A fight for the Cure. (Open)

[Ketsueki Satou]

He was restless in sleeping at night. Chest burning, his wounds had healed over from that night but he ached and was now abusing the serum he fashioned. Whenever he could grow hungry or felt too weak to stand or move more than a crawl. He'd administer an almost lethal does of a vile concoction of chemicals, it was deadly enough that would make a normal human vomit within the hour, fall unconscious and stop breathing.

For his mutated body, all the serum did was dull him, it pushed the urge to drink blood and eat flesh. Of course the reactions to suppressing hunger malnourished his unnatural body. But even as he withered and thinned to skeletal features he stayed persistent in the room given to him by Junko in the Hospital. Spending every conscious moment at his desk writing notes on his research as he exams the vermin mutation that attacked him and a leaf shinobi at his home.

The quiet little room/lab he was quarantine to was a small fortress of solitude, hidden in a part of the hospital close to Junko's research lab. It would be easy for the medical shinobi to come check up on him, only to find Keiji hunched over the lab desk dissecting the mutated dog sized rodent. Using some of the medical books Junko had Keiji was making stacks upon stacks of books around his bed. Absorbing all the information as his eyes skimmed through the pages. Book after book. clearing several in hours. trying to find whats relevant and irrelevant. Biology and Zoology were all he studied for the countless hours he sat in the room. He didn't look to a clock our try to ask to see outside. He wanted somewhere secluded to do his work.

Once done his studies, he was ready to start dissecting the creature. The request for the surgical tools wasn't difficult when Keiji sent a memo explaining to Junko what they'd be used for. Keiji wrote a detailed essay on the creatures anatomy compared to the average rodent found in Kumogakure's region. Then specifying he had to remove several protrusion mutations. Including the sharp tail protrusion that splits into three blade like talons, in where the tail splits shows a small orifice that spews burning acidic substance that he would need to study. He wanted to also dissect the insides to find what internal organs had changed from the average rodent to this monstrosity on his table. He wanted to determined which was the most effected organs first in the process, and see which was the weakest, so they could determine where to administer a cure at the spot where it hits first.

When he started cutting, his body froze when the knife sliced and blood still flowed from the dead corpse of the mutated rat. He cussed forgetting to ask someone to make sure all the blood in the body was drained and sent for testing. His hands shaking as he took a small container to try and collect some of the blood that dripped from the wound. The dark red filling the cup, the smell of it. It wasn't as bad as before. It smelled like normal blood, that iron scent to it as he unconsciously brought it closer to his face. Feeling his hands almost bring the rim of the cup to his lips he stopped himself and placed the cup on the tabled and backed away, breathing heavy as his whole body wanted to move back to the creature and grab hold of it.

His hands shaking as he paced to his bedside table, opening a small drawer with a needle and a jar of the serum. He filled a syringe slowly, making sure of no bubbles. He jammed the needle into his thigh, the relief was little but it was something. His body went lax, yet he felt sick and weak when approaching the creature. Like something was now pushing in his skull, a minor migraine as he cleaned up the blood.

The dissecting was a slow process, the smell of it's insides permeated the room with a stench of rotting flesh. His hands covered in blackened blood as he removed organ after organ, putting them into trays. then when done removing the insides, he drained what blood he could into several jars for testing solutions and formulas for a cure. He was truly tired and ready for sleep to take him as he was stitching the creatures body back together. Maybe the lab would want the corpse to study or put on exhibit once the whole situation blew over and cooled down. Keiji was trying to think positively, after whats been going on. He had to try and stay in positive light.

After cold storing the organs and having the body removed Keiji stood over the small wash basin for his hands. He didn't want to risk ore of the blood to get into any system of the village. He already feared enough how much of Satou's tainted blood spread across the village. Were the villagers in peril? or was it just the wildlife? Sitting there staring at his bloody hands thinking deeply. He caught himself bringing his hands close to his mouth, his tongue reaching out to lick the blood clean from his hands. He stopped himself again, breathing he finished washing then kicked the basin away.

Shaking as the hunger came back not more then a few hours. His shaking hands reaching for the needle again. Spasms shot through his body as his muscles contracted and tightened. Not this time. The horrid whisper in his mind, his whole body twisted in pain in his bed when he crashed to the ground grasping at the drawer for the needle, he couldn't stand, moving was excruciating as he pulled the drawer from the bedside table clean out and onto the floor, the needle and jar falling to the floor. Needle was close but the jar rolled across the room. "Oh you @!#$in son of a @!#$&. Just had to @!#$ing do that!" He growled low under his breath, trying his best to drag his body across the ground. Everything was fading in an out of focus when the pain came in waves. "I need..I need the serum." He kept mumbling as he pushed on through the pain. His hand so close to touching the jar.

 

[Ketsueki Satou]

Fingers gripping around glass as Keiji pulled the jar of sloshing red liquid closer to his body. I got it. now all I need to do- He slowly tried to sit up, grabbing the syringe and opening the jar. He filled the needle with the substance that would relieve him of the pain, the hunger, the torment of the demon whispering in his mind.

He watched the liquid fill the chamber, checking to make sure there was no air. Placing the needle against the skin for that brief moment. He could hear it breathing in his ear. He looked to his side where he heard the breaths, only to see a reflection of himself in a mirror on the wall. The sight of him about to jam a needle in his arm. Doesn't that look pathetic? A drug addict needing his fix. Is that you Keiji, or someone else? A slow deep snicker. It was trying to toy with him.

Trying to get in his head, to make him second guess himself. He needed this, this was all he needed now. To stop the ache in his chest and stomach. Another press against the skin. Yes, use the vile drug that slowly kills you. You'll suffer more and more, till you can't take it anymore. And either you do what is right for you, or you succumb and jam that needle in your throat and end it all. So, what is it gonna be Keiji?


Keiji's hands were shaking, why wasn't he just injecting the serum and ignoring it? He just sat there with the needle pressing against the skin. Slowly he pulled the needle away. It was right, sooner or later he would be like Satou, either destroying himself or give in to what was now supposed to be natural for his body. Keiji put the needle on the ground, staring at it, what was his hope at holding back this fate. Yes, that a boy. Now, how about we go find ourselves a snack? Hmm


Keiji's limbs didn't ache. Rather he felt a tingling surge of renewed strength to get up off the floor. He could most freely, flexing his fingers as he walked to the lab door. It was normally locked for quarantine. Locked by code panel of digits. Fingerprints.

"Water, fatty acids, amino acids and triglycerides." Saying aloud as he paced back to his chemical station. He grabbed some fine black dust, some tape, and a white sheet of paper was all he needed. Once he got the prints off the keypad and laid on the paper he tried his best to punch in the four key combo for quite some time. He lost count of time as his fingers worked the keys till he heard the sweet noise of the lock releasing and the door sliding open.

He only thought of how he would find blood. His first thought was to track down where the blood bank was in this hospital. Another came to go outside, find some prey and sink his fangs into flesh. Shivers ran along his skin at the thought.

No, just bags of blood. Blood bank. He rushed down the halls. Making sure to take peaking looks for surveillance and personnel. Following the signs and directories to get himself to the blood bank. Of course the other personnel wouldn't know he's a quarantined patient, would they?

He was now on the patient level. He was dressed in regular hospital garb. To any medics, he just looked like a very pale, sickly teenager. Keeping his silvery eyes low to the ground. Don't stare, don't draw attention. He snuck by the corner to find the locked door to the blood banks personnel room which possibly held the fridge filled with blood bags.

He paused, thinking he should go find Junko and possibly ask him to gain access. But would he allow it? Would he allow a monster to drink the blood meant to save lives? Untainted, pure blood. What about an outbreak? transfusions? Do you think he'll allow it Keiji?

"No." He whispered. It was only logical, why give Keiji supplies meant to help the people of Kumogakure? He stood there, before the locked door. I could break in. He immediately walked away when the thought was feeling all too good of an idea in his head.

"I'll just, I'll just leave the hospital? I'll, find a stray animal." He paused as he stood in the lobby about to leave wearing the cloths of a patient who looked like he should still be in bed.

 

[Osuteno]

“The personnel at this hospital are much too relaxed for how much work and trouble they give me,” Osu thought to himself as he was swiftly moving through the halls, listening if any of the rooms he passed had more heartbeats than they should.

It hadn’t even been a minute since he call a call on his headset from security about how they noticed not that long ago someone entered in quite a ridiculous number of failed codes on a quarantined room before getting it open. Osu didn’t even know who was quarantined in the room or why, one of many downsides of taking over this position without the previous holder around and inheriting a mountain of piles of work, but he was certain of one thing, if he didn’t fire whoever was currently on duty in the monitoring room, he was going to make them wish he did.

“Is there any note anywhere about what who was quarantined in that room?” He asked someone over his headset.

The answer he got was strange. “Research supplies? What sort of research supplies? Yes, you have my permission to open that file just tell me what was in that room!” These people were driving him mad, asking for permission to act or read things when they were already given a directive.

“Course of action? What do you mean you haven’t already started a soft lockdown when you realized someone escaped from a quarantine?! Are you an idiot?!” Forget firing this person! He was going to make them beg to be fired or worse before he was through! This was terrible for Osu’s blood pressure despite having six hearts and enough blood vessels to make as many people and then some. Thankfully it would take several heart attacks to inconvenience him, a previously overlooked advantage of his anatomy, but apparently ideal for his current position and subordinates.

“Forget it, just move us up to code teal… no wait, we were sending research materials to that room? Cancel that code, they might recognize what it means if they are staff… tell the janitors to “make a spill at all entrances ASAP” and I want them as inconvenient as possible without permanent damage.”

Osu switched the call to yet someone else, “Surprise badge check day for all staff by department heads, professionalism is key and everyone wearing a uniform or in staff only areas have to keep their identifications visible at all times whether they are clocked in or not. Anyone failing to maintain such a basic directive is to be brought to the security lockup for a stern lecture and receive community service assignments… Yes I know we will end up dragging basically everyone from the labs with that, most could use the fresh air and sunlight anyway.”

Was it just him or was a significant portion of the people under him quite difficult to deal with?

Another call, “Rats? Large rats? How large are we talking? What do you mean a new disease is mentioned in the notes?”

Osu’s fast steps came to a sudden halt as he felt the room around him feel a bit colder. “I’m… did you say some of the possible names for this affliction refers to a Satou?”

Osu took a few steps forward in thought before he stopped directly in the center of where two hallways intersected. Satou. Satou’s blood. That wolf creature. Demonization. Quarantined? A person was quarantined? A person was infected? People could be infected…

Osu exploded into a huge writhing mass of red ‘threads’ and the threads began scattering down every hallway. Many people gasped in surprise, most wondering what the threads were and others wondering what had happened for Osuteno-Sensei to start spreading the blood vessels that were his body all around the hospital.

A minute or two later a blood vessel entered a lobby and immediately shot down to the ground where it started forming a foot that appeared to be in midstep. More blood vessels retracted and began coming to this point from all around the hospital.

Another foot began forming on the ground as the first began moving forward creating an even stride. More and more of a person was being formed walking towards a rather sickly looking individual.

Eventually the outer shell that made up this person’s appearance was completed though blood vessels were still gathering to form the inside.

Still Osu was, in appearance, exactly how he had been in a hallway in a different corner of the hospital. He stared wordlessly at the individual before holding an object up in his hand. It was a small translucent orb with his own blood inside. Osu carefully watched the reaction of the person before him.

“Pardon me, but you don’t look well enough to be dismissed from the hospital. Would you mind speaking with me for a bit? My name is Osuteno, I am in charge of this hospital, and I couldn’t possibly rest easy if you left our care in such rough shape without even checking on your condition personally.”

 

[Ketsueki Satou]

The few steps he took, his breathing slowed, he had to keep calm when trying to leave but it seemed like security was faster then he thought. He noticed the door leading out of the lobby was locked, someone up ahead of him couldn't open the door, and hearing the secretary from the desk say out loud that the doors were malfunctioning.

#$%& they already locked the place down. He had to find some other way of escape, some hatch or vent? Before he could come up with alternate plan the smell hit him before the sound and sight of it, he could smell the blood coming up the hallway he came through.

Immediately, Keiji moved his shaking body to a chair. The smell of blood came so pungent when the morphose form leaped into the room. A foot came first, Keiji was bolted to one of the waiting chairs in the lobby. His whole body hunched over, his blonde hair hiding his face, hiding the eyes from the figure at first.

Shacking in his chair while Osuteno approached with blood swirling orb resting in the shinobi's palm. Words were spoken, but it was all jumbled and mumbled to Keiji's ear's. He didn't respond at first. The smell was so close he could get up and reach out to it. Just grab it from this Osuteno's hand. Do it, get up, take it. Take him. No. Yes. No, I won't. Get up!


Closer, just a little closer and you could reach for his neck. Rip out the artery and feast! Silvery eyes looked up through strands of golden hair. Pushing hair back to show his face exposed the myriad of bite marks on his neck. Keiji looked young, yet his eyes held pools of silvery mercury. His skin was deathly pale, veins visible under his skin. When his lips parted to speak, Osu could see the fangs. "My name-" His eyes tried to look up to Osu's face, but they would focus on the Orb. "I-My Na-" TAKE IT! IT'S RIGHT THERE FOR YOU! HE EXPECTS IT OF YOU!

Keiji had to look away, If he kept this up he'd lose himself. Vision glued to the floor, counting the tiles and intersection of tiles. Stare at the ground, don't breath through the nose. "Keiji, my name is Keiji." He had to say it slowly, trying to center himself and remember who he was. "I guess we should go back to my room then?" Inside he could hear the infernal screams of the demon in his ears, which Keiji visibly cringed while he tried getting up. He kept his distance from this Osuteno. Not raising his silvery eyes, staring only where Osu's feet are.

 

[Osuteno]

Osu became very alert at Keiji’s initial reaction but quickly he could tell that while it was desperate, the person before him was fighting his desire… not to mention he was definitely sure the Satou that was involved in this was the very one he had in mind.

Osu nodded at Keiji’s likely rhetorical question while the orb of blood disappeared back under his skin. “It is probably for the best for now, though I believe it will be necessary to think of how we might need to accommodate for you after we get on the same page. I hope you don’t mind leading me back the same way you came from, I will be having the staff sterilize everything since most don’t know anything about the nature of your condition as it will make them feel safer. Not that I know all that much about it either, I just know Satou, and having things cleaned makes me feel better as well.” A few hooded doctors already were arriving in the lobby and, with a gesture from Osu, began sealing off the area and escorting the people in the room to get cleaned. An advantage of being a military government hospital is that doctor’s orders were enforceable.

Assuming that they did take the same path back, Osu would grimace slightly at the sight of the blood bank. When they finally got back to the quarantine, Osu would simply glance around the room before taking a seat. “What is your prognosis?”

 

[Ketsueki Satou]

The sight of the doctors and the procedure that was soon to be implemented. Keiji sighed, defeated. "Yeah, seems like a good idea. No complaints from me." He sauntered ahead, walking slowly as he listened to mild hum of the ventilation, the sound of life support machines connected to bedridden patients. "I take it Junko-San has been busy? I haven't heard from him in awhile. I've been a bit worried." Keiji spoke as he took the same path directly back to his room. He had to play it off like the need to go out and feed on something, or someone wasn't the reason for hightailing it out of the hospital. "I assume since you own the hospital, you know Satou, you must have read my report on the situation and have been informed?" He gave a glance back, those silvery eyes held an inquisitive stare.

The walk back to the room was a dead silence in his mind. The demon didn't speak, not a word. Maybe it was just watching, waiting to see what Keiji would do next. When back in the room, Keiji immediately picked up the needle and jar he left on the ground, bringing it to his desk against the wall across from the door. the room was spacious, partially a lab, and room for Keiji to sleep in and work.

Osu took the bed, he could feel how stiff and unpleasant it felt. Keiji paused when gathering some papers. Moving his long mess of blonde hair back fully, he tied it all in a rough tail. "Prognosis?" He laughed. "Being an idiot who allowed a Demon to rent his basement." He smirked and walked over and sat beside Osu. Holding out a document. The names at the top started with Patient Zero. Ketsueki Satou, the second was Shinrya Kahako, and the third was Keiji himself. Keiji sat staring to see what Osu's reaction would be first before continuing.

The documents contained basic body analysis but also images of each subjects blood samples attached to each paper. Satou's blood cells look completely destroyed and mutated growths instead of normal cells. Kahako's blood cells looked normal in shape and color yet they had multiplied at higher rate and had extra white cells beyond normal. While Keiji's were starting to change as well, no white blood cells and other cells were mutating but not dead like Satou's.

"I was his room mate for a time, before Satou left for Sunagakure. The demon took control and did-" He motioned to his neck and new looks. "All this. All possible without Satou even knowing what happened before leaving. But as the demon infected me, it boasted that it was planning something for the village. I spoke to Kahako, then sought out Junko. Now I'm here." He stared off at the far wall containing drawers of the disected specimen. "And his blood has mutated creatures here in the city. Either by the demon's plan or by Satou's lack of proper health when he lived homeless here in Kumogakure." There were drawings of the mutated Rat creature that Keiji dissected both physically and in the drawings. comparing it to an average rats body.

He coughed dryly and got up to get some water, hearing the faint whisper in his ears. He grabbed a small paper cup and tried filling it with cold water. Drinking a few times, just enought to wet his mouth so he did'nt sound like sandpaper.

 

[Osuteno]

“I honestly have no idea where Junko has run off to,” Osu admitted. “But I doubt he is in any trouble… I misspoke, I don’t believe he will be in too much trouble that he won’t be able to get out of it with most of his person.” Osu shook his head with an amused smile.

“Own isn’t the right word, but I do manage basically everything inside the walls of the hospital and a few things outside of it. I am rather new at this job as well so I am in fact playing catch-up on many details as they jump out of the woodwork, like your case. I would have been rather clueless as to what this was even about if Satou’s name didn’t appear in the report. I have known him more as a friendly person since I was much younger… probably been about twelve years now? I was only vaguely aware of some of his issues until my last encounter with him where I happened to see a wolf that had been heavily infected. It was a rather messy event… now that you mention it I think he did say something at the time about not feeling safe about living with a friend of his because of the demon? That was probably referring to you. That is basically the sum of all I know as of right now, I have yet to actually get the files in question in my hands and was basically just having an aide find and skim the related documents and that is when things started clicking for me.”

When handed the various papers he gave a grateful nod but stopped when he noticed a name he wasn’t expecting. Senpai? What was Senpai’s name doing in all this?

“Ah no,” Osu smiled a bit awkwardly, “I meant what is the expected duration, function, and description of the course of the disease… it could also simply mean a guess as to how long you have left or your overall chances at survival, but given the nature of this disease I worry more about how long until the demonic influence dominates you… is this really what you have been sleeping on? I know we are a bit stingy on the budget but the regular rooms have comfier beds than this. Do you want one?”

Osu was partially speaking to fill up the silence as he read. This must be why Senpai suddenly resigned as sennin at one point. But there was something in all this that he couldn’t help but be particularly fascinated with. Was there anyone who had done as many studies of blood cells, particularly mutated blood cells, as Osu? His own body was filled with a mess of miraculous ones, such as the fact his body didn’t have a centralized brain but an extensive system of specialized blood cells that somehow communicated over a short range to do localized and complex actions in unison, even allowing parts separated from the main body to perform independently, if at a much lower efficiency. Osu’s body having few of the regular set of organs left completed most of the tasks within his body through mutated blood cells like these, but his came from the cursed ichor of Jashin that flowed in his veins, the liquid being willful and destructive though thankfully lacking any real intelligence, otherwise Osu wouldn’t have managed to bring it mostly under control before it took the entirety of his being.

And in a way he was looking at an external force acting upon these bodies through the mingling and influence of blood. And why wouldn’t it? Blood is all invasive in the body, if an outside force wanted to make large changes and could handle the white blood cells then blood was a very effective path to travel. However…

“Your body is unable to fight even the most minor of infections now… this is basically an infectious cancer… but…” Osu tilted his head because something isn't adding up here. “Even a slight cold should be able to kill you right now… rather how many of your organs already have to be dominated for you not to be dead right now? And for the blood cell population to be like this your marrow should also already be a lost cause. Have you had marrow sampling done yet? Any mass mutations and population of new blood cells would have to start there.”

Osu kept flipping through still feeling something still wasn’t adding up in all of this, even more so when he examined the details of the mutated rat, “I’ve only spoken with the demon once, but I feel confident in my assessment that it is a rather despicable existence.” Osu felt uncomfortable having been complimented by the thing.

“And it honestly could have been both considering that Satou lives probably the least healthy lifestyle out of anyone I have seen, and that demon he is unfortunately shackled seems to want to watch the world burn for fun. Either way, what has me curious is the extreme difference between how it affects animals and how it has affected people so far. Senpai could be hiding symptoms, but I honestly think she seemed fairly healthy last I saw her and not really like someone concerned by demonic influence. I will have to fuss at her a bit for not telling me about any of this and see what she can tell me…”

“Wait did you just cough?” Osu looked over at Keiji with a noticeable amount of curiosity.

“Is it simply your dry throat or have you been coughing much lately? With a complete lack of white blood cells basically all signs of your body fighting infection should be nearly nonexistent, such as coughing or swelling or nasal drainage. Are the demonized cells fighting infection for you perhaps? Curious… have you been experiencing much soreness anywhere? Any new external discolorations or marks? How has your ‘thirst’ been affecting you? Have there been any large changes in your condition as of late?” Osu had accidentally dropped his more polite speech pattern at this point and revealed a bit of his scholastic fervor.

 

[Ketsueki Satou]

He stood sipping the water, staring at Osu with those swirling eyes of steel mercury. "Dry throat. I-" He paused as he finished one cup and drank another. "I have'nt been keeping up with the demon part of me. Last time, which was before coming here. I ate a cat. It was the first time I lost control and had to eat something living." He spoke meekly about it, feeling embaressed. He sat at his desk sipping on his fifth cup now. "I never asked Junko-San to supply me with anything to eat or drink but water and a few instant meals I can heat up." He smiled a fanged grin weakly. He decided to change the subject.

"The white cells are gone from me and Satou. I was sick as a dog for the first few weeks of the change though slowly I stopped feeling sick, and haven't suffered any illnesses since. And the wounds I suffered from the rats attacking me healed within hours. Here, let me show you something." He got up he went to some of the tools near the other end of the room where things wrapped,bagged and put in containers marked with diferrent organs. Picking up a small scalpel , Keiji walked back and sat infront of Osu. Keiji made a small incision in his own hand. Showing Osu the cut, the blood was slowly seeping from the wound at an almost snail's pace, then it stopped, the blood slowly started to seep back up into the wound. the cut did'nt heal immediatly, but started to close and seal itself. "I don't heal as fast as Satou, I can still open the cut and force it to bleed. But my body has been able to fight off sickness and heal itself beyond normal humans now."

He put the scalpal back. "Yeah, a new bed would be freaking nice. My back get's sore off this thing." He walked over to his desk and also handed over a vial of some substance. "When I was turning I tried injesting and injecting large amounts of vitamins and minirals. to try and help fright off any illnesses. Whatever my body was slowly losing I was desperatly trying to force back into my body. But no matter how high the dosage, my body was losing. And yet now my body feels different. Like I don't need any of that." He felt it again, the pulsing through him. And that sickening deep laugh in the back of his mind.

Spoiler

Keiji's hands suddenly reached out and grabbed Osu by the chest, shoving him onto his back as Keiji landed ontop of him onto the bed. One hand grabbing Osu roughly by the hair to jerk his head to the side. Exposing that smooth throat. Keiji lunged down teeth bared as he could feel them pierce through flesh, the hot torrent of blood filling his mouth, immediatly he greedily feeds off of Osu. Feeling Osu thrash and flail, fighting and trying to shove Keiji off of him. Yet slowly his flailing and punching stops, Keiji could feel the muscle tension slowly releasing underneath him. Osu slowly going limp in his arms.

Keiji blinked as the world around him reset. He was in his chair again, sipping his water while Osu talked to him. Keiji looked a bit set back, as if he lost concentration for a moment. "Sorry, what were we talking about? Oh yeah the bed. Would it be ok if we went to go get that now? I feel like I should probably lay down soon and try get some sleep." He got up and went to toss the cup, looking down at the contents. It was filled with blood instead of water. He tossed it out without finishing, water spilling over the side of the small trashcan. Osu could notice, there were no clocks or computers in the room, no phones or television. The only books strewn about were medical journals and biology textbooks from the hospital.

Keiji had spent unspecified amount of time simply doing his research locked in this room. He looked to Osu while waiting at the door. "Or, do you want me to stay here? And the bed will be brought by staff I guess?" He was put into quarantine, he knew the answer. He just hoped Osu would let him have a bit more time out of seclusion.

 

[Osuteno]

Ah this was terribly awkward. “That… isn’t really possible for the moment. I can’t put you back into quarantine and then immediately let you walk about. Well, not without explaining your condition to a few peers and it isn’t the best time for people to start worrying about a demon plague. In particular those who lived through the demon invasion might have some particularly strong opinions on what should be done about the source and the already infected… but it does seem you have been cooped up in here for far too long… Give me a day and I will have a couple people come and sneak you out for some fresh air tomorrow night. I won’t lie, they are indeed going to be on the lookout for signs of demonic influence and will be there as much to keep you from harming others as keeping you safe. If things go well we can make this a more regular arrangement.

I do realize this means treating you like a prisoner despite being a victim in all of this, so if you do need things like better bedding or food, please feel free to make requests and I will see what I can do… Also I hope you can understand but the next time you leave on your own, we will have to act on the assumption that you have been possessed.” Osu’s expression was simply a grimace at this point but there was a sternness in his gaze.

In all honesty, Osu felt terrible about all this, but he would not budge on it either. His first priority was to the health and safety of the village, and this man’s freedom was of far lesser importance. The most Osu could do was try and make him comfortable while a cure was researched. However…

“Satou will need to be found and contained… and I will have to make certain Kahako-Senpai isn’t a risk.” Osu said with a miserable sigh.

“I wonder if the mutant animals will also thirst for the blood of you all, or seek you out for other reasons. That is another thing to be on the lookout for during your trips for fresh air.”

Osu spoke into his headset for a proper bed to be brought down before he looked to Keiji. “Is there anything else you would like? Any other important details concerning our health or the mutation itself?”

 

[Ketsueki Satou]

Keiji stood by the door listening to Osu, staying quiet as he stood with his hand gently pressed on the glass sealed door. When Osu finished talking Keiji gave a glance past the glass. Osu would see a darken poorly lit hallway, a room far in the dark and unused part of the hospital. Keiji saw that the doorway left to lush grass field, sunny light breathing through the doorway and the sounds of the wield calling out to him. Keiji could swear even smelling the scent of the flowers that littered the grass just beyond this glass barrier.

He turned away from it and went back to his desk to sit quietly for a moment. His face held a look of contemplation, after fixing a few things on his desk. He had to think of his life outside this room as impossible for awhile. He may never be allowed to socialize with the outside world ever again. The thought left himself somewhat empty of feeling. Maybe he was getting used to solidarity. "When I'm allowed leave with escort. I will need to collect specimens. Creatures that may be tainted in early stages or otherwise "clean" looking. I encountered rats and a dog fully mutated. So I'm going to see what avian creatures I can grab as well as another rat, one's that aren't mutated hopefully. I need to see how far the spreading has gone down the food chain here in this village. If the spreading has gone rampant enough, it would lead to city wide lockdown and extermination of most wildlife in or out and around the village." He put some papers away and went to go grab one of his books. One not for research but for personal read.

Shuffling over to the bed and throwing himself behind Osu to lay down and read. Flipping a few pages through from where he last left off. No bookmark or page fold. He just had to recall the page. "Don't worry Osu-Sama, If the contingency of an outbreak occurs. I'm sure you and the other shinobi have it covered. As for Satou, like I said he's running around in Sand. Kahako was supposed to fetch him by now. Though it's understandable with her job and family to tend after, it would be hard for her to just run off without planning ahead. If It was me, all I'd do is follow the empty bottles of booze, find the most empty bottles and you'll find Satou in the pile." He laughed a bit and stretched on the stiff bed. "Yeah, definitely new bed. And maybe some more reading material, or a radio to listen to what's going on outside or some music would be great." He spoke without sarcasm but honesty with hinge of boredom.

A sound was in his ear for a few moments, the sound of water dripping. He looked from his book, past Osu to the sink across the room. It wasn't on. The room was short distance enough for him to look over and see if the tap was dripping. Then glancing to the small water cooler, stillness. Eerie silence of the sound but he could swear hearing it continue to drip. "Water?" He paused at the word when hearing that deep laughed in the back of his mind. The image of the cup of water being filled with blood. "Osu-san I need you to check on the villages water supply. It may have also been a target site by the demon. When the demon had attacked me, it said it had plans for the village, as unclear as it was. If not just infecting the local wildlife which could get into local food supplies, then the creature would have also tainted the villages water supply. Poison the well of a village, you poison the whole village." He closed his book throwing it on his desk. Keiji lost his mood to read, his mind racing. His body felt weak again. "And, I'll need a supply of food. For my new diet. Not sure what you may suggest. This village may need clean bags of blood, encase the solution may require blood transfusion." He laid there with his eyes closed trying to think. Wishing this was all just a dream.

No, no this is your nightmare my dear boy. And it's only just begun.

 

[Osuteno]

Osu thought for a moment before nodding, “Specimen retrieval will be noted on the list of tasks for your escorts. Intentional combat… I will draw your escorts from Harvester members. If it really comes down to it I will push biological attack protocols.”

Despite being told not to worry, it was his job in a sense. Not only that but he had to make absolutely certain of unknown variables, his personal attachments aside. If senpai still hasn’t left he would confirm a few things with her.

Osu smiled and shook his head disapprovingly as he pictured the all too imaginable sight of Satou in such a mess as he noted the requested supplies, all being perfectly acceptable and within his power. He would have them delivered within the next few hours.

The sudden change in tone wasn’t lost on Osu. “The water sources? Certainly, but… Nevermind. I will have people keep a close eye on things. I have a rather simple solution concerning your diet, as I thought of this issue for Satou long before now. I will simply send you a regular supply of my own blood, if you aren’t aware I am more of a blood construct than a person, but admittedly building up a large short term emergency stock of blood will be much more difficult since… my blood isn’t suitable for transfusions anymore. As uncomfortable as it may be I will have to try and get back in touch with my clan to try and make up for what spontaneous blood drives won’t be able to cover… I need to prepare more storage and organize collections.”

Osu began walking towards the door to the room hearing the bed being rolled down the hallway. After a moment the door opened and figures in sealed uniforms rolled the bed in. They had rather guarded stances.

“Calm down and take this list, see he gets these amenities as well.”

With a bow a figure took the list and looked it over before burning it for safe measure. No one commented on how Osu himself wasn’t wearing any protection as they left with the old bed, probably heading to destroy it, after Keiji moved from it.

When they were gone Osu walked over to a table and placed an orb of blood down just like the one he showed earlier, sealed in the same material blood vessels were made from. “We all have troubles and tasks Keiji-San, but you are not in an enviable position. Still, please be careful not to lose yourself. Help is only a word away after all.”

 

[Ketsueki Satou]

He laid there listening to Osu's response to his query and concerns. Keiji laid there relaxed with his silvery eyes looking Osu over when he mentioned being blood construct, remembering that viscous bloody form slipping into the lobby and felt a chill run up his spine as his body felt a strange surge. Osu's proposal as his meal ticket made Keiji's whole body shiver. Again the images flashing before his eyes when staring at Osu, hands reaching out to pull him close, teeth baring down on flesh.

Yet the flesh ran away to oceans of blood that washed over Keiji's eyes and blinded him, drowned him. He breathed and looked away, the room was white, boring pale egg white. Osu was still sitting, talking beside Keiji. "This place needs new coat of paint." He mumbled before saying more clearly. "Thank you, for offering your blood. It will help me greatly. I'll need it to keep focus for however long I'll be researching a cure for this." He motioned a pale hand to himself.

He could hear something outside the room. Movement, the sound of something squeaking, cart wheels on smooth waxed floor. He stayed rather still, turning himself onto his back so he could watch Osu rise and head for the door. "That is rather quick service-" His words cut off when the personnel entered the room. Rather hostile response for someone who's a patient. They looked likely to be at the ready to beat him with batons like some wild beast. It almost made Keiji laugh, but he remained still, blank silver stare. He wondered which would have unnerved the personnel more.

Yet the young man laid on his bed with a bored look. Yawning and slowly getting up as to not have the guards piss themselves. He sat on the other side of the room with some books on the counter along with files and the dissected parts of the mutated rat in neatly packed sterile containers. "Oh, and don't forget these." Is what he wanted to say, but he just stood there leaned up against the counter, his lithe pale form showing more when he was standing.

Keiji's silvery eyes watched like an owl perched on a tree as he hopped up and sat on the counter, taking book in hand while he watched over the rim of the book, his old bed was switched with a new one. Once the bed was switched over. He made note of how odd the personnel were, burning papers as Keiji waved his old bed goodbye in his thoughts. "What a waste of tree's. Least now I'll have something "comfortable" to sleep on." Keiji gave a small laugh as he went to go lay down in his new bed. Stopping his stride to bed when Osu started mentioning something, the Shinobi Medic paced across the room to rest something on the desk.

Keiji turned to watch Osu place the orb on the desk. When Osu spoke, all his words jumbled and mumbled into seamless sound that faded like white noise in the sea of red that eyes fixated on. Steps across the ocean as he leaned down to dip fingers through red waters.

Keiji blinked as he stood before the orb. He did'nt remember walking to stand before it. The strange fleshlike orb smell overly pleasing, the iron metallic scent that filled the air was intoxicating enough, Keiji could have sworn he would black out again. His hands were going to grab the orb and swallow it whole. The thought was there, he could almost see himself doing it. Yet. He just stood there, staring at it, his head tilted slightly to the side, inquisitively.


Striding across the room like a blur, Osu watched as Keiji grab a small syringe with needle, a small red box, and a styrofoam cup. He place all things on the desk, opening the red box to reveal a small set of corked slender glass tubes with undisclosed fluid in each glass. Keiji grabbed a clean empty tube, and the syringe. Stabing the fleshy orb of blood. He drew out a small amount of Osu's blood, puting some in the small tube, once full. The rest of the blood he poured into the cup for himself. Throwing the needle in the trash, more then likely some wierdo will come running in and set it ablaze as well. Keiji closed the case after marking Osu's name of some tape placed on the side of the tube. He wondered how much the orb held in content, but knowing he drained it all into the cup. Grabbing the cup and without hesitation Keiji drank deep. Soon as the metallic taste hit his tongue. He closed his eyes, his whole body felt that surge again.

In the sea of red, he simply swayed in the ocean. Letting the red waters move him to and fro. Like on a boat, with the warm sun running all along your body. Yet it all faded away to the cold, sterile white of the room when Keiji opened his eyes. He felt warm all over for the breif moment. His skin prickled with color for a breath, then became pale again. Whatever was of the blood burned away in the void. His throat wetted, yet dried. He put the cup down. Putting the red box away with all his files on subjects.

The world was shimmering and twisting in his gaze, he tried to remain calm and collected. Looking at his hands to discern any change. None. Yet he smirked while saying. "Thank's Osu-San. You've been an incredible help." He spoke with a calm relief in his voice as he went to go lay down on his new bed. "I'll give you a shout if I need you. Let me know soon as possible when you got a team ready for me." He laid down facing away from Osu. Trying to close his eyes and mind from the world that was changing around him. He was glad to have a more comfortable bed to sleep in. Thankfully sleep was slowly taking him. His only hopes were for dreams to greet him, and not nightmares.


(Topic left? Look forward to next thread )