A/N: Chapter 2 made by Solis Knight.
2.
If anything, the cluttered desk sequestered to the side of the equally cluttered room was dismal, and depressing. Not just because of the various instruments that littered its surface, such as various scalpels, needles, vials filled with unidentifiable and unknowable liquids, and sometimes even solids… No, not just because of these things, that would make any normal man cringe. It was the person that sat in it, the man with the white lab coat.
Professor Hojo.
He held in his hands a sheet of paper, filled with text. It must have been a very interesting text, because the professor continued to push his glasses back to the bridge of his nose. They were a loose fit and incessantly slid back to the tip, almost as if they were trying to escape… But nobody would blame them for trying…
Suddenly, all perceptions of solitude were shattered. The doorknob rattled, twisted to the left… The door opened, and in came another white coat. This one was female, what with the shape of her body and the style of her hair. In her arms she held some more papers, with even more text than the one in Hojo's hands currently. However, unlike the scientist reading at the desk, her eyes were not focused on her papers. They had already fixed themselves upon the man who was reading, and who was coincidentally ignoring her. She seemed to know to wait until the man had finished reading his sentence, and just stood there in silence.
Sure enough, not ten seconds later, Hojo put down the sheet of paper and looked up. His eyes were filled with a kind of begrudged annoyance, as if he blamed her for intruding upon his solitude. In reality, he had called her down.
"Lucrecia…" he began. "You had better have news." His tone was quiet… but commanding despite it. The scientist known as Lucrecia adjusted the papers in her hands, as if going over one last time what she was going to say in her head.
"Yes, Professor Hojo. The holding chamber that we set aside for him has been analyzed. The tracking beacons you ordered to be placed on him were all ripped off, even the ones we placed in his sleep." Lucrecia paused, glancing off to the side for a second. Hojo wasn't very forgiving of bad news.
"It seems that he can tell where they are from our feelings, rather than his own, Professor." Lucrecia decided to quit while there was still a chance Hojo wouldn't fly off the handle. Indeed, he seemed almost bemused in his chair, as if this was all a game. His right arm twitched once, before rising into the air. His thumb and middle finger moved purposefully together, and held there for almost a full second before the telltale snap reverberated off of the walls. Almost immediately, another scientist came to the door.
"Yes, Professor?" Lucrecia could tell that this one was just another quivering coward, just one more piece of garbage to be used and tossed away once he had served his purpose. The majority of the staff working in the lab fell under this category. Only Lucrecia and Valentine had lasted the longest under such constant pressure.
"Get me Grimoire. And make it fast!" The would-be scientist bowed, like the servant he was, before retreating at full throttle back down the cavern to the wooden spiral stairs. Lucrecia didn't approve of treating them as slaves, but she also had such a low opinion of such cowards that she really didn't care. It seemed as if Hojo was done with her for the current moment, so she took a step back and re-read one of her many reports.
After the last time the Experiment had escaped, Hojo had personally designed several trackers to ensure that it wouldn't happen again. They had come in the form of special chips of silicone, etched with copper and tiny strips of iron. Somehow, some way, the specimen must have dug them out… Lucrecia Crescent just wondered how he had known they were there. She had no doubt that it was due to the Experiment's peculiar ability to perceive Sorrow… Perhaps it had reverse engineered the pain into feeling, and had figured out where they had been placed?
Lucrecia didn't have long to ponder this hypothesis, as another man entered the room. His dark cloak made him hard to see, nigh invisible in the sparse light of the underground cave. However, his sharp red handkerchief gave him away, as it seemed to catch the light in just the right way. The light, almost tan boots that adorned his feet were hardly visible behind his black cape, and Lucrecia had a hard time seeing the various straps and buckles that adorned his long pants, or his chain-like leather belt that held them up. They were all hardly visible in the dark light… but she didn't need to see them to know that they were there. She had spent enough time with the man to know that he never took them off.
"You called?" His voice was low, and matter-of-fact-like. Grimoire knew that he had been called for a task, and he wanted to know what it was. Hojo took another irritating second to replace his spectacles to the top of his nose… No doubt Valentine wanted to crush them into pieces and replace them, just to see what Hojo would do.
"Yes, I did. I want you to go out and find our little 'specimen'. Ensure that he knows just how depressing the outside world can be." Hojo seemed almost amused at this concept, as if the idea of torture was actually pleasing to him. Grimoire usually didn't hesitate, but Lucrecia noticed a distinct frown etch itself upon his normally featureless face.
"Hojo, you've had him in captivity for most of his life. Don't you think this is a little unnecessary?" Hojo laughed. The idea was ludicrous. Nothing was unnecessary to Hojo, nothing was going too far.
"No, I don't think this is a little unnecessary. Unless you want to sound like you're questioning my methods, I suggest you follow my orders, Valentine." The smirk on Hojo's face was as evil as the statement. Grimoire left without a word, storming out the door and slamming it behind him. It wasn't unusual; it was just how he was. Nevertheless, Hojo was amused, just as he was every time he got this reaction.
"It seems that he has an affection for our little creature… don't you think, Lucrecia?" He fixed his gaze upon her, now. There was no other option than to agree, no other way to escape the situation. Although she hated herself for saying it, wanted to destroy her own vocal cords before the first syllable had exited her mouth, although she desperately wished she could avoid it, she couldn't stop.
"Yes, Professor Hojo." She fought the incessant urge to wince. The words sounded hollow, even to her.
"We'll have to deal with him eventually…" A bead of sweat appeared upon her brow. He had played her like a fiddle, and now there was no choice but to play this game of chess until checkmate.
"Of course." In her mind, she had just signed his death warrant.
It wasn't long before his arm had begun to hurt… or so it would have if he could feel physical pain. What with the dragging and all, one might think the little girl was going to throw him in prison, or forcefully taking him hostage. It took a while before the King could finally get onto his own footing and follow behind, and soothe his aching limb… or pretend to.
Around them, the scenery was less than spectacular. He wasn't even sure where they were, exactly… he hadn't been outside for very long to get acquainted with such scenic routes as they were taking. The dirt path the girl had found within seconds had apparently been worn down with frequent use, but for the life of him the King couldn't see anyone ahead or behind them. Wherever they were, they were alone. But despite the solitude, it definitely wasn't quiet solitude. His previous diagnosis of her as the "Queen of Questions" wasn't too far off.
"So where are you from? Are you new around here? Why do you look like that? How old are you? Have you been here long? Do you like playing games?" The girl, Marlene she had called herself, continued on. For every question she asked, there seemed to be ten or twelve more stored away in her head that she was just waiting to ask. The would-be-if-he-could-be distressed monarch tried his best to answer them, but he was simply unable to register them all in his head.
"I'm not quite sure where I'm from… I've lived here all my life. And what do you mean by 'games'?" He was fully aware that he had answered only half of the questions she had asked, but they were the only answers he could come up with to give. Marlene didn't even lessen her stride, and didn't even seem to care that he hadn't answered them all. There were more to come, she was probably reasoning… she could just ask them later.
"You don't know what games are? They're really fun! You run around and do things and laugh and have fun!" Marlene started doing a peculiar kind of walk as she did this. Instead of putting one foot after the other, she made them land in quick succession, resulting in a much faster form of walking that he struggled to adapt to. Since it seemed to him that she was skipping individual steps in favour of bigger ones, he decided to call it "skipping".
"I'm not sure what you mean… could you show me?" Here it was. Before he knew it, he had said it, and it was too late to retract the request. He knew that opening himself up to others was a sure way to invite more Sorrow, to raise his hopes only to have them crushed. But… he just couldn't help it around her. Perhaps it was her cool air of innocence, that kind of naivety that made him believe, if only for a minute, that he was wrong… He shook himself out of it. There was no reason to think that the sorrow he knew all too well wasn't just lying there under the surface. A second later, another pang of agony in his chest reminded him yet again that Sorrow had not gone away. And it never would.
"Err, never mind… Forget what I said." The suffering one tried to take it back, close the doors before she could let the Marlene girl into his conscience… but it was too late. She immediately stopped skipping and turned to face him, even as he averted his gaze. He was just lonely, and she seemed to know it.
"No way! We're gunna have some fun, whether you want to or not!" The girl reached out with her hand, just like that, and playfully pushed him in the chest, before running off. He just stood there, confused about the entire affair, as she ran off into the distance, shouting as she did so:
"Tag! You're it!" Just like that. He was "it", whatever that meant. He raised an eyebrow. This was "fun"? A few meters away, she stopped, seeming to finally realize that he had no clue how to play.
"It's called Tag!" She called back to him, slowing down only slightly. "Just try and catch me! Once you do, it's my turn to chase you!" And then she was gone, dashing away as fast as she could. Intrigued, the monarch decided that he would play her game. Despite knowing full well that he did NOT have nothing to lose in this situation, he played along.
He knew he was slow, what with not having run very far in his life before, but he soon got into the hang of it. After a little while, the space between them started to shorten up, and it decreased more and more every second.
Finally, a moment of triumph! The now improvised chaser reached out with his puffy green/white hand and gently tapped her on the shoulder, before slowing down slightly. She stopped suddenly, with a quizzical look on her face. He stopped too, so they were just staring at each other for a few tense seconds. Marlene broke the silence as if it were natural for her to do so.
"You're supposed to say 'Tag, you're it!' when you tag someone…" She stated slowly, as if he were supposed to know that. He replied with a quiet oh. before they continued running again. This time, he was leading, and she was chasing.
They continued this cycle for what must've been an hour before they both tired, and eventually slowed to a halt, panting on the dirt road. Marlene pointed out what she called a "Nibelheim" in the distance, and the monarch saw what he identified as a collection of houses next to big mountains. She set off after it, and now it was his turn to ask questions.
"What's a 'Nibelheim'?" She laughed, in that innocent kind of laugh that you'd expect from a child.
"It's a town, silly! That's where I live." Immediately, he realized what should have been obvious. He hadn't noticed the ever-increasing pangs of agony in his chest that came with the neglect of Sorrow. More and more people were nearby, trying to forget their worries and pains and live their lives. For the umpteenth time in his life, he held back tears. Why did everyone hate Sorrow? Why? What had it ever done to them?
Marlene walked next to him, blissfully unaware of the pain he felt in his heart. To be young and innocent… without the pain of sorrow weighing down upon her… if he could, he would envy her.
They arrived in the town soon after. The people were out in the streets, but there weren't that many. It was a small village, after all. From what he could gather, the various citizens were just out living their normal lives. Getting their groceries from the item store, talking with friends, eating, it was all just an existence for them. Just what they had to do to survive…
A couple children ran out of their homes, probably from seeing Marlene at the gates. One of them tripped, skidding for a few feet upon the ground before dusting himself off and running after the other two. Was this what Marlene called "friends"?
"Hey, guys. Look what I found!" Marlene was all excited, as if the monarch was the coolest thing she had ever seen before. From the looks in the other kids' eyes, though… he didn't think that he would receive the same reaction.
"Who're you?" One kid said.
"What're you?" Another asked.
"Wait up guys!" The third one yelled from behind. Marlene was the first to respond.
"He's the King of Sorrow." She said, matter-of-factly, as if it was an undeniable fact, and they should believe her. The other kids looked quizzically at her for a second, before returning their gaze to the weird creature she had brought with her.
The monarch felt the pain stronger than ever now… they weren't like Marlene. He could feel their sorrows, their neglected pain and suffering down beneath the surface. He could feel how the kid who had tripped was ignoring the scrapes in his knees that were more painful that he was letting on. The King felt how the first boy had recently broken his bike, and could no longer ride on it… whatever a 'bike' was, that is. Apparently, not all human children were like Marlene… She was unique.
"Um… hi." The bunny-eared creature held his right arm with his left, lowering his gaze as he did so. Marlene was right… he was lonely. He didn't know how to act around others. The kids could almost sense it too, and just like any other children… They singled him out as a target.
"You're weird!" The first boy accused him, as if it were his fault.
"Yeah! You can't hang out with us 'cuz you're weird!" The other one followed behind.
"What are you guys talking about?" The third boy finally caught up to the others. Marlene was furious at the boys, her yelling only adding to the confusion.
"What do you mean he's weird? He's just like us! Why can't he play with us?" To the monarch's dismay, the other boys had an answer.
"Because you have to be like us if you want to play. That's the rule!" The first boy set the decree. Just like that, it was law.
"Yeah! Get out of here, weirdo!" The second boy ran up and pushed him back, only to hurt himself into the surprisingly resilient torso of the baffling bunny-like being. Stymied, he decided to lead the boys away instead, and the others turned and followed like sheep. Just like that, the peculiar king was banished. His ever so frowning expression never changed as his body was silently digesting the unbearable pain of rejection these mean, pink creatures were throwing at him… tears hardly contained.
Without saying a word, he just turned his back to them and ran off, leaving Marlene behind.
The aching within his heart intensified sharply. It was like another hundred people were adding to the pain at once, just like that. Snap! And more displeasure piled on. It took him only a few seconds to realize…
It was his own Sorrow fuelling his pain.
From the shadows behind a house in the normally quiet town of Nibelheim, Grimoire Valentine watched per his orders, silently amused. He wouldn't have to lift a finger to do Hojo's dirty work after all.
Still, he mused… He felt a pang of sorrow for the little one. Nobody should have to feel that pain.