Atsuko's Pov
'It's already been an hour and half since I've injected her.' I noted, as I checked the time. Not soon after she went to sleep, I hooked up a heart monitor to her body, occasionally recording data from the next room over.
I don't really know what to expect, so better safe than sorry. I still had a full view of her from the camera I had set up. I wonder what she's dreaming of...
She looks like a doll when she sleeps.
Another thirty minutes pass, and still nothing major has happened, but at the same time, she hasn't moved from her position. Her breathing patten is extremely slow, which I find odd.
Recording the smallest amounts of data, I rarely took my eyes off the screen.
But then I noticed something.
Her body is having a spasm, and she's mouthing something?
Hurrying, I cut the audio on, just to hear her scream in agony, her heart monitor flat lined.
Dropping everything, I rushed back into her room.
Rushing to Minami's side, I stood shocked as the only thing I could hear is the monitor's steady flat line sound. Slowly aproching her, I reached out to touch her face, it was extremely cold.
"Minami! You've gotta wake up." I yelled at her, but I got no response.
I didn't realize that I was crying, until I noticed the drops falling on her face.
"Minami, I'm so sorry." I croaked, before sobs overtook my body, and I began crying on the bed. My hands gripping her cold ones.
xXx
Inside Minami's Mind...
'Where am I?' I wondered, as I looked around, there was nothing but a bright light. 'Is that the bright light I'm supposed to avoid? But there is nothing else. I guess I failed...'
Slowly aproching the light, the first thing I saw were my parents. 'I really must be dead.' My parents smiled at me, before waving me over. 'I guess being dead isn't that bad, I get to be with them.' I smiled, as I ran over to my family, hugging them, as they returned it.
But the soothing and warm embrace soon got uncomfortable, as they didn't let go, if anything it got tighter.
"Why did you let us die, Minami? Don't you love us?" They both spoke at the same time.
Pushing them away, I soon noticed that there weren't my parents, but dark blurs in their form.
"W-who are you?"
The blurs laughed, before forming as one giant demon.
"A piece of you. I got this form when that Doctor injected that stuff into you. Now to take over this body of yours." The demon laughed, before taking the shape of my body.
It looked exactly like me, except all white with black eyes, and a sadistic look in it's eyes. "Once I get out, maybe I'll have some fun with that girl you're so fond of."
Upon hearing that I clenched my fists. "Don't you dare think of touching, Dr.Maeda." I growled out.
"Or what? You're in MY domain." And as those words were uttered, I felt an overwhelming pain, causing me to scream out in agony.
"Yes, whither in agony. Everything you feel in here, our body out there is experiencing, Once you die, I'll take over." The demon continued laughing at my pain-filled expression.
I felt as if I was going to pass out form the sheer amount of pain I was experiencing, but then a I heard something.
"Minami!"
'Dr.Maeda?' I must be hearing things.
"I'm so sorry, Minami."
No, it is her. But why is she apologizing? She hasn't done anything wrong.
"Seems like your Doctor has acknowledged how weak you really are. Your heart stopped beating a few minutes ago. Soon your body will be mine."
"No."
"Excuse me?"
"I said No!" A sudden burst of light started surrounding my body, and I found myself being able to get past the pain, much to the demon's shock.
"It's not your time yet, Minami." I looked to my left, and I saw my mother.
"You've got another reason to live." I looked to my right and saw my father.
"Mom, Dad." I whisper.
"Trust us." They both say, as the light becomes stronger, overwhelming the whole area, when it died down the demon was gone, but so were my parents.
xXx
Back Outside with Atsuko
After calming down a bit, I wiped my tears away.
I still have to record this down, I went to retrieve my clipboard.
Experiment: Failure
-Cause of Failure: Test subject's death
Time of death:....
I found my self unable to finish what I was writing, as I once again found myself tearing up. What'd I do hear any sign of life from her.
*Beep*
I laughed to myself, my very own mind is playing tricks on me.
*B-beep* *Beep* *B-beep*
Eyes widening, I looked up at the heart monitor as it bounced back to life. Rushing back to Minami's side, I grabbed her hand, as her eyes began to open.
"...Hi." She said in a raspy voice.
I shook my head with a small smile on my face. "Hi yourself."
"I feel like a train lugging trucks ran over me." She groaned attempting to sit up, but I pushed her back down.
"That's probably the after effects kicking in, you know you were dead for an hour." I informed her.
"Yea, I know....Were you crying?" Takamina asked.
"Of course I was crying, who else is there to cry over you."
I watched as a small smile bloomed on her face. "I didn't know you cared."
"Well there's a lot you don't know about me." I countered.
"I'm still sleepy." Minami hummed, as she struggled to keep her eyes open.
"Then I'll wait for you to wake up again."
She squeezed my hand, before her exhaustion took over her once again, I was still scared of letting go of her hand, I feared that she would die before me again.
It took hours of me staying by her side to finally assure myself that she was stable enough for me to go get something to eat. I glanced at my wrist watch, I've been in here for almost 8 hours.
Glancing one last time at the sleeping midget before, I left her side, but not before making sure that no one could get inside.
xXx
Time Skip, Minami's pov
It's already been a few weeks since I've been injected with Dr.Maeda's I mean Atsuko's serum. I could feel the changes, from my increased senses and strength, to basic things like walking. I rarely had to turn around to see who was walking behind me.
I've already memorized many new things, I even discovered a something extra that wasn't supposed to happen. I can see people's heat signatures.
That's pretty freaking cool if you ask me.
Today's training went by like a breeze, since everything is easier for me.
"Need something, Atsuko?" I asked, noticing that she's right around the corner, muttering my name.
I swear I heard her mutter a curse, but it was so quiet I could barely hear her.
"I told you not to use my name so freely." She huffed, a small blush on her face.
Absolutely adorable.
"But we're closer now aren't we?" I asked, glancing around, my eyes glazed over double checking our surroundings, the closest person was at least 3 halls away from us. Taking advantage of that, I pulled the Doctor closer to my body, careful not to hurt her.
"I guess, but the others don't need to know that....just yet." She added at the end, resting her head on my shoulder. I rested mine on top of hers, taking a deep breath, enjoying her scent.
Ever since the experimentation, Atsuko's been more affectionate, and not as cold. But she's yet to actually express anything more than that. I won't push for anything she's not sure about, I care for her to much.
"Have you eaten yet?" She asked, breaking my thoughts, looking up at me. I took pride at the fact that her serum added some extra inches in my height, making me a bit taller than her now.
"Nope. I was hoping to bump into you. Funny how fate works out huh?" I grin down at her. Taking her hand into mine, I began leading her down to the Mess-Hall.
I already knew what was for lunch, and my stomach was already growling in excitement.
"Slow down, the foods not going anywhere." Dr.Maeda teased.
Not soon after we entered the main hall, I could hear people 'whispering' about me. I don't get the big deal, I'm still a person.
Then out of nowhere, a girl with long brown hair and a cute fang stopped before me, a blush on her face.
"Um, Takahashi-san..I have something for you." She said, holding out a bag of cookies.
Never one to dismiss food, I smiled at her before accepting it. But during the exchange, I heard Atsuko scoff, before leaving my side.
"My names Itano Tomomi, also know as Tomochin. I hope we can see more of each other."
"I hope so too, Tomochin." I nodded at her, before turning my gaze at the retreating Doctor. Saying good-bye to her, I followed after Atsuko.
Did I do something wrong?
xXx
Atsuko's Pov
'Another one!' I sighed as I took the piece of mail and put into my shredder.
'I wonder what Minami's doing?'
I could a small smile grow on my face.
'Maybe we could have lunch together.'
Taking a look at my watch, I stood up from my desk and stretched out my body, groaning when a pop was heard from my back.
Leaving my office, I instantly realized I had no idea where she would be. Sighing, I was about to turn a corner, when I heard a familiar voice.
"Need something, Atsuko?"
Well there goes the trouble of having to find her.
Wait did she say Atsuko?
"I told you not to use my name so freely." I complained, even though I actually liked hearing my name roll off her tongue. I could feel heat radiating off my face.
"But we're closer now aren't we?" She asked, as she began looking around, I noticed a certain glow to her usually brown eyes. I soon found myself in her embrace. Instead of pushing her away, I nuzzled closer, enjoying how warm she was.
After a few moments of silence, I remembered why I was looking for her. "Have you eaten yet?" I asked her, pulling back a little to look up at her.
"Nope, I was hoping to run into you. Funny how fate works huh?" She grinned down at me, which in turn made my heart quicken once again.
Does she know how charming she looks now?
I felt her grab my hand, before tugging me along like an excited puppy.
"Slow down, the foods not going anywhere." I teased her.
At the pace we were going, it didn't take us long to reach the Mess-Hall, but as per usual it was full around this time of day. Which also meant one other thing: Gossip Time.
Ever since Minami's change, she's been a hot topic all around the base, but I don't blame them.
My thought's were broken as Minami stopped walking ahead of me, and there in front of her was a fellow Solder: Tomochin.
Is she blushing?
I felt my eyes widen, as she basically publicly confessed to Minami.
Why does this cause my heart to ache.
I took a quick glance at Minami's face, she seemed happy at what she was saying. I soon freed my hand, before leaving to find a table in the back, away from all the noise.
"Hey, what's wrong?" Minami's voice entered my ears. I looked back to see a concerned look on her face.
Now she cares.
"Nothing. Weren't you busy flirting with Tomochin or something?" I rolled my eyes, as I sat down at the furthest table.
"What do you mean flirting? She was just being friendly." Minami tilted her head, sitting down from across me. I watched as her eyes widened for a second, before a grin grew on her face.
Oh no.
"Don't tell me...you got jealous?"
This cheeky little...Well not so little anymore.
"Me? Jealous? You wish!" I scoffed at what she assumed...even if it was the truth.
xXx
Minami's Pov
I still can't believe that she got jealous of Tomochin.
I've been wearing this grin for hours now, nothing could ruin my mood right now.
"Oi, Takahashi!" I turned to see someone running in my direction.
"Yes, Need something?"
"Nothing major, just Dr.Maeda's mail. Can you deliver it for me? I've still got this full bag to deal with."
"Yea, no problem." I nodded, taking the few letters from the mail carrier.
"You're a life saver." And with that the mail carrier ran off, disappearing around the corner.
Having a new destination in mind, I quickly found myself standing at a familiar office door, I allowed my eyes to glaze over, checking for if she was in her office. It took a few seconds to spot her body,. but she defiantly there.
Punching in her office code, I slipped inside. But I wasn't expecting to find her asleep at her desk. I moved a little closer, and noticed a little bit of drool on her face, as she mumbled something.
I almost didn't want to wake her up, but if she sleep like that, her neck will hurt later. Placing her mail down, I put my hand on her shoulder, gently shaking it, hoping that she'd wake up.
Course life isn't that easy.
"Atsuko wake up."
"Mhm, 15 more minutes." She mumbled, turning away.
I thought it went 5 more minutes?
"Come on, wake up." I shook her again, but still nothing. Feeling a bit evil, I shifted closer to her, and used my left hand to move the hair covering her ear, before leaning down.
"If you don't wake up, I'll kiss you Atsuko."
The snoozing woman before me shot up, causing her to headbutt me. I got a result, but I wish it wasn't painful.
"Ow." She mumbled, rubbing her head, before shooting a glare at me. "Why're you in here?" She asked.
"Well, I was just delivering mail, but I saw you sleeping in here. You should really sleep in your bed. It's not good for your back." I scolded lightly.
She continued looking at me for a moment, before shifting her attention to the mail on her desk. I back up a bit to give her privacy for her mail reading, but I noticed a slight change in her. She was tensed up while holding up one letter, and her grip on the paper tightened.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing." Atsuko huffed, as she placed the paper in her shredder.
I frowned at her answer, but otherwise dropped that subject.
"Why are suddenly being so cold to me? Are you still upset over lunch?" I asked.
"What makes you think I'm upset over that? We're not together. You're free to do what you want."
I sighed in frustration, barely resisting the urge to pull my hair. "You're so confusing!"
"I'm confusing! You're a whole new level. How do you act all affectionate with me, just to go grin at another girl?" Atsuko asked, her face turning a shade redder due to her yelling.
"I was just being friendly! Why is this such a big deal?"
"Because I like you!"
....
Did she really just say that?
I stared wide eyed at her for a moment, as she turned another shade pinker, but due to her embarrassment.
xXx
Atsuko's Pov
"Because I like you!" I yelled at her.
Did I just say that?
I could feel more blood rushing to my face, I turned my gaze off the woman gaping before me.
"Forget what I just said." I tried to brush off my past comment.
"Huh?" Minami said, before shaking her head. "No way am I forgetting that."
"You should." I mumbled, as I noticed she was getting closer. I felt her warm hand on my shoulder, before she turned my chair to face her, and before I knew it, she was hugging me.
"Why I should forget something that makes me happy? I like you too." Minami whispered into my ear, squeezing me as an added effect.
I must be dreaming. I reached down with my free hand and pinched my leg.
Ow.
I'm not dreaming. This is real. Minami likes me too.
Remembering the fact that I was being hugged, I wrapped my arms around her back, and returned the embrace. I guess being honest with myself isnt too bad. Unfortunately, Minami pulled back from the hug, but still had a wide grin on her face.
"Now I'm really happy I came to your office." She confessed, lifting her hand to move a lock of my hair of out of my face. "So I like you, and you like me. Can I kiss you freely now?" She asked bluntly, stroking my cheek.
I didn't think it was possible for my face to get any warmer, but she proved me wrong. I nodded my answer, and closed my eyes. I felt her lips cover mine, and just like last time it was electrifying.
The kiss ended a lot sooner than I expected, and much to her surprise, I pulled her back into another one by her shirt.
I could get used to this.
A/N: I feel like I'm rushing their relationship.....Probably not. Drama in the next chapter~