Title: Visio Obscura

Author: KuroiCho

Genre: OC, drama

Rating: PG, will go up in the later parts

A/N: Hn. So. My Scryed OC-fic. I hope you won't prejudice the fic only because it's OC. I'm trying my best to create original characters. If you're interested about this, please review. It might take some time before I can upload the next chapter because I'm going to be quite busy during next week. I hope you enjoy the fic!

Btw. The mentioned "Alter fire" is the name is use about the light that surrounds Alter users when they call forth their Alter.

"Ryuhou!"

The green-haired man turned around to face his commander, Martin Zigmarl. The older man handed him a small bundle of papers. Ryuhou took them, with a raised eyebrow.

"What's this all about?" he asked.

"An alarm", Zigmarl answered, "from an elderly couple in the uneducated side of the Lost Ground. They said a stranger broke in to their garden shed and has now locked itself inside. From their telling it sounds like a Native Alter User."

Ryuhou glanced at the papers in his hands and nodded.

"I see. I'll call a group and take care of it."

Zigmarl turned around and started walking away, but still said over his shoulder:

"It's nothing serious, though. It didn't sound like an emergency."

"Yes, sir."

"So, this is where he's been hiding, then?" Ryuhou looked around the shed, careful not to go too close. The couple some way behind him nodded.

"Yes, um.. he's been there for two days now", the man said. Ryuhou turned to face them.

"Have you seen anything alarming that might tell he's an Alter User?"

The old man fidgeted a bit and looked at the woman beside him.

"No.. I haven't. My wife told me she saw.. something."

Ryuhou turned his inquiring look at the elderly woman. She cleared her throat.

"Yes, it was two days then, when it was already almost night. It was dark and I thought I saw something moving in the garden. Then I thought I just imagined it. But the next morning I tried to go in the shed I saw -after I opened the door- that there was someone in there. And then -and I swear I didn't mean any harm- then I.."

Her voice went quiet and died away. Ryuhou raised an eyebrow and glanced at his HOLY colleague who was with him, a man named Takaki.

"Then what?"

The old lady shivered visibly.

"I-I heard.. voices. In my head. They just came out of nowhere and- and.. then.. there were weird.. images. I don't know where they came from, they just flowed into my head and I couldn't stop them, I.." She couldn't find the words to finish her sentence and took a deep breath. Ryuhou turned away from the couple.

"Sounds like a mind alterer", he said to Takaki. The man nodded. Ryuhou unconsciously straightened his uniform and took a position few metres away from the shed.

"So, following the plan I'll let Zetsuei take care of the breaking in and if there's any problems you take care of them."

"Roger."

"And you two would most likely want to step back a bit", Ryuhou said over his shoulder. The old couple backed away some steps. Ryuhou turned his concentration into his Alter and soon felt the slight tingling feeling in his neck and the back of his head as Zetsuei formed in front of him. He heard the couple take a sharp breath as chunks of earth vanished from their garden. He ignored them and concentrated again..

Zetsuei, attack forward. The alter swished its deadly ribbons and aimed them at the shed's door. In a flash they punctured the rough wooden surface and threw the door wide open. Ryuhou felt the other alter's attack come immediately as there was a flash of Alter fire seen in the darkness of the shed. Something looking like a pale mist came out of the door and surrounded Zetsuei. Ryuhou startled a bit at its speed but as it didn't seem to do anything to his alter, he sent another command.

Zetsuei, dissolve the attack. Zetsuei's ribbons shot into the shed, apparently aiming for the Native Alter user. For a moment Ryuhou felt his attention fading. The other alter was attacking Zetsuei instead of him, but he could still hear faint whispers in his head.

..shh, quiet.. it won't hurt.. Laughter. Quiet weeping. Ryuhou felt there was a quick flash of something in his head but he couldn't see what. ..shh, little thing.. you're just.. so.. For a moment it seemed as if the world was getting dimmer and the light was going out. But only for a second. Ryuhou took a deep breath. The voices were gone and he looked up. Takaki was entering the shed and disappeared for a moment. Then he came out, carrying a limp figure in his arms.

"It seems the attack took all his powers", he said. Ryuhou nodded and took a closer look. It seemed the alter user had been in the run for some time now. His hair was all tangled and he was as thin as a... Ryuhou frowned. There's something wrong.

Zetsuei vanished into the air and Ryuhou stepped closer to take a better look of the figure's face. He brushed aside a lump of dark, ragged hair and his eyes widened a bit.

"It's a girl", he said curtly. Takaki frowned and looked at the alter user. Indeed, the slender facial structure gave away a certain feminine look. She was just so thin she had lost all possible curves and her overloose clothes just strengthened the impression.

"You think we should get her to the headquarters?"

Ryuhou thought this for a moment. Then nodded.

"Yeah. Can you take her?" he asked, and his companion nodded, "Good. Well then, let's get going."

He turned away and bid farewell to the elderly couple before exiting the back yard.

All she could say was there was lot of pain. Waves of horrible, throbbing pain washing through her head and ending behind her eyes. She opened them.

First she saw nothing, only darkness. She thought it was only because she had been unconscious for so long, but then she realized it really was pitch black. She slowly sat up from the base she'd been lying on.

What the.. Where am I? She slung her feet over the edge of the metallic bed and tried the floor. Right, felt like concrete, a cold and flat surface. She felt her eyes slowly getting used to the dark and she started to discern the outlines of the walls. There was also a door, though it was most likely locked. Then she looked at the floor and noticed a tray with a plate on it. She tried to stand up and run to it, but her knees gave in and she fell to the floor. Shit, I'm still too weak.. She looked up and crawled forward. Tasting the food, and deciding it was not poisoned or drugged, she quickly gorged it into her mouth, faintly savoring the taste of a decent meal.

After getting some nourishment she tried standing up again, but still not succeeding. She crawled to the door and stroked the cold surface, then tried to push but it wouldn't move an inch. She let her fists fall down and cleared her throat.

"Hello?" She flinched a bit, surprised by the hoarseness of her voice. She swallowed hard and tried again. "Hello? Anybody hear?" Much better, she thought, although she couldn't make out if she was sarcastic or not. She listened for a while, then decided it was obvious nobody was going to come. She groaned slightly, crawled back to the bed and pulled herself up. Then she closed her eyes and tried to sleep some more. As if.

"Any signs of waking up or action from the Native 374?"

Some papers passed over the table, and the quiet rustling of files being moved and scanned.

"It's seems not. When was the last check about the Natives?"

"Umm, an hour and five minutes ago. But I have to file this up."

"Okay. I'll send someone else."

A young HOLY officer rose from the table and left the others. On the way to the basement floor he stopped a guardian and asked for the keys. The guardian eyed him evaluatingly.

"You sure you have the permission to go there, young lad?"

"I have. I'm an officer. Hand over the keys."

That's age racism, that's what it is. The young officer stomped towards the elevators and felt his sudden anger disperse. Ah, I got to keep myself cool with those Natives. I'll get shouted again if I screw up. Taking a deep breath he watched as the elevator doors closed and started descending.

His footsteps echoed in the dark hallway. He stopped in front of the newest Native's cell and took a glance inside from the small window. He saw nothing and knocked gently.

"Hey, you awake?" he tried to sound tough, and hoped it worked.

He pricked up his ears and screwed up his eyes. Then he realized something moved inside the room. He knocked again.

"You there. Answer if you can."

"..p-please.. help me.. I.." The voice was weak, and slightly high-pitched. The officer's eyes widened. A girl?

"W- What do you mean, help you?"

"I.. I'm.. hurt."

The officer's heart jumped a bit, and his -always reproached- habit of patronage came up. A young girl, hurt. His hands fumbled with the keys.

"H-Hold on, I'm coming in."

There was a click and the door opened. The man stepped testily inside.

"Hello? Are you-"

Then it hit him. The voices. The images.

..please, please don't hurt me. Please..

The girl sat on the bed, surrounded by Alter fire.

"You..said..", he fought for words, "..said you were.. hurt.."

The girl smiled distortedly. She mouthed the words, "I lied."

..shut up, shut up shut up shut up shut UP! you little slut or I'll hurt you more..

..and there was blood.. my god there was blood..

"It hurts! Stop! Please stop!" He heard himself screaming. And he screamed. It hurt. And he screamed.

A shock went through the officers around the tabled. A scream from the basement floors reached their ears, though faintly. Ryuhou looked around alertly.

"Did anyone go down there?" he asked.

A younger female officer bowed slightly and answered.

"Y-Yes, I think Mitsuru was sent there just a while ago."

Ryuhou widened his eyes and stated to run. Sending a new officer to check the Natives! That's insane! He quickly beckoned a not so busy-looking officer to join him and they hurried towards. And all the way, the screaming continued.

"P-Please.. stop!"

She let the man's begging drift past her ears. Like I would give you any mercy. Like you gave me any. She glanced up and smirked at the sight of the man crawling on the floor. You filthy pigs. You're all the same.

The sound of steps drawing near brought her back to reality. The others must've heard the scream. A man with green hair and a HOLY uniform appeared on the door-way. Shit.

She quickly commanded her alter to attack him. He tried to repel it, but was too slow. She watched as his face turned into a grimace of horror, just like all the others when attacked by her alter.

She's.. too fast! I must repel the attack, but.. I can't.. concentrate.

Ryuhou tried to fight against the voices rising inside his head. He felt breaking into cold sweat.

..stop, STOP please stop I don't want to play.. I don't want to.. not anymore.. STOP!

Suddenly the hallway seemed oddly dark and Ryuhou saw a man approaching him. But there wasn't any outsiders in the corridor..? Then they were there. Hands. Touching him.. there. Ryuhou struggled, the touch wasn't wanted, he felt sick. The voices mixed up with his own thoughts.

..stop stop STOP I don't want to.. It felt like someone had slashed a whip over his spine, the pain crept inside his back and spread to his stomach and legs.

It hurts! Please.. somebody.. help.

Then, like a miracle, he felt the muscles in the back of his skull tighten and the familiar feeling of Zetsuei forming filled his head. The voices were gone. Ryuhou looked up and reacted immediately.

"Zetsuei, attack!" The alter's ribbons shot forwards into the cell, capturing the girl's wrists and pushing her off her feet. He heard a faint scream and the pale mist hovering in the corridor disappeared. Ryuhou quickly wiped the sweat off of his forehead and went to help the young HOLY officer to stand up again.

He called Zetsuei back and slammed the cell's door shut. He looked through the small window and spoke to the girl.

"Apparently you think to be pretty smart. Attacking an innocent officer, that sounds pretty stupid to me. You'll just get yourself in trouble, you hear me?"

The girl showed no signs of hearing him. Ryuhou frowned.

"There's no need to be that rude. We haven't done anything to you, we aren't trying to harm you in any way."

Now the girl sneered slightly and tilted her head so that she looked at Ryuhou through the fringe covering her eyes.

"Haven't done anything to me? You just keep on lying. You filthy pigs. You're all the same." She laughed and Ryuhou turned sharply around and walked away.