Title: Monster
Rating: PG-13 for disturbing imagery.
Summary: In a Frankenstein-esque universe where the scientist just can't seem to get it right and the beings are all to aware of the outside world. Tenipuri characters abound as usual, but I'm trying to keep this one light.
Author Note: I apologize for the lack of writing in Paper Lanterns, I was recently greatly turned off to a particular pairing which has had me in knots trying to actually write the story. The next chapter is in the process of being written though, but I felt the need to have a break.
This story is for NaNoWriMo…National Novel Writing Month. Just tack an org onto the whole nanowrimo thing and you can get to the sight. Fan Fic is giving me issues with the whole website posting thing.
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Fingers slid over blue tinted skin, cleaning away the Vaseline that had been rubbed along the cold flesh. Those long digits were graceful and deadly, frighteningly intelligent as they caressed across muscled limbs and torso. The lab smelled of formaldehyde with an undertone of something sickeningly sweet. Rot beneath all that chemical caustic scent.
He didn't seem to notice though, working night and day until the time became as obsolete as the outside world. Nothing mattered to him but the beautiful caged creatures he created and destroyed. In the dark, halogen lit lab he was God.
Amber eyes flicked over the form, lip curling slightly around the cigarette that perched between his lips. This had better be the last one, he was sick of failures, each day he cared less and less. Frowning he tapped ash from the end of the cigarette, watching it pool on the dirty floor. What was his motivation? Even he had forgotten by now. He placed the filter back between his lips, moving to caress the slack face. The form needed eyes, the windows to the soul…no normal hue would do though. He was sick of blue.
Rising he removed the plastic gloves, dirty with blood and viscous fluid, discarding them into a red tinted metal bowl. It clattered, tilting back and forth before settling on its convex bottom. The tall spindly figure, with the yellow eyes and the white hair rose, avoiding the naked bulb as it swung lightly from some unknown breeze and turned, moving up the staircase. Those steps creaked under his meager weight as he moved towards the upstairs and out the door, disappearing into the night.
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The door closing echoed in the creaking old house, setting other beings into motion. On the other end of the residence, in a locked room, vast as it had to accommodate three other humanoids. The door was locked, padlocks and combinations lined up in three's along the reinforced metal entrance.
One blue eye peered out of the small, mesh covered window, tiny pale fingers poking through the grates, perfect little nails manicured. "Master has left…" his voice whispered, as if afraid that perhaps the yellow eyed man really wasn't gone, simply testing to waters to see if he would appear. After a few tense moments, when nothing happened the boy swung around and faced the room, triumphant in his prediction.
The space was sprawling, two rooms had been combined, turned into a huge aviary of sorts. Pillows littered the floor, blankets making nests in corners, or laying forgotten on the hardwood. The walls were decorated with dried flowers, beautiful but faded, their life drained from their once vibrant petals that were now held under glass. A swing hung from the ceiling, creaking back and forth as a pretty form sat on it, off-white lace covered legs swinging idly. A huge tiger skin rug lie in the center of the room, the once majestic animal nothing but a snarling head and flat lifeless body now. Though on top of it lounged a much livelier creature, fingers stroking along the fur slowly as dark blue eyes looked at the boy by the door.
"What does it matter, Akira?" he said softly, his voice more of a purr then anything, velvety and smooth. Cat like eyes stared at him as he rolled onto his stomach and rested his chin on top of the tiger's head.
"I don't know…" the boy by the door sighed, face falling a bit. Some how it seemed exciting when they were alone, as if they could escape if they so wanted, run from these confines of steel and wood. It was a fantasy…and nothing more. "You aren't any fun Kojiro." The look this time was sour, aggravated that the other had to be so sensible all the time.
The multi-tone haired man that lay on the rug simply smiled, eyes lazy and movements feline. He rolled back over onto his back, sprawling as he looked up at the figure on the swing, moving methodically above him. On that swing the beautiful boy perched there stared forward, lips moving slowly, mumbling in a deep fathomless voice that was barely heard at all. Victorian lace covered the pale body, off white against the snow like skin.
Kojiro reached up, fingers just missing the tips of the swinging boys toes. His thoughts drifted reflecting on how he had come to this place and finding he couldn't remember anything from before he opened his eyes and saw the other two leaning over him. He was the third failed experiment...Shinji the first, Akira the second. None of them were what the Master had wanted and he treated them as such. Discarded dolls, broken toys, whatever metaphor you wished to use, it was all the same.
The rug shifted underneath him as Akira knelt down, "Do you think he's going to get rid of us?" The voice was soft, inquiring something they all feared, beyond this cage was only death, not freedom. If the Master didn't want them anymore, what would happen? None of them knew.
"No, he still has use for us," Kojiro turned his head to observe the kneeling redhead, the single blue eye looking worried, the other obscured by a fall of hair. The redhead was beautiful, features exotic but his body was far too thin. The one above them only mumbled, features so beautiful it was hard to look away from him, but all he did was stare ahead, blank and unreadable, Shinji had been the first failed attempt.
"But what if this one is the One," he whispered, voice lowering more and more as the conversation grew serious. The idea of being banished from the Master's presence was bad enough, none of them knew what would happen if he had no use for them whatsoever. Lately he hadn't been bothering with them much, locked down in his lab or coming and going in the middle of the night. It meant one thing, that he was building a new one.
"Then we will see what happens," Kojiro shrugged, not really wanting to think about it. What exactly was the point of angsting about something they had no control over? He was going to enjoy his days as much as he could, whether it be lounging on his rug or waiting for the Master to take him out for another walk. The backyard was overgrown with weeds and rose bushes, but it was still outside. He was the only one that got to leave the house and only on a leash at night, kept close to the Master.
The creaking of the swing stopped abruptly, the noise making the silence deafening for a moment. Akira looked towards the door as he heard the front one click open and slam, footsteps descending the stairs again and silence falling around them like a blanket. The redhead looked down at the now sitting man, who paused to brush black and white hair out of his eyes. Both of them looked up at Shinji, who was just sitting there, silent and still…which was never a good sign.
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The white haired man, only known as Jin or Master, moved down the stairs again. Of course he was annoyed, this work was annoying, tedious, boring. Everything he created was not what he wanted, nothing was satisfying. All these things produced was anger anymore. Sitting down beside the table he set the glass jar down on the metal surface, two beautiful green eyes floating inside.
"Too much fucking effort…you better be worth this," he grumbled at the body, lighting up another cigarette as he did so. Unscrewing the cap, the reek of vinegar tainted the room, threatening to overpower the formaldehyde. He began to work…fingers and metal instruments moving precisely as he hooked up those lovely orbs.
When he finished he washed them clean with water, pushing the eyelids down so that the form was simply asleep. Now to dress it. His head tilted first to one side and then the other, observing like some wretched bird of prey. He had never tried to dress a truly masculine form. Kojiro had been more masculine then the other two, but this creature was definitely not to be mistaken for a female.
Finally he stood and moved towards the cedar chest that was tucked in the corner of the room, picking through the clothing and removing a white shirt with loose sleeves and suede riding pants. A pair of worn, rugged riding boots were added to the pile as he dug up a matching pair of black suede gloves to complete the outfit. Perfect.
Dressing was easy, first the pants, fitted over muscled thighs and calves, the boots next. He sat the figure up as he slid on the shirt, leaving the tied front open at the throat, exposing pale collarbone in a line of tempting skin. Laying the other down again he put on the gloves, smoothing the suede over the fingers, holding the hand in his briefly.
Moments passed as his simply looked down at the body lying still, lifeless on the metal gurney. It was time to breath life into that body, take the perfect pieces and make them whole. Fingers slid away from the suede covered hand, moving to fix the unruly red hair and then gave up when it stuck out again. Jin pushed away from the table and picked up a syringe, filled with some mystery fluid that was not quite clear, but murky with the unknown. He tapped the bubbles to the top, pressing out the fluid until no air was left inside before pressing the tip to redheads throat. Tilting his head he eyed the vein, shoving the long piece of metal inside and pressing the plunger down.
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The world went from black to white in mere moments, where once there had been consuming darkness now there was burning whiteness. It felt like acid was moving through his veins, his heart pumping erratically as it tried to remember what it felt like to beat again. Fingers twitched and skittered across the metal surface of the table, gasping for breath, lungs seizing and heaving as they desperately tried to draw in breath.
Coughing spastically the creature, once dead body parts and formaldehyde blood, now breathed. Green, green eyes blinked and stared wide eyed and frightened as they began to focus, sharp objects and rusted steel everywhere…and then the gold eyes of the other being in the room. Practically falling off the edge of the table the creation bolted for the nearest corner and curled up, the sturdy wall some sort of protection as he desperately tried to figure out where and what was going on.
This was normal, Jin had seen it three times before. They were nothing but children at first, something that needed taught, though they learned ridiculously fast, absorbing the world around them like sponges. So he waited, sitting on his steel bench and lighting up a cigarette that dangled from his lips, the end flaring red as he let the boy get used to his surroundings.
Emerald eyes stared out from the corner, red hair vibrant in the poorly lit basement. The smells were assaulting, caustic odors of embalming fluid and the underlying smell of something dead. That paired with the drifting stench of cigarette smoke was overwhelming enough to make the poor thing cough spastically, newly revived lungs sputtering to breath through the disgusting atmosphere. Jin never claimed to be obsessively neat, his work space proved that much.
After the being settled down, the eyes moving to watch the other living form in the room, Jin stood. The redhead in the corner tensed, wanting to run but not knowing where else to go, the basement was cluttered and confusing, a labyrinth of dark corners and steel, nothing but the bare bulb lighting the dank space. The tall scientist, if you could call him that, moved forward and removed the cigarette, putting it out in half empty cup of wine that was gathering a film on the surface. It hissed out of existence, nothing but a still life in a world filled with them.
"I won't hurt you," the deep voice echoed in the room, despite its low volume. Jin continued to approach, pausing to kneel a few feet away and outstretching one long fingered hand. Of course the creature was afraid, it was newly born in a strange place, with a strange person. So he waited there, being as patient as he could be. If he chose to stay curled up there he'd turn off the light and leave him there, like he did to Akira. He had waited until the crying would start to turn the light back on, worked wonders.
Though he doubted he would have to do it with this one, who was already curiously observing the pale digits that remained outstretched and waiting. Slowly the figure uncurled, reaching out to touch with his suede covered fingers. Jin had developed a habit of covering them up, desensitizing them at first and then letting them get used to touch later. The experience of living was a bit too much to handle at first, sensations could come later, though he had found blindfolding was not effective, nor was taking away their sense of hearing. Touch worked wonders but touch was for later.
He let those curious fingers pet over his own, moving over the pointer and into the palm, tracing his lifeline. The suede felt sensual against his overworked skin, his hands still a bit numb from all the work he had been doing. Slowly he closed his hand around the one in his, squeezing lightly before releasing. Green eyes looked up at him, watching the movements and mimicking at times. Jin could see the intelligence forming, he had no doubt it would only be a matter of days before he had adjusted nicely to his new mortal coil.
"Come on," he stood, taking the hand in his and guiding the form up with him. The height difference was obvious, the redheads frame only stood at about 5'7 and that was with the slight heel of the boots. Jin himself stood at 6'4, towering over all his toys and not particularly by design. Though he would not deny he liked them much smaller then himself, aesthetic purposes by far.
Right now he was weary and the first night the creations always slept with their Master, to get them used to him. They belonged to him and they would soon realize this and accept it. That was the first step to not being outright dismembered and tossed back into the grave you had been dug out of. There had been more then the first three, some rebellious to the point that it became a hassle and others that had not quite been alive enough. Shinji had almost been discarded but Jin could not bear to part with his first creation…he was attached to the beautiful boy as much as said boy was attached to him. He didn't mind having to give a bit of extra care, despite it being annoying at times, but that was the price you paid for having pets.
Jin took a few steps away, seeing if the now standing creature would follow. After a few more moments passed the redhead indeed followed, boot heels clicking on the stone floor, resounding off the walls. Every noise made the being draw closer and closer to Jin until the redhead hugged his arm, cheek pressed against the bicep. The Master had learned not to trip over his pets most of the time, considering most all of them got underfoot at times. Kojiro in particular who crowded his space any time he was given a few feet to do so. Akira never came near him and Shinji was in his arms if out of the Abode.
They crested the first set of stairs, before walking down the hall, away from the room where the redhead would spend most of his time in the future and up the next set of stairs. The halls were lit with oil lamps, the smell was distinctly strange, not bad but not particularly pleasant. Perhaps like mothballs or grandparents, the beings nostrils flared, taking it in and making a face of distaste. Already in his mind he was making points of fixing it so he didn't have to be bothered by it again, showing that he was developing as quickly as he had been expected to. Into the room furthest down the hall they went, past three closed doors and a bathroom that stood dark, untouched by the lights that flickered in the hallway.
Jin grabbed a light from the hallway before entering the bedroom, casting the meager flame across a four poster bed, covered in a blanket of black velvet and luxurious brocade pillows. A wolf fur coverlet was draped over the footboard, looking soft and sumptuous. The Master released the other, nudging him towards the bed lightly as he set the light on the nigh table beside a white porcelain bowl with wash water inside of it from this morning…or maybe the night before. Time didn't exist in this place, especially when he was working on a new creation.
The redhead looked forlorn for a moment at the loss of contact, suede covered fingers reaching out to touch the blanket, frowning when it didn't feel like it should. At that he looked at his hands and then at Jin's, who was busy undoing the buttons of his white dress shirt. Slowly he rolled up the loose sleeves of his shirt, finding the edge of the glove and removing one, blinking with interest as pale white skin was exposed. The cuticles of his nails were still a bit blue, his life so fresh in him that the death had yet to fade away.
After the Master's shirt had been removed, he turned to see what the redhead was up to, eyebrow raising as he watched the second glove get dropped to the floor. "Well, aren't you the smart one," he commented, a dry chuckle bubbling from the back of his throat. He supposed he was now warranted in having had high hopes for this one. So he let the other explore, sitting down to remove his boots as the redhead moved around the room stroking newly bared fingertips over every available surface before returning back to the bed where Jin was now laying, leaning against the headboard and observing.
The redhead stood at the end of the bed, shifting from one foot to the other, eyes on the Master. Obviously, he was unsure whether to join or not, the green eyes were almost ocean like in the light, looking a bit different then they had before. Jin tilted his head, creases arriving in his forehead. He reached out his hand against, wiggling his fingers to see if the creature would respond as he had the last time or if he was going to have to get up and coax him onto the bed physically.
Though it seemed there was no need for any coaxing, after a few moments one hand pressed onto the velvet coverlet, though they jerked back with surprise. Again he reached forward, warily pressing fingertips to the soft blanket and stroking lightly. A smile curved over handsome lips and the other hand joined, pressing down and rubbing against the material, reveling in its feel against his bare flesh. Shifting one knee slid onto the bed, suede against velvet, the other joining soon after as the redhead stretched cat-like on the soft surface in obvious pleasure. Eventually he made it to the Masters hand, touching it again as he lay down beside Jin's long legs.
"I wonder how long it will take you to understand," Jin spoke idly, reaching to stroke his fingers over the handsome things pale cheek, tilting his head up so he could see his eyes better in the lamp light. He didn't frown, but his brows knitting together in confusion. He'd been sure the eyes he'd chosen had been completely green, but now as he looked at them they were a teal that could match the murky depths of the ocean. Not quite green but not blue either, something unknown but clear…unique. "Hm…"
While yellow eyes were locked on teal, the creatures made a similar face to Jin's, brows knitting. "Hm…" he echoed, voice not deep but not effeminate either, a bit scratching still because of dusty, unused vocal cords that were humming to life for the first time. Simultaneously they blinked at each other, the redhead clearing his throat reflexively because of the scratchiness that had made itself known and Jin because he hadn't expected to be mimicked so immediately.
"Well, someone is advancing rather quickly," he murmured, smirk appearing on his features as he leaned a bit to reach the bedside table, taking a small pack of hand rolled cigarettes off the wooden surface. He put one between his lips and lit it, the smell of burning tobacco flaring in the room quickly, a soft smell that had permeated just about everything in the small domain, somewhat pleasant in its musky sweetness. Taking a deep drag he expelled the smoke in a cloud, the opaque mist lingering around his lips before dispersing. "Do you want to try my name? Can you say Master?…Master?" he touched his chest when he said it, indicating it was what he was to call him.
The redhead watched the smoke in fascination, though didn't reach to touch it, realizing the futility as it disappeared into thin air. There was frightening intelligence behind those eyes, working and fighting to gather everything quickly and store it away for later use. When Jin spoke he watched his lips move and then his hand indicate, remaining quiet for a few moments. Then the words formed on his lips, testing them before he added the voice. "Master…" his hand came up to press against the spot where Jin's had just rested, fingertips touching over thin, pale chest though his teal eyes remained on the other's sharp featured face.
"That's right…Master," he agreed, letting those fingers wander over his chest where the bones were prominent and the skin was scarred, right over his heart was the worst, pink skin raised where he had been cut open and examined. Raising his hand again he pointed at the redhead, pressing into the exact spot where he had touched his own chest. "Kiyosumi."
The redhead debated this, looking at where the finger touched into him and tilting his head, "Kiyo." The statement rung out, declaring that he had a mind of his own and giving the man that created him all the faith in the world that this was the One, that he had finally created the perfect being. Smiling genuinely, well as genuinely as someone such as himself could, he nodded. "Kiyo it is then," he agreed, keeping his finger pointed at him so that he knew that he was referring to him.
At that the newly named creature made a noise of agreement, scooting closer to the other and resting his head down on one of the pillows. Fingers stayed placed lightly on the scientist's chest, moving in a circular motion against the skin nonchalantly. The sheer exhaustion from the strain on his newly awakened body and organs was starting to set in, those teal eyes drifting half open, fighting for consciousness once his head had hit the pillow.
"Sleep," the Master said, finishing off the cigarette with a crackle of paper and a flare of red, grinding it out on a small oriental ashtray he had acquired from some antiques dealer in town. The ash covered the pretty pink sakura's and the swallow that had alighted on the branch, smudging out the lovely picture with filth. When yellow eyes drifted back to his creation the redhead was asleep, breathing quietly in the silent room, chest rising and falling rhythmically.
Shifting Jin slid down the scuffed cherry headboard and settled down on his back, sighing softly at the softness of the covers. Those odd eyes closed, concentrating on the hand on his chest and the breathing against his side. Soon his own breath matched the redheads as he drifted into a sleep more satisfying then he had in months. Though in the darkness, not everyone found rest.
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