Solemn Lives- Part 2: Conversion Diversion

-A Yu Yu Hakusho Fanfic.

By painin uranus

Default Chapter: Finding Himself

.:AN:.

I think it is fair to inform you, the reader, that this is obviously NOT the story you should be reading if you have not finished or are currently reading the first part of this story, titled Solemn Lives- Part 1: Tidal Motions. So, if you haven't read the first, then either read the story mentioned or to go back to all the other million stories in this category. If you have read the story, then welcome back and I hope you enjoyed it, and that you are ready for another section of the adventure. So, without further ado, the journey continues- except at another's point of view…

Prologue:

Not many boys enjoy visiting the zoo. At least, they don't enjoy it unless they either encounter a "cool" display of power from lions, tigers, or bears (oh, my! Sorry, couldn't help myself…), or end up earning some ice cream for good behavior. But, there is always that one in a million that is not like that. And this one in a million boy happened to have a loving mother that worked at the zoo.

Keniji loved the zoo. It was his favorite place to be. One could almost call it his sanctuary, though one cannot say that because he had nothing to hide from. Anyways, Keniji would join his mother every working day after school to visit the zoo, each time taking a moment or two to greet his list of favorite animals, which seemed to increase in length over even the smallest amount of time.

On one special moment, he had stumbled upon his most favorite animal yet. It was not it's size, it was not it's reputation, it wasn't it's apparent coolness- it was it's eyes.

A tiger's eyes. It was a large tiger's eyes.

Keniji had only been able to catch a glance, but he was so intoxicated by it's unquestionable beauty that he had lost track of time as he stood there observing in utter fascination, indubitably delaying his meetings with the other animals.

But, despite his enthrallment with such an animal… he was frightened.

It's safe to say that Keniji, being only 8 years old, was so naïve that he was unable to think dirty thoughts, horrible deeds that would no doubt infuriate his mother to no end, or even a simple bad word. So with that in mind, he knew that even though this "kitty" seemed sweet and cuddly enough, there was an aura of power, so intense that it made Keniji feel most comfortable at the back of the observation room.

Even so, Keniji could not bring himself to pull his eyes away from the creature, nor could he will his legs to carry his rather small body back to the outer world with the more harmless animals. So, he remained, seemingly cataloging every motion as the it's shoulder muscles rippled when it took a step, it's ears turning to pinpoint even the slightest sound-

It's eyes burning with such an intense fury, silently growled with anger as they came in contact with each of the foolish human beings that were so idiotically dense, that they tried to get it to look at them while they took a picture with their cameras, the blinding flashes illuminating the room for seconds on end.

Of course, there were breaks in between these tormenting minutes, hours even, in which Keniji and the angry tiger were alone. Keniji would make sure that he did not move closer than was necessary, or that would infuriate the creature even further. But, there came a time when he was able to call on enough courage to allow his body to scoot a couple feet closer, watching carefully to make sure that he did not unnerve the fierce animal more than he was willing to.

As time passed, visits fading from registration, Keniji seemed to gather even more valor to move closer to the tiger, as if hypnotized by it's wonder and splendor. In a matter of weeks, he had managed to feel an air of contentment leaning against the glass. Even the tiger's anger and fury had dimmed due to the boy's companionship, and was also resting against the wall near enough to see the boy's figure quite well.

An unspoken friendship was developing between man and beast, where Keniji would confide in the animal, talking hours on end about anything and everything. He never considered the fact that the tiger wouldn't have been able to understand him anyway; maybe he didn't even care.

"I got another 'A' today. The math quiz was really easy… Mother was too busy to notice, but I don't blame her…"

"Mother made me change my underwear again. I don't see why I need to, though…"

The zoo had not given the tiger, which was male, a name, so Keniji decided that he would call him 'Aki'- Japanese for 'autumn.' Aki was quite calm and happy, but only did it last as long as Keniji's presence. The tiger's caretakers were surprised that such a young, defenseless, naïve child could tame the tiger's rage, which had been building up ever since he had been captured and taken away from his home. Somehow, the caretakers managed to tick Aki off at some point in time, and Keniji had been asked to distract him while they fed him. It worked perfectly, and Aki had had never once thought of the simple deceiving as a reason to start hating the young boy.

It is obvious enough that due to the tiger's hatred, it had led him to ignoring all of the food he was offered, starving until the point at which he was force-fed by his caretakers. But, now he was happily eating every morsel of meat, drinking eagerly, exercising regularly, and posing for the perfect picture of subtle potency.

On such a visit as such, Keniji was situated against the glass wall, talking once more to the creature as Aki positioned himself alongside the clear divider about more meaningless events that had occurred in his young life. This time, he was chatting away about his day at school.

"I made a good friend today. His name was Hirue. He was funny, but there was something weird about him… I told him I would bring my candy to school tomorrow so that we could"—he got interrupted by a large thug pushing him aside.

"Move it, twerp. I can't see nothin' wit your fat 'ead in th' way."

Keniji's head roughly hit the nearby concrete wall as the brute shoved his way towards the glass window that allowed him to see the dangerous "beast" on the other side, which had just recently stood up from his resting position. Keniji could've sworn that there were stars circling his head like hungry vultures as his eyes blindly, yet desperately, searched for the bully and his group of friends.

"Dude, check it out!"

"Sweet, man, it's gettin' up!"

"It's as tall as ye are, Yoshiro!"

The young tiger had indeed slowly pulled himself up onto his feet and gradually made his way to the glass window. His eyes drifted to the dazed Keniji, then returned to the pig-faced figures that were pressing their noses against the pane. He growled lowly and started to turn around, lifting his tail in the process…

"Aw, shit, man! That's just wrong!"

"Dammit, that is so GROSS!"

"Nasty, dude! Let's get away from here…"

During this time, Keniji swore he saw birds eating the stars that were spinning around and round, but he then shook his head and grabbed onto the wall as if desperate to regain his balance as he pulled himself up. He heard muffled laughter as he fought the urge to flop down once more on the cold-tiled floor, and tried to steady his eyes as they searched for the source of amusement. What he saw made him want to laugh as well.

There, sprayed against the glass wall, at eye level, was Aki's marking substance, leaving a stream of white fluid to slowly flow downwards once more.

He must've just turned around and sprayed the glass, right in their faces! Keniji thought happily, his smile spreading from ear to ear.

His shinning green eyes returned to the gold ones of the autumn-colored tiger, who's in turn seemed to be smiling just as brightly.

Laughing, he simply said, "Thank you." And in turn, the tiger gave into lightly purring…

.:Flash Forward:.

Happiness was gone from his life ever since his father died. Never had he felt such pain that tore at his heart from every smile or giggle. Never had he felt so alone when put in a crowd of visitors filled with parents and children having the time of their lives.

Never had he wanted to have nothing more but a hug or smile from his father- things that he had taken for granted…

Locking himself up in his room seemed too hurtful, crying his eyes out too desperate. Acting as if nothing was wrong was bothersome, and sulking around made him appear soulless. Talking to his father when he knew he was gone was disturbing.

Trying to move on was impossible.

Keniji spent more time at the zoo- his sanctuary- because for once, it was needed. Desperately. He visited Aki everyday, staying hours on end just to feel the comfort of the power and calmness it had. He hurt too much to care if he was cold, or hungry, and most of the time, his mother would find him passed out in front of the tiger's glass cage, as pale as the tiger's white underbelly. Surely it tore at her heart as well, but Keniji just couldn't stand the pain: he was too young to handle such loss… and he didn't know how to deal with it.

Sooner than expected, the naivety and the happiness of the 8-year old boy died away, leaving a cold, seemingly emotionless shell behind. A laugh never left his lips; his facial muscules lost all of their strength. He couldn't bear the thought of his mother even talking to another man, for it meant that his true father was really gone.

Of course, moving on was needed for his mother, even if it wasn't touchable for himself. She soon found a man, who supposedly loved her and cared for her child like he was his own flesh and blood.

Keniji could tell he was no good.

The only problem was that his mother believed that his judgment was based on his desire of truth to the fantasy that his father was not truly dead, and that he would return one day to resume his role as Keniji's father. So, she ignored his persistent thoughts of dislike and continued the relationship, seemingly happy and perfectly in love.

But, unaware to her, her child was being abused. Physically and mentally, with such power that it rivaled that of Aki's. Sometimes, she had left him with the man for some 'bonding time', while she went out with her friends to have some fun. During such times, Keniji would be forced to do as the man said; and if he did anything wrong, the man would beat him. This was kept a secret to his mother, for if Keniji told her of the abusive treatment he was receiving, he would be beaten even more severely. So, he was forced to create fantasies that were anything but, to explain all of his bruises and cuts, therefore lying to his mother for the first time in his young life. And when Keniji found himself alone, wherever it was, he cried.

As time moved on, the relationship between his mother and the man took a turn towards marriage. She was thrilled, and the man was pleased, for he had a woman to cater to his every whim, and a boy that he could treat as his very own slave. During such times, Keniji found himself at the zoo more and more, and at his house less and less. Leaning against the glass of the cage, he cried out his misery and anguish to the comforting tiger, howling his agony in the most heart-wrenching ways. He could feel his insides burning with despair and could do nothing but watch as his happy life melted away to become the hell that he never wanted to see. He had thought of ending his life, just to be rid of the pain, but he knew he couldn't leave his mother alone with the man that he despised so greatly. Soon, the man would start using the same treatment on her as he had done from the beginning on him, and he knew he had to do something to protect the two of them.

One day, it became too much, and he had tried to tell her of what the man was, risking his very life to try to save them both. But, she didn't believe him, for she was too caught up in all of her feelings that incased her love for her child. And the man was true to his word, and beat him so fiercely that he could barely stand without toppling onto the ground. And once more, he resumed his tales of his encounters, which had led him to such injuries.

He was pushed farther than he ever wished to be pushed, so he escaped his home one night and snuck into the zoo, using his mother's key to enter his haven. But, he did not allow the barrier between him and his best friend and companion: he went straight into the cage.

It was new to him, but somehow he was able to evade the fear, thinking that if it were to end right then and there, it was the best way for him to go, and he'd have minimal regrets. For what difference would it make? His mother had totally forgotten of his feelings and had lately forgotten to even ask of his wounds. And his soon-to-be-father? More like his soon-to-be-murderer. He had no family or relatives and he no more knew any friends than he knew of how many hugs he had received from either guardian since his mother's first meeting with her fiancé.

It didn't take him long to find his feline friend, for he had curled himself up against the glass, as if he had been expecting him. Without any hesitation, Keniji collapsed onto his knees and latched his bruised and scarred arms onto the thick, yet soft fur of his companion and cried himself dry. And the tiger let him, gently pressing his paw against the boy's back as his frame shook with every heavy sob he emitted.

Keniji lost track of time, slowly giving into more of his bottled up grief. He found himself wishing that he were the tiger, and that someone else could deal with his life and could get him out of something that he was not fit for. A strange feeling came over his body… it felt like his whole body fell asleep, tingling like needles, but it was a pleasant feeling. His eyes had fluttered closed, and Aki seemed to have fallen asleep. But, the feeling soon flitted away from him and everything was back to normal. It was strange to him, but he soon forgot about as he remembered where he was and why he was feeling so miserable.

Before he knew what was happening, someone was screaming and another was jumping into the cage, with a glittering dagger in hand. He jerked his head up from the tiger's back just as he had stood up, rendering himself to its full height. As it turned out, the person that was screaming was his mother, and the one holding the weapon…

Was the man, and he held an evil glint in his eye.

Apparently, Keniji wasn't the only one who sensed that the man was bad news. Aki's lips drew back in a menacing growl, as if warning the man that he was not welcome. The man, whose IQ was questionable, seemed to think that the tiger was accepting his challenge and darted forward, holding the weapon in a lethal position.

Keniji, seeing where it was going, quickly stepped in front of the man, something that he never wanted to do until then. He cried out desperately, "Don't, sir, please! He doesn't want to fight you! Please, sir!" But, his cries were unheeded. The man turned his dagger on him, and, in a fetal attempt to protect himself, Keniji lifted his arms to block the blow. He cried out as he felt the cold, rough metal dig into his skin, the warmth of his blood spilling down his arm. It was all that Aki, the large, now-unfriendly tiger, could take.

The tiger let out a large, ferocious roar, making the man freeze. He stood there, his hand still holding the knife that was still embedded in Keniji's arm, and screamed. He screamed like a little girl that thought she saw the Boogeyman in her closet in the middle of the night. Aki leaped and knocked the man onto the ground, the dagger flying into one of the trees a few feet away. Keniji cradled his wounded arm, tears flowing freely down his face as he watched the angry tiger unleash its fury on his soon-to-be-stepfather, making no move to help him.

The man howled in pain as Aki pawed his chest, claws slightly unsheathed, delivering wounds that would scar and pain him greatly, but would not be fatal. After a few paws, he stopped and opened his mouth wide and roared once more, directly in front of the man's face. The man screamed loudly-

The door leading to the cage burst open and in flooded an Animal Containment team. Before any one of them could react, a solid, strong rope was wrapped around the tiger's throat, forcefully pulling him off of the man's bleeding form. The tiger was snarling and bellowed in protest, but was soon injected with a tranquilizer, effectively knocking him out. After that, a half a dozen medical officers rushed in and started looking over Keniji's injuries, while the other half a dozen looked over the man that was currently balled up in a fetal position. Keniji fought the doctor's as he tried to reach Aki, who had saved him, and in turn brought pain onto himself as his wounded arm was gripped tightly by one of the men.

"No! Let me GO! Aki! Aki, say something! AKIII!"

.:Flash Forward:.

The room was dark and silent, the only form present was still and quiet, but there was an air of coldness that surrounded it's frame, which was sitting painfully still in a small, metal chair. Happiness seemed to be a myth in the depressing room of emotional pain.

The door leading to the room swung open slowly, as if the being responsible for it's movement was hesitant to disturb the form inside. The being stepped within the room, seemingly treading on eggshells.

"Keniji? Honey?"

His mother received a muted answer. She sighed, then spoke quietly, "It's over, Honey… it's been put to rest, right where it belongs."

"Shut… Up." Keniji's voice was filled with anger, and frustration, though he spoke it calmly.

His mother was taken aback. "Excuse me?"

Keniji stood angrily, pushing his chair back in his hate. He yelled, "I said, shut up, you pathetic excuse of a parent!"

"Just whom do you think you are talking to, young man?" she asked heatedly, though quite shocked that such foul treatment was coming from her once angel child. "I did what was best for you as well as your friend. It was living on borrowed time, and it was it's time"- she was cut short by his outburst.

"You know NOTHING of him! He was misunderstood, and you killed him! He did nothing wrong! You killed him because he protected me from that beast that I have the displeasure to announce as my soon-to-be-stepfather, who will most likely kill me before the stupid wedding! And you never seemed to care! All you cared about was him, always forgetting about me! And the one thing that kept me from killing myself was you! And I was too stupid to see that you didn't care about me anymore! So, now, as your way of saying you do, you kill my only friend? Who do you think you are talking to, lady? Because as far as I know, you aren't my mother! I'd have to bet that she died around the same time my father did, and forgot all about ME!"

Not giving her enough time to talk, he ran out the door, shoving her out of the way as he escaped his confinement.

"Keniji!" she yelled after him. "Keniji, get back here! Keniji!"

He ignored her and kept running, his breath quickening as he burst through the doors of the zoo and fled. He sprinted out into the wilderness, where the zoo was located, as if the devil himself was after him. Keniji never slowed, never rested, even when his breath was taken in gasps. He ran with no destination, only the need to put space between himself and his life, which had taken a turn for the worst.

He lost track of how far away he was, the only pleasing memory was allowing some of his pent-up anger leave him as he told his mother a little bit of his misery, and seeing the zoo, which had suddenly become a second hell (third, if you include his home) disappear behind his fleeing form. Keniji stopped only when the sun had almost completely set and collapsed onto the ground, quickly drifting off into unconsciousness.