By Niongi

-The year 2040 in Reality-

“Will you stop whining Kawasaki. They escaped five years ago; there is nothing you can do for your precious pets unless someone reports infected players.” stretched a piece of gum between her teeth.

Five years earlier during a freak blackout the two subjects had escaped, the male fully awake broke out taking the woman with him. The woman did not wake up, her mind was still in the world, she was only a shell; several other players had escaped as well, but most had such severe side effects that they without the careful watch of doctors…died. Now C.C. Corporation hunts down these player with side effects, know as “The Sickness”. These Rouges once caught are kept in the Corporations holdings and their existence is erased from the outside world.

“I am not whining . Simply stating a facet, the Rouges need us or they will suffer this Sickness. Symptoms including severe headaches, dizziness, vomiting, paranoia and hallucination…”

“Yes, yes Kawasaki! I and everyone else have heard all of this before. What else do you have? You aren’t looking hard enough!” Ms. Hintaro slammed her hands on the table. “I want results! What the hell have you been doing? If you’re keeping anything —” She raised her hand to Kawasaki sharply.

“No! , wait…but a moment. Gomen nasai, what you don’t know yet is that the ones we have in captivity have suffered from new symptoms, alterations and reported,” he gulped, “magical powers.”

“What? What the hell are you talking about! Magic powers? You insane little—I’ll have you removed from this project you worthless…”

“Ms. Hintaro, you can look for yourself! I’m not lying. By altered I mean the players bodies, their physical self corresponds to their online character. That is why we cannot trace the first two, their DNA, and physical attributes are not the same. The darli—players, the players no longer exist as player but there characters. They may have telepathy or a type of sixth sense. I have the entire testing scan on the others that have been brought in they aren’t as severe as the older ones.”

Ms. Hintaro clapped her hands together and smiled, “You’re sure about this Kawasaki? My god…I just discovered something that could…why didn’t you find this sooner?”

“If you had let me do what I need to...” Kawasaki trailed off bowing lamely to ’s back. He turned to his desk shifting loose papers.

Her heels clicked softly against the ground. “Never mind it doesn’t matter, I’m going for a cigarette.” The swish of the door followed Hintaro’s exit, off to great the latest lover.

Kawasaki slumped in his chair staring at the nearest holding tank, a beautiful creature light blue hair, pale but buff skin. He had been an administrator once, and needed a bigger tank for his wings. Gorgeous sailing angel wings lazily floated in the water tiny air bubbles covered each wing, occasionally popping to release a sweet fragrance. Kawasaki watched a single bubble float past the pretty angel’s face, not knowing this creatures name they named him Gabriel.

“You’re so beautiful…but you’re not the darlings. I don’t mind spending the night at the lab again. You all need me,” he smiled looking over all of the holding tanks, his gaze rested on two empty tanks. “I’ll stay so I can see my sweethearts come home.”

Black hair disheveled, lab coat wrinkled and mussed Kawasaki jerked up from his computer desk. He looked at the clock and groaned, he had slept for two whole hours. The other patients needed their meds. The corporation had entrusted several other players in Kawasaki’s private care. He saw to their needs, but his heart sought after his first charges. Writing down a few statistics, he stared at these others. “I care for you; I will do so as long as you need me too. They think you will make me happy…”gently touching a few tanks, he smiled softly, “so very happy.” Gently touching the empty blue tanks, he softly ran his fingertips over the cool smooth glass. “Only they will do,” he strengthen his grip his eyes hazed, “only my darlings! Where are you my darlings?” He sobbed pressing his forehead against the glass. “Why did you leave me my beloveds?” The hum of the generator ceased and the lights clicked off. The back up power turned on for the tanks but not the lights. Kawasaki looked into the darkness in awe. “Have I spoken a blasphemy my loves?” Kawasaki whispered, and shivered as he began to sweat he listened to the clock. Tick…tick…tick…tick…every second resonated through his heart. “My dear ones. Are you trying to reach me? What do you…want?”

“Damn it! What happened to the power?” A soft clunk of flesh bumped against the sliding door. “Kawasaki! Where are you? KAWASAKI!” stomped in the room flicking her cigarette onto the floor; rubbing the side of her head, she blindly turned her head around the room. “That little idiot probably got scared and hid in his office. The lights flickered in the darkness ’s dropped her lighter at the sudden darkness of it.

Kawasaki smiled the power was back on he rolled slowly back in forth in his chair, back and forth, back and forth. “See my darlings! I promised I wouldn’t let her hurt you.” He chuckles flicking a lipstick-imprinted cigarette across the room. “Oh gomen!” He laughed and grabbed his lab coat from the desk. “Ms. Hintaro you’ll catch a cold! Let me warm you. Silly girl didn’t you know?” Kawasaki sighed and put the coat on himself straightening it. “Silly, silly girl…baka...baka…I saw you, I did. I saw you using your drugs on these poor creatures…I saw you trying to change them back.” Standing up he stared at the ground gently rocking back and forth on his heels. “ you should listen to your Kawasaki you’ll catch cold on the floor like that.” He clicked his tongue disapprovingly, “I’ll get my assistant to clean you up.” He turned her over, shards of broken glass embedded in her face and torso. “I do this for you my darlings,” pulling a shard of glass from the body he whispered, “all…for you.”

Frowning he turned his body toward the sliding doors. “!” The hard click of heels entered the room, a tiny brown haired women with green eyes bowed to Kawasaki. “Take those off ; from now on you will wear appropriate attire, soft shoes.”

“Yes sir, you called me sir?”

“Saku-chan clean this up, my darlings will be coming home. And what do you say to them?” Kawasaki stared at the shard of glass in his hand contemplating. The brown haired woman looked up and smiled a soft, but wicked smile, “Welcome home, welcome home darlings.”

“Yes welcome...welcome home my precious darlings.” He licked his fingers clean of blood dropping the shard of glass to the floor.

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