Setting
Default Location for Limerance
Minimap
northwest |
north |
northeast |
west |
You are here. |
east |
southwest |
south |
southeast |
Sabrie is a part of 
Limerance.
3 Characters Here
Doll [381] "I long to see the day where I will be free."
ZERO [359] "Family don't end in blood."
REN [5] Kid Brother // WIP
Start Character Here »
¤
Several meters ahead, there it stood. A parasite already shifted into attack mode. Once human form morphed. The torso and limbs extended into long whip-like stalks, each razor-sharp blade at the ends. The eyes, crimson and obsidian, much like Zero's at the brink of madness. Fixed on him with a sort of frenzy Zero could for once find common ground with. He wanted to tear it apart just as much as it did him. Where it came from or why it chose to attack was beyond him.
Zero lunged forward, thoughts silent he pulled in vectors at the last second, struck without a second's hesitance. The creature like all the desiccated ones that littered the ground, collapsed. Dead before it hit the ground. Doc's signals thrummed at the edges of his senses, as well as a more foreign one. Who he couldn't tell, why it was here of all places, what did it matter anymore? Attacks by strange entities for whatever reason was becoming a norm.
Nowhere was safe. Best to accept that and move on.
Red painted the halls. Tainted his hands. Stains on top of more stains. Zero destroyed what remained of the glare above. Just for the satisfaction of something breaking. Music, more music, it'd kill the silence. Anything but the void. Yet, the quiet in his head was just the surface. Everything beneath was gone. At some point, between Grell's leaving and Zero's losing consciousness. Something had changed.
Slang, a pretty but expressionless or unintelligent woman. I.e. "She's nothing more than a doll."
{ Bird Set Free | Sia }
Garamound]Dɪᴀʟᴏɢᴜᴇ Cᴏʟᴏʀ ✦ #66CDAA || Tʜᴏᴜɢʜᴛ Cᴏʟᴏʀ ✧ #008B8B╚ ╝
In the end she was only a human, powerless to do anything in the face of the enemy. Doll wasn't strong or brave, she was human, a lowly, pathetic dog on the bottom of the food chain. Doll squeezed her hands into fists, half of her body wasn't even working, she had two useless legs, leaving her at a severe disadvantage. "I can't protect them, even after all they've done for me." Doll said, placing her hands against her chest. Xavier pushed her wheelchair away from where the battle was happening, sand crunching under wheels. Her breaths came out in quick, sharp, needles. Something in her head pulsed, making her spin. "Doll?" Xavier asked, but Doll couldn't answer. "Hey," he grabbed hold of her shoulders, kneeling in front of the wheelchair. "Hold yourself together." He said, shaking her slightly.
"Tch, can't deal with this now." He wheeled her away faster, knowing that soon the battle would be starting and that they had to be out of range if they wanted to live another day. "I'm... okay." Doll eventually said, hugging her arms. "Don't scare me like that," Xavier sighed, shaking his head. They were far down the boardwalk now, hiding underneath a wooden hut that had been built to take shelter from the sun and sudden, possible rain. "Are we going in here?" Doll asked as Xavier wheeled her in. "Yeah, we're gonna wait out the fight here. Hopefully once it's over and the Doc wins, we'll be able to go back." Doll shook her head, "The hospital isn't gonna survive. Not if Zero is in there," she shivered, a flashback of the first time she had been kidnapped, how he had told her to run and not to look back.
Doll hadn't dared to look behind her, but the road ahead hadn't exactly been startlingly beautiful either. Corpses had lined the floors, slippery with blood. She remembered falling, tripping over ripped limbs, sliding across pools of crimson and a chill had crept up her spine. Almost as quickly as it had come, the glimpses were gone. No longer could Doll remember that night, only a vague sense of cold as she had knelt in the snow, a terrible fear looming over her like a dark shadow. "We're safe as long as he's watching over us." Doll smiled, that much she knew was true. Zero had been acting strange though, oddly distant. Had Doll done something? Had he tired of her and was distancing himself to prepare for when he got rid of her?
There was the sound of an explosion, or perhaps one of the Being's attacks and Doll jumped, the wheelchair toppling over. She squeaked as she fell, the chair clattering on top of her. It wasn't the first time that this had happened, the other day Doll had seen a shadow and gotten so excited that it may have been Zero, she tried to turn the wheelchair too quickly and fell. Since then, Doll had been working in PT on how to right herself should something like this happen. "We may need to go farther away," Xavier suddenly said, panicked. He lifted Doll up, placing her back in the chair and breaking into a sprint. "What's wrong?" Doll asked, attempting to remain calm. With a burst of wind and speed, the chair toppled over once more. Doll was whacked against the railing, a cry ripped from her body as she fell, her hospital gown tearing. She opened her eyes, her teal orbs widening further as she screamed.
"Xavier!" He had been pierced through the middle, blood spouting from his lips. "I'm... okay," he gasped, his blood speckling her face as he fell. "No, no, no! You can't die. No, please, don't leave me." She crawled over pathetically, her legs scratched by unpolished wood. Doll sat up, placing Xavier's head in her lap. "It... s'okay." He coughed and Doll wiped the blood that was dribbling down his chin. "Just... hurts." He winced and Doll looked around frantically. She pressed her hands against the wound to keep him from bleeding out. "Help!" Doll screamed, hoping to whatever higher power that Xavier wouldn't perish. "Crawl away you pathetic dog." A burst of wind came at her, throwing Doll back. The Baron stood before her, placing a polished shoe on Xavier's body as though claiming him like some sort of prize.
"You won't die boy, not unless I let you." He dug the tip of his shoe into the bloody mess and Xavier cried out in pain. "Stop that!" Doll screamed, "You're hurting him!" The Baron glanced at her, a sidelong disinterested glance. "It's too bad you're a mutt," he said, suddenly grinning. "You would have bred beautifully." He raised his hand, preparing for another attack when something hit him in the side, sending him flying over the railing and towards the beach. "Doctor Atarashi," Doll breathed in relief. "Sorry Ms. Loretta," he apologized. "I didn't think the fight would get this far."
{ Bird Set Free | Sia }
Garamound]Dɪᴀʟᴏɢᴜᴇ Cᴏʟᴏʀ ✦ #66CDAA || Tʜᴏᴜɢʜᴛ Cᴏʟᴏʀ ✧ #008B8B
In the end she was only a human, powerless to do anything in the face of the enemy. Doll wasn't strong or brave, she was human, a lowly, pathetic dog on the bottom of the food chain. Doll squeezed her hands into fists, half of her body wasn't even working, she had two useless legs, leaving her at a severe disadvantage. "I can't protect them, even after all they've done for me." Doll said, placing her hands against her chest. Xavier pushed her wheelchair away from where the battle was happening, sand crunching under wheels. Her breaths came out in quick, sharp, needles. Something in her head pulsed, making her spin. "Doll?" Xavier asked, but Doll couldn't answer. "Hey," he grabbed hold of her shoulders, kneeling in front of the wheelchair. "Hold yourself together." He said, shaking her slightly.
"Tch, can't deal with this now." He wheeled her away faster, knowing that soon the battle would be starting and that they had to be out of range if they wanted to live another day. "I'm... okay." Doll eventually said, hugging her arms. "Don't scare me like that," Xavier sighed, shaking his head. They were far down the boardwalk now, hiding underneath a wooden hut that had been built to take shelter from the sun and sudden, possible rain. "Are we going in here?" Doll asked as Xavier wheeled her in. "Yeah, we're gonna wait out the fight here. Hopefully once it's over and the Doc wins, we'll be able to go back." Doll shook her head, "The hospital isn't gonna survive. Not if Zero is in there," she shivered, a flashback of the first time she had been kidnapped, how he had told her to run and not to look back.
Doll hadn't dared to look behind her, but the road ahead hadn't exactly been startlingly beautiful either. Corpses had lined the floors, slippery with blood. She remembered falling, tripping over ripped limbs, sliding across pools of crimson and a chill had crept up her spine. Almost as quickly as it had come, the glimpses were gone. No longer could Doll remember that night, only a vague sense of cold as she had knelt in the snow, a terrible fear looming over her like a dark shadow. "We're safe as long as he's watching over us." Doll smiled, that much she knew was true. Zero had been acting strange though, oddly distant. Had Doll done something? Had he tired of her and was distancing himself to prepare for when he got rid of her?
There was the sound of an explosion, or perhaps one of the Being's attacks and Doll jumped, the wheelchair toppling over. She squeaked as she fell, the chair clattering on top of her. It wasn't the first time that this had happened, the other day Doll had seen a shadow and gotten so excited that it may have been Zero, she tried to turn the wheelchair too quickly and fell. Since then, Doll had been working in PT on how to right herself should something like this happen. "We may need to go farther away," Xavier suddenly said, panicked. He lifted Doll up, placing her back in the chair and breaking into a sprint. "What's wrong?" Doll asked, attempting to remain calm. With a burst of wind and speed, the chair toppled over once more. Doll was whacked against the railing, a cry ripped from her body as she fell, her hospital gown tearing. She opened her eyes, her teal orbs widening further as she screamed.
"Xavier!" He had been pierced through the middle, blood spouting from his lips. "I'm... okay," he gasped, his blood speckling her face as he fell. "No, no, no! You can't die. No, please, don't leave me." She crawled over pathetically, her legs scratched by unpolished wood. Doll sat up, placing Xavier's head in her lap. "It... s'okay." He coughed and Doll wiped the blood that was dribbling down his chin. "Just... hurts." He winced and Doll looked around frantically. She pressed her hands against the wound to keep him from bleeding out. "Help!" Doll screamed, hoping to whatever higher power that Xavier wouldn't perish. "Crawl away you pathetic dog." A burst of wind came at her, throwing Doll back. The Baron stood before her, placing a polished shoe on Xavier's body as though claiming him like some sort of prize.
"You won't die boy, not unless I let you." He dug the tip of his shoe into the bloody mess and Xavier cried out in pain. "Stop that!" Doll screamed, "You're hurting him!" The Baron glanced at her, a sidelong disinterested glance. "It's too bad you're a mutt," he said, suddenly grinning. "You would have bred beautifully." He raised his hand, preparing for another attack when something hit him in the side, sending him flying over the railing and towards the beach. "Doctor Atarashi," Doll breathed in relief. "Sorry Ms. Loretta," he apologized. "I didn't think the fight would get this far."
¤
They were all destroyed. The ones in blue, white, gowns, the ones on tubes and machines. The entire building silenced. Daunting how much destruction their kind had caused. When at one point they were allegedly the superior race. They were no better than the humans. Of course, Zero watched it all through a haze. Every kill, every swing of his vectors tearing away at members of his own kind. A monster killing monsters.
It was like observing one of them only the one doing the killing was himself, provoked or not. He latched to the pull of another signal and raced up the steps that lead to the roof. Someone forgot to invite him to the rooftop party.
More desiccated remains littered the ground. The monsters had attacked the weaker among them.
"Zero, what happened?" Ren stood at the other end, blocking the few remaining. "Running in reptilian mode now?" Was that doubt or alarm bleeding into his voice?
He didn't ask, no, he couldn't. So he moved out and attacked the closest one.
Ren finished off his side of the roof. Perhaps with more ease than usual, well he did have more practice in that department didn't he? All these years that'd been his drive. More than family. More than him. When Zero looked at him, his chest tightened and his limbs tensed and burned.
He shut it down. Let the wave toss and tumble above. Let the deafening roar take over. Let the ice spread from within and take with it the burden. More things he had to accept. Like his nature.
Glimpses of Ren seared through the cover of black. Eyes evolving to their true state. Volts sparking from strange hands. Words of self-control, or illogical reasoning none the more subtle hung in the air. Waiting for something to spring forth from it. These things were their default, at least Ren thought so.
But in this abyss, the one Zero turned to, it was the most natural place. Here he couldn't feel a damn thing.
Slang, a pretty but expressionless or unintelligent woman. I.e. "She's nothing more than a doll."
{ Bird Set Free | Sia }
Garamound]Dɪᴀʟᴏɢᴜᴇ Cᴏʟᴏʀ ✦ #66CDAA || Tʜᴏᴜɢʜᴛ Cᴏʟᴏʀ ✧ #008B8B╚ ╝
"Please, we need to help him." Doctor Atarashi was panting, he looked as though he had been clear through the ringer, except they had yet to get to the other side. "I'm sorry Loretta," Doctor Atarashi pulled something from his pocket, stabbing it into Doll's shoulder and pressing something. Her eyes widened, her head spinning, heart thumping. Doll's pupils grew smaller and she drew upwards, standing in a trance. She shouldn't have been, she was going to injure her body, but whatever the Doctor had done it was too late to take back. As though hypnotized Doll moved, closing in on the enemy. The Baron stood, laughing at the pathetic sight he saw before him. "You, a mere human think you can stand up to me?" He asked, blasting wind like knives. It cut into her skin, tearing through the hospital gown and leaving but a shred that covered her up.
Doll moved her fingers, the blood droplets separating from sand and shooting out like needles, hitting the Baron's skin. "Tch, damn dog." The Baron wiped at the lacerations, seeing blood. He leaped forward, using his Being power to hit her. Her skin burst wherever he touched, blood staining her body, covering her in shimmering crimson skin. Like a puppet she moved, manipulating her own plasma. With a flick of her wrist the Baron's hand disappeared, falling the same way an acorn fell to the ground. His screams of rage filled the air, a terrible sound that vibrated within her. Another flick, blood spouting like a fountain across his neat charcoal suit. "I won't lose to you," he growled, using his Being ability to blind her with dust and wind. Doll didn't make a sound as her vision blurred, a burning pain in her eyes.
She used her own blood to part the storm, sending one final blast towards him that sliced at his throat. His head fell back, a ball rolling across the playground and into the salty ocean. Doll's body gave out, sinking as gravity began tugging at her very existence. "Loretta!" Doctor Atarashi called, catching her as she dropped. He took something out of his pocket, trying to wipe the sand out of her bleeding eyes. She was limp, like a doll, her body feather light. Her legs were black and blue, coated in red, her whole body, coated in red. "I shouldn't have used it, it was a mistake." He murmured, carrying her back to the boardwalk where the remaining staff from the hospital were. Xavier was laying on a stretcher, being wheeled away. Doctor Atarashi had performed a maneuver right then and there to preserve the boy, using Loretta to buy them both some time.
He hadn't expected the girl to kill him, no, he had simply been stalling for time to get them all out alive. Seeing her performance had left him with more questions than answers, no more pieces to the puzzle uncovered than they had been before. In fact, he was sure he had lost a few them underneath the metaphorical table. "Stay with us," Doctor Atarashi placed her down on a stretcher. The hospital was in ruin, a tent set up a few meters away to provide first aid. Being's were first priority, as always, but the Doctor couldn't lose his charge. He had to find Zero, although he believed the boy to be in good hands with Grell there to protect him.
As predicted, the tent pushed the Doctor out. There were police at the scene, the military showing up to try and figure out what exactly had just went down. Frustrated, it took quite the nagging to get them to set up a tent for the two human casualties. As Xavier was looked at, Doll was cleaned off. A few remaining nurses lent Doctor Atarashi a hand, stripping off what was left of the hospital gown and immersing her in a tub of water. They believed the girl to be in a state of shock, Doctor Atarashi knew better. He said nothing as they used solution to get the sand out of her eyes, gently closing them and wrapping a bandage around her head to keep them shut for the moment.
Out of his pocket came another syringe, another injection. Doll gasped for air, breathing as though alive for the first time. "It's dark," she whimpered, feeling a blanket being wrapped around her bare shoulders. She clung to it, her fingers shaking. There were bandages wrapped round the cuts and slices on her body. "What happened?" Doll asked, her voice a whimper. "I-I can't remember." She felt a hand on her head, smoothing her hair back. "You hit your head and lost consciousness after the Baron attacked." Doctor Atarashi's voice was there, speaking in calming tones. Doll believed him because she had nothing else to believe. It made the most sense, at least. Doll, a weak, pitiful human knocked out by a strong Being.
{ Bird Set Free | Sia }
Garamound]Dɪᴀʟᴏɢᴜᴇ Cᴏʟᴏʀ ✦ #66CDAA || Tʜᴏᴜɢʜᴛ Cᴏʟᴏʀ ✧ #008B8B
"Please, we need to help him." Doctor Atarashi was panting, he looked as though he had been clear through the ringer, except they had yet to get to the other side. "I'm sorry Loretta," Doctor Atarashi pulled something from his pocket, stabbing it into Doll's shoulder and pressing something. Her eyes widened, her head spinning, heart thumping. Doll's pupils grew smaller and she drew upwards, standing in a trance. She shouldn't have been, she was going to injure her body, but whatever the Doctor had done it was too late to take back. As though hypnotized Doll moved, closing in on the enemy. The Baron stood, laughing at the pathetic sight he saw before him. "You, a mere human think you can stand up to me?" He asked, blasting wind like knives. It cut into her skin, tearing through the hospital gown and leaving but a shred that covered her up.
Doll moved her fingers, the blood droplets separating from sand and shooting out like needles, hitting the Baron's skin. "Tch, damn dog." The Baron wiped at the lacerations, seeing blood. He leaped forward, using his Being power to hit her. Her skin burst wherever he touched, blood staining her body, covering her in shimmering crimson skin. Like a puppet she moved, manipulating her own plasma. With a flick of her wrist the Baron's hand disappeared, falling the same way an acorn fell to the ground. His screams of rage filled the air, a terrible sound that vibrated within her. Another flick, blood spouting like a fountain across his neat charcoal suit. "I won't lose to you," he growled, using his Being ability to blind her with dust and wind. Doll didn't make a sound as her vision blurred, a burning pain in her eyes.
She used her own blood to part the storm, sending one final blast towards him that sliced at his throat. His head fell back, a ball rolling across the playground and into the salty ocean. Doll's body gave out, sinking as gravity began tugging at her very existence. "Loretta!" Doctor Atarashi called, catching her as she dropped. He took something out of his pocket, trying to wipe the sand out of her bleeding eyes. She was limp, like a doll, her body feather light. Her legs were black and blue, coated in red, her whole body, coated in red. "I shouldn't have used it, it was a mistake." He murmured, carrying her back to the boardwalk where the remaining staff from the hospital were. Xavier was laying on a stretcher, being wheeled away. Doctor Atarashi had performed a maneuver right then and there to preserve the boy, using Loretta to buy them both some time.
He hadn't expected the girl to kill him, no, he had simply been stalling for time to get them all out alive. Seeing her performance had left him with more questions than answers, no more pieces to the puzzle uncovered than they had been before. In fact, he was sure he had lost a few them underneath the metaphorical table. "Stay with us," Doctor Atarashi placed her down on a stretcher. The hospital was in ruin, a tent set up a few meters away to provide first aid. Being's were first priority, as always, but the Doctor couldn't lose his charge. He had to find Zero, although he believed the boy to be in good hands with Grell there to protect him.
As predicted, the tent pushed the Doctor out. There were police at the scene, the military showing up to try and figure out what exactly had just went down. Frustrated, it took quite the nagging to get them to set up a tent for the two human casualties. As Xavier was looked at, Doll was cleaned off. A few remaining nurses lent Doctor Atarashi a hand, stripping off what was left of the hospital gown and immersing her in a tub of water. They believed the girl to be in a state of shock, Doctor Atarashi knew better. He said nothing as they used solution to get the sand out of her eyes, gently closing them and wrapping a bandage around her head to keep them shut for the moment.
Out of his pocket came another syringe, another injection. Doll gasped for air, breathing as though alive for the first time. "It's dark," she whimpered, feeling a blanket being wrapped around her bare shoulders. She clung to it, her fingers shaking. There were bandages wrapped round the cuts and slices on her body. "What happened?" Doll asked, her voice a whimper. "I-I can't remember." She felt a hand on her head, smoothing her hair back. "You hit your head and lost consciousness after the Baron attacked." Doctor Atarashi's voice was there, speaking in calming tones. Doll believed him because she had nothing else to believe. It made the most sense, at least. Doll, a weak, pitiful human knocked out by a strong Being.
¤
He wanted to break. Wanted Ren to break him. If Ren didn't then Zero would end up killing him. Ren hadn't been wrong in his guess, Zero wasn't himself, or was he? Running on nothing but the fire fueling him, he struck relentless and unforgiving. It's as though he'd replaced any affection he'd once held toward him into something long buried. The truth burst with every punch, every swipe of his vectors.
Ren however didn't crack, he met Zero at every hit and kept nothing back. He sent volts jolting through Zero as if that could stop him. The blows didn't register and wouldn't, not after he'd turned off the nerve receptors. But if Ren noticed he gave no indication, he continued holding up strong.
"Zero, come back!" The words strung in the air then fell away like dust. They meant nothing. Not anymore. He wouldn't go back to the way he was, not now or ever. Wasn't is better this way?
"There's nothing to come back to."
"You're lying to yourself."
"Just like you lied to me, for years." He landed a solid strike toward Ren's torso, ripping away. "You're a ghost."
Ren gripped at Zero's throat, white sparks crackling the air. "Is that what this is?"
Zero ran him through with the edge of his vector, blood seeping from Ren's lips. Yet he didn't even flinch. "I've been sharpening them for years."
"I've been getting revenge for the both of us." Ren sounded a little angry or was that disappointment? Did he honestly think that was what Zero wanted? Wrong.
Zero choked a laugh. "Look who's delusional now."
Ren turned his attention away. "Stay out of this Red man. It's between us."
Grell's signals were spiked and frantic. Zero grinned. The taste of it better than blood almost. "Let him join the party, it'll be fun." Zero ripped at Ren's wrist, bone snapped and the limb tore. The hand writhed once severed from its host. He tossed it away. But of course it crawled up in a heap of shattered bone and active muscle magnetizing back to Ren."Where are you going?"
Zero stood at the edge of the building, below near the beach, another set of their kind—no, the girl. She was emitting a signal unlike any he'd ever sensed from her.
"Zero!"
He leaped off the roof, landing into the concrete with enough force to shatter the surface, then bolted. He wasn't sticking around, not while there was a chance at capture.
Ren's signals were close, why couldn't he just disappear again? There was only one way for this to go.
Slang, a pretty but expressionless or unintelligent woman. I.e. "She's nothing more than a doll."
{ Bird Set Free | Sia }
Garamound]Dɪᴀʟᴏɢᴜᴇ Cᴏʟᴏʀ ✦ #66CDAA || Tʜᴏᴜɢʜᴛ Cᴏʟᴏʀ ✧ #008B8B╚ ╝
"Why can't I see?" Doll asked, whimpering in pain. Doctor Atarashi gave her something to ease up on it, trying to reassure her that it was only temporary. "It's because of the injury," he explained. "After some eye drops, by tomorrow you should be good as new." He meant vision wise of course, the other injuries would take a bit longer. Had Doll been a regular human, she would have died from the wounds that had been inflicted upon her. Xavier had nearly perished with one of those hits, imagine a human body withstanding four of them. It wasn't any normal human durability and it wasn't something Doll could really understand. The girl was laying on her side on a stretcher, bundled underneath two blankets since blood loss made her cold.
The tube in her chest that Doctor Atarashi had put in was mid blood transfusion, two bags of plasma prepared to be given to her. It was a special formula, both human and being that Doll couldn't see. Only few were privy to enter the tent, no one from the mainland hospital or emergency services. Doll was unaware of all of this, the precautions that were being taken to keep her invisible. To her and outsiders, she was just a weak human whose legs weren't working very well. "Is Zero... is he okay?" Doll asked, feeling something cold and metal against her chest. "I don't know," Doctor Atarashi admitted. Doll felt cold, but this time, it wasn't because she had no clothes. "Where is he?" Doll inquired slowly. His absence was like the ocean, vast and drowning.
"Last I heard from Grell they were still inside the building." Someone came into the tent. It was funny how losing one sense made your others so vigilant. Sounds were too loud, smells too flavorful, touch too sensitive. Even if it was only temporary, the body adjusted to make up for the loss. "It's cold," Doll shivered, her teeth chattering. It was a warm day out in reality, the weather was quite nice should one want to go for a stroll. Someone was walking towards the stretcher, their footsteps uneven on the pavement. "I've brought some clothes," a female voice said and Doll tried to sit up, but she felt weak. "Don't move," Doctor Atarashi placed a hand on her shoulder. "But-" Doll started. "I'll allow the nurse to get you dressed, but if you move around too much your stitches might open."
So Doll tried to remain still, an odd disquiet that settled stomach at the darkness that enveloped her. Her tongue tasted like ashes, no doubt it was coated in sand, her hair felt odd from the salty air whipping it to and fro. Doll had never been to the ocean before, the battle was the closest she had ever come to the vast blue and even then she couldn't remember it. "Can I have water?" Her throat felt dry, like it had been replaced with sand paper. "You can't swallow it," Doctor Atarashi warned, tipping a cup up to her lips. Doll swished and spit, her tongue still tasting odd despite the fact that she had gotten rid of the sand. Redressed in clothing she couldn't see, Doctor Atarashi made her lay back down.
"Zero," Doll whispered, her hands clutched against her chest. Saying his name brought butterflies to her stomach, fluttering around in a cacophony of soundless disaster. "Please be alright."
{ Bird Set Free | Sia }
Garamound]Dɪᴀʟᴏɢᴜᴇ Cᴏʟᴏʀ ✦ #66CDAA || Tʜᴏᴜɢʜᴛ Cᴏʟᴏʀ ✧ #008B8B
"Why can't I see?" Doll asked, whimpering in pain. Doctor Atarashi gave her something to ease up on it, trying to reassure her that it was only temporary. "It's because of the injury," he explained. "After some eye drops, by tomorrow you should be good as new." He meant vision wise of course, the other injuries would take a bit longer. Had Doll been a regular human, she would have died from the wounds that had been inflicted upon her. Xavier had nearly perished with one of those hits, imagine a human body withstanding four of them. It wasn't any normal human durability and it wasn't something Doll could really understand. The girl was laying on her side on a stretcher, bundled underneath two blankets since blood loss made her cold.
The tube in her chest that Doctor Atarashi had put in was mid blood transfusion, two bags of plasma prepared to be given to her. It was a special formula, both human and being that Doll couldn't see. Only few were privy to enter the tent, no one from the mainland hospital or emergency services. Doll was unaware of all of this, the precautions that were being taken to keep her invisible. To her and outsiders, she was just a weak human whose legs weren't working very well. "Is Zero... is he okay?" Doll asked, feeling something cold and metal against her chest. "I don't know," Doctor Atarashi admitted. Doll felt cold, but this time, it wasn't because she had no clothes. "Where is he?" Doll inquired slowly. His absence was like the ocean, vast and drowning.
"Last I heard from Grell they were still inside the building." Someone came into the tent. It was funny how losing one sense made your others so vigilant. Sounds were too loud, smells too flavorful, touch too sensitive. Even if it was only temporary, the body adjusted to make up for the loss. "It's cold," Doll shivered, her teeth chattering. It was a warm day out in reality, the weather was quite nice should one want to go for a stroll. Someone was walking towards the stretcher, their footsteps uneven on the pavement. "I've brought some clothes," a female voice said and Doll tried to sit up, but she felt weak. "Don't move," Doctor Atarashi placed a hand on her shoulder. "But-" Doll started. "I'll allow the nurse to get you dressed, but if you move around too much your stitches might open."
So Doll tried to remain still, an odd disquiet that settled stomach at the darkness that enveloped her. Her tongue tasted like ashes, no doubt it was coated in sand, her hair felt odd from the salty air whipping it to and fro. Doll had never been to the ocean before, the battle was the closest she had ever come to the vast blue and even then she couldn't remember it. "Can I have water?" Her throat felt dry, like it had been replaced with sand paper. "You can't swallow it," Doctor Atarashi warned, tipping a cup up to her lips. Doll swished and spit, her tongue still tasting odd despite the fact that she had gotten rid of the sand. Redressed in clothing she couldn't see, Doctor Atarashi made her lay back down.
"Zero," Doll whispered, her hands clutched against her chest. Saying his name brought butterflies to her stomach, fluttering around in a cacophony of soundless disaster. "Please be alright."
❝The bird fights its way out of the egg. The egg is the world. Who would be born must first destroy a world. The bird flies to God. That God's name is Abraxas.❞
—HERMANN HESSE
[Hozier - Arsonist's Lullaby]
DIALOGUE
#853c41
¤
Her voice. A whisper that rang out among the roar. The familiarity pulled him in. He pushed his momentary lapse of control on the backburner. He'd deal with Ren later. Right now, there was a girl. The one who called for him. Her signals were the ones he'd found easy to grasp; as though taking an offered hand. But she was inside one of the tents and treated for injuries. Did one of his kind hurt her? Why would they? Too many gaps in his memories he couldn't fill, and the memories he did have were ones he wished had vanished. He pulled in his vectors and sunk into one of the empty chairs outside. He wasn't about to walk in looking like a war zone survivor. Not the sort of image worth imprinting on her. Not that it mattered, they weren't human.
Still, didn't feel right.
"Doc... You suck at your job." Zero said. "No matter where we go, shit follows." He pushed tangled hair out of his eyes, rubbed at the tightness in his neck. "Who was that bastard Loretta ganked? What did he want?" Bet he came for them, was he another creepy collector? Set on a hunt to catch 'em all? Try stealing one or all of them and putting them to some sick torture for kicks? Was he in the same club as Madame Red? Was there even a club? Zero shuddered at the thought.
"He came for the human." Ren was approaching, accompanied by Grell. The two having formed some kind of insta-bond at some point. Great, now they could party.
"Should've known bringing him along was a bad idea." Did Zero feel anything admitting this? Nope. Just facts. Yet, he'd offered to help the kid in the first place.
"Zero." Grell quirked a brow and shot him a mean look.
"They're safe, and the enemy was indeed eliminated." Ren sounded so sure of himself.
Zero rubbed at his face, it didn't mean there wouldn't be others, coming to look for the asshat. And if he was some huge honcho, then they'd a have a hell storm after them. The Beings weren't fond of the slaughtering of their own VIP folks. They had strict laws and harsh punitions against indiscriminate assaults—but only toward the higher up ranks. No one gave a crap about the low-tiered bunch. It's how Zero and Ren's favorite fight club was kept under wraps and never exposed. Didn't matter who knew, who attended, it was just for sport. It made a sour taste in his mouth remembering it, so he focused on something else.
"Doc, how soon can we relocate?"
Grell crossed his arms and shook his head, "Not anytime soon, not with her condition."
"We don't have to stick around," Ren said, his expression and tone distance, grim. "If it ensures our survival, then a severance is in order. I for one—"
"Then go, that's all you know how to do. Run." Zero shot him a cutting glare. "You just cut ties when shit gets real and it's every man for himself. Jerk."
"Bitch."
"Your mother."
Ren stared, incredulous. "We have the same mother."
Zero met and held his regard. "Shut up!"
"That's enough, you guys gotta stow your crap and get your shit together." Grell cut in. "We're not splitting up."
"I don't take orders from you, Red Man."
Zero tore off his boot and hurled it at Ren. "Stop being a dick!"
Ren dodged the flying old boot. "You suck."
"Screw you." Zero didn't toss his other boot, he sighed heavily and buried his face in his hands.
Ren snorted, "Someone needs a hug."
Grell sighed. "You two, are beyond ridiculous."
Slang, a pretty but expressionless or unintelligent woman. I.e. "She's nothing more than a doll."
{ Bird Set Free | Sia }
Garamound]Dɪᴀʟᴏɢᴜᴇ Cᴏʟᴏʀ ✦ #66CDAA || Tʜᴏᴜɢʜᴛ Cᴏʟᴏʀ ✧ #008B8B╚ ╝
The feel of fabric on top of the bandages was something she had grown used to. It seemed that Doll had always had bandages, that they were as much a part of her as hair or nails. Doll tried to sit up, but her head was spinning. "Don't," Doctor Atarashi said. The darkness enveloped her, sending a chill up her spine. Doll was afraid of the dark, she was afraid of not being able to see the monsters that lurked in it. "You can't go anywhere anyways." He said, pointing out her useless legs. Doll lay back down, the tug of the IV reminding her that she was still in the middle of the blood transfusion too. "Ready for transport," an unfamiliar voice said. They left the tent soon after. Doll lay still, still shivering; someone lent her a blanket, draping the soft woolen sheet over her body. She clung to the edges of it, needing something to hold onto, feeling wholly unsteady.
Doll heard a rustling outside of the tent. "Zero," she breathed, hearing his voice. The cold began to thaw and even in her darkness she could feel the warmth of him being close. Doll tried to sit up again, but she felt disoriented and dizzy. "Loretta if you don't lay down, I'm going to strap you down." The Doctor warned, but Doll needed to see him, to be close to the sunshine that would take away the darkness. "I need to-" she started when she felt the hand on her shoulder. "Don't make me sedate you," this was enough to make Doll stop. "Zero, can I go to him?" The Doctor was silent for a moment. "Wait five more minutes," he said.
It was agony. Every second that ticked by, the only sound being the trickle of the IV pump infusing the plasma she had lost. There was a void of sight, but of sound there was plenty. She could hear three male voices outside, arguing, more than just the normal banter, they sounded mad. What was wrong? Had something happened? Was someone hurt? Zero, was he alright? Her heart thumped painfully in her chest. She wanted to go to him, even if she couldn't see him. It was scary, in this temporary darkness, Doll could already find herself forgetting. What did Zero look like? She clung to the image of him laughing, the sharp curve of his cheeks, the snowy white hair that framed the startling red eyes. Doll held onto the image for dear life, like a safety raft in the middle of a darkening ocean. She was slipping, her hands no longer able to hold onto the colorful flotation device and drifting down, down, down.
There was a beep, the sound loud and piercing through her mind like a painful spike of white. "Your five minutes are up," Doctor Atarashi said. He disconnected Doll's port from the IV, cleaning the end and capping it. "Can I... go to him now?" She felt herself being lifted, moved from the stretcher to the wheelchair. Her eyes were hidden behind bandages, the teal orbs disappearing behind sterile white. "Zero?" Doll asked once the wheelchair stopped. She wriggled, feeling suddenly self conscious. Doll couldn't see what she was wearing, but she knew it wasn't a hospital gown, she also couldn't see how much of a mess she was, even if the sand had been washed off and her multiple cuts bandaged.
"Now that Xavier is stable, we'll be moving out soon." Doctor Atarashi said to the group. "Where are we going to go?" Doll asked, feeling as though they had exhausted their options. "We're going to Kyoto, in a place called Japan. The Japanese are a smaller nation, but unlike The US and UK, they aren't aligned with any other nation." The Doctor sighed, "in fact, the only reason I can get us there is thanks to a favor owed to me by a client." That was a lot of information to process, but the bottom line was that they were moving again.
{ Bird Set Free | Sia }
Garamound]Dɪᴀʟᴏɢᴜᴇ Cᴏʟᴏʀ ✦ #66CDAA || Tʜᴏᴜɢʜᴛ Cᴏʟᴏʀ ✧ #008B8B
The feel of fabric on top of the bandages was something she had grown used to. It seemed that Doll had always had bandages, that they were as much a part of her as hair or nails. Doll tried to sit up, but her head was spinning. "Don't," Doctor Atarashi said. The darkness enveloped her, sending a chill up her spine. Doll was afraid of the dark, she was afraid of not being able to see the monsters that lurked in it. "You can't go anywhere anyways." He said, pointing out her useless legs. Doll lay back down, the tug of the IV reminding her that she was still in the middle of the blood transfusion too. "Ready for transport," an unfamiliar voice said. They left the tent soon after. Doll lay still, still shivering; someone lent her a blanket, draping the soft woolen sheet over her body. She clung to the edges of it, needing something to hold onto, feeling wholly unsteady.
Doll heard a rustling outside of the tent. "Zero," she breathed, hearing his voice. The cold began to thaw and even in her darkness she could feel the warmth of him being close. Doll tried to sit up again, but she felt disoriented and dizzy. "Loretta if you don't lay down, I'm going to strap you down." The Doctor warned, but Doll needed to see him, to be close to the sunshine that would take away the darkness. "I need to-" she started when she felt the hand on her shoulder. "Don't make me sedate you," this was enough to make Doll stop. "Zero, can I go to him?" The Doctor was silent for a moment. "Wait five more minutes," he said.
It was agony. Every second that ticked by, the only sound being the trickle of the IV pump infusing the plasma she had lost. There was a void of sight, but of sound there was plenty. She could hear three male voices outside, arguing, more than just the normal banter, they sounded mad. What was wrong? Had something happened? Was someone hurt? Zero, was he alright? Her heart thumped painfully in her chest. She wanted to go to him, even if she couldn't see him. It was scary, in this temporary darkness, Doll could already find herself forgetting. What did Zero look like? She clung to the image of him laughing, the sharp curve of his cheeks, the snowy white hair that framed the startling red eyes. Doll held onto the image for dear life, like a safety raft in the middle of a darkening ocean. She was slipping, her hands no longer able to hold onto the colorful flotation device and drifting down, down, down.
There was a beep, the sound loud and piercing through her mind like a painful spike of white. "Your five minutes are up," Doctor Atarashi said. He disconnected Doll's port from the IV, cleaning the end and capping it. "Can I... go to him now?" She felt herself being lifted, moved from the stretcher to the wheelchair. Her eyes were hidden behind bandages, the teal orbs disappearing behind sterile white. "Zero?" Doll asked once the wheelchair stopped. She wriggled, feeling suddenly self conscious. Doll couldn't see what she was wearing, but she knew it wasn't a hospital gown, she also couldn't see how much of a mess she was, even if the sand had been washed off and her multiple cuts bandaged.
"Now that Xavier is stable, we'll be moving out soon." Doctor Atarashi said to the group. "Where are we going to go?" Doll asked, feeling as though they had exhausted their options. "We're going to Kyoto, in a place called Japan. The Japanese are a smaller nation, but unlike The US and UK, they aren't aligned with any other nation." The Doctor sighed, "in fact, the only reason I can get us there is thanks to a favor owed to me by a client." That was a lot of information to process, but the bottom line was that they were moving again.
¤
Even when he felt like he was sinking, even when it felt like what was left faded, there was something tugging at him. A glimpse of golden hair, a smile, her voice. Saying his name. Why did it resonate within him each time he heard her voice? Why did it cut deep at him and birth a sorrow that shouldn't exist for things like them? Why did this girl make him feel... Human? What was she to him? Why had he forgotten her and why did it feel as though he'd been pried open? There was nothing left in him, nothing that could make him feel alive, even if he was sitting there, breathing.
Only when he looked at her. Felt her presence he could breathe and taste the air. Smell the dust and tropical breeze, the saltine caress of the ocean. Hear the sounds dancing around him, lifted by the winds. She was someone so fragile, yet, when he'd glimpsed her at the boardwalk, kicking ass like that—it dismantled that fragile image. Decimated the doll everyone built her up to be.
Now, she was in a wheel chair, eyes hidden beneath sterile bandages. She gave off this tenderness, like a blooming flower, ready for daybreak. Ready to start again. Why did she inspire hope when there was none? Why did she remind him of silver linings? Why her? Why this girl who, even when he couldn't remember her, she was there?
Zero stood up. Grell's words struck a chord with him, echoed off the walls he'd built up over the years. The same walls that looked ready to shatter. Approaching Ren he grabbed his arm and pulled him along. Somewhere they wouldn't be interrupted.
"What the hell are you doing?" Ren yanked himself free only to tumble back into the dirt.
Zero towered over him, at last, their eyes could meet and he saw it there. The shadow of guilt in the eyes that were so much like his own. The heaviness in them, the clouded gaze lacking its strength to hold on.
"Ren, I want back what you took from me."
"What?"
Zero stomped closer, his shadow encased the younger boy in. He reached down and gripped at Ren's shirt, without hesitating, he bit into his neck.
The whirl wind of crimson burst through him, a fire that burned too bright. Every memory, every emotion, every loss, every win, every doubt, and crippling fear. It all flared in his mind, rushing through as sparks pierced the night. Infusing with the ice he'd made, banishing its chill. Loretta filled every gaping hole, the ones that mattered, her touch, her smile, her warmth. Most of all, her trust. In him. In the both of them.
There was the sun. It blinded him.
Ren wrapped his arms around Zero. The images sparkled and hissed and curled with smoke. She was standing there, shrouded by a light that followed her as she walked. One step, another.
"I don't want her to take you. I can't lose you again." The heat of him, pounding against Zero, tearing him from the shimmery dream of lived in memory. Bringin him back down. "Can't you see it, what she's done?"
Zero pulled him in as if he could preserve this forever. Lock them out of the pain loss and grief had shackled them for so long. Ren had struck out when he could, taken revenge, yet there was the hole none of them could fill. He'd taken that road alone and Zero would never be able to make up for all that time lost. At least now, they could try.
"Don't you get it, Ren?" Zero whispered. "It's like what dad said, we're not strangers. We never have been."
"She's pulled you into her web, she's pulling them all into her weakness."
Zero wanted to shake some sense into the boy, he was still seeing through tainted lens. Still stuck somewhere deep inside himself, refusing to break past it.
"Don't underestimate her, she's brave, braver than anyone I know." Zero smiled, when he closed his eyes, he saw her smile too. Now, there was the strength he needed there, physical, concrete. Alive.
"You think she's like us?"
"No, she's Loretta." Zero pushed back from Ren so he could meet his gaze. "We're more like them you know. Two halves of the same thing." Dad was working on his projects, with his own means. Decyphering their origin, with that knowledge, it'd change everything. Maybe that's why they always had to move around. Maybe what he was getting at, wasn't something everyone would readily accept. Just like humans, the others were afraid. Just like humans, they could feel.
"So, what's next for us, that Land of the Rising Sun?" Zero stood up, offering his hand to Ren.
"Yeah, except, no car."
Zero tensed at the reminder. "Oh, crap." He gripped at his head, clenched his teeth. Ren nudged him forward, "It'll be fine, you won't be alone."
"It's not cool. It's irrational." Zero hesitated when he spotted Doc and her. She was beautiful and he was glad she couldn't see him. Not like this. He sighed, taking the short distance to reach her before coming to stop again. He lowered his hand, fingers trembling as they settled over the top of her bandaged hand. There was something nostalgic about this as if they were meeting for the first time. He'd forgotten how to breathe.
Until his world started to sway and he remembered to breathe, the numbers going off in his head died down to nothing but the repetitive beat rising in him. A crescendo of life that refused to let go, something that only burst when they were close. The last image soaring within was that fraction of memory, the one Ren had smothered deep; the moment their lips met. She had given him something he never wanted to lose. She'd given him something they could both hold on to. It was a miracle and it was theirs.
His hand covered hers, fingers grasping at the one he wanted more than anything.
"Miss Loretta, I'm here."
Slang, a pretty but expressionless or unintelligent woman. I.e. "She's nothing more than a doll."
{ Bird Set Free | Sia }
Garamound]Dɪᴀʟᴏɢᴜᴇ Cᴏʟᴏʀ ✦ #66CDAA || Tʜᴏᴜɢʜᴛ Cᴏʟᴏʀ ✧ #008B8B╚ ╝
A breath, a shuffle but no sound. The gentle lap of waves against the sand, the salty taste of ocean air, but no Zero. She had heard him, or so she had thought, unless the blood loss had effected her in more ways than one. "Loretta," it was Grell's voice. "How are you feeling?" She hoped her disappointment wasn't apparent. "I'm okay," she smiled, "just a bit dizzy." Grell lightly touched her shoulder, one of the more bandaged areas. "You were amazing out there." Amazing? What did he mean? Doll shook her head. "No, I just got knocked out." Grell was about to say something, she heard him stop. Doctor Atarashi put a finger to his lips, mouthing a single word that Doll couldn't see. She couldn't hear anything aside from the occasional cry from some sort of bird.
Doll could relate, she wished to cry as well. She wrung the fabric of her dress in her hands, the sun having hidden itself among the clouds. "It's cold," Doll shivered. "Let me get you a blanket," she felt it wrap around her shoulders, Grell was by her side, sitting on one of the chairs that had been set outside of the tent. "So you really can't see, huh?" He asked, waving a hand in front of her face. Doll writhed in her chair, feeling his gaze on her. "Doctor Atarashi said that it's only temporary," then, in a lower voice, "I'm afraid of the dark." Grell was quiet, no doubt taking in the information Doll had just given him. Afraid of the dark and temporary blind, a terrible mix. Her worst fear was not seeing again, never getting to glance at Zero, the sun, light. She was already forgetting what colors looked like. Bright hues of red and orange, deep shades of blue and purple. They were all so fleeting, drifting slowly from her reach.
"I'm afraid he's going to take him from me." Doll said in a whisper, wondering if Ren and Zero could hear them. "Zero won't let him, he wants to stay here, with you." Grell reassured her, placing a hand on her shoulder. Doll flinched away, not a fan of suddenly being touched. It usually led to awful things, needles and bandages, sticks and stones. "But he's his family, the only one he has left. Surely they won't just abandon one another." Doll clutched at the edges of the blanket, little speckles of red rising on the bandages as blood leaked through. She was in no danger of losing too much blood, these were just the wounds healing themselves. Bodies healed in strange ways, her's especially.
"He's staying, no doubt, I wouldn't worry about Ren."
"I don't think Ren likes me very much."
"I think Ren is afraid."
"Afraid? He's strong though."
"Just because someone is strong doesn't mean they're fearless. I think you can't truly be strong without ever facing your fears."
That was an interesting perspective, Doll thought. She had never thought of it that way. "How can we be brave if we're not afraid?" Did he mean something like that? Grell nodded his head, not that Doll could see it. "Yeah, something like that." He said and Doll heard footsteps approaching. She held her breath, listening to the sound of shoes on the pavement. They weren't Doctor Atarashi's, Doll could already recognize his steps, the certain footwork only a doctor would have. Grell's were different too, almost rhythmic. These were different, uncertain and yet so sure, not hesitant per say but present.
He was like the sun. Even in the darkness, his warmth could reach her, shining like the north star, a beacon in the nighttime sky that stole her breath away. "Zero," Doll smiled, she didn't need to see him to feel the warmth trickle down her spine. "I wasn't worried, you're strong after all." Unlike Doll who couldn't neither see nor walk. Her legs were useless and now her eyes would be gone for a bit too.
{ Bird Set Free | Sia }
Garamound]Dɪᴀʟᴏɢᴜᴇ Cᴏʟᴏʀ ✦ #66CDAA || Tʜᴏᴜɢʜᴛ Cᴏʟᴏʀ ✧ #008B8B
A breath, a shuffle but no sound. The gentle lap of waves against the sand, the salty taste of ocean air, but no Zero. She had heard him, or so she had thought, unless the blood loss had effected her in more ways than one. "Loretta," it was Grell's voice. "How are you feeling?" She hoped her disappointment wasn't apparent. "I'm okay," she smiled, "just a bit dizzy." Grell lightly touched her shoulder, one of the more bandaged areas. "You were amazing out there." Amazing? What did he mean? Doll shook her head. "No, I just got knocked out." Grell was about to say something, she heard him stop. Doctor Atarashi put a finger to his lips, mouthing a single word that Doll couldn't see. She couldn't hear anything aside from the occasional cry from some sort of bird.
Doll could relate, she wished to cry as well. She wrung the fabric of her dress in her hands, the sun having hidden itself among the clouds. "It's cold," Doll shivered. "Let me get you a blanket," she felt it wrap around her shoulders, Grell was by her side, sitting on one of the chairs that had been set outside of the tent. "So you really can't see, huh?" He asked, waving a hand in front of her face. Doll writhed in her chair, feeling his gaze on her. "Doctor Atarashi said that it's only temporary," then, in a lower voice, "I'm afraid of the dark." Grell was quiet, no doubt taking in the information Doll had just given him. Afraid of the dark and temporary blind, a terrible mix. Her worst fear was not seeing again, never getting to glance at Zero, the sun, light. She was already forgetting what colors looked like. Bright hues of red and orange, deep shades of blue and purple. They were all so fleeting, drifting slowly from her reach.
"I'm afraid he's going to take him from me." Doll said in a whisper, wondering if Ren and Zero could hear them. "Zero won't let him, he wants to stay here, with you." Grell reassured her, placing a hand on her shoulder. Doll flinched away, not a fan of suddenly being touched. It usually led to awful things, needles and bandages, sticks and stones. "But he's his family, the only one he has left. Surely they won't just abandon one another." Doll clutched at the edges of the blanket, little speckles of red rising on the bandages as blood leaked through. She was in no danger of losing too much blood, these were just the wounds healing themselves. Bodies healed in strange ways, her's especially.
"He's staying, no doubt, I wouldn't worry about Ren."
"I don't think Ren likes me very much."
"I think Ren is afraid."
"Afraid? He's strong though."
"Just because someone is strong doesn't mean they're fearless. I think you can't truly be strong without ever facing your fears."
That was an interesting perspective, Doll thought. She had never thought of it that way. "How can we be brave if we're not afraid?" Did he mean something like that? Grell nodded his head, not that Doll could see it. "Yeah, something like that." He said and Doll heard footsteps approaching. She held her breath, listening to the sound of shoes on the pavement. They weren't Doctor Atarashi's, Doll could already recognize his steps, the certain footwork only a doctor would have. Grell's were different too, almost rhythmic. These were different, uncertain and yet so sure, not hesitant per say but present.
He was like the sun. Even in the darkness, his warmth could reach her, shining like the north star, a beacon in the nighttime sky that stole her breath away. "Zero," Doll smiled, she didn't need to see him to feel the warmth trickle down her spine. "I wasn't worried, you're strong after all." Unlike Doll who couldn't neither see nor walk. Her legs were useless and now her eyes would be gone for a bit too.
¤
Strong but not invincible. Hell, she's got strength too. Even if she couldn't remember it. Zero let his hand rest atop her crown of messy blonde hair, just being able to stroke her hair a little, such mundane a gesture was enough to put his mind at some ease. She was the only person he felt closest to.
You're her demon. Don't forget where you stand.
Madame's whisper curled into his thoughts, the fragments of her existed within him even long after her death. She was his curse, his haunt, fear, desire, and every worse nightmare writhing in him. Her essence existed solely to taunt him at every waking hour. Zero closed his eyes and shoved the pressure of Madame's influence into the far corners of his consciousness. He couldn't deal with her shit now.
Oh, so you're gonna run with denial now? You're pathetic.
Her chuckle pricked down his spine, warring with the comfort Loretta's presence gave him. He rolled his shoulders, yeah, so what? They were burdens to the entire human race. They fed on them for survival, and he, he was an asshole who could tear any one of those sonuvabitches apart without so much as batting an eye. He'd need her blood to live, but if she ever said no, he'd just have to find an alternative. No one had to tell him that, especially the scraps of cells that remained of Madame's psyche.
"Zero." Ren's voice pulled him out his head and he snapped out. "What?"
Ren indicated toward the others, "We going."
*
A day later, they were heading into a private airline, apparently Doc knew folks everywhere it seemed and there's always someone who owed him a favor. Getting in, strapping up wasn't the issue. Zero could separate the claustrophobic nightmare fuel cage from the closeness of the seats and little space to really move around. He'd turn his focus on Loretta and just seeing her calmed him enough to endure it.
But when they went airborne he had to grip both armrests and shut his eyes. The all too familiar chill gripped him, making it near impossible to hide. Beside him, Ren settled back, occupied with a magazine. He must have traveled plenty and gotten used to it, much to Zero's agitation. Or perhaps, he wasn't affected.
"Not a damn word." Zero muttered, humming some rock song to distract himself.
"It's just so amusing, we can't die if the plane crashes. Why are you so freaked?"
"Just shut up."
This was gonna be the longest flight of his life.
Slang, a pretty but expressionless or unintelligent woman. I.e. "She's nothing more than a doll."
{ Bird Set Free | Sia }
Garamound]Dɪᴀʟᴏɢᴜᴇ Cᴏʟᴏʀ ✦ #66CDAA || Tʜᴏᴜɢʜᴛ Cᴏʟᴏʀ ✧ #008B8B╚ ╝
"Where are we going?" Doll asked, feeling clothing ruffle against her as the nurse got her dressed. "The Doctor is taking you to a new hospital, where they can treat your legs better." Doll felt around the space, looking for something. The nurse nudged the stuffed unicorn closer to where Doll was reaching around so that the girl could have a sense of accomplishment in finding something for herself. "I'm still surprised that Mr. Unicorn survived," her face broke out into a smile as the nurse helped her into the wheelchair, the fancy new one that had been delivered that morning. Doll couldn't see it, but it was much more comfortable than the hospital wheelchairs.
They had slept in a hotel, Doll with the nurse and the boys sleeping in other various rooms. Xavier was somewhere around there too, under heavy sedatives so that he didn't move around and rip out one of the many stitches in his side. Doll was worried about him of course, but she was much more interested in someone else. Her heart fluttered anxiously as she thought about him, a whisper of breath shared between the two, a daring kiss that went against every law and value the two had ever been taught. Human and Being, it wasn't something that would work. It was dangerous and bad, but amazing all the same. A lot like chocolate, Doll thought. It was rich and creamy and left a sweet after taste on your tongue, but go too long without it and you began to crave it.
There was a plane waiting for them on the airstrip. The others were already inside, strapped in. "I'll carry her in," Grell said, greeting them. Doll's head turned in the direction of where his voice had come from, her blonde hair whipping around since it had been put into a pony tail in an attempt to tame it. "Morning," Doll smiled, wondering if she could be heard over the sound of the jet engine. "Morning! I'll be carrying you in, so just hang on tight." Grell lifted her out, walking up the short flight and placing Doll in one of the seats. "The others will be here soon," Grell promised. It turns out the voice Doll had heard before were not the voices of her friends, but the sound of the jet engine messing with her senses.
Feet went up the steps, they stomped around the interior, people moved about, settling into cushions. Doll fumbled with the eat belt on her lap. The stuffed unicorn had been tucked underneath the large leather seat since it had to be stowed for safety reasons. There was tension in the air, a slight hum that was charged with excitement and mystery. They were going to a new place, a different country, another adventure. Doll had no idea what was in store for them, but she knew that wherever they were headed, it was going to be for the better. Soon her eye sight would come back, then she would be able to walk again, then maybe she and Zero could maybe... Doll wasn't even sure what she was thinking. No one was going to want it, a human and a being? No doubt Ren would protested and they would be separated.
"Zero, we're going to stick together this time. Right? No one is gonna pull us apart?" Doll squeaked, turning her head in the direction she believed Zero to be in. There were still bandages across her eyes, these ones fresh and clean from the bloodied mess of white gauze that had been there the day before. There was an eight hour flight ahead, but Doll wasn't worried, no one would attack them so high up in the sky.
{ Bird Set Free | Sia }
Garamound]Dɪᴀʟᴏɢᴜᴇ Cᴏʟᴏʀ ✦ #66CDAA || Tʜᴏᴜɢʜᴛ Cᴏʟᴏʀ ✧ #008B8B
"Where are we going?" Doll asked, feeling clothing ruffle against her as the nurse got her dressed. "The Doctor is taking you to a new hospital, where they can treat your legs better." Doll felt around the space, looking for something. The nurse nudged the stuffed unicorn closer to where Doll was reaching around so that the girl could have a sense of accomplishment in finding something for herself. "I'm still surprised that Mr. Unicorn survived," her face broke out into a smile as the nurse helped her into the wheelchair, the fancy new one that had been delivered that morning. Doll couldn't see it, but it was much more comfortable than the hospital wheelchairs.
They had slept in a hotel, Doll with the nurse and the boys sleeping in other various rooms. Xavier was somewhere around there too, under heavy sedatives so that he didn't move around and rip out one of the many stitches in his side. Doll was worried about him of course, but she was much more interested in someone else. Her heart fluttered anxiously as she thought about him, a whisper of breath shared between the two, a daring kiss that went against every law and value the two had ever been taught. Human and Being, it wasn't something that would work. It was dangerous and bad, but amazing all the same. A lot like chocolate, Doll thought. It was rich and creamy and left a sweet after taste on your tongue, but go too long without it and you began to crave it.
There was a plane waiting for them on the airstrip. The others were already inside, strapped in. "I'll carry her in," Grell said, greeting them. Doll's head turned in the direction of where his voice had come from, her blonde hair whipping around since it had been put into a pony tail in an attempt to tame it. "Morning," Doll smiled, wondering if she could be heard over the sound of the jet engine. "Morning! I'll be carrying you in, so just hang on tight." Grell lifted her out, walking up the short flight and placing Doll in one of the seats. "The others will be here soon," Grell promised. It turns out the voice Doll had heard before were not the voices of her friends, but the sound of the jet engine messing with her senses.
Feet went up the steps, they stomped around the interior, people moved about, settling into cushions. Doll fumbled with the eat belt on her lap. The stuffed unicorn had been tucked underneath the large leather seat since it had to be stowed for safety reasons. There was tension in the air, a slight hum that was charged with excitement and mystery. They were going to a new place, a different country, another adventure. Doll had no idea what was in store for them, but she knew that wherever they were headed, it was going to be for the better. Soon her eye sight would come back, then she would be able to walk again, then maybe she and Zero could maybe... Doll wasn't even sure what she was thinking. No one was going to want it, a human and a being? No doubt Ren would protested and they would be separated.
"Zero, we're going to stick together this time. Right? No one is gonna pull us apart?" Doll squeaked, turning her head in the direction she believed Zero to be in. There were still bandages across her eyes, these ones fresh and clean from the bloodied mess of white gauze that had been there the day before. There was an eight hour flight ahead, but Doll wasn't worried, no one would attack them so high up in the sky.
❝Up in the sky, everything looks so small below, so fragile.❞
[Moonlight Sonata | Beethoven]
DIALOGUE
#853c41
¤
Her voice. How he clung to the musical airiness of it. How it resonated within him with every spoken word. Zero nodded, no, no one would tear 'em apart. Before recalling, she couldn't see him yet. So he opened his eyes and gazed at her, then reached to take her hand in his. "No, but they can try." Zero lifted her hand and pressed his lips at the back of her hand.
Ren's stare bore holes into him, but Zero didn't care. She was all that mattered. Her happiness was his happiness. Her sorrow was also his. If anyone had an opinion well, that's their opinion. Fuck taboos, fuck the rules, he was done. Of course, shit was never as clear cut, there was always some other crazy popping up. The world was full of them. But he swore to himself, and to her that he'd be there. He'd protect her. Guide her. Just as she did for him. They were stronger together than apart.
When the plane started its sudden trembling and the light for safety belt flashed, Zero gripped Loretta's hand tighter. Why was the plane shaking? He tore his eyes from the flashing light to Ren who merely flipped the page of his mag.
"Turbulence?" Zero elbowed him, Ren just shrugged.
"It's normal, relax." Was all Ren cared to say.
"Like it's that easy."
"It is, you breathe, and stop spazzing."
Zero stomped his foot and Ren kicked. "Stop being such an ass."
"You're being childish." Ren moved his feet so Zero couldn't crush his toes.
Zero sighed and tried to ignore the shakiness around him. No one was panicking so that was a good sign. Maybe it was all in his head.
Slang, a pretty but expressionless or unintelligent woman. I.e. "She's nothing more than a doll."
{ Bird Set Free | Sia }
Garamound]Dɪᴀʟᴏɢᴜᴇ Cᴏʟᴏʀ ✦ #66CDAA || Tʜᴏᴜɢʜᴛ Cᴏʟᴏʀ ✧ #008B8B╚ ╝
It was warm there, beside him. The farther away they were, the colder it got. A shiver would crawl up her spine, freezing her, crawling up her body to make her a statue of ice. When he was with her, the ice thawed and melted, there was no more fear of the unknown of the past that she couldn't remember, there was only a bright future to look forward to. The light was blinding, it was frightening living in an unknown where neither before or after could really be told. With him there, beside her, diving into this light wasn't as scary. She could feel his hand lifting her's, her small, delicate palm in his large, rough hand. No doubt they were calloused and hardened from the past, but to Doll, they felt so incredibly soft.
His lips brushed against her skin, like butterfly kisses, his breath warm and slightly minty. It came as a surprise, to be honest. Doll wasn't sure why, but she had thought that Being's didn't need to do things like tooth brushing and doctors appointments. They were invincible, even to tooth decay. Her stomach flip flopped with anticipation until his lips left her skin and he spoke those words. People would try to separate them, but it didn't matter. He would always come to find her, she was safe from the monsters who stalked her in the night, the ones who crept in corners and didn't make a sound.
There was no need for spoken words, just sitting beside him was enough. The air returned to her lungs, the tension in her shoulders eased. She had no idea of how she was actually blinded, believing that she was simply a weak, pitiful human. Powerless in the face of the Beings that oppressed them. The plane bounced, a slight rocking that moved the plane the same way the wind whipped through the leaves of a tree, causing them to fall and swirl until they were nothing but a memory. She tensed, holding her breath. It was normal, Ren said, but Doll wasn't sure if she trusted him. He had said those things, hurtful words that pierced her heart. Perhaps Doll was wrong to think that the Beings would accept her, a measly human, among them. Grell, Zero, and the Doctor accepted her. Doll couldn't trust Ren though, he had an air about him, even if she couldn't see him, she could sense it.
There was something dark and dangerous, that made her shake the same way that turbulence shook the plane. Doll brushed her fingers over where she thought Zero's hand was. She felt the cold leather of the chair, then the warm touch of contact. "It's okay," Doll smiled reassuringly. "Ren probably knows a lot about planes, we should trust me." She felt a stab of guilt. She had wanted to be Ren's friend, but it would be better to remain cautious for now. The two brothers were fighting, bickering in the way that family did. Doll smiled, wondering if she had any siblings. They would probably be in a zoo somewhere, right? Or maybe pets in Being's households? She hoped that they were okay, wherever they were.
{ Bird Set Free | Sia }
Garamound]Dɪᴀʟᴏɢᴜᴇ Cᴏʟᴏʀ ✦ #66CDAA || Tʜᴏᴜɢʜᴛ Cᴏʟᴏʀ ✧ #008B8B
It was warm there, beside him. The farther away they were, the colder it got. A shiver would crawl up her spine, freezing her, crawling up her body to make her a statue of ice. When he was with her, the ice thawed and melted, there was no more fear of the unknown of the past that she couldn't remember, there was only a bright future to look forward to. The light was blinding, it was frightening living in an unknown where neither before or after could really be told. With him there, beside her, diving into this light wasn't as scary. She could feel his hand lifting her's, her small, delicate palm in his large, rough hand. No doubt they were calloused and hardened from the past, but to Doll, they felt so incredibly soft.
His lips brushed against her skin, like butterfly kisses, his breath warm and slightly minty. It came as a surprise, to be honest. Doll wasn't sure why, but she had thought that Being's didn't need to do things like tooth brushing and doctors appointments. They were invincible, even to tooth decay. Her stomach flip flopped with anticipation until his lips left her skin and he spoke those words. People would try to separate them, but it didn't matter. He would always come to find her, she was safe from the monsters who stalked her in the night, the ones who crept in corners and didn't make a sound.
There was no need for spoken words, just sitting beside him was enough. The air returned to her lungs, the tension in her shoulders eased. She had no idea of how she was actually blinded, believing that she was simply a weak, pitiful human. Powerless in the face of the Beings that oppressed them. The plane bounced, a slight rocking that moved the plane the same way the wind whipped through the leaves of a tree, causing them to fall and swirl until they were nothing but a memory. She tensed, holding her breath. It was normal, Ren said, but Doll wasn't sure if she trusted him. He had said those things, hurtful words that pierced her heart. Perhaps Doll was wrong to think that the Beings would accept her, a measly human, among them. Grell, Zero, and the Doctor accepted her. Doll couldn't trust Ren though, he had an air about him, even if she couldn't see him, she could sense it.
There was something dark and dangerous, that made her shake the same way that turbulence shook the plane. Doll brushed her fingers over where she thought Zero's hand was. She felt the cold leather of the chair, then the warm touch of contact. "It's okay," Doll smiled reassuringly. "Ren probably knows a lot about planes, we should trust me." She felt a stab of guilt. She had wanted to be Ren's friend, but it would be better to remain cautious for now. The two brothers were fighting, bickering in the way that family did. Doll smiled, wondering if she had any siblings. They would probably be in a zoo somewhere, right? Or maybe pets in Being's households? She hoped that they were okay, wherever they were.
¤
He was basking in the sunlight that was Loretta's presence. It was something he realized only occurred when the two were in the same room, brilliant beyond compare especially when they touched. He always liked the feel of her small hands, how they fit in his as though she were a missing piece to make him whole. It was indescribable, the rush, the high, the pure bliss of such simple contact.
She spoke in reassurance, and he listened, sure, but he couldn't outright hold on to those words the way he held on to her hand. A plank that kept him from drowning. It'd been her hand he held back when they were at the mouth of the secret entrance back in the states. The only person he could rely on in the face of crippling fear. The one who caught him every time.
"I trust you."
Ren's eyes pierced him, perhaps more affected by the affirmation. They weren't humans, they didn't value things like sentiment or family. Yet that had been how they were raised. Mom was more human in her kind, warm and always caring actions than a distant father who was seldom around. They were something different, something between human and beast a fact Ren and Zero both lived by. But was it wrong for Zero to follow his gut on this when Loretta became more of a friend to him than the one who was family, at his side? Or perhaps they'd adopted the human concept of family because Mom had wanted them to blend in, be human, fake it. The rest came last.
For Zero he had no qualms being the good son, not only a mother to please, but a father to make proud. A brother to protect. He'd failed at that when Ren needed him most, and then they were parted. All that time they couldn't ever get back and from the start, things were shaky. As turbulent as the physical plane Zero was strapped up to his neck in. He'd managed to fill that void, with Loretta, just as he was trying to get used to this new life he'd been given. The old wounds, the loss, turned out not to be lost after all. Though he could shrug it off and put on a game face, it stung knowing the time lost didn't have to be.
Those were just truths he had to live with. A distant brother with cracks in his veneer, a girl who relied on him as a friend, a partner, someone who gave him strength. His hand gripped hers with a little more force, not enough to harm but enough to show he was here. Conviction stirred from deep in his chest with each pound of his heart. She gave him purpose, a resolve worth living by. And though shit wouldn't be easy, he had to give it everything he had. Or he'd be back to square one again—like hell would he allow that.
*
Hours passed, and they were in relative silence. Zero wraked in nerves, Ren in a silent contemplation. Grell and Doc were busy with making contacts and assuring the place they were headed to next was free of any unwanted trouble. Yet trouble always seemed to follow no matter precautionary measures. Still, Zero had hope that this new place would be it. The one they could settle in, focus on healing. On Loretta's recouperation. It was time he wanted to cherish because she was someone he wanted to cherish.
By the time the flight ended and they were shuffling down the metal steps to solid ground. Zero was a little more than relieved that they touched ground in one piece.
"Not like the plane was gonna crash, kid. We got an expert pilot." Grell rested his palm against Zero's head, ruffling the strands. He had a better outlook than Zero himself, but he managed a smile and nod. "
"I wasn't worried about the pilot," Zero cast their new scenery a thorough glance. So far, Doc was assisting Loretta along with a team of medical staffers on call inside. The plane itself was empty save for the workers that tended to it, most likely communing with the pilot. Ren was headed behind Doc, followed by their newest company the boy who rarely said much of anything the entire flight, Grell was hauling a duffle, he held one out for Zero to take.
"Stop looking so freaked, we're here, it's fine. Let lose."
Zero slung the strap over his shoulder, "You know I can't do that."
Grell lead the way, "You can if you try."
The last time he had, they were nearly goners. He wasn't about to drop his guard like that, ever again.
Slang, a pretty but expressionless or unintelligent woman. I.e. "She's nothing more than a doll."
{ Bird Set Free | Sia }
Garamound]Dɪᴀʟᴏɢᴜᴇ Cᴏʟᴏʀ ✦ #66CDAA || Tʜᴏᴜɢʜᴛ Cᴏʟᴏʀ ✧ #008B8B╚ ╝
One hand on his hand, the other on her heart. The way it thumped in her chest felt so loud that the human was sure most anyone could hear it. The heat coming from him, the way his eyes unfocused when he was thinking, it was captivating. Doll found herself blushing from having stared up at him, her eyes slightly starry as she looked at her lap, a gander at their intertwined fingers. Her free hand traveled up to her hair, twirling a lock of gold around her finger, occupying herself to keep from making some sort of embarrassing sound. Save for the odd conversation, the flight was mostly quiet. Sometimes Doll would drift off and awake with her head on Zero's shoulder, other times she watched out the window as they soared over the ocean, attempting to spot one of the large sea mammals she had read about in a book illustrating animals. Orcas were one she could recall, black and white like the famous panda. Another was blue whales, whose hearts were the size of a small school bus, whatever that was, but it sounded big.
When the plane landed, Doll felt her hand being squeezed just a bit. She could feel his pulse thrum against her skin, beating just as fast, if not more so, as her own. "It's so dark," Doll spoke, referring to the outside. She could see a city illuminated under harsh technicolor lights. "Is that where we're going?" The Doc shook his head, saying nothing, no doubt wanting to speak the location aloud. Supposedly they would be safe here, humans had a bit more freedom in this place called Japan, they could make small lives for themselves when allowed by their masters, start business, families, not have to worry about being carted away to a human zoo. "I'm gonna take off from here," Xavier said, grabbing his bag. He gave a slight bow, his British accent lilting a little, no doubt having practiced sounding American.
"Goodbye," Doll waved, wondering where he would go. "It's always so sad parting with friends," Doll said a bit sadly. Their hands broke away, she watched Zero leave. Doll looked down at her legs, the ones that no longer worked properly. If she could use them, she would have walked out right after Zero and Ren; instead, Doll had to wait. Every moment apart was heartache, it was slightly hard to breathe. Or perhaps that was from the difference in air pressure. It felt as though there were something in her ears, a sort of veil preventing her from hearing much. "It sounds like everything is underwater," Doll placed her hands over her ears, wondering if it would make things better. "Go like this," the Doc knelt in front of her, holding her nose. "Blow out through it," Doll followed the directions, her ears popping. "That's better," she smiled.
Her wheelchair was waiting for her off of the plane, sitting in it felt similar to being trapped in a cage. Why was it she was always falling behind him? Whenever Doll finally felt as though she had her feet on the ground, they were ripped out from underneath and Zero continued walking. Doll was holding him back, she realized. He could no doubt reach his full potential if it wasn't for her being so... useless. A weak human, in the end, that was all Doll was. "I'm sorry," she spoke quietly. "I want to keep up with you, I want to walk beside you and yet, I'm always holding you back."
{ Bird Set Free | Sia }
Garamound]Dɪᴀʟᴏɢᴜᴇ Cᴏʟᴏʀ ✦ #66CDAA || Tʜᴏᴜɢʜᴛ Cᴏʟᴏʀ ✧ #008B8B
One hand on his hand, the other on her heart. The way it thumped in her chest felt so loud that the human was sure most anyone could hear it. The heat coming from him, the way his eyes unfocused when he was thinking, it was captivating. Doll found herself blushing from having stared up at him, her eyes slightly starry as she looked at her lap, a gander at their intertwined fingers. Her free hand traveled up to her hair, twirling a lock of gold around her finger, occupying herself to keep from making some sort of embarrassing sound. Save for the odd conversation, the flight was mostly quiet. Sometimes Doll would drift off and awake with her head on Zero's shoulder, other times she watched out the window as they soared over the ocean, attempting to spot one of the large sea mammals she had read about in a book illustrating animals. Orcas were one she could recall, black and white like the famous panda. Another was blue whales, whose hearts were the size of a small school bus, whatever that was, but it sounded big.
When the plane landed, Doll felt her hand being squeezed just a bit. She could feel his pulse thrum against her skin, beating just as fast, if not more so, as her own. "It's so dark," Doll spoke, referring to the outside. She could see a city illuminated under harsh technicolor lights. "Is that where we're going?" The Doc shook his head, saying nothing, no doubt wanting to speak the location aloud. Supposedly they would be safe here, humans had a bit more freedom in this place called Japan, they could make small lives for themselves when allowed by their masters, start business, families, not have to worry about being carted away to a human zoo. "I'm gonna take off from here," Xavier said, grabbing his bag. He gave a slight bow, his British accent lilting a little, no doubt having practiced sounding American.
"Goodbye," Doll waved, wondering where he would go. "It's always so sad parting with friends," Doll said a bit sadly. Their hands broke away, she watched Zero leave. Doll looked down at her legs, the ones that no longer worked properly. If she could use them, she would have walked out right after Zero and Ren; instead, Doll had to wait. Every moment apart was heartache, it was slightly hard to breathe. Or perhaps that was from the difference in air pressure. It felt as though there were something in her ears, a sort of veil preventing her from hearing much. "It sounds like everything is underwater," Doll placed her hands over her ears, wondering if it would make things better. "Go like this," the Doc knelt in front of her, holding her nose. "Blow out through it," Doll followed the directions, her ears popping. "That's better," she smiled.
Her wheelchair was waiting for her off of the plane, sitting in it felt similar to being trapped in a cage. Why was it she was always falling behind him? Whenever Doll finally felt as though she had her feet on the ground, they were ripped out from underneath and Zero continued walking. Doll was holding him back, she realized. He could no doubt reach his full potential if it wasn't for her being so... useless. A weak human, in the end, that was all Doll was. "I'm sorry," she spoke quietly. "I want to keep up with you, I want to walk beside you and yet, I'm always holding you back."
❝Even in the brightest moments, there still lingers shadows of doubt.❞
[Moonlight Sonata | Beethoven]
DIALOGUE
#853c41
¤
A city where humans were free? It sounded more like a dream than a possibility. But in all those buildings and in the vehicles that sped, the streets below and to the far stretches of the mountainous lands, there were humans, some with their owners, some without. It was mind-boggling. If they were free here, why couldn't the same carry out in all the world? Or perhaps, much to his chagrin, their kind weren't so keen on change. They still fear the rise of humanity once more. It was ironic they assumed themselves the superior race, as if they were a nature all their own when in fact, they too possessed human qualities. Even if they were blind to it.
Those were which the only shreds of fact he clung to. And the girl he'd met who gave him more than he could ever compensate for. Thinking of her bought a smile to his lips and a warmth he was beginning to accustom to as time passed.
Loretta was back in a wheel chair. her bright eyes however seemed downcast, was she sick of the constant moving around? He was for certain. He caught up with Doc as he lead Loretta inside the building where they'd transfer to their newest home. Yeah, he wanted it to become as much, even if they were in a new place. It wasn't like he wasn't used to it. He'd always been in the move, him and Ren. They never had a "home" but a collection of places each holding a memory. It was about time they make this one be the one. However long it takes.
Xavier had grabbed his bag and said his goodbyes. So he was just gonna bail on them? Bastard. Without much thought, he latched a hand onto the kid's arm. "Idiot. You don't ask for help and then high tail it once the danger is over. I won't stop you from wherever you're going but, take this. Use it when you're in a ditch. We'll come for you." He palmed the boy a burner cell, their numbers already in the phone book and on speed dial. In other words, don't forget who your real friends are. Then Zero let go and returned to Loretta's side.
What did she mean by holding him back? Was he catching that right? Inside, Doc lead them toward an elevator where they all shuffled inside. Zero shook his head, she wasn't holding him back. More like pushing him forward. Ren had to be the one to put such a silly idea in her head. If he didn't shape up, Zero was gonna have to give him another "talk" just to set him straight.
Zero was done with the drama, the hate emanating from Ren, the kid never once gave Xavier or Loretta a glance and was too quiet. He returned his attention to Loretta, was she getting cold feet? He couldn't help worry about her more, her distress was always his. They were like a whole, he couldn't explain it but it gave him this sudden impulse to want to drive away her every sadness, every fear. And to know he was the cause of her down—it wrecked him.
"I've told you this before," He let his hand gently rest over her head, "you've given me strength. Don't underestimate yourself."
They reached the first floor, Doc wheeled her out airport entrance to the ramp, leading them to an awaiting stretch limo. After confirming their chauffeur's identity and giving him the coordinates, everyone packed in and they were headed toward their final destination.
Slang, a pretty but expressionless or unintelligent woman. I.e. "She's nothing more than a doll."
{ Bird Set Free | Sia }
Garamound]Dɪᴀʟᴏɢᴜᴇ Cᴏʟᴏʀ ✦ #66CDAA || Tʜᴏᴜɢʜᴛ Cᴏʟᴏʀ ✧ #008B8B╚ ╝
"Don't underestimate myself..." Doll repeated, holding onto his words. Xavier took off without a second word, had she held him back too? Or had he finally realized that he was free? Unlike her, who was now stuck to this chair thanks to the Madame. Doll didn't mind it so much though because in truth, she would never be free, not without Zero by her side. Doll would rather sustain another hundred years of being enslaved by the Being's if it meant she could remain here, in this moment, with him telling her that he drew strength from her. "I'm always afraid, even though you tell me not to be, that something will separate us again." It was painful not being by his side, how was it that such a relationship could have ever formed? No doubt Ren was looking down on them in disgust. Perhaps Doll should tell Zero in private what Ren had said to her? That he was disgusted by her, how weak and pitiful a human she was. It was as though Rin didn't realize that Doll truly was human, that they were not strong and unbreakable like Being's but rather, gentle and fragile creatures.
"I want to be strong like you one day," the feel of his hand on her head was peaceful, a gesture that made Doll feel relaxed. Walking slowly like this, she no longer felt as though she was being left behind, but now, Doll could keep right in step with him, er rather, in wheel. Doctor Atarashi took the handles of the wheelchair, taking her down the ramp so that Doll didn't go too fast and crash into someone or something. They made a steady descent to an awaiting car, something stretched and black that was unlike anything Doll had ever seen. Grell lifted her easily, as though she weighed nothing, and placed Doll inside. The interior was nice, shiny leather seats and it had a wall that lit up in different colors. Doll was so glad she could see once more, that bandages no longer stayed around her eyes and blinded her from the world she wanted to see.
"Where are we going?" No one spoke the name of the destination, as though they were afraid. Doll had to patiently lay in wait, sitting beside Zero, wondering if it was alright to touch his hand. It was funny how every human she had ever encountered had warned her against the Beings, that they were destructive and blood thirsty, that, that was how she ended up with no memories in the first place and it was true that there were some, but others were more human in unexpected ways. Doll saw it in the way that Doctor Atarashi truly cared for his adopted son, in the passion that Grell had for cooking, even if he could almost never eat what he made. She saw it in the way Ren glared with what was perhaps fake hatred at everything he saw and Zero, he was the most human of all. Doll had first seen this side of him on that very warm day, where Zero had strode over and ripped off the collar from around her neck. In that moment, Doll had known that something extraordinary was about to happen in her most painful life. Zero took that hurt and transformed it into happiness.
"I see shapes, they're big! Like mountains!" It was still winter here, in a place that snow dusted the ground. Early signs of spring had begun, closed up blossoms with light winter frost covering them, freezing them from trying to open too soon. "It's so strange watching things in the dark, like playing a guessing game." They had reached their final destination, another gated house that was more heavily guarded than the military base. Doll didn't understand why they went to all of this trouble, she was just a human after all. "I have one of these for everyone," a light switched on in the back of the car. Doctor Atarashi opened a silver metal box, revealing three pristine looking bracelets. "You are to each wear one at all times. Do you understand?" Doll nodded, reaching for one, she strapped it on her wrist, the bracelet tightening ever so slightly to fit her. "Is this it? Is this the house?" The Doc nodded, getting out of the car to begin giving orders of things Doll didn't understand. "I hope we can finally be happy here."
{ Bird Set Free | Sia }
Garamound]Dɪᴀʟᴏɢᴜᴇ Cᴏʟᴏʀ ✦ #66CDAA || Tʜᴏᴜɢʜᴛ Cᴏʟᴏʀ ✧ #008B8B
"Don't underestimate myself..." Doll repeated, holding onto his words. Xavier took off without a second word, had she held him back too? Or had he finally realized that he was free? Unlike her, who was now stuck to this chair thanks to the Madame. Doll didn't mind it so much though because in truth, she would never be free, not without Zero by her side. Doll would rather sustain another hundred years of being enslaved by the Being's if it meant she could remain here, in this moment, with him telling her that he drew strength from her. "I'm always afraid, even though you tell me not to be, that something will separate us again." It was painful not being by his side, how was it that such a relationship could have ever formed? No doubt Ren was looking down on them in disgust. Perhaps Doll should tell Zero in private what Ren had said to her? That he was disgusted by her, how weak and pitiful a human she was. It was as though Rin didn't realize that Doll truly was human, that they were not strong and unbreakable like Being's but rather, gentle and fragile creatures.
"I want to be strong like you one day," the feel of his hand on her head was peaceful, a gesture that made Doll feel relaxed. Walking slowly like this, she no longer felt as though she was being left behind, but now, Doll could keep right in step with him, er rather, in wheel. Doctor Atarashi took the handles of the wheelchair, taking her down the ramp so that Doll didn't go too fast and crash into someone or something. They made a steady descent to an awaiting car, something stretched and black that was unlike anything Doll had ever seen. Grell lifted her easily, as though she weighed nothing, and placed Doll inside. The interior was nice, shiny leather seats and it had a wall that lit up in different colors. Doll was so glad she could see once more, that bandages no longer stayed around her eyes and blinded her from the world she wanted to see.
"Where are we going?" No one spoke the name of the destination, as though they were afraid. Doll had to patiently lay in wait, sitting beside Zero, wondering if it was alright to touch his hand. It was funny how every human she had ever encountered had warned her against the Beings, that they were destructive and blood thirsty, that, that was how she ended up with no memories in the first place and it was true that there were some, but others were more human in unexpected ways. Doll saw it in the way that Doctor Atarashi truly cared for his adopted son, in the passion that Grell had for cooking, even if he could almost never eat what he made. She saw it in the way Ren glared with what was perhaps fake hatred at everything he saw and Zero, he was the most human of all. Doll had first seen this side of him on that very warm day, where Zero had strode over and ripped off the collar from around her neck. In that moment, Doll had known that something extraordinary was about to happen in her most painful life. Zero took that hurt and transformed it into happiness.
"I see shapes, they're big! Like mountains!" It was still winter here, in a place that snow dusted the ground. Early signs of spring had begun, closed up blossoms with light winter frost covering them, freezing them from trying to open too soon. "It's so strange watching things in the dark, like playing a guessing game." They had reached their final destination, another gated house that was more heavily guarded than the military base. Doll didn't understand why they went to all of this trouble, she was just a human after all. "I have one of these for everyone," a light switched on in the back of the car. Doctor Atarashi opened a silver metal box, revealing three pristine looking bracelets. "You are to each wear one at all times. Do you understand?" Doll nodded, reaching for one, she strapped it on her wrist, the bracelet tightening ever so slightly to fit her. "Is this it? Is this the house?" The Doc nodded, getting out of the car to begin giving orders of things Doll didn't understand. "I hope we can finally be happy here."
¤
She didn't know it, but among them she was powerful. A blessing and a curse. She was scared something might part them from each other and his hand reflexively pressed into her hair, holding her head like he could keep her in this moment. He let his hand drop after.
"I don't want you to worry about that, if anything happens I'll protect you."
It was her next comment that made him nearly freeze. Be strong, like him? He almost laughed but there was the sensation of razors in his throat and barbed wire bundled in his chest that wouldn't allow even the tiniest semblance of humor. No Loretta, you don't want his strength, that shit comes with a price. He shook his head, no, she might be there halfway. Did it mean one day she'd be burdened with the hunger? Conflicted with the restrictive diet and never enjoy the once plentiful foods available to her?
He pressed his hand into her hair, remembering the texture of it. The softness of her humanity.
"I like you just the way you are, you don't need to change."
Soon they were on their way toward the final destination. She'd asked where but no one could say. It'd be revealed eventually. Beside him she sat gazing out the window, her eyes wide with a sense of wonder he'd never have. That pure spec of brilliance that made her shine brighter the more he looked her way.
She made his days worth striving for and that was the best feeling. Turning his attention out to the other window he brushed his fingers against hers. She was always by his side. Her voice once again pulled him out his thoughts and he turned to see what had made her excited.
"I mentioned before about Japan and all its glorious mountains. Remember Miss Loretta? Wait till you see the hot springs and the Cherry Blossom festival, I'm sure they still celebrate it now."
Snow landed and stuck against the glass, it reminded him of times he used to go out at night and play in the snow. That was back at a time when he and Ren were closer and when mom was still around. When they were still family.
Across from them, Ren was staring out the window and Zero wondered if the snow brought back the same nostalgia. From then and now they've changed. And Ren was more so different than the smiling kid in his memory. The boy in front of him regarded the snow touched glass with little concern. His features revealed nothing, his eyes, distant, cold as the metallic hue they bore.
Was Zero truly as apathetic once? Uncaring for anything or anyone? A blank slate waiting for something to fill it? No, he'd been cold, but he'd also been full of something darker. That was a stain he carried with him and it had grown with each kill, each bloodshed.
When had it began to fade?
Was it that first day, when Doc said he had a surprise? When Doc brought home a girl who was so ready to break. Then it had only taken one glance and he was sucked in. One kind gesture and she had opened up to him and shown him the most precious thing in all his miserable existence. She became the embodiment of everything he could only dream of. The promise of friendship, of trust, of unbridled compassion. She woke something in him that shouldn't have existed—or maybe it had all along and she just showed him.
It was the same thing his parents were searching for and it took one girl to show him that it wasn't something concrete, it wasn't something science could ever create.
His fingers wrapped her hand, holding it. She is the girl he wanted to protect. He nodded at her words, a game of guessing the shadows? She always had a clever way of turning the mundane into something fun.
Doc handed them each a mercury colored bracelet they were to wear at all times. Zero snapped it over his wrist, he agreed, this was gonna be home, their home.
Slang, a pretty but expressionless or unintelligent woman. I.e. "She's nothing more than a doll."
{ Bird Set Free | Sia }
Garamound]Dɪᴀʟᴏɢᴜᴇ Cᴏʟᴏʀ ✦ #66CDAA || Tʜᴏᴜɢʜᴛ Cᴏʟᴏʀ ✧ #008B8B╚ ╝
Home was a strange word, a warm word. One that wrapped around her and sent comfort through her body. Despite this kind sensation, she felt eclipsed by a sudden fear; a fear that this would all be ripped away from them once more. "Home... it sounds kind." Personifying a house was a strange thing, but Doll thought those words suited each other. "I hope this one will really be our home," more than a safe house for a day or week, more than a place to recover before being transferred to another zoo. Home was something that became cozy, that you felt safe enough to let your guard down inside of. It was going to be strange getting acquainted with something so foreign. Yet, her lips were painted with a smile, the same color as freshly bloomed cherry blossoms, a sea of spring in the middle of winter.
Trees were painted like skeletons, their ghoulish frames outlined in ghostly hues of silence around the house that beckoned to them through the large, guarded gates that opened so easily for them and shut with a heavy slam. Her chair navigated easily through the snow, the pink and purple standing out among the white. Aside from the house, the street was quiet, not another abode to be seen. Their new residence was squat, a traditional type with a slanted roof, the entire thing arranged in a courtyard with a small pond of koi fish in the middle. The entire home was enchanting, something Doll had never seen before outside of some of the books that had rested on the mantle by her bedside in the hospital. She couldn't wait to show Zero how far she had come, working her way up to a second grade level of reading.
It was illegal for humans to learn to read and write and yet here, in this place called Japan, humans could own business and have real lives. Or at least, that's what Doll had been told. Whether it was true or another fact of propaganda had yet to be found out. The house was a step up, her chair was lifted, Doll kneeling down to remove her shoes as requested. There were slippers for feet, keeping them warm even in winter. Inside was a strange table with a cloth surrounding it, pillows placed on the floor for them to sit. Doll realized that in this place, it would be difficult for her to navigate with her wheelchair. Perhaps it had been purposeful, the Beings not wanting her to gain a sense of independence. Zero was different though, he encouraged Doll's sense of responsibility, imploring her to go off on her own and discover the world around her.
She spun the bracelet around her wrist, no doubt it would become a nervous habit like when she had fiddled with her collar when there was a pause in conversation. This was nothing like it and yet, entirely too similar. A bracelet made to keep track of her, to ensure that she was always accounted for in the list of belongings. A collar made to keep her from leaving, to ensure that she stayed in line. They weren't so different after all. It served her right, perhaps, to have this binding her to this place; after all, Doll seemed to have a track record for disappearing. "Dinner is ready," there were steaming plates of food placed on the table with the odd cloth around it, Doll's mouth salivating at the smell. It was another new experience, new places meant new cultures and with cultures came food.
"Out here, we can be anything we want," Doll suddenly decided. She managed to maneuver herself out of the wheelchair and onto one of the pillows without incident. There were still bandages on her wrists, by now the pain having faded to nothing but a bad memory. She pat the pillow beside her, smiling up at the Being that captivated her so. "Come sit with me," she said warmly, her shoulder stinging with a memory that didn't belong. Doll placed the heel of one hand against an eye, closing both for a moment to stop the swirling of the room that rocked like a ship in the stormy seas.
{ Bird Set Free | Sia }
Garamound]Dɪᴀʟᴏɢᴜᴇ Cᴏʟᴏʀ ✦ #66CDAA || Tʜᴏᴜɢʜᴛ Cᴏʟᴏʀ ✧ #008B8B
Home was a strange word, a warm word. One that wrapped around her and sent comfort through her body. Despite this kind sensation, she felt eclipsed by a sudden fear; a fear that this would all be ripped away from them once more. "Home... it sounds kind." Personifying a house was a strange thing, but Doll thought those words suited each other. "I hope this one will really be our home," more than a safe house for a day or week, more than a place to recover before being transferred to another zoo. Home was something that became cozy, that you felt safe enough to let your guard down inside of. It was going to be strange getting acquainted with something so foreign. Yet, her lips were painted with a smile, the same color as freshly bloomed cherry blossoms, a sea of spring in the middle of winter.
Trees were painted like skeletons, their ghoulish frames outlined in ghostly hues of silence around the house that beckoned to them through the large, guarded gates that opened so easily for them and shut with a heavy slam. Her chair navigated easily through the snow, the pink and purple standing out among the white. Aside from the house, the street was quiet, not another abode to be seen. Their new residence was squat, a traditional type with a slanted roof, the entire thing arranged in a courtyard with a small pond of koi fish in the middle. The entire home was enchanting, something Doll had never seen before outside of some of the books that had rested on the mantle by her bedside in the hospital. She couldn't wait to show Zero how far she had come, working her way up to a second grade level of reading.
It was illegal for humans to learn to read and write and yet here, in this place called Japan, humans could own business and have real lives. Or at least, that's what Doll had been told. Whether it was true or another fact of propaganda had yet to be found out. The house was a step up, her chair was lifted, Doll kneeling down to remove her shoes as requested. There were slippers for feet, keeping them warm even in winter. Inside was a strange table with a cloth surrounding it, pillows placed on the floor for them to sit. Doll realized that in this place, it would be difficult for her to navigate with her wheelchair. Perhaps it had been purposeful, the Beings not wanting her to gain a sense of independence. Zero was different though, he encouraged Doll's sense of responsibility, imploring her to go off on her own and discover the world around her.
She spun the bracelet around her wrist, no doubt it would become a nervous habit like when she had fiddled with her collar when there was a pause in conversation. This was nothing like it and yet, entirely too similar. A bracelet made to keep track of her, to ensure that she was always accounted for in the list of belongings. A collar made to keep her from leaving, to ensure that she stayed in line. They weren't so different after all. It served her right, perhaps, to have this binding her to this place; after all, Doll seemed to have a track record for disappearing. "Dinner is ready," there were steaming plates of food placed on the table with the odd cloth around it, Doll's mouth salivating at the smell. It was another new experience, new places meant new cultures and with cultures came food.
"Out here, we can be anything we want," Doll suddenly decided. She managed to maneuver herself out of the wheelchair and onto one of the pillows without incident. There were still bandages on her wrists, by now the pain having faded to nothing but a bad memory. She pat the pillow beside her, smiling up at the Being that captivated her so. "Come sit with me," she said warmly, her shoulder stinging with a memory that didn't belong. Doll placed the heel of one hand against an eye, closing both for a moment to stop the swirling of the room that rocked like a ship in the stormy seas.
❝We're just shells without souls,
trying to find something
to fill the void.❞
¤
"Home is where you make it." Zero said. Once, he'd asked Mother about what home really meant since they were always moving. Those had been her words, plain and simple. His gaze followed Loretta's, sweeping up toward the snow-covered trees. Spring was near like a whispered prayer, the quiet life waiting to bloom with the change of the seasons. Not long now.
The gates weren't like others in former dwellings. Equipped with an extra measure of security the electrical impulse hummed. Just at the edges of his hearing. Doc logged into the security system. The voltage lowered. The gates received them with open arms and pulled shut as soon as they stepped through the threshold.
Ren flinched at the echo of the slam, did it invoke bad memories? Zero caught the darkening of his features, the slight tension around his eyes. His attention registered the vacant area, taking note of the exits and roads. Old habits never die. It was the same for Zero, they lived on their toes.
They approached a brick, Colonial built sturdy house. With a sloping roof, elegant curb appeal complete with a central koi pond. Doc held an appreciation for marine life, this was the second listing to have it. A story-book, pleasant and inviting place. Had it been a deliberate choice or one made without planning? The focus set on security over actual comfort for those assigned to it. Loretta mainly. There wasn't any ramp set for her, the place was lacking in some aspects. But what could they do when all this had been rushed? Might not even be their last, which meant Zero would learn the inner layouts and make plans of escape should they need it.
At the door and beyond, there was a sectioned-off part of the foyer. They exchanged their shoes for indoor slippers. From there, they moved to the dining room. A traditional low table had been set up. Arranged with a spring-themed decor and comfy floor cushions around it. Upon closer inspection, he noted the low table was actually a pop-up that sinks back onto the floor. That'd make it easier to move around and opened up the space to be more than it seemed. Clever. There wasn't much room for the wheelchair. They'd manage a work around.
She toyed the bracelet that wrapped her slender bandaged wrist. A pacifying gesture. Something must have made her anxious.
It was then he considered the lightweight shackling his wrist. He had to tackle the negative thought staining its brilliance. It's meant to keep them safe, like a cell with a tracker. It had been an utter nightmare when they'd lost Loretta's location. They had to come up with another method to track her. Though with the way technology was, there's no guarantee this would work. Someone could remove the device and destroy it.
"Dinner is ready." A lady with fair hair tucked under a bandanna walked in. Dishes in hand she set them on the table. She was in casual clothes sporting a white apron. Human. A silver chain shimmered from around her neck, a red stone dangled. Was she Grell's assistant? Is the stone a tracker?
Soon enough, the table brimmed with bowls and plates of Asian cuisine. None of the scents welcomed his appetite.
Loretta's words pulled his attention back.
Be anything they wanted.
If that were true, Zero would've been more human than darkling. Ren wouldn't be here (let's be honest, he was ready to bolt). Loretta would be anywhere else but tethered to doctors and endless medical complications. And monsters like himself.
She approached the cushion, moving without help. When her eyes met him he blinked and recovered and managed a smile. She patted the empty cushion at her side.
"If you wish."
He was about to lower himself but hesitated. The jump of her pulse shot his nerves on end. What was wrong? Did her head hurt?
Zero reached to grasp her shoulder. "Miss Loretta are you—" His hand trembled. Wavering between his desire to help her and his suppressed need. Her scent came alive and weaved around him. Fangs arched pushing against his will and he held his arm down, pinning it to his side. His stomach roared, he was half inclined to lean down and bite. Grinding his teeth he shook his head and concentrated more on her, less her scent. Now wasn't the time for this. He took a step back and turned to the man in the white coat. Latching his hand onto the other's arm, squeezing tight.
"Help her, now." Releasing Doc, Zero narrowly escaped unseen into the corridor. When a pair of hands gripped him, supporting his weight.
"Keep moving." Ren pushed him forward, leading him into another room that smelled of Lysol and plum blossoms. No one spoke as the two siblings entered and shut themselves inside. Zero stumbled ahead, abandoning his shirt, he turned on the water, drenching himself cold.
Ren sat on the cover of the toilet, his gaze taking the immaculate towels. The presentation of egg shell blue and ivory bathrobes hanging on the hooks behind the door. The orchids in a glass mini vase on the bamboo shelf above the hotel themed racks of folded towels for guests?
"You're addicted," the words lashed out without any filter, "and losing control. You could have attacked her."
Zero let his head bend so that the spray hit the back of his neck. Tension had him in a bind.
"She's not a drug."
"Can you tolerate any blood that isn't hers?"
"Right now, I can't tolerate you."
"Answer the question."
Zero closed his eyes. He wouldn't think about it. But the blood Doc had been feeding him was hers. The first that ever satiated him when others failed. They all needed human flesh to survive. Any substitute wasn't enough. For Zero, just her blood kept his demons at bay. He could live with that. Why did Ren have to twist everything? Make him feel like he was doing something wrong? Was he?
"You might end up killing her if you resort to favoring her blood." Ren continued on as though Zero's silence had somehow confirmed whatever he was suspecting. "And this 'love' you hold for her is just a front for your addiction. Most addicts claim to love getting their hits justifying their actions."
"How do you deal?" Zero rolled his shoulders. Focused on the chill caressing his flesh chasing away the heat of his denial. It was the first three months of his fast. All over again—but then had been a mild tickle of hunger, he could back-burner it. This time, his body ached for her blood. Ached all over and drove his senses into a frenzy.
"I take tabs for it, not the best in quality taste but it works. One of father's experiments you would have been privy to." Ren must have brandished said object, he shook it and tablets rattled. "Had you checked his lab."
"I almost did."
"Almost. Such a sad word."
"It was too cramped to reach."
"That's a human's perception. We aren't subject to the mortal psyche nor have the need for phobias. You've spent too much ti—"
Zero shot Ren a look that cut him off. "Keep talking, I'll enjoy ripping out your tongue and wrapping it around your throat."
"Impossible." Ren's features lost the concern it once held if any. "Like I said, you're not doing yourself any favors and I won't be around to pick up the pieces when you break."
"Ren!"
The boy's eyes narrowed, mirroring Zero's. He was glaring at a younger heartless version of himself. The part of him that existed. The fragment that remained. But he wasn't a machine anymore. He wasn't as broken. So he held on to the other part of him that feels, bleeds, suffers. For her. For himself. He shivered in the tight control over shards that wanted to flare out. Pierce the reflection that was too real, too raw.
Ren didn't know it. But he'd already shattered a long time ago. He'd been working on picking up the pieces and putting himself back for years. Doc had tried to help, he'd set up the frame, near completed. Zero had to do the rest. It took the gentleness of a warm girl that pushed him to finish. Shit wasn't perfect and he never expected it to be. Yet, when assholes like Ren came along trying to mold him. Define him. He just snapped.
Ren said, "You remember when dad would go out, left us alone with mom?"
Zero didn't respond.
"He always told me to watch you, keep you grounded."
"I'm not a kite. I won't fly away."
Ren blinked, his brows pulled in. "Then what do you call this?" He gestured their surroundings.
Zero shook his head, averting his gaze. "You don't have to be here."
"You say that with little conviction. I'm not here to mess around." Ren stood and came forward. Switching off the shower. Latching his hand at Zero's arm raising it. Then snatched the bracelet and crushed it.
"The hell are you doing, we need tha—why aren't you wearing one?" Was Ren insane? Didn't he hear what Doc had said?
Ren's expression darkened. "You're being tagged. If Doc could find you with this, so can everyone else. We've got targets at our back."
"Ren, what did you do?"
"Overalls, Ring Master, the corrupt dark ones, the basement. I went back. Destroyed the place they'd used as the grand arena. Tracked the ines that fled,"
"it won't stop just because I knocked over one base. There are many across the world. It'll be fun knocking down each one. See, we aren't so different."
Zero tensed at the imagery.
Ren nodded with a grim smile.
"I found out when you were released and a little after taken in by a renowned doctor. His work with Doll—"
"Miss Loretta."
"Yeah, he wasn't the only one testing her genetic markup. So was father. He left us his research but I can't crack it. I need you on your feet. It's the only way we can cut 'em down."
Zero twisted his arm free and pressed against the wall. "I'm not leaving her side, if that's what this is about, I won't."
Ren struck the wall at Zero's head, the crack of tiles rained dust over his shoulder. "You're such a soft-hearted idiot. Blind too. You think that if you turn your back the problem will solve itself? You want to put her in danger by staying here?"
"I'm protecting her."
"Listen, what happened to our parents wasn't accidental. We don't have time to kill here and you can't promise that. You can't keep watch over her every second of the day. It didn't work in Sabrie, it won't work now. Not until we solve the case Father left us and ice the rest of those bastards. We have to." He pushed off the wall, flexed his fingers and cast a glare at the door. "Grell, you're not fooling anyone. I can detect your signals."
The house chef unlocked, key in hand, he regarded them with a look of concern and something else Zero couldn't make out.
"Dr Atarashi is taking care of Miss Loretta, but he's also requesting Zero at his office. We all have much to discuss, this is a serious matter."
That was an understatement of the century.
Slang, a pretty but expressionless or unintelligent woman. I.e. "She's nothing more than a doll."
{ Bird Set Free | Sia }
Garamound]Dɪᴀʟᴏɢᴜᴇ Cᴏʟᴏʀ ✦ #66CDAA || Tʜᴏᴜɢʜᴛ Cᴏʟᴏʀ ✧ #008B8B╚ ╝
Zero fled the room with his brother, another argument no doubt. In the meantime her head had stopped spinning, perhaps it had just been her imagination that the floor was rocking side to side like a boat crashing in the waves. Yes, a delusion, she had hit her head rather hard the other day. To be honest, most days Doll was surprised that she was still alive. Perhaps she simply needed to eat something to make the emptiness go away? Doll took a bite, Grell's food as amazing and tasty as ever, much better than the hospital food or that period when she had to have food delivered via a tube through her nose. She could hear their shouts from another room, muffled slightly only by the sound of the shower and then a large crash. Doll attempted to ignore them, she tried to continue smiling, a shadow catching her eye. Doll looked up, the shadow gone. What was that? She wondered. The girl who thought herself to be human attempted to rise and follow, only to remember how useless her legs were.
The crutches, if she could reach them, she could have some semblance of independence once more. They weren't here though, no doubt being brought to her room along with the braces that would teach Doll to walk again. She was lucky it hadn't been worse, she was lucky to be alive after the injuries she had sustained, with the flow of oxygen cut off to her brain for so long. Doll was lucky in many ways, but the most prominent being Zero. Her guardian, her protector, just thinking of him made her stomach flutter with a thousand butterflies and her cheek tinged pink the same way a school girl's would upon drifting off in class. What was this feeling that pestered her insides? Her breath caught in her throat upon recalling that breathtaking moment of glass and shattered things, of his body pressed against her's, his eyes full of warmth that made her heart flutter.
"What's wrong?" Her thoughts snapped back to reality, Doll quickly growing flustered. "N-nothing!" She waved her hands in front of her, cheeks turning as red as fresh fall apples. "I think I just ate something spicy," her lies were terrible, it was so easy to see through them. The Doc smiled and nodded, saying nothing else. Already Doctor Atarashi had come to her side to check up on her, to make the dizziness go away. "Thank you," she gave a small smile, clearly grateful for all that he had done for her. "Thank you for saving me all of those times," she looked out the window, the snow continued to fall. "You say that as though you're going somewhere," Doll shook her head, she had no intention to leave, it wasn't as though she could either. Broken was not unfixable though, Doll would pull through, just as she had those other times.
"There, that should do it." Perhaps it would make the odd visions go away too? "The brain is a very fragile thing, one little event can upset the entire balance." Doctor Atarshi stood and Doll wondered what that upset was. "Will Zero be alright? He seemed out of sorts," if the Doc had noticed, he mentioned nothing of it. "Zero just has to adjust is all, he never did like change." This was a good change, a new change of pace. A house in the middle of nowhere, an electrified gate surrounding them, little silver bracelets to keep track of where they were. Her smile faltered, no, this was not a home, this was a prison. While it was certainly nicer than any zoo, it was just another cage she was locked inside of. The realization hit Doll hard, making it difficult to breathe.
Four walls trapping her inside, a luxurious home that was nothing more than a dollhouse. She really was a doll wasn't she? A lowly human undeserving of a name, carried from place to place, house to house, only seen as valuable so long as she could keep them entertained. No, Zero, he, he was her protector, it wasn't like that, it wasn't a normal being to human relationship. He will be your undoing. Doll shivered, suddenly feeling as cold as ice. "No, you're wrong," she whispered, her teeth chattering. "I-I love him," she was a girl made of ice and snow, as fragile as a snowflake, so easy to break.
{ Bird Set Free | Sia }
Garamound]Dɪᴀʟᴏɢᴜᴇ Cᴏʟᴏʀ ✦ #66CDAA || Tʜᴏᴜɢʜᴛ Cᴏʟᴏʀ ✧ #008B8B
Zero fled the room with his brother, another argument no doubt. In the meantime her head had stopped spinning, perhaps it had just been her imagination that the floor was rocking side to side like a boat crashing in the waves. Yes, a delusion, she had hit her head rather hard the other day. To be honest, most days Doll was surprised that she was still alive. Perhaps she simply needed to eat something to make the emptiness go away? Doll took a bite, Grell's food as amazing and tasty as ever, much better than the hospital food or that period when she had to have food delivered via a tube through her nose. She could hear their shouts from another room, muffled slightly only by the sound of the shower and then a large crash. Doll attempted to ignore them, she tried to continue smiling, a shadow catching her eye. Doll looked up, the shadow gone. What was that? She wondered. The girl who thought herself to be human attempted to rise and follow, only to remember how useless her legs were.
The crutches, if she could reach them, she could have some semblance of independence once more. They weren't here though, no doubt being brought to her room along with the braces that would teach Doll to walk again. She was lucky it hadn't been worse, she was lucky to be alive after the injuries she had sustained, with the flow of oxygen cut off to her brain for so long. Doll was lucky in many ways, but the most prominent being Zero. Her guardian, her protector, just thinking of him made her stomach flutter with a thousand butterflies and her cheek tinged pink the same way a school girl's would upon drifting off in class. What was this feeling that pestered her insides? Her breath caught in her throat upon recalling that breathtaking moment of glass and shattered things, of his body pressed against her's, his eyes full of warmth that made her heart flutter.
"What's wrong?" Her thoughts snapped back to reality, Doll quickly growing flustered. "N-nothing!" She waved her hands in front of her, cheeks turning as red as fresh fall apples. "I think I just ate something spicy," her lies were terrible, it was so easy to see through them. The Doc smiled and nodded, saying nothing else. Already Doctor Atarashi had come to her side to check up on her, to make the dizziness go away. "Thank you," she gave a small smile, clearly grateful for all that he had done for her. "Thank you for saving me all of those times," she looked out the window, the snow continued to fall. "You say that as though you're going somewhere," Doll shook her head, she had no intention to leave, it wasn't as though she could either. Broken was not unfixable though, Doll would pull through, just as she had those other times.
"There, that should do it." Perhaps it would make the odd visions go away too? "The brain is a very fragile thing, one little event can upset the entire balance." Doctor Atarshi stood and Doll wondered what that upset was. "Will Zero be alright? He seemed out of sorts," if the Doc had noticed, he mentioned nothing of it. "Zero just has to adjust is all, he never did like change." This was a good change, a new change of pace. A house in the middle of nowhere, an electrified gate surrounding them, little silver bracelets to keep track of where they were. Her smile faltered, no, this was not a home, this was a prison. While it was certainly nicer than any zoo, it was just another cage she was locked inside of. The realization hit Doll hard, making it difficult to breathe.
Four walls trapping her inside, a luxurious home that was nothing more than a dollhouse. She really was a doll wasn't she? A lowly human undeserving of a name, carried from place to place, house to house, only seen as valuable so long as she could keep them entertained. No, Zero, he, he was her protector, it wasn't like that, it wasn't a normal being to human relationship. He will be your undoing. Doll shivered, suddenly feeling as cold as ice. "No, you're wrong," she whispered, her teeth chattering. "I-I love him," she was a girl made of ice and snow, as fragile as a snowflake, so easy to break.
❝When we're together like this,
we can never panic, even if we get lost.❞
¤
Zero had once lived in the frost, becoming just as numb and chilling too. At some point he’d forgotten what pain felt like. Or that joy existed within him. Until the winter had shifted and there was a snatch of sun. But that sun’s rays wouldn’t last would it? Every day they lived, was he truly putting her at risk by staying at her side? Was she more endangered around him than without? He sighed as he trudged along a too tense Ren and a concerned Grell who kept throwing Zero wary glances.
He shivered in his dry clothes. Simple white oxford shirt, dark pants. They were new. Something Doc must have packed up when they ran out of time to gather old things. The things that’d been his, those he’d miss. No matter how strong, how advanced, how invincible they appeared to be, time was always a million steps ahead. Always out of reach.
”Do you think she'll understand?” One thing was certain, she'd be better off without a monster craving her blood. Removing himself from her so that she could finally be free, he’d do that. He'd step back. So she could truly grow and become whatever she wanted. Even if that meant he couldn’t be at her side. His heart lurched at the sharp pain digging through. But if that was a truth he kept running from, maybe it was about time he faced it.
But if he had to be honest with himself, he didn’t want to exist in a world where she wasn’t in it.
Instead of answering, Ren tsked, ”Stop looking so miserable. It’s an eyesore.” Followed by a sharp elbow at his rib so he'd pay attention whilst they entered Doc’s office.
Zero nodded and smothered the agony as best as he could. Though it did little to lesson the frost that settled in his chest. He hadn’t said good bye, yet in accepting what he had to do, it felt like it. There was no turning back. Not anymore. Protect her. Even if he had to keep his distance. He gripped his hands into fists and stood near Doc's desk. There were paintings on the wall, one in particular of a forest. An image looking up from the forest ground, it gave him a sense of being in the midst of eternal greenery. His gaze locked on the shades of emeralds among the shaken leaves. What dark secrets whispered in their branches.The image evoked a calm he wished he could feel. All he had left was a hollowness and hurt. He wanted to close his eyes, he was tempted to sit in one of the comfy looking chairs.
Ren as usual surveyed their newest surroundings, his expression none too pleased. His eyes steel and calculating perhaps their next step.
Grell shut the door and crossed his arms, his features heavy with a million emotions passing through and Zero wondered how long he’d been around humans to adopt their habits, learn their tastes, be so humbled and open. He wondered if Grell had a family besides Madame, or ever wanted one of his own. Or were they living in a world that wouldn’t allow it? Maybe they were. Just look at what's happened to them. They had none left but memories. Ren was back, but he had a darkness in him. This was supposed to be a brand new start. In a place no one knew who they were. Yet, Zero had the lingering suspicion that the sparkling city with the happy people, the one he looked up to was nothing more than a pipe-dream.
He was a darkling. According to others a flawed one. Broken. Unworthy. Even so he'd fight for a better tomorrow. Team humanity. He'd do this not because Ren had asked him too, but because he wanted to preserve what remained. If there existed dark ones like himself, those that gave a damn about people then he wasn't alone. If it could help put a cap on the bastards tearing everything apart then he’d wholeheartedly drive forward and lead the fight. Set the world right again or as close to it as possible. But would Ren agree to this or was he working on another agenda? As soon as Doc came in, they'd lay down all their cards.
Slang, a pretty but expressionless or unintelligent woman. I.e. "She's nothing more than a doll."
{ Bird Set Free | Sia }
Garamound]Dɪᴀʟᴏɢᴜᴇ Cᴏʟᴏʀ ✦ #66CDAA || Tʜᴏᴜɢʜᴛ Cᴏʟᴏʀ ✧ #008B8B╚ ╝
There was no such thing as loneliness when a boy of warmth and light was just around the corner. Doll hoisted herself back into her wheelchair from the floor with ease, she was growing used to having to do transfer herself with her arms. She went to check on him, the light in the darkness, but the walls swirled and it felt as though darkness was consuming her. What was happening? Doll broke free of the bad thoughts, pushing herself into the hallway. He wasn't there, in the room where the shower was no longer running, where the tile was crumpled to bits on the ground. "Zero?" Doll squeaked, breath caught in her throat. It was alright, if he wasn't here, then surely he would be in his room. Doll headed in that direction, ever the optimist, knowing that he wouldn't just disappear. She stopped the wheels abruptly in their tracks, finding something on the ground. A silver bracelet, just like the one she wore; only this one was cracked and broken, wires poking out of the neat chrome exterior.
Her heart sank further. Surely this was just Ren going off on another tyrant, being the control freak that he was. Her stomach twisted in knots thinking about it, all of those accusations that floated over her head. Weak, spineless, human. She really was holding him back, wasn't she? Doll shook her head, clutching the bracelet against her chest. No, she couldn't go down the path of dark thoughts. She followed the light, wandering the halls on the wheels that felt more like a prison than a blessing. Until she could use her legs, these wheels would allow her to be the best that she could. Until then, until then... then what would happen? Every time she healed, another injury came along. What would it be next? Her arms? Her mind? Some days Doll already felt far too fragmented to be put back together.
But he, he was the glue. Being around Zero made sense in her mind, the light in the darkness, the glue that held her together, the sense in the puddle of mindless thoughts that tried to drown her in grief and despair. She could be happy because beside her was Zero, her mentor, her protector, her lover. Her cheeks flushed at the thought, a squeak emitting from her lips. "Is that really how you feel Doll?" She whispered, wondering if he saw her in the same light. Or perhaps she was just another toy for him to break? A terrible pain lurched through her head. Doll pressed her fingers against her temples, figuring it was from the medicine. It was late, she figured, the light of the sun having gone dim hours before, consumed by the moon and stars.
The halls were empty, no Ren and Zero, no Grell or Doctor Atarashi. Doll felt alone, a shudder passing through her. She headed to her room, figuring that she could at least ready herself for bed, prepare to read a book and pretend that the words didn't go over her head as her mind flitted to other places. She reached a door marked with an L. "L-Lo-Lore-Loretta," Doll sounded out, seeing that it was written in another language right beneath it. She perked up, glad that she could now read her own name. Inside was a room unlike any of the others. It was neat and modern, with a table in the center and a bed underneath a window that was locked tight. There was a bookshelf lined with children's books and a place to stow the wheelchair and crutches when not in use. She felt spoiled, stepping into this space, knowing that it was her's. There was no stuffed unicorn to greet her today, he had been lost in the battle in the hospital.
Instead there was something else, a different animal with a black and white stripped tail, looking as though he were wearing a black mask. "Raccoon!" Doll remembered, knowing that Zero would be proud of her for recalling the name. She looked towards the door, expecting him to appear with ghostly footsteps no one could hear, as he always did. The doorway was disappointingly empty.
{ Bird Set Free | Sia }
Garamound]Dɪᴀʟᴏɢᴜᴇ Cᴏʟᴏʀ ✦ #66CDAA || Tʜᴏᴜɢʜᴛ Cᴏʟᴏʀ ✧ #008B8B
There was no such thing as loneliness when a boy of warmth and light was just around the corner. Doll hoisted herself back into her wheelchair from the floor with ease, she was growing used to having to do transfer herself with her arms. She went to check on him, the light in the darkness, but the walls swirled and it felt as though darkness was consuming her. What was happening? Doll broke free of the bad thoughts, pushing herself into the hallway. He wasn't there, in the room where the shower was no longer running, where the tile was crumpled to bits on the ground. "Zero?" Doll squeaked, breath caught in her throat. It was alright, if he wasn't here, then surely he would be in his room. Doll headed in that direction, ever the optimist, knowing that he wouldn't just disappear. She stopped the wheels abruptly in their tracks, finding something on the ground. A silver bracelet, just like the one she wore; only this one was cracked and broken, wires poking out of the neat chrome exterior.
Her heart sank further. Surely this was just Ren going off on another tyrant, being the control freak that he was. Her stomach twisted in knots thinking about it, all of those accusations that floated over her head. Weak, spineless, human. She really was holding him back, wasn't she? Doll shook her head, clutching the bracelet against her chest. No, she couldn't go down the path of dark thoughts. She followed the light, wandering the halls on the wheels that felt more like a prison than a blessing. Until she could use her legs, these wheels would allow her to be the best that she could. Until then, until then... then what would happen? Every time she healed, another injury came along. What would it be next? Her arms? Her mind? Some days Doll already felt far too fragmented to be put back together.
But he, he was the glue. Being around Zero made sense in her mind, the light in the darkness, the glue that held her together, the sense in the puddle of mindless thoughts that tried to drown her in grief and despair. She could be happy because beside her was Zero, her mentor, her protector, her lover. Her cheeks flushed at the thought, a squeak emitting from her lips. "Is that really how you feel Doll?" She whispered, wondering if he saw her in the same light. Or perhaps she was just another toy for him to break? A terrible pain lurched through her head. Doll pressed her fingers against her temples, figuring it was from the medicine. It was late, she figured, the light of the sun having gone dim hours before, consumed by the moon and stars.
The halls were empty, no Ren and Zero, no Grell or Doctor Atarashi. Doll felt alone, a shudder passing through her. She headed to her room, figuring that she could at least ready herself for bed, prepare to read a book and pretend that the words didn't go over her head as her mind flitted to other places. She reached a door marked with an L. "L-Lo-Lore-Loretta," Doll sounded out, seeing that it was written in another language right beneath it. She perked up, glad that she could now read her own name. Inside was a room unlike any of the others. It was neat and modern, with a table in the center and a bed underneath a window that was locked tight. There was a bookshelf lined with children's books and a place to stow the wheelchair and crutches when not in use. She felt spoiled, stepping into this space, knowing that it was her's. There was no stuffed unicorn to greet her today, he had been lost in the battle in the hospital.
Instead there was something else, a different animal with a black and white stripped tail, looking as though he were wearing a black mask. "Raccoon!" Doll remembered, knowing that Zero would be proud of her for recalling the name. She looked towards the door, expecting him to appear with ghostly footsteps no one could hear, as he always did. The doorway was disappointingly empty.
❝The questions become smoke with empty answers.❞
¤
In the office, Doc settled behind the desk, his gaze dividing from Zero to Ren. Features unusually tense, as though he suspected trouble.
“You’re going to make things difficult for me, aren’t you?” This was directed at them both. The sizzle of irritation burning just under the calm surface.
Ren scoffed. “We’re only here to inform you, we’re leaving on the next flight available.”
Zero stared at him. What? So soon? But he—
“Is that right?” Doc’s eyes narrowed on Ren. “And where are you planning to go, better question, for what purpose?”
“It’s of no consequence to you, Doctor.” Ren kept it cool, entirely unfazed by the crackle of tension rising in the atmosphere. He almost appeared smug, or perhaps he’d garnered a distaste to their kind just as Zero had.
“In case you weren’t aware, he is my son, so naturally it’ll concern me, Ren.”
Zero slammed his fist over the study, making the objects resting over its surface shake. “You may have adopted me, but I don’t remember becoming your son.”
Doc met his regard with sharp eyes. “If I had true emotions, I might’ve actually taken that to offence.”
Ren gripped at Zero’s arm before latching into his hand. Holding tight. It was then Zero stepped back and took a breath. He had to match Ren’s temperature and re-center himself.
”They want to look into the infamous Qizakari case.” Grell said, taking a seat in those leather chairs. “They’re attempting to flush out the filth of the world by storm.”
Doc nodded, “Aleron’s research was banned, it got him killed so I hear.” Then his gaze landed on Ren. “You’ve been snooping and discovered a new lead.”
Ren’s features tensed. He gripped Zero’s hand. “It’s the family business, so butt out.”
“Why? We were colleagues. It’s no secret we held mutual fascination and awe in our respective fields.”
“Is that why you were using Miss Loretta? Testing her as a variant, using her without her consent?” Zero gripped at Ren’s hand, it felt similar to holding onto a hot poker.
“Humans aren’t given the option of consent—“
“Father only worked with volunteers, he never forced anyone to become test subjects.”
“How sure are you of this?”
“Mother.” Both boys said in unison. She’d never allow it.
Doc cut his eyes to the many portraits hanging on the walls, in search of answers or inspiration. “When are you planning to return?”
Zero stared at Ren, but the boy gave no definitive reply. His heart sank. What if this mission of theirs took months, years? He couldn’t stand the uncertainty.
“Zero, you’re aware of how this will affect her.” Doc’s voice cut him back to reality and Zero grit his teeth. It’d hurt her, but it was better this way. She’d be alright without him. “I have to see her.” One last time. He released Ren’s hand, the biting frost numbed at his fingertips. He was used to that by now.
Ren nodded, he’d be waiting.
Zero left them to discuss. Ren wasn’t being entirely honest, there was more to this than what he let on.
Leaning against the wall for support he attempted to steady himself. The room refused to keep still and each step threatened to challenge his equilibrium. But he’d push forward. Like always. The burner cell in his pocket buzzed but he didn’t bother answering it. Instead, he continued onward. Soon enough he found Loretta already in her new room.
He hesitated at the door. It gave him a strange feeling like he was intruding on her or something. She was holding a new plush toy, already she seemed happy.
“Miss Loretta.” He said on a breath and just like that, his strength faltered and he had to grip the door jamb to keep him steady. What was this scent? It smelled… intoxicating. It came from inside the room and he moved as though in a trance until he was standing before her. His heart raced ahead of him and his limbs warmed with the burst of adrenaline pouring through his veins. Miss Loretta. It's from her.
Like a spell it threaded through him, weaving into his bones and he was lost to it. He filled his hands with her face, the heat of her cheeks, the pulse of her life caressing his senses. Relief and familiarity hit him in feathery waves.
He couldn’t leave her. He never wanted to leave her.
Before he even realized what he’d done, he leaned in and licked the side of her neck. Then sunk his fangs into her flesh. Blood flowed strong and true, casting the ice in a fire that sent a strangely pleasant thrill along his spine and shockingly, he eased into it. His body unwilling to move, his hands gripped at her clothes, holding her against him in a desperate attempt to keep her. Just hold her. For as long as possible.
With care he unhinged his fangs from her skin but refused to let go. She was his salvation. His true center.
“All I ever wanted was you.” He whispered and held her small face in his hands, feel her skin beneath him. His vision blurred, his eyes stung, probably changed from his heightened state and he didn’t care. He kissed her lips, tasting her as if for the first time. He could barely breathe, it didn’t matter. Parting from her he caressed her hair, memorizing her touch into his soul if ever he had one.