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Chapter 7: The Tale of the Nightmare
Tenkou's Study Room:
Haruka, Michiru, Setsuna, Karasumi and Tenkou entered the cozy room with comfy couches and a study desk, as well as a mini-library and mini-bar. Tenkou went to the bar and began to pour some drinks.
"Can I get you and your family anything, dear sister? Wine, martini or perhaps even ginger ale? You know I don't really drink much alcohol." he asked politely, while pouring himself some ginger ale and looking at Michiru. Michiru shook her head.
"I want answers now, big brother." She answered, almost pleadingly. "What has happened to you brother? You are the same Tenkou Kaioh I know, but you're very different." Her eyes narrowed "I even noticed your arm healed." Tenkou smiled. He took a sip of his ginger ale and set it down the desk.
"Very perceptive, Michi." He complimented, unraveling his sleeve to show the already-healed arm to the surprised Haruka and Setsuna. "Please, have a seat." He motioned to one of the sofas. Haruka, Michiru and Setsuna took a seat on the couch while Karasumi took one of the armchairs near the sofa and Tenkou took the armchair behind his desk. He grabbed his ginger ale, took a sip and looked at them again. "Michi? Are you familiar with the New York incident that happened a few years ago?"
"You mean the same New York incident that was said to be the result of an unknown disease epidemic?" Michiru asked. "The incident that led to the evacuation of the civilians of the city?"
"Yes that's the one." Tenkou answered, closing his eyes. "Actually, it wasn't the result of a disease, but rather a mitochondrial epidemic."
"Mitochondrial epidemic?" Setsuna said puzzled.
"Yes. You see, mitochondria is a separate organism that lives symbiotically with the nucleus." Tenkou explained. "Before the incident ever began, there was said to be an African woman with rare liver cells because of the cultivated mitochondria living in her body that was keeping her alive. Doctors called the rare mitochondria "Mitochondria Eve" because of the strange powers the woman had, like fire or lightning or causing spontaneous combustion on nearby people. Eventually though, the woman's liver cells multiplied and immediately to over her body, taking a sperm cell from the innocent doctor treating her to try give birth to the "Ultimate Being"."
"Ultimate Being?" Michiru asked."Yes. But
the mitochondria in the sperm cell began a rebellion with Eve. And so
resulted to her death."
"But what are the connections between you, the incident in New York and
the African woman?" Haruka asked, getting interested.
"Before Eve took over, the woman was a donor who planned to donate her
kidney to save a little girl. Eve implanted a fertilized cell in that
kidney to begin her plans again if she would fail. However the girl was
involved in a car accident with her mother and sister, but the sister
survived. That little girl and her mother were donors for a hospital.
And when they died, their organs were used for operations. One such was
an operation for a woman named Melissa Pierce."
"I know her." Setsuna replied. "She was said to be the first one dead because of that New York incident."
"Correct. She was dead but not because of a disease." Karasumi started "You see, Eve began to act up again. This time using Melissa Pierce's body as a host. Eve started to act up on Christmas Eve in the Carnegie Hall opera. She was very dangerous and most of the people who were watching the opera died of combustion. However there were three survivors of that massacre, and was none other than me, mother and a woman named Aya Brea."
"Aya Brea?" Haruka questioned.
"That's right. She was the one who destroyed both Eve and the Ultimate
Being she recently gave birth to." Tenkou answered
"How? You said yourself that Eve was very
dangerous."
"Aya Brea was the sister I was talking
about who was involved in the car accident. She did survive, however
she had suffered a damage to her right eye. Since she and her sister
were twins, doctors decided to use the sister's, Maya Brea's, right eye
for the operation and it was successful. During that time, the Eve
cells in that eye managed to live symbiotically with Aya's nucleus,
thus giving her an equal amount of power to oppose Eve herself.
"But this woman was never mentioned in the papers. The news said that
scientists from the navy had developed an antidote on the disease."
Setsuna commented
"That's what the navy wants the people to
believe." Karasumi replied "If anyone knew of Aya's strange powers,
there would be no doubt she would be considered a danger to society."
"But how does this involved you, dear brother?" Michiru asked Tenkou.
Tenkou smiled and closed his eyes.
"Because I was involved in that incident too, dear sister." He
answered. "I helped Aya Brea in killing Eve and the "Ultimate Being"
because the strange operation done to me was not only genetic coding or
a mutant blood transfusion, but also implanting Maya Brea's left eye to
my eye." His golden left eyes began to glow red, startling the three
visitors. He then remembered those painful times of his childhood that
started his livelong burden of his accursed abilities.
FLASHBACK!
"PLEASE! LET ME GO!" a little boy cried out. "I want to go home!" "Shut up brat!" a bulky man hollered as he grabbed the boy by the arm. Another man, wearing a lab coat was also in the dark room preparing a table.
"Quickly! Put him on the table. We have to make this quick." He said to the man as the man violently placed the little boy on the table. The two men then strapped on the little boy on the table with belts.
"Please..." the little boy sobbed. "I want to go home..." "Hold him." The man said as he placed an oxygen mask on the little boy. The little boy could do nothing as he fell into darkness.
END FLASHBACK!
"After that operation they did to me, I began to feel bodily changes, such as hot temperatures, visions of a hospital, increased healing rate as well as several increased characteristics such as speed and strength." Tenkou described. "The men made me a guinea pig for their experiments but they never counted on my quick adaptation to my new powers in 2 years and used it to slightly burn them, giving me enough time to escape them and head home..." Tenkou closed his eyes. "...and you know the rest, Michi."
"I remember." Michiru replied, showing a little tear. "Mother and father never so much as welcomed you home, in fact they were happy when you left."
FLASHBACK!
"Oh, you returned." A man said to the little boy when he entered the house. A woman with long aqua hair and a little girl came into the living room and immediately the little girl ran up to the little boy.
"Big brother!" she exclaimed as she hugged the older boy.
"Hey Michi…" he said embracing her back. But then the woman took the little girl away from her brother.
"Michiru, don't touch him, he might be contagious with a disease." He said taking the little girl away, ignoring the protesting of little Michiru. The man got up from his chair and looked at him with anger.
"So, where were you!" he hollered to the scared little boy. He then dragged the little boy upstairs to a bedroom, threw him there and locked the door. He then proceeded to dinner, ignoring the little boy's pleas for freedom.
END FLASHBACK!
"Mother and father often told never to come to you that you weren't my brother" Michiru continued, with a little anger in her voice. "Often times I heard screams and cries from your room and I saw father with a bloody whip and once a burnt arm." She looked at Tenkou. "It was you who burned him, wasn't it?"
"Yes it was." Tenkou answered. "My mitochondria started to act up, even after being starved and dehydrated. He would always severely beat me and mother would occasionally come and watch, leaving me weak."
"I hated them for that." Michiru said with anger in her voice. "They don't even deserve to be our parents. I made that decision that they were never my parents a long time ago." She clenched her fist. "The time you left me."
FLASHBACK!
A little girl stepped out of the shadows with a key she took from her parent's room. She approached a door that said: 'Tenkou's Room' and used the key on the lock. She opened the door and saw a older boy packing stuff in a duffle bag. The boy stopped packing when he heard the door open and saw the little girl.
"What are you doing, big brother?" the little girl asked the boy. The boy continued putting clothes in the bag.
"I'm running away, Michi." Little Tenkou answered to little Michiru. "I'm getting out of this nightmare." He looked at her as he zipped his bag. "I'm sorry I won't be able to be with you and our parents, but don't worry, I'm sure mom and dad aren't going to be mean to you since they like you very much." He then opened the window, where there was a rope made from curtains waiting for him. He began to climb down when little Michiru grabbed his sleeve.
"Don't leave." She said, tears were leaking out. "Don't leave, big brother. I won't be see you again." Little Tenkou smiled and hugged his sister.
"Don't worry, I'll come back." He reassured.
"Promise?" little Michiru sniffed, holding out her little pinky.
"Promise." He answered, holding out his pinky and making a pinky promise. "But under one condition."
"Yes, big brother?" she asked.
"You have to promise what you told me and become a great violinist." Little Tenkou began. "You also have to promise that you will be with the one you truly love, Michi. Your soul mate. Be strong and brave, little sister, I will come back for you."
"I promise." Little Michiru, wiping her tears.
"Good girl." Little Tenkou said, patting little Michiru's head. "Now you better go to bed. I don't think mom or dad will notice, but I don't want you to get into trouble."
"Okay. I'll go." Little Michiru answered, as little Tenkou began to climb down to the ground and ran as fast as he could, out of sight. "Bye bye, big brother." And she ran back to her room.
END FLASHBACK!
"...that was last time I ever saw you." Michiru finished. "Mother and father noticed about it, but didn't really care."
"I would have figured as much." Tenkou replied, sipping his drink.
"What happened after that?" Haruka asked.
"Well... after I walked for a few days, sleeping on the streets, taking a few odd jobs that was for my age and avoiding human contact as much as possible, I was getting hungry. My pocket money was running out and I was soon feeling sick." He looked at Karasumi. She looked at him and nodded "That's when I fell unconscious and met my mother, Karasumi Kaioh."
FLASHBACK!
A little boy was stumbling off the streets. He was feeling hot and his whole body ached. He wondered around a street with large eccentric houses.
'What's happening to me?' he thought. 'My head hurts, my body aches. Is this the end?' he stopped at one of the house's gates, not noticing the woman tending to the flowers, who stopped to look at his emotionless eyes. "Michi, sorry. I don't think I can come back to you anymore." At last he gave in and welcomed the burning darkness, falling to unconsciousness, with the last memory of a woman with long hair running to him.
A few hours later, the little boy woke up in a comfortable bed. He was no longer wearing his muddy clothes, but silk pajamas. He had some bandages on his head, arms, legs and one on his left eye. He looked at his surrounding. He was in a bedroom, a child's bedroom: boy's clothes about his size in the opened closet, dinosaurs miniatures on the top oak drawer, a few sports equipment on the corner the room and a few posters of cartoon idols.
"Where am I?" he asked aloud.
"Oh good you're awake." A voice said. He looked at the door to see the woman he saw a while ago. She had such a gentle look that she reminded him of his mother when she was once gentle to him. She was carrying a tray, with what looked like hot soup, a cold glass of apple juice with a straw, a spoon and some tablets. "I was getting worried."
"Thank you." He said gratefully as the woman put the tray on his bed. The soup smelled appetizing, since he had eaten in days. She took the spoon and began to spoon feed him. "Uhmm... I think I can feed myself ma'am." The woman looked at him gently.
"I'm afraid you can't. Both of your arms were badly damaged when I saw you." She replied. He looked and both of his arms were bandaged, so allowed himself to be spoon fed by this gentle and kind woman. "Your legs were also damaged." She looked concerned, as soon as he soon as he finished his soup and helped him drink his juice. "And you also had some slash marks on your body when I changed your clothes." He looked away. "Tell me, who did this to you?"
"I'm afraid I can't tell you that." The little boy replied.
"If you're lost, I should call the police to tell your parents." The woman stated. She began to stand up and walk when the little boy stopped her. He had a mixed looked of fear and regret.
"Please don't...don't tell them where I am..." he whispered to her "I even doubt they care where I am."
"Why? Every parent would be concerned if their child ran away from them." The woman countered.
"Not mine." He replied coldly. "They don't even care about me. They locked me up in my room, nearly starving me to death."
"Oh dear..." she whispered. "Well, in that case. I should charged these people for child abuse and child neglect."
"No! you can't!" he yelled, startling the woman. He looked at her "I-I'm sorry, but you can't. My little sister is still there. If they find out where I am, my little sister could get in trouble. They'll think she helped me, please leave them be."
"Alright." She agreed. "But will you tell me you name?"
"Tenkou, Tenkou Kaioh." He answered. "May I ask your name, ma'am?"
"Karasumi, Karasumi Kaioh." She replied, smiling gently. "Perhaps we are distant relatives. Tell me who are your parents?"
"Hotaka and Nanashi Kaioh." He replied. The woman looked surprised.
"Hotaka? My little brother?" she said in disbelief "So that brother of mine neglected you? Next time I see him, he will regret that." she looked at him "Well it looks like we are closer than I thought. Since my brother, Hotaka, has disowned and neglected you from the looks of it. Laws of the Kaioh clan would state that you would be my son." "M-Mother..." little Tenkou trailed off.
"That's right. You are now my son, Tenkou, my child." Karasumi stated and the little boy embraced, happy to know he was no longer alone.
END FLASHBACK
"...and she began to sign adoption papers , so now..." Tenkou looked at his mother. "I am both legally and biogenetically her son."
"I can understand legally..." Setsuna started, "...but biogenetically?"
"When Tenkou had fallen unconscious..." Karasumi began. "...he lost a lot of blood. It soak all his clothes. I had no choice but to do an immediate blood transfusion or else he would have died." She smiled at a certain memory. "I also recall that I got burned when I touched his blood, it nearly burned my arm."
"I'm sorry, mother." Tenkou smiled sheepishly. "My mitochondria acted up out of protection during that time."
"Well, at least your mitochondria accepted me when the transfusion began." She stated. "Though, there were a few problems after that."
"Did you burn?" Haruka asked.
"Well, no, not really." Karasumi mused. "However, I did feel a slight heat after the transfusion. Then I too saw visions of a hospital and..." her looks were grim "I also saw how my brother started to treat Tenkou when he was at their house."
"Mitochondria have the ability to record a person's past memories." Tenkou explained. "Since both of us saw a hospital in our visions, we began to research different types of hospitals around the world."
"Did you find a match?" Michiru asked.
"Yes, as a matter a fact we did." Karasumi answered. "It was identical to the St. Francis hospital in New York. Since I had inherited a lot of money from relatives and my researches, we took the immediate flight to New York." "During that time, the Carnegie Hall opera was playing, so we decide to watch that before going to the hospital." Tenkou said, frowning. "That's when we saw Eve, that being of destruction, possessing Melissa Pierce." He smiled. "That's where we also met the woman who opposed Eve, Aya Brea."
FLASHBACK!
"Watch out, miss." a 12-year old boy exclaimed as he pushed a young blonde women out of the way of a burning man.
"Thank you, boy" the woman with blonde hair and black dress said."Mother, what's happening here?" the boy asked.
"I 'm afraid I don't know, Tenkou." Another woman with long flowing hair answered. "Look!" she pointed to the actress with long black hair and flowing red dress, an evil smile was on her face and her eyes shown so much twisted thoughts."Ma'am, sir, I think it's best for you to leave immediately." The blonde woman informed, showing a police badge. "I, Aya Brea, will stop this person myself."
"I'm sorry, miss Brea." Tenkou said. "But I would like to help too."
"There's nothing you can do to change our minds." The woman, who was Karasumi, replied.
"All right, but try to stay out of harm's way." Aya informed and led the way to the stage where the actress continued to sing her song as if they were still audiences. They approached her and Aya positioned her gun. "Freeze! NYPD!" The actress stopped singing and looked at her.
"Hmm… it seems you are unharmed." The actress looked at Karasumi and Tenkou. "You two are also unharmed." She gave a twisted laugh."Who…Who are you?" Tenkou asked.
"They call me… Eve." She said.
"Eve?" Aya questioned.
"I surprised you don't know me. You know me very well." Eve stated, smiling. Suddenly Aya, Tenkou and Karasumi began to feel hot.
'What's happening to me?' they all thought in union. Suddenly they see visions of a little girl and a hospital. A doctor was there examining the girl. And then, all was black.
END FALSHBACK!
"...after that we been chasing Eve for 5 days, also knowing that a man named Dr. Hans Klamp was in the operation with Eve because he as the doctor who operated on Maya Brea and Melissa Pierce." Tenkou concluded. "5 days, they were 5 days of painful memories for Ms. Brea."
"What happened after?" Michiru asked.
"On the night of the 5th day, we destroyed her. At exactly midnight, Christmas time." Karasumi explained. "We thankfully got a ride on one of the US' military carriers by the Admiral himself, after being taken to the Statue of Liberty for the battle with Eve by helicopter. However, we weren't able to beat her in time. So... the Ultimate Being was born and we had to fight it."
FLASHBACK!
"You all should take a nice long rest..." the Admiral trailed off as Aya felt her heart race, so did Tenkou and Karasumi.
"Yo, what's happening, Aya?" Aya's partner, Daniel asked. He looked at the fallen statue of liberty with her and Maeda, a Japanese professor who accompanied them, noticed something.
"It can't be… the uterus containing the Ultimate Being." He exclaimed "It's…it's hatching!" Sure enough, beneath the mess of human flesh, a part of it that came of the defeated Eve was slowly coming apart. The Ultimate Being, in the form of a tiny winged tailed baby, emerged. It let out a shrilling cry that exploded the nearby carriers. It looked in all directions and finally set its eyes on Aya. Helicopters from out of nowhere began to descend on the Admiral's carrier. A pilot got out and went to Aya's party.
"I believe it's best if we were to retreat now." The pilot said them.
"Well, it looks like the only thing left to do is run." Daniel said as he and Maeda began to follow the retreating pilot, but Aya, Tenkou and Karasumi stayed. "Hey, what's wrong with you three?" "Go on ahead." Tenkou said, startling the two.
"We'll take care of it." Karasumi continued.
"Are you crazy?" Daniel asked in disbelief. He was ready to drag them when Aya stopped him.
"Daniel…" she began. "We feel it. This thing has to be stopped here and now and we're the only ones who can do it." She and Daniel were in a glare until he gave in.
"Alright, but you better come back, all of you." He said with a salute. Maeda approached Aya.
"Here, Aya, take this…" As he was trying to give something, Daniel pulled him to the copter.
"Come on, we have no time for you voodoo stuff." He said, dragging the man.
"Stop, this isn't voodoo." Maeda complained.
"It's alright, we'll be fine." Tenkou reassured as the two headed for the copter. It began to ascend to the sky. The Ultimate Being began to climb up the carrier as Aya, Tenkou and Karasumi readied their guns.
"You two still have a chance to retreat, you know." Aya said to her two companions.
"We'd never dreamed of it." Karasumi replied. The Ultimate being was getting ready to fight.
"To live or not to live." Aya quoted as she pointed her gun at it.
"That is the question." Tenkou concluded as the battle bagan.
END FLASHBACK!
"Then what happened?" Haruka asked, obliviously excited to hear the next part.
"It would be like the scene you saw in the danger room." Karasumi replied.
"Mother, they were in the danger room?" Tenkou asked.
"Well, we had to get Shiroma." She answered with a smile.
"Of course." he turned to the group. "Basically we had to defeat it, but it was no use in the last level of its evolution. Until out of nowhere, Mr. Daniel jumped from the helicopter and threw us some clip that contained bullets with our cells in it. So after a few shots, we thought it was dead, but it was still moving. We then went into the carrier, to its engine room, and adjusted the controls to activate the self-destruction. And we jumped off the carried." He smiled a bit. "To celebrate our victory, the government gave us VIP passes to the opera." He laughed a bit. "I tell you it was kind of frightening. It turned out to be the same play but with a little gory twist." He smiled gently "I would never forget what Ms. Brea did to the audience when the opera singer began her song"
"What did she do?" Michiru asked.
"Her mitochondria acted up, giving a message to the other mitochondria in everyone's body." He gold began to glow red again. "They all began to glow red, just like this. My normal eye even glowed red like my gold one is doing now. Perhaps a way to say to Melissa Pierce they're sorry she died. People began to call that event the Bloody Christmas." He looked at the time at the grandfather clock on the wall. "Well, it looks like it's time to finish up. It's almost dinner time." Everyone agreed and slowly left the room. Tenkou caught Michiru shoulder, beckoning her to stay a bit.
"Yes, brother?" she asked when everyone else had left the room. They were the only two people left.
"Is something wrong, Michi? You seem quite sad." He asked in a big-brother manner. "It has something to do with Haruka, doesn't it?"
"Brother, Haruka is afraid."
"That's normal."
"No, brother, what I mean is. Haruka has been breaking apart." Michiru explained. "You see, quite some time ago, she was faced with someone from her past. And she was afraid. She's been having nightmares she thinks I don't know of." She sighed sadly. "I don't like seeing her like this." Tenkou could see the sadness on his little sister's eyes.
"Do you trust me, Michi?" Michiru looked at him, puzzled. "Just answer the question."
"Yes, of course I trust you." She answered without hesitation.
"Then, leave this problem to me." He said. "I know of a way to take care of it. Haunting of the past, yes, leave this to me. I promise your beloved will genuinely smile once again" She nodded and they left to catch up with the others.
To be continued…
So how do you like it? R&R please.
Next fic will come as soon as I overcome my mental block. In a few months.