Warning: Insanely long 8D But will contain review replies so if you reviewed you might want to read on. If not… well, just skip to the story!
The Very Exciting Author's Note!
Cha-Cha: Welcome to Silence, the only fanfic that'll keep your favourite TV dance shows running! 8D
Mugi: Er… what? *whispers* Somebody's getting a little cuckoo in the brain~
Cha-Cha: …Shuddup.
Rikuto: Er, well, anyway… Now, we're onto the reviewing corner, and all that jazz.
Drake Nolsa, chapter 6: I'm glad that you're supporting Momoka fully. She could really use it, what with the tragic death of her Master and the fact that Hotaru wants to shove her off a cliff, and all that… Yes, please be patient. Snake/Jack will come in soon enough ;D We completely have his story planned out. He'll appear in a more light-hearted chapter, more like a filler(?), but don't worry, he'll get his share of fighting and pummelling the crap out of people. Also, Nagato's been gone for the story so far, but she's a'comin' back in soon enough. DON'T WORRY! 8D
Mai Sachiyuki, chapter 6: Thanks ^^ Glad you're interested in the story!
Brendan Rizzo, chapter 6: Yea, I noticed that DX See, TTHTBC (Ruby-chan) and I were discussing ideas. She actually wanted to call him Sensei but then I argued that no honorifics had really been used in this fanfic (see, that's why her Master called her Momo Honey instead of Momo-chan) so I went back and changed all of the "Sensei's" into "Master's" after we came to an agreement that we'd go with Master cause it sounds sexy. However, I must've missed a couple somewhere. My bad. Also, Momoka's Master will hopefully come back into the story somewhere along the way. We just have to find a place for him.
Really? I've never watched/read Evangelion before, so I don't really know much about Asuka. Is that a good thing? =3
superstarultra, chapter 6: Holy canoly, that was DEEP! :O I'm so happy that it made you feel that way x3 I tried to think deeply… But I'm not too good at that kind of thing, so I'm relieved I could kinda pull off the whole flashback thing without a bunch of flames. Cause usually my flashback stories SUCK, with a capital everything.
Villains? OF COURSE! Yes, no one's really submitted any villains yet (Yo' scared? XD) so we'd be glad to accept an OC from you some day! ^^ PS. KAZUE LUVS CHU TOO!
The Layman, chapter 6: Ahaha! Happy Christmahanakwanzaka to you too! (Even though it's 4 months late now D: ) XD And OKAY! I'll work on keeping the chapters up to date regularly…
Yowaki, chapter 6: Yaay! Kazue's happy now, cause someone voted for her! XD
And yes, we were really heading for the angst with Momoka, although I'm not sure whether or not it was more dramatic than the scene with Rikuto at the end of Chapter 5. Hmm… I'll leave it up to you guys to give Momoka's dramatic scene a rating out of ten! XD Well, cause you liked it so much, maybe in a future chapter we'll dive into her past some more. Or maybe, just maybe, I can convince Ruby-chan to write up Momoka's past as a separate fic for herself *giggles slyly* I've been pestering her to put more fanfics up!
And now, for the famous 5-second intros from our newly added OC cast! Eric Di Scarlatta, Mitsuzu Amiya and Eri Masaki!
Eric: Hey there! I'm a girl, in case you were wondering - human girl to be more specific. I was created by Franny ze Omega :D It's nice to meet you.
Mitsuzu: Hey there! My name's Mitsuzu Amiya, but please call me Amiya! I'm an ESPer girl and I was created by Mai Sachiyuki! I hope we all get along great! =)
Cha-Cha: OHH, YOU'RE SO CUTE! *glomps*
Eri: Hey! Wassup pepo'! The name's Eri. I was created by Drake Nolsa, and I'm distantly acquainted with Jack BD I also have weapons! *brandishes*
Everyone else: *cowers away*
Cha-Cha and Mugi: OKAY! PLEASE LEAVE A REVIEW IF YOU LIKE/HATE OUR FIC, AND IF YOU WANT, POST AN OC TO BECOME A PART OF SILENCE!
XXX
Silence
I dived behind a wall, breathing hard. These aliens weren't making it easy for us - not that I ever imagined they would do. But I couldn't care less about that right now. Rikuto had ran into the midst of the battlefield, unprotected - there was no saying he hadn't already been killed…
No.
Rikuto would be the last person to go running into the middle of a bloody fight without anything but his fists. I taught him to never go unless he had to. But still I couldn't stop this feeling of guilt weighing down on my heart.
I'm Rikuto's mother. Of all people, it should be me who takes care of him. And yet, even now, I can't seem to look after him or protect him like a mother should.
It reminded me of the time when the Gene was invented. The Cynosure Gene, the one Gene that could possibly bring back the powers of the ESPers… and Rikuto was our Guinea-Pig. I didn't want to hand him over to the scientists, but somehow, Itsuki changed my mind.
I should've hated him for that. I should've kept Rikuto away from them, because he was my baby and I let those scientists grab hold of him like an animal and inject vile experimental concoctions into his body like a parasite. He would lie on a gurney for days looking lifeless as the genes took effect, and I watched how much pain he was going through, crying himself to sleep silently each night because of the fever he constantly had as his immune system fought for him.
I should've left, walked out, ended it with Itsuki, taken my baby away and never looked back. But I didn't.
I suppose I should be ashamed for that. But I loved him too much.
"Is this… the right thing?" I had once asked him tearfully, squeezing Rikuto's tiny hand. We had been stood at Rikuto's bedside, as his fever was worse then usual and his health deteriorating as a rapid pace. Itsuki sighed painfully, but shook his head.
"I honestly don't know. The last thing I ever wanted to do was this, Kazue… But if it's for his future, it's the best we can do." I blinked through my tears dumbly.
"I hate it, though," I'd moaned. "Rikuto's so weak. He's had weak health since he was born, Itsuki, can't you see this is killing him?" He lifted a hand and wiped my tears.
"Kazue… I love Rikuto. He's my son, and my pride. But this is all for him. We're going to have to take risks, but we're doing this so that the war can end sooner or later." He'd hugged me tightly and I'd nodded, tears rolling down my cheeks.
"I just don't want him to die," I'd wailed, taking fistfuls of his shirt.
"Neither do I. But this isn't for much longer. With the exception of today, the guys in the lab say that he's been doing really well. At this rate, the Gene will be complete within the next month. And then… things will start to get a lot better."
I thought I'd regret everything. And, true enough, I regret a lot of decisions I've made in my life. But I don't want to change them. Because if I did, I'm pretty sure Rikuto would've gotten himself killed a long time ago.
"This bull is gonna be wrapped up tonight!" I yelled, dashing out from behind the wall and aiming my gun at an alien's head. I pulled the trigger and in a flash droplets of blood flew at my face and the body staggered to the ground.
I whistled in triumph and stared at satisfaction at the alien. Once I'd shot right through the centre of it's head I'd instantly damaged the data link, thus blowing up the entity from the inside and destroying it's link to it's physical body.
It sounded really smartass put like that, but looked kinda gory once it'd been done.
I looked around, then stared, horrified, as I noticed Miss Mori crouched behind several other guards, face unnaturally pale and a spike protruding from her arm. A dark bloodstain on her clothing was slowly widening.
I let a small sob escape my lips as I rushed to her side. She had cold sweat on her forehead and was breathing shallowly.
"Miss Mori!" I cried, crashing to my knees next to her. "What happened?"
"They disarmed me…" she gasped. It was taking so much effort for her even to speak now. "…I couldn't stop them…" She leaned her head against my shoulder, a tear escaping her closed eyelids. "…I'm so sorry, Miss Kazue…" I shook my head, disbelieving.
"No, Miss Mori, hang in there! We can help you!" My voice came out high-pitched and panicky. "W-We just have to pull out the spear…!" She winced as she moved away from me.
"It's no use. I'll lose too much blood when it's out. You won't be able to stop it."
"But… But we have to try something!" My voice came out in a sob, blood rushing in my ears. I couldn't make sense of it. I had to do something. But what could I do?
"I'm going to get Itsuki," I said quickly, standing up. She nodded weakly.
I ran through crowds of our allies, pushing past them, calling out his name. I couldn't find him anywhere.
"Itsuki… Itsuki… Itsuki!" I shouted, tears filling up my eyes. "Itsuki, where are you…? Hey, Itsuki… Itsuki!"
"Mom?" I turned around. Rikuto was charging through the crowd, Mikuru in tow, face panicked. "What's going on? I saw a huge crowd of soldiers over there and I-"
"Rikuto!" I flung myself at him, crying. "Rikuto, I've been so worried, and… Oh my god, Rikuto, you have to help me… No, not me… Miss Mori… Oh my god, I can't help her by myself," I sobbed.
"Mom, take me to where she is," Rikuto said, his fingernails digging into my shoulders. I sensed urgency in his voice and snapped back to attention.
Blurry-eyed, I staggered through the crowd, pointing with a shaking finger to where Miss Mori was kneeling, holding onto her arm and shaking. Mikuru clapped a hand to her mouth in shock.
"Oh my…!" Rikuto fell to his knees beside her.
"Miss Mori, are you all right?" he asked urgently. She shook her head.
"I'm… losing a lot of blood, you know…?" She whispered, white-faced. He bent closer.
"We have to get this spear out," he said turning to face me. His eyes flashed with determination.
"But we can't," I said, my voice rising in a panic. "Miss Mori will bleed to death!"
"T-To death?" squeaked Mikuru, looking frightened. "Th-That's terrible!"
"But we have to do something," he replied. "Mikuru… go to Hotaru's room. She has a first aid kit under her bed in case of an emergency."
"Okay, I'll be as fast as I can!" She ran off in direction of the front entrance, stopping to plead with some of the more stubborn sub-ordinates posted at the doors to stop aliens from getting to our research.
After what seemed like an age of begging, she was finally allowed in and raced through the doors.
I grabbed Miss Mori's hand. Her eyelids were fluttering slightly, and her breathing became more and more shallow.
"She's fading fast," he said. "But don't worry, Mom, she'll be fine. I know so." I let a tear slip down my cheek and squeezed her hand.
"Rikuto… what happened to you and Mikuru? Where did you go? I was really worried about you…"
"You'll get mad if you know where I went," he sighed. I frowned. I didn't like the sound of that. "But don't worry," he added quickly, "I'm fine. Completely."
"I wish you'd talk to me more, Rikuto," I said, sighing heavily. "I feel like we've been really distant lately. I honestly love you so much… you're everything to me. And… well…" I bit my lip. "…You don't hate me, do you?" He looked up, confused.
"What? Hate you?" He frowned. "Of course I don't hate you, Mom! What are you talking about?"
"I'm sorry," I said, tears running down my face. "It's just… Well, with all that's happening, I-"
"Get down!" someone called. I pushed Rikuto's head down as a gunshot rang out. I watched in horror as it skimmed over the top of his head and into the wall behind us.
I stood up, holding up my twin pistols. I clenched my teeth and tightened my grip. I had to protect Rikuto now.
"You aliens have some nerve," I growled. "TO DARE SHOOT AT MY SON!"
I jumped up and shot at them with my pistols. They were taken out and more of the members of the Agency came to watch my back. Rikuto looked alarmed, but I fell to the floor again and put a hand on Miss Mori's shoulder.
"You're going to be all right," I whispered, leaning inwards and giving her a kiss on her cheek. "Everything's going to be fine, Miss Mori, please trust me on that."
"I have the first aid kit!" Mikuru called, running over to us hurriedly. Her face was bright red and she was puffing - I guess she'd ran around the whole building trying to remember which room was Hotaru's. I gripped Miss Mori's hand.
"Mom, I'm going to go and find Dad," Rikuto said, standing up. I shook my head.
"No, Rikuto, you're only a kid, you can't go out there-!"
"If I don't Miss Mori will die!" he yelled, dashing out into the crowd of people. I began to shake, squeezing my hands together. I hoped to God he wouldn't die that night.
I looked around me. It was one in the morning now, and the sky was a dark purple colour. The ambush was only about half over tops - they usually lasted six hours or more. I could barely see, but I knew that it was starting to rain.
"Don't worry about a thing, Miss Mori," I whispered raggedly.
"Miss Kazue… I'm so, so sorry… I was so stupid…" Miss Mori groaned, lifting a trembling hand to her temple. "I should've been more careful…"
"Shh, you'd better save your energy," I said, trying to keep my voice steady. "R-Rikuto will be back soon, and we'll help you… okay?"
"Is there anything I can do?" asked Mikuru timidly. I shook my head.
"We don't have anything that'll be helpful until we pull the spear out. There's nothing we can do right now."
"DON'T CALL ME GINGER, YOU ASSHOLE!" I recognised that voice. I turned around to see Hotaru stamping on an alien's head. "AND DON'T GO AROUND KICKING GIRLS, EITHER! WHAT ARE YOU, SOME KIND OF EGGHEAD?"
She scraped blood off her shoes on the grass and turned around, looking slightly frazzled. I realised that look anywhere. It was her typical "Is this freaking fight over yet? I wanna go watch some Soul Eater" face.
"Hotaru!" She looked up and ran over to me.
"Hey Kazue! What's going on?" she asked, wide-eyed. She glanced at Miss Mori and her mouth fell open. "What the hell happened?"
"There's no time to explain," I said desperately. "Please, can you look for Rikuto? He went to find Itsuki, and I… I don't know where he's gone! I'm so worried!"
I bit back my own anxious tears. I knew I shouldn't be so frightened - it wasn't like ambushes were anything new to us. But still, the thought that he didn't even have any weapons on him anymore…
Hotaru looked uncomfortable, but nodded.
"All right, all right! I'll go see if I can find him! Just make sure you have yourself covered, got it? I want you to make me and Rikuto some hot chocolate after this whole ordeal is over!"
I nodded, smiling gratefully, and watched her turn and run away into the crowd, her gorgeous auburn hair swinging out behind her. I noted she'd tied up her hair into a loose ponytail to keep it out of her face, and was still wearing her pyjamas. I stifled a laugh, despite my gnawing worry. With all those bloodstains, I figured I'd probably have to buy her a new pair.
I couldn't help my mind straying once again to the pasts of my children… even if Hotaru wasn't biologically my daughter, having raised her since we found her, she was the closest thing to a daughter I'd ever known.
I remember that day as clear as anything, when Itsuki brought her home, holding a small girl with dusty red hair in his arms. I'd been out buying supplies at the time, so I dropped a packet of biscuits I'd been unloading from the shopping bags in shock as he'd burst through the door. The little girl was unconscious so I was completely stunned.
"Wh…What's going on?" I cried. He looked up at me, something glinting in his eyes.
"This is the newest creation of the Sky Canopy Domain - Zuki." I stared. The newest interface they'd created was… a child?
"But how did you find her?" I asked, eyes never leaving the small girl in his arms. He sighed heavily, looking at the unresponsive child in his arms.
"They left her behind when we raided. It turns out she isn't all that they'd dreamed for." He showed me the girl. She… was sleeping? "She can sleep, eat, feel… she's an artificial human. Everything's real about her… except her physical structure. She's data, completely… and yet she can do everything and more that a human can - including the ability to age, something aliens have lacked since they were first created."
"That's incredible," I breathed. "But why did they leave her behind?" He frowned.
"I'm guessing it was because she seemed too advanced - and, with her human-like traits - likely to turn against them as time progressed. They were probably hoping she would be destroyed in the rush."
"But she wasn't," I said, my voice suddenly choked up. I didn't even care that she was an alien. In fact, screw that she was an alien. No child deserved being left behind.
"We have to give her a name." He looked up.
"Huh?"
"We have to give her a name," I said determinedly. "She's a child, just like Rikuto. We should raise her, Itsuki. We need to teach her the good of the world. In the hope that she'll stick by us. Plus, Rikuto would get lonely without a friend to hang around with. Since Asami left, he's been kinda lonely."
I crouched down and stroked her hair. Her eyes fluttered open as I did so. I flinched. I hadn't meant to wake her up.
"Um, hi, sweetie," I said softly. She looked around, eyes wider then anything I'd ever seen before. They were a gorgeous amber colour - it reminded me of tree sap. She turned her head this way and that, until finally focusing on us two.
"… Zu…ki…" She weakly raised a hand and pointed her index finger at herself.
"Uh huh. Your unit name was Zuki. But that's a bit… basic. Don't you think, Itsuki?" He nodded, swallowing.
"Yes. We need to give her a new name. A beautiful name, for a girl as cute as she is." He looked at me, and I knew in that instant what name he wanted to choose.
"Hotaru," I said as he opened his mouth. He cracked a grin.
"…You know me too well." She looked up at us, wide-eyed.
"Hota…ru…?" I nodded, smiling softly.
"Uh huh. Do you like it?" She took this into serious consideration for a few moments, before nodding. I let a relieved smile cross my face.
"Hotaru… Welcome to the Agency."
As Mori let out a whimper I snapped back to attention.
"J-Just hold on, Miss Mori. Mr Koizumi will be back soon."
Mikuru wiped the tears from her eyes and sat down beside Miss Mori, caressing her hand gently. Her eyes softened as she stroked Miss Mori's hair, humming quietly.
"I've never been good in situations like this. Miss Mori, do you remember when Asami broke her leg when she was nine? I've just had the strangest sense of déjà vu. Miss Kazue was here, too, and Takeo had just run off to find Mr Koizumi to help her. And I just sat here, next to her, stroking her hand, and I told her a story. I don't remember what it was, but it took her mind off things. I told her how brave she was being, and after that, she didn't cry once, even when Mr Koizumi had to stretch out her leg and put it in a splint. She was so brave, my little girl. You're being very brave too, Miss Mori."
I smiled, eyes filling with tears. Mikuru was doing what she had done all those years ago with her own daughter. Miss Mori gave a weak smile.
"And after that… she recovered, right? She's done well, Asami Asahina. When… When I recover, I will go to HQ3.… and I will fight for her."
Mikuru nodded, tears escaping her eyes and running down her ivory cheeks.
"She'd like that."
"Kazue! KAZUE!"
I spun round to the sound of my dear husband's voice, and hope filled me, forcing me to smile widely.
"Itsuki! Oh Itsuki, what can we do?" I cried, as Rikuto and Hotaru followed, their eyes wide with fear. My hands were now coated in Miss Mori's blood, and I quickly wiped them on my jeans, feeling sick. Itsuki studied Miss Mori for a moment, before nodding and pulling a bandage from the first aid kit.
"If Miss Mori has any chance of survival, we have to make a ring bandage. Kazue, Mikuru, wrap this bandage around the spear, but don't put any pressure on it. We don't want Miss Mori to suffer any more than she has to."
I nodded, hurriedly grabbing the bandage from his hands and handing the other end to Mikuru. I held the protruding length of the spear tightly, careful not to move it, as Mikuru helped me surround the wound with white gauze, which slowly but surely dyed a deep red. Koizumi grabbed the top end of the spear once we had secured it, but he shook his head.
"Hotaru. I need you to use that power you've been working on."
Hotaru's eyes shot wide open, like a deer caught in headlights. I'd never seen her look so scared. Rikuto looked thoroughly confused.
"New power? Wha-?" Hotaru stopped him mid-sentence, her voice cracking.
"I-I've been working… working on healing powers… but Koizumi, it's never worked once! I don't even know if it's possible, I-"
"Please."
Itsuki's face was a mask, a calm, solemn mask, but I could see the cracks. Miss Mori was a good friend of his, one of his only original ESPer friends left alive, and I knew he'd do anything to save her. I nodded at Hotaru, who took a deep breath and placed her hands on Miss Mori's side. I grabbed Mori's other hand tightly, closing my eyes.
"On three," I heard Itsuki say, his voice a little too high.
"One."
I felt Rikuto tense behind me, putting a gentle hand on the arch of Hotaru's back.
"Two."
Miss Mori's hand was shaking violently, and I could hear her quiet sobs.
"THREE!"
A gut wrenching scream filled the air as droplets of blood fell like rainfall on our faces, Itsuki wielding the spear in the air like a sword. Hotaru screwed up her eyes, and I could see the sweat trickling down her face. Behind her, I could hear the resistance failing; any minute now, we would be surrounded by aliens with no way to fight back-
With a flash of auburn hair and dirty sneakers, Mikuru and Rikuto were up on their feet, dashing towards the scene, pistols clenched firmly in their hands.
"RIKUTO!"
I wrenched my eyes away from my little boy, as Miss Mori moaned in agony, blood pooling by my feet. Hotaru shook her head, her eyes snapping open.
"Hotaru, move! It's not working!" Itsuki sounded panicked, as he tried to push Hotaru aside, but she shook his arm off.
"I've almost got it!"
But I knew Miss Mori was going to die. There was no way, with a loss of this amount of blood, even sealing the wound would be enough, right?
I made the decision in an instant. Whether this would be one I could be proud of, I wasn't sure, as I lunged at Hotaru, pushing her aside. Itsuki ran forward and bandaged the wound tightly, hurriedly scooping a now unconscious Miss Mori up bridal-style and running into the distance. I wiped my brow, overwhelmed, as Hotaru cried, curling up in a ball on the floor. I patted her back, gently, hushing her like a child, wiping the mud from her face and the blood from her hair. She was my child, my daughter, and I couldn't bear to see her in such a state. Her lips trembled as she looked at me, look of failure upon her face.
After five long, painful hours of not knowing, of sitting and crying and not being able to do anything, there was a ceasefire. The rain poured down on us, as I held Hotaru's hand and we stood before our home. The smoke billowed up in a mushroom cloud and ash mixed with the rain, making it cloudy like milk. I squeezed Hotaru's hand, as I realised that, no matter what the outcome of the battle was, whether we lost or won, we'd lost our home, our life, our safety.
All this, all these people dead, and for what?
Little Miss Suzumiya.
It just didn't seem right.
"Mom?" I turned around. Rikuto grabbed my hand, watching as the base burned, crackling and smoking.
"…Hey, Rikuto." I gave him a weary smile. "It's been a long day, huh?"
"You said it," he said, sighing. "I think I left half of my clothes in my room… Shame. The shirt you brought me last week was in there." I gritted my teeth."Well, there's not much we can do about it now. I guess we're gonna have to go elsewhere now that our base has been destroyed, right?" He nodded and watched, dazed, as the smoke filled the sky.
"Yeah. It won't be the same, though." He ducked his head. "First a mission and then an ambush - all within the space of two days! They're really restless, aren't they? The aliens." His voice cracked as he said that. I squeezed his hand, tears springing to my eyes too as the heat of the flames breezed past us.
"…Yeah."
"I'm really gonna miss this home, Mom." He took his hand away and scrubbed at his eyes furiously, pulling down his hat further forward to hide his face. I felt my shoulders shaking and I ducked my head too, the tears threatening to fall.
"Me too, Rikuto."
-End of Part One-
XXX
Cha-Cha and Mugi: So, this is the end to our Ambush Arc, people! I know it was kind of short, but WHATEVER! Okay, obviously there will be some aftermath (such as, "what the hell happened to Momoka?" and "where are they going to live?" and "when will the canon characters return?" and stuff) tying up any loose ends, and then we'll be onto the next arc! Hoopla!
Also, applaud Mugi for that really gory spear-pulling scene - it was sick, right! 8'D And also, to superstarultra for your support while I've been writing the chapter! I know it's been ages since it was last updated, and we're both REALLY sorry for that!
We really hope that you guys enjoyed this chapter and look forward to the next arc - The Mountain Arc! ^^ Rest reassured, many more OCs will be introduced, and two canon characters you both know and love *cough cough* PROTAGONISTS *cough*!
Cha-Cha: ANYWAY, PLEASE LEAVE AN OC TO BECOME A PART OF SILENCE! ^_^
Mugi: And… er… well, don't forget to leave a review. *shifty eyes*