“T.E.N.A.N.T.”

Author’s Notes: The narrative styles are a bit mismatched in this one. Oh, and hintings of ChaxYou. Yay.

He sat alone atop the steps to the old brick building. The stone, overgrown with moss, was cold under him. The conference had dispersed days ago and the uniformed men had gone about their duties, leaving him on his own to wander. But…when he did wander, and stopped to watch these strange men who had taken him in, they would fidget and tell him to go elsewhere.

He raised his hands and regarded them, questioning. What was it that those men saw in him that was so malevolent? Perhaps these pale limbs held the answer.

Pain shot through his face and raced down to the healing wound in his chest. Whimpering, he pulled into himself. Fire and lightning tore at his nerves. His breath came in short pants, barely reaching his burning lungs before it passed back between set teeth. The greengage around him faded from view and was replaced with an image of dim corridor. The pain began to ebb as he stood on shaking legs. Someone was calling him…

"Gakuto…Where are you…?"

His lips twitched upward in a coy smile. A game…

A woman – no, man – in a white lab coat rounded the corner down the hall. Turning, he spotted him and sighed, the tension flowing away from his slight body in waves. He walked towards him, his heels clicking on the polished tile. "Here you are…" A smile pulled at his dark, painted lips as he reached forward and took Gackt’s hand. "Come on…let’s go back now…" His voice was soft and deep, calming…The feminine man stretched forward his slender fingers and caressed the other’s cheek.

Gackt smiled, shy, and nodded. Together they walked back…back to where the walls weren’t gray…back to where they were safe from them…

The image shifted again…the room…with white draperies and paintings…sheets of music…

"Time for bed…"

Gackt climbed onto the mattress and buried his face into the pillow. It smelled sweet…like rose petals or lilacs…like…the other…

The sheets were cool as his companion pulled them up to his shoulders and pressed a tender kiss against Gackt’s temple. Opening one eye, he snuck a glance up at the painted man who hovered over him. Something flashed briefly behind those dark eyes.

"What was that?"

Caught, he played dumb. "What was what?"

"You looked at me different…"

He stuttered in reply, "It was nothing…" and turned to undress as he prepared for bed.

Gackt, still concerned, closed his eyes and slipped into sleep.

*****

In their preoccupation, no one had seen the stranger wander off into the woods, a dazed look painted across his face.

*****

(A selection extracted from Lieutenant Fujimura’s logs)

[9-23-236]

It's beyond all of us how he got out of the compound, but he did. After hours of searching (and listening to Ren rant nonstop about how this was all such a bad idea and that 'it' would lead 'its' commander to us and that we were all going to be dead by midday and how ‘it’ would laugh because, unbeknownst to the rest of us, ‘it’ was evil and ‘it’ wanted nothing more than to see us all destroyed), we found him fast asleep on the rocks not half a kilometer away.

I must tell you that he looked positively innocent lying there, absolutely helpless. I'm sure, when we found him, the thought of pushing him over the edge and into the ravine flashed through Ren's head; I could see it in his eyes. I must admit that I wonder why he holds such hatred towards the thing. I'll have to look it up in the database.

You may be wondering why I called him a 'thing' in the above paragraph. I've come to the conclusion that I actually agree with the superiors for once – but don’t tell them I said it. They told me when I was at headquarters that the TS base north of us has reported losing an android, a deadly one, an experiment gone awry.

He seems quite bright. I haven't been able to speak with him however. Not REALLY speak, anyway. I've tried all the Asian, Germanic, and Romanic languages and nothing seems to strike a chord in him.

Well, actually, that's not entirely true. I spoke in French to him for a time and he seemed quite pleased. Why, I'm not sure. He couldn't speak it back to me and it didn't look like he understood a single word I said, but he liked it - he smiled.

You'll have noticed I haven't dated this entry by hours - I've become lazy, I know. Forgive me, but I'm tired, my hands are numb from cold, I'm bored out of my mind, and the computer works only when it wants to. Damn machines.

Anyway, what I wanted to tell you happened only moments ago (about 21:36 if I remember correctly). I was talking to him in French again and I asked him his name. He blinked up at me at first, completely lost. I began to name things, starting with myself and then other things and even members of the 4^th after I got my hands on a photograph, and the oddest thing happened. For once, he acted like he understood what I was saying. I repeated the process and he pointed to each in the photo in turn as I named them. I asked him his name again. He ignored me, fascinated instead with the snapshot. Sadly, I flipped it over and put a hand on his face, turning his eyes to mine. I asked again. More blank stares.

Of course, you know me - once I see something, I don't let up till I get a different reaction. I'm stubborn and pigheaded and a shit-load of other things one could call someone like me. Fuck them. I saw something, so of COURSE I go and push the limits. Why? Because when we first met him I used it and something flashed just like it did tonight. I was determined to get that flash again. Just once more and I'd leave him be.

With one hand on his face and the other on my chest I started the pattern over again until I got desperate and begged.

But, like always, I went too far. I asked too much. He started shaking in my hands (and not just shivering mind you, SHAKING, as if he was having a seizure). Scared the fuck out of me, quite frankly, when he started crying. No sobbing, no hiccups, just tears, which struck me as a little odd. He lunged into my arms and held onto me, his tears drenching my shoulder. I apologized in I don't know how many languages, running my hands through his hair and along his injured back.

We sat like that on the middle of the floor in "his" room until his breathing became shallow and slow. Fast asleep...Damn, first I gave him a psychological meltdown and then I had him crying himself to sleep.

Needless to say I carried him (he's extremely light, as if he had been starving himself for weeks) to the cot that we set up for him yesterday.

I laid him down and headed to the door when I heard the rustle of sheets. Turning around, I saw him sitting in the darkness, his eyes glittered in the moonlight that filtered through the window blinds. I couldn't tell if it was beautiful or terrifying - watching him just sit there, looking at me. Quite unnerving, that.

I asked him what was wrong. He brought up an injured hand, the one Masa had bound a few days ago, and touched his chest. Stuttering, and struggling through constricted vocal chords, which appeared to not have been used in a very long time, he croaked out some very distinct French:

"Je...m'app...elle...Ga...ckt..."

His words were so soft and broken, it amazes me that I understood them at all. He smiled up at me (who was by this point in shock), lay back on the bed, and closed his eyes.

So his name is Gackt and he either a) acknowledges and can apply pattern-recognition or b) knows French. Maybe both. You tell me. I'm over my head here, boys. Pull us out of this sector, bring us home, and let's figure something out, ne?

*****

Masa, curled up in the faded armchair in the barracks, read from an ancient book. The browned and tattered pages were falling out of the broken spine, Shakespeare’s words barely legible. Looking up, he regarded Ren with concern. His redheaded companion had not been himself lately – skittish, suspicious, supercilious…and it was evident that this change in behavior infuriated Cha immensely.

But Masa was more worried for than annoyed at the petit man…His thoughts drifted and analyzed what could be wrong as he watched the other sharpen a throwing knife.

“Masa?” You’s monotone startled him out of his reverie.

“Eh…yes?” Masa swiveled around to regard the android.

“Have you seen the Lieutenant?”

“Last I knew, he was in the meeting house…”

The other bowed slightly before turning on his heel.

Masa watched You leave. “Wonder why he’s in such a hurry…”

“Hopefully he got word that they’re coming to get that thing…”

Masa looked up. “…Why so bitter Ren?”

The other ignored the comment, continuing to sharpen the blade. “The sooner we get rid of that thing the better…” He didn’t meet Masa’s eyes.

“…Ren…why are you so scared…?”

The sharpening stopped. Silence. Ren looked slowly – hesitantly – up. “What…?”

“You’ve been acting like a cornered animal for the last few days. Why?”

The other’s eyes shifted to the floor, searching the woodwork for answers. “I…I can’t tell you…” His voice was soft, shaking…Ren stood and walked out the door, his steps hurried and uncertain. The wooden door closed with a bang behind the retreating form.

Masa pursed his lips.

*****

The new recruits had just left, the expectations for them made quite clear. It was getting harder and harder to rely on people. As fathers, sons, brothers, lovers died, those related were too busy mourning to help the cause. And as more and more suffered, some truly began to think of the resistance as futile.

The very thought left a bitter taste in Cha’s mouth. No matter how much pain you were in, no matter how hopeless and dismal life seemed to be, no fight – especially one for freedom – was futile. Looking up, he noticed You at the door and smiled. “Hello…”

“I come with orders from Headquarters, sir,” the Automaton said, saluting.

Cha sighed. Figures… “What is it then…?”

“They want the stranger and those who found him to accompany you back to base.”

This is a surprise… thought Cha, blinking. “Headquarters? Did they say why?”

“No, sir.”

“Any guesses…?”

“It’s not my position to say, sir…”

“I want your input You…” Please, tell me…even if it’s just as a friend…

You blinked and appeared to consider the situation. Cha bit back another sigh – he knew the Automaton had no real reason to show any sign of sentiment, other than the fact that it made it easier for others to be around him. This, Cha thought, was true, but for one reason or another, every time the Lieutenant watched the android feign real, human emotion…something slowly shattered inside him…

“I believe they wish to run some test and may interrogate him.”

The utterance of ‘interrogation’…that foul word…unnerved the man somewhat. “…Do you think they intend harm…?”

“I doubt it – they seem rather interested in keeping him alive and well.”

Cha nodded, commenting dryly, “Igao must have been able to convince those pathetic hard-asses that this was worth investigating.”

“Then Yosh and Toku’s division will be coming to replace ours?”

“I would guess…as long as they aren’t already busy with something else.”

After a pause, You replied, “With all due respect sir, Yosh and Toku are never ‘busy.’”

With a smile, Cha nodded. “And I’m sure they would agree with you too.” Sighing, he continued, “Thank you for talking, You. You may go now.”

The Automaton saluted and walked out the door.

Cha, left alone in the cold room, could almost hear the tinkling of broken glass…