Disclaimie:
Moo…
Another Onigiri Tale
Plot by: The Can-Can group
Prologue
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Kyoko leaned against the brick wall, her breath coming out in short gasps as she tried to regain her breath from having to run so much. Footsteps run past her, telling her that she has given her chasers the slip, for the time being at least.
She went to the end of the alley, looking around the corner to see if it was safe enough to leave her new found hiding spot. However, just as she was about to leave the alley between the two buildings, someone grabbed her mouth and pulled her back into the shadows. "Shh," the person whispered into her ears as soon as the person stopped pulling her backwards. "I'm going to let you go, please, whatever you do, don't go screaming and allow us to get caught in a clichéd way." She hesitantly nodded, whatever it took to get in a breath of air.
"Sorry about that," the person (which she realized was a man just a few years older then herself) apologized as she took in deep breaths. "I didn't want you to go out there and get caught. There are so few of us left."
Once she was done breathing in rigidly and had gone down to a regular breathing pattern, she asked, "Us?"
"Rebels, I guess the correct term is what we would be called," the man answered. "There are only handfuls that don't like the way things are going. Too many conspiracies by the government, people mysteriously dying, or vanishing, woman forced to give birth to unnatural babies, you know, the works. Or, at least, I'm assuming that is why you were running away from those guys before."
She nodded. She explained to him about how her family sold her for money to the Facility, where, once she was old enough, was told that she was next to give birth to an experiment. She told the man about how there's screaming and then silence during these births. No woman had ever survived the birthing of one of the experiments and she really didn't want to be the next one to be dumped into the incinerator. "So, I just escaped using my skills from when I was still living in the city."
The man said nothing as he began to look around. "Are you trustworthy?" He finally asked as he walked to the end of the alley, where a wall stood, making it a dead end.
"I guess."
The man smiled as he tapped on a brick with his forefinger. He stepped to the side as the ground that he was just standing over began to slide behind the wall, revealing a set of stairs. "This leads to the Tokyo Division of Rebels."
She followed him in awe as he began to descend the slime-covered stairs. Once her foot touched semi-flat ground, the sound of stone and gears grinding announce the fact that they aren't going to be followed and that the passage was safe. Not only that, artificial lights flickered on, so that they wouldn't accidentally bump into things. "My name's Honda Katsuya, by the way." The man, Katsuya suddenly said, nearly scaring her.
"Mine is Kyoko," she replied, blinking. "Where are we going?"
"This is basically our hide out, any rebels are housed here and are given jobs that will help out with things."
Kyoko frowned. "What happens if someone weren't one of you and betrayed you?"
Katsuya paused in his walking, as if trying to figure out a way to word his thoughts. After a moment of not moving, Katsuya continued walking forward. "For one thing, we have contracts where if you reveal us, you're basically dead meat, that and we kinda… watch people for a month or two before we even reveal our presence."
It took a moment for what the light browned haired man to sink in. "So that means…"
She could tell that he was blushing as he nodded. "Yep, we've been kind of watching you, ever since you were sold." Katsuya could've sworn he heard the late teen call him a perv.
They finally saw light at the end of the damp tunnel. After emerging from it, Kyoko couldn't believe her eyes, it was a small underground village. Tents and encampments all over the place, children running all over the place, men and women carrying weapons and wearing discrete uniforms heading towards another tunnel, and smells of cooking arising from the center. "This way," Katsuya commanded.
He led Kyoko through the small village. People greeted him as he walked passed by, children ran up to him and gave him foods, saying that it was from their mothers, all in all, it seemed like he was a very popular person amongst the people living there. "Popular, aren't we?" Kyoko said with much cynicism. Kastuya just smiled nervously in response.
They arrived at a tent in the heart of the "city" of tents. Katsuya entered it and since he didn't tell her to not follow, Kyoko entered after him. It seemed to be central command, maps and layouts of the city above them were placed on the cloth walls, an old, and yet still working computer in a corner, there was even a large, fold out table in the center.
"Found another one, eh Kastuya?" A man laughed from his position at the computer. "You're like one of those people who gave all their live savings to people in third world countries, not realizing that its just a scam." Katsuya just blushed as he stood there, taking in the ridicule. However, Kyoko didn't like it, at all…
"What the heck are you all talking about? I'm not some dumb charity case! I heard about this place from someone and he just happened to be the first person that I could get a hold of!"
The man who was laughing held his hands up in defense. "Whoa there missy, we just like to tease him a bit. Besides, the only ones who are allowed to tell anyone about us is the boss man himself or the Council."
"That means…"
"Yep, Honda here, is the boss man," The man laughed. "A wimpy one though." This made the said person blush even more, it was like he was trying to seem a little tougher then he actually was. Kyoko wasn't sure on whether to laugh with the man or just leave. One laugh did escape her, however.
Finally, Katsuya overcame his small blushing problem and took his position as leader. "Putting that aside," he said, slightly raising his voice. "Miss Kyoko here has been inside the Facility, the only building that we don't have all the schematics for. She probably could tell us things that we might need to know."
Kyoko shook her head. "I was in the Holding for most of the time. Although," she paused. "I did grab a disk that has maps for the place. I needed to find an easy way out of there, it doesn't have everything on it though, just the areas I needed most."
"That's good enough," The laughing man replied as he had Kyoko hand the diskette over to him. "I'll check it out later, first I need to talk to Mr. Boss Man about something." Kyoko knew a dismissal when she heard one, as did Katsuya. "Let me show her to a tent before we start." He left before the laughing man could even reply.
Katsuya walked, mumbling about insubordinate subordinates and something about a certain someone's head rolling far, far away. "Wait for me!" Kyoko cried out as she almost lost sight of him. That seemed to make him stop. Katsuya waited for her to catch up before continuing on his trek. "Sorry about that, Ginta tends to be…"
"Its okay," Kyoko chirped. "If he hadn't done that, I wouldn't have known that you are a such a gentleman instead of a dirty man looking for good times."
Katsuya sighed. "You're not the first to think that…" Kyoko began to laugh and to him, it was the greatest thing he ever heard.
Katsuya stopped outside of a rather small tent. "This is yours, so you don't need to worry about sharing with someone. This is actually an extra one that's been vacant for awhile now." Kyoko entered the tent. It was roomier then it looked on the outside. On one side a futon was rolled up, gathering dust, aside from that, there was very little. Kyoko figured that as soon as Katsuya left, she'd air out the futon.
"If you need water, its right down this row to your right," Katsuya proceeded to say. "We'll have to also see about getting you some food and clothes."
Kyoko waved her hand in a dismissing sort of way. "Don't worry about food, I took some before I left." To prove what she said, she pulled out some bread and dried food from her pocket. "And I'll just talk to some of the other women and see if they have any. I still need to learn my way around here and that'll be the best way to do it."
Katsuya realized that the eighteen year old, was, indeed, very independent and had her own views about life, something he very much admired about a person. "Okay then, I'll let you get settled in."
The orange haired teen nodded silently as she turned her attention onto him. "Thanks," she whispered quietly. "If it weren't for you, I'd probably be screaming and wishing that I was dead by now." Her eyes shinned brightly as she looked at him with admiration and thankfulness.
He blushed heavily. He quickly turned around and left the tent. Kyoko blinked as he popped his head back in a few seconds later, some blush left over shinning on his face. "I'll see you later."
…………………………………
Kyoko woke up to the artificial light flickering on through out the entire compound. She stared at the ceiling of the tent, remembering that she had been staying in the underground rebel camp for the past week. "He lied," she muttered as she slowly got out of the futon. He promised that he would see her later, but he never stopped by since she had seen him last. She wasn't allowed near the HQ club tent (short for "Horny Queers Club" named out of spite) since she's now just a civilian-esque person. That frustrated her, she wanted to met up with Katsuya and talk with him some more.
"I'm just being selfish," she growled out to herself. It was true. She was being selfish. Kyoko blamed it on the fact that she hasn't gotten used to the artificial lights and because of this, she hasn't been getting to sleep properly. In the back of her mind, she knew that he was a man dedicated to his cause. She just wish that she could find something to be dedicated to, that way she wouldn't be so bored all the time.
Kyoko grabbed a shirt from the pile of clothes that she got from the other women that were kind enough to give her some and put it on. The clean clothes pile was getting smaller than the dirt pile, which spelled a laundry day for her soon. She sighed. It was way too early for that kind of stuff.
Her slim fingers combed through her long hair, trying to brush the long mass as best as she could. She figured that she would try to find someone to cut it all off one of those days, since it was rather redundant to keep it long, it'll just get in the way of things.
The pathways between the tents were just starting to show signs of life as people emerged, getting ready for another day in the camp underneath the government's nose. Kyoko headed to the small well a few yards away from her tent, trying to get there before the crowds and other people whom she had taken a certain "disliking" to.
If only she were so lucky.
There they were, the women who had nothing better to do than gossip about other people's lives. The first time she went to the well at the same time that they were there, she nearly punched them all for what they were saying about her (and in front of her, no less!). Fortunately, she regained control, ignored them, and continued on her way.
"Did you hear?" One of the women whispered to the others. "The new one is a…" Kyoko ignored them. She really didn't want to know if the newbie was a whore, a businessperson, or even the President of what used to be the USA. She just wanted to fill her canteen up so that she wouldn't have to make another trip to the well just to get some water.
"I also heard that Katsuya had been bedding her!" Another gossiping woman whispered in a conspired tone.
For some reason, just hearing that load of bull, made Kyoko very upset and pissed off. She turned angrily towards the women, glaring with all her might, which in turn made the women defensive. "What is it that you want?" One of the women snootily asked, eyes narrowed dangerously.
The unsaid challenge, just exactly what Kyoko was waiting for. Her eyes landed on an old pipe lying on the ground. Slowly, she went over to it and picked it up, whilst the women watched her slow movements. Memories of when she was the leader of a gang, before she was in the Facility and when she was still in the city, played in her mind, how she relished in the feeling. Her muscles twitched in anticipation, ready for the ensuing action. Her eyes began to become wild and yet sharp, just like it used to be. She lightly tapped the rusted pipe in her hand, watching the women's reaction. "What is it do you think that I want?"
The women backed away slowly in fear. A crowd began to form, blocking their escape. One of the women was brave enough to step forward. "You don't scare me! You're just some whore from above, trying to steal Katsuya. We can never forgive you for that!"
Kyoko's eyes narrowed even further, if there's one thing she really didn't like, its people who think of another person as a possession. Slowly, her lips curved into a smirk. She walked over to a vendor, smiled and apologized (promising to pay the owner back), and grabbed a watermelon. She placed to giant fruit on a table and brought her pipe down on it, causing the juices and flesh to fly everywhere. She leaned against the pipe and smiled, making her seem like some sadist. The "hens" stared, eyes widened, mouths hanging open. "All I say this once and only once!" She shouted, still smiling a smile that didn't reach her eyes. "I don't wanna hear you ever talk about Katsuya like that again, ever! If you are bored and need something to do, don't go around gossiping, just go sew or do something productive and if I have to go through this again, there will be hell to pay, go it?"
Nervously, the women nodded their heads, not wanting to face her wrath and they left the area in a quick pace.
The rest of the crowd was silent for a moment, staring at the closet violent ex-gang leader. She sighed and smiled (a true one this time). "Sorry about that folks!" She said nervously, but trying hard to not show it. "Sorry you had to see that." She pulled out a few coins, handed them to the vendor, and left, going through a break in the crowd. The murmuring of the people pricked at the back of her neck and made her feel hot and nervous. She really hated being judged for her momentary lapse of when her old self shows through.
"Miss Kyoko!"
The said person turned around, seeing Katsuya trying to catch up to her. Just great, Kyoko thought. Now she would have to avoid him, she didn't want to know what he thought of her now that he has seen her old-self. Pretending to not have heard him, she continued on, hoping to but in some distance between herself and Katsuya.
Too bad, he's a very determined person. He just wouldn't give up in chasing her. When she went into the women's lavatories, he waited for her to emerge and when half-hour passed and realized that she found a way to get out, he searched the area until he found her and continued to go after her.
All in all, she did have to give credit to the man.
Kyoko came upon the two feet deep canal, the main water source for the camp, and forced herself to slow down and take in a breath to regain some oxygen into her lungs, least she runs out or something.
Katsuya's hand shot out of now where and grabbed onto her arm. Turning the teen around, he asked, in a hurt tone, "Why were you running away from me?"
The adrenaline left her system quickly and due to her exhaustion, she had a hard time from holding back her tears. "I didn't want you to see what I once was."
"Was?"
Kyoko's body shock as she tried to regain control. "The reason why I was sold wasn't just because we were poor, it was also because I was a delinquent and they couldn't control me anymore." A cynical smile spread across her face as a small tear let loose. "Of course, the Facility beat that out of me real fast."
Warm arms enveloped her. At first she wanted to pull away or do something so that she wouldn't feel uncomfortable anymore, but he was stronger than he looks and kept on holding onto her, allowing her to realize that she didn't have to act tough. "I don't know what to say," Katsuya whispered in her ear. "I can't say that I know how you feel, since I'm not you." He smiled. "The only thing that I can offer is my arms and a place that will protect you."
She scoffed. "But you haven't visited me in a week! I hate not being able to nothing. I need to do something to help out, or I'll go nuts."
"I'm sorry. I was really busy. If it's any consolation, I thought about you most of the time."
Kyoko didn't reply as she leaned in further to the embrace. She wondered when was the last time she was hugged? Maybe it was before she met those girls who allowed her to join in their gang, or was it before she started drinking and smoking, or perhaps it was when she was a baby (since she couldn't even remember that's most probable). It doesn't matter, she'll just think of this as her first.
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A year passed.
There were a few more incidents between her and the women, but in the end, she was the one to win. Katsuya made it point to visit at least once a week, unless he had to go topside for a while on various missions. It was at those times when she realized that she felt like a wife, waiting for her husband to come home safe and sound. It made her feel sick and like she wanted to puke. She never figured herself for one of those types.
She looked at the clock sitting on her bookcase. It was time to get going; least she becomes late for her first day. After months of searching around, she finally found something where her skills could be useful as a combat training instructor. When she was in the gang, Kyoko had learned to use various types of weaponry and how to fight efficiently (or as much as you can get in street brawls). It took her eight months of training and classes for her to be able to sign up for this position and she was confident that she would get it.
Checking to see if everything in her tent was in order, she left.
She had been long since used to the artificial lights, so her eyes adjusted smoothly, and the musty smell that had permeated the underground camp due to the lack of quality air. People quietly greeted her as she walked along the rows, heading to one of the larger tents. Everyone talked softly in the camp, mostly out of fear that too much noise will give away their position to those who live on the topside. Not that Kyoko minded, she loves peace and quiet and took her time relishing in it.
She arrived at the tent a few minutes early. There was another person, working out and practicing for the exam. She was slightly nervous about the exam. There were two parts to it; the first was the written portion that was about common sense and the like. The final portion was a mock class where the examiners had to pretend that they didn't have a clue about weapons and the examinees were the teachers, teaching about how to use weaponry. They had to come up with their own lesson plans, something that took Kyoko over a week to figure out.
Just thinking about it made her even more nervous. Her pulse was starting to rise as the minutes ticked by and the sweat was starting to kick in. The part of the exam that scared her most was the written portion. When she was in school, she'd be so nervous because of a test that she'd pass out or threw up. That was one of the many reasons why she had dropped out of school, because of the tests.
Kyoko sat down in one of the chairs stationed around a fold-down table. Study guide in hand, she began to study whilst other people there to take the test entered the tent.
About half and hour passed. Slightly less nervous about the test, Kyoko stood up to stretch out her muscles. There were a few more people in the tent, about ten, most of which she recognized from the classes that she had to take. That was perhaps the only comfort, knowing that they have about the same amount of knowledge as she does.
A woman stepped through the flap, folders in hand. "Okay," She called out, gathering everyone's attention. "The written portion is about to start. I need everyone to take a seat at the table."
There was a light scuffle of feet as everyone took a seat at the table. Papers and pencils were passed out while the silence fell upon them as they started the test.
Kyoko tapped the end of her pencil against her mouth thoughtfully as she stared at a question, willing the answer to show itself to her. When none came, she just went with her gut and continued with the test. An hour past, which seemed to have stretched out for an eternity. Thankful that she got the test done, she put her pencil down and allowed the woman to collect the paper up. Silently, she waited for everyone else to finish up.
Another fifteen minutes went by and the last person to finish the written part turned the booklet containing the questions and the paper with his answers on it.
"Go to the tent next door," the woman instructed as she put the papers into a large folder so that they could be looked at later.
Kyoko followed the others to the tent next door. They were stopped by one of the examiners, who told them to wait outside the tent and that they are going to be called in one at a time for the second part. Bored, she sat down, leaning against a crate and waited for almost two hours, making conversation with the others every once in awhile. When it was finally her turn to go in, she stood up and went inside the tent. There were six people there in total. Not only that, but Katsuya was there and he seemed just as surprised to see her, as she was to see him.
One of the others coughed as he took out her folder and began to scan it. "It says here that you are eighteen, is this correct?" Kyoko nodded, the nervousness starting to kick up again.
The man sighed. "I'm sorry, but we can't accept someone as young as you for the position." He looked at her distastefully. It was obvious that he didn't like her, or maybe it was just the fact that perhaps, he doesn't like young people getting jobs that "adults" should be having.
She scowled in confusion. If they didn't want her for the job, why the hell did they allow her to take the classes in the first place? "Why not?" She asked, her anger rising. "With the meager amount of people here, you really can't be picky about something such as age. Shouldn't this be about my skill and not my age?"
The man's eyes narrowed. "I'd suggest that you calm down. Getting worked up won't change the fact that you aren't old enough."
"My ass!" Kyoko yelled. This is all beyond belief.
A woman stood up, causing her chair to screech back. "I will not tolerate this at all!" Kyoko clenched her hands. "Not only are you not of age, there have been reports that you have been in several fights all ready and that you had dropped out of school so that you could be a delinquent!" The woman forced herself to calm down, taking in deep breaths. Slowly, she sat back down.
"But-!" Kyoko wanted to know how they knew about that particular time of her youth.
"Mrs. Sugisaki," Katsuya was the one to speak up that time, his soothing voice, calming everyone down. "I must implore that allow her to have the take the test so that we can see if she's qualified."
The woman glared at him. "And you," She pointed an accusatory finger at Katsuya. "You know her. We can't allow someone who knows or is related to anyone on the panel to hold a job. It's too much of a risk. I can't hire her based on your opinion."
Katsuya frowned. "The population of the camp is small, only about two hundred people. How can I not have met her?"
"You two are seen in the company of each other all the time. She'd be a risk."
Kyoko's fingernails dug into her palms, almost breaking the skin. "What type of risk would I be? The only thing that I would be doing is teaching. How the heck is that a risk?"
The man from before slapped a closed fist onto the table. "Enough! The council has spoken. You are to not have this job. Please leave."
Trying her hardest to not get too upset in front of them, Kyoko left in a blink of an eye. Behind her, they argued for a few minutes about what had just transpired and called the next person in. It wasn't fair, Kyoko thought as she slowed down to a slow walk. Her bangs covered her eyes, blood trickled out of the small cuts from her palms, not that she cared, and she began to quiver. Ignoring questioning glances, she kept on walking until she got to her "secret hide out" that she had found. All it was was a dark corner in the recess of the underground area, right behind someone's tent. Sitting down, she leaned her forehead to her knees and cried.
Hours later, after she had fallen asleep, Katsuya found her. He was truly sorry about what had happened. He never thought that the council would discriminate against age, or at least they hadn't when he began leading the recon group. He was the same age as Kyoko when that happened, so why are they so reluctant to allow her to have the job?
"Hey," He whispered softly to the sleeping teen. Gently, he prodded her awake.
Moaning softly, she opened her eyes. They were still red and puffy from her tears, but they had the haziness from just being awoken. "'S time is it?" She asked, rubbing her eyes.
"Around three," He replied. "May I sit down?"
The girl didn't say anything, so he took that as a "yes." He sat down next to her, leaning against the cool bricks with a leg extended while the other one was pulled up to him. "If I had known," He said, softly. "That they would've done that, then I would've warned you against taking that job. Of course, I had no clue that you would do that job, but still…"
"Stop," She whispered. "It's not your fault. It's mine for thinking that I could just get a job here. I was wrong. However, so were they. With good help so limited here, they shouldn't be going against me just because I'm eighteen. From what I have heard, they have all the power here."
He nodded in agreement. The system that they made was supposed to be something similar to checks and balances; however, the council somehow began to overrule everything until they had all the power. "They are the ones who decide who gets jobs, like the one that you were applying for. Except," He smiled. He must've gotten an idea, Kyoko thought as she watched him. "That they can't tell me who is on my team."
Her eyes widened. "Are you…?"
He nodded, smiling. "We've tried to get into the Facility many a times, however, the security's too good there, even for us. I would like to offer you the chance to be our 'security hacker'."
When she was still in high school, Kyoko had hacked into her school's security system in order to cause a fire alarm so that she could get out of there while everyone was in a panic. She was caught and severely punished, despite her efforts. There had also been times when she was in the gang when she had to bypass the security system to stores so that the others in the gang could get in to take what they wanted. Finally, her was her chance to use her skills. All it took was one word…
"Yes."
And she was in.
………………………………………………
Today was the day. The day that they were, after months of preparing, were going to finally going to invade the Facility. Kyoko followed the Katsuya and the rest of the team up the stone steps, none of them talking, mentally preparing for the task ahead. The reached the spot where the mechanism to open the passage was at. Ginta, the man that's very laid back, gave her a look. Nodding, she pried open one of the stones, revealing a screen with four images of the streets above. "The coast is clear," she whispered.
Ginta nodded and stepped on one of the stones, pushing it down further. Gears and stones grinded at the top of the steps and the passage was opened, allowing fresh air to hit their faces. Looking once more at the screen, Kyoko nodded and everyone went up the steps.
Everyone drew his or her weapons, poised, and ready incase of an attack. Silently, they made their way to the looming building in the center of the city, using the alleys and dark areas as a way to get there. Kyoko swallowed. It has been a long time since she has been to the Facility, however there are times when what she had gone through gave her many nightmares in the dead of the night. The type of nightmares that makes you wake up in an instant, in a cold sweat, with tears rolling down your face.
The building stood in front of them, once they had gotten there without any hitch, unchanged since the last time. She pulled the back bag off of her back and placed it next to the security panel next to the door. Kyoko took out a small hand-held computer and proceeded to hook it up to the panel. The stylus pointed and probed on the small computer and after a few minutes of her holding her breath and licking her lips to keep them moist, she smiled happily and nodded to her teammates. "All clear. You have an hour to get to the information that we need and get out of there. Right now, I'm trying to send a loop through their cameras, but you still need to be careful."
The others nodded. Ginta was the first to enter through the door, after making sure that his headset was on and could transmit and receive. The rest followed him. Katsuya was the last to go through. "I'll be back," He whispered.
"Make sure that you do."
With a slight smile and a blush, he entered into the dark abyss of the halls of the building.
Kyoko, after getting out of her stupor, went back to work on the loop and after a few moments, it was threaded through. She even made it so that she could use the cameras to keep an eye on her team. Every so often, she would check in on the team, using the headsets, to make sure that everything is going okay. Aside from that, there was nothing else that she could do, except wait and hope that everything goes all right.
Cars past by, birds called out into the night, lights turned off, and the moon shinned brightly. After being underground for a while, Kyoko had learned, quickly, that the world above was a precious thing. It's too bad that it's all ruined by wars, famine, and everything else that ruins the peace and quiet. There were even areas that were once great forests and cities that got caught up in battles and wars and had been reduced down to deserts and apocalyptic waste lands. It saddens her. Maybe it's a good thing that she's down there all the time, that way she wouldn't have to face it all and live without knowing.
Gunfire burst out, interrupting the quiet of the night.
Quickly, she pulled on the headset and checked her computer. "What the hell is going on?" She cried out as she went through the cameras. She couldn't see a thing though. Someone must've realized that there was a loop and blacked out all the cameras.
"… Under fire… Can't… Too many…" The transmission crackled into her radio. Unfortunately, she couldn't make out what was happening, there was too much noise from the guns. Kyoko went through the different frequencies, hoping to get a clear channel. That didn't do much help, though; she still couldn't get a clear answer.
Kyoko began to panic. She tried every hacking skill that she had in order to get her feed back, but to no avail. No one was answering her back, making her fear the worst. "No," She muttered. "Please, don't be dead, Katsuya."
The door beside her banged open. She hid herself instinctually, going into the darkness. Four of her teammates came out, looking worse for the wear. Slowly, she left her hiding spot and greeted her comrades. "Where's Katsuya?" Kyoko asked, making sure that they were all right.
One of them shook his head. They didn't know where he was at; everyone lost communication with each other.
Before the emotions of possibly losing her only friend, Kyoko clenched her jaw to the point that her teeth were hurting from all of the pressure. There must be something that she could do, anything! She rattled her brain for ideas, but nothing came up. Her feed on the cameras that she hacked into was blocked and nothing was coming in on the audio.
Someone grabbed onto her arm, pulling her along, away from the building. She tried to resist, trying to get back to the building. "But-!"
"We need to get going. Honda would want you to get back to safety and not worry."
How could she not worry, Kyoko wanted to ask. Katsuya was there to consol her on a few occasions and even got her a job. How could she not worry about the one person who was there for her since the beginning? A tear fell and then another. That was it, only two tears, one for herself and her desperation, and one for Katsuya.
Twenty minutes later, she was sitting in her tent, staring listlessly at nothing with all emotions devoid from her face. They said that if he doesn't arrive by the next night, they'll assume that he's been captured and will find another leader for their small group. Kyoko didn't want to give up so easily, she had gotten as far as the stairs before someone caught her and brought her to her tent.
Blinking at the unshed tears, Kyoko laid down on her futon, trying to get to sleep.
She was somewhere between sleep and wakefulness when someone entered her tent. Her eyes snapped open and she leaned up, getting ready to fight her intruder.
"I'm sorry," Katsuya whispered, seeing her red eyes in the darkness. "I'm so sorry." He fell to his knees and was about to fall down to his stomach if it weren't for Kyoko, who had, by that point, gotten up to steady him. Blood washed onto her hands. Her eyes caught the dark stain originating from his side. "Katsuya!"
"They killed him," He whispered as a sob broke through. "They killed Ginta!"
"We need to get you some help."
Katsuya looked down at the spot where he was wounded as if he just noticed that it was there for the first time. "Oh. I'll heal, but Ginta-" He broke out into another wave of sobs.
"At least let me dress it!" Kyoko forced him to lie down on her futon. Carefully, she unbuttoned his vest and shirt, assessing the damage. The bullet just grazed his side, taking a chunk with it, but not so much that it would cause too much excessive damage. Gritting her teeth, Kyoko grabbed the water basin lying in the corner of her tent and one of her extra shirts. Tearing off a sleeve, she dipped it in the water and wiped away the drying blood. Once the darkening liquid was wiped away, she went on to ripping the shirt into long pieces. Making him lean up she wound the stripes around his torso and tied the ends off.
Before she could get up, arms encased her to her spot and his head leaned against her shoulder. "I'm sorry," His voice lifted into her ears. "I made you worry too, didn't I?"
A tear left the side of her eyes, but she didn't say anything. His body began to shake and quiver, again. Repeatedly, he whispered, "I'm sorry" over and over again, to the point that she couldn't stand it anymore. Her arms, of their own accord, lifted and wrapped around him, taking care of the wound. "It's okay." She began to rock him like a mother would with her child. "It's okay."
Neither one said anything for the longest while. They sat there, on top of the futon, in the dark tent, in the underground camp, comforting the other to the best of their abilities. In her mind, Kyoko knew that night was the night that changed everything between the two of them.
"I'm sorry," Katsuya whispered, once again.
"Will you stop?" She all but yelled at him. "Of course I'm going to worry. I care for you, how can I not? And if you apologize one more time, then I'll get pissed," She said dangerously, seeing his mouth open again.
As the two of them stared at each other, one still unsure if what she said was true and the other sure that if he opened his mouth again, she would hurt him, something clicked. They leaned in closer and closer, allowing the outside forces to take control and made contact. That night was the night she realized that she loved him with all her heart.
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Nine months later, Tohru came into the world, crying and screaming as she took in her first breath. Kyoko leaned back against the pillows, exhausted and yet, happy that there was another for her to love. After her newborn daughter was washed in warm water, she was placed in her mother's awaiting arms, sleeping silently.
"Can I come in now?" Katsuya's voice sounded from the other side of the flap. He must've been very worried, Kyoko thought as one of the nurses pulled the flap back to allow the man in. Katsuya rushed to her side, looking slightly worried at her own health and the baby's.
"It's a girl," She said excitedly to him, showing her daughter to her husband. Her voice's sore, Katsuya noted, figuring that it was from all her screaming and cursing like a sailor during the delivery. "Are we still naming her Tohru?"
Her eyes narrowed towards him. "Yes." Their first argument was over what their baby's name was going to be. If it was going to be a guy, he wanted it to be Kurosuke and if it was going to be a girl, he wanted it to be Megumi. However, she didn't see eye to eye with him about that one. She wanted her child to be Tohru, whether if it was a boy or a girl. When he talked about what if the baby was a girl, she said that having a guy's name would be "cool," "cute," and "a whole hell of a lot better than any other girl's name." He decided to concede to her will.
The nurses and the doctor left Katsuya's tent once they made sure that everything is all right and cleaned up the mess that was made during the birthing. He was grateful that Kyoko had decided to move to his tent a month before. His tent is closer to the med tent and a little bit roomier than hers.
Kyoko was grateful that she wasn't as big as she used to be moments before. After the first few months, Katsuya didn't allow her to go on any more missions. She was stuck in the Horny Queers Club tent (she was still sore about not being able to see Katsuya because of them when she first arrived), looking over mission files and such like. When it was getting closer to her due date, he told her that she wasn't allowed to leave the tent, which hardly stopped her; he had come to figure out. Somewhere along those long, nine months, they had gotten married, bonded together in "Holy Macaroni," as Kyoko had come to term it.
He gazed down Kyoko and smiled. She was finally sleeping, her arms holding Tohru protectively against her. Leaning down, he carefully, took Tohru out of her arms. The little girl fussed for a moment and then calmed down as he cradled her softly in his arms. "Hi, Tohru," He whispered softly, hoping to not wake Kyoko. "I'm your dad. I hope that you'll be safe down here and I'll try everything I can in order to make sure that you are kept safe." She blindly snuggled into the giant warmth holding her and breathed in and out softly.
He smiled.
Three years past by in the blink of an eye.
Tohru grew up into a miniature Katsuya, polite beyond belief. Kyoko thought it was funny seeing her girl following Katsuya around and trying to act like him, where as Katsuya didn't know what to think about it.
They turned out to be a small and quaint family, at least during the day. Kyoko had once said that "by day, I'm just your average Suzie homemaker, however, by night, I'm the one who haunts the doorsteps of evil corporations and research centers." Tohru asked what a research center and corporations (with some difficulty) was. Kyoko replied that they were evil monsters that ruin people's lives by messing around with their brains. Tohru didn't understand what any of that meant and thusly nodded and smiled as if she did understand.
However, what Kyoko said was true. During the day, she would watch over Tohru and help around the camp. During the night, she would go on recon missions with Katsuya. As much as she loved her little daughter, she also loved going on the recon missions and didn't want to give up on that. Katsuya argued a few times over that. He thought it would be better to have her stay home during the night so that way, incase anything happens, at least one of them would be there instead of one of the other camp women who have their own families to worry about. Yes, it was best that she stayed home instead of going.
That's why, he didn't tell her about the mission that night. It's going to be a dangerous one and he didn't want her there to distract him. It would be better if she were at home where he would know she was safe and sound. Even the rest of the team agreed with him on that one. Little did Kyoko know, she's the team mascot and they all saw her as a sister.
Katsuya waited for her to fall asleep before leaving. As he left something inside of him panged at having just deceived her, even if it was for her own safety, he had to force himself to not think about it. He met up with the other guys and left.
Two hours later, Kyoko woke up with her mouth very dry and a feeling of foreboding. "Katsuya?" She called out into the darkness. When no one answered, aside from Tohru waking up to see who just called out, Kyoko went back to the futon to feel around for her husband. Discomforted when she didn't find him, Kyoko began to think of possible things that could have happen to him. The first being that this was all a dream, but with Tohru suddenly sitting next to her and leaning against her, she nixed that one. The second that he was abducted by aliens and is now being probed by them, screaming in pain as the probe enters Katsuya's skull. The last one was that he went on a mission without telling her in hopes of protecting her and Tohru. The other two choices disappeared quickly and all her attention landed on that one. "That bastard." Kyoko muttered.
Tohru blinked and Kyoko realized her mistake when the little girl opened her mouth. "What's a 'bastard'?" She asked, still blinking.
Kyoko nearly gagged on her spit. "Nothing," She hurriedly said. "Just don't ever repeat that word again, got it?"
Tohru nodded earnestly, she did whatever she could to make sure that her parents are happy and did what ever that they told her to do.
"Where's daddy at?"
"I don't know," Kyoko replied, looking at the flap to the tent as if half-expecting Katsuya to enter the area. When he does arrive, there will be much blood shedding.
Suddenly, the flap was pulled back. A glare etched onto her head, however, the smile on her lips ebbed some of the ferociousness of the glare away. However, it fell away when one of the team entered instead of Katsuya, all bruised and battered with blood leaking out of some areas. "Where-?"
Something, just something in his demeanor told her what happened. "I'm sorry," He whispered sincerely, trying to keep the tears in.
Kyoko just sat there as her world shattered around her. Her eyes wide and frozen as the teammate left the tent quietly, knowing that she would need some alone time. Tohru watched as tears fells out of the sides of her mother's eyes, one after another, wetting the sides of her face.
"Mommy, where's daddy?" Tohru asked, wondering why her dad wasn't there to help console her mom.
Suddenly, the dam broke and Kyoko let out a wail with only her child to comfort her.
……………………………………………………
Tohru woke up with a start. The tears fell gently from the side of her eyes. It was just a dream, she told herself as she leaned up and looked at a picture of her now dead mother. Just a dream about the stories of how her parents met. "Morning mother," She greeted, smiling at the photo ID picture of her mother that serves as a photograph. Tohru is the only one left of the Honda family. Her mother had died about a month back, she died the same way her father did, during one of the missions she did on occasion.
Her mother didn't want to do the recon, saying if anything were to happen to her Tohru would be all alone with no one to look out for her. However, Tohru knew that she had to go, the camp needed her to help protect everyone, and she was the only one who could understand the codes and stuff to the security systems. Her mother would go at least once a week and would come home smiling and relieved at surviving another mission. One night, and everything seemed normal that day, her mother never arrived and was said to have died in an explosion.
Her two friends, Hana and Uo comforted her while she cried for a day. After that day, she put up a happy front for her friends. If it weren't for her psychic friend and the thug from the topside world, she would've never known that she wasn't alone.
Someone knocked on one of the poles of her mother's old tent (they moved back about a year after the passing of Katsuya, about eleven years earlier). Smiling she got up from the futon, throw some clothes on, and called out, "Coming!"
Somewhere in the back of her mind, she knew that the tears weren't just for her mother and father, they were also for another family, one that she hasn't even met, one family that has a cursed secret, the same family, whose fate is about to be entwined with hers.
Nevertheless, for now, she'll celebrate her fifteenth birthday with her friends.
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Authoress's Notie:
Just to let you all know, this prologue-ish thingie can be taken as a one-shot, if you so choose. I hope that I characterized everyone correctly… (This is the longest single chapter, Devil's Game aside, that I have ever written in my life, I'm not too sure if the rest of the chapters are going to be that long, would be nice if I could do that though).
Other Comments:
Can this one say "Opps?" I'm sorry readers of my other fics, this one wouldn't just leave me the heck alone, no too mention I've been trying out different muses to see which one I like the best and the current one is just some old fat guy with a beer gut, living in his mother's trailer. Sad, isn't it?
I've been trying to work on the others, however, most of the time I just don't have to inspiration to write them or I don't know how I should continue (ie, I'm working on the last chapter for DTRDs and I've never came to the end of something on my own accord so I'm a bit apprehensive about it) I do swear that I'm trying real hard on them, even if it doesn't seem like it, with my lack of updating and all…
In other news, here's my shameless plug time:
First off, go read some of my other fics (not DTRDs, that one is THE crappiest thing I have ever written, despite it being my first and people actually read and review it (I don't get why people read it…)).
Next, I'm up on Deviant art and I even have a fan pic for Fruits Basket called "Plotting with a God" so go check that out.
Lastly, I'm up on Livejournal so if you want to know just how much I'm on the internet, go read that (ignore the more depressing entries, I have a few days were I'm just out of it…)
One last thing, don't ask about pairings, for the most part, I'm completely canon and I'm part of the Kyo/ Tohru faction, though I'm a HUGE fan of Hatsu, so expect that. Just don't bug me about that, okay? I'm not even sure what couplings there are going to be…
Questions, comments, just want to yell at me for something like your love life (or therefore, lack of), just click on the purple button (try to not get that confused with the purple pill) and go…
The Can-Can group