dissabte, 5 de febrer del 2011

GARO Fanfic - A survival affair, 2 (2)

  
Chap. 2: Siege (Part 2)


“No way! I’m not going to let such a quacks ti mortgage your life”.

Kaoru feels how the sadness floods her as she witnesses as Kouga’s insides shatter. His words and his anger would seem genuine if his heart did not feel self-reproach about his love. That love that has made him human and, therefore, weak. Again that thing? As soon as he drops his guard, even only a bit, his old habits return with renewed strength.

He says nothing else. He must fight the flood of his emotions in his own way, and also his urge to curb her and go to traini, which can mean either "I don’t understand",  "no!", "that’s a nonsense", "I give a damn", or an outright anger.

Kaoru wishes to reason with him, but now she does not believe her voice could reach his heart. That is why she wants attracts his attention in a way that he can not ignore.

“I call the guardian within you! You must listen to me!”

Kouga sighs.

“I understand your point of view, and I honor it, but don’t do anything until a decision was taken by the Makai meeting. If you want it, I’ll expose your proposal there, but don’t expect me to be agree. As for the threats by the Bariri, you'll never be without a protection. So, you have to leave your work, now”.

“What?”

“Are you going to argue against?” Kouga is becoming angry and raises his voice. “How d’you expect to be protected if you spend thewhole day exposed to them? They know your moves. They find you as they want! Are you blind?”

Kaoru drops into a chair. To the slavery by the doctors, the one imposed by her husband is added. When life was no longer worthwhile? Even against her will she feels Kouga’s regret by her show of depression. But he is not a sweet man. The only thing that comes to his mind is squating to look into her eyes and say with a bad covered feeling:

“I don’t want anything bad to happen to you. It’s so hard to understand?”

She takes his head between her hands approaches it until their foreheads touch. What have they done to deserve such a fate? Probably they are being affected by global karma of humanity and can not escape.

*   *   *

“What hav’you done to him? He looks angry”.

Rei Suzumura drops a newspaper on the coffee table. He has come to the mansion with his concern showing through his sarcasm. Kaoru hears him, and she only can share that feeling. To the alarming news by the TV about mysterious attacks and about people eating insects, all carefully monitored by Gonza, now this joins. She picks up the newspaper.

Dr. Shimizu has revealed the name of Kaoru as the source of the virus that kills the people attacked, adding that she refuses to cooperate to get the antidote. Tomorrow will begin showing the comments by the readers, perhaps today in the newspaper's website. And tomorrow, a swarm of reporters will besiege the house. The damn doctor was not kidding as he said he would not give up. He has declared war on them.

And as later Kouga comes from hunting, what he tells made it clear that they are losing control. He could not finishe off a disguised horror he found in a park, because several bewildered passersby were watching a crow hunt by a single slap, and it was plucked and eaten raw.

“They hide no longer” Kouga concludes. “From anyone. Or are they’re willing to face whatever, or they’re desperate”.

“Or both of them” Rei says. “They act in broad daylight without hesitation, and they really seems more and more. In a few days everything will go to hell” He sets his sight on his colleague. Tomorrow at the meeting I require to give some information or training to a wider or narrower group of no Makai people. I expect your support”.

“Of course”.

*   *   *

As anticipated, early in the morning, less than an hour after Kouga left to the meeting, a lot of reporters invaded the garden, some photographers portrayed the house from all angles and tried to see beyond the curtains covering the windows. Kaoru took refuge upstairs to deaden, as much as possible, the incessant noise from the doorbell. Gonza received instructions not to open and to keep the phone off the hook.

But she can not concentrate on painting. Torn among her regret for not doing something useful, the prudence of not disclosing information that could generate some panic, and the resistance to get her life so upset, she can become just nervous. She beholds the vultures at the garden hovering at ease, ready to pounce on her and dismember her at every opportunity. And they are partly right. Kaoru thinks she could do something to control the horrors, but what? Meshia’s inherited knowledge are fragmented. Even though she knew, she should face Kouga’s opposition.

She can not help but shed a few tears. For the Humanity, whose complacency has reached its end. And for herself, who needs to do something but she can not. She does not know. She does not want. She does not dare.

Exhaustion makes her husband to find her asleep as he comes back. He caresses her face with his thumb to wake her.

His eyes bring grave news. She picks up pieces of his thoughts, which run quickly through his mind. Some villages under the absolute control by the horrors. Women abducted. Shells. Fights between groups of horrors and human groups. Soulmetal shrapnel. Planetay crisis. To inform the authorities. Makai basic training to policemen and soldiers. Designing some new weapons ...

Only fragments. It is a signal of an upset Kouga. And a piece that dominates over the others:to throw her to the doctors’ insatiable jaws. And, somehow, it turns the joy in Kaoru’s heart.

In fact, as he later acknowledged, she only is asked to give a single blood sample for medical research. Kaoru feels relieved, she will retain her life after all.

Sure? What will happen when they discover the oddities that certainly hides her blood? Will they someday leave her alone? Will the highest levels take matters into for reasons of public health?

Kouga feels her anguish and hugs. They are his own fears. Everything will change, and the sooner they accept them, the better.