So...I know it's been about 6 years, and guys I am soooooooooo sorry about that. Like, that's unacceptable, I know. I don't even remember why I put this story on hiatus. I hope y'all can forgive me.
I won't hold y'all up any longer.
Natsuki burst through the entrance to Fuuka Hospital, her eyes wild and frenzied. She damn-near ran up to the unsuspecting receptionist and slammed a hand on the counter, causing the poor woman to jump and her heart to skip a beat. With a hand to her pounding chest and eyes round with shock, the woman stared up at the intimidating character that was Kuga Natsuki.
"I'm looking for Kuga Saeko. Where is she?" Natsuki demanded, using every ounce of willpower she had to remain in control of herself.
Fearful of angering the biker, the receptionist dutifully pulled up the requested file with a few taps to the keyboard of clicks of the mouse.
"Are you family, ma'am?"
"I'm her daughter, Kuga Natsuki."
"She'll be in room 203, on the second floor."
Natsuki muttered a quick "thanks" and proceeded quickly to the room, a million and one things running through her jumbled mind. She felt too many things at once. She was shaking, hyperventilating, heart pounding, blood rushing to her ears, nerves making her sick to her stomach. There was just no possible way this was happening. This couldn't be happening. How was this real?
Was this real?
Was this a mistake?
Natsuki shook her head as she approached the room she had rushed to, struggling to calm herself. And then, she was there, right in front of room 203. For a moment, she simply stared at the door, suddenly feeling lost and empty, because what else was she supposed to feel? What else could she feel until she opened the door, stepped inside and saw who was laying on the hospital bed? What would she feel when –if- she laid eyes on the woman who had given her life, the woman who had been pronounced dead nearly five years ago?
Okaa-san…
With her heart in her throat, Natsuki reached a trembling hand to the door handle and turned it, slowly pushing it open and making her way inside. She was greeted by the sounds of several machines beeping and pumping within the dimly-lit room. Her searching gaze immediately fell to the prone figure lying on the hospital bed.
A sheet covered the figure fully, stopping at the neck, but exposing thin arms. Several IVs were attached to the arms, allowing unknown substances to travel into the body, and electrodes had been planted on the chest to monitor the heart. A tube had been inserted into the mouth to facilitate assisted breathing, as proven by the steady rise and fall of the chest. And although the face was gaunt, and there were wires and machines hooked up to the person, instant recognition glimmered within Natsuki's eyes.
"Okaa-san…it's really you…" Came the astonished whisper.
Tears began to blur Natsuki's vision. She let them fall, unashamed, for her mother was alive. Against all logic, against all odds, Kuga Saeko was alive.
"How is this possible?" Natsuki murmured to herself, now encasing her mother's cold hand within her own.
A click sounded behind her just as a deep voice filled the quiet room; "How, indeed, Kuga-san."
Immediately, Natsuki stiffened, her spine going rim-rod straight at the same time that a cold chill rushed through her veins. Dread began to weigh down her stomach as her heart began pounding for what seemed to be the umpteenth time that day. It was remarkable that she hadn't suffered a heart attack, by now.
Slowly, very slowly, Natsuki turned in the direction the voice came from, her hand slipping from her mother's. Fear began to embrace her like an old friend. There was something about that voice that set her on edge. It flirted with the dark memories of her past, encouraging them to spring forth from the heavily-guarded confines of the dutifully repressed confines of her psyche. It reminded her of a man her parents used to know who only came in the dead of the night when she and her sister were supposed to be asleep. But she had always been a night owl, as well as insatiably curious as a child. Of course she just had to eavesdrop on her parents' and his conversations. He was odd and dark and scary so why did her perfect, loving parents want to be friends with him? It never made sense. Natsuki just had to know. It wasn't until some years later, when Natsuki began looking into her family's seemingly random deaths, that she learned her parents had been part of a shady organization, and he was more than likely a member of that organization, as well.
And then, Natsuki found herself staring at a tall shadow. There were no discernable features for her to make out other than an outline colored with black, for he stood where the dim light could not penetrate.
"You remember me, don't you, Kuga-san. You always did stick your nose where it didn't belong." And although he did not move, Natsuki stepped back, bumping into the bed behind her. Just as she did, she felt a freezing hand grab her wrist almost painfully, and she froze.
A voice that sounded as if it had not been used for a long time sounded from behind. "She always was a nosy child, my precious Natsuki." Her name was hissed with disdain, sending a spike of pain through the biker's heart.
Suddenly, she was thrown forward by an unknown force. She spun and landed on her back, her head slamming onto the hard floor as her breath was forced out of her lungs by the harsh impact. Her vision failed for a moment, the world around her going black. In the next moment, her head throbbing, sight graced her senses once more. And then she screamed in terror, for her eyes were met with the face of the rotting corpse of her own mother.
Natsuki shot up in panic, her head whipping around wildly. Her chest heaved with the force of her respirations as she struggled to come to terms with reality.
She was home, she realized in relief. She had only had a nightmare.
Natsuki fell back onto the couch where she must have fallen asleep, bringing a trembling hand to her face to wipe away the sweat that had accumulated there. She took several deep, calming breaths, staring at the ceiling as she did so. The end credits of Gran Torino rolled lazily down the tv screen beside her, simultaneously filling her apartment with music.
"Fuck," she breathed.
She lay there for a few more moments before rising to her feet. She turned the tv off, put on her boots and riding jacket, grabbed her keys and cellphone, and left her apartment. While she headed down the stairs of the complex, she dialed a number and put the phone to her ear.
"Yamada, it's Kuga. Meet me in 20. You better have what I want."
Without waiting for a reply, Natsuki ended the call. She straddled her bike and proceeded to a pub some odd miles from her home. Upon arrival, Natsuki took her seat in a booth that sat in a secluded corner, a shot of whiskey in her grasp. She quickly downed it, the alcohol burning her throat and settling in her stomach with a familiar warmth. She had ordered two more by the time Yamada made her presence known.
He ordered himself a beer, waiting silently for its arrival before business began.
"I'm surprised it took you so long to contact me."
"I was busy."
Yamada snorted. "You were busy?"
A sharp glare was shot the fat man's way. "Your last lead was a dead end. With the money I'm giving you, I shouldn't be running into dead ends."
"I've been payed more to do less, y'know."
"By idiots, maybe," Natsuki pointed out. "I'm not an idiot."
At that, Yamada laughed. "I'd say you're an idiot for sticking your nose where it shouldn't be sniffing."
Natsuki clenched her jaw, forcing the reminder of her nightmare away. The shot glass cracked in her grip, successfully shutting the man up.
"Look, do you have it or not?" Natsuki snapped, her emerald eyes dark and narrowed.
Yamada put his hands up in an "I surrender" motion, an infuriating smirk playing on his lips. "Touchy, touchy, Kuga." He slipped a hand into the confines of his trench coat and pulled out a manilla folder, which he handed over to the biker. "This is the most I was able to get, so far. I got some names, contacts, dates, and a bit on what they've been doing behind closed doors. District One is pretty tight; they're obviously doing shit they really don't want people to know for some big people. Important people."
Natsuki briefly scanned the contents of the folder, eyes widening briefly when she came upon the words 'genetic experiments'. "Yamada…I just want to know who's responsible for their deaths and why." The folder closed. "I don't care what those people are doing, otherwise!"
At that, Yamada sighed and took a swig from his beer. This girl really had no idea what the hell she was getting herself into.
"That's the thing, kid. It's starting to look like your parents were in pretty deep with these guys and whatever the hell they're doing. You know who did 'em in, and who gave those orders, but that guy wasn't in charge. Whoever decided your parents had to go was high up in the food chain, and the more I look, the higher that chain goes. And the higher the chain goes, the more I find about experiments and other illegal shit. And Kuga, I have a feeling that the more I find out about these experiments, the more I'm gonna find that your parents had a lot to do with them. They're deep in this shit. So you're gonna have to get just as deep, or just let it go. They're gonna notice snooping, and when they do, they're gonna notice you."
Natsuki stared at the documents and photographs spread out on the floor before her, smoke rushing from her lungs in a long exhale. Words and phrases like "gene manipulation", "enhance", "soldiers", "clinical trials", and "young girls" popped out from the text. The photographs displayed kidnappings in progress of young girls, human figures in giant test tube-looking cylinders, and metal beds with corpses, among other things. Yamada had clearly gotten his grubby hands on much more than he let on and it was much more than Natsuki had wanted to know about.
Retribution. That was what Natsuki wanted. She wanted the main person in charge of having her family murdered brought to justice, not to uncover a slew of illegal and inhumane genetic experiments apparently taking place. Natsuki never expected for her snooping to uncover her parents' apparent secret life as mad scientists or whatever the hell they were. At the most, she figured it was a random gang initiation or something of the like.
This…
This was way too fucking much.
She couldn't keep going. She had to let this go. She didn't have the resources or manpower behind her should District One set their sights on her. Although she was very strong, very fast, very intelligent, and very rich, she was no match against an organization like this. They could squash her like an insect without breaking a sweat.
Natsuki cursed loudly, resignation setting in.
She tilted her head to the side, locking her gaze on a picture of her family: her mom, her dad, her little sister, and her.
"I'm sorry guys…but mom, dad, I don't know what the hell you guys were doing, but I can't make this right. I'm no match against them…" An angry tear fell down her cheek. "And fuck you guys for getting yourselves killed."
Wow, I suck. I'm gone for 6 years and I don't even give y'all a long chapter. :/ I just wanted to give the opportunity for ShizNat to occur. I figure Natsuki wouldn't focus much on friends and love is she was mixed up pretty heavily with District One, so she'll be giving up on revenge for now. District One will pop up briefly here and there, especially towards the end of the story. I don't remember where I was going with this, so I have to come up with a new storyline. It'll sort of be like trying to escape a shady past that eventually catches up with you. So, I'm giving Natsuki a chance at a normal life before District One fucks shit up again haha
Once again, many apologies for the very late update. I know how it feels to wait forever for a story update, so it sucks being that person.
I hope this chapter didn't disappoint.