Chapter Four

“Ryss! Ryss look what I found!” I was five again, my chubby fist held out happily at my friend, my hero worship. He knew everything. There was nothing he didn’t know, couldn’t do. I knew him as the boy who would gladly lie for me, the orphan child who was taken in by the owner. He would lie, and we would run away to the attic, and we would play. He would put up with me gladly showing him things I found. From bugs to scared mice to shiny rocks.

Ryss peaked at my fist, where I held a squirming, squeaking mouse. It was barely past the stage of being pink and hairless, and clearly did not appreciate being picked up by such a large, dirty giant.

“Let him go, we go play hide and seek now. He needs to go eat.” Ryss said, nodding with all the charm and intelligence he could have at his young age. His eyes bright and approving as I set the little mousie free, watching it scurry away.

“Ryss last time we played, we got in troubles.” I nodded in fear, pointing to the building next to us. The mean neighbors, the sting of the blow across our backs. The screaming and yelling, it had never been fun. I didn't like that game.

“Ill protect you.” He nodded with such surety, taking my hand in his own, lesser chubby one as we walked out of our home.

“Really?” I asked, brightening as I looked up at him, pure hero worship in my eyes.

“Always.” His voice no longer a child's, but the huskiness of an adult. “Ill protect you always.”

I screamed as his face shifted to a blood splattered one, the red dripping over the mangled half of his face, blond locks framing the gruesome show. “Ill protect you always-” He extended a hand that was missing its flesh towards me, and I woke up screaming.

A blanket that smelt musty and moth eaten fell to my naked legs as I sat up, chest rising and falling with my quick intakes of air. I looked around, eyes wide. There was no bloody face of Ryss, only his echoing voice in my head.

He was dead.

“Ryss...mother why him.” I whimpered, curling back up carefully. I should have been worried about why I was covered so thoroughly in bandages and medic-1, and who had the funding to even get medic-1. The one hospital we did have didn’t even get medic-1 unless you could afford it. Murikami wouldn’t even let that go.

While I hurt, and my back and legs felt weird underneath me, I barely noticed. The thread bare blanket was tugged up around my chin as I shook with sobs, trying to bite off any noise. He died because of me, some orphaned brat that followed him around.

“Stop it.”

I froze. That voice was commanding, deep and thick, but bare of any emotion. Making the stop it nothing but a barked command. But I turned around slowly, and blinking the haze of tears out of my eyes I saw that someone was in the room with me.

Caleb, his name was Caleb I remembered.

“What?” I stared at him blankly. Why shouldn’t I feel grief?

“I said stop it. Do you think he would appreciate you crying here like this?” He stared back at me, emotionless. His eyes silver and red, his hair messy in his face, as if he had sat there for some time and didn’t move to do anything about himself.

Why would he though, sit here for me?

“What...what right do you have in telling me what he would want? You didn’t know him!” My voice was starting to rise, shaking with tears and the choke of sobs that threatened to come again.

I actually drew back against the pillows when the large, imposing man stood up and came near me. My eyes darted to his hands, glad to see he didn’t hold a gun. Though he could easily strangle me, snap my neck with one touch and not even get tired.

I inched against the wall, not giving a damn when my shoulder bit against the hard, cold surface. I just wanted to get away from him. The window looked like a nice option, but knowing my luck we were two stories off of the ground and I would go splat.

Not the best way to make an exit.

There was the door as well, which I could see quite clearly behind the hulk of a man. I could try to run there, but I realized the bottom of my feet were bound tightly with medic-1 wrap as well, and walking seemed like such a stupid idea. Why walk, when you could sit there and let some six foot something man strangle you to death.

I just hoped he would be merciful and kill me quickly. I disliked blood on my clothes.

Though, know that I thought about it, I was naked minus the wraps...

To my surprise the walking idiot sat down beside me. I felt the bed sag under his weight, and I was about as far as the wall would let me go unless I could meld with it. Melding with walls was not something I could do, so instead I sat there and watched him under a fringe of brown hair.

“He was a strong man.” His voice was still void of any emotions, but some how I listened. I didnt zone him out like I tended to do for most poeple.

“He protected you, he would not want you to think of him as he died, but before that. Wouldnt it be better to honor his life instead of greiving over it?” Caleb asked me, an eyebrow cocked, just barely.

I stared back, and thought, tears drying on my cheeks.

After some time, Caleb got up. I could feel the bed shift as he moved, but I didnt actually see him. I was to busy staring into space. Remembering things. Trying vainly, like Caleb had said, to remember Ryss has he had been before. The man that would tease clients and then come tell me what they had done, how he had egged on the men and ended up teasing them to the point of laughter, both of them forgetting about what either of them wanted.

He was good like that.

I remembered when he would sneak me treats from the city. The few trips I was allowed outside, always with a gaurd I had never been allowed to see much. The guard was there, I had been told, to stop any one from thinking I was a random street harlot there for easy sex. No one else needed a guard. I never questioned it.

He was the boy that would dress me up, dance around with me and be silly. And he was there when I needed to cry on someones shoulder, and he was the one who showed me the different stars and how to feel Mother.

He was my protector.

As my heart sank into my chest, I realized how much I loved him. Not like a lover. We never did that, but like a soul mate. Someone who was to much alike you to be anything else but a soul brother. A lover, the two would just fight, but if you were a brother, you could fight and come back, ruffling each others hair and fondly call each other fuck ups.

Mother, I missed him. But it didnt hurt as much. The empty void was there yes. The peice of me that was missing. I left it alone though, instead sitting up with a wince of pain. I was shocked to see by the light on the window sill that I must have been sitting in the same spot for hours.

I suppose it goes to show you what a nice host Caleb could be. Very compassionate.

Jerk.

“Bath time.” Came the emotionless voice from beside me. I stared at him, wondering what sort of drug he was on, and didnt have time to answer. Oh no. Because his hands were on me, and I was being lifted up.

I trashed, or tried to. It hurt, and all I managed to do was flail feebly as I glared at him.

“I dont want a bath! Let me go.” I yelled, hoping that screaming would get through his tough, thick skull. I found a hand on my mouth though, and I blinked in confusion. For someone who was so big...and stupid. He smelt nice.

“ITS NOT BATH TIME!” I screamed, trashing as I was carried into what I guessed was the bathroom. Naked minus my bandages I was disgrunted to find myself tossed into a bath of very hot, soapy water.

I had five seconds to sit there, blinking owlishly as water dripped down my nose before it settled in.

“Fuc-”

I didnt have time to finish swearing, or I didnt have the heart. Because here was that very nice smelling hand, on my thigh, with soap. I blushed, staring at him with the same look one can acheive by smacking you on the head with a two by four.

“Wh-what are you doing?!” I squeaked.

“Bathing you.” Came his rather to the point answer, his hand in areas where I wouldnt have minded a hand, had he been actually meaning to touch it.

A bath...right. He was just giving me a...wait what?

I was being molested! This wasnt a bath! I was being molested by a big guy with a bar of soap and a penchance for-...it felt so damn good to have him rubbing my belly though.

I watched him curiously, wondering and more so hoping that there would be some reaction. You didnt just grab someone, toss them in a bath of far to hot water and soap them up! Not without having a second motive at least. But there didnt seem to be any, minus getting me clean. I stared at him harder, the corner of my eyes squinting. You never know!

All I saw was his emotionless face, set on his work. Which was scrubbing off the dried blood on my chest.

I pouted.

Well there goes the theory that the big useless man mountain was of some good.

At least he wasnt flaying my flesh off in chunks, i had that as a prize. But it was awkward, sitting there in a tub full of water that was far to warm, soapy and with a hand where I didnt want a hand. Well i did, but I didnt want his hand there when he was a brainelss idiot.

A hot brainless idiot, but looks werent everything.

The entire bath was uncomfortable, painful and just awkward. I sat there, watching anything but him. Wondering perhaps where we were. I knew that we were in one of the 'hotel's. The only word for it was hotel. Semi-permanant housing that was cheap and looked even cheaper. The floors and walls around us while part of the citys, and Mother's original design were badly carved. I looked at the wavering wall, looking so much like a pond when you skip a rock across it.

There were exactly four larger bumps, and no six foot something man bending over me.

“OUCH!” I cried out when his hand brushed against my rib, glaring at him. I hurt, every where. My arm, my ass, my back, my legs. The smell from the water wasnt helping much either, and I eyed the liquid as if it was going to come bite me.

You never knew.

“Can i get out now?” I snarled with barely controled fury.

Caleb just looked at me, an eyebrow barely raised. His dark bluish-green hair fell into his dual toned eyes and I just stared. The effect, added with the sunlight streaming through the open windows and the shadows was rather breath taking.

I looked away quickly.

“Why do you keep staring at me like that?” He asked, gruff voice soft. He had stopped mid-soaping, so his hand was resting along my shoulder. I looked at it for a moment, admiring perhaps the muscle structure. The fact that I knew he could easily crush bone with those hands didnt scare me. I wasnt scared to be here, I realized. Sad because I missed Ryss and the others. How did I know they got out alive? I was hurt as well, and just feeling awkward.

And it didnt help that my benifactor asked odd questions.

“Um..” I started, looking up at him with brown hair falling into my face. What was I suppose to say to that? Obviosuly not the truth. I was a known liar, so why not just utilize that skill and placate the big gaint thing and hope he didnt get hungry for little boys?

Oh yes, very skilled liar I was.

I was starting to wonder if he would blink more often. Or just now and then. It was a bit frightening, to be sitting there, in a tub full of water and having someone just...stare at you. He had the same stare a wild cat had before he chomped on your head. Or so I assumed. I was never lucky enough to meet a wild cat in such a situation.

“Sorry...It's just you dont seem the type to well...do this sort of thing. Why didnt you just leave me?” It all spilled out in one rambling line and I couldnt stop it. “I mean Im sure you have better things to do then take care of me. You being a so-”I remembered his hatred for the word and continued on quickly-”You being who you are im sure you have no need for my ah...skills. So why...arent I dead? Or some whree else? Why are you washing me anyway?”

He blinked at me, and I felt the need to shift under the water and drown at that very moment. Seconds ticked past and turned into minutes, and it felt like an enterinity before he spoke finally.

“I said you were dirty. Dirt causes infections. Infections can cause death.” His voice was soft, haunting. The gruffness of it added to the entire effect, and he had me with every word. Even If i wanted to be offended at being called dirty. “You had glass shards in your skin, a lot. I have no use for your skills.”

I glared at him, harsh.

“I took you because...” He drawled off, and I found myself arching an eyebrow, wondering if he was going to say something or not. He took me because what? Because Im amusement? Because he secretly eats the flesh of the young to stay well...semi-beautiful?

“No reason. You can have your use. You'll see in time. You're clean enough. Get out. I need to finish my training.” He stood up in one fluid motion, a boneless grace that I myself could n ever acheive. I pouted. He told me to get out, fair enough. But what did he expect me to dry myself with?

Toeing the drain tap out, I watched the water swirl back into the pipping before I stood up, carefully shaking my self out. My movements were careful as I shuffled over to what I hoped was a closet, or at least a rack of something. I was right, but not as right as I would have liked. The towels were far to small, and I glared at them, as if it was the towels fault they were placed there by mistake. Obviously it was their fault.

Never the less, I was wet, and It was either stay wet and contract some ailing disease or dry off. I could beg clothes off of tall and stupid later. If he had a problem with me limping my ass out there naked he could cover his eyes. I wasnt wearing the rug.

“Fuck, mother ow that hurts.” I wshipered softly, toweling at my side with a pained expression. I could barely bring the soft cloth of the towel against my side without it jaring something. While the wrappings were there(needing a good change i could see) it wasnt helping, and the bruises that made me look like a spotted cat bit at me mercisely.

I arched my head back, looking up at the ceiling, where I knew there were pipe lines running through it. I exhaled through my nose as I bit my lip, attempting to dry the cut up side of my leg. For some reason looking up at the pipes made it easier, and I was done quicker.

“Thanks.” I whispered to the ceiling. To who? Who knows, Mother maybe, I hoped.

I couldnt find a laundry basket, so I just folded the towels and set them beside the bathtub. A chore that was worked into me, being clean. I couldnt handle wrinkled clothes. The habits of a working boy I suppose. Ryss was worse then me. He always came in and straightened everything in my room, checking for dust and other things that could 'cause problems.'

I froze, bent carefully and an unfolded towel in my hand. Ryss...Mother I wanted him back. I didnt want to be here, with big and stupid. My eyes flickered to the door, and I turned back to my task at hand, no longer worried if the corners lined up.

The walk out the bathroom was a harsh one, each step jaring my injuries. I finally had to stop when I was by the edge of the door, leaning on it with a gaps of pain, my breath coming quickly and just hurting worse. I thought the walls were merging with each other, and I wondered why. That wasnt normal, but as I stood there, i could feel the ground rock beneath my feet, and I gasped harshly, unable to stand anymore.

Falling backwards as dizzyness took in, I would have landed hard was it not for the hands that caught me, jerking me against a warm, thick chest. I blinked hazily, turning my head to stare up at who ever caught me.

Those odd, dual toned eyes looked back at me, and I tried a smile.

Apparantly he didnt appreciate that, or my falling, because he scooped me up once more and set me on the bed without a word. Men, always so self absorbed. It was such a shame I was one.

“What did I do now?” Flicking a peirce of brown hair out of my face i tried to control my breathing, but I felt odd. My body was hot in certian areas, others, like my toes and fingers were freezing. Finding the blanket I had used before i hid my feet and hands under it, glaring at Caleb.

“You should have called me. You'll die of blood loose if you keep that up,” Mumbling softly back at me, i was intruged to see my thigh when he shifted my leg. I couldnt feel his finger tips on my flesh either, which was odd. I could usually feel touches like that, and react in accordance. But i couldnt even process that there was a hand large enough to cup my entire head on my thigh. Nor that there were fingers prodding at my flesh.

Thick, white bandages were wrapped around my thigh, Medic-1. A fabric with such a tight weave that it was next to impossible to get infections with it. It was initially soaked in some form of healing solution that raised your bodies imune system, allowing your wounds to heal double the time they normally would have, some times triple. There was probably other things normal people like me didnt know about that could do something better, like glue a limb back on and make it usuable or something. Who knows, we never got told about most of it.

What was intruging was the red stains on the bandage, bright red, not the rusty brown of dried blood.

“Oh...” Was all i could say. Wasnt that odd, the blood. It looked rather interesting against the white as well, and i went to go lift up the bandage, but a hand wrapped around mine, tugging it back down, and away.

He was holding my hand! My eyes widened, and a sarcastic comment fell onto my lips. Something along the lines of 'oh my, I didnt know rocks had compassion' but I didnt get a chance to say it, because he roughly put my hand back to my side.

Never mind then, compassion was dead apparantly. Along with being a gentleman. Poor me, I could see myself getting roughed up more in the very near future.

“You opened your wounds.” The obvious was given to me, and I just nodded, rubbing my hand where he touched it.

“Lay back and shut up, I have to rewrap them before you make yourself worse.” Caleb got up and grabbed a bag from the window sill. A rather drab thing, I would have mentioned his need for a better fashion sense(and the fact that shoulder bags werent his thing) was it not for the roll of medic-1 he took out.

“Oh...” My intelligence level was not high today it would seem. Me and the spider crawling up the wall mindlessly.

I laid back.

Caleb was gentle for a man his size. His eyes never waivered from their set task, I was upset to see. I didnt say a thing while his hands roamed all over me, nor did he. We made a positively boring couple it would seem. A lesser man would have begged to be fucked by then, but I had some restraint thank you, and at the moment there really wasnt a sexual thought in my pretty little head.

Even if his hands were at the current time, on my thigh, barely an inch from my exposed manhood.

I at least had the desincy to blush like the virgin I wasnt.

“So um...” Im sorry but If some mans hand is on my thigh, Im going to make small talk.

Caleb didnt even look up from his work, just gently wrapped the white guaze like substance around my thigh tightly, but not so tight that it would restrict blood flow. A pity, I was kind of hoping something would happen, as talkative as Caleb was.

“Where did you get medic-1?” The perfect patient that I was, I squirmed now and then, unable to get comfortable on the scratchy blanket.

He held me down by the hips, giving me the equivilent of a glare, or thats what I thought it was anyway.

I smiled innocently.

Me and my virginity.

After a few long and painfully dragging moments of silence he spoke up, finishing the wrapping on one thigh and going onto the next.

“I took it.” He said softly, dual toned eyes intent on his work, oddly colored hair falling into his face. My fingers itched to drag it behind his ear so much that I curled them into fists in the coverlet.

Thank you captian obvious, please take the door prize for telling me something I allready fucking knew!

“Allright..” I sighed, mentally counting to three. “From who?”

“Murikami.” He said that one word with a surprisingly large amount of hatred, and my eyebrows dispaered into my shaggy hair.

“You...took it from Murikami?” The doubt was strong in my voice, but it had a reason to be.

What he was implying made me laugh. He walked into one of the factories, just took the medic-1 and walked out?

“And a few weapons and other things.” He spoke as if he read my thoughts, and I glared at him.

He better not have, I did not need him prying into those thank you. I had things in there that were meant to be kept secret.

“Im sorry, care to explain yourself a bit better? As to how perhaps you got into his towers, took the stuff and just waltzed right back out?” My voice was painfully tight and strung like a bowstring, filled with false happiness that i could taste on the tip of my tongue, and I nearly developed a twitch in my eye from the strain.

I was not, I decided, going to yell at him, but I was going to suffer from blood vessels exploding if he did not explain this to me better soon.

Patience had never been one of my virtues, I never had many of those anyway. Virtues were useless things in the form of monk robes and that never ended very well. I believe I sold my virtues for the use of a sweet tooth.

And at the moment, I needed a very heavy dose of something sweet and in large amounts, or someone would suffer.

Caleb looked at me for a moment with that infuatuating gaze before going back to finishing up the lesser wrappings on my body. I eyed him carefully, wondering if perhaps he was there for something else, before I realized his touch was the same he would give to his gun. Careful, but not really caring.

Thanks.

“I killed the soldiers and went in, got what I needed and came out. I didnt run into anyone with mentioning.” He muttered under his breath as he finished up, shifting away from me with a look that I could read carefully, even with his few emotional skills. It was the same look one would give something they didnt want to touch.

With a wince I sat up, resting my bruised, battered back against the cool, living rock of the wall. I felt better touching a part of Mother, even if it was just a small part.

Call me crazy, but anyone would feel better with the soothing calm that fell over me like a blanket. I didnt have an inch of hatred in me anymore. I just smiled softly at him.

“You killed soldiers? When...theres probably five, or more at any given tower door?” I asked him carefully, wording it as if I was talking to a very small child. And In a way, I was.

“There was ten, theres ten soldiers to each squad, not including the captian. Most of them never leave the tower factories. Theres usually five squads for each sector of the city, three on relay for the other squads, and the rest are at the factory, either training or helping in building other soldiers.”

I stopped short.

The implications of those numbers made my head spin.

“Theres...that many in the city?” I asked softly, not wanting to hear the answer.

“Yes.”

“Which means...” Which meant that we were fucked. If the soldiers took it into their heads to stop us normal folk from doing things...they could.

Eraticating us would be so very easy. Like squishing bugs under your heel.

“What...what are you? I mean..whats your DNA?” I asked carefully, my eyes set on the others empty, uncaring ones.

He stared back at me before shrugging.

“Nothing, technically. I was the first, he didnt start using animal genes spliced till the hundreth copy, the actual real and first BLOOD Soldier.” He whispered softly, giving away so much information yet leaving me with a million more questions.

“Why did you have that episode at the...” I flinched in sorrow. “place earlier?” I remembered him, crouched, hurting and unable to move.

“I...” For once Caleb seemed at a loss, and he glared as much as he could, arching to his feet with all the grace a man his size should never have.

“I dont know what your talking about. Get some sleep, rest is what you need to heal.” He muttered at me, and I glared back.

“But you do remember dont you?!” How could he forget something like that?! How could he dare to not answer my question. I needed, no, wanted to know. And here he was standing there like the oaf he was and not telling me!

How unfair could you get. I mean really.

“I said-” He was suddenly next to me, over me, his hands on either side of my head and his face pressed close to mine. I whimpered.

“Go to sleep.” He hissed, so close that I could indeed see the barcode imprinted on his eye.

“S-sure...sl-sleep.” Stuttering I inched downward till i was away from him, smiling tentativly. He didnt move for a moment, and I thought he would kill me. And I knew right then I would allow him. The man was far to scary for his own good.

“Good.” Was all he said before disapearing into one of the other rooms.

I could do nothing but watch his retreating back, and wonder what I had missed.