How nice am I? Very.
Two chapters in three days, hopefully it doesn't suck 'cause I wrote it kind-of fast with no time to edit.
Thanks to reviewers:
`MinaBlahBlahBlahAnimeFan
`Black White and Supersticious
`Shino No Mikaga No Kudotaka
`zhane 17
`awesome dt (are you psychic, cause I had already started writing this chapter when I read your review and I was pretty surprised. Great minds think alike I guess! You'll understand what I mean once you finish this chapter, but it addresses something you brought up!)
`arosecas4
~Tiruneko ;3
X~42~X
In the morning there was food. Actual food. IA's heart leapt three feet in the air. Food! She couldn't believe it.
IO slowly wakes up beside her. Her moving shoulder bumps his head and in order to avoid any more painful collisions, he sits up.
"IO!" IA shrieks enthusiastically. "Look, food!" She jumps off the bench and careens towards the door. Sitting just by the panel where her chains are nailed, are two white Styrofoam trays. On each tray is a handful of carrots, a handful of what seems to be chips, and a slab of uncooked steak. IA sighs in disappointment.
IO rushes over, hovering just behind her, eyes wide. IA nudges off the meat with her toe and hands the plate to him. He frowns.
"What about that?" He points at the meat.
"We can't eat it, you'll get sick. That's what Lenny says. He says if you eat cold meat it makes you sick." IA walks with him over to the bench. They both set their plates on the bench and sit on the floor facing it, like a very high table.
IO watches IA gently place a carrot on her tongue and bite down. Her mouth closes and her cheeks are still moving. When she reopens her mouth her entire demeanor has changed. She no longer is eating one thing at a time but eating the entire handful at once. Within seconds her plate is empty. IO stares dumbly at his.
Slowly he puts the orange thing in his mouth, just like she did. He thinks that maybe there is some sort of order you have to eat in. The carrot feels like nothing ever has before. His stomach screams for more, needs more. His hands fly to the chips now and he fits as many as he can in his mouth at once. IA watches, drooling.
When IO finishes he looks down at the plate in disappointment, seeing that IA hasn't eaten it. In his mind it means you can't, just like what she did with the meat.
IA's eyes begin to water steadily, just because she got to eat like Len taught her. Suddenly Len and Miku and Yuki and Rin and Miki and Oliver and Gumi are the only things she can think about.
"What's wrong?" IO asks, kicking the tray of the bench and climbing up on it.
"I miss…" IA searches for a word.
"Home." IO says.
"Home…? How do you know that word?"
"I don't know… I just… remembered it." His eyes flash with excitement.
"Can you remember other stuff too?" IA asks, leaning forward.
"I'll try…" He gets lost deep in thought. "I remember you… when they put me in here, I remember you were there too…"
"Before that?"
"Mmm… I remember…" His blood suddenly runs cold and he curls up into fetal position, rocking slowly on his feet. IA quickly climbs up and wraps her arms around his shoulders. She nearly jumps on top of him, and lies there, clinging. "I don't want to remember that…" He says after a few moments pass.
"That's okay." IA remembers the orange flower and shudders. "There's stuff I don' like to remember 'neither." A silver haired boy pops in her head and she quickly changes the subject. "Wanna play a game?"
"Game?"
"Yuki taught it to me!"
"Yuki… where is Yuki? Now?"
"Hmm… Probably at home with Miki and Oliver and Len and Rin and Miku and Gumi!" IA says, smiling. IO stands, walking over to IA. "Now… umm… Stand here and wait for-"
With a loud metallic clang the door to the cell slowly begins to pull open. IA jumps back a little, attempting to block IO. Instead IO jumps in front of her, holding his arms out and pressing her flat up against the wall. She doesn't argue or resist. She meekly peeks out from behind his shoulder as blinding florescent light spills into the room. A tall masked figure stands in the doorway next to a scientist with bright red hair.
The masked man bends down and pulls hard on IA's chains. Again she slides out from under IO and slips across the floor into the masked man's arms, but this time IO trots behind her, unwilling to leave her side.
As the bag is slipped over her head IO grips her hand. A bag is thrown over his too, and heavy chains are placed around his wrists.
"Walk." The two, hands still clasped in each other, walk down the hallway for what seems to be an endless period of time. "Stop." A cattle prod is shoved deep into IA's back and flicked on for a second. She screams in agony, shaking all the while. IO grips her hand so tightly that even he gets a jolt of the powerful electricity. He whines incoherently as they hear a door open in front of them. The bags are pulled off of both of their heads and the two are chained into metal chairs in front of a metal desk bolted to the floor. On the other side of the desk are two chairs, unbolted. In one sits Haku, and in the other is Luka.
"You…" IA's voice quivers and she squeezes IO's hand a little.
Luka smirks and waves at IA. "Now, before we begin with today's testing I would like to ask you a few questions…" She glances at the sheet bellow her. "'IA?' What a stupid name."
"It's not stupid, you are!" IO shouts loudly from his position beside IA.
"Watcher," Luka addresses one of the many masked guards around the room, "Kill him."
"No, No please don't-!" IA shouts. As she still grips his hand one of the masked men behind IO lunges forward and plunges a large blade into the very top of his skull. His body jolts with the impact, then his head lolls forward, his eyes dulling. Suddenly they grow blazing and luminescent as trails of blood roll down his white hair, tainting it crimson red. Tears begin to well up at the corner of his eyes and IA squeezes his hand. He turns to look at her for a moment, and the tears dry up. The Watcher pulls the blade out of his head and steps back. IO's head rolls forward again. Then he raises it, and stares at Luka, seething with rage.
"Now, as you can see Demon Children, I am not playing games today. Today I am here to do my job and you are here to be quiet and be the recipient of my work. The first part of my job is to ask you some questions because Master Haku…" Her voice seethes audibly at speaking her name, "…believes that you would be most… responsive to my techniques. If mine don't work then well, she'll just have to step in." Haku glances at IA and nods in acknowledgement of Luka's words.
Luka reaches down into a bag beside her chain and takes out a folder. In the folder are an assortment of documents and pictures. Luka pulls out a small map and unfolds it, lying it down on the table in front of IA. "Can you show me where you were staying before we caught up with you?" IA glances at all the confusing lines and colors and shakes her head.
"I don't know."
"Are you very, very sure of that?" Luka presses. IA nods. Luka folds and puts away the map. Next out of the folder she pulls out a small leather back notebook and sets it in front of IA. "Do you recognize this notebook?"
IA pauses and thinks for a long time. "I don't know."
"Is that a yes, or a no?" Luka leans over the table, frustrated.
"I don't know." IA becomes frantic.
"Yes or no?" Luka shouts. Haku's hand shoots out and grips Luka strongly by the shoulder. She pushes Luka back into her chair and addresses IA and IO directly.
"All Luka is asking of you is whether you've seen this journal before or not. Take all the time you need to decide." Haku's voice is a gentle monotone. IA thinks for a long time.
"I don't think so…"
"So no?" Luka snaps back. Haku glares at her, then turns back to IA.
"Good. That's all we needed to know. Luka, care to present the next question?"
Luka picks up Lapis' notebook and pushes it back into the folder. The next thing she pulls out is a series of pictures. She lines the four pictures out along the edge of the table.
"Tell me if you know any of these people."
The first picture is of a boy with shoulder length, curly, sandy blonde hair and a cloth eye patch. The picture is fairly indistinct and there are lots of people in the background. It looks as though the picture was taken from a long ways away. There is smoke in the distance and he seems to be very sad.
IA nods slowly.
"Can you tell me his name?" Luka asks.
"Oliver." IA responds softly, feeling as if she's doing something wrong.
"Last name?" Luka presses.
"What's a 'last name'?" IA asks.
"Never mind. How about the next one?"
The next picture is of a girl with neon blue hair. In the picture the girl is asleep, but IA doesn't need to see her awake to know she doesn't know who she is. IA shakes her head.
"No?" Luka prompts.
"No." IA responds. IO becomes increasingly nervous, tapping his fingers against the arm of the chair and playing with IA's fingers with his other hand.
IA looks at the next picture. It is of a little girl with a rounded face and dark brown pig tails. It is a school picture, like the kind they put in year books. IA squeals with excitement. Luka and Haku exchange a glance and look back at IA. IO has leaned over as far as he can into IA, worried about her.
"It's Yuki!" She cries. "Yuki! Can I see Yuki!?" IA says, smiling very wide.
"I'm sorry, you can't see Yuki right now." Haku says.
"Next one." Luka barks, pointing at the last picture. IA recognizes this type of picture. It's the type of picture criminals take. She saw one on TV with Miku.
The picture is a mug shot of a girl about IA's age. The girl has neon green hair that is scraggly and stained with blood. Her cheeks are dirty and her eyes are sunken, staring off somewhere else. Her mouth is slightly open, as if she was saying something as the picture was taken. Attached to this picture is another one. This picture is a tiny shot taken out of a much larger image. IA can tell by how grainy it looks. This picture is of a girl in a fancy white dress with orange goggles on her head and neon green spikey hair. Behind the girl are many other girls and on the building behind her is a sign that says Megpoid Orphanage.
"Gumi…?" IA asks confused.
"You're identifying this girl clearly as Gumi Megapoid?" Luka asks. IA slowly nods. "I knew it, I knew I'd seen that bitch's face before!" Luka growls happily.
"Luka, control yourself or I will have you removed from the room." Haku warns. Luka seethes at her.
Luka slowly puts the pictures back and removes pictures of three people. She takes out a picture of Len, Rin, and Miku and sets them gently on the table.
"Lenny!" IA shouts. IO looks at the picture.
"That's him?" IA nods. IO continues to play with her fingers gently.
"Where are they?" Luka asks forcefully.
"I don't know." IA says.
"Don't play games with me! You must have had some sort of backup plan, a place where you all would meet up if things got bad. Where, are, they?"
"I don't know!" IA cries as Luka slams her fists into the table.
"Where?!" She screams in her face.
"Luka!" Haku yells, standing. "Watchers, please remove her from the premises. Escort her home." Haku turns to Luka. "Luka if you continue to behave this way I will have you sent out of my supervision and back to your home company under Lily again. I didn't keep you here just so I could have another child to contend with. Your temper does me no good, and I do not intend to kick up a search for the other Demon Children until further notice. If you wish to continue on a hunt for the Demon Children please go back to Lily like Meiko and Gakupo already have. That is all. I will email you any further instructions but for now get out of this room." Luka turns to leave. "And do me a favor, send Akaito in on your way out." Luka slams the door behind her.
"Watchers," Haku turns to the masked guards, "Please secure the Demon Children for further testing. The equipment will be brought in shortly." Four Watchers move forward and begin to tighten the restraints of IO and IA. They are both separated, dragged to opposite corners of the room, both of their wrists attached to separate tables.
"IA…" IO whimpers, looking at her from across the room. IA frowns, facing forward as the redheaded scientist approaches her. He has three assistants with him, all holding various "equipment" like knives and saws and zip ties. The scientist holds a clipboard and Haku steps back, watching from the corner.
"Now beginning test one." Akaito flips down a pair of lab goggles over his eyes and takes the two handed saw from one of the assistants. IA's hand is strapped flat onto the table with a steel cuff and Akaito places the saw on her wrist. IA gulps.
With a sharp and ripping pain he begins to slice into IA's fragile skin, cutting and sending splatters of blood everywhere. IA screams in absolute agony, withering and screeching as loud as she can. IO watches in horror as a heavy sedative is injected into her neck and IA's eyes roll back into her head and she falls silent. IO watches in terror as the bone is severed from her arm and Akaito is left holding her severed hand. He places it down on the table as assistants around him clap and begin to record various observations.
Suddenly everyone stops and the room falls silent, All around the jagged edges of IA's wrist where the cuts had been made, tiny pink crystals have begun to form. Slowly at first, then rapidly, the crystals grow out of every edge of her severed wrist and begin to get very large. Then they spread across the surface of her skin and slowly the hand itself begins to melt like ice cream on a hot day. It begins to melt away into a bloody puddle on the table and only a few crystals remain sticking out of the now dried stain. Her hand is gone.
The stub of IA's wrist slowly begins to grow now, long pink crystals begin to grow and form a skeletal structure of her hand and fingers.
"Don't just stand there!" Akaito shouts angrily. An assistant rushes over and tires to touch one of the crystals. It slices a deep and jagged cut into his hand that begins to bleed profusely. Slowly the crystals turn into bone and strands of muscle begin to grow and tendons begin to emerge at a rapid rate and then skin materializes and covers the entirety of her hand and then it stops. Her hand has returned, brand new, like nothing ever even happened to it.
IO is crying on the other side of the room.
IA's eyes snap open and she begins to scream. Everyone covers their ears and has to shroud away in order to not become deafened.
"IA!" IO shouts. It sounds only like a whisper over IA's screams, but she hears him anyways and stops. Tears begin to pour down her face.
"I'm sorry… I'm crying again." She whispers.
"Begin test two." Akaito says, standing. The Watchers and scientists move around him, cleaning the saw and readying new equipment.
"It's okay." IO says softly. A group of scientists move around him too, and also begin to prepare him for the same test IA just had done.
IO is sedated much more heavily than IA and he stays asleep the entire time up until his hand has grown back. He automatically snaps awake.
Akaito moves over to IA and stands exactly behind her. He places the blade of a saw on the back of her neck and speaks. "Begin test two." IA is sedated so much so that she falls entirely unconscious. IO hears the agonizing noise as the blade of the saw makes contact with the brittle bone in her neck and he hears the snapping noise as her head rolls onto the table and hits the floor. Her eyes are entirely white. Then they flash an intense red and the crystals begin to grow at the base of her neck and cover over all of the surface of her face and sides of her head. Then it does the same thing that the hand did, it melts back and grows itself again, out of crystals on her head. Bloody pink crystals, to regular calcium rich bones, to muscles, to tendons, to eyes, to skin, to every last strand of hair on her head.
Her eyes snap open and the scream she utters is enough to make someone's head explode. Haku motions everyone to move out, and they undo the restraints as some Watchers finish recording their data. The two are bound in even heavier chains, and are forced to walk down the hall once again. This time IO reaches for IA's hand only to find it limply hanging at her side. Unable to see he picks it up on his own and plays with her fingers. IA squeezes his hand once in a half-hearted response.
The cell door clangs open a few minutes later and as soon as the bags are removed and the door is shut IO moves as fast as he can over to IA. His hands fly to hers and he looks at her face. Her eyes are a very dull red and her breathing is labored. It slowly stabilizes but she can't seem to lift her head.
"IA? Please, at least cry… the silence is even scarier." Slowly IA blinks and her eyes gain a little color. She stares at her hand like it's a foreign object and her head hangs like a baby's.
"Len didn't… Len didn't save me…" Tears form at the corners of her eyes. Suddenly she throws herself onto IO, gripping him so hard he can barely breathe. "It hurts! It hurts it hurts!" She wails.
IO doesn't really know what to do. Besides, people were never really his thing anyways. He slowly reaches around IA, doing as she did when he cried.
Footsteps echo slowly down the hallway and a boy pauses just in front of the door, He could swear he heard voices. Yuuma reaches out a hand to touch the panel on the wall beside the door gently. On the screen pops up a security camera's footage.
On the screen is the girl at the rally, sobbing. "It hurts!" The video cries. Yuuma watches the boy and the girl with red eyes in horror. This is not what he expected.
Not what he expected at all.
Character Pole:
IA- 2
IO- 2
Kaito- 1
Lapis- 2
Len- 4
Miku- 7
Rin- 7
Oliver- 2
Luka- 1
Gumi- 3
Yuma-1
Teto-
~Tiruneko ;3