Fan Fiction ❯ Shifting Fates ❯ Shifting Fates Book One: ch. 3 ( Chapter 3 )

It's my last day. He crumpled the missive in his fist, fight the urge to tear it into tiny pieces. His last day and his last lunch with Yuki. Gods, she's going to be so upset. The day was incongruously nice, the sun shone mockingly in a perfectly clear blue sky, sinking him further into depression. His pace was slow, his expression full of foreboding, as he walked to the park and their traditional meeting place.

"Ohayou!" The chipper greeting cheered him considerably. She's always happy. How does she do it? Her eyes twinkled mischievously as she neared him. Oro?

"Tag!" Her hand planted itself firmly on his forehead. She whirled and ran off, laughter floating in her wake. "Can't catch me!"

He stood, dumbfounded, then an answering grin spread across Taro's face and he took up pursuit. Yuki sprinted ahead, light on her feet as she wove through the trees. The entire scene looked surreal, like something out of a faerie tale. He was just about to catch her when she doubled back, directly under his nose. He tried to turn mid-stride, but fell on his face instead. Yuki's footsteps slowed, then stopped. Taro remained still. Concern quickly overcame her playful nature.

"Taro-san?" The worry in her voice was almost enough to make him get up and prove to her that he was okay. Almost. He sensed her sink to her knees beside him and forced his body to remain relaxed. Her fingertips brushed his shoulder and he acted.

One hand shot out and took firm hold her wrist while his body rocketed from the ground. His other arm wrapped around her waist and lifted her up. He took the captured hand and tapped her on the head with it.

"Tag."

"BAKA!! You had me worried!" she shouted to his shoes. Her knees were on level with her nose and, much to her annoyance, Taro showed no inclination of setting her down.

"Are you going to carry me like this all the way to the restaurant?"

"Maybe." His tone was so bland that she immediately began to worry.

"You… you can put me down now." She chortled nervously. He said nothing, only hitched her into a better position.

"Sorry?" She had no idea what she could have possibly done wrong but she figured it was worth a try. Or maybe not, she thought sourly. Her only view still consisted of her legs, and his. Not that she minded that part of the view.

"I'm starting to feel sick." That worked. He dropped her faster than he would a hot brand. She rolled to her feet and glowered at him playfully.

"Woulda served you right if I'd been sick on your shoes."

Taro shrugged and followed as she walked away.

Despite his earlier moment of hyperness, Taro seemed more subdued than usual. Yuki began to wonder if he'd heard from his bosses. I'll bet he has. I wonder what they said. He watched her brows knit, then smooth again, fascinated by the way her emotions flitted across her face.

"You've something important to tell me." Her frank statement caught him off guard and he floundered for a few moments.

"Uh…" She was staring at him, her eyes taking on a shadow of seriousness he'd not seen in nearly a month. He sighed and dragged his hand over his face and through his hair.

"I've been recalled."

"Recalled." She looked at him, blank.

"Yeah. By the Institute. Your trail `dead-ended' so they want me back."

"You'll be getting a new assignment, wont you." It was almost accusatory; the only thing preventing it was a lone note of sorrow.

"Yes." His voice remained neutral, even as he saw her face light up with hurt and then go carefully flat.

"Why don't you just stay? Why do you have to go?"

"It's my duty, and my obligation. I have to obey these orders."

"Then I feel sorry for you." Pity suffused her voice for a moment, then melted away leaving behind an oddly toneless quality. "You aren't your own master. You aren't free. And it's all because you don't wish it."

She rose stiffly from her chair, gave him a piercing look, and walked away. Taro stayed where he was, absent-mindedly pushing the food around on his plate. She was right. He knew she was right but that didn't make it any easier to go against years upon years of conditioning. Shistar watched him through narrowed eyes, then delicately sniffed the air. That's odd.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"So what do we do?" Yuki sat with her head in her hands, exhaustion finally taking its burdensome toll.

"Nothing. He didn't want to hurt you. There's no reason to not let him be."

"But shouldn't we…" One of the other shinoarii started to ask.

"No," Yuki interjected. "Our elder said let him be." Her shoulders slumped, as if no longer strong enough to bear her burdens. The elder placed a gnarled claw on the young woman's back. She raised her head and met the elder gaze for gaze.

"Rest, child. You've had a hard time and deserve a break." One wing tip caressed Yuki's hair, then folded her into a tight embrace.

"Thankyou, Grandmother." She closed her eyes and surrendered herself totally to the blessed oblivion of sleep.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

*Yawn* I never knew trains were so loud. Taro blinked sleepily as he waited in the hallway and yawned again. Man, I need to sleep. His chin inched its way towards his chest, had almost reached it…

"Taro!" A door down the hall flew open and crashed into the wall.

"Toushin?" His friend came flying at him, hyperness himself. He'd have liked Yuki, he thought.

"I'd heard you'd come back! How are you doing? Having fun with your job?" The slight sarcasm on the last question was not lost on him. Toushin had never approved of the killings, though this fact was not public knowledge. Had it been, well… The psychologists at the Institute had many ways of changing that opinion.

"It's great! I've never been happier." His tone was facetious and he rolled his eyes. They'd been talking like this since they were boys. It was the only way they could express their true opinions without having the Psychs come after them.

"I've missed you, Aniki."

"Aniki? You haven't used that since we were 9, Toushin."

"Mmm… So what are you waiting here for?"

"My next assignment," he grimaced. His friend placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. `That gentle soul should never have been here,' Taro thought for the millionth time. A door opened down the hallway and an irate head poked out.

"Toushin! What are you doing out there? Get back to your post!"

"Hai! Sorry. I've got to go." The young man dashed back to the room, his oddly gray hair flowing gently behind him.

"Kashiwa. The Director will see you now," a voice boomed over the speakers. Taro pushed the heavy black doors open and stood in front of the man who controlled his life, a man he hated as much as he did any shinoarii, perhaps even more.

"Kashiwa. Taro. You've been very disappointing lately. Your actions could easily be seen as traitorous." Taro blanched under his tan. "However, you are our best operative besides Masurao, and I understand how you feel towards the girl. She is a very good actress. Very unusual. One of our spies confirmed just the other day that you had indeed found your quarry, which you specifically neglected to mention in your otherwise detailed reports. And our wolf amongst the lambs confirmed one other thing: that the girl-child you so strove to protect is, in fact, a full blood shinoarii."

Shinoarii. Yuki is a shinoarii. The phrases beat a tempo that matched his speeding heart. He could feel anger and a sense of betrayal spreading through his body with each frantic pulse. Why? Why hadn't she told him? He felt dirty, contaminated beyond bearing. He'd been attracted to an animal. A monster. A demon. No. Yuki is not a monster and you know that. She could have been acting, been lying, but no. Her emotions were too apparent. And somehow he just knew that she'd been honest with him in all her other dealings. But why hadn't she told him? He staggered forward and bumped into the desk, half sinking to knees.

Good, the Director thought when Taro looked up him, hatred burning in his eyes. You are mine, boy.

"You know what you are to do? Go eat and then go."

Taro nodded stiffly and forced himself to stand tall as he walked out the door. Yes. He knew what he had to do.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

It's Tuesday and it's lunch time. I should be meeting Taro right now. Instead I'm up here, eating lunch. By myself. Again. She sighed and took another bite out of her sandwich. I shouldn't have met with the others. I know there are spies in the ranks of the Shinoar. I hope nothing's happened to Taro. And I miss him. She stopped chewing for a moment and pondered this. He was a killer. But not by choice. He was, however, a very real threat to her parent's friends and what family she still had.

I don't care. I still miss him. She sighed again and stretched out on the limb, basking.

It wasn't long before dragging footsteps interrupted her light slumber. She peered through the leaves around to the path below. A familiar figure was nearing her perch. She was thrilled! ecstatic! overjoyed! He's back!

She doesn't trust you. That's why she didn't say anything, didn't tell you. A part of his mind clouded over by shock and horror had taken control of his body and thoughts, driving him onward through a haze of pain and betrayal.

And she had good reason. Every reason! The last rational thought broke through the fog for a moment. Just look at what you're doing! How you're reacting!

The thought was driven away, scoured from his brain `til no trace remained. The Institute did its work well.

Taro stopped at the base of the tree and unerringly looked toward the branch where she sat. Her smiling face popped through the foliage, quickly followed by the rest of her body. She dropped down several branches and started to call out his name joyously.

"Ta…" Something wasn't right. His clothing was rumpled, his hair a wild, uncombed mass. And his eyes. They looked dead, haunted. Her smile faded and her own eyes widened with fear. He knows. Run. She leapt off the branch, springing far higher and faster than any human could and felt the tree reverberate as Taro began the chase. She jumped from the crown of the tree to one a good twenty feet away and, upon looking back, nearly lost her footing. He was following her! And he was gaining! Shit! No matter how much training or gene therapy he'd had performed on him, a human should not be able to catch up with a shinoarii! The scabbard of the short sword he wore flashed in the sun and spurred her on to greater efforts. It was no good, she realized a few seconds later. He's more agile up here than I am. She leapt from yet another tree, spreading her arm to help steer her dive. The seventy feet from treetop to ground flew by and she landed with bone jarring force on all fours. She wasted no time and lunged away, covering the distance of the open field in great bounds.

Maybe, she thought. Maybe? But it was not to be. Taro's weight drove her mercilessly to the ground. She crashed, sliding to a halt and groaned. His knee planted itself between her shoulder blades and ground down, bruising her back and ribs. His breathing was ragged, desperate, as he leaned near her ear.

"Why? Why didn't you tell me what you are?"

She gaped noisily, trying to draw enough breath to answer.

"I was afraid. That you would. Do this," she gasped out. He recoiled from the verbal slap, his mind clearing fractionally as he released her from the pressure he had applied. She rolled away, wheezing as she tried to coax air back into her lungs. A hand roughly grabbed her arm and she froze, waiting for the blade to descend, as she was sure it must. The wind picked up suddenly and the familiar beat of a helicopter assaulted her ears. She started struggling then, whimpering and crying in her terror and need to escape. The great blades were turned off and quiet reigned for a few moments. Yuki huddled into a ball and simply shook.

"Ah. Kawhiwa. Very neat capture. I saw the whole thing. You made us proud today." Taro stiffened with the first words, his anger and confusion roaring at him.

Shit. I did exactly what they hoped I would. He pulled his tantou from its scabbard, the blade poised to end Yuki's life. Yuki. A beast and one of the few people he would have called friend.

"Kashiwa! Let's not be hasty! She's young and I'm sure we can learn much. Bring her."

Death would have been kinder. I'm sorry, Yuki-chan. He pinned her arms behind her back, wrenching the already injured muscles, and lifted her to her feet. She hung, limp, her fear sapping all the strength she had. Taro dragged her into the helicopter's hangar and put her into one of the restraint harnesses. He then secured himself and stared at a spot a little above Yuki's bowed head. Her shoulders were shaking with silent sobs but he ignored this; his mind occupied with a roiling anger for everyone and everything about him.

It was the next day when they finally landed. Yuki had received neither food nor drink for the duration of the flight and was looking decidedly un-well. She had slumped forward during the flight, her weight supported by the safety harness, apparently asleep. One of the other Institute graduates walked in and lashed out, kicking her in the face. Her head snapped back and contacted the metal behind her. She reacted instantly, curled away from any other blows, hissing defensively.

"Funny things, aren't they? Won't defend themselves if it means seriously hurting anything." He aimed another kick and laughed as Yuki cringed away. "The Director said to take her to the zeta room. He'll meet with you there in half an hour."

Taro nodded, rose stiffly to his feet and grasped one of Yuki's arms. She went totally limp.

"Great…"

At least she didn't weigh all that much. He, however, did not know what to make of the fact that Yuki had now balled up his shirt in one fist and seemed to be trying to burrow into him. His mind filled again with a chaos of emotions and he ignored her, merely pulling her free of the webbing, as he tried to painfully to clear his head. He lifted her into his arms and carried her silent form into the Institute.

The zeta room was about as boring as they came. There was no furniture and the walls were a metallic gray. The air in the room always had a lifeless quality due to its lack of frequent use. He kicked the door open and Yuki began to laugh; a low chuckle that gave way to hysterical giggling. Taro deposited her against one wall, then stepped back to watch her cautiously.

"This is hilarious. This is just bloody hilarious. I'm doomed to produce more creatures like you. I'm going to be mother to a bunch of heartless killers." She laughed again, the sound hollow and yet full of disgust.

"What are you muttering about?" Taro ground out.

"Oh? Don't you get it?" He fought the urge to growl at the sheer derision in her voice. "Don't you get why they didn't let you kill me? I'm headed to a breeding facility. I'll be surrounded by my kind with the sole purpose of creating baby shinoarii, with the purpose of creating more of you."

"You lie. Such things don't exist!"

"Oh but they do. I've flown over several of them. And haven't you noticed that the age range in the groups of children brought here varies by only half a year at most?" He watched her, mesmerized as she began to pace the floor in a cat-like crouch. "Haven't you noticed that they're only brought once a year? Haven't you noticed that none come in older than five? Haven't you noticed that there are no women here?" She snorted at him and sat down, a sardonic smile tugging at her lips.

"How do you know so much about the institute?" His head was hurting him even worse and he shook it, trying to rid himself of the feeling of fetters.

"We have our own spies and sympathizers." Her smug smile made him want to hit her.

An image of gentle Toushin flashed in Taro's mind. Would he have…? But he dismissed the thought for the lack of sense it made.

"My dear hunter. How was it possible for you to kill adult Shinoar so easily? It's true that most of us won't defend ourselves but we will defend each other. No normal human would have been able to touch, let alone injure them, and even if you were genetically and physically enhanced as far as the current level of technology is able, it should still have been difficult. And you caught me! The females of our race are the fastest. How were you able to catch up with me? How were you able to survive the drop I made?" She paused and grinned up at him. "Besides, Shinoar males smell different from ordinary humans. And you smell quite the male."

"Shut up."

"It all adds up."

"Shut up!" Taro's voice was edging on frantic.

"Come fly with me!" She held out a hand and managed to convey the sense of a curtsey from her spot lounging on the floor.

"SHUT UP!"

*Clank* The door at the opposite end of the room opened, permitting entrance to the Director.

"Ooh! Some namby-pamby high official. I'm soooo honored to meet you. We should do lunch." Her voice dripped with sarcasm as she verbally lashed out. The object of her attention merely smiled and motioned three young men in. It didn't take them long to subdue her and Taro had to grimace at the bruise that spread slowly across her cheek. One of the men picked her up like a sack of animal feed and they all filed out of the room. Taro looked to the Director, bowed, then left as quickly as he could.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

It's not true. It's not true. It can't be true! He ran, pushing himself to go faster, chest heaving with the effort to pull enough air into his burning lungs. It can't be true but it must! How else can I do these things? He leapt into one of the towering trees and was at its crown in a flash. He looked to the ground at least a hundred feet below and jumped. He landed gracefully, despite the tremendous force with which he'd come down. Oh gods above, it has to be true.