-๑-๑ ஜ ๑- Chapter 23: New mission -๑ ஜ ๑-๑-
"Shizuo, could you- ah thank you." Quite strained, the brunette let himself slump back on his ass as the blond grabbed the possible source of threat and disposed of it in his usual manner.
Namely, by throwing it back into the cage.
The titan screeched, but being covered by a blanket just a second later caused it to cease its struggles as it calmed down almost instantly.
Letting his head fall back onto the ground the brunette crossed his arms behind it and grinned.
"Well, that was another interesting experiment, don't you think?" the doctor chirped happily, not exactly matching the blond´s thoughts as the adrenaline in his body still surged.
"Interesting my ass, that thing almost got you!"
"Exactly, almost!" Shinra announced, as he pushed himself back up, and scurried towards the titan inside the cage, "But soon, my love, I will understand what it is that you want to do~!"
Shizuo should have been averted, but honestly he had stopped second guessing the doctor´s doings days ago.
Yup.
Days.
It's been a week since he had joined the man, just like Izaya had ordered him to. He had returned to his room, showered and joined Shinra in his science base.
Shinra either got told by the raven what his plans were, or he already guessed what the flea was going to ask him to do- either way he had already been waiting for Shizuo.
Grin on his face, back to as normal as the man could be, he assured Shizuo that Izaya would be fine in that room as long as his father was there and issued him the new task of keeping the titan´s at bay.
It was three of them that he had to keep restrained in case one of Shinra´s experiments failed. Two minor class ones, barely taller than normal humans, and well… then there was the one he had given the name "Celty."
He had never bothered to ask why Shinra was so fond of this particular one, but he guessed the answer would be something along the lines of love for science.
Letting his hand comb through his hair the man sighed for a moment, calming down.
One would think he would get used to this, especially since this was the felt hundredth time this week he had to drag that specific titan off the doctor but hell it didn't and he had a feeling he never would.
Apart from the fact that the creature was unpredictable, strong and actually a threat to all of their lifes, it didn't exactly help, knowing, that he was the fucking same.
Slumping down on a chair next to a table clattered with tubes he looked at the creature.
The blanket had parted a little and he could see Shinra, a dim lantern in his hand as he talked to the monster.
…
It might be weird, but Shizuo was actually kinda glad the doctor was as weird as to fancy a monster like this.
After all… if Shizuo ever threatened to transform next to him or something, the man would at least not kill him.
… nah.
If anything he would probably see him as a new specimen that he had to research.
Just like her.
"I think we could try one more time!" Shinra suddenly announced, causing his staff to murmur.
It was the same group of people that had insulted the doctor behind his back last time. All of them obviously thought he was insane.
"Sure. Get down here, men!"
Well except one.
"That's the spirit, Seiji-kun~!" A young man had joined their group just a few days after Shizuo had been down here. He hadn't been sent by the uppers though, like all the other people here, except Shinra, no, he had come voluntarily.
Out of the blue he started ranting to Shinra how fascinating the titans were and that he wanted to know more about them just like him.
Well, he didn't have to say much more than that and Shinra gladly accepted him into the troop.
"What are you waiting for? Hurry up!" Well, at least he seemed to be good at handling the other men. He had been ordering them around ever since he joined and no one seemed to care.
Getting up from his own seat the blond joined the group forming in front of the titan´s cage.
Well, not like he minded. That way they wouldn´t talk badly behind Shinra´s back again at least.
"Ready?" Shinra asked, hand on top of a lever that was going to open the front of the cage.
The blond nodded, all other men tensing as the front of the cage opened.
Silence ruled the room.
The creature hadn't moved yet. Instead it just sat there, slowly breathing.
It was a normal titan, well as normal as a titan could be. No abnormal at least, no special abilities, nothing that could surprise them except for its strength and height. It was the missing head that made this one titan so special.
Walking forward with open arms the doctor approached the cage.
"Come out Celty~ No one is here to hurt you~!" A few murmures arised from the back as the men frowned.
What was it that Shinra was trying to do? Shizuo wasn't so sure himself to be honest, but he had noticed one thing- and that was how unnaturally calm the creature seemed to be when Shinra was around.
It's only been a few days, but any time the doctor was present in the basement it seemed to the blond as if the creature calmed down significantly.
Usually it would trash around, or try to grab anyone passing the cage, even with the blanket on top of it, but when Shinra was around it never did that.
Maybe Shizuo was slowly starting to go insane as well, just like Shinra, but if he didn't know it better, then that titan seemed to…. have taken a liking to the brunette?
It might just be the missing hostility everyone else showed when approaching the cage, but "Celty" seemed to notice that Shinra´s intentions were of no evil nature.
That would of course imply that the creature could think.
And that's what Shinra wanted to find out.
Slowly the titan started to move- sitting there one leg bent, the other propped up she twisted her neck, seeming as though she was facing the doctor´s direction.
"That's right Celty, come here~!" Shizuo wasn't quite sure what Shinra wanted to prove once she really did come outside and towards him, but well, that's what he was here for.
The wooden floor creaked softly as she started to move, pushing her heavy self off the ground.
The cage she was kept in was a little bit smaller than her size so she had to crouch and could only stand up straight upon leaving the cage.
… Shizuo didn't know why Shinra kept trying to get friendly with the titan, but he certainly could deduce why their uppers saw no problem in it.
They wanted to use her. As some sort of weapon against the titans. It was as clear as daylight but somehow Shizuo doubted Shinra realized that mugh as well.
It was then that the titan stopped within its motion. Tension growing Shizuo's entire attention was back at the titan.
She had never done this before.
So far she only ever walked right towards Shinra until they secured her so she couldn't hurt him.
Right now, however, she had stopped a few meters in front of him.
"Celty-chan?" Shinra asked, the excitement in his eyes only growing more intense. "What's wrong darling? Do you want to tell us something?"
A questioning glance was thrown towards the doctor as the creature obviously had no mouth to tell them anything with.
It was then that she raised her hand- instantly the men rushed towards her-
"No wait!" Shinra pleaded and the men stopped.
But not because Shinra had asked them to, but because the titan had.
As if having listened to the doctor her arm hovered midair, not moving.
Taking a step forward Shinra tried to confirm his suspicion, "Celty-chan can you hear me? Do you understand what I'm saying?"
To be honest Shizuo was kind of surprised as well. It definitely had to be a coincidence, right? There was no way that monster would listen to Shinra.
Seiji seemed to have the same thought as he approached the doctor with quick steps.
"Please stop, it's not safe to approach any-" but he didn't get any further with his words because it was exactly then that the female titan moved again and this time fast.
That arm was suddenly rushing forward, right towards Seiji as if she were aiming just for him. It was only due to his reflexes that Shizuo reacted in time as he stepped in between the man and the arm and stopped it from probably blowing the head of the man's neck.
It took only one more second for the others to react as the men pulled at the ropes still dangling around the titan, efficiently securing her again.
"That was too risky!" Complains were resounding all around as they forced the headless titan back into the cell.
And yet for once Shizuo couldn't scold Shinra, because he was a little astonished.
That woman.
The female titan that is.
She had aimed for Seiji. Not for Shinra, not for both, just for him. He could tell from the impact he had met.
And callhim crazy, but to Shizuo it almost seemed as if she had tried to protect Shinra. Mistaking Seiji for danger.
No.
That couldn't be.
"Magnificent!" Shinra gleeded, either having come to the same conclusion or just in general admiring how she seemingly had listened to his words. "Again!" He ordered one more, causing a small riot inside the basement.
"Are you serious?!" No one seemed to be up for another of the crazy doctor´s experiments.
And Shizuo was done too.
"Not today," he addressed Shinra, bending his arm a little giving off a knack. By now it was hurting. Having restrained that titan for the 10th time that day took a little toll on him.
The doctor hummed shortly before clasping his hands in excitement.
"Tomorrow is another day! We can try again then." And with that he turned to what seemed to be his private desk as he started taking notes on what had just happened.
Shizuo wasn't quite sure whether he had to lead some kind of protocol or whether he just really liked writing down every single thing that happened down here during his experiments.
Seeing as the day was over the men made their way up the stairs to get some food. All except for one.
"Hey, you okay?" Shizuo questioned, addressing the man the titan had aimed to kill. Seiji was still sitting on the ground having fallen backwards from the shock and seemed quite perplexed. The words he said next were not exactly what SHizuo would have expected him to say, however.
"She is beautiful." it took the blond a moment to understand that Seiji was addressing that titan.
"Right?!" it was Shinra who had obviously listened in on their small conversation as he agreed with the man instantly. Scurrying over he brought what Shizuo guessed was his journal and instantly ruffled through some pages while showing them to Seiji.
"I think we are viewing this wrong, they are human in a sense, from their appearance to some minor psychological reactions, and look here, last week." Shizuo turned around, not really too up to listen to that conversation.
It made him feel… weird.
Not like he didn't appreciate Shinra trying to search for the good inside these monsters- considering he might be one of them.
but weird still.
Especially considering Shinra didn't know that he was one of them.
Looking at his hands, that he used to stop that female titan with Shizuo couldn't help but feel fear crawl up his throat.
...what if that titan was human before?
What if she transformed into one… but didn't make it back to her human form?
Could the same happen to him one day?
Would he then lose his sanity and kill people randomly?
He didn't know.
And it honestly scared the hell out of him.
"Shizuo, do you have a moment?" It was Shinra again who snapped him out of his thoughts. Having started to ascend the stairs that led out of the basement Shizuo stopped in his tracks as the doctor hurried over with what looked like a pile of paper.
"I need to get this to Izaya. If you would be so kind," he grinned, holding out the contents of his hands as if they were something to be happy about.
Forehead folding into wrinkles Shizuo couldn't help but feel the opposite way, however.
"Are you sure, I-" he started- but it seemed Shinra already knew what he was worrying about.
"You will just be delivering something on my order," he rephrased his earlier statement, "Being seen frequently is a bad idea, I know, but it's been a week, and I'm sure you are dying to know how he is doing."
So he knew what he was doing after all.
Wordlessly Shizuo grasped the documents as he nodded.
It's been a week. Of course he wanted to know how the man that essentially saved his life while risking his own was doing.
It wasn't like he didn't want to visit and check up on the flea, hell, the opposite. But as things were right now with Izaya's uppers wanting to get rid of him and his own fears it proved to be more difficult than expected.
Moreover, they weren't exactly friends- were they? He was his captain too.
Walking up the stairs Shizuo emerged from the building. Squinting his eyes he glanced into the orange tinge that was the sun settling for the night.
The hospital wasn't too far from Shinra´s base. Whether or not that had been on purpose was not something Shizuo knew, but considering how often that guy got hurt during his experiments he guessed it was a nice play of fate.
Swinging the doors closed behind his back as he made his way down the hall. His stomach did a small backflip as he remembered the last time he had been in here.
Thinking the flea would die.
But not now.
Turning around the corner, the blond faced the corridor that Izaya's room was in and his blood froze. Almost instantly his hair stood on ends and his steps sped up.
There was some guy he had never seen entering the door.
And he certainly hadn't been a doctor.
to be continued~
-coughs out lung- so, I took too long, again xD Honestly I feel like that bad lover from books that keeps saying he will change his ways but ends up getting drunk yet again lmfao
My drug is procrastination lmao I admit it xD
But I wasn't entirely lazy this time at least, I am officially done with Book ¼ of my original work and I am now busily writing book 2 right after. Things should progres way faster now that I have my series started xD
For anyone wondering, I plan on finishing and publishing said original work sometime in late 2022 or 2023 :3 In case you are interested in that, I will give a huge headups in each of my stories once that happens hahahaha xD
along with an update of course.
xD
Talking about Updates, I will update every story once a month from now on- that's double the time I would usually need, but maybe having that spare time will hopefully keep me from procrastinating xD
With that being said, see you in September guys C;
PS.: I actually passed an important law-exam that took place a month ago xD I had to study so fucking much for it- which was part of the reason I was kinda afk from Shizaya for a while x'D BUT YAY it´s done xD SHIZAYA I`M COMING xD