Recovered Time
Jun. 15th, 2013 10:29 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
esp_dragonFandom: Noblesse
Summary: While Takeo had lost his memories of his sister, he could continue making new ones with her. That was what mattered.
Rating: PG-13
Contains: Mindscrewing, talk of what Takeo did in the DA-5, swearing.
Notes: Set pre-series.
Genre: General
Word count: 2,900
Status: Complete
The ceiling span above Takeo and even when he closed his eyes, it felt as if he tumbling under the sea while a storm raged around him. He knew the D drug would boost his abilities, but knowing what to expect and experiencing it were two different things, especially when he hadn't been told his heart would feel like it was trying to tear itself out his throat afterwards, or the pounding headache that practically blinded him. He hadn't though he'd fainted, but all he could remember after the fight was staring at the ground – he didn't know how he got back to the labs.
There was someone murmuring to his left, and…it was familiar. Takeo tried to place where from but he couldn't. He turned his head towards the voice, cracking his eyes open just enough to see – there was someone standing next to his bed, wearing black, not the white labcoat all the scientists wore, and they had light brown hair that reached past their shoulders. Where – where had he seen that before? But his brain felt sluggish, like over half of it had been blocked from him and he couldn't make the connection.
The person turned around and Takeo opened his eyes further to see them clearly. "Oh? You're awake?" She was the youngest person Takeo had seen at the Union and he knew that face, but he didn't know why.
"Who are you?" The words were hard to form with a tongue that refused to cooperate and a mouth that felt like he hadn't drank anything for days but he managed, even if his voice was rough.
She tilted her head, blinking her gold eyes. "You don't recognise me?" There was something in the way she said it but the room was spinning again and Takeo sucked in a breath, hoping it would stop soon.
"I do," he insisted, "but I don't know who you are." It had to be the D drug that had scrambled his memories, or he'd cracked his head off something afterwards.
"Then…" She grabbed his hand, smiling. "I'll tell you – I'm your sister! Ah, Teira." She leaned forward, peering at him.
His sister? He had a sister? Takeo fought with the blankness in his mind, waiting to see if her words would trigger something but nothing presented itself to him. But…she was familiar so he would trust her words.
"I don't remember right now, but I will," he promised her, closing his hand around hers.
Teira gasped, her eyes widening and then she threw herself at him. "Big brother!"
It felt strange but he didn't have time to dwell on why, his consciousness slipping away again.
* * *
The next time Takeo woke up, he felt closer to normal, his body reacting like he was used to. There was no-one in the room with him and he quashed disappointment at not seeing his sister there.
…What? He didn't have - Brown hair. Gold eyes. Right.
Takeo closed his eyes, trying to imprint her face in his mind so he wouldn't forget it in case the D drug scrambled his mind again. Teira. Her name was Teira.
His memories of her still refused to surface but they would, in time. He knew it.
* * *
Takeo knew the layout of most of the laboratory the DA-5 were currently in, but there was one area he hadn't mapped out yet.
The rooms he'd looked in so far hadn't been surprising, the same machinery repeated over and over, only with different faces around them, but this room was smaller, a low bed in the corner rather than a surgeon's table.
And the bed was occupied. Takeo could see the familiar shade of light brown spread across the pillow, Teira's hair partially obscuring her face. She looked even younger sleeping.
He must have made a noise because her eyebrows scrunched together before her eyes fluttered open. "Mm, you – Takeo!" Her eyes flew wide at the sight of him. For a few seconds she didn't move or say anything. "Do you remember me now…?" she asked, her eyes downcast.
He nodded. "Yes," he said as he walked to her bed. "I can't remember anything yet-" And maybe the D drug had permanently destroyed nearly all his memories of her. "-but I know you're my sister."
She jerked her head up to stare at him then beamed. "I'm glad!"
He smiled back at her before he eyed the bed. She still hadn't moved to get up. "Is there something wrong…?" Was she not feeling well?
She blinked and then tittered. "Well, you see, I'm not that strong so I spend a lot of time in bed."
Takeo creased his eyebrows. Something didn't add up… What was – ah. "But you were standing the last time I saw you." He couldn't recall much about their conversation but she hadn't seemed to have any problems then.
Her eyes went wide again. "I – when I heard you'd collapsed, I was so worried I had to see you!"
He frowned, shaking his head. "You shouldn't push yourself for me if you're like this." If she weakened herself doing that…
She smiled. "That's the big brother I know: always worrying about me."
This was what he was normally like with her? He let out a small relieved huff. It was good to know he hadn't changed without his memories.
"But I should sleep some more," she said, bringing a hand up to her mouth as she yawned.
"Ah, of course." He watched her settle down again. "Sleep well."
"Thanks, big brother," she murmured.
Takeo slipped out the room when her breathing deepened, trying to prod his memory into giving him something new, but it continued to only give him vague flashes of her face and nothing more. There wasn't even any emotions attached to it; it was like there was an empty void surrounding her and only her face remained.
Takeo felt the weight of the D drug on his hip and he wondered if the next time he took it he would forget Teira completely. But if he didn't use the drug and he died because of it, wouldn't that be worse for her? At least if he lost his memory, she could remember for both of them.
He nearly missed Yuri's approach, but the light glinting off his glasses grabbed Takeo's attention.
"Yuri," he said, inclining his head.
"Ah, Takeo," Yuri greeted him, pushing his glasses up his nose. "I hope you're doing well today – I heard about your rather unfortunate reaction to the D drug."
Takeo narrowed his eyes, his good mood evaporating. It shouldn't have been surprising Yuri had heard what had happened to him from Aris. "Are you here to give us new instructions?"
Yuri shook his head. "Not right now, no." He smiled. "I am about to meet with Doctor Aris, however, so I may be seeing you again soon."
Takeo paused. Aris was currently in the building? He kept his anger away from his face, not wanting Yuri to see his reaction. Takeo still hadn't seen lead scientist who had changed his body against his will and it seemed like he never would.
If Yuri was on his way to see her, that meant the DA-5 were about to be sent out on another mission. He nodded to Yuri and went to where he'd stored his guns.
* * *
"Big brother, you're hurt!" Teira exclaimed at the sight of him.
"Hm?" Takeo glanced down at his uniform and saw the light splattering of dried blood across his shoulder. "Oh, don't worry – it's not mine." It had come from the thirty-second person he'd killed on the mission, a guard who had taken a different patrol route from where he should have. Takeo hadn't been expecting anyone to come across him and if Tao hadn't been doing his job, the blood would have more likely been his own instead.
"That's good to hear," she murmured, still studying the bloodstains.
"How are you?" he asked, hoping to distract her with a different topic.
She looked up at him. "I'm feeling a little better," she said. A lock of hair fell over her eyes and she brushed it behind her ear, revealing a large hoop earring hanging from her earlobe.
"Your ears are pierced?" he asked, and then chuckled weakly – obviously they were.
She nodded. "What do you think of them?" She lifted turned her face away so he could see it better.
"They look nice," he told her.
She turned her head to smile widely at him, the worry gone from her eyes. "Thank you!" Teira looked at him, her expression contemplative as she hummed. "Maybe…" Takeo realised her attention wasn't on his face, but more on his ears and he raised his eyebrows, wondering what she was going to say.
"Maybe you should get your ears pierced too!" she said. "I think they would suit you."
"You do?" Takeo glanced at her earrings again, trying to imagine what they would look like on him. He could get his ears pierced easily enough – the problem was going to be what his regeneration ability would do after it.
"Yes," Teira said, nodding.
If that was what she thought… "Then, I guess you can see them the next time we see each other," he told her, smiling.
Teira beamed at him.
* * *
Takeo frowned over his disassembled gun, cleaning it on auto-pilot. It had been two weeks and his memories of Teira still hadn't come back. He couldn't pretend that they would on their own anymore.
Had the D drug really done that? If he continued using it and eventually lost all his memories… Takeo has asked the scientists if the D drug could affect memories but they'd told him no; a scan had revealed no changes in his brain, which also ruled out the Union-made drugs to erase memories. That, or his regenerative abilities had already healed the damage to his brain, leaving him with no chance of getting his memories back.
He sighed and started to slot the pieces back together. While he had lost his memories of his sister, he could continue making new ones with her. That was what mattered.
* * *
"Our last targets are a kilometre west from us," Tao informed him and Takeo gazed down his scope, trying to find them. He shifted slightly, making sure his new earrings didn't tap his rifle – they weren't as big as Teira's, but he was still unused to the weight of them. It only took a couple of seconds to spy movement in the empty village (a front for another organisation) but he paused when he realised it was a pair of children. Clouds obscured the moon, but the light was good enough from it and the fires raging around them that Takeo could see the colour of their hair – it was a darker shade than Teira's but as soon as he made the connection, Takeo couldn't pull the trigger. He'd killed children in other missions, but none of them had reminded of him of Teira before.
He moved his finger to the guard and lowered his rifle. "Clear."
"Wh – Takeo?"
Shit. Takeo gritted his teeth as he clenched his hands. Of course Tao would know he'd lied; he was monitoring those children right then. No, Takeo realised, he wouldn't be allowed to do this, not when their mission was to kill every single indiv-
"Clear, Leader."
Takeo let out a breath, leaning back in the helicopter as he felt relief spread through him. He only made a perfunctory response when Krans ordered them to regroup, thinking over what had just happened.
So. Tao would cover for him, but would this be the only time and what did Tao want in return?
* * *
Takeo heard the skitter of stones behind him as he stood on one of the village rooftops, surveying the destruction in the morning light. Blood, gunpowder and burnt flesh stained the air but a northern wind was helping to carry it away.
"Tao," he said, not turning around. Tao's stealth was the worst out of all of them, and even without that clue, the others had no reason to approach him.
"Hey." Tao approached and stood next to him, close enough so Takeo could see him from the corner of his eyes. Tao had his hands in his pockets, but Takeo hadn't expected a fight between them either. Now to find out what Tao wanted.
"I double-checked around here and there aren't any listening devices so you don't have to worry about anyone hearing this conversation," Tao said, rocking on his heels.
Good. "What do I owe you?" He could never predict what Tao would say or do so Takeo braced himself for anything.
"Nothing."
Takeo turned to stare at Tao, wondering if he'd missed something. One side of Tao's mouth was curled up in a lopsided smile; it wasn't one of his more recognisable joking grins, so did he really want nothing in return?
Tao shrugged, rubbing his neck. "I'm just curious, that's all. You're usually the one who never disobeys orders so I was wondering why you suddenly had a change of heart."
Takeo paused, deliberating what he should say. He owed Tao for covering for him the night before but he didn't know what Tao would do with that information. Tao could use it against him, but if he refused to tell Tao anything, Tao could go to Krans and tell him he'd disobeyed orders. Takeo snorted, realising what he'd just thought. Tao could do that anyway, even if he told Tao the truth; Tao was under no obligation to keep the information to himself.
If he'd been having this conversation with Hammer or Shark (and he wouldn't, because neither Hammer or Shark would have covered for him and Shark would have gleefully told Krans his digression immediately) he wouldn't have said anything, but this was Tao. Tao didn't do anything for his own gain but for his own amusement. And Tao amusing himself wasn't anything like what Shark did for fun.
Takeo sighed, closing his eyes for a second. He would give Tao the benefit of the doubt; if Tao used it against him later on, it was his own fault.
"They reminded me of my sister." He waited for Tao's reaction, studying his expression.
Tao's eyebrows rose. "I didn't know you had a sister."
"Have," Takeo corrected.
"Ha – oh. She's a fellow modified human, huh?" Tao stretched, resting his hands on the back of his head. "Your family's pretty unlucky."
Takeo froze, no longer seeing Tao. Was she a modified human? It didn't look like she was being observed, and if she was usually bedridden… A weak, useless modified human didn't last for long in the Union.
"Anyway," Tao said, pulling Takeo away from his thoughts, "it's Shark's turn to cook lunch so you might wanna skip it." Tao hopped over the edge of the roof, leaving him alone.
Takeo grimaced at the information. Shark had a habit of burning whatever he cooked – at least in their current location, Takeo could rummage through the kitchens and cook his own food; he didn't always have that opportunity. He jumped over the edge of the roof and started looking for something to eat.
* * *
"Ah, you got your ears pierced!" Teira exclaimed when she saw him, clapping.
"I did," Takeo said, smiling. He looked around the room and saw no-one else, like always. There was no doubt cameras were installed in several places around the room but there should have been at least one scientist around, monitoring her condition in person. In fact, the room was empty of any machines that could accomplish that.
"Big brother…?"
Takeo looked back at her. Teira's eyebrows were drawn together at a slant and she was biting her lip.
"Is there something wrong?"
"Ah…" Takeo sighed, sliding his gaze away as he approached her bed. Should he keep his question to himself? But he had to know why she was here. "What was done to you?"
Teira's eyes went wide, her hands twisting the blanket. "I – nothing was done to me," she said, shaking her head. "My body's too weak to survive the procedures."
Takeo frowned, confused. If she wasn't modified, then what was she doing in the Union? Unless… "You're a hostage." His hostage. To make sure he obeyed the Union's orders.
Teira nodded, her eyes downcast as her lips trembled. "I'm sorry for putting you in this position!" she burst out, tears in her eyes and Takeo didn't think, he just leaned forward and wrapped his arms around her.
Teira stiffened at his touch before she threw her arms around him.
"What's wrong?" he asked, pulling back slightly to see her clearly.
"It's nothing," Teira said, shaking her head as she sniffled. "It's just been so long since we've hugged like this…" And of course the scientists wouldn't hug her like this, not that Takeo wanted any of them to touch his sister.
"Then we'll hug every time we see each other, all right?" He smiled at the way her face lit up and he hugged her again.
Teira was the only link he had to his past, his family, and he was going to do everything he could to ensure her safety.
_______________________________________________
Dramatic irony, I love it so. >3
I was contemplating having Aris give him Tai-eun/his hair tie at the end, but yeeeeah.
So I was writing about Takeo's earring and was about to write he didn't get big hoops in case someone grabbed them in a fight. Then I remembered Takeo's hair. I snorted.
Summary: While Takeo had lost his memories of his sister, he could continue making new ones with her. That was what mattered.
Rating: PG-13
Contains: Mindscrewing, talk of what Takeo did in the DA-5, swearing.
Notes: Set pre-series.
Genre: General
Word count: 2,900
Status: Complete
The ceiling span above Takeo and even when he closed his eyes, it felt as if he tumbling under the sea while a storm raged around him. He knew the D drug would boost his abilities, but knowing what to expect and experiencing it were two different things, especially when he hadn't been told his heart would feel like it was trying to tear itself out his throat afterwards, or the pounding headache that practically blinded him. He hadn't though he'd fainted, but all he could remember after the fight was staring at the ground – he didn't know how he got back to the labs.
There was someone murmuring to his left, and…it was familiar. Takeo tried to place where from but he couldn't. He turned his head towards the voice, cracking his eyes open just enough to see – there was someone standing next to his bed, wearing black, not the white labcoat all the scientists wore, and they had light brown hair that reached past their shoulders. Where – where had he seen that before? But his brain felt sluggish, like over half of it had been blocked from him and he couldn't make the connection.
The person turned around and Takeo opened his eyes further to see them clearly. "Oh? You're awake?" She was the youngest person Takeo had seen at the Union and he knew that face, but he didn't know why.
"Who are you?" The words were hard to form with a tongue that refused to cooperate and a mouth that felt like he hadn't drank anything for days but he managed, even if his voice was rough.
She tilted her head, blinking her gold eyes. "You don't recognise me?" There was something in the way she said it but the room was spinning again and Takeo sucked in a breath, hoping it would stop soon.
"I do," he insisted, "but I don't know who you are." It had to be the D drug that had scrambled his memories, or he'd cracked his head off something afterwards.
"Then…" She grabbed his hand, smiling. "I'll tell you – I'm your sister! Ah, Teira." She leaned forward, peering at him.
His sister? He had a sister? Takeo fought with the blankness in his mind, waiting to see if her words would trigger something but nothing presented itself to him. But…she was familiar so he would trust her words.
"I don't remember right now, but I will," he promised her, closing his hand around hers.
Teira gasped, her eyes widening and then she threw herself at him. "Big brother!"
It felt strange but he didn't have time to dwell on why, his consciousness slipping away again.
The next time Takeo woke up, he felt closer to normal, his body reacting like he was used to. There was no-one in the room with him and he quashed disappointment at not seeing his sister there.
…What? He didn't have - Brown hair. Gold eyes. Right.
Takeo closed his eyes, trying to imprint her face in his mind so he wouldn't forget it in case the D drug scrambled his mind again. Teira. Her name was Teira.
His memories of her still refused to surface but they would, in time. He knew it.
Takeo knew the layout of most of the laboratory the DA-5 were currently in, but there was one area he hadn't mapped out yet.
The rooms he'd looked in so far hadn't been surprising, the same machinery repeated over and over, only with different faces around them, but this room was smaller, a low bed in the corner rather than a surgeon's table.
And the bed was occupied. Takeo could see the familiar shade of light brown spread across the pillow, Teira's hair partially obscuring her face. She looked even younger sleeping.
He must have made a noise because her eyebrows scrunched together before her eyes fluttered open. "Mm, you – Takeo!" Her eyes flew wide at the sight of him. For a few seconds she didn't move or say anything. "Do you remember me now…?" she asked, her eyes downcast.
He nodded. "Yes," he said as he walked to her bed. "I can't remember anything yet-" And maybe the D drug had permanently destroyed nearly all his memories of her. "-but I know you're my sister."
She jerked her head up to stare at him then beamed. "I'm glad!"
He smiled back at her before he eyed the bed. She still hadn't moved to get up. "Is there something wrong…?" Was she not feeling well?
She blinked and then tittered. "Well, you see, I'm not that strong so I spend a lot of time in bed."
Takeo creased his eyebrows. Something didn't add up… What was – ah. "But you were standing the last time I saw you." He couldn't recall much about their conversation but she hadn't seemed to have any problems then.
Her eyes went wide again. "I – when I heard you'd collapsed, I was so worried I had to see you!"
He frowned, shaking his head. "You shouldn't push yourself for me if you're like this." If she weakened herself doing that…
She smiled. "That's the big brother I know: always worrying about me."
This was what he was normally like with her? He let out a small relieved huff. It was good to know he hadn't changed without his memories.
"But I should sleep some more," she said, bringing a hand up to her mouth as she yawned.
"Ah, of course." He watched her settle down again. "Sleep well."
"Thanks, big brother," she murmured.
Takeo slipped out the room when her breathing deepened, trying to prod his memory into giving him something new, but it continued to only give him vague flashes of her face and nothing more. There wasn't even any emotions attached to it; it was like there was an empty void surrounding her and only her face remained.
Takeo felt the weight of the D drug on his hip and he wondered if the next time he took it he would forget Teira completely. But if he didn't use the drug and he died because of it, wouldn't that be worse for her? At least if he lost his memory, she could remember for both of them.
He nearly missed Yuri's approach, but the light glinting off his glasses grabbed Takeo's attention.
"Yuri," he said, inclining his head.
"Ah, Takeo," Yuri greeted him, pushing his glasses up his nose. "I hope you're doing well today – I heard about your rather unfortunate reaction to the D drug."
Takeo narrowed his eyes, his good mood evaporating. It shouldn't have been surprising Yuri had heard what had happened to him from Aris. "Are you here to give us new instructions?"
Yuri shook his head. "Not right now, no." He smiled. "I am about to meet with Doctor Aris, however, so I may be seeing you again soon."
Takeo paused. Aris was currently in the building? He kept his anger away from his face, not wanting Yuri to see his reaction. Takeo still hadn't seen lead scientist who had changed his body against his will and it seemed like he never would.
If Yuri was on his way to see her, that meant the DA-5 were about to be sent out on another mission. He nodded to Yuri and went to where he'd stored his guns.
"Big brother, you're hurt!" Teira exclaimed at the sight of him.
"Hm?" Takeo glanced down at his uniform and saw the light splattering of dried blood across his shoulder. "Oh, don't worry – it's not mine." It had come from the thirty-second person he'd killed on the mission, a guard who had taken a different patrol route from where he should have. Takeo hadn't been expecting anyone to come across him and if Tao hadn't been doing his job, the blood would have more likely been his own instead.
"That's good to hear," she murmured, still studying the bloodstains.
"How are you?" he asked, hoping to distract her with a different topic.
She looked up at him. "I'm feeling a little better," she said. A lock of hair fell over her eyes and she brushed it behind her ear, revealing a large hoop earring hanging from her earlobe.
"Your ears are pierced?" he asked, and then chuckled weakly – obviously they were.
She nodded. "What do you think of them?" She lifted turned her face away so he could see it better.
"They look nice," he told her.
She turned her head to smile widely at him, the worry gone from her eyes. "Thank you!" Teira looked at him, her expression contemplative as she hummed. "Maybe…" Takeo realised her attention wasn't on his face, but more on his ears and he raised his eyebrows, wondering what she was going to say.
"Maybe you should get your ears pierced too!" she said. "I think they would suit you."
"You do?" Takeo glanced at her earrings again, trying to imagine what they would look like on him. He could get his ears pierced easily enough – the problem was going to be what his regeneration ability would do after it.
"Yes," Teira said, nodding.
If that was what she thought… "Then, I guess you can see them the next time we see each other," he told her, smiling.
Teira beamed at him.
Takeo frowned over his disassembled gun, cleaning it on auto-pilot. It had been two weeks and his memories of Teira still hadn't come back. He couldn't pretend that they would on their own anymore.
Had the D drug really done that? If he continued using it and eventually lost all his memories… Takeo has asked the scientists if the D drug could affect memories but they'd told him no; a scan had revealed no changes in his brain, which also ruled out the Union-made drugs to erase memories. That, or his regenerative abilities had already healed the damage to his brain, leaving him with no chance of getting his memories back.
He sighed and started to slot the pieces back together. While he had lost his memories of his sister, he could continue making new ones with her. That was what mattered.
"Our last targets are a kilometre west from us," Tao informed him and Takeo gazed down his scope, trying to find them. He shifted slightly, making sure his new earrings didn't tap his rifle – they weren't as big as Teira's, but he was still unused to the weight of them. It only took a couple of seconds to spy movement in the empty village (a front for another organisation) but he paused when he realised it was a pair of children. Clouds obscured the moon, but the light was good enough from it and the fires raging around them that Takeo could see the colour of their hair – it was a darker shade than Teira's but as soon as he made the connection, Takeo couldn't pull the trigger. He'd killed children in other missions, but none of them had reminded of him of Teira before.
He moved his finger to the guard and lowered his rifle. "Clear."
"Wh – Takeo?"
Shit. Takeo gritted his teeth as he clenched his hands. Of course Tao would know he'd lied; he was monitoring those children right then. No, Takeo realised, he wouldn't be allowed to do this, not when their mission was to kill every single indiv-
"Clear, Leader."
Takeo let out a breath, leaning back in the helicopter as he felt relief spread through him. He only made a perfunctory response when Krans ordered them to regroup, thinking over what had just happened.
So. Tao would cover for him, but would this be the only time and what did Tao want in return?
Takeo heard the skitter of stones behind him as he stood on one of the village rooftops, surveying the destruction in the morning light. Blood, gunpowder and burnt flesh stained the air but a northern wind was helping to carry it away.
"Tao," he said, not turning around. Tao's stealth was the worst out of all of them, and even without that clue, the others had no reason to approach him.
"Hey." Tao approached and stood next to him, close enough so Takeo could see him from the corner of his eyes. Tao had his hands in his pockets, but Takeo hadn't expected a fight between them either. Now to find out what Tao wanted.
"I double-checked around here and there aren't any listening devices so you don't have to worry about anyone hearing this conversation," Tao said, rocking on his heels.
Good. "What do I owe you?" He could never predict what Tao would say or do so Takeo braced himself for anything.
"Nothing."
Takeo turned to stare at Tao, wondering if he'd missed something. One side of Tao's mouth was curled up in a lopsided smile; it wasn't one of his more recognisable joking grins, so did he really want nothing in return?
Tao shrugged, rubbing his neck. "I'm just curious, that's all. You're usually the one who never disobeys orders so I was wondering why you suddenly had a change of heart."
Takeo paused, deliberating what he should say. He owed Tao for covering for him the night before but he didn't know what Tao would do with that information. Tao could use it against him, but if he refused to tell Tao anything, Tao could go to Krans and tell him he'd disobeyed orders. Takeo snorted, realising what he'd just thought. Tao could do that anyway, even if he told Tao the truth; Tao was under no obligation to keep the information to himself.
If he'd been having this conversation with Hammer or Shark (and he wouldn't, because neither Hammer or Shark would have covered for him and Shark would have gleefully told Krans his digression immediately) he wouldn't have said anything, but this was Tao. Tao didn't do anything for his own gain but for his own amusement. And Tao amusing himself wasn't anything like what Shark did for fun.
Takeo sighed, closing his eyes for a second. He would give Tao the benefit of the doubt; if Tao used it against him later on, it was his own fault.
"They reminded me of my sister." He waited for Tao's reaction, studying his expression.
Tao's eyebrows rose. "I didn't know you had a sister."
"Have," Takeo corrected.
"Ha – oh. She's a fellow modified human, huh?" Tao stretched, resting his hands on the back of his head. "Your family's pretty unlucky."
Takeo froze, no longer seeing Tao. Was she a modified human? It didn't look like she was being observed, and if she was usually bedridden… A weak, useless modified human didn't last for long in the Union.
"Anyway," Tao said, pulling Takeo away from his thoughts, "it's Shark's turn to cook lunch so you might wanna skip it." Tao hopped over the edge of the roof, leaving him alone.
Takeo grimaced at the information. Shark had a habit of burning whatever he cooked – at least in their current location, Takeo could rummage through the kitchens and cook his own food; he didn't always have that opportunity. He jumped over the edge of the roof and started looking for something to eat.
"Ah, you got your ears pierced!" Teira exclaimed when she saw him, clapping.
"I did," Takeo said, smiling. He looked around the room and saw no-one else, like always. There was no doubt cameras were installed in several places around the room but there should have been at least one scientist around, monitoring her condition in person. In fact, the room was empty of any machines that could accomplish that.
"Big brother…?"
Takeo looked back at her. Teira's eyebrows were drawn together at a slant and she was biting her lip.
"Is there something wrong?"
"Ah…" Takeo sighed, sliding his gaze away as he approached her bed. Should he keep his question to himself? But he had to know why she was here. "What was done to you?"
Teira's eyes went wide, her hands twisting the blanket. "I – nothing was done to me," she said, shaking her head. "My body's too weak to survive the procedures."
Takeo frowned, confused. If she wasn't modified, then what was she doing in the Union? Unless… "You're a hostage." His hostage. To make sure he obeyed the Union's orders.
Teira nodded, her eyes downcast as her lips trembled. "I'm sorry for putting you in this position!" she burst out, tears in her eyes and Takeo didn't think, he just leaned forward and wrapped his arms around her.
Teira stiffened at his touch before she threw her arms around him.
"What's wrong?" he asked, pulling back slightly to see her clearly.
"It's nothing," Teira said, shaking her head as she sniffled. "It's just been so long since we've hugged like this…" And of course the scientists wouldn't hug her like this, not that Takeo wanted any of them to touch his sister.
"Then we'll hug every time we see each other, all right?" He smiled at the way her face lit up and he hugged her again.
Teira was the only link he had to his past, his family, and he was going to do everything he could to ensure her safety.
Dramatic irony, I love it so. >3
I was contemplating having Aris give him Tai-eun/his hair tie at the end, but yeeeeah.
So I was writing about Takeo's earring and was about to write he didn't get big hoops in case someone grabbed them in a fight. Then I remembered Takeo's hair. I snorted.