Metamorphosis: Rebirth

A/N: Please enjoy chapter two. I do not own Metamorphosis.

The morning sun shined down on the Shinjuku district of Tokyo as a new day began. The sunlight shined on an apartment complex, hitting the window that woke Ryota up from the couch he was sleeping on.

The 20-year-old yawned as he sat up stretching his arms, realizing that he had slept in the living room all night.

"I was really tired last night." He noted before putting his glasses on. Getting up, he looked at his clock and calendar and saw that it was 8 a.m., Friday morning.

"Good thing I don't work until noon." Ryota went to his fridge and took out some eggs, proceeding to make an omelet. As he added the seasoning, he thought back to what happened that Friday.

"It's been over a week since I brought Saki to the hospital." He thoughts drifted to the following morning.

(Flashback)

"I waited for almost twelve hours, sleeping in the waiting room until I learned the news of Saki and her baby."

Ryota jolted awake from his seat as he looked out the window and saw that it was morning already.

"Good thing I don't work today." He muttered as he saw a female doctor approach him.

"Are you the one for Saki Yoshida?" She asked, having been given the name by Ryota.

Ryota nodded. "I'm here for her. Please…just tell me the truth. Don't sugarcoat anything." He braced himself for any unfortunate news.

Fortunately, the doctor said, "The operation was successful, and we were able to remove the baby – it's a girl by the way. The baby suffered bruises all over her body, however, she will survive."

"That's great." He sighed with relief.

"We are currently monitoring her." She added. "You should be fortunate. Had you arrived any time later, we might have lost her."

"I'm just glad she's safe." Ryota then asked, "What about the mother, Saki? How is she?"

Ryota noticed the grim expression on the doctor. This was NOT a good sign. "She is…in stable condition. But…we must tell you that her condition was completely severe. We had to resuscitate her during the operation. Aside from blood loss, she has several vaginal and rectal tears as a result of a bottle and pens that we found in each area. Which leads us to suspect this might have been an assault."

"Assault." Ryota repeated. He knew that was the case considering the state she was in. "Have you called the police?"

"It was the first thing we did." She replied. "They assigned two people to her case. They should be here soon and they also wish to question you."

Ryota suspected that he would be questioned by the police since he brought her here. He then asked, "Is there more?"

The doctor replied. "Upon closer analysis, we discovered that she has some venereal diseases. We think she might have been selling her body."

This news was very unsettling for Ryota to here. This girl looked no younger than seventeen and she had been dragged into this line of work. He wondered what could have happened to Saki that led her to this point?

He looked at the doctor. "Please, may I see her?"

She nodded. "You can. However, she is unconscious right now."

"Don't worry. I'll be quiet." He promised as the doctor lead him to Saki's room. Once he got inside, his heart dropped when he saw Saki lying unconscious in the hospital bed. She was now dressed in a hospital gown and had patches where her bruises were. She had an oxygen mask and two tubes in her left arm that connected to a heartrate monitor and an IV bag.

"We have her connected to an IV bag filled with fluids and medications to counteract the drugs." The doctor explained. Ryota said nothing as he took a seat next to Saki.

"I'll leave you two alone." She left as Ryota took Saki's hand, closely looking at the heartrate monitor. Though her heartrate appeared normal, he prayed that it would stay that way.

"The doctor said your daughter will pull through. You…have to do the same." He whispered, grabbing Saki's hand. However, he noticed her sleeping face and stared at her with great intent.

"That's weird. She seems…familiar…somehow."

(Flashback Ends)

"Where have I seen her?" He asked himself while severing his breakfast. He decided to shake off his thoughts. "I'm probably overthinking things. Besides, I would have remembered a girl like her."

He sighed as he quietly ate his breakfast.

Ryota had finished getting changed as he placed his work clothes in his spare duffle bag. He looked at his bag as a thought came to mind.

"I know turning over that bag of money was a good idea, especially in Takashi's care. But…" Images of those five teens popped into his mind. "How did they get all that money. There was about two hundred thousand yen in that bag. Those kids didn't seem rich, and based on their uniforms they attend Shinjuku High. That school has a strict policy against afterschool jobs."

Ryota decided not to think about this further. It was all based on assumptions, since he did not have any actual evidence to base his theory on.

"I already spoke about this with Takashi. Since Saki's the one who saw her assailants, we might get some answers when she wakes up."

He pulled out his document that served as his temporary license. "Good thing I reported both my license and card stolen. The replacements should arrive in a few days."

Ryota locked his apartment door and went down the stairs, entering his car and driving off. Twenty minutes later, he arrived at the hospital and parked his car. Before he entered the building, he looked into his bag and took out his new cell phone to check the time and saw that it was nine o'clock.

"I still got time." He thought. "Besides, I don't have to be at work for three hours."

Ryota entered the hospital and was warmly greeted by the nurse.

"Hello, Mr. Suzuki. I assume you're here for your regular visit." She spoke.

He nodded. "You guess right. Has there been any changes for both Saki and the baby?"

"Ms. Yoshida is still unconscious, but her condition is stable. It's the same for her baby. If all goes well, we should move her out of the intensive care unit two weeks from now." She happily replied. "She's a fighter."

"That's great." He said before walking off. As he did, another nurse walked over to her friend.

"Who's that man, Toko? I've been seeing him here every day for nearly a week." She asked.

"He's the man who brought in that pregnant woman, Kaede. The one who was found beaten and near death." Toko answered.

"And he's been seeing her every day?" Kaede asked, curiously. "Is he the father or something?"

"He might be, but now's not the time for gossip." She stated before turning to see Ryota walking down the hall. "Besides, I think it's sweet of him to visit regularly. It shows how much he really cares for her."

Ryota entered Saki's hospital room and saw that she was just the same as yesterday. The only difference is that her skin, while still tan, was much lighter than before. He walked over and examined the flowers that he brought yesterday.

"They should still be fine for a few days. They will need more water though." He muttered to himself before glancing over at the sleeping Saki.

"I heard that your condition is improving. Hopefully you'll wake up soon." He said, taking a seat next to her bed. Ryota looked at her with a sorrowful expression before giving a small smile. "Your daughter is also doing well to. Despite the shape she was in, she is still hanging in there. They said she's a tough fighter."

Silence was his only response as Saki was still unresponsive. He sighed sadly as he leaned back.

"I hope you keep fighting to. For her sake."

"Mama! Mama!" a little girl's voice called out. "Mama!"

"Huh?" Saki (who looked much older, with her skin now whiter and black hair in a bob cut) snapped her eyes open in bewilderment.

"What? Are you sleeping? Are you okay? Does it hurt somewhere?" asked a little girl who looked like a younger Saki with shoulder-length black hair, carrying a cat in her arms.

"My daughter? Hana!" Saki thought, pondering her question. Have a few seconds, she gave a closed-eye smile. "Yes…mama just remembered something that happened in the past."

"In the past?" Hana asked.

"It was from before you were born, Hana." Saki explained as Hana sat next to her with her pet cat.

"H-um. Was it something fun?" She asked, curious.

"…it was terrible." Saki said with a frown, looking at the sky. "You see…mama hated herself then?"

"Why? What was it?" the daughter asked, not understanding what she meant.

"Maybe because mama still didn't know how to take care of herself…I cried a lot." Saki explained with a sad look in her eyes.

"Is that so…but it's alright now." Hana said, patting her mom on the head. "Mama doesn't need to cry anymore."

"You are right?" Saki smiled, pressing her face against her daughter's. "Because now I have you, Hana. Because you were there for me…mama…could make a fresh start in life."

Hana smiled. "Then…you have to wake up…mama."

Saki tilted her head in confusion. "Wake up?"

"You have to wake up…and keep your promise." She said, now sounding monotonous.

"What do you mean?" Hana…" Saki then noticed the area was now getting distorted. "What's happening."

"You promised you would change for me. That you would raise me." She said as her image started fading. "I'm still alive. You have to live? You have to wake up."

Saki soon felt herself losing consciousness. "I…have to…"

"Wake up!"

"Wake up!"

"WAKE UP!"

"Uhm…" Saki's eyes slowly started to open as she began to gently sit up. She looked around and took note of her surroundings.

"Is this a hospital?" She asked herself. Saki then winced as she felt a slight migraine. "My head feels heavy. How long have I been asleep? Wait…"

She looked at her hands and noticed her tan was fading away. However, what she took more notice of was her stomach…her pregnant belly was gone.

"My baby! Hana! Where is she!" She cried out.

"AAAHHH!" Saki turned to see Ryota picking himself up, having fallen off of his chair.

"Ouch…I must have fallen asleep. I heard something that woke me up." He said as he stood up straight. The moment he did, he turned to face the bed and his eyes soon met Saki's eyes. The two people gazed at each other in silence and bewilderment.

"Y-you…you're awake." Ryota said, finding his voice.

Saki looked at him, feeling a sense of familiarity. "We…met before…didn't we?"

Ryota shook himself and nodded. "Yeah…I was the one who took you to the hospital. You were barely conscious at the time."

Saki nagged her brain to remember until an image of him driving a car flashed in her mind. "That's right. It was you." She then looked at him with a warm smile. "You were the one who rescued me that night. Me and Hana." She gasped as she remembered what she had shouted for. "Hana! My baby! Where is she!"

"Calm down. Don't worry. She's alright!" Ryota said in a soothing tone, attempting to calm her down, which worked. "She was in bad shape when they removed her, but she's been recovering steadily."

Saki sighed in relief with a few tears forming. "That's great. I'm so glad." She wiped her eyes before asking, "How long was I asleep?"

"About a week." Ryota revealed. "According to the doctors, you've been in and out for most of it. Though, it's never happened while I was here."

"Really? Honestly, everything feels like a big blur." Saki said. She then noticed the flowers and how fresh they looked, as if they were only picked recently.

Ryota noticed this and walked over to them. "Do you like them? Sorry, I picked some narcissus, with it being winter and everything."

"You've…been to see me?" She asked, shocked by his smile.

"Everyday. I've watched you while you were sleeping." Ryota then blushed heavily, embarrassed. "I mean…I-I was making sure you were doing alright. Hoping you would wake up and let you know that your baby was doing okay."

Saki's eyes blinked as she looked at Ryota's eyes. "His eyes…he has kind eyes. No ones looked at me like that for a long time." She thought back to the men she has encountered thought the year; the ones who only used her for their own sexual pleasure, drug dealers who treated her with disgust, and Hayato…

She shuddered at the thought of her ex-boyfriend. She did not want to think about him right now.

"Anyways, I should call my cousin and let him know that you've regained consciousness. And the doctors as well." Ryota pulled out his phone.

"Your…cousin?" She asked.

"He works for the police force. They assigned him to your case." He explained, seeing Saki's confused expression. "The doctor saw how terrible your condition was and found some objects in…" He did not finish that sentence, but Saki immediately realized what he was thinking of, which caused her to tremble in fear.

"Don't worry. When he gets here, you can explain everything to him about the ones who did this to you." Ryota said to her. To his shock, he saw her hands tremble as tears fell from her eyes.

"They took…they took all the money." She whispered. Though it was loud enough for Ryota to hear.

"Money?" Ryota asked. She could not mean…

"The money…I was saving money so I could afford to have Hana in the hospital." She clenched her sheets tightly. "But then they…they took everything. The bag of money…and they tried to kill Hana!"

"Don't tell me." Before Saki could break down, she gasped when she saw Ryota holding her hand.

"Tell me…how much money did you have in that bag?" He asked, clenching Saki's hand gently to calm her down.

Saki blinked before saying, "I had over two hundred thousand yen that I kept hidden in a public locker." She glanced at Ryota's hand still holding hers. Ryota remained silent for a moment before getting up.

"I'll call my cousin. Don't worry. We'll do everything we can." He said, stepping out of the room.

After he left, Saki stood silent before lifting her hand in front of her eyes, deeply analyzing the touch.

"His hand. For some reason…" a small smile formed in her face. "…it felt so…warm."

Outside the room, Ryota pulled his phone out as he dialed his cousin's number before thinking, "I knew I was right. Just like I told him last week."

(Flashback)

"So, you're saying you were walking to your car before bumping into some high schoolers."

"Yes."

"And you stepped inside the station to wash yourself before noticing a trail of blood that led to the women's restroom."

"I did."

"You followed it before finding the victim badly beaten and going through a drug overdose."

"That is correct."

Ryota replied to the questions the two officers asked him. They were both men in their thirties with one having a lean, muscular build with smooth black hair and his uniform had a badge labeled Takashi Suzuki. The other had a similar but had unkempt brown hair with a mustache and goatee and a badge that said Kazu Kuroya.

Takashi looked at his cousin and asked, "When you found her, why didn't you call for an ambulance?"

"Because my phone was damaged earlier." Ryota answered, showing his damaged phone.

"Get it fixed and watch where you're going next time." Kuroya rudely said.

Ryota ignored the comment and asked. "Do you two know anything about who she is?"

Tadashi pulled out his note pad. "When we first heard of this situation, we asked around are where the victim was found. From what we've gathered she's been identified as a homeless prostitute, so we're assuming it was a rape."

Kuroya grunted. "Or maybe she liked rough play…" he stopped when Takashi bumped his arm. He glared at his partner while rubbing his arm.

"Did you two gather any information from the station? I'm sure they had some surveillance footage." Ryota pleaded.

"Unfortunately, those cameras could only cover so much. The assailant must have gotten her in a blind spot." Takashi explained. "And those cameras didn't contain any audio."

"Well, that wraps it up." Kuroya nonchalantly dismissed, much to Ryota's discomfort. "Until we get her to talk, there's nothing else we can do."

"I'm sure there must have been some witnesses." The bespectacled man begged. "It wasn't just a rape, she was assaulted with several items from the garbage."

"Probably didn't want to get whatever disease she has." Kuroya grunted.

Ryota just about had enough and glared daggers at him. "You watch your mouth!"

"Ryota." Takashi tried to stop but Kuroya stepped forward.

"Got something to say punk!?" He said in a warning tone.

"You shouldn't talk about someone like that." Ryota said. "You should be helping her instead of running your mouth."

"Why should you care about her. You heard what he said, she's a prostitute. Most likely has got a long list of clients that she's been fucking every day. And let's not forget those drug that were found." Kuroya said without missing a detail.

"It's true I don't know the whole story, but that still doesn't give you the right!" Ryota furiously shouted. "She and her baby are fighting for their lives right now. How can you just ignore her like that!?"

"You're awfully defensive for someone you just met. Wait…don't tell me you've been screwing her." Kuroya gave a mocking grin. "Hey, no one's judging. A med school dropout like you must have needed someone to cry to since your daddy kicked you out. Hopefully you put on a con-"

"ENOUGH!" Tadashi got in between his cousin and partner. He glared at Kuroya. "Get us some coffees and wait in the car, now!"

Kuroya scoffed but turned around. "I don't care if he's your cousin. He's talks to me like that again, I'll beat the shit out of him." He said to Takashi before walking away.

Takashi sighed as he looked to Ryota. "What have I always told; when dealing with guys like him, you can't…"

"…provoke them, I know." Ryota finished. "Sorry, I just lost my cool there."

"I don't blame you. He's been in a bad mode since the chief pulled us off our assignment to handle this case." Takashi said.

Ryota sighed. "But he's right. In the end, people won't care for women like here."

"That doesn't mean there aren't those who feel the opposite, like you." Takashi said, which made Ryota feel better. "Anyways, we'll do what we can. If she wakes up, hopefully she might remember the people who did this to her."

Just then, a thought popped into Ryota's mind. He looked to Tadashi and said, "Actually…I might have an idea."

"I spent the next few minutes explaining to Takashi about the people I bumped into. How they were carrying a large bag of money and how I ran into Saki immediately after they left."

"You're saying those high school kids had something to do with this." The officer deduced before asking, "Where is the bag of money?"

"Right here." Ryota gestured to the duffle bag he was carrying before showing him. "There's over two hundred thousand yen inside, I counted it myself."

"Well…it's true that Shinjuku High has a rule against after school jobs, but that's still not enough to go on." Takashi said. "Did you get their names?"

Ryota tried to think. "I know one was called Ayumi. But I examined the blood, it was still fresh. I found it immediately after they left the station. I don't think it was just an assault, they must have taken this money from her. One of them even said they had to get out of there quickly."

"But that's only based on your speculation. Without any solid evidence, it'll be their words against yours." Takashi replied. "Look for now, I'll hold on to the money and keep it safe. In the meantime, go home and get some rest."

The bespectacled man looked downhearted before his cousin put a hand on his shoulder. "It gonna be alright. You did a good thing helping someone. Be proud of yourself."

Ryota was quiet for a moment before smiling.

(Flashback Ends)

Ryota glanced into Saki's room one more time before dialing his cousin's number.

"Okay. Thanks for telling me. I'm on my way." Takashi said before hanging up.

As he got up from his desk, he glanced at Kuroya who was about to step out. "Kuroya, got a call from the hospital. The patient is awake. Aren't you coming?"

"Off-duty." He replied. "You can deal with it yourself."

Takashi sighed as he watched his partner leave the building. As he was getting ready to leave, he heard sounds from the police ready that they had finished setting up the perimeter around the bar.

"Wonder how the raid is going?" He asked himself before taking his leave.

'BANG

'BANG'

'BANG'

"Shots been fired! Shots been fired! Let's move!"

In the backstreets of Shinjuku was a bar that dozens of police officers in full tactical gear swarmed into. They began shooting or subduing the patrons inside while knocking over the shelves and tables.

One officer knocked over a keg and found bags of heroin. "Found it."

"There's more over here!" One gestured to another bag found in the counter.

More officers pulled out bags of crack that the men they had pinned were carrying. "Got them right here."

One of the pinned men, Tetsu, panicked. "That shit ain't mine. It's a set up."

"Tell it to the judge!" the officer order. "Get these pieces of shit out of here."

The officers dragged all the drug dealers and their clients out of the bar (with Tetsu putting up a futile struggle). After they left, another officer rushed out from another room.

"Sir, we found a room full of women! They all appeared to be drugged!" He called out.

"Get those women out of here!" He ordered. "The rest of you, keep searching the bar! There might be more hiding."

The officers spread out to search the bar, with one going through a door that lead to the cellar. As he descended down the stairs, he heard muffled voices belonging to two men that were behind the door. After a few seconds, he kicked the door open, revealing Obata with a gun pointed at Hayato.

Obata pointed his gun at the officer who had already aimed his gun at him. "Put down the gun and get down on your knees now…"

'BANG'

Obata's eyes widened when the officer was shot in the head and fell to the ground. However, when his body hit the floor, his gun went off and shot Obata in the left thigh.

"AAAHHH!" He screamed as he fell to the ground, dropping his gun in the process. As he laid in pain, he saw Hayato walking towards him with his gun out, kicking Obata's gun away. The bartender couldn't react as Hayato now pointed a gun at his head.

"Tell me…how much money do I owe you?" He asked, rhetorically.

Obata glared at him. "You…fucking bastard. Y-You don't know…the kind of friends I have. T-they aren't gonna let this…slide."

"Don't worry, with the info I gave the cops…they'll be outta my way soon enough." Hayato grinned triumphantly.

Obata looked at him with great fury. "YOU MOTHERFUCKING…"

'BANG' 'BANG'

With that, Hayato shot Obata dead. He took a second to spit in his bald head before reaching into Obata's pocket and taking out the money from his wallet. He then grabbed a bag and checked to see that it contained money and drugs. Grinning, he closed the bag and climbed out a window that connected to a secluded alley. After checking the cost was clear, he ran to a manhole and pulled out the cover.

He checked his surroundings on last time before jumping into the sewers.

To Be Continued…

A/N: There you have it. Obata has been killed and Tetsu and those who worked for Obata have been detained by the police. As for Hayato, don't worry, he'll face justice soon enough. Anyways, Saki and Ryota have now met. What new path lies for Saki after this chance encounter? Please leave a review and don't flame.