Chapter Seven: Nightmare

Stormy grey eyes were assaulted as a blindingly white light was flicked on. He clamped his lids shut, but his vision still struggled painfully to adjust.

"Oh, is the light too bright poppet?" A cold chuckle rang. At even the sound of that monster's voice, the boy's panic escalated, and he thrashed his arms and legs, trying to flee at all costs.

But as he opened his pained eyes, he saw the steel cuffs clamped around his wrists and ankles, binding him to the cold metal table that rubbed his naked skin as he struggled.

A long shadow rose and blocked out the light like a solar eclipse, and the boy bit his lip, his pupils dilating with frozen fear. A flash of metal flickered and he let out a muffled whimper as a sharp scalpel ghosted along his chest, leaving the faintest of scratches but drawing no blood.

The icy voice spoke again and he shrank in fear, tears beginning to gather at the corners of his eyes.

"No need to be frightened my dear," He chuckled from behind his surgical mask. "Your body will house a creation of terrible beauty, all embellished with the mark of my genius…"

The boy clamped his eyes shut, trying to suppress a violent sob as he felt the blade kiss his cheek.

"Remember this pet" The monster cooed. "You are mine. You are my poppet. My doll. Even if you run, I will still hold your puppet strings. As long as you live…you will never escape me…I am the god of all of you, and I will hold that power for eternity…"

"And now," He leaned down, his cold breath on the boy's neck. "Let's see what you're hiding underneath all that lovely skin—"

A high-pitched scream shot through the dark room as Shinobu awakened, every inch of his body dripping with ice cold sweat. The boy's eyes darted around in terror, and he began to cry in relief that it had all been just a dream. Shinobu wrapped his arms around himself, his tears dripping onto the bed sheets.

A crack of light pierced the darkness and the blonde boy looked up as he saw a shadow grace the doorway.

"Shinobu?" Called a gruff but quiet voice. The fifth immediately threw his covers back and raced over to the doorway, throwing his arms around the figure and bursting into sobs. As memories of the dream circled round and round his head, his knees grew weaker and he crumpled to the floor, hugging the other man's ankles and crying brokenly.

Miyagi's dark brow creased as he heard and felt the state of the teen, and he quietly leaned down to help the boy up. His fingers traced along the walls until he came to the metal rail of the bunk bed, and he sat them both down on the disheveled mattress. Shinobu wrapped his arms around Miyagi's torso and wept a little quieter as he felt the older man's hand caress his shoulders. The third didn't even need to ask if the teen had had a nightmare, it was plain even to those who could not see.

Miyagi sighed inwardly, having hoped to avoid this tonight. The fight with Digamma had set off Shinobu violently, and Miyagi had asked Beta to put him asleep with a sedative. However, it seemed everyone was having difficulty finding rest on this night.

As the minutes ticked by, Shinobu's jarring sobs turned into quiet whimpers. He shifted his tear-streaked face, resting his head in Miyagi's lap and wiping his eyes.

"Miyagi…" His tiny voice creaked out. "I—I dreamed about him again…"

The older man's jaw clenched in anger at the mention of that sick bastard, and he gently wove him fingers through the teen's honey locks.

"He can't hurt you anymore, Shinobu."

"Every time I dream of him," The boy whispered. "He always says the same thing…no matter where I go or what I do…he'll find me. I—I can't escape him Miyagi…he'll find me!"

"No he won't," Miyagi countered, trying to keep his temper in check. "And even if he does, he'll have to go through me and four other super humans! And god knows Delta has such a vendetta that the rest of us probably won't even get a punch in."

Shinobu hid his eyes, clutching Miyagi's knees with his small hands.

"…You don't know what he's really like Miyagi…he's ruthless and brutal…He know all our weaknesses! He knows how to destroy us without even lifting a finger! I don't care what Alpha says, we can't beat them…"

A large, dragging tear was about to fall down the boy's cheek, when he felt a long, rough finger smooth along the side of his face, catching the drop before it could fall.

"Shinobu," Miyagi murmured calmly. "The voices in your head that keeps telling you we can't make it, that there is no hope… They are not the voice of reality, but only of your doubt and fear. And believe me…they are not the ones to be listened to."

"But, Miyagi…"

"In a way Shinobu, you are right: that man still has power over you…because you allow your fear of him to overwhelm your mind."

Shinobu's eyes widened and he sank further into Miyagi's lap.

"…I—I can't stop being afraid Miyagi," He choked out. "I don't know how…"

"Oh Shinobu," The third sighed, smoothing the hair on the boy's head. "There is no way to complete erase fear, it's ingrained the human soul. We must not seek to eliminate fear…but to control it, put it in true perspective."

"…How?"

Miyagi leaned down, his warm lips kissing the boy's temple.

"By being brave Shinobu."

The blonde's brow twitched, and silence took over as he ruminated.

"…Miyagi…" He finally whispered. "I don't know if I can… I just…don't have it in me anymore."

"That's nonsense," Miyagi said with a brief flicker of a smile. "Even now, my eyes still remember the face of a stupid brat who didn't let anything stand in his way. A boy who was braver than any person I had ever known."

Shinobu lowered his eyes as if to hide from the man's nonexistent gaze. When he didn't answer, Miyagi continued.

"I know you still have it in you Shinobu. And, if you think you can't be brave for yourself, then do this old man a favor: try to be brave for me. Be brave for the others…and be brave for your sister, Risako…"

Shinobu's eyes flickered open and he slowly lifted his head.

"And more than anything, you little brat," The third teased. "Have a bit of faith in your abilities."

For the first time in their conversation, Shinobu's expression of melancholy shifted to one of grumbling anger and he let out a resentful scoff.

"I mean it," Miyagi scolded. "Your powers are growing more every day."

"Growing worse." The blonde growled back. "I can barely change into a stupid bird."

"Alpha already explained that to you," Miyagi retorted. "We pulled you out of the lab in the middle of a incubation period. You have to work harder to manifest your powers because you aren't fully developed."

"Well it's not fair!" Shinobu shot back. "That stupid Delta and Digamma barely even have to think to tap into their powers! Meanwhile I bust my butt all day, every day, and I never see any results!"

"Oh yeah?" Miyagi scoffed. "Well, guess what brat…Alpha isn't the only one with theories."

Shinobu kept his face set in a scowl, but waited for Miyagi to continue.

"What I think," The third spoke. "Is that Delta, Digamma, me, and the rest are geysers."

Shinobu's blonde eyebrows rose skeptically.

"What do you mean by that?"

"Well, some geysers release powerful bursts of water regularly, but in small amounts. Misaki may be able to tap into his super speed whenever he wants, but it does wear off eventually until he gets his next 'burst' of power. You, on the other hand are a volcano."

"A volcano?"

"Yep." Miyagi said. "Right now, all your true powers are bubbling under the surface, building up more heat and pressure than all of us. And someday all that pressure is going to peak, and your powers are going to explode into something absolutely incredible. You'll be able to completely master your invisibility and change in hundreds if not thousands of animals. Who knows, you could even turn into a griffin, or a chimera."

Even while Shinobu's eyes had lifted in hope at Miyagi's words, he still managed a snort.

"Stupid…Griffins and chimera's aren't organic animals, they're hybrids. It's chemically impossible for me to change into one."

"Oh yeah?" Miyagi replied. "Well guess what… it should be chemically impossible for me to have visions of the future. And if I recall Shinobu, have I ever been wrong?"

The blonde boy sat up, staring at the metal plates that covered the third's eyes.

"…No…you haven't."

A warm smile spread across Miyagi's face and he sighed in contentment as Shinobu wrapped his thin arms around his neck, their lips beginning to touch and caress. Miyagi laid down on the bed, pulling the boy on top of him and unzipping both of their white jumpsuits.

Morning light began to creep into the shades, but the boy and blind one were already lost in the soothing darkness of each other's bodies.

Hello everybody! :) Thank you all for your patience with my rather slacky updates. And let me say, HOLY COW! I can't believe how many of you are reviewing! ^_^ You make me so very very happy.

And having said that, I'm sorry to say there will be no lemons at this time...at least not yet, though I am going to bump the rating up to 'M' just to be safe. But right now, I'm a little too lost in the angsty badass actiony sludge of this story to worry about romance. But I promise, you will not be bored along the way :) ...I think...

Artemis Fortune, Pengwens, WattaAne, KiyameHikari-chan, sesshomaru94, Ricchan14, JoanIncarnate- GROUP HUG! Thank you all for your awesome reviews! ^_^

Leigh's Last Laugh- Glad you're enjoying the story, and I always enjoy the crap out of your reviews. But as many of my readers know, I do have a reputation for going there, coming back, and then going there again ;) Bill Nye? Oh hellz yeaaaaah.

Monstah-chan- Being a member of the yaoi cult myself, I couldn't agree more about the ass ramming. Lemons will come...but it is going to be a little while. I have to dish out some more blood, sweat, and angst first just to make the lovin sweeter. I'm so happy you like the story though. To be honest, I was an action writer long before I wrote romance, so I'm having a lot of fun writing this story. Thanks for the review and hope to see you around!

Ryotanimoto16- Being a member of the fullmetal alchemist cult myself, I do tee hee whenever I write "the FMA." Your aren't the only one :)

Fauchocolat- Oh my dear, your reviews just rocked my socks off! XD You are so awesome and thanks a million for all your feedback! Hugs and cookies!

Cerberus Revised- Here you go my dear dog :) even though it's hardly a bright, sunshiny update, I hope you still enjoy it! Kisses to you my lovely muse!

Bit of Egoist lovin angst is coming up next! I can't thank you all enough for reading!

With Love,

TBF101