Matters of the Heart
Feb. 13th, 2012 09:45 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
esp_dragonFandom: Noblesse
Summary: The matters of the heart are not forgotten forever.
Rating: PG-13
Contains: Alternate interpretation of canon events.
Notes: This idea has been bouncing around in my head since![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
lucathia_rykatu wrote The Names of his Comrades.
I am completely unrepentant in the way I have titled and summarised this. >D
Genre: Horror/Angst
Word count: 1,210
Status: Work in progress.
"Shh. It's all right; the pain will only last for a little while – you can bear with that, can't you?"
M-21's eyes snapped open, and he struggled to breathe, his throat tight. What had he just…? That had been Frankenstein's voice, he was certain of that, but… The walls had been large, thick stone, and the room had stank of blood and terror.
He rubbed his eyes with his fingers, trying to calm his racing heart. It was just a dream, no matter how vivid it had been while he was sleeping; far better than a nightmare, M-21 supposed, though it had been verging on that.
That was the last time he was going to marathon watching movies that Tao had suggested.
It didn't take long before M-21's eyelids began to droop again and he drifted back to sleep.
* * *
M-21's head hurt when he woke up the morning and he didn't know why. He didn't bother to hide his discomfort, because everyone would know just by looking at him anyway.
There was also something in the air that set M-21's teeth on edge, twisting his stomach but he couldn't place what it was. Was Frankenstein trying a new ramen recipe?
"Morning!" Tao's snaked his arm over M-21's shoulder. "…Hey, you all right?" Tao asked, peering at him.
"I had a weird dream," M-21 told him, nodding to Takeo, who had just left his room. "I can't remember what happened in it," he continued before Tao asked.
Tao hummed, rubbing his chin. "Maybe you'll remember later. But anyway, we don't want to be late!"
They had enough time and Tao knew that, but the three of them still hurried out the door, just in case.
* * *
Over the course of the morning, M-21's headache eventually faded, though it came back at random times and not in any pattern that he could see. It stayed away the most when he was outside and M-21 found himself patrolling the playground more the closer it got to the end of the day.
It was when he was waiting for Tao to open the front door that the unease started to rise in M-21 again, something in him wanting to stay away.
There were eyes on him and M-21 looked up to see Takeo watching him, his forehead creased. "What's wrong?"
He couldn't answer because he didn't know himself, so he gave Takeo a half-shrug. It was getting clearer that whatever it was, it was tied to the house, but his body was reacting at the school as well. What connection did they have with each other?
M-21 only realised what the two had in common after he had entered the house and just before his gaze settled on Frankenstein.
Frankenstein smiled at them in greeting and M-21 knew it was in greeting because he had seen it so many times before, but something in M-21 shrieked in terror at the sight, desperately wanting him to run out the door as fast as his legs could go and never come back.
"M-21!" Takeo's hand gripped him by the shoulder and M-21 found he had twisted himself around, on the verge of actually fleeing.
He started shaking as he righted himself, trying to think past his dizzying thoughts, but the more he did, the clearer they became.
'Run away-'
'-never going to stop.'
'STAY AWAY FROM ME!'
Those were his thoughts. But he had never thought them – he couldn't remember when he had thought them. His head was buzzing, and it felt like his sense of touch was heightened – all of his senses were heightened, but what he was seeing and scenting weren't actually in the room. It was too dark when he knew the lights were on, and he could smell mould and dirt but-
"-21."
That was – that was Takeo's voice and M-21 seized that familiarity with all he could.
"-and we're getting really worried. So's Takeo, even though he'd never admit it – M-21?"
Takeo and Tao's faces blurred back into view and M-21 just stared at them, waiting to see if everything would lurch out of sync again. It didn't, thankfully, and M-21 took a shuddering breath, just trying to not think about what had happened, just in case that set whatever-it-was off again.
"Boss?"
…And that had been what the trigger was. Frankenstein lived here, he owned the school, and it was the image of him smiling that had caused…that. But why would… M-21 had been living with him for months now – why would his presence suddenly affect him so much?
"Your memories are coming back." A statement from that person and something inside M-21 flinched at hearing his voice.
"They can't be," he choked out, his vision swimming again. "I'm remembering you." They had never met before…had they? He had spent so many years with the Union - but that was irrelevant if it involved Frankenstein.
M-21 heard a sigh and he had a violent urge to be sick, expecting a barrage of pain to assault him.
He had never reacted this badly to the Union's scientists and –
M-21's thoughts halted, then veered in another direction. If he was getting his memories back, and what they contained was Frankenstein experimenting on him…
That… No. He couldn't have been. But that was the only shred out of everything he could piece together that made sense.
"You experimented on me before the Union did?" he said, barely able to get the words out. Because if that were true… Because if that were true, then…
"Yes."
M-21's legs crumpled under him, his palms slamming into the carpet. Frankenstein had stopped experimenting on people a long time ago, he knew that much. And if he had read between the lines correctly, then Frankenstein had stopped experimenting on people before Rai had hibernated.
So, just how old was he?
Wait. "You knew who I" –was? am?- "was and never told me?" M-21 raised his head to stare at Frankenstein. Had Frankenstein known his name the entire time and just watched him flounder for answers that he couldn't get? M-21 was just in time to see Frankenstein shake his head.
"No," Frankenstein said quietly. "I never asked and you had never told me, so I never knew your name. But you had your memories when you escaped, I do know that."
M-21 let out a bitter laugh. And then he willingly went back to him, thinking Frankenstein and Rai were the better option compared to the Union. How ironic.
"That's why I've been improving so much now, isn't it?" he muttered quietly, a part of him just growing detached to this entire situation. "Because you know how my body was originally modified."
He had often wondered how the Union had gotten a werewolf's heart, but if it had been Frankenstein, it wouldn't have been difficult.
There was an awkward silence. "Your body had never been degrading," Frankenstein told him and M-21 just squeezed his eyes shut as more of his worldview came crashing down around him. "It was rejecting the changes that the Union had done to it."
Right.
Right…
M-21 lurched to his feet, leaning away from Takeo and Tao when they reached for him, and left the house.
_______________________________________________
…That first sentence is pretty suggestive if you have no idea what this fic is about. XDD
Yeeeah, this is so not complete, but I have no idea what happens next. Hmmm. I get to play with memories and werewolfiness though? :D :D
I was expecting essentially an 'oh, okay' response before I started writing. *facepalm*
I'd considered Frankenstein being the reason behind M-21's scar but I thought that might be too much, and it didn't fit in anyway.
Wonder if I should extend the school scene. Hm… The pacing seems a little fast at the moment.
Summary: The matters of the heart are not forgotten forever.
Rating: PG-13
Contains: Alternate interpretation of canon events.
Notes: This idea has been bouncing around in my head since
lucathia_rykatu wrote The Names of his Comrades.I am completely unrepentant in the way I have titled and summarised this. >D
Genre: Horror/Angst
Word count: 1,210
Status: Work in progress.
"Shh. It's all right; the pain will only last for a little while – you can bear with that, can't you?"
M-21's eyes snapped open, and he struggled to breathe, his throat tight. What had he just…? That had been Frankenstein's voice, he was certain of that, but… The walls had been large, thick stone, and the room had stank of blood and terror.
He rubbed his eyes with his fingers, trying to calm his racing heart. It was just a dream, no matter how vivid it had been while he was sleeping; far better than a nightmare, M-21 supposed, though it had been verging on that.
That was the last time he was going to marathon watching movies that Tao had suggested.
It didn't take long before M-21's eyelids began to droop again and he drifted back to sleep.
M-21's head hurt when he woke up the morning and he didn't know why. He didn't bother to hide his discomfort, because everyone would know just by looking at him anyway.
There was also something in the air that set M-21's teeth on edge, twisting his stomach but he couldn't place what it was. Was Frankenstein trying a new ramen recipe?
"Morning!" Tao's snaked his arm over M-21's shoulder. "…Hey, you all right?" Tao asked, peering at him.
"I had a weird dream," M-21 told him, nodding to Takeo, who had just left his room. "I can't remember what happened in it," he continued before Tao asked.
Tao hummed, rubbing his chin. "Maybe you'll remember later. But anyway, we don't want to be late!"
They had enough time and Tao knew that, but the three of them still hurried out the door, just in case.
Over the course of the morning, M-21's headache eventually faded, though it came back at random times and not in any pattern that he could see. It stayed away the most when he was outside and M-21 found himself patrolling the playground more the closer it got to the end of the day.
It was when he was waiting for Tao to open the front door that the unease started to rise in M-21 again, something in him wanting to stay away.
There were eyes on him and M-21 looked up to see Takeo watching him, his forehead creased. "What's wrong?"
He couldn't answer because he didn't know himself, so he gave Takeo a half-shrug. It was getting clearer that whatever it was, it was tied to the house, but his body was reacting at the school as well. What connection did they have with each other?
M-21 only realised what the two had in common after he had entered the house and just before his gaze settled on Frankenstein.
Frankenstein smiled at them in greeting and M-21 knew it was in greeting because he had seen it so many times before, but something in M-21 shrieked in terror at the sight, desperately wanting him to run out the door as fast as his legs could go and never come back.
"M-21!" Takeo's hand gripped him by the shoulder and M-21 found he had twisted himself around, on the verge of actually fleeing.
He started shaking as he righted himself, trying to think past his dizzying thoughts, but the more he did, the clearer they became.
'Run away-'
'-never going to stop.'
'STAY AWAY FROM ME!'
Those were his thoughts. But he had never thought them – he couldn't remember when he had thought them. His head was buzzing, and it felt like his sense of touch was heightened – all of his senses were heightened, but what he was seeing and scenting weren't actually in the room. It was too dark when he knew the lights were on, and he could smell mould and dirt but-
"-21."
That was – that was Takeo's voice and M-21 seized that familiarity with all he could.
"-and we're getting really worried. So's Takeo, even though he'd never admit it – M-21?"
Takeo and Tao's faces blurred back into view and M-21 just stared at them, waiting to see if everything would lurch out of sync again. It didn't, thankfully, and M-21 took a shuddering breath, just trying to not think about what had happened, just in case that set whatever-it-was off again.
"Boss?"
…And that had been what the trigger was. Frankenstein lived here, he owned the school, and it was the image of him smiling that had caused…that. But why would… M-21 had been living with him for months now – why would his presence suddenly affect him so much?
"Your memories are coming back." A statement from that person and something inside M-21 flinched at hearing his voice.
"They can't be," he choked out, his vision swimming again. "I'm remembering you." They had never met before…had they? He had spent so many years with the Union - but that was irrelevant if it involved Frankenstein.
M-21 heard a sigh and he had a violent urge to be sick, expecting a barrage of pain to assault him.
He had never reacted this badly to the Union's scientists and –
M-21's thoughts halted, then veered in another direction. If he was getting his memories back, and what they contained was Frankenstein experimenting on him…
That… No. He couldn't have been. But that was the only shred out of everything he could piece together that made sense.
"You experimented on me before the Union did?" he said, barely able to get the words out. Because if that were true… Because if that were true, then…
"Yes."
M-21's legs crumpled under him, his palms slamming into the carpet. Frankenstein had stopped experimenting on people a long time ago, he knew that much. And if he had read between the lines correctly, then Frankenstein had stopped experimenting on people before Rai had hibernated.
So, just how old was he?
Wait. "You knew who I" –was? am?- "was and never told me?" M-21 raised his head to stare at Frankenstein. Had Frankenstein known his name the entire time and just watched him flounder for answers that he couldn't get? M-21 was just in time to see Frankenstein shake his head.
"No," Frankenstein said quietly. "I never asked and you had never told me, so I never knew your name. But you had your memories when you escaped, I do know that."
M-21 let out a bitter laugh. And then he willingly went back to him, thinking Frankenstein and Rai were the better option compared to the Union. How ironic.
"That's why I've been improving so much now, isn't it?" he muttered quietly, a part of him just growing detached to this entire situation. "Because you know how my body was originally modified."
He had often wondered how the Union had gotten a werewolf's heart, but if it had been Frankenstein, it wouldn't have been difficult.
There was an awkward silence. "Your body had never been degrading," Frankenstein told him and M-21 just squeezed his eyes shut as more of his worldview came crashing down around him. "It was rejecting the changes that the Union had done to it."
Right.
Right…
M-21 lurched to his feet, leaning away from Takeo and Tao when they reached for him, and left the house.
…That first sentence is pretty suggestive if you have no idea what this fic is about. XDD
Yeeeah, this is so not complete, but I have no idea what happens next. Hmmm. I get to play with memories and werewolfiness though? :D :D
I was expecting essentially an 'oh, okay' response before I started writing. *facepalm*
I'd considered Frankenstein being the reason behind M-21's scar but I thought that might be too much, and it didn't fit in anyway.
Wonder if I should extend the school scene. Hm… The pacing seems a little fast at the moment.