Rurouni Kenshin Fan Fiction ❯ Red Poppies ❯ Inside Walls ( Chapter 2 )

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Much Love,

S-girl

~ Red Poppies ~

"Loneliness is the human condition. We are alone, and forsaken by any greater or divine power.

"There is no God. We killed Him with our unrelenting search for truth, yet we hold His emaciated corpse up upon a pedestal of worship and call ourselves virtuous.

"Some say that they want to be alone. In truth, they only want what they think as being alone. They don't understand yet that everyone already is alone. We can fool ourselves and surround ourselves with others, all strangers in essence. If humanity ever realizes just how isolated each individual is, then it will be the end.

"So humans huddle together in ignorantly proud cities. Metal and glass tower over the defiled bodies of ancient forests. Moving containers of pollution barrel down desolate swathes of darkness beneath the coruscating of a million imprisoned suns.

"God may be dead, but this is the age of loneliness, of humanity."

* * *

An obese man reclined with carefully posed nonchalance in a black leather chair. The white linen of his shirt strained across the rolls of flesh with determination. Sausage fingers, each nail a perfectly filed oval, gripped a gold plated pen and tapped it thoughtfully against the polished top of the oak desk. Sharp black eyes picked over the insolently calm man standing in the doorway. With a slight inclination of his balding head he beckoned the visitor inside. One soft hand stabbed at a chair and the visitor accepted it with a cynical smile.

"Saitou Hajime, welcome." The director's voice rumbled out in a sort of gurgling baritone, yet each syllable rang with implacable authority. Saitou nodded briefly all the while calmly drawing upon his cigarette. The director's eyes narrowed briefly. "This is a no-smoking facility."

"So I was told." The director shrugged and dropped the subject with resigned annoyance. Saitou exhaled and watched the grayish smoke rise in lacey curls to the ceiling.

"Candidly speaking, I don't want you here. I've read your file, many times, and I feel that, due to the circumstances surrounding the incident, you are not fit for this position. However, the Board deems you suitable."

"I must remember to thank them."

"We service the mentally incapable, but our staff must be comprised of individuals free from mental problems."

"Of course," Saitou replied coolly.

"You came home one night to find your entire family slaughtered. Most would say that experience would irreparably damage the mental condition, of which we are very concerned about here," the director murmured as he eyed the amber-eyed man with probing shrewdness. The visitor continued to smirk coolly.

"I understand."

"However, you have passed all the evaluations and tests, and I have no choice but to concede my own opinion in the face of the Board's decision. I welcome you to your new position as Head Officer of the City's police department."

"Thank you." With a nod Saitou stood and walked calmly towards the door.

"One more thing, Saitou." The director clicked the pen authoritatively against the desktop. "I know the truth. You have all the privileges allotted to your position, but no more. The Outside government will not find anything wrong with this institute. No matter how many plants they place here, we are impregnable."

"I shall keep that in mind."

"Act with caution. We value our privacy."

"Of course."

~

The secretary gave him a dirty look as he stepped out of the elevator. Saitou nodded goodbye and exited the glass building. Outside a watery sun rode between drifts of gray clouds and illuminated the utilitarian desolation. A few people moved slowly or briskly along the sidewalks. His car was the only one parked next to a building. In fact, it was the only one he had seen so far. Apparently the City did not trust its permanent inhabitants behind the wheel.

He tossed the much-contested cigarette to the unnaturally clean sidewalk and crushed it with the toe of his boot. The white paper stood out like a downed albino elephant against the pitted gray of the concrete. He stared at it, at its audacious presence, and felt a grain of morbid triumph. Something ethereal and pleasing existed in the destruction of artificial perfection.

~

The young woman stood at the crosswalk and waited patiently for the walk signal to come on. Saitou watched with puzzled amusement. His light was red and no other cars were present, if any others even existed; yet she continued to wait upon the blue walk figure to appear. As if sensing his eyes, she turned and peered through the tinted glass.

Then the walk signal flashed on and she walked across.

* * *

A car…Kaoru hadn't seen one of those in a long time.

~

Kamiya Kaoru, Case file 119KK:

Type: 97a, 12j, 333r

Mother: Deceased, file not found

Occupation: Unknown

Father: Deceased, file encrypted

Occupation: Police officer.

Siblings: N/A

Guardian: Deceased, file encrypted

Relationship: Great aunt

Occupation: N/A

History:

Father killed while on duty when patient was 15 years of age. Great aunt gained guardianship. Aunt died of massive stroke two months afterwards. Patient sent to orphanage in [~~~~]. Attempted to take own life. Sent to the City's Center for Disturbed Youth. At eighteen the patient was released to the City proper. Still in residence as of most recent update.

Mental Analysis:

On arrival the patient was incapable of forming closer interpersonal relationships until the successful completion of three years of youth therapy administered by Himura Kenshin. The patient still suffers from a debilitating fear of abandonment (attributed to the sudden deaths of father and great aunt), sleep walking and nightmares. Current therapy has almost cured the tendency to sleepwalk. Further sessions required.

Possible Release Date: Unknown

~

The doctor could cognate all he wanted, but Kaoru knew she was in love. She wasn't looking for some paternal replacement for a father too soon taken. She just…

He had been her youth therapist. He had been the first person she could trust not to leave her since her aunt's death. He had promised not to leave, and he kept it. A small smile crossed her face. He kept his promise.

Perhaps…No, there was always her. Was it wrong to feel threatened by a woman long dead? The doctor seemed to think so. What did he know?

She raised her head and sought some divine answer in the unblemished gray of the sky. Was she happy? Certainly not, but maybe some glimmering edge of contentment kept her remaining sanity in check. She lived with him now, though he treated her like a younger, slightly helpless sister. If forced to choose between that and the unknown, then she would not beg for more.

* * *

The sable wings of night brushed darkness across the gray blandness of the City. With perfect synchronization the sulfur colored streetlights flickered on. No cars sped by. No people promenaded down the sidewalk. The City was dead after sundown. The curfew for all residents was at sundown. No patients out after dark, no exceptions.

A thin line of gray smoke trailed upward from the lit end of a white cigarette. Saitou Hajime exhaled slowly. Statistics said that nicotine product related deaths were on the rise. Perhaps, one day, his single pleasure would blink him out of existence. He had always assumed something dramatic and bloody would lay claim to his life, but lung cancer and heart disease was a close second.

No exceptions.

A pale wraith of a figure drifted down the street past his tightly closed window. He watched it with heavy-lidded, amber eyes.

* * *

"In the early stages of the City's planning, all resident houses were on timed locking system. Each house would be locked down at sunset and then unlock at precisely five thirty in the morning. However, this proved to be a fire safety hazard as [Data corruption]

"Thereafter, a curfew has been instated and rigidly upheld. No further incidents have been recorded. The City is proud to announce that, after a few errors, all systems are fully functional, guaranteeing comfort and help for all inhabitants."

* * *

Ghosts were fictitious imaginings of the young, mentally infirm, and money hungry mediums. Despite every advance in technology, no indisputable, uncontestable evidence for paranormal activity had been recorded. With the facts lying so plainly on the metaphorical table, Saitou Hajime felt no inclination to believe the pale apparition to be anything but a patient who had, for some mysterious reason, decided to break curfew and incur the City's wrath.

Stubbing the cigarette out in an ashtray, he stood and walked over to the door. He really didn't need to bother on the one hand, it being his off shift, but on the other hand he never believed in 'off duty.'

A cool autumn wind swept past his face and swirled into the comfortably warm house. Checking to make sure he didn't accidentally lock himself out, Saitou stepped outside. The City truly was dead after sundown. No lights glowed in any house. The night was completely silent, completely still, save the breeze and ethereal figure meandering in an unsteady path down the sidewalk.

Something about the City prevented, or at least seemed to prevent, the raising of one's voice. Not finding a raised voice necessary, Saitou sprinted with controlled deliberation to the figure's side.

The wraith turned into a petite girl, pale of skin with a delicate, heart-shaped face. Long black hair hung in twisted knots down the girl's back. She stopped suddenly and turned to face the man. Wide, indigo eyes stared vacantly at him for a moment before sliding close. Without a sound the girl toppled backwards. He caught her with the minimum of motion.

~

It was common knowledge among staff and residents that the residents each had their own identification code tattooed at the nape of neck. It looked like a barcode found on most purchasable items, but, instead of reading the price, a scanner would read name and address of the resident, as well as all relevant medical information. Apparently the staff in charge of tattooing had taken it upon themselves to be creative in regards to the girl resting on Hajime Saitou's couch.

For the life of him he couldn't find the barcode on the back of her neck. Shrugging back exasperation he checked her pale wrists, noting the puckered white line running along the veins on one of them, and ankles. He lit a cigarette and scrutinized the girl thoughtfully. If he were a bored staff member, where would he put the code? If the person had been a male, he could just guess where. He would have to have a talk with the head of Records about this slip up, or practical joke.

He was unable to call in for a pickup until he could identify the resident, and without the barcode he couldn't identify the unconscious girl. His quiet evening had turned into a rather irritating inconvenience. Resting the cigarette in one of the numerous ashtrays dispersed about his house, he decided for a thorough check of the girl's skin was in order. He knelt beside and rolled up the left pant leg of her moon spotted pajamas. Idly he wondered how old she was. Finding no tattoo he tried the other leg, pushing the cloth high up her thigh. Still nothing.

He sat back and frowned slightly. This was proving to be an exasperating game, though his face never revealed the fact. Perhaps this was some sort of twisted test on the part of the Director. That wouldn't surprise him in the least. The unpleasant, obese man seemed the sort to enjoy making hell out of the lives of people he disliked. Saitou grinned knowing he had entered that vaunted list without trying. However, having an enemy that high up would prove a minor hindrance in the course of his extra-professional duties in the City. The Outside was quite determined to mine out the secrets of the City and it's Board. And Saitou was the miner.

A tight, arrogant smile curved his lips briefly. He took a quick drag from his cigarette and decided to investigate the abdominal region of the girl. If anyone saw him, he would have a difficult time explaining. To any passerby it would appear he was about to molest the girl. He grinned coldly at the thought. He had no desire to and nobody dared to walk outside in the City, save, apparently, the dark-haired girl. Casually he pushed up the silky pajama top and inspected the unmarked stomach. Unmarked. Damn. He would have to investigate higher.

Before he could the girl's blue eyes snapped open and she stared at him in inarticulate shock. Then she raised one small hand and slapped him. His breath hissed out and he gently touched his stinging cheek. Should have seen that coming, he thought bemusedly.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" the girl shrieked in a particularly shrill voice. She clutched her arms protectively over her chest and curled up into a ball, as if she expected him to ravish her at any moment. He straightened and gave her a wry smirk.

"What were you doing walking around past curfew?"

"What?"

Saitou gestured towards the darkened night beyond his windows as he picked up his cigarette. The girl followed his every move with animal wariness. With a suspicious scowl in his direction she turned to glance through the windows. Her already pale skin turned a shade whiter and she jumped up.

"Oh my god!" she shrieked.

"Indeed."

"Wait…Who are you? What am I doing here?"

"I am the new Head Officer of the City's police department. And I found you outside," he replied with cold amusement. She glared at him. "May I ask, for convenience's sake, where your ID code is?"

"ID code?"

"I was looking for it when you misinterpreted my actions and reacted violently." She flushed and clenched her small hands. He could read the embarrassed anger flooding her petite frame. She had no control over her emotions, or very little.

"It's on my back," she grated out. "Can I just call my guardian?" He looked her over carefully.

"Guardian? How old are you?"

"That's none of your business! And can I?" He cocked his head to one side and thoughtfully inhaled the acrid, nicotine filled smoke. "Please?" He nodded towards the phone. He would let her handle this unless he felt the need for intervention. The sooner she was gone, the sooner he could continue his evening without distraction.

He watched her quickly dial her guardian's number and listened to her hysterics-tinged voice talk with the person on the other line. He exhaled slowly. He had never developed much patience when it came to little girls. Silently he hoped her guardian would pick her up soon. Funny, he had figured her to be at least eighteen.

* * * *

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