He had everything he ever wanted in his hands, but lost it all for something he couldn't even reach.
The Heavy Walk Home
It was early morning and most of the God Eaters in the Den were still asleep. Dr. Sakaki was sitting alone in his Director's Office with the lights off. He hid in the shadows as he video chatted with a mysterious individual on the other side of his computer screen. Both were using a voice filter so as to conceal their identity, as if they were worried who else may be listening.
"Did you see them." The shadow on his screen asked him.
"Yes, it was not a pretty picture." Dr. Sakaki sighed, running a hand through his hair. "It was like he striped them of their humanity. Umiko couldn't even recognize me."
"And they will continue to get worse as the Project goes on. And more will follow in their stead if Director Garland isn't stopped."
"We can worry about Garland later. What I'm concerned about is Umiko's and Sora's conditions, with the amount of unchecked Aragami Transformation Infection they've already gone through their conscious must be heavily damaged. The human body was not meant to handle the strains of the morphs they stress their bodies with. Not to mention the constant Resonance use Umiko puts her mind through."
"No need to worry. I've been working on an antidote long before Garland began his Project. Ever since... the accident." The person's voice saddened at the last part.
"Are you saying you have a cure?"
"Of source, I've been creating it with the help of friends on the down-low. All we have to do now is get the twins to take it."
"How? If you haven't noticed, those two aren't in an understanding mood to take experimental drugs without Garland's orders."
"Together the twins are strong, but alone they are weak."
"No they're not. Have you seen them lately? It would take my whole First Unit to just contain one of them."
"But you would be able to contain one of them, right? Look, all we need to do is separate them and give them the antidote one at a time."
"That's... going to be a tough feat."
"You're more familiar with Umiko. You take care of Umiko while we take care of Sora."
"What? Like how you were going to take care of Garland with that assassination attempt?" Dr. Sakaki said with vexation.
"I was desperate to stop the Project, okay! I did what had to be done!"
"Careful, Doctor. If you try a stunt like this again I will be force to end this partnership and deal with you personally."
"You protect Garland because of your past friendship with his dead older brother! I'm protecting those kids to repent for the sins I committed against their father! If I have to take down Garland in order to secure their safety then so be it."
"So you're willing to dirty your hands more by killing off Garland. You're heading toward a dark side my friend."
"... I'm starting to wonder whether you're with us or against us?"
"Don't get me wrong, Doctor. I support your efforts of rescuing the twins from their inner prisons along with other God Eaters from meeting such a fate. However, I will never approve of you destroying another life in order to accomplish this. For heaven's sake, Garland is your friend. You two use to work together for the common good of saving mankind."
"Yes... we were...once. But One Eye has lost his ability to see from right and wrong ever since that day he lost his other eye."
"But he will get it back... with time. But he won't be able to do that if you keep trying to take him out. So right now we need to focus on taking care of the twins."
"Very well. We shall wait for the right moment to move."
*** Later that day ***
The First Unit gathered together to meet up in Umiko's room. The room was like a forbidden ground for the others in the Den. Most still hoped for Umiko's return and feared how she would react when she came back to find that her room was taken by another. But Lindow liked to meet up in there, not only for the fact it gave them privacy but also because it was one of the only places that Soma truly opened up.
"So how did it go over there? How's Umiko doing?" Kota asked Alisa and Soma. Literally sitting on the edge of his seat on the couch as he insisted on an answer.
"..." But the both of them said nothing. They couldn't even look the others in the eye as the thought of how they would react to the truth rang through their head.
"Guys, come on. Don't leave us hanging. You did get to see Umiko, right?" Sakuya gently coast for an answer. Slightly pleading for them to open up to the group. Both of them had seem a little different after they had come back from the Finland Branch. Alisa even acted a little jumpy around others ever since she got back. But it was Soma that finally opened up to them.
"... Umiko Yukino is gone."
"What?!" Sakuya and Kota gasped in shock.
"What do you mean she's gone?" Lindow said in serious concern.
"I mean the Umiko we know is gone." Soma growled back at Lindow, more to himself than at Lindow as Soma gripped onto his pants in anger. "They've been experimenting on her to the point she's lost her memory."
"!"
"She didn't remember us, the Den, her parents, she didn't even know her last name." Soma hissed.
"B-but... how? How is that possible?" Kota questioned with a sadness.
"It's like they forced an induced Aragami Transformation on Umiko to make her into the perfect soldier." Soma explained. "The experiments somehow wiped out her memories."
"Or something." Alisa finally spoke.
"What?" Soma slightly flinched as her terror filled eyes looked at him.
"There's something inside of her body." Alisa shakingly said. "It's eating her away from the inside. Fear and pain nurture it. She has nowhere to go, she's stuck in there."
"You've seen her? Through the Resonance?" Soma pushed Alisa onward, hoping from an answer she was too shaken up to give them before.
"What's left of her."
"!"
"She locks herself away, deep within her self conscious to protect herself from the monster that dedicates itself into devouring her whole until there's nothing left."
"What are you talking about? What monster?" Sakuya asked, comfortingly rubbing Alisa's back as she encouraged her to continue on.
"That thing... that monster. It invaded her body the moment they started experimenting on her and has been breaking her ever since."
"Take it easy, Alisa. Can you describe what it looked like?" Sakuya tried to sooth to her.
"I don't know! I don't know what I saw! All I know is that thing is still inside her body." Alisa hug herself tightly as she tried to control the shaking. Sakuya embraced her too, from the sides as she tried to sink in her love and support into Alisa.
"Damn it all! I-is there anything we can do to help her?!" Kota hissed with watery eyes in frustration.
"No... not at the moment." Soma said somberly.
"All we can now is hope that she stays strong and continue to fight the monster within herself." Alisa weakly replied. "Before it completely destroys her..."
*** Author's Notes ***
I know I refused to describe the monster that was inside her head. And I'm going to tell you now... I'm never going to describe it to you. I'll leave it up to you and your minds. Because in the honest truth there is nothing more terrifying or heart-racing than the things left to your own imagination. At times, your thoughts can be your worse enemy, and I intend to use that.
