Author's Note: SPECIAL PRESENT! This really may or may not be the last chapter I post for the next couple weeks… it depends where I've got internet connection…
Let's play a gaaame! Who can match the kids up with the animal they were bonded with? POST ANSWERS IN YOUR REVIEWS AND I WILL TELL YOU IF YOU WERE RIGHT!
It might also help if you open a word document and copy/paste the descriptions of the kids onto it, just so you don't get them mixed up… it'll make your life a hell lot easier when you read.
Disclaimer: Don't own
Chapter Six: Getting Out, Getting In
It was absolutely quiet. Hoshi waited for a really long time, but no sound filtered in. She sat up and carefully walked to the door in her bare feet. She closed her eyes and concentrated, freezing the air in place inside the lock. Then she turned her hand, and unlocked it.
There was no one in the hall. Hoshi carefully looked up and down but nothing was there. There was nothing there. Carefully, Hoshi slipped out of her room and ran down the hallway. She ran as fast and as quietly as she could, her bare feet barely touching down on the floor. Clenching her teeth, she scowled at how unbearably SLOW she seemed to be going. Those kids…why should they have to wait any longer if she was out?! Tears ran down her cheeks as she ran. She couldn't stand those kids suffering even another second, because she understood the pain… she had lived through it for too long…
Damn, I've been crying way too much recently, Hoshi thought bitterly.
There was another reason she wanted to come back here and save the kids though… one that she hadn't told anyone, not even Zoro. There was one specific kid she wanted to save… she had made him wait for eight years… her eyes narrowed and she resisted the urge to pull out her wings to go faster.
Just... a little more... wait for me!
Zoro looked up as something clicked in his mind. It was like a brief alarm bell… Hoshi must have started moving, he realized.
The others were arguing whether to go back to the lab or not that night. They had re-supplied the ship, and the Log was set. They would be ready to go if it weren't for Hoshi not being there.
"We need to go back!" Luffy stated firmly.
"That's ridiculous! How're we going to find our way there in the first place?!" Nami demanded. "It would be better if we could search for it in the day, when we can actually see!"
"No! We'll find another one of those kids and make them lead us there!"
"That's out of the question! Finding that kid was pure luck and you know it!"
Sanji, Chopper, and Usopp all sat on a three-person couch, just watching the two of them argue. Robin and Zoro leaned against the wall, and Sakura stayed nearby Robin.
"Neh, aren't you going to say anything?" Sakura asked.
Robin smiled. "No, they'll figure things out eventually."
Sakura sweatdropped. "That's… eventually…"
This debate continued on for some time, before Luffy finally slammed his hand on the table with impatience, silencing Nami. "Listen up everyone. We're going there tonight!" he yelled. "We're going to go get Hoshi, then leave behind rubble!"
"No!"
Everyone looked. The lizard-boy gasped and hid behind the tea-obassan.
"Aren't you the one from last night?" Robin asked.
"He is!" Sakura said, peering at the boy curiously.
The boy peeked out from the tea-bassan's skirts. She patted him on the head. "This guy came in last night shortly after you all fell asleep. He seemed to want to make sure you were okay."
"Can you lead us back there?" Luffy asked. "We need to get our nakama back!"
The boy vigorously shook his head, his scales rustling slightly.
"If it's the others you're worried about, don't be," Zoro said from his place by the window. "They'll be okay."
Distrusting eyes met his gaze. "H-h-how do you know that?" the boy demanded.
Zoro crossed his arms across his chest. "When I went out for a walk this morning, I was taken by some World Government dogs to the lab."
Everyone stared at him. "Why are you telling us this NOW?!" Nami demanded.
Zoro shrugged. "I managed to talk with Hoshi. She has her own plans… and she's moving tonight. She said she's going to save those kids, but if I know her, she only has it planned up to getting them out of the building."
The boy's eyes lit up. "Phoenix girl!?"
Zoro nodded. The boy laughed… really laughed for the first time since they had met him. All traces fear vanished from his face, and the child he really was shone through. "Knew it!" he said triumphantly. "Knew it!"
"How'd you know?" Chopper asked.
The boy tried his best to explain. "Years ago, 'periment 489 told us! Told us phoenix girl escaped, would come back for us! He said she'd come, he said. So we wait, and 'sterday she come! Now whitecoats can't do anything no more!"
He laughed, tears forming in his eyes. "No more tests, no more needles!"
"Just how many of you are there in that lab?" Nami asked.
His face darkened a little. "Nine. I 'scaped last night. Others know. They tell."
Zoro's eyes narrowed a little. "What about this Experiment 489 you told us about?" he asked. "Is he still there?"
The boy's face fell. "… no," he said. "Whitecoats took him 'way one day, didn't bring back. 'periment 648 saw him later… in the smelly room. Not coming back."
There was a heavy silence for a moment as each member entertained morbid thoughts of the 'smelly room', before Luffy stood up, his chair scraping on the floor. "Obassan, thanks for letting us stay in your house," he said, walking towards the door. "We're going to be Hoshi's backup."
Wordlessly, the rest of the crew got up and followed him. He turned. "Kid, you going to show us how to get there?"
The boy nodded. "Obassan, thanks!" he smiled, running out after them with a wave. "Can I bring my friends later too?"
The tea-lady smiled. "You're such a sweet boy… you're welcome any time, and your friends are too!"
"YOSH!" Luffy yelled. "HOSHI, HANG IN THERE! WE'RE COMING!!!!!"
"AYE!" the crew responded.
"Keep it down you brats, you're going to wake up the whole town!" the tea-lady called.
They were already too far away to hear her. She sighed as she watched the dark forest swallow them up. "Are they going to be alright?" she wondered aloud. Looking at the sky, she saw the inky blackness with little pinpricks of light and smiled. "Hoshi… huh?
I bet you've grown up some by now."
Hoshi unlocked the door, quietly. The door swung forward on oiled hinges with no sound at all. She heard the kids wake up immediately and hold their breaths.
Kneeling by the nearest cage, she unlocked it. The poor child inside whimpered. "I don't want to do any more…"
"You're not going to," Hoshi replied, leaving the door open and moving onto the next cage.
She unlocked all the cages quickly and waited for the kids to come out. "If you want to leave this place, come with me now. If you don't then just stay here."
There was dead silence as none of them moved an inch. She sighed. "I see… well if that's the way you wan-"
"Wait!" The one whose cage she unlocked first crept out. It was a girl. She seemed extremely fragile, with a body that was too lanky for its own good and wispy brown hair. Her eyes were a bit of a strange shape, more narrow, and her nose was a little pointed. "Why are you doing this?" she asked, her voice little more than a whisper.
Hoshi smiled. "Kids aren't supposed to be in cages."
One by one, the others crept out. Hoshi walked to the cage with the infant girl and picked her up tenderly. "Let's see who we have here," she said, looking at the kids grouped around her. "Fox, cat, jaguar, raccoon, bear, bird, horse, panda, and koala," she stated. "Am I correct?"
The kids nodded, their faces still distrusting. Hoshi sighed. "This isn't going to work if you guys don't trust me every step out of here," she said.
"Well how do we know?" the first girl demanded. "This could be another test."
They murmured in agreement. Hoshi pulled out her wings, and they gaped. "You… you're the phoenix girl!" one of them whispered.
Hoshi was a little startled at this, but quickly recovered. "Yeah, that's me."
Excited whispers. "Phoenix girl!" "She came!" "Just like 489 said!"
"489?" Hoshi asked. "You guys know him?"
They nodded happily. "Where is he?" she demanded.
The sudden silence and the way all their faces fell told Hoshi EXACTLY where 489 was. She clenched her teeth and resisted the urge to break down before smiling at them again. "Now do you trust me?"
They all nodded.
"Good. We're going to go around and say numbers really quick, starting with you," she said, nodding to the mousy-haired girl.
"614."
"659," said a boy with pitch black hair. His eyes were eerily yellow… and he grinned, showing teeth that made a point. (Lame joke, ahoy!)
"638," came from a girl with flaming red hair and quick eyes. She had a thick, silky tail that was the same color as her hair with a white spotch on the end.
"640," a muscular boy with dark brown hair said. When he grinned, it revealed that his teeth were also slightly pointed.
"627," said a chubby boy with pitch black hair and white skin.
"694," came from a girl with short blonde hair. Her eyes were pitch black, and she seemed to be extremely fragile…
"625." This one came from a boy with black hair, oddly feline-shaped ears, and a black tail.
"648," said the youngest girl of the lot. A gleam of wicked humor stood out strongly in her eyes.
"And the girl right there," 614 said, pointing to the baby, "is 735."
Hoshi smiled. "Nice to meet all of you! Now listen, I need you all to listen and do exactly what I say or else we're all going to get caught…" She gathered them close and quickly whispered several words.
"That's it?" 625 asked disbelievingly. "You don't want us to help?"
Hoshi nodded.
"Are we going to meet any whitecoats?" 627 asked a little timidly. He looked at his hands as if that would tell him the answer.
Hoshi sighed. "Yes, most likely. They have cameras all over this building, so someone's going to see us sooner or later."
627 whimpered. "Ah, don't be such a baby," 640 said. "Can we eat afterwards?" he asked Hoshi. "I'm hungry."
"We'll see. Let's concentrate on one thing at a time." Hoshi handed the baby to 614. "Hold her for me, would you?" she asked. "I'm going to need both hands."
614 wordlessly took the baby.
Hoshi stood and stretched, pulling her wings back in. "You all ready?"
They looked scared, but they nodded. She grinned. "Good," she said, opening the door. "Come on then, let's blow this place."
"Almost there!" 653 called. "'S just up there!" He pointed.
"Yosh, thanks!" Luffy said, running ahead. "You'd better find someplace to hide and wait for us to come back out."
The boy nodded and ran off into the undergrowth.
Luffy yelled. "WORLD GOVERNMENT BASTARDS YOU'D BETTER BE READY FOR WHAT'S COMING TO YOU!"
They charged into the clearing. Luffy punched down the door. "Gomu Gomu no Pistol!"
And with that, they were in. Now all they needed to do was actually find Hoshi as the alarms started screaming.
"STOP THEM!" one of the scientists yelled. "THEY'RE GETTING AWAY!!"
Four whitecoats blocked the hall in front. "Damn," Hoshi muttered, turning around… only to realize that there were more coming from behind. She pulled her whip out of the air. "Kaze Kakuhan… Uindo Sunappu!" she yelled, taking down all four in front at once. She looked at the kids. "Remember what I told you! You have to obey everything I say instantly, else you're toast!"
"Hai!" they yelled. They ran, and Hoshi came behind them.
"Stop right there!" A group of scientists ran out with scalpels. The kids almost stopped running, but Hoshi yelled, "Keep going!!"
They obeyed.
Hoshi jumped over their heads and took out the scalpel-wielding scientists. "Shiruba Hebi!"
The kids jumped over the groaning scientists. 659,638, 640, and 625 all took special pains to brutally stomp on faces and fingers as they ran past.
"Good job!" Hoshi commended them. They all looked very pleased with themselves, and were laughing.
Suddenly, an alarm started screaming, nearly blowing out their eardrums. "INTRUDER ALERT, INTRUDER ALERT," the loudspeakers yelled. "UNITS ONE THROUGH SIX REPORT TO THE FRONT DOOR IMMEDIATELY. UNITS ONE THROUGH SIX REPORT TO THE FRONT DOOR IMMEDIATELY!!"
Hoshi was so surprised she actually stumbled and fell. She avoided actually colliding with the floor with a quick one-handed flip, but it caused the kids to notice.
"Are those people you know?" 638 asked. Her red hair was clearly visible, even in this light.
Hoshi was torn. She wanted to scream and laugh and cry, but the main was between wondering if she was going to hug them or beat the hell out of all of them first.
"Don't worry, they're friends," Hoshi assured them, just as a flood of whitecoats started coming from either side of the hall. "Shit," she muttered. "Everyone, get flat against the left wall and take up as little wall space as possible. Get ready to run like hell the instant I'm finished."
The kids acted with lightening-fast movements. In a blink, they were all huddled against the wall, taking up the least amount of space possible. Hoshi stood in front of them as the whitecoats made a semi-circle of empty space around the kids, eyeing her whip warily.
"Kaze Kakuhan: Kakyoku no Kaze." Hoshi closed her eyes and got into position as the scientists attacked. Her eyes snapped open with new force. "ICHIBAN KASHOU!"
A C sharp note suddenly rang in the air as the whip flew, stopping all incoming scientists with a ray of pure sound. It shot straight through their bodies.
"W… what was that?" 647 asked, trying to make his big bulk smaller by crouching into a ball.
"A sound wave," Hoshi grunted as more scientists rushed in. "SHUNKAN KASHOU!" This time, the air rang with a G.
"SANBAN KASHOU!" An A flat…
"YOTTSU KASHOU!" A high-pitched E…
"ITSUTSU KASHOU!" A B flat rang and reverberated in the air. Sweat poured down Hoshi's face as she sent the soundwave beyond her normal limits, pushing it to go farther… and farther…
All of the scientists were knocked out, their delicate balancing systems (located conveniently for Hoshi in the inner ears) all messed up.
"Run!" Hoshi commanded, wiping sweat off her face. The kids obeyed, giving her stares of amazement as they went.
She ran after them. 625 looked back, concerned. "You okay?" he asked. "You look tired."
"Just a little," she admitted. "Those attacks take some energy to use."
I am such a liar, she thought. Kakyoku no Kaze is a series of songs where I use the whistling by my whip and amplify it directly into the person's ears… but it takes a lot of energy and concentration… damn, being stuck in this lab and tested on for two days hasn't done much good for my physical condition. I'll only be able to use it once more, if I have too…
The next wave of scientists came head on, but this time… Hoshi squinted in the dim light and realized almost too late…
"FIRE!"
Hoshi threw herself on top of the kids, knocking them all down to the ground just as there was an ear-splitting crack as the bullets wizzed over their heads.
"Stay down," Hoshi instructed. She got up and ran towards the gun wielders, hate in her eyes. She let her whip disappear and used some of her, for the lack of a better word, unorthodox method of martial arts to take them out. Flowing seamlessly from attack to block and attack again in a blink of an eye, it was impossible to follow her movement and in thirty seconds, all the gun-wielders were unconsious.
"What sort of fighting was that?" asked 659, awed.
"It's a water-movement based fighting," Hosh answered. "Quick, let's go!"
"GOMU GOMU NO GATTELING GUN!"
"THUNDERBOLT TEMPO!"
"Santoryuu... TATSUMAKI!"
"FIVE STAR KICK COURSE!"
"HEAVY POINT: JURRYOU KYOUKA!"
"NAMAIIBOSHI!"
"CIEN FLEURS!"
"Damn, just how many of these guys are there?" Nami asked as more and more kept coming.
"Who knows?" Zoro growled. "All I know is that I don't give a damn. We need to get deeper inside this building and find Hoshi."
"And just," Sanji kicked soldier after soldier, "how do you propose we do that? There's no end to them!"
Needless to say, things were getting very active at the front gate… and it was only promising to get crazier before it ended.
"HOSHI!" Luffy roared. "WE'RE HERE TO GET YOU!!" He punched some soldiers as he kept yelling. "WE KNOW EVERYTHING HOSHI! COME BACK TO US!!"
Hoshi gasped as a familiar voice reached her ears. It was too faint to make out everything, but she caught the last four words. "COME BACK TO US!"
Relief crashed into her, almost physically knocking her over, and tears brimmed in her eyes.
They really came... to get me... even after everything I said...
She grinned, and picked up her speed. "Let's go!" she told the kids. "My... my nakama are here to pick us up!"