DISCLAIMER: The following story is based off of Air Gear.
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It burned.
It burned so bad and yet he could do nothing to fight against it. The pressure had him literally pressed against the wall, unable to even take a fraction of a step forward. The water itself was chilling but his skin felt like it had been lit on fire. For a split second, that agonizing stream was raised to his face, sending his cheek straight against the wall until at last he slumped to the ground in a wet heap. His body twitched just slightly from the cold coursing through his enflamed skin as the boy released a series of violent coughs. The pain from the bump on his head he had received a few days ago was back with a vengeance. With heavy breaths he splashed his way to a standing position, glaring at the wielder of that awful jet of force, unable to do anything as the water struck him full in the chest a second time. The man was stepping closer, making the pressure from that damned hose even more intense until at last a single hoarse cry escaped the boy's mouth. The stream moved and once again the water beat against his face, threatening to tear the very skin off his bones. The water stopped suddenly and the boy fell to his knees, collapsing into an awkward slouch. He could hear voices, possibly someone yelling, but he couldn't make out what was being said. His golden eyes just stared wide and blank, open and yet unseeing. His whole body involuntarily shook from the strange mixture of scorching pain and the icy chill. Then the child did not move at all.
"Why the hell did you tell Kirin to turn off the water?" Nian snarled as he turned on the brunette standing behind him. He had only just begun his fun only to have it cut off so quickly but the brown haired idiot.
"Hel~lo, we kinda want to keep her in one piece. Shit Nian, how the hell do you expect to get any money for her if you keep roughing her up like that?" Gio responded indignantly as he dropped the hose and crossed his arms. He stared at Nian, meeting the other's glare with an equally cold glare of his own. Nian clenched his teeth, knowing Gio was right but loathing to admit it. The boy would sell for more if he was in decent condition, he knew that. He grudgingly accepted that the sooner his visible bruises healed up the sooner they would be rid of the little shit.
"Fine. You want to take care of this prick then I leave all the cleaning to you and Kirin. That includes taking care of packing up the kid," Nian growled as he let the heavy hose tip clatter to the ground. He stalked passed Gio and headed up the stairs.
Gio turned and watched him go, frowning at him as he left.
"Damn, just cause he doesn't get to play doesn't mean he can shlip off all the cleaning duties to us…and I sure as hell don't want to be the one to move her…" mumbled the goggle wearing man. He turned back to glance at Akito. The kid hadn't moved, not even to look up.
"Hey. Angel." Gio called to the child, keeping his stance by the door. He wasn't going to fall for her tricks like his little underlings did. He waited a moment, but she didn't respond.
"A~ngel. … anyone home over there?" He taunted playfully with a smirk. Once again he was completely disregarded. He cocked his head as he surveyed the child. She was deathly still except for the occasional shiver.
"You alright kid?" He finally started moving closer, each step wary. He stopped halfway between the door and Akito, leaning over slightly to look at the child
" Come on~ I'll give you a cookie later if you talk to me now." He baited. He huffed as his bribe was ignored and the kid continued to stare blankly at the floor. Gio was close enough to realize something was off and his curiosity got the better of him. He walked over to Akito, still slumped over on the ground. He bent down about a foot in front of the captive, leaning his arms on his knees. He whistled, trying to gain the kid's attention. Still no luck.
"What the hell's the point of it? Seriously…" Gio started as he stared at the child's face, watching as the boy shivered again. He leaned his head further down, trying to get a good look at Akito's dripping wet face. At last he was acknowledged, though the acknowledgement was brief. The child's right eye had slitted like a cat's, locking onto Gio for a moment, but quickly returned to staring at what looked like nothing. That single moment under such a demonic gaze was all Gio needed to jump back.
"Kirin. Something's wrong with her." He finally called after another moment of surveying their angel and noting she still hadn't moved from her spot on the floor even when he had been right in front of her. Kirin sighed as he made his way to the door.
"What?" He asked flatly, looking at Gio and waiting calmly.
"I dunno. She's not really… responding right is all." He said as he once more began to approach the chained up captive. He hesitated a moment when the child shivered again, but continued on until he was standing beside Akito. Carefully he reached out a hand and rested it on Akito's head. Surprisingly the only response he got was the tiniest of flinches and for all Gio knew it could have been an automatic response. Gio was well aware Nian had hit her in the head and he was betting it was still sore.
Kirin watched with growing curiosity as Akito let Gio rest his hand on his head when he wouldn't even let anyone touch him earlier. Kirin's shoulders drooped as his curiosity won out and at last he made his way over to investigate. He walked briskly and without hesitation until he was kneeling in front of the boy.
"Akito?" He said calmly before blinking in surprise. Gio looked at Kirin, leaning his arm casually on Akito's head as he addressed his friend.
"I dunno man. I mean, it's not even like it's cute or anything. Nothing looks wrong with her at all right?" Gio said, motioning to Akito. Kirin furrowed his brow before he tipped his head at another realization. Akito wasn't staring at nothing… he was staring at the eye patch that sat dead center on his face. Both eyes were wide open and both were trained on that little sodden scrap of white. Kirin just didn't understand it. Akito's eyes both looked completely fine, so why the patch? The boy shivered again and Kirin noticed that with each shiver Akito just barely leaned either left or right.
"A…Agi"
Kirin blinked at the tiny sound that stuttered its way through the boy's lips, but soon Akito was silent again. The boy was turning his head, the movement jerky and slow and his left eye flickered to Kirin for a fraction of a second. Kirin jerked in surprise at the familiarity in that eye. He suddenly trained his gaze on the right eye, which was narrowing and still slitted. The young boy's teeth clenched and suddenly he swung his head to the side. Gio jumped back away from the kid who had gone rigid again as the eye patch shifted just a bit further over that left eye. Now the body was continuously shaking with the occasional forceful jerk of the head. Kirin stared in astonishment at the two eyes sitting on the boy's face. The left one looked pleading, desperate even. The right one looked victorious as the body started to straighten up a bit. Kirin decided right then and there to move the patch himself, covering the narrowed slitted eye. He doubted it would do anything, but that single angry eye was unnerving.
The boy gasped and instantly fell forward against Kirin. Akito blinked a few times, a wide golden eye trying its best to focus. At last he looked up at the completely confused face of the blonde.
"…Kirin?" He asked as if he was unsure. Agito had won control, Akito was almost positive, and yet he was the one in the real world right now. He smiled that same warm grin that Kirin hadn't seen in days as he mumbled a thank you. Akito leaned back so he was sitting up by himself again. His body hurt and he flinched as the pain reminded him just how badly he was injured. He thought a moment about trying to stand, but he honestly doubted he had the strength. He took deep breaths, trying to deal with the aching sensation that rippled through his body. Why had Agito always wanted to handle this kind of pain himself? The two personalities had both been vying for control of the body, both trying to protect the other. Akito had known there was no fighting the abuse, but the least he could do was take it himself. He looked up at Kirin again, then to Gio.
"Who… stopped him? The man with the hose?" He asked. Both of the other men were just staring at the child. Gio glanced at Kirin, but the other was too busy pondering something to notice. He returned his attention to Akito. The kid's tone of voice was completely different. It was more like the one she had that first week, albeit a bit more strained and tired.
"Gio did." Kirin said turning his head to survey Akito's reaction, particularly the boy's expression and eye. Akito's attention jumped to Kirin as he spoke, but quickly returned to the brunette.
"Thank you. Very much." He managed to say with a smile and genuine gratitude written all over his face. He flinched back suddenly as pain shot through his body yet again. Gio sighed, rubbing his hair and walking over to bend down beside the kid.
"Yeah whatever angel." He said. He watched Kirin lift his hand and place it on Akito's head. Akito smiled under the touch and let his body relax. Gio looked at Kirin's baffled expression until the blonde pulled his hand back and immediately left the room.
"… Kirin?" Gio stood soon after, setting off after Kirin. He turned his head to glance at Akito. The child was staring after them with a concerned look. Concern for Kirin. His eyebrows creased in confusion as he faced forward and headed out the door.
"Yo. Kirin." A hand shot out and grabbed the blonde's shoulder just as he put a foot on the first step. "Talk to me." Gio said sternly, a simple command and straight to the point. Kirin hesitated but finally turned, looking passed Gio and at the door that stood slightly ajar.
"I just don't get it. Why?" Kirin said vaguely, but Gio seemed to have a general idea what he meant and he honestly had no clue either. Kirin stood still, looking down and thinking hard about what just happened.
Was it another trick? Akito's eye was so different from before. Now that he thought about it, that eye patch… what eye had it originally been covering? Kirin couldn't for the life of him remember. He hadn't paid close enough attention to that little detail. He knew one thing though. That eye he saw in there just now… that was the eye of the boy he had been talking to every morning and evening. He tried to think about the other eye. It was cold and dark, so unlike the warm and naïve left eye. He held his head, trying to straighten out his thoughts. Could an eye patch really cause such a change? That would be completely ridiculous. But then again, why bother with wearing an eye patch in the first place? It had to have a reason and this could be it no matter how illogical it sounded. Another thought rebounded to Kirin. Something the boy had said during his last encounter with him.
Kirin looked up at Gio with an unasked question. Gio had no answer as he didn't know what Kirin wanted. Kirin blinked before pushing past his friend back towards the door. He pulled it completely open. Akito had slumped all the way down to the floor, lying on his chest in the cold puddle that had formed beneath him. Gio peeked over Kirin's shoulder curiously as the blonde just monitored the child within. Kirin walked further into the room, keeping his steps as quiet as possible. Gio wasn't as quiet and a single splash made Akito's head lift out of the puddle it had been resting in. He looked up at Kirin and once again smiled. Kirin looked down at the pathetic looking scrap of a child, just quietly staring. Gio was the one to finally break the strange silence.
"Hey angel. You feeling okay?" He said, more to try to taunt the kid into being snippy with him as she had been the past few days. He was surprised when Akito tipped her head and smiled at him now.
"Not really. My body feels like it was rubbed against sand paper for a few hours" He said as he lowered his head back onto the ground. It took too much energy to hold it up any longer. Gio and Kirin looked at each other.
"And what about him? How is he feeling?" Kirin asked suddenly. Akito turned his eye up to Kirin in surprise and slight confusion, but his tiny smile soon reformed on his pale face.
"He's angry at you. For a lot of things, but right now he's mad you moved our eye patch."
Kirin looked away, his brow once again creased as his mind strung things together. Gio shook his head in confusion.
"Our? He? Who's he? Hey, what the hell are you two talking about? Fill me in on your little secret mystery person." Gio groaned as he looked between the two. He started tapping his foot to fill the silence that followed. Kirin bent down and knelt in the puddle, but Akito did not lift his head this time. He wanted to go to sleep so badly.
"Akito, when did I last visit you?" Kirin asked calmly.
"You brought food today." Akito said quietly, but Kirin shook his head.
"I asked when I last visited you." Kirin repeated and Gio stared at him like he was crazy. After a moment, Akito finally answered, surprising Gio yet again with the reply.
" …Right before the mean man with the narrow eyes came in and hit me the first time" Akito answered in an even more hushed voice. Akito let his eye close and slowly Kirin reached out a hand and touched the boy's head. He gently brushed his hand along Akito's soaked hair, resulting in a faint smile slipping onto the boy's face at the warmth of the touch. Kirin continued to stroke Akito's hair for a while. The boy was definitely smart enough to try to trick them, and Kirin wasn't even sure if this was really how he was or if the child was just faking the act. He glanced away from the motionless child as Gio walked over. The brunette bent down and scooped Akito up in his arms, making a face as the child's dripping hair wet his shirt. Kirin watched Gio carry the sleeping form over to a dry portion of the wall before he sat himself down and leaned back. Kirin raised an eyebrow at the sight of Gio letting the kid sleep against him like that and Gio motioned for Kirin to come over. The blonde did, sitting down beside his friend. He didn't have to actually ask Gio to get his question across. The brunette shrugged.
"She's been through a lot today. Besides the ground ain't exactly comfortable… and she'd get sick if she slept in a puddle…" Gio said nonchalantly as he shifted himself slightly. Kirin silently chuckled and leaned against the wall himself.
"And you say I'm a softie." He murmured.
"You are. I'm a realist. Like I told your brother, don't damage the merchandise. Now would you mind filling me in on the angel here? Clearly you aren't telling me something." Gio replied, keeping his voice low. Kirin sighed.
"I'm starting to wonder if there's more than one Akito." He replied honestly. Gio gave him an incredulous look before glancing at the bundle curled up on his lap.
"What like, something possessing her?" He asked and Kirin chuckled lightly.
"Possessing? I guess that's one way to put it. It's just, that time he attacked me he said something about Akito. Why would he refer to himself in third person?" Kirin voiced a question that had been nagging at him. Everything made more sense if there really was more than one Akito.
"Actually… she did that too right when me and Nian walked in with the hose. She said something directed at 'Akito'." Gio said with a nod of his head. After a moment he glanced at Kirin with a sly grin. "I told you she wasn't right in the head" Kirin rolled his eyes.
"He."
Gio chuckled as he let his eyes fall back onto the sleeping mass. Kirin couldn't argue with Gio about Akito being crazy. What if he really did have a mental disorder? What if there really were multiple people inside that little body?
The blue haired boy cuddled against the warmth and the softness of the bed. It was so much softer than the hard floor and stone wall he'd be sleeping against for however long he'd been trapped. He could feel the heat of another body beside him and made a motion to wrap his arms around Ikki whose bed he had to be in. Everything else had clearly been a dream.
Akito frowned as his arms would not come out from behind him and at last he opened his eye. He blinked rapidly, realizing he wasn't in a bed at all and Ikki was nowhere in sight. He looked up in confusion to see a smirking man with goggles hanging on his neck smirking at him.
"Have a good nap angel?" He asked. He laughed at Akito's confused expression as the child realized why the ground had felt so soft. Akito sighed and leaned against Gio again, this time fully aware of what he was doing. His body was still exhausted. Gio looked down at the child curiously, noticing that a tiny frown was on the angel's face instead of her usual smile.
"When can I go home?" Akito asked quietly. Gio looked at Akito a moment before answering just as quietly.
"After you get a new master." He watched Akito, who surprisingly didn't react as expected. The child just seemed to accept Gio's answer. He told himself he shouldn't keep being surprised by the kid.
Beside Gio, Kirin finally stirred. He jumped, startled he had fallen into a doze, but slowly calmed as he realized Gio was beside him with Akito still in his arms. He focused on the boy and offered a small guarded smile which was instantly returned with a large warm one.
"Akito, you and Kirin were talking earlier about another person. You remember? Can you tell me who that was?" Gio asked, calling Akito's attention to the brunette. Akito thought for a moment before nodding slowly.
"Agito," he replied simply. Kirin suddenly realized what Akito's tiny stutter meant when he was sitting in the water with the eye patch in the center of his face.
"Do you talk to Agito a lot?" Kirin asked. Gio glanced at Kirin a moment, but soon returned to await Akito's answer. He was kind of curious to hear this.
"Sometimes." Another short reply but it was still helping to slip the puzzle pieces into place.
"Can you talk to him right now?" Kirin continued to question and Akito nodded before looking off to the side as if he was listening to something. He blushed and shook his head lightly. Kirin cocked an eyebrow.
"You can't then?" He pushed and Akito immediately looked at Kirin and shook his head again.
"No no, I can. Agito just uh… he just said" Akito turned away from Kirin and was looking at Gio now, which earned him another raised eyebrow. "He said if it was him in this position, you'd be in a lot of pain right now. Except Agito used different words when he said it." Akito explained. He started to chuckle but stopped immediately, frowning at his bruised ribs.
"You are one hell of a scary son of a bitch, you know that?" Gio said with a smirk. Akito attempted to smile back, but again his laughter had a nasty side effect.
"Alright, we have a job to do." Gio announced as he lifted Akito up and placed him on the ground beside him. Akito leaned back against the wall, slight disappointment on his face. Gio looked at Kirin who nodded and stood ups as well.
"I'll get Jaden." He said quickly as he headed for the door. Gio turned back to Akito, folding his arms.
"Don't worry. I'm not a stuck up prick like Nian. Just stay calm alright?" He said soothingly. Akito was confused by his words until he saw Gio walk over to that horrible metal thing on the ground. The boy's heart clenched as Gio picked up the hose. Mentally Agito was raging. Nian was apparently the name of the man with the braid, and Nian was the name of Kirin's brother.
Kirin watched as he held the hose behind Gio. He had gotten another member of their gang to work the flow control. He was using this chance to observe Akito. The boy's eyes were locked on the spray of water, following each and every movement carefully and warily. Every time the water even drew even faintly close to him, Kirin could see him tense up and shy away. He was afraid and Kirin couldn't blame him. He was more impressed with Akito's ability to control his fear so well. Unlike a normal child who would hide themselves from that which frightens them Akito never took his eye off of it.
Gio lowered the hose to the ground after effectively dousing the majority of the chamber. It already began to smell better. He motioned with his head for Kirin to move Akito. Their little Angel was in no shape to stand and Gio couldn't spray that side of the room with the kid sitting there. Kirin dropped his bit of the hose and headed over. Akito kept his eye trained on the nozzle of the hose, even as Kirin pulled him to his wobbly legs and helped him over to the cleaned area. Akito slipped right back down into his seated position like a puppet being placed on a shelf. His face was a mask; a blank mask. Kirin hesitated a moment before going back to the hose and helping Gio clean the remainder of the room. It wasn't until the hose was out the room that Akito finally relaxed.
Akito took a deep breath, ignoring the sounds of dripping water and the chill from the moisture in the air. He glanced up as he realized the door was left open. It didn't really matter of course as he couldn't even stand up by himself. He waited, watching Kirin head over to what looked like stairs. Gio said something to him and looked back inside. Akito wondered just how awful he looked right then. He looked down and noticed with horror his poor dress was in tatters. He saddened at the thought. He had really like this dress too. Agito was scoffing in the back of his mind which caused the little boy to crack a smile again.
"Akito"
Akito looked up at the sound of his name. Kirin was walking over to him and kneeled down in front of him. Akito greeted him warmly and smiled. Once again Kirin just couldn't understand the child, so happy even after what just happened.
"It's time to go. You're getting a new room." He told the blue haired boy. Akito gave him a look that said he knew Kirin was trying to play him.
"Not just a room. I'm going to a whole new building aren't I?" Akito replied, and though Kirin did not answer, he knew he was correct. He saw a movement to the side and his eyes trailed down to Kirin's hand. The blonde man held a cloth that had been wet with something. Akito could just make out the smell of something strange in the air and immediately his confused eyes went back to the light hazel eyes of his captor. Kirin lifted the cloth and leaned nearer to the child.
"Sorry about this" He muttered calmly as he moved the cloth closer to the boy. He hesitated at Akito's hurt expression. He looked hurt and betrayed by this simplest of actions. Kirin had a gut feeling that Akito wouldn't try anything, but his mind wasn't as sure. He suddenly felt something on his wrist and looked up to see Gio standing beside him. Gio pushed Kirin's arm the rest of the distance. Kirin looked back down to Akito, whose eye was already starting to flutter closed as he inhaled the chloroform on the rag. The boy let out a quiet sound as he slumped forward onto Kirin's lap, his mind embracing unconsciousness. Kirin looked up at Gio questioningly.
"Would you rather Nian knock her out?" He asked quietly and instantly Kirin turned away. Gio pulled a key out of his back pocket and put it inside the lock of the thick cuffs around Akito's wrists. He frowned at the sight of the ragged flesh that was revealed beneath the metal shackles.
"It wouldn't have been this bad if she hadn't used the chain as a fucking weapon" He mumbled. Kirin turned to glance at the damage and ended up staring. He reached out a hand and gently touched the very ends of the raw bloodied flesh.
"We will have to clean this… I'm surprised he never complained about it." Kirin murmured. With the cuffs off he could see the full extent of the damage. He was glad Akito was unconscious now. Fresh air on this nasty of a cut wouldn't have been a pleasant feeling.
"She's a tough one. I'm not surprised at all. She's not the type to whine about her injuries." Gio replied as he tossed the chain away. He lifted Akito up in his arms.
"He. Seriously Gio." Kirin replied as he soon stood up as well, looking at the limp ragdoll of a creature cradled in Gio's arms. Kirin put the cloth away in his pocket and followed Gio as he headed towards the door. The duo waited at the top of the steps with the angel until they heard the gentle tap on the opposite side of the door. Kirin opened it, revealing the empty pool hall. Gio quickly walked in and over to the back area. He leaned against the swinging doors that led to the employee's quarters.
"Get your brother and tell him to hurry his ass up. It's time to go." He barked at Kirin. Kirin rolled his eyes and shooed the older man who disappeared into the back room. Kirin looked towards the stairs and headed up.
"Nian" He called. His brother glanced up from his lounging position on the couch.
"Done so soon? Damn I was enjoying my break" He yawned as he snuffed out his cigarette on the arm of the couch.
"Nian, he's only a kid you know." Kirin muttered, but his brother glared with icy eyes.
"Kirin it doesn't matter how old they are got it? We've been in this business for how many years now, why the fuck are you letting this one get to you so much?" Nian demanded an answer, but his brother couldn't give him one.
"Look little brother, why don't you just sit the rest of this out huh?" Nian offered as he finally stood up and walked over to his sibling. Kirin hesitated. It would be the easiest thing to do for sure. No more doubts, no more worries. He could just cut himself out of this now and it wouldn't be his problem anymore…but could it really be that easy?
"Don't decide now. Think about it. I know you; you over analyze everything, so take your time and go through whatever the hell list your brain works up." Nian said as he laid a hand on sandy blonde hair and ruffled it. Kirin pushed his hand away, glaring at Nian who only chuckled.
"Come on. We've gotta get going." Kirin said as he headed back downstairs with Nian following behind him at a leisurely pace. The siblings walked straight out the back doors towards the waiting Gio. The brunette was leaning against a dark blue car with completely tinted windows. No doubt their prize was inside.
"The hell, I said hurry up" Gio grumbled and soon he and Nian were passing petty insults. Kirin shook his head and slipped inside his own black car in the passenger seat beside his brother. Gio rode with another of their crew with Akito sprawled across the back seats. Soon they were off, back on the road. Kirin turned his head to glance out the window, watching the dark silhouettes of the buildings pass by. He caught sight of skaters jumping along the rooftops, zooming around on their motor powered rollerblades. He lost them once one stopped to survey the area. Kirin sighed and lazily watched the town become a highway. The inner city was waiting.
