My apologies. Been held up with my friend's b-day party a few days ago. Thanksgiving prep. before that, and then having to recover from the Christmas rush thingy. Then, my girlfriend got sick from the H1N1 thing for, like, a week or so, thus distracting me thoroughly from this story. Then there was Valentine's Day and me trying to get enough money to do something special for my girlfriend, which led me to doing overtime at my job. -.-" Plus, my teachers overloaded us with a bunch of homework and projects. I am so testing my "Conspiracy To Prevent Teen Happiness" theory. Then, there was TAKS. As you can tell, life has been hectic for me as of late. However, I will now be updating quicker since there's nothing to distract me for a while...hopefully.
Shane- OI! Stop using most of my excuses!
Me- What do you need excuses for? You're a middle schooler.
Shane- Yeah, but I'm going to a high school/college next year.
Me- -.-" Whatever. Enjoy the chapter I finally got out
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It had been a melancholic, hectic month for Natsuki's friends and family. Nao's vision did not help with their already high stress levels, blood pressure, and worry; it intensified them. They knew a person could withstand only so much torture, and while Natsuki was one of the strongest, stubborn individuals they had the pleasure of knowing, she still had a breaking point. As much as many would like to deny it, she is still human, cold to many as she may be. She still cried the same, hurt the same, and laughed the same as any other person. It was only a matter of time, everyone knew.
Youko didn't know what to think of the pinkish gem on the table that was supposedly the usb drive. This isn't even a usb drive. It's a rare...gem. This thing cannot possibly hold any secrets about the A.I.! She heaved a frustrated snarl and pushed her rolling chair away from the observation table in the middle of the white lab and over to the high-tech computers a little off to her right. She heaved the pink and black gem off of her lap and onto the scanner that had taken over a month to fix after an earthquake had hit Otome-gem, thus limiting to studying the drive with not-so-technological means.
Despite this setback, Youko was immensly happy that she had the usb drive, now simply known as the "Black Star" force drive. Usb didn't quite cut it.
She pressed a few buttons on the scanner and the thing came alive with a loud buzz. Several moments passed before its commands were carried out. A long rectangular object ejaculated above the Black Star force drive and swept side-to-side, a wide, cross-hatching green lazer being draped over it. Once the scan was complete, the information was sent over to Youko's computer where a loading bar now showed. It reached the hundred percent mark, and then filled the screen with all kinds of codes that kept whatever information there was successfully hidden. Upon seeing them, Youko's eye twitched. She had no idea how to decode something this advanced and intricate.
She stood up and walked to the other side of the room, stopping before what appeared to be a speaker. She pressed the button provided and spoke into it, "All computer specialists, please report to Level 4, Section B, room 583. Your assistance is mandatory. That is all."
Within minutes, all personal requested arrived, prepared with lab coats, clipboards and pens.
"Thank you all for coming," Youko began. "I have a challenge for you. Whoever can decode this," She showed them her computer. "or knows how to decode this will bring us that much closer to defeating the A.I. I have a feeling that everything we need is behind these codes..."
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"-couldn't go with them? Whaddaya mean? Surely the wall would have closed before the A.I. could make it through?"
Currently, Natsuki was telling Tomoe why she allowed herself to be captured from her recent mission.
"Of course. Perhaps a few androids would have made it through, and in retrospect, I could have escaped, but..." Natsuki paused for a brief moment. "but I didn't want the A.I. to know how we got into the city undetected. I didn't want them to know where that secret passageway lies, because it would have been easy for them to figure out the password and open the passage, which would lead them straight to H.Q." Her eyes lowered. "I just couldn't risk it." She whispered sadly.
Tomoe now understood why Natsuki let herself be taken prisoner. She wouldn't want to be the cause of the death of her loved ones or humanity's only hope, either. From everything Natsuki had said, Otome-gem carried nearly 1.5 million occupants capable of battle, and whenever the force drive revealed its secrets, that would be 1.5 million soldiers who knew how to mass-murder androids, instead of taking them out one-by-one, as always. Despite all this, they would never be prepared to deal with a sudden attack to Otome-gem, especially since many of them have families, which adds to the over-all population.
"I understand. You actually did a brave thing, Kuga." Tomoe shrugged and relaxed on her bunk. "I dunno if I would have the guts to surrender myself to the robots to save anyone. I'm not exactly the most righteous person, y'know?"
Natsuki sat up from her place on the floor. "If someone is very important to you, or if a certain cause it very important to you, you'd be surprised at what you would put yourself through to achieve what you feel that you must accomplish."
"I guess." Suddenly, "Did you leave a boyfriend behind or something? You look kinda lovesick or something."
Natsuki coughed and her cheeks reddened. "HELL NO!" She exclaimed, appalled. "I don't have time for that kinda shit."
Tomoe raised an eyebrow. "A girlfriend, then?"
"NO!"
"Are you straight or-"
"Why are we having this conversation?" Natsuki interrupted for the sake of her sanity.
"Cuz. My gaydar goes apeshit around you."
Natsuki was lost. "Your gaydar...goes apeshit...around me?"
"Yep. Can't tell if you're a lesbian or a curious straight girl."
"Mm."
...
"Well?"
"Well what?" Natsuki prompted.
"Are you a lesbian or not?"
"WHY IS IT NECESSARY TO KNOW?"
"The readers want to know, okay!"
Natsuki faltered. "Wh...what?"
"Nothing. Just answer the damned question!"
"FINE! I like women! Happy?" Natsuki's face was red.
Tomoe grinned, "Mm-hmp! Very."
The blunette sighed and fell onto her back. She stared up at the ceiling, arms spread out. "I thought this was supposed to be a depressing place?"
"Our interactions seem to be the light-hearted relief in life," Tomoe explained matter-of-factly.
"Oh." Was the confused response.
They didn't talk after that, choosing to enjoy the comfortable silence. They chatted idly through lunch about random things to keep their minds off of where they were and why they were there. The illusion of peace was ended when two heavy-built guards came to escort Tomoe to her "interrogation" room with none other than Fujino. Tomoe didn't return until half an hour after dinner was served.
When she had returned, the girl was beaten so badly she couldn't even walk on her own. The guards ended up dragging her the whole way and tossed her, literally, into the cell. Natsuki managed to catch her, almost dropping her, and help her onto the bed.
Natsuki figured Fujino was beginning to get fed up with the rebel's stubborn conscience and took her frustration out on Tomoe. It had been a month already, and despite the horrendous pain and suffering Fujino inflicted and caused the blunette, she had yet to extract even a bit of information from Natsuki. Not even a peep. One can imagine how trying that could be.
I'd sooner die than tell that bitch anything that would end everything I have worked so hard for. Hell, I probably will die here before Youko-sensei figures out how to activate that gem thing. I've survived two and a half months...how much longer can I last?
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Her body was tense, fists and jaws clenched tightly to the point of whiteness. Nostrils flared from ragged breathing, quick breaths. A pink tinge colored her cheeks. Shizuru stared at the recently bloodied wall, ruby orbs blazing with a fierce intensity.
She was fucking pissed off.
That rebel, Natsuki, was quickly wearing away at her nerves as the days passed. The bitch was just so resilient against everything Shizuru threw at her! Why couldn't she just give up already? All she was doing was bringing herself pain; unnecessary pain, at that. There was no way Natsuki could hold out information for much longer- Shizuru could feel her silence vigil beginning to wear away, cracking under constant strain.
That-that fucking little shit! Shizuru growled gutturally and entangled her hands in her hair, pulling viciously. She threw her back against the wall and slid down the wall, leaving a smear in the still-wet blood behind her. Why does she push my buttons like this? I could care less if she talks or not- I still get to draw that sweet, sweet blood from her precious body. She's just such a damn smart-mouth, I want her to sing a new tune for once, to the music of begging and pleading. That would be a welcome change of pace.
Shizuru's hands dropped to the cement floor. "Why does this girl bother me so much?"
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Fire. This pain was like fire to Natsuki's body: fierce and excruciating. It hurt so bad, she wished her skin would fall off of her body so that she wouldn't feel the agony of electricity frying her nerves. She clenched her teeth together and screwed her eyes shut as her back arched off the metal table with every wave of electricity that scorched through her body. Tears and screams escaped from her.
The process repeated: electricity, pain, a sudden stop, then restart. Natsuki felt as if the cycle would never end. She prayed it would, prayed harder than she had ever done in her life. Never had any of her sessions been so unbearable. There had always been breaks, slight as they were, and miniscule conversation- mostly one-sided. Now there were none, and the dialogue came only from Fujino. Of course, the words were degrading and cruel, stating her perverse pleasure in Natsuki's pain. This was nothing like before.
Distant in her ears were Fujino's words. She could barely understand what that demon said: "Does it hurt? Does it hurt, you little cunt? Come on, show me how much it hurts." With every scream, crimson orbs became more crazed and Fujino's voice turned more demented. "That's right! Scream! Scream to the fucking world and cry when it doesn't hear you! It doesn't give a shit about you! It won't hear you! It can't hear you! I'm the only one who can! I'm the only one who can!" And she laughed wildly, crazed. "I'm the only one who can! Hahahahahaha!"
Suddenly, a sharp, stinging pain on her abdomen evolved into a skin-charring burn, intensifying her agony. She forced open an eye to see what this new torture was. It was a metal rod used for branding cows, but there was no brand- only a blunt end that left angry red and white marks on her skin. Her head fell back. A gutteral yell escaped from her throat when the metal rod was forced against the sensitive skin of her inner thigh. She pulled against her wrist and ankle binds desperately, trying to get free. The metal around her neck and hips made it impossible for success.
"Sream, scream, as loud as you can! No one can hear you; only I fucking can!" Fujino sing-songed as she forced the rod harder against the prisoner's thigh.
"AHHHHHH-AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Natsuki screamed as loud as she could, causing the veins in her neck to become visible.
Fujino grinned scornfully. "That's right. SCREAM! Ahahahahahahahahahahaha! SCREAM!"
An hour later...
Natsuki dully stared at the gray ceiling above her. Random areas of her skin and several parts of her body twitched constantly. Her body throbbed and ached and a severe migraine pounded in her head. She couldn't think at all; her mind was too fuzzy for any thoughts.
A face suddenly entered her field of vision. Fujino...
Fujino smiled at her. "Ara, ara, don't you look terrible. Tell me, do you feel terrible?"
Natsuki nodded dumbly.
"Would you like the terrible feeling to go away?"
She nodded again.
Fujino smirked and said, close to her ear, "Just tell me where Otome-gem is and how many people there are in it and I'll make the pain go away."
"And th-th-the p-pain go bye-bye?" Natsuki mimicked.
"Yes. The pain go bye-bye."
There was a brief silence. Fujino waited patiently, triumphantly. She knew she had broken the girl. She just knew it.
"Otome-gem..." The red-eyed woman was alert as Natsuki spoke, "Otome-gem is...is..."
"Yes?" Fujino urged eagerly. "Yes?"
"O-Otome-gem is..." A smirk suddenly graced the blunette's face. "Up your ass and around the corner, bitch."
Anger blazed in Fujino's eyes as she glared into emerald orbs, a snarl on her lips. She raised an arm and brought it down hard on Natsuki's temple, knocking her unconscious.
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Shizuru chewed on her lower lip in frustration while glowering at Natsuki's unconscious form from her place on the floor. She fiddled mindlessly with her fingers, unaware that she was making her lip bleed. Many thoughts and questions were racing through her head; they were driving her insane! Every thought and question revolved around Natsuki no matter how hard she tried to get rid of them.
Why am I always thinking about her? She's nothing special. She's just another one of those people who believe they can overthrow the A.I. I wonder if she realizes that's impossible?
Who cares? I most certainly don't! What she believes is none of my concern or care. So what if she's too stupid to realize her cause is pointless? That's her problem, not mine. And so what if she thinks she's helping to free humanity? She'll figure it out soon enough.
The taste of blood finally made it to Shizuru's senses and she immediately stopped massacring her lip.
What is it about those people in Otome-gem that keeps her so loyal? Why does she let herself suffer for them? It's not like any of them would do the same thing for her, as is the way of humanity, so why? Perhaps she protects her family. Or perhaps she has a lover to protect.
Curiously, the thought of Natsuki having a lover back at Otome-gem made her heart beat hard against her sternum, as if in disapproval.
How odd. The mere idea of this girl having a lover causes a physical reaction in me...strange. Am I jealous, maybe? Yes, that must be it. I simply wish for a lover, is all.
Shizuru convinced herself to believe this, not daring to consider a different, more obvious reason for this strange heart pain.
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My head hurts. Natsuki thought with a wince. My whole body hurts.
She sat up slowly, clutching at her head. For a few moments, she simply sat there until the sharpness of her headache dulled. Once it had, she cautiously opened her eyes, preparing for the bright white light of her cell. Her vision was fuzzy, and she had to blink several times to clear it up.
"Kuga?"
Natsuki turned her head to the sound of Tomoe's voice. "Tomoe?"
The woman's face was now in sight. She was sitting next to her on the floor, since no chair were provided, a first-aid kit in hand.
"Yeah. I'm here." She moved to sit next to Natsuki on the mattress and placed the kit next to her head. "How do you feel?"
"Just fucking peachy," Natsuki muttered.
Tomoe rolled her eyes at her sarcasm and said, "Lay back down. Lemme see how bad Fujino fucked you up."
The blunette complied, too tired and achey to argue. She felt cool fingers on her stomach as her shirt was lifted up to her chest and then over her head. There was a hiss of sympathy from the green-haired girl. "Damn. Wha'd she do, burn you?"
"And electrified me."
Gray eyes widened. "I never thought she'd go that far. Are your arms and torso the only places she-?"
"No. There's alot on my legs. You can look, if you want."
And she did. Like Natsuki said, her legs had alot of burn marks that looked like they hurt. Some were still bleeding a little, a few were white and almost black, and the rest were an ugly bright-red color. There were several long burns, caused when Fujino had dragged the metal rod across her skin. Most of them were only first and second degree burns, but a couple were third degrees.
Upon seeing Tomoe's horrified expression, Natsuki said, "Fujino's really pissed at me for not giving her the info she wants. I think she wants to kill me." She chuckled humorlessly. "I'd rather she did and got it over with, 'cause I ain't gonna tell her nothin'. Not a damn thing. I have too much at stake." She whispered the last statement. Images of her family and friends flickered through her mind. The innocence and joy of the children, oblivious to everything, filled her with determination and will power.
She thought back to a time before Otome-gem existed, before the secret underground building was found. The lands had been engulfed in fire and destruction, smoke filling the skies. Utter mayhem had broken out in the cities as humans desperately tried to save themselves from the unrelenting A.I., or tried to fight back. Mangled bodies and limbs were strewn about; there was blood everywhere. Buildings were reduced to rubble and homes were completely disintegrated.
She had been to safe-houses, called "Garderobes". She still remembered all the people huddled together in the dingy Garderobes, praying that the A.I. didn't find them. She could still remember the look in their eyes when they were found: fear, despair, hopelessness, surrender.
Natsuki shut her eyes, pushing the memories back.
"Kuga?"
Emeralds opened. "What?"
Tomoe lifted the first-aid kit, saying, "I'm gonna clean you up, alright?"
Natsuki shrugged. "Sure."
Tomoe sighed as she looked at the meager medical supplies that had been given to her. There wasn't much that she could do for the burns, except apply some germ-killing alchohol and treat the burns with the conveniantly-placed BurnRx. It was unconventional, but it would have to do. Natsuki clenched her fists and jaw in pain as Tomoe cleaned her burns with stinging alchohol. She sighed in relief when the BurnRx was spread over her burns, relieving some of the pain.
"Sonuva bitch, that stung," Natsuki muttered, relaxing her body.
"Is the BurnRx working?" Tomoe asked as she put the first-aid kit away.
"Yeah. The burns don't feel so bad now."
The green-haired woman smiled. "Good." She looked at Natsuki's ratty jumpsuit that lay rumpled on the floor, most likely covered with all kinds of germs, then at her body, covered with open wounds. After coming to a quick conclusion she knew Natsuki would NOT like, Tomoe added, "But, you're gonna have to sleep without that jumpsuit."
With speed a bullet would be jealous up, Natsuki shot up into a sitting position. "WHAT!" Immediately, she curled into herself in pain, a grimace on her face.
"Kuga, you dumbass!" Tomoe exclaimed as she rushed over to the woman's side and helped her lie back down. "What the fuck are you trying to do, make everything bleed?"
"Well why the hell do I gotta sleep in my underwear?"
Gray eyes rolled in exasperation. "Because, moron, you have a bunch of open wounds and that jumpsuit is dirtier than dirt. They'll get infected and shit and you'll get sick."
"Oh. But I still don't like it."
Tomoe waved her off, "Yeah, yeah, yeah. Shove it." She muttered, climbing onto the top bunk.
They lied in their beds in silence. The lights went out after a little while, shrouding them in darkness.
"Hey Kuga?"
"Yeah?"
"If Fujino wasn't, y'know, insane, would you do her?"
There was a brief silence. "Goodnight, Tomoe."
Tomoe pouted. "Oh, come on! She's hot!"
"Goodnight, Tomoe." Natsuki insisted with a gruff voice.
"Fine, fine." More silence. "So would you?"
"Oh my God, woman! Give it a bloody rest!"
Tomoe snickered and leaned over the side of her bunk, the very dim hall light providing just enough light for her to see Natsuki. "Since when are you English?" She was met with a pillow to her face.
Sulkily, the green-haired woman returned to her bunk.
"I'd give her the ride of her life, dammit!"
Together, they fell into harmonious laughter, the day's stress relieved.
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My sincerest apologies for the tartiness, but I hope y'all aren't too mad at me.
Shane: I'm sure they've faced longer waits when it comes to chapter updates.
Me: Si, pero...
Shane: English, woman. -.-
Me: Sorry.
The omake will be short today.
Natsuki: Oh yeah, I would so do her!
Shizuru: I should hope so, Na-tsu-ki.
Natsuki: -winks- You know it, sweetness!
Tomoe: Natsuki's being a playboy!
Ume-sama: Damn straight!
Me: Where'd you come from?
Ume-sama: No where...-runs away-
Me: Ooookay...-sweatdrop-
Natsuki: Let's go baby.
Shizuru: Hai!
Told you. Chappie song!
Ashes of the innocent
The end for you and me
Darkened screams of agony are begging set me free
Mourning all your loved ones, as their bodies turn to stone
Violence, hate and agony are what we've grown to know
Hold me, show me, bring me to my knees
So as the fire burns and the tables turn
we'll never rest in peace
Rest in peace
Ashes of the innocent
Remind me of the past
Taking scars of victory
The time has passed to fast
Singing broken melodies like shards of broken glass
Ripping through my reverie
These scars will never last
Hold me, show me, bring me to my knees
So as the fire burns and the tables turn
We'll never rest in peace
Hold me, show me, bring me to my knees
So as the fire burns and the tables turn,
We'll never rest in peace
Rest in peace
Ashes of the innocent
The end for you and me
Darkened screams of agony are begging set me free...
Hold me, show me, bring me to my knees
So as the fire burns and the tables turn
We'll never rest in peace
Rest in peace
Hold me, show me, bring me to my knees
So as the fire burns and the tables turn
We'll never rest in peace
Rest in peace
R&R, plz. I hope you enjoyed this chapter! XD