and his face was soaked with his own tears.
"How?"
"I offered you another's life. I'm asking you now..." Shigure looked over at Zan, once again staring at him. Zan wondered breifly if the man had any other emotion than that consistent observance of those around him. "...would you like to truly be a part of Hiei?"
-------------------------
It was a simple procedure. The Jagan became part of whoever possessed it. It had absorbed Hiei's memories when it was implanted into the fire demon. Shigure, not one to waste such precious items, had removed the third eye from the dead Hiei and placed it aside for another fool who might come to him for the power.
Unfortunately, since the eye had absorbed Hiei's memories, in a way, the child still lived inside of it. Shigure knew that the eye would reject any new master because of Hiei's unwillingness to bond with other beings. The Jagan/Hiei would live in a state of furious impatience, unable to do anything except kill all who tried to possess it/him.
But there was one exception. One person whom Hiei could trust with his memories and life. Someone who he could trust to carry out the demon's original plans and take care of his sister.
"You do understand," Shigure reminded Zan as he strapped him to the cold steel of the table. "Hiei's memories may completely take your own over. If that happens, you won't just merge with him, but you'll become him."
"I understand," Zan replied, squinting up at the doctor outlined by the bright lights shining from the ceiling. If Hiei's memories, his essence, dominated Zan's completely, then Zan would, in theory, cease to exist. His body would continue to live, but it would be Hiei's experience and personality that would survive within the shell.
In short, Zan could easily die.
"Do not ask me to reconsider again," he said.
"Very well." Shigure never comprehended why it was people risked their lives for others. It was a matter of the strong being foolish to save the weak. Why allow the weak to survive if they cannot solve their own problems? It would only cause a bigger mess in the future.
However, if others were going to allow their emotions to control them, Shigure saw no reason not to use it to his advantage. He didn't have to understand all that benefited him.
"Now try not to scream too loudly. I might lose my concentration."