Solemn Lives- Part 2: Conversion Diversion

-A Yu Yu Hakusho Fanfic.

By painin uranus

Chapter 2: Twisted Torture

.:AN:.

So, now we know what the man's name is. I'm sorry, the story seemed a little unstable to me, but if you're still reading this, I guess I'm doing something right. I think it's only fair to tell you people that these chapters are pre-prepared. Meaning, I have written these chapters at least a couple weeks before I decide to load them. Also meaning that the story is already planned out and written, so there is no need to give me ideas about the story's plot, though I appreciate the concern and assistance. Rest assured, I will ask you for help when it is needed, but until then, think of these stories as an extension of the actual show. Now that that has been cleared up, let's continue with the story:

Blood. More frikin blood, T. Keniji thought as he coughed up another mouthful of the substance, extremely pissed off. Why am I seeing so much blood!

A shadow loomed over his crumpled up body that was hunched over the cold-tiled floor. Glancing up, he immediately felt more rage and hate burn within him, and he tried to avoid the brash feelings he was getting in the pit of his stomach.

"Come now… I know you are all right. You've gotten back onto your feet after more painful blows than that one," the owner of the shadow said cockily. "Don't tell me that you've finally given up…"

"Never," he spat out nastily, glaring with rage at Junichiro, "will I ever give you the satisfaction of 'breaking me in', old man."

"Good," he replied, not the least bit annoyed by his comment. "Because I still have quite an amount of anger left from your last disrespectful comment, and you still need your beating. Come now, get back up on your feet. You can do it," he mocked, acting like he was nice and loving, though there was that ever-constant evil tint that was attached to it.

With a cry of frustration, T. Keniji leaped to his feet, quickly swiping at Junichiro's unprotected abdomen with his razor-sharp claws. But, it was useless, for Junichi disappeared and reappeared behind him, giving T. Keniji a clean blow to the back of his neck. Hacking, T. Keniji stumbled, but quickly gave a back-roundhouse kick. And once more, Junichiro blocked it, this time grabbing his foot and flipping him onto his back roughly. T. Keniji grunted, pulling his leg out of his grasp to try and sweep it underneath the man's legs, but Junichiro flipped behind him and kicked him square in the back, sending him into a nearby wall. Parts of the now-destroyed wall toppled down upon his aching body, bruising even more of his scarred skin.

This time, T. Keniji didn't try to get up. He simply hid himself in the shelter of the damaged wall pieces and shed infuriating tears. Not letting him escape, Junichi walked with a confident stride over to the pile of rubble. He thrust his hand deep into the heap and pulled the hunched form out by the scruff of the neck, which looked particularly painful.

"Come now," Junichiro cooed once more in his mocking tone. "There's no sense in hiding from me…" his voice got hard and arrogant. "I own you, my pitiful slave."

Without warning, T. Keniji's claws darted forward once more, effectively sinking into his chest. He marveled at the sensation of being embedded in the old man's skin, the wonderful feeling of having his warm, thick blood run down his daggered-fingers as the man cried out his pain.

Immediately, the man dropped him back onto the ground, making T. Keniji's claws slide out of the created sheaths of his stomach muscles as the older man wrapped his arms around his wounded chest. His breathing was heavier than it had been, but T. Keniji knew with disappointment that his attack was not fatal and that with time, Junichi would heal. Unless, he struck right then, while the man was unprotected.

Unfortunately, that option was taken away when the posted guards inside the gym rushed over, three successfully holding him down while the other two tended to Junichiro. He bellowed in frustration, just as Aki had done when he was restrained from the same target. T. Keniji tried to claw the guards as well, but these were prepared demon slaves, not like the others he had fought, and they knew how to defend themselves. When he realized that it was futile, he simply hung from their arms, waiting for the rare moment, if it came at all, when their grip would slacken where he could break free and finish them all off.

"Let go of me, you incompetent fools!" the enraged form of Junichiro yelled. "I am more than capable enough to take care of that… mongrel as well as myself, without the help of you two! Now, I demand that you release me so that I may deal with that beast myself!" At that, he ripped his arms away from their assisting hands.

T. Keniji's cocky grin that appeared out-of-place on his face disappeared as soon as the man turned his steely glare on him. He suddenly wished that, like always, he was out of this man's grasp and life.

"So…" he growled. "I suppose you think that you're all that, huh? Finally getting a hit in on me, right? Well, think again, boy, because I ain't going anywhere… I'll stay here and beat you until you can barely walk. As you can imagine, I am not human. No, as a matter of fact, I am one of those few people that share the same gift as you- the rare genetic gene that flows through both our veins…"

"Never," T. Keniji shouted, outraged, "put me in the same classification as you, you bastard! You are nothing to me, same as your words! Tell these morons to let me go, or I may change my mind about killing them along with you."

"Very well, but I doubt that you'd be able to accomplish that much," turning his once-more confident gaze onto his guards. "You heard him, boys… let him go."

The guards obediently released T. Keniji's bruised arms, more or less with the help of the frustrated boy as he yanked his arms away from their grimy ones. Straightening and brushing of his ruffled shirt, he did not attack the man, only stared hatefully at him. He did not know why he did not strike him, but he did know that the man was able to understand his differences compared to other human beings. And he still didn't know a lot about his 'uniqueness', as Junichiro had put it.

He was torn- between learning about his powers with the help of the man… and killing the man while he had the once-in-a-lifetime chance.

With a frustrated sigh, he tore his gaze away from the man and turned it to the ground as he unconsciously changed his claws back into regular, normal fingernails. With another hateful sigh, he glared back at the man again.

"Tell me. About us- the rare genetic demons. Tell me," he growled out with distaste, as if the very words were poison, and frustration covered his face due to his incapability to put an end to the cruel man's evil life.

Junichiro was surprised to say the least, but quickly smirked. "I knew you couldn't do it. No matter how much I criticize you; you can't bring yourself to kill me. You're too soft, Keniji. So much power, held back by your gentle soul- your sense of right and wrong." He started to chuckle quietly, but then it grew into a loud, wicked laugh.

A punch in the face by Keniji shut him up quickly enough. "Answer me, you idiotic buffoon! Or I may change my mind and kill you all with my Claws of the Putnar," he threatened menacingly.

"Huh," the man barked out cockily. "Very well, but there is not much to say. As you should know, every human being carries some demonic gene, one that provides them with a sense of evil and power. Of course, it varies, depending only on chance. Thieves, drug dealers, terrorists, murderers… countless persons, with more of the demonic gene than your average businessman. Controlled by the urge to destroy, a bloodlust that can drive most to insanity. Every once and a while, a full-fledged demon is born with powers that a normal demon would have… only we're stronger, smarter, and possess great potential. We have no limitations! If we tried hard enough, we could rule the world… that is the reason why we are so rare. It is uncommon for more than one of us to be alive at the same time. We are probably the only ones of our kind in the world today."

T. Keniji was shocked. "Then… how did you know…? About me, about my powers? How did you find me, if we are so scarce, and there shouldn't be more than one of us alive?"

The old man simply smiled proudly. "I sensed you. Before you even knew of me, I sensed great power emitted from you. I suppose you got it from your father- that's when I first realized that he had the same energy signature as my mother did."

T. Keniji furrowed his eyebrows. "You knew my father…?" he asked hesitantly.

The man was silent for a moment, but his eyes had a mysterious glint in them as he continued to smile. "Yes, boy… I knew your father. In fact"— he paused dramatically— "…I killed him myself."

T. Keniji's eyes widened and a huge amount of power burst out of his body. He roared loudly out of vengeful rage, and a bright light surrounded his body. He was changing again- he could feel it in his veins. His arm and leg muscles bulged, his eyesight dimmed. He could feel his bands disappearing from his wrists and forehead, replaced with biker gloves. T. Keniji's pants and tops were traded with jeans and a muscle shirt. His physical appearance erased the blackness from his hair, leaving it a scruffy brown, and his eyes changed from yellow to a dark, rich chocolate. His arms became more tanned and, as Keniji's new body adjusted, more strongly built. When the transformation was complete, Keniji collapsed onto the ground with a brief cry of pain.

As the blinding light disappeared, and the wind had settled down, he propped himself up on his wrists, slightly dazed and hesitant to see what happened. He had never gone into this transformation before, though Junichiro kept demanding that he did.

'Grizzly' Keniji slowly stood up, unused to having such power in his simple body. He stumbled somewhat, but was able to regain his composure. He turned to the old man.

"W… what happened?" he asked. Then, he gasped. His voice- it was deep, like a rumbling growl on its own. He ran his hands over his body, but then remembered why he got mad. His uncertain look turned to one of pure vehemence. He shot his bulky hand out and grabbed the man and lifted him up by the collar of his shirt, dragging him closer to him.

"You killed my father? You crummy piece of shit, I ought to rip out your entrails and strangle you!" He started to shake with wrath.

This is sooo clichéd, he thought with bitterness.

The man only smiled. "Very creative. Painted a beautiful picture in my mind, although it was you who was to be strangled. However, you have done exactly what I have been aiming for. You," he said, pointing to one of the guards that had tried to help him "Go get the Grizzly form of Keniji's present. It's about time, I was starting to worry…" The guard nodded and left quickly through the locked doors of the large gym.

"What the hell are you talking about, you old man?" G. Keniji asked grumpily, ignoring the guards' departure. "I didn't think you'd start giving me presents after forgetting about all my other birthdays… In fact, it's not even my birthday, so this has got to be some sort of grand occasion that I didn't know about."

"I doubt it will be a present you will like, Keniji…" the man stated coyly.

G. Keniji raised an eyebrow, but quickly turned his head when he heard the guard return. He was carrying a small suitcase elegantly, flat on his palms, as if it's contents was as fragile as a glass figurine. The guard brought it over to them and handed it to Junichi as G. Keniji slowly let go of him, staring at the case in wonder.

"Ah… here we go," Junichiro said calmly. He slowly pulled out what looked like a collar, but it was decorated with silver, Goth-like spikes.

"Gee, old man, I didn't think that you were into that kind of stuff…"G. Keniji said with amusement.

"It's not for me, genius, it's for you."

"Sorry, but that's one thing I'll have to pass on. Thanks, though, it was very thoughtful of you," he replied sarcastically.

"Too bad," Junichiro replied, and before G. Keniji could prevent it, the collar locked itself around his neck. It was slightly tight and extremely uncomfortable. G. Keniji tried to yank it off, but it stayed put. He tried harder, but he only ended up hurting the back of his neck.

"Keep trying, boy, but you won't be able to remove it!" Junichi laughed wickedly. "It's connected with my own Spirit Energy- meaning that I can control you as long as you have it on, just like it was my own body. Watch." So G. Keniji watched in horror as he saw Junichiro raise his hand in front of his face, and his own did the same. Junichiro twiddled his fingers; G. Keniji twiddled his fingers.

"This takes 'copycat' to a whole other level," G. Keniji muttered as he felt his fingers brush against his nose, though it was not his doing.

The man laughed quietly at his comment, but stopped quickly. "You have great power, Keniji, but you won't use it. Now that I have you the way I want you, you're going to help me- whether you want to or not.

G. Keniji growled. "Yeah? How's that?"

"You are aware of my business, Keniji. Don't pretend that you don't. Spirit World will most likely send someone down here to put an end to it, if they even manage to find us. I don't doubt Sanzo's abilities, but I also don't doubt theirs. Sooner or later, we will be found out, and we'll need to be prepared. With your Grizzly form, we'll be able to pull it off easily enough. Until then, however, you will have to stay in your cell. Think of it this way- you will have a break before I have to send you out. Chances are, when I do, it will be quite painful- I suggest you use that free time to perfect your skills, though they won't get you out of the cell. We're having you moved so that it won't be so easy for you to escape. The window was a risk, but I won't take it again."

If G. Keniji could, he would have hit the man with all he had, but he was still in his control. His body wasn't moving any more, but that was the problem- Junichiro had made him immobile during his talk, making him submit to his enraging explanation.

Noticing G. Keniji's troubled expression, Junichiro smirked broadly. "Enough talk," he said with emphasis. "Go ahead and take him to his new cell, guards. Don't worry, he won't be as much of a problem this time around." The guards laughed evilly.

G. Keniji wanted to spit on their ugly faces, give them as much difficulty as he could, but he couldn't get his body to cooperate. It was like his life was a really bad TV show- he could to nothing but sit back and watch in disgust.

.:Flashback:.

"AAAAAAAAARRRRRRGGGGGGGGHHHHHH!"

Once more, T. Keniji cried out in unbearable pain as he felt his own blood flow down his injured arm. Tears streamed down his face freely, and T. Keniji could only watch in horror as Junichiro crept closer to him.

"No…" T. Keniji whispered, terrified of the cruel man. His previous beating were nothing to the ones he was receiving now.

"Change," the man murmured, his voice filled with the devilish tone. "Change…"

T. Keniji scooted away from him, until his back was pressed flat against the wall, and even then he tried to push away, wishing he could become the wall and hide from this man forever.

He had been here for a few months already, being constantly beaten and tortured, unable to protect himself or bring himself to harm the man- he was too scared. Afraid that if he hit back, his punishment would be even severe. Afraid that if he hit back, he would become just like Junichiro. Afraid that if he hit back, he wouldn't be able to stop.

And the thing was, the man wanted him to hit back. And Keniji wasn't sure if me meant it or was just trying to bribe him into giving him a reason to hurt him even more.

Junichiro delivered a solid kick to the side of Keniji's head, sending him flying across the hard gym floor. He felt his injured arm slide against the friction between him and the bumpy ground, and cried out once more as the loose concrete pieces got caught in his wound.

He tried to raise himself onto his knees, but was stopped with a swift kneeing in his side, making him roll slightly across the floor. T. Keniji curled into a small, protective ball. He knew what was coming and he didn't know how he could prevent it-

"We're done for today," he heard Junichiro growl out. "Put him back and bring forth the feline demon and her child. I'm tired of not having this boy fight back."

Two grimy arms wrapped around his waist, giving no heed of the force they had on his bloody chest, or the most-likely broken ribs inside. His eyes cracked open as he saw another pair of guards drag in an angry women and a crying child, not much older than he was. His heart pained him as he saw the scars on the duo's arms and their backs, which were clearly seen through the torn rags they were forced to wear. He realized that he probably look just like them, but he wouldn't know because he hadn't seen what he looked like ever since the man found him by the riverside. He hadn't even had a bath since then, and he could feel his dirty, oily hair plastered to his sweaty forehead, his arms and legs covered with a thick layer of dirt and grime, just like those two unfortunate demons that now took his place in the torture room.

As soon as they arrived at his mucky cell, the guards opened the multiple doors leading into it and threw him in, not caring about the well being of his injured body.

Unable to resist the urge to slip away from consciousness, T. Keniji curled up once more into a ball, letting his eyes drift shut, with small tears falling onto the cold concrete floor and dreams of freedom flying through his head.