Her metal ear twitched and the woman whipped around to see a man with green hair. “Taikoru...” The woman hissed as he entered “What do you want now?”
Taikoru grinned as he noticed her mood had changed. “I just came to see how you’re doing. Not feeling sick, are you?” The woman shook her head solemnly. “Good.” I have a job for you already, but I want you cleaned up first. Go to the showers, my guard will lead you there.”
The woman nodded and walked to the door. Why was she obeying him after what he’d done to her? It seemed so right to listen to him, but how could that be? She stopped, and turned around to face Taikoru once more. “What is my name?”
Taikoru’s eyes widened in surprise. He had never thought she would know the meaning of a name. He relaxed a bit, and remembered what she had called herself. “Your name? Why, Kiyoshi seems like a fitting name.” Kiyoshi smiled and walked out of the room. Taikoru began to think desperately. “How did she come to know she had a name?” Did one of the guards slip, or was she regaining her memory?” Taikoru paced and stepped on the red stain. He lifted his foot and looked down at it. It seemed to grow and grow at an alarming speed, becoming liquid once again and swirling out into the other parts of the rug. What was going on? Was he hallucinating? “NO! I won’t let this win me over! I won’t fall to my insanity again!” Taikoru grabbed his head and screamed. A guard entered to door-way and Taikoru picked up a vase, hurling it at the guards face. The guard shut the door and ran down the hallway. Taikoru fell to his knees and let go of his head. He evilly smirked and chuckled. “It will all be over soon.”
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“Hmmm... hmm... hmmm...” Kiyoshi rubbed the lilac smelling shampoo into her hair, messaging her scalp and rinsing the blue ichor from the dull brown strands. She hummed a short little tune and rinsed the soap from her body.
Stepping from the shower, she pulled a white, fluffy towle from the rack and wrapped it around her torso. Another went around her head to dry her hair. Her arms shined brightly and little electric shocks could be seen inside the wires. She dabbed at her skin and metal, wiping the beads of water from her body. Steam filled the room and fogged the full length mirror. Kiyoshi picked up the black suit that lay on the white chair and slipped her legs into it, pulling it up and placing her arms into the sleeve-less holes. She zipped it up and placed the belt around her waist. It hung loosely to one side and guns, medical equipment, rope, and other supplies. Kiyoshi opened up the face length mirror above the sink and pulled a glass brush out of it. As she unwrapped the towel, Kiyoshi’s hair fell to her shoulders, just brushing it a tiny bit and it bounced back up. She brushed her hair and parted it down the middle so strands still hung in her face. Kiyoshi opened the door to find a guard staring into a peek hole in the wall.
Kiyoshi blinked and when her eyes opened, the guard was laying in a puddle of blood. The red liquid oozed into the light blue rug, seeping into the white tiled floor beneath it. Kiyoshi took a step back, not sure what had just happened, and sighed. She pushed one side of her hair behind her ear and continued walking, not even caring to look back. Kiyoshi was slightly curious as to what happened to the guard, but it wasn’t all too important to her.
Kiyoshi held up her arm and slid a metal plate aside, opening a channel of many colored, blinking buttons. Her instincts kicked in and she pressed a few of them. A hologram appeared in front of her and she stared at it, her eyes moving from side to side to take in the map that was displayed. The mansion along with the 100 mile long fields around it were displayed in front of her. Red figures moved around and went into different blocks of the map. “They must be people.” Kiyoshi pressed another button and slid the plate back into place, making it and the hologram disappear.
Just as soon as the first one had gone, another hologram appeared and Taikoru stared on in happiness as Kiyoshi put her hand on her hip. “Yes?” Kiyoshi rolled her eyes as the man waisted her time.
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Taikoru: “Kiyoshi! I just wanted to check up on you and see how you were doing.”
Kiyoshi: “I’m fine, I was just about to go and see the people in the armory.”
Taikoru: *Chuckle*”Oh no, that won’t be necessary. You are to report to General Maku at once. He will give you your orders-”
Kiyoshi: “Uh, how about, no? I don’t take orders from a general. Who do you think I am? Some little soldier you can just let some man control?”
Taikoru: “Calm down, Kiyoshi. I have everything all set. Just go to the general, he will take care of everything, okay? Trust me. You did see the map?”
Kiyoshi: “Yes. I will go to him then. Just in case you aren‘t lying.”
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Kiyoshi went through the hologram and continued walking down the hallway, the map clearly lined out in her mind. Taikoru was a stubborn man, but what could she do. Her memory stretched and allowed the map to be displayed completely in color and the people still moving around. It was like the map was still in front of her.
She took a left and walked into a room filled with men and lockers. Most were in towels or shorts, and they all stopped talking immediately when Kiyoshi entered. She looked to the scrawny men who flush a beat red, snickering at their embarrassment. She then looked to the more muscular men, who smirked and flaunted their 6 packs. Kiyoshi stuck up her nose at the conceted soldiers and gave a small flick of her hair, letting them know she wasn’t interested. She strolled through the room, still nodding to the men to say hello, and walked into an office. A seat was turned away from Kiyoshi, and only a head of gleaming blonde hair could be seen. “Hello? I’m the new recrute for the army. You must be the so well talked about General Maku, no?” Kiyoshi tapped her foot and waited for the man in the chair to show his face. When the chair twirled around slowly, Kiyoshi opened her mouth to ignite a word or two on fire, only to be stopped by the gasp that escaped her.