Prison Solitude
Part II: Dried Rain
By: Kutabare
Author's Notes: Hey again. This storyline is a lot easier to map out than Obsession and Rules of the Game, so it will be updated sooner, most likely. This chapter may seem a bit vague as for the main character's description, but I'll explain the rest at the bottom. Until then..! Enjoy yourselves!
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He could hear them talking about his 'illness' behind the one-way mirror, their voices only slightly muffled by the barrier between the rooms. They couldn't diagnose his strange condition, let alone, treat it. So, they had settled to observing him. There were three people in the room adjacent to the one he had occupied, all speaking about him. Staring at him. He had never cared about it before, he wouldn't begin now.
"He's been awake for the past few days. Doesn't sleep at all."
'Female.' his mind echoed her words.
"Isn't that insomnia?"
'Also female. Older.' Once again, another mental note made mechanically.
"No..it's different. He just doesn't want to sleep."
'Female A. Slight accent, Japanese and..something else. Cultured.' Now the first one to speak had become a tagged person. Female A. Wouldn't his mind stop now?
"Eh..well, it's a different place to wake up in, y'know. The bedroom is a bit extravagant for the guy."
'Another female. Another accent: from America? Slightly deep voice, adopted-Okinawa language structure. Possible fighter. First target.' He had judged them again. Simple females. Not a danger, he wanted to believe. His mind whispered doubts, but he struggled against those haunting habits. Thankfully, the rain had seemed to weaken since his arrival at this newfound sanctuary and hell.
He fingered the soft cotton bedsheet, toying with the fabric absently while his eyes continue to stare out of the window. Light had steadily found its way into the room since six hours ago, it was not yet noon. He was not on the ground floor of the building. It was not an apartment building though. The warm feeling of a home left its traces in the room, although the cold metallic atmosphere that followed him began to slowly kill away even that.
The door had opened to his room, and immediately, he had tensed, one of his hands slipping beneath the sheets to a letter opener he had found in a drawer. By the sound of the steps, he knew there was approximately four and a half feet between him and the other being. There was a carpet covering the floor, slightly hindering lots of the information his brain could have processed by the steps.
'Not very heavy in weight. Slow steps..weak.' Once again, he wished to be left alone in this world. Too many crimes had been committed, and yet he could not let go of any of his past. He was not allowed to be absolved.
The smell of food drifted to his nostrils, would have been savored, but was not. The mind was too superior to not take hold of this new subject to dissect and process. It was too practiced. Still, there was no voice from the person. He did not turn. Did not want to acknowledge the being in the room. He didn't want to know if the being was a threat or not.
The rustle of fabric as the person moved, setting the metal tray(with traces of silver in its makeup) down on the wooden nightstand beside the bed. He waited for it to move away and leave the room so he could replenish his starved body. Inwardly, he told her to go, leave him in his silent peace.
Finally, the being moved away, and he began to relax his grip on the letter opener. Thus, he was shocked when the steps came closer and a small, petite woman was standing in front of him. Her pale skin seemed to reflect the rays of the sun, and it vaguely reminded him of marble, with all its grey veins still visible. When she sat on the edge of the bed next to him, his mind became numb, cold as her skin seemed to be.
"I need to take a sample of your blood." Her voice was soft and warm, unlike that marble skin. The opposites slightly upset his mind, before it recovered rather quickly.
'Opposites attract. Human nature is deceiving.' It quipped.
Her eyes, which had been previously lowered, raised to meet his shyly, and the color fascinated him, shocked him. The drizzle of water that had affected his life had turned into a downpour, and he could almost smell the rain seeping from her skin. She was completely soaked with it.
'Water..rain..it's purple. Deep, murky purple. Different from the murky green-blue depths of the ocean.' His mind spewed the incorrect information forcefully before he quickly withdrew.
Everything had been processed in seconds, but it seemed much longer. She worried her bottom lip as she looked at him, wondering if the man possibly did not understand Japanese. He knew he was correct when she opened her mouth and stated the same thing in English.
He merely adjusted his arm so she could properly insert the needle into his vein without any mishaps. The food was getting cold, he absently noted, but he would still eat it. When she finished, she dabbed at the spot to clean away any blood, then stood up and quietly began to leave. As the door opened with a quiet creak, he waited for it to close before he moved over to the food.
"Please eat." With that, she left again. His chest began to move with less restriction and pain, feeling slightly bruised as he inhaled and exhaled. Inside, it felt like he had been trapped in a cold cell, and the flood of water that had come with her had rammed against him repeatedly.
As he picked through the food, he noticed that for the first time since he had abandoned his position as a soldier, his mind had been silent. It did not go through the routine of naming seasonings, ingredients, and anything that could be possibly poisonous. He mourned the loss of that constant companion, that soldier that persevered throughout all events in life.
His mind had gone numb.
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As she walked back into the room next door to the unknown man, Hotaru Tomoe felt a slight wave of uncomfort wash over her at the attention of everyone. Involuntarily, she has hesitated to take another step, her eyes lowered to the carpet shyly.
"I have the sample, Mizuno-san." The small girl murmured softly, holding out the small vial that contained the boy's vital essence.
"I told you to call me Ami, Hotaru-chan." One of the women separated herself from the others and moved over to her, taking the vial between delicate fingers. "Thank you. You'd make a wonderful nurse."
At the mention of the girl's dream occupation, a tall brunette spoke up enthusiastically, "Yah, Hotaru-chan. You'd be great for the job! I wouldn't be able to handle drawing out blood like that. Especially with a needle."
The younger girl blushed faintly, the pink tint further emphasizing her timid and innocent nature. Making her excuses, the girl left the room quickly, feeling uncomfortable at the awkwardness that followed after Makoto's statement.
"Did ya see how he stared at her?" The brunette spoke up again, voicing the thoughts that the other two women were thinking.
"Mm, that was interesting. I must admit that I am glad Haruka was not present today, otherwise we would have to worry about someone's life." Michiru Tenou smiled slightly at the thought of the sandy-blonde's definite anger at the young man in the room.
"Hotaru-chan didn't seem to notice though." Ami Mizuno led the other two out of the observation room, slightly curious about the young man. They didn't even know his name, she realized.
"She was preoccupied.."
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It's always dry after the rain, it seems. The clouds dispersing and sending in a different type of shower, one of sunlight and dust. Curiously, he had decided that he wanted the rain still. He was not yet ready to leave that comfort. Looking at the canopy over his bed, the soldier contemplated what he had heard when the nurse left.
"Hotaru. Ami Mizuno. Haruka." He repeated the names mentioned earlier by the females observing him. Only one of them rang a bell in his memory: Ami Mizuno. She was a doctor that had risen to grand heights in the medical world after the Eve Wars. Some claim her to be a genius in the field of science and medicine, but amongst her peers, she was considered a quack. Interesting that he was now one of her subjects.
Folding his arms behind his head, he closed his eyes and dozed off into the sleep of soldiers. At least they didn't know who he was.
Not yet..
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Author's Notes: Well, once again, I have finished another chapter. I am so proud of myself! So, in the reviews for Part I, I had someone mention that I'm lacking description for the main character. I'll explain all now in my very own Q & A! Whee! I've always wanted a Q & A.
Q: Who is 'he'?!
A: Ah, this is, of course, an important question. Eheh, I know who 'he' is, but the girls do not. Therefore, I refer to him as 'he.' Once his identity has been revealed, we shall hear more of 'his' name. Until then, keep guessing. Oh! It's not that hard though! I'm pretty sure most of you have the right person in mind already. Of course, I could always twist it. Make it someone you'd never expect..like a very much ignored Gundam pilot. uu I feel sorry for him. He's usually only a side character in fics. Blah, I'm babbling and soon I'll give away precious information!
Ah, well, be patient with me! I don't like rushing into plots, and I don't like spending time on one aspect for too long either. I get bored easily. --()
Q: I've noticed Obsession is focused on Hotaru. She also appears here as the first character to be named. Is this a sign of who the other main character will be?
A: No, it isn't. Actually, the girl that will be paired with the main guy is still undecided. I'm thinking about doing a sort of love triangle, almost. Heh, like I could have fluff moments between one girl and 'him', and the second girl and 'him'. Ah, the decisions..the ideas.. I'm shutting up.
Q: You like to be vague, don't you?
A: That's a given!! Anyhow, enough babbling. I only answer three questions per chapter. Please review!!