AN: Last chapter and everyone will be free of these OCs. There will loads of drama and bloodshed in this chapter so if you do not like that sort of thing, then skip this chapter but know a lot of heavy plot points happen so you might be lost afterwards.
AOHAD: Thank you again for your kind message. I hope this chapter pleases you!
And to everyone else, also enjoy! It took a lot of blood, sweat and tears.
Warning(s): Language (Low), Genderbend (Mid), Violence/Gore/Death (High)
…
Wasteland
Act 1:
Chapter 11
A million thoughts are rushing through Kiyoshi's head as he starred at the dark, unwelcomed guest at the end of the floor, clasping Zetsu protectively close.
Who was this man? How did he get into the laboratory? When he had he? How long had had he been here? Had Tarou sent him? Had the Council sent him? Was he the one the Council had sent to retrieve Zetsu? If so, why was he here so early and why arrive during the night when no one was around? Only one of these questions were answered, when Kiyoshi witnessed the blaring of the emergency lights through the ajar door of the Infirmary wing, indicting the man had broken in through the emergency elevator but that only rose a whole new slew of questioning that made his scrambling mind spin.
Kakuzu reared up from the doorway, threads retracting back into his striped wrist as he faced the person that had yelled at him, analyzing him from behind his shades. The lanky man was a doctor or scientist with a head of curly, blonde hair and blue eyes that stared at him over the rim of silver glasses. It would appear the man had somewhere to go as he carried two pieces of heavy luggage and he had unintentionally interrupted him. Immediately, Kakuzu's attention was drawn to the child cradled against the quack's chest that was bundled in a white coat.
Wouldn't it be ironic if he was searching for a specific experiment and given a specific name of a doctor that cared for said experiment and both had just presented themselves before him? Kakuzu had never been one to believe in divine invention, but today, he was willing to do it just this once.
"Are you Akiayama Kiyoshi?" Kiyoshi gasped at the stranger's question, gaping jaw quivering as his eyes widened. How did he know his name!? Kiyoshi did not reply, could not reply as his voice was frozen in his voice box but the man's petrified expression was answer enough for Kakuzu. The Gods were generous for once in his extended lifetime. "Where is K-MF-084?"
Kiyoshi was nearly in tears as he trembled. He knew about Zetsu also? Who was this man and who had hired him? It had to be Tarou. The man knew Kiyoshi wasn't laying down and allowing the Council to take away K-MF-084 so he hired someone to intercept him and prevent any attempts of a rescue. It had to be. That bastard!
Again there was no answer but none was needed for Kakuzu from the man's reaction alone. This man was Akiayama Kiyoshi and the child he carried was K-MF-084. Gods be praised. The miser stepped towards Kiyoshi, awaiting hand outstretched. "Hand over the girl, doctor, and I shall spare your life."
Kiyoshi stumbled back, fat tears rolling down his cheeks as he hugged Zetsu closer, the sleeping girl cuddling closer, blissfully aware of the dire circumstances that were playing out over her life. Kakuzu's brow furrowed and his nose wrinkled, fingers curling into a fist as threads sprouted from his wrist from the silent rejection. "Very well, then I shall take both her, and your life."
Kakuzu advanced towards Kiyoshi, threads dancing from his collar and sleeves and the thundering of his boots against the metal flooring echoed the frantic thumping of Kiyoshi's heart as he searched for a desperate escape. Ducking into the nearby maze of cubicles or conference room were not ideal as the tanned man could easily corner him and he couldn't dodge past him towards the emergency elevator. Behind him was the elevator that led to the hospital which seemed his only opinion. He dumped off the heavy luggage of paperwork to avoid being weighed down by it, judging he could risk leaving given the situation, and turned, fleeing towards the elevator with just the emergency supplies. Suddenly, within inches of the doors, something grasped tightly onto his hair and he was wretched backwards into the air, soaring several feet before crashing to the floor, leaving him dazed and gasping for breath as he landed hard on his back.
Kakuzu's hand reconnected to his wrist as he faced the doctor behind him, reaching down to yank away the girl still clenched in his arms. Kiyoshi rejected the dizziness plaguing him as he shoved away from the man, flipping over to his hands and knees and scrambling to his feet as he stumbled away towards the Infirmary wing. Kakuzu hooked the doctor's legs with his foot, causing Kiyoshi to tumble to the ground and Zetsu to slide from his grip, the girl awakening with a yelp as she rolled across the floor and into a nearby wall. Kiyoshi shoved himself up to stand but Kakuzu grounded him as he stomped onto the back of his knees, the fragile caps exploding upon contact and Kiyoshi screamed as hot pain flooded his senses. Kakuzu set his foot on his lower back and applied pressure, snapping the man's pelvis in two to ensure no means of escape and Kiyoshi released a keen wail, clawing at the iron flooring until his nails broke off and left bloody streaks.
"I warned you, doctor, and you chose poorly." Kakuzu remarked, forcefully bringing his foot down onto his ankles next and Kiyoshi yelled out as they were shattered into dust, tears rivering down his face as paralyzing agony engulfed his entire lower half.
Zetsu recovered from her jarring impact and stared at Kiyoshi, caramel orbs welling with tears as she watched Kakuzu continually stomp onto her caretaker's legs, her ears ringing from the sound of breaking bones and his screaming. "Ki….Ki…" She whimpered.
Kakuzu relented on the blonde's legs when the bones no longer crunched beneath his boots and leant down, rolling the fading man onto his back by his throat as he hovered his hand above his heaving chest. "The girl is mine, as is your heart." He told Kiyoshi and reared his arm back for the finishing blow. Kiyoshi's eyes rolled back into his head as his air passage was constricted and picked at Kakuzu's fingers to relieve the suffocating pressure.
However, after a few seconds, the hand had yet to be punched through his chest so Kiyoshi reopened his eyes and saw the man rooted in the position, his arm having been prevented in its deadly objective and Kiyoshi's eyes widened at who had done it. Kakuzu grunted, nose crinkled as a sharp pain throbbed in his hand and the distinct dripping of blood could be heard. His eyes shifted in their bloodshot sockets towards his suspended arm to discover the Mayfly Girl hanging from it and his gloved hand compressed between her impressive jowls, her hooked canines buried so deeply in his skin that it caressed bone. The girl snarled deeply in her throat, mimicking a beast twice her size as her large, golden orbs fearlessly challenging Kakuzu's opposing emerald through the darkness of his glasses, flickering with that animalistic bloodlust he recalled witnessing in the Mayfly Man. Kakuzu retained the burning eye contact with the girl before abruptly swinging his arm back, easily tossing the teenager off and sending her through the windowed wall of the meeting room. The window broke apart into a cascade of glass that showered her as her body collided with the conference table and slumped to the floor. Kakuzu investigated his hand, staring at the deep, bleeding cavities in distaste and released Kiyoshi's throat as he removed his torn glove, his threads making quick work of sewing the bite wounds closed. Another scar for his expanding collection. He would have to remember to apply antibacterial to the injury to ward off whatever infectious germs she might possess due to the Mayfly.
"Zet…su." Kiyoshi wheezed as he stared at the unconscious girl, making a feeble attempt to sit up but Kakuzu downed him again as he stomped onto his abdomen and Kiyoshi coughed a mouthful of blood as his ribs snapped like twigs.
Kakuzu carelessly walked atop Kiyoshi as he stepped through the broken window of the conference room, leaning over the unconscious brat. He grasped the back of her coat to lift her but her tiny body slipped free of the cloak and she tumbled back to the ground, her hospital gown beneath being revealed in the process. Stitched across the back of her shoulders was the identification number of 'K-MF-084'. Kakuzu smirked. There was not a doubt. The Mayfly belonged to him now. Kakuzu yanked the girl up by her greasy hair and tossed her limp form over his shoulder before exiting the room. As he did, he felt something tug at his pant leg and gazed down to see Kiyoshi, the blonde having managed to conjure together enough strength to drag himself to the mercenary.
The doctor stared up at Kakuzu, ocean-blue eyes hazy with tears and lips trembling as he spoke. "Please…please don't take her…please don't…hurt her…"
Kakuzu snorted, callously ignoring the man's heartfelt pleading and delivered a harsh kick to his face, breaking his glasses and jaw and rendering him unconscious as his face struck the floor, blood pooling from his nose and mouth. Kakuzu walked across the motionless doctor, hearing his spine crack unnaturally beneath his boots, and towards the discarded bags.
Kakuzu leant down and unzipped the luggage to uncover the contents within. Inside the duffle bag were swollen folders and files, marked with random dates and the girl's experiment number and Kiyoshi's name. Immediately, a clipboard atop the paperwork listing dates and procedures referenced K-MF-084 and her Mayfly, completely confirming the identity of the Mayfly Girl for Kakuzu. In the other bag were clothing, toys and medical supplies which he took no interest in and left behind. As he made headway back towards his point of entrance to depart, he gave mind to the doctor that was on the floor, slowly bleeding out through his nose from his broken skull. He decided to generously spare the man's pathetic life as he walked back towards the elevator he had entered through before, the unconscious Mayfly Girl and evidence of the Mayfly in hand. He did not want ownership of such a bleeding heart anyway.
The red lights blinked on as he returned to the elevator and pried open the locked doors again which resisted to the best of their ability against the intrusion. Once inside, he "pursued" the elevator to move again with a well-aimed drive of his steel toe into the control panel, caving in the buttons and causing them to spark. A few more kicks and the elevator suddenly screeched, the lights and screen switching off temporarily before turning on a few seconds later, the glaring message on the above screen gone. The elevator groaned and shuttered before suddenly ascending upwards at a nauseating pace. Once the elevator reached its destination, the doors chugged open and Kakuzu was barely able to step through them when they slammed closed, nearly clamping onto his leg in the process, and the unstable elevator squealed and screeched back downwards again like a ride in a horror attraction.
The reliving dribble of rain that intensified once again as cascading water ricocheted off the tin roof of the plant with the weight of hail. Kakuzu fastened his coat closed and tucked the bag of important documentary beneath his arm to protect it from water damage. The Mayfly Girl remained limply draped across his shoulder, he caring little if she was soaked to the bone and got a chill, as he departed into the ravaging storm to finally exit this living wasteland that was Kusagakure.
…
Ayana was understandable worried, as she safely stood within the warmth of her home, viewing the rain fall between the branches of the dark foresting outside her front window and awaiting Kiyoshi to arrive with K-MF-084.
It had been an hour and half with no sign of either and she wondered if the worse had occurred and something had happened. Had Tarou returned prematurely and caught Kiyoshi attempting to leave with 084? Or Ryouta? Perhaps Toshi had actually done something for once in his career? The lingering storm had resumed its battering of Kusagakure with ice cold rain and howling winds that made her home creak and shutter. Perhaps the storm had hindered them? Whatever it was, she couldn't swallow down the insecurity that weighed heavy in her stomach as she anxiously watched each minute tick by on the godfather clock, waiting for either a miracle or disaster to unfold. A miracle she prayed.
When the hour nearly chimed, she acknowledged the hard truth. Kiyoshi was not arriving and something had happened to him back at the laboratory in his attempt to escape with 084. She steeled herself to the possibilities as she shouldered her knapsack and closed down her departed parents' home she would be abandoning in her pursuit to protect Kiyoshi's cherished experiment. She questioned if she should possess a concealed weapon when she reentered the laboratories, given the unknown circumstances and level of desperation of the situation. Even a pacifist as herself wouldn't hold herself back if Kiyoshi or 084 was in danger and she certainly couldn't pass up the opportunity to stab Tarou if he was the result of this all. That fat bastard was begging to have that smug smirk of his carved off his flabby face since the moment he stepped in on the project and bastardized it.
As she drew together the golden, black-out curtains to the front window to cast out the storm, the interior light flooding from the window illuminated a distorted figure shifting between the trees that caught her eye. At first, she questioned it had just been the wind and branches flailing about to cast the eerie silhouette. However, the shadow did waver to match such a method as it steadily stretched upward upon the surrounding trunks like a crawling hand, slowly taking a familiar shape. It was the shape of a person. Immediately, Ayana's heart soared and the dark clenches of doubt vanished. It was Kiyoshi and 084. She should have known better than to think the worse. Kiyoshi was resourceful and clever, even Tarou could not stop him once he set his mind to something. Collecting the proper filing and K-MF-084 simply must have taken longer than originally anticipated. It had been foolish of her to ever worry.
Hastily, she scooped up her overstuffed suitcases and umbrella and rushed towards the front door, flicking off the lights behind her. Once outside, she fumbled with her umbrella while simultaneously jogging towards the approaching figure, using her arm to shield herself from the sheets of rain. The person wedged themselves from between the trees and Ayana skidded to a halt, greeting frozen on her tongue when realizing instantly this shadowy figure was not Kiyoshi. The shuffling person stood twice the doctor's height, even taller than the average person, and was camouflaged in entirely black wardrobe that made them appear like walking shade. Her heart fluttered to the bottom of her stomach. It was not Kiyoshi.
The shambling stranger paid no heed to Ayana as they approached to pass her by and Ayana had no interest in conversing with such an uncomfortable being or remain out in the storm as she turned away to retreat from both to the safety of her home once more. Disappointed, she walked back to her front door, shutting and locking the door behind her so she did not receive any unwelcomed guests and dumped her baggage aside. She flipped on the lights and slumped against the sill of the main floor bay window, resuming her seemingly fruitless watch for Kiyoshi and K-MF-084. The interior light penetrated through the glass and casted a lit pathway outside, capturing the passerbyer in its shine. They paused in their step and turned to face the bright window as though offended, causing a shiver to course through Ayana's spine at the sight of the massive, dark-skinned man whose burning stare she felt through the obscurity of his sunglasses. His dark choice of clothing and masked face made her paranoia worsen as she questioned if she should now fear being robbed or potently worse if she left the security of her house, or even within, as she considered that kitchen knife even more now.
Finally, the man turned his head away after an uncomfortable chain of long seconds and shrugged his shoulder, adjusting something that was slung upon it. Ayana peered at it and felt her blood freeze in her veins as realized the white object frightingly resembled a human body as she swore she perceived it possessing a pair of dangling, naked legs. She conjured it to her stressed mind playing tricks on her. Very sick tricks.
The guest departed again as he trudged through the mud towards the treeline alongside her home and disappear forever, much to Ayana's relief as she watched him to ensure his leave before she dared unlock her door or step outside again. Hopefully, Kiyoshi arrived soon so at least she had some protection, even if the man was as frail as a twig. Overhead, the clouds exploded with lightning, making them glow and briefly shower the below Woodlands with light that lasted only a brief second before the country was swallowed by the darkness of the storm once more. In that second, Ayana made a horrifying realization as the object on the man's shoulder was fully illuminated. First, it was body. A small body, too small to be an adult but too large to be a child. Second, the hair colour. It was green like the leaves on the surrounding trees and long like tangled thorns. She only knew one person with green hair and lastly, the body was dressed in a white gown with black stenciling across the shoulders that though she could not make it out before the light dissipated, something deep inside her knew exactly what it said. It was the paranoia and anxiety, they were showing her things that did not exist and what her mind feared most, and it had worked, because before she realized it, her legs were darting her towards the door as her hands fumbled with the lock in a blind panic. She had to prove her delusional mind wrong.
She threw open the door and stumbled outside into the soaking rain, catching a fleeting glimpse of the man vanishing behind the side of her cabin home. She scrambled after, nearly losing her footing in the slick mud and came to a halt behind him, far enough he did not see her, but close enough she could view body more closely. Even in the night, the dark printing contrasted sharply against the white fabric and while the upside-down the lettering was hard to decipher, there was no mistaking the numbering which composed half of the phase. It was 084, it was K-MF-084. Oh god…the worse had happened.
"Zetsu!" She screamed the girl's name and rushed at the man, who had stopped from her yell and craned his head toward the frantic woman. "What are you doing with her!?" She demanded, the hot tears flooding from her eyes warming her chilled face as she reached toward the unconscious girl to wrench her off the man's shoulder. "What are yo-"
Ayana's shouting was cut short and the million thoughts racing through her mind crashed into a heap of unanswered questions before everything went blank when the man's elbow collided with the side of her head, too quickly for her eyes or brain to register. A loud cracking emitted from her skull from the contact and she was propelled from the force, soaring several feet before her body made impact with a nearby tree, the sound of breaking bones echoing like thunder. The woman slumped bonelessly to the ground, blood pouring from her nose and gaping mouth as her empty eyes stared blankly forward.
Kakuzu flexed his arm, his elbow cracking back into place and throbbing dully from the woman's skull. He glanced back at her unconscious form, perceiving the blood streaming from her broken skull before snorting and proceeding on with his exit of the country.
Hopefully, no one else interfered with his mission. He did not like leaving a trail of bodies. It was such a waste of money.
…
"What is the occasion, Ryouta? You look dressed for a funeral." Ryouta smiled weakly as his two female coworkers playfully teased him as they walked together through the main hallway towards the employee's lobby, their footfalls echoing on the tile throughout the empty rooms lining the hall. It was the early mornings so not many people had yet reported for work and the lack of patients made the hospital possess an eerie silence. This morning, however, something nagged at Ryouta which he could not quite shake. The quiet made his ears ring and fresh smell of blench burned his nostrils.
"A representative of the Council is arriving today to retrieve K-MF-084. Apparently, she wishes to meet Kiyoshi and I, so I thought I'd dress nicely." Ryouta explained, adjusting his tie which matched his sharp, black suit which he had spent the night ironing. Usually, it was meant for the rare funeral or wedding. It felt oddly appropriate for today.
"Well, you clean up very nicely." The two nurses erupted into a fit of giggling and Ryouta blushed faintly, bowing his head so the two woman did not see his pink cheeks as he clicked the button to call the elevator. Once it arrived, he politely allowed them to board first before stepping on himself and selecting the button for the underground laboratory. The doors chugged closed and the elevator shuttered as it smoothly glided down several floors below. During the ride, Ryouta adjusted himself in the reflection of the control panel as he tightened the knot his dark hair was tied in and checked his freshly shavened face for any blemishes.
"Stop fretting, Ryouta-kun," One of the women said, her name Ryouta could not recall. Honestly, all the women which worked the laboratory or hospital blended together with their copy-and-paste personalities and appearances. Ayana was the only exception. "You look perfect." It wasn't his appearance that nerved Ryouta, it was something he could not place his finger on and continued to fiddle with his hair to curb the discomfort.
"He said the Council sent a female representative," The other woman whispered, none too subtly as it was in clear earshot of Ryouta. "I bet he's trying to impress her." The elevator slowed to a halt and the opened slid open with a cheerful beep as the woman stepped out first.
"Oh don't be s-" The nurse's sentence was disrupted by a bloodcurdling scream from her friend which she responded with her own.
Ryouta's head jolted up and he shoved past the two women, bewildered what they were screeching about when he saw it. Several feet in front of them in the middle of the wide corridor was a human body, the white laboratory coat they were dress in discoloured red from the blood it swam it. The two woman huddled together, whimpering as Ryouta rushed forward to check the injuried person. As he approached, it quickly became apparent who is was by their head of blonde curls that no one else in the laboratory possessed.
"Kiyoshi!" Ryouta hissed as he crouched next to the man who laid face down in his own blood. One of the nurses recovered from her shock and ran over to assist Ryouta who fumed at her. "What the hell are you doing!? Get a fucking gurney!" The woman sat stunned for a moment from the man's snarl before scrambling to her feet and running to the surgery bay to fulfil the request while her friend made haste to the nearest emergency station for a first aid. Focusing his attention back to the dead or dying Kiyoshi, Ryouta probed for his pulse on his neck when the doctor stirred, causing the brunette to yank away his hand.
"Ryouta…" Kiyoshi moaned through his broken jaw, blood and saliva leaking from the empty gap between his teeth. He weakly lifted his head, the blood that stuck between his face and the floor piled from his skin like a scab. If it hadn't been for the blonde's trademark curls, Ryouta would have never identified him as his face had been battered beyond recognition, an ugly mass of black and red with his eyeglasses dangling broken on his crooked nose, the shattered lens embedded in one his eyes. "Ryouta…?"
"I'm here, Kiyoshi. I'm here." Ryouta reinsured his mutilated colleague, glancing around as he observed the scene, noting the dissected bags nearby and shattered glass of the conference room. "Fucking hell, what happened here, Kiyoshi?"
"He…he took her…he took Zetsu…" The doctor slurred.
The nurse which had retreated for a first aid returned, jogging to Ryouta and handing him the red bag the supplies were stored inside before leaving to assist her friend in wheeling the gurney. Quickly, he dumped out the contents and searched through for gauze to absorb the visible bleeding from the man's face, tearing open the package and pressing it gently against the man's scalp. The bandage was swallowed by blood in seconds. There was blood everywhere, it was a miracle the man was conscious, let alone alive. There was no knowing of the fully extent of his injuries. Kiyoshi would require emergency surgery if he were to survive.
"Who…? Who took who?" Ryouta asked absent-mindingly, more focused on sopping up more blood from the man's fractured skull with the remaining gauze. The overwhelming smell of wet iron made his head teeter worse. "God, where is that fucking gurney!?"
"K-MF-084…A man…A…man…Tarou…"
"Tarou?" A crowd was beginning to form as a few more doctors and nurses arrived for their daily duty, gathering around to witness the gruesome scene with startled gasps and shocked exclamations.
"Tarou…" Kiyoshi heaved a cough, clotted blood spurting from his broken nose. "Tarou…did it. He…stole K-MF-084…"
"K-MF-84 has been taken?"
Ryouta flinched at the question and spun around, seeing his stubby boss standing behind him among the crowd, the other doctors rearing back in surprise also. Tarou's grey orbs scanned over Kiyoshi, his fat face betraying not the slightest bit of shock or concern giving the bloody crime scene he had just walked in on he stood with his hands casually tucked in the pockets of his dark trousers. It made a shiver roll down Ryouta's spine from the man's cold, detached demeanor.
"Who did this to you, Kiyoshi?" Tarou asked, his voice stoic as though he was carrying out a nonchalant conversation with the doctor. "What has happened to K-MF-084?"
"Tarou...!" Kiyoshi snarled, blood caught in his throat made the man's name escape as a gurgle. "You…you did this!"
"Kiyoshi, relax!" Ryouta scolded, gingerly restraining the man as he attempted in vain to shove himself up. The nurses finally arrived with the gurney, much to Ryouta's overwhelming relief and the two women assisted him with carefully lifting Kiyoshi's dead weight from the strained floor to load him onto the wheeled bed.
"No, leave him." Tarou interrupted, waddling from the wall of gapping onlookers, face portraying an amused smirk. "I want to hear this. Kiyoshi, please, go on."
"Tarou-sama, please." Ryouta pled, struggling to uphold Kiyoshi when the women obediently backed away without question and he balanced the blonde against his chest, feeling the fabric of his suit grow wet with sickly, warm blood.
"Tarou." Kiyoshi wheezed, slumping his head against his shoulder so he could stare daggers at Tarou with his remaining eye. "You…hired that…monster…to take Zetsu from me! You…did…all of this!"
"Monster? I honestly do not know what you're talking about, Kiyoshi." Tarou said, exasperated, and shook his head, cheeks flapping like a bloodhound. "Do you honestly think I would hire someone to take your little experiment when she is set to be taken today by the Council? How do I know you didn't hire this supposed monster? Afterall, it was obvious you didn't intend to allow her to be taken quietly." Tarou concluded, referencing the discarded luggage strewn about.
"Why…why would I…hire someone to do this…?"
"A desperate man is capable of anything, Kiyoshi-kun." Tarou retorted and Ryouta narrowed his eyes at his boss. How could this man honestly believe that Kiyoshi would hire someone, not only to take K-MF-084, but cripple him in the progress? It was insane and obvious how desperately he wanted evidence to use Kiyoshi as a scapegoat when the Council representative arrived. Ryouta was unsure if Tarou did indeed have involve in this entire incident, but he did not put it past the old pig.
"I would ne-"
"Someone help us!" Everyone turned around at the scream to discover two doctors standing in the mouth of the hospital elevator, hoisting a bloody body between them. It was Ayana.
"Ayana." Ryouta breathed, the gasp drowned out by the chorus of female sobbing and flurry of frantic questioning the audience of doctors exchanged with the sudden arrival of yet another beaten employee. Even through the ringing in his ears, Kiyoshi overheard the women's name and his dying heart hit the ground. Oh god…Ayana, too?
"Oh pity, what has happened to Ayana-chan?" Tarou gasped, it audibly faked to those within earshot.
"We were passing by…her house when we noticed the lights on…but the door was wide open…" One of the doctors panted. "We called to her with no response…"
"Then we noticed her slumped against a tree. It looks like she was attacked." The other doctor finished, gesturing toward the woman's hung head, her black locks painted red with matted blood. "She has a severe concussion, possibly a fractured skull. She needs surgery now!" A few of the doctors broke from the stunned crowd, ordering their nurse counterparts to prepare for the emergency surgery while assisting their co-workers with heaving the woman's lifeless body towards the surgery bay. As they passed, Kiyoshi caught a glimpse of her mangled form and choked on a sob, spitting up some blood and one of his teeth was dislodged with the tidal. Tarou had successfully destroyed everything he loved. He destroyed everything!
With the little strength he possessed, Kiyoshi lunged away from Ryouta towards Tarou, the brunette man to stumbling with his shoes sliding in the blood pooled upon the ground and causing him to tumble to the floor. However, it was then in his pain-riddled intoxication, Kiyoshi realized that everything below his shoulders was disturbingly numb when he tried to carry himself toward his loathed boss and crashed painfully to the ground shortly after, hot tears bubbling in his punctured eye. Not only had Zetsu been stolen from him by that man, but possibly his ability to walk also, and that only fueled his rage toward Tarou and poisoned his tongue farther.
Kiyoshi heaved his shattered body across the ground with his arms towards Tarou, gritting his broken jaw. "Tarou! You…you took…everything I had…" He stretched out his twitching hand and groped at Tarou's ironed pantleg, causing the superior's trademark smirk was wiped from his greasy face and replaced dark frown when Kiyoshi tore at the clean fabric with his uprooted nails. "How dare...dare you hurt Ayana and Zetsu. You basta-!"
Five thuds rang out, the startling sound resonating off the metallic walls of the laboratory. Everyone stood in stunned silence with their gaping faces frozen, the events having transpired too quickly for their minds to process as they stared. Ryouta sat up and inhaled sharply through his nose, his nostrils burning with the scent of gunpowder which poisoned the air as he stared at Kiyoshi, his eyes flickering between the metallic bolts now embedded deeply in his back, before his eyes were drawn up towards the smoking barrel of Tarou's golden crossbow. Kiyoshi twitched violently, a fresh surge of blood rushing from his nose before he released a wheeze and his blue orbs rolled back in his head.
Tarou snorted, his grey orbs narrowing at Kiyoshi. "I do not take kindly to being accused of crimes I did not commit." He withdrew his weapon, glancing it over before his smirk returned. "This new prototype is beautiful. I'll have to get you another tune up soon, darling." He cooed to his beloved crossbow before sheathing it on his belt. Overcoming his dumbfoundment, Ryouta scrambled to Kiyoshi, checking the spurting bullet wounds which were riddled unnervingly close to the doctor's spine.
"Don't worry, I did not hit anything vital," Tarou reinsured Ryouta, eerily unfazed with the brutally he had just displayed as his hands returned to his pockets. "He'll live."
Ryouta stared upwards at Ryouta, his forest eyes catching ablaze and his jaw quivering as he ground his teeth and nostrils flared. He balled his fists until his nails dug into his palms and blood sprung from the crescent-shaped indents they made. He had always known Tarou was a bloodthirsty man, taking joy when K-MF-001 viciously tore into a fresh human body or read about the latest massacre of the war in the paper, but never did he think him capable of attacking one of his own, especially a man which had been on the edge of death already. His enraged thoughts of attacking the pig, the opportune being perfect as he was out of ammo, but were interrupted when one of the nurses jarred him.
"We have to get him to surgery now!" She whispered with tears flowing from her bloodshot eyes, thoroughly upset.
She was right, Ryouta realized, as he tore his eyes from Tarou and assisted the two nurses in hauling Kiyoshi's unconscious form onto the gurney, this time without disruption. He tossed another glare in Tarou's direction before the three of them rushed the bed towards the surgical bay for another emergency surgery. Once the doctors were gone, Tarou turned towards the disturbed crowd of employees who backed away in unison, huddled together like a frightened herd of deer surrounded by a pack of wolves.
"Alright, disperse. If you want to see your next paycheck, then I suggest you all get to work." He spoke. Misinterpreting their blood-hungry boss's words, everyone scattered to their respective stations without a moment's hesitation or suffer die consequences like Kiyoshi had. Once everyone was gone, Tarou smoothed out his black silk tie and looked around. "Now then, where is Toshi?"
After a bit of searching, which involved merely walking to the guard's office, he found Toshi slumped in his chair with his head hung over the back of the chair and mouth agape. First, he wondered if the man had been attacked also and required medical assistance, but that question was swiftly answered when the overweight man released a thundering snore.
"Toshi." Tarou barked with no reaction. "Toshi!"
Toshi jerked awake with a snort at the yell and his hand instantly went for his shock baton, nearly zapping the presumed intruder until he recognized the bulldog face of his employer.
"Tarou-sama, I'm so sorry!" Toshi blurted, replacing the fizzling rod on his belt.
"Toshi, have you been asleep all night?" Tarou asked, tone stern.
Toshi hesitated. "Well I…not all night. I must've dozed off for a few hours at most…"
"Is that so? Then why did you not attempt to prevent K-MF-084's abduction?"
Toshi gasped. "A-Abduction?"
Tarou sighed, it was painfully obvious the guard had lied and had actually been asleep the entire night and rather deeply at that if he had not heard any of the commotion. "Were the cameras active at least?"
"Y-Yes!" Toshi hunched over to the stacks of tape players which were smuggled beneath his desk and his fat sausage fingers hastily worked at the buttons to reverse each tape to the prior night. Once each timer clocked a few hours before midnight, he jabbed play and two men quietly observed the bewildering series of events which had taken place.
It began with a rather suspicious meeting between Kiyoshi and Ayana, making it perfectly clear that the nurse had been involved with her counterpart's scheming. How exactly Tarou was unsure. After the woman left, Kiyoshi made an unexpected visit to Toshi, not once but three times with refreshments and after the last visit, the doctor had a bright red card in hand and entered the basement elevator he normally had no access to.
Tarou sniffed. "Toshi, where is your clearance card?"
"Err…it's in my pocket, sir. Right…" Toshi heaved his wide frame from his chair and reached behind to his back pocket, only discover it void when he poked his fingers inside. "Wait…my card!" He patted his other pockets, all empty of said card. "Where is my card!? Kiyoshi he…he took my card!" Tarou was not convinced, however. Toshi had been involved in this conspiracy as well. Who else had been trespassing behind his back? Ryouta perhaps? The man seemed to loyal enough, but now, Tarou wondered who he could trust anymore.
"Wait…what is that?"
Toshi pointed at the monitor which oversaw the emergency elevator in the Infirmary Ward and displayed the alarms for the elevator triggering as the red lights spun and flashed. Seconds later, the doors began to open, trembling as they were clearly forced wide and a massive, dark figure stepped out from between them.
"Hmm…that would appear to be the monster that Kiyoshi was speaking of." Tarou remarked, analyzing the 'monster' which was actually a behemoth-sized man draped in dark clothing and had his face obscured with a matching bandanna and sunglasses to prevent identification. A professional. "That elevator is only known to employees of this laboratory. How did our guest know of it?"
"Someone told him?" Toshi guessed aloud. Tarou sniffed again. Someone indeed.
The monster man ducked into the wing which housed the children, meanwhile, Kiyoshi had successful extracted K-MF-084 from the underground floor vault and was darting for the elevator to return to the main floor. The unknown visitor departed from the Infirmary Ward, pausing at Toshi's office and Kiyoshi came running down the hallway, only to collide with the hulking man and unfolding into a brief confrontation between the two. Toshi swallowed thickly and looked away, his stomach churning as Kiyoshi was beaten savagely onscreen while Tarou stared on, unfazed. Afterwards, the intruder grabbed K-MF-084 and the paperwork Kiyoshi had stolen and shuffled back to his point of entrance to leave. He had known about K-MF-084. Toshi was convinced now, Kiyoshi must have some sort of involvement with his assailant. There were too many coincidences. The beating was staged, as was Ayana's, to throw off suspicion. The doctor had been so desperate to rescue K-MF-084 he was willing to sacrifice not only his life, but Ayana's also. It was disgusting.
"Oh god…Tarou-sama…I-I'm so sorry. If I hadn't fallen asleep I-I could have stopped him f-from taking K-MF-084 and hurting Kiyoshi." Toshi blabbered, voice bleeding remorse but his sobs fell on deaf ears. Toshi had assisted also, how else did that man infiltrate the laboratory so easily with him on duty, asleep or not? He had also disarmed the alarms from the elevator itself, only a process Toshi was aware of. Tarou's trigger finger itched but luckily for Toshi, he had spent all his quivers on Kiyoshi. Otherwise, he would have a new orifice decorating his forehead. Perhaps even several.
Tarou inhaled and exhaled deeply, soothing his flaring nerves. "Toshi, move aside please."
Toshi shoved his chair backwards without question and Tarou crammed his rotund form between his equally obese counterpart and the control panel towards the separate section reserved for tracking experiments. He dug in his dress shirt pocket and withdrew a perfect replica of Ryouta's card, a card Ryouta had no knowledge of him possessing, that he scanned and the vector monitor booted up with a whine before requesting the password. Once it was supplied, the blocky, green outlay of Kusagakure took a minute to load and proceeded with scanning the rendered village for K-MF-084's freshly implanted tracking device. It found nothing and Tarou slammed his fist on the keyboard, making the computer emit a confused beeping and Toshi jump.
"Bastard took her out of Kusagakure, I can't track her or activate her shut-off." Tarou sneered, smashing down his fist again. "She's probably on the other side of the fucking country by now. Goddamn you, Kiyoshi!"
"What will we do? The Council is coming today and are expecting us to hand her over." Toshi inputted timidly.
Tarou had no answer. He hadn't planned on handing over K-MF-084 to begin with, not so easily, but the thought of Kiyoshi having successfully smuggled her out made his blood boil. Once he awakened from his surgery, he would have to interrogate him vigorously for her location. Possessing the knowledge she was out there alive and happy, not only irked Tarou, but it was also the fact she was in the general public now. If her Mayfly decided to mutate and she became ravenous, it could quickly become linked back to Kusagakure and they would be responsible for the hostile takeover of the government from the Five Shinobi Nations to cease their operations. He would not be responsible for Kusagakure's second downfall because one of his employee got too attached to the merchandise.
The phone installed on the wall began to ring and Toshi scooted his chair over to answer it. "Hello?"
"Toshi-san." A woman's unsettled voice replied from the other side and Toshi recognized it as Yumi, the front desk receptionist of the hospital. "There are…people here. They say they are from the…Council?"
"The Council?" Toshi proclaimed out loud and Tarou casted him a curious look, lips heavy with a frown.
"The Council?" Tarou rolled back his sleeve and checked his golden wristwatch. "They aren't supposed to be here until noon. They're a few hours early."
Toshi covered the receiver and looked toward Tarou. "Err…what should we do? K-MF-084 is gone. How do we explain ourselves?"
Tarou sighed. "Unfortunately with the truth. There is no avoiding that. Our jobs were already being terminated so the worse punishment we can suffer is being scolded for being so neglectful between 001 and 084. Let them through."
"Err...ok." Toshi removed his hand. "Hey, Yumi-chan, you can let them through." The woman confirmed the decision and hung up with Toshi returning the phone to its cradle.
Tarou smoothed out the wrinkles in his sleeves and shirt, casting a distasteful look downward as his torn pantleg. "I'll greet them at the elevator." He said and squeezed past Toshi to exit the office only to stop in the gaping doorway. "Oh and Toshi? I suggest you don't get comfortable. Because once I have finished the Council, you and I will be having a small talk." With that, he left as he strolled towards the elevator, not noticing the mixture of confusion and terror branded on Toshi's greasy face.
It took several minutes from the initial call for the elevator to descend multiple stories into the underground laboratory and Toshi had managed to slowly waddle over in perfect time. The elevator chirped to signify its arrival before the doors chugged open to reveal it crammed to the brim with bodies cloaked in black combat armour with their faces concealed with a variety of equally black animal masks. The occupants marched out from the cramped room in unison, standing shoulder to shoulder in three lines of three before halting abruptly. The front line separated with the members kneeling down with their heads bowed as one of the most gorgeous woman Tarou had ever had the pleasure of setting his eyes on strutted out from within the formation. He had been anticipating one of the decrypted woman from the Council, not a goodness in the flesh.
The woman's sharp, golden eyes carefully analyzed the human hog before her purple lips twitched into a grimace. "You must be Tarou." She spoke, her voice smooth like a gravel pit.
"Yes, yes, that would be me. You must be from the Council. I am afraid I am not familiar with you. Who might you be?" Tarou held out a chunky hand, struggling to show a little class and not stare at her bountiful breasts that jutted from her parted kimono that left little to the imagination.
"I have no time for petty introductions." The woman hissed, spitting like a suddenly provoked cobra at Tarou friendliness; her attitude flipping like a dime and Tarou recoiled as though she had bitten him. "I've only come for the girl and paperwork."
A suffocating air of danger wafted from the woman and Tarou struggled to rediscover his voice as his words tumbled from his tongue. "Yes, well. I am sorry to say but…K-MF-084 has been stolen."
Her penciled eyebrows knotted. "Stolen?" The shrill word echoing harshly and the soldiers behind her shuffled anxiously. "How?"
"Akiayama Kiyoshi, the doctor which was in charge of K-MF-084's development, organized an elaborate kidnapping last night. The girl and all her original paperwork is gone. We are unable to track her due to her being taken outside of Kusagakure."
An impregnable silence swelled between both parties with Tarou apprehensively awaiting the Council woman's reaction as she stared blankly at him, rapping her purple, manicured nails on her arm. Finally, after an uncomfortable length of a minute, the woman cocked her hair, her black fringe flowing across her pure white face like a waterfall. "Do you have samples of the Mayfly, in the least?"
"Oh absolutely. We have samples of every Mayfly wielder that existed in Kusagakure in the last fifty years. If more samples are needed, we have frozen K-MF-001 for future extractions."
"That will suffice." The woman assured with a dismissive wave of the hand, surprising not only Tarou, but also the soldiers as an angry commotion erupted between them.
One of the shinobi even stepped forward to challenge the woman's controversial decision. "Sir! We came for the girl, not worthless samples! Lord Dan-"
"Excuse me!?" The woman shrieked, spinning around on her heel towards the faceless man. "Did you just refer me as…sir!?"
Before the officer could correct his bizarre mistake, the woman slashed her nails towards his throat, faster that the human eye could track and the man collapsed. He clenched his throat and screamed as burning blood bubbled from his neck, the scalding liquid making contact with his armour and bird mask and melting them away like paper in the rain along with skin. The other guards backed away, none attempting to assist their companion as he withered and convulsed on the ground in the growing pool of his own steaming blood.
The woman examined her violet polished nails which were wet with blood, unfazed by the screeching. "Pity, I did not lace the polish with enough of the poison. He should have died without seconds. I'll have to recalculate the formula." She wiped the crimson substance off on the inside of her dark purple kimono-like blouse before approaching the dying man whose yells had reduced into whimpers as he twitched, a majority of his armour having melted away as well as skin, leaving the raw muscle underneath exposed. She lifted her foot and stabbed her three-inch stiletto into the man's skull, ending his suffering as he went instantly limp and quiet.
"There has been a change to plans," The woman announced, now addressing the rest of the soldiers as she wiped clean her heel, leaving streaks of blood and brain matter on the floor. "I thank you all for escorting me to Kusagakure but you are all now relieved of your duties. Permanently." The last word echoed eerily through the metal corridor, shattering the previous mild atmosphere like glass.
Immediately, the military-class shinobi took offensive positions and drew a multitude of frightening weapons that made Tarou's crossbow look like a peashooter, while the woman remained lax, an exhilarated smirk crossing her face and golden orbs flickering like flames. Tarou wisely backed away from the looming altercation and a few of the doctors which were passing through the hall unwisely stopped to watch.
"By attacking us you have announced your betrayal of -"
"I could not care less." The woman interrupted and lifted her arm, an emerald-scaled boa constrictor ejecting from her sleeve with the quickness of a bullet.
The snake collided with the face of one of the soldiers and shattered his ceramic dog mask before wounding its thick body around the man's neck. The shinobi blindly swung his machete at the serpent, narrowly chopping off his own arm in the process and the snake tightened its hug in the man's throat causing him to choke and gasp when his precious air supply was cut off. Another solider attacked the snake and cleanly sliced its ugly head off which fell to the ground in a bloody lump, twitching and forked tongue waggling. However, its body did not relent on its death grip, actually squeezing harder and the serpent's headless stump convulsed before two more heads sprouted out along with their own bodies like a hydra. The solider which had decapitated the serpent swung their weapon again at one of the new heads and mutated vermin smoothly dodged the blade with the heads retaliating against the assailant, one mouth clamping onto their weapon and the other aiming for their throat. Another shinobi quickly intercepted the attacking head, cutting it off but seconds later, two more had grown from the spurting stub and proceeded to surge at them.
The solider which had been strangled the entire time collapsed, his face gone purple and two of his comrades rushed to help, cutting away at the body to relieve the pressure. As they did, tinier snakes sprung from the incisions and attacked, digging their small fangs into their hands and pumping them with lethal poison that caused the shinobis to fall over and seize as the venom instantly paralyzed them. Within minutes at the soldiers were outnumbered as the snake multiplied into a grotesque pile of squirming bodies and heads with each cut and slice and jutsu they made and one by one, the shinobi went down, paralyzed from its poison or suffocated by their bodies to the point of unconsciousness. Once the last man hit the floor, the cluster of slithering snakes shuttered violently before erupting into a cloud of smoke. The mortified crowd which had been watching dispersed, questioning an early retirement and scratching at the tingling feeling beneath their skin as they did. Tarou tentatively shuffled back, staring at the pile of bodies they woman had effortlessly created but instead of fear a normal person would experience, he was overcome with a warm and fuzzy feeling. He might have just found his soulmate.
After taking a moment to admire her own work, the woman turned toward Tarou with smirk tattooed to her pale face. "Now, we can talk. I'll have you know that I just spared the lives of you and your entire staff. Originally, I was ordered to eliminate everyone in this laboratory after we obtained the Mayfly. The Council did not want any witnesses that could potentially talk later on about the affairs which could be tracked back to us. It would give other countries reason for a hostile invasion if they knew we had been weaponizing the Mayfly for war. Luckily for you, I never intended on handing over the Mayfly. Those fools of the Council had their chance with the Mayfly during the Second War, and they wasted it. The same with reviving the Senju. It's my turn now. So, I purpose to you a deal."
"What sort of deal?" Tarou inquired. The woman hunched over to eye level with Tarou and he recoiled from the smothering scent of perfume that smelt as cheap as the white make-up caked on her face.
"You give me the Mayfly and I won't kill everyone here for it. Simple as that." Tarou swallowed hard, his throat audibly clicking and the woman tossed her head back as she erupted in a fit of cackling. Tarou flushed. "Don't look so grave, I am joking of course. I need everyone here alive if I desire to revive the Mayfly successfully, but only if you agree. I desire to see Kusagakure's restoration as much as you do but only in exchange for an army once the Mayfly has been brought back from the brink, nothing that has not been preached to you before. You all will be going your duties as normal, except the difference will be that you are now working for me instead of the Council. An improvement, I ensure you. I shall educate your people better on the Mayfly and supply you with improved samples and test subjects so you no longer have to pull from the dwindling pool that is Kusagakure's population at risk of being discovered. It is a remarkable deal, if you ask me, and you have little choice in the matter. If you decline, then I have no reason to allow anyone here to live."
The woman was correct, Tarou had little to no wiggle room in this if he wished to live. Oh and his staff too. The deal would be no different either except their superior and he got to keep his job for a little longer. A wise man would agree, which Tarou was, and also he both feared and admired this woman too much to decline after witnessing what she had done to elite shinobi in a single breath. "Very well, I agree to your terms and accept your deal."
"Brilliant." The woman purred, rejecting Tarou's grimy hand for a second time when he held it out to secure the deal. "You are a smart man, Tarou. Unfortunately, due to the loss of K-MF-084 and death of 001, this project has been derailed tremendously due to your incompetence. It will take months to recover from such a blow and due to this, I see absolutely no use to your presence. Goodbye."
Tarou stumbled back, fat chin trembling when the woman lifted her arm again and from the dark depths of her sleeve, he perceived two yellow eyes staring back at him. Before the snake had a chance to attack, Tarou held out his hands and screamed out, "Wait, wait! W-We still have one more subject with the Mayfly!"
The woman quirked an eyebrow, her arm remaining cocked to release the impatient snake which hissed lowly but she allowed the pig to speak. "Do you?"
The overweight man recoiled himself enough to explain. "A nurse named Ayana. According to her records, her father possessed the Mayfly and was executed during the Second World War. She has never been tested but it's possible she possesses a dormant Mayfly gene. If she does, she can replace both 084 and 001."
There was a moment of tense silence before the woman lowered her arm and Tarou released the breath he had been holding. "Very well. Test the girl immediately. I will see to it that you do not screw this up also."
"Thank you, ma'am." Tarou spoke as he removed his death grip from the hilt of his pistol he had secretly grabbed ahold when the woman turned away and dabbed the sweat beaded on his face from his close brush with death.
The woman analyzed the unconscious soldiers on the floor before addressing Tarou again. "Considering these men my parting gift. It is far too dangerous to return with them after the events which have transpired. I will inform the Council of their unfortunate passing during our hazardous travel thought war-torn country. The poison paralyzed their chakra systems and bodies so they should give you little resistance."
"Thank you ma'am."
The woman stepped through the sea of bodies, carelessly walking atop some and spilling blood with the sharp edge of her heels as she navigated her way to the elevator. "I shall return in a few months. I have matters to conclude in that godforsaken village and afterwards, I will relocate to Kusagakure temporarily. I except that girl to be tested and ready for my return, understood?"
"Understood ma'am."
"Perfect. I will be looking to that time, Tarou." The doors chugged closed upon the woman's grinning white face with her elongated canines gleaming before vanishing as the elevator slowly ascended back to the hospital.
Once she was gone, Tarou readjusted his tie and left to the surgery bay to check on Ayana's condition and order her immediate detection while she was tested for the Mayfly and Kiyoshi's and Toshi's interrogation of the whereabouts of K-MF-084. Later after that, he would have to price rings for his future wife.
…
AN: Holy hell. This chapter. First, I want to apologize immensely for the amount of time it took for this chapter to be published since the last. A new college semester began so I was swamped with work which I barely survived. Once the semester concluded, the holidays happened and I was occupied with gift-buying and decorating until New Year's. Also, I underestimated the sheer size of this chapter. Summarized, it sounded short and sweet but the more I wrote, the longer and longer it went. It also explains if it seems choppy since I had to write the whole thing in pieces to save time.
With that said, I am pleased to say this is the end of OCs (Except one which will be a main character). From this chapter on, it will be completely focused on the Akatsuki. We will see everyone again, seeing as this plotline has ended on a cliffhanger, but it will not be for a long, long, long time. Not until the third act of the story and since each act will be at least 20-30 chapters. It will be awhile, sorry.
I will begin writing the next chapter at once but after that chapter, the story will be on hiatus again because the new semester is starting, along with tutoring in the summer, as I am concluding the writing requirements of my degree, but also because I will be having to plan and rearrange the next chapters afterwards since it will be a lot of filer. I am going to be rewriting a few chapters too which will take time.
Anyways, I hope your enjoyed this chapter in all its drama and shotty goodness and will be around for the next chapter. Thank you and remember, kind comments are loved and critiques are accepted as long as they are consecutive nut destructive.
Next Chapter: Kakuzu returns to the Akatsuki with the Mayfly in hand and her future will be decided.
Until next time.