Stone Flower

[rikoren]

Humanity's hope, and a sacrifice's despair.
Out of pierced eyes, red flowers bloom.

The dreams she had at naptime were always warm and bright. Like playing tag on the lawn, or carrying a kitten on her lap. Dad's back, Mom's baked sweets, a greenhouse with planters all lined in a row.... The dreams she had at night and in the morning were different, too.
How strange. That's what Halua thought, while wide awake in the brightness of day. Things you've forgotten while awake, you can see in your dreams. You can see them so clearly, even though everyone's gone.
Mom and Dad both died in an accident. The kitten might still be alive, but at this point it wouldn't be a kitten anymore. It'd be two years since then, after all. And there was no doubt a different family must have moved into the house that had that greenhouse.
All that she had left, was Emil, whom she'd played tag on the lawn with. Only her younger twin brother had been with her since birth. Always together, all these ten years.
"Halua, are you awake?"
"Sensei..."
The warm, bright memories disappeared without a trace. She could no longer remember what kind of dream she'd been having.
"You're sweating a lot. It might be time to change your bedspread for summer, soon."
Sensei took a handkerchief out of her pocket, using it to wipe the sweat from Halua's forehead and neck. She then moved to wake Emil, who was sleeping next to her.
"You get up too, Emil. It's snack time."
"What's today's snack, Sensei?"
At hearing the answer was biscuits and cocoa, all she could think was Again? Biscuits, senbei, castella. It was always the same three snacks. This was a "facility," so there was no mom to give different snacks each day. That's why, Halua knew perfectly well it had been a mistake to ask.
But children are creatures who look forward to snacks, and find happiness in knowing the name of what snacks will appear. That's what the adults here believed. And so, she had no choice but to act as if she were that sort of child.
Unlike Halua, Emil was a much more "child-like child". Even today he was happily lining up the alphabet-shaped biscuits on his plate, thoroughly lost over the best way to eat them, before finally putting one in his mouth.
They weren't even particularly tasty biscuits, and yet watching Emil eat them, she couldn't help wondering if they might be as tasty as Mom's homemade snacks. Somehow the thought annoyed her, so Halua tried saying something big-sisterly.
"You shouldn't play with your food."
"Aww, but..."
"You're spelling it wrong, too. You forgot the 'e' here."
This facility did not give lessons in the childrens' mother language. What this place might call a "mother language" was Japanese. Halua and Emil's last lesson in their mother language had been over two years ago. It was only natural that Emil would have forgotten how to spell.
"There, that's how you spell it."
Halua moved an e-shaped biscuit from her plate onto Emil's. Emil immediately broke into a smile.
"You really are a good big sister, Halua."
Sensei smiled, coffee cup in hand. She always sat at the same table with them at snack time, drinking coffee, chatting with them. When Sensei was in the facility, she'd also take meals with them. She'd read a book to them at bedtime too, and always woke them in the morning. It was almost as if she were their real mother.
"Your sensei was an only child, you know. So I can't help feeling a little bit jealous of you two."
Was that true? Did Sensei really think that? They hadn't once left this "facility," simply watching day after boring day pass by. This way of life had continued for two years. Was there anything here to be jealous of?
On top of all that, this facility wasn't normal in the least. Book-loving Halua knew what a facility for parentless children - an "orphanage" - was supposed to be like.
Inside a school-like building, there'd be lots of children, and a bunch of beds in one room, and a huge cafeteria where everybody would eat at once...
Certainly, the place they'd first stayed in had been a six-room building. There'd been a lot of children who looked around their age. They'd eaten their meals in a big cafeteria, too. Had that been a normal "orphanage"? She'd felt there was something unnatural about how the children would disappear one by one from their room, and how often new children kept coming in.
Before long, Halua and Emil were moved to this building, under the reasoning that their mother tongue was different from the other children, and given their own private room.
Thinking on it now, that was strange too. It wasn't as if Halua and Emil didn't know any Japanese at all. In fact, ever since they'd been moved to this building, the "lessons" they were given every day were all done in Japanese.
Even those "lessons" had been suspicious from the start. They weren't the kind of lessons you'd learn in school. All they were, was just answering questions in front of machines. Yes, rather than lessons they'd be better called tests. Sometimes there'd also be "lessons" that seemed like play sessions. Rather than tests, those were more like games.
There was definitely something off about this place. They'd only occasionally see other children besides themselves. This building was full of nothing but adults like Sensei, all dressed in white.
"What's wrong?"
Sensei was staring quizzically at Halua, who'd suddenly stood up without warning. She ran behind Sensei, burying her face in her back.
"Mom..."
She had the sudden feeling that somebody was laughing. Sensei moved her chair out of the way and turned around, pulling Halua into a hug.
"You're such a baby, Halua."
The hand caressing her hair was gentle. It felt like her real mother - just a little bit.
"No fair, what about me!"
Emil could be heard standing up as well, wanting to join in. Laughter could be heard in Sensei's voice as she agreed.
Hey, Sensei. Are you our friend? Is it okay for us to believe you're different from the other adults?
Her neatly pressed white outfit smelled faintly of medicine. Mom didn't smell like this, Halua thought. Was it because of this smell, that she couldn't fully trust Sensei? Or was it because she thought Sensei was really the same as the other adults?
"Do you like me?"
"Of course. I love you, Halua. You too, Emil."
If you do, then be our friend. Don't betray us. Please...protect us.
Halua repeated this over and over in her head, pressing her cheek hard against that white-clothed breast.

After taking their bedtime temperature reading, and having one chapter of a book read to them, they fell asleep. Another long, boring day was over. Despite the boring daily routine, Emil was always smiling. He'd count the clouds drifting by the window, haphazardly play notes on the piano in the corner of the room, draw the same picture countless times on drawing paper.
Emil didn't suspect a single thing. He didn't have the slightest thought that this might not be the "orphanage" of storybooks, but some sort of place that does bad things.
To Halua, this was both a relief and a reason for concern. She wanted Emil to smile. But she couldn't help worrying over how defenseless he was. And Halua decided she needed to take on Emil's share of carefulness as well, staying on the lookout for every little thing.
What sort of "lessons" they did that day, what they ate or drank, what they talked about.
Around when they first came here, she'd tried pretending her left eye hurt. When she was alone in the room, she pulled a wry face, pressing a hand against her eye. Of course, she'd kept this secret from Emil and Sensei as well.
The next day, they'd extremely politely examined her left eye. Even though she'd supposedly played out that act all alone in her room.
"Emil, are you awake?"
There was a sleepy question in reply. She quietly reached out to touch Emil's hand.
When they were moved to this building, she and Emil were actually supposed to be given separate rooms. So she'd insisted that they couldn't sleep unless they were together. She'd cried the whole night, and finally they'd been allowed to sleep in the same bed.
Be careful, you shouldn't trust the grownups.
She couldn't bring herself to say it aloud. Because someone was surely listening. She just prayed hard, holding his hand. As she did so, she keenly felt how wonderful it would be if she'd had the ability to transmit words simply by thinking them.

She'd been sensing something ominous since morning, that day. A terribly bad sort of feeling.
When Sensei told her she'd be having "physical examinations" instead of the afternoon's "lessons", that feeling changed into a conviction. Nothing but bad things were awaiting her after those "physical examinations" were complete.
Come to think of it, back when they'd been in the first building, children would always disappear after "physical examinations". Even their being moved here was something that had happened after an "examination". Maybe these "examinations" were being conducted to check whether it was time to move them somewhere. Maybe they would be moved to another building, again. They'd be separated from Sensei.
"What's wrong, Halua? Are you feeling okay?"
Next thing she knew, a worried-looking Sensei filled her field of view.
The feeling of Sensei's hand against her forehead, checking for signs of a fever, was so pleasant she felt she could cry.
"Sensei, I..."
I don't want to go anywhere. I don't want any more to be done to me. But the words died on her lips. Somewhere in her heart, she still couldn't entirely trust Sensei. Even though she'd called her Mom, even though she could act childish and get spoiled by her, she couldn't bring herself to open her heart and show her true feelings to this person.

It was no mystery to Halua that Emil held no hatred towards "physical examinations". Drawing blood was fine. It hurt a little bit, but you could tell at a glance what they were doing to you.
But having cold suction cup things attached all over your body, and getting hooked up to a strange machine - now that was unbearable. Getting put in that machine-made box, too. The suction cups and cords and everything--she'd start wanting to tear them all off and run away.
Just when she was thinking she couldn't take any more, the "physical examination" would end. One of the adults would say she could go back to her room.
Today was different. After all the suction cups and cords were removed from her body, though they'd changed her into examination clothes, they told her to go to the next room like that. More importantly, Emil had disappeared from the room they were supposed to share.
Having grown uneasy and started hesitating on the spot, a white-clothed woman - as if urging her to leave - opened the door for her. She was an ill-tempered woman bearing no resemblance whatsoever to Sensei.
The next room was empty and wide. Strange patterns were drawn on the floor and walls, and a large chair stood alone in the center of the room. A crowd of adults in white were standing around the chair. One of them told her to sit. Before she could even reply, another white-clothed adult sat her down. It was a chilly chair made of gold.
"Don't be surprised. We found a terrible illness in your body, during that earlier examination."
It was a kind voice, but she couldn't tell which adult had spoken. Before she'd noticed, a blindfold had come down over her eyes. She wanted to tear it off, but her hands and feet had been bound.
"If we don't hurry and surgically remove it, your life could be in danger."
You're lying, she thought. There's nothing wrong with me. Nothing hurts, and I don't have a fever. I don't have a stomachache, and I'm not coughing, either.
"Emil! Where are you!?"
"We don't want Emil to get infected, so we sent him back to the room already. There's no need to worry."
That's not what I'm worried about. I have to tell him to get out of here!
She frantically called out Emil's name. However, a feeling of hopelessness soon came upon her. They covered her mouth, so even if she yelled, nobody could hear from outside....
The smell of antiseptic wafted up. There was a cold sensation, followed by a painful prick on her arm. She'd been injected by something. In that instant when she stopped yelling from the shock, the adults' conversation leapt into her ears.
"This is the sixth one now. Any more than this, and we might have to dispose of the subjects..."
"No, this time's perfect, I'm sure of it."
"If she has even a little bit of ego left to her, it might..."
What were they talking about? What did they mean by the sixth one? If what was left?
"Even if it fails, she has a brother, right? As a close relation, he should have some aptitude."
She could feel all the blood in her body run cold. They'd be killed. Not just her, but Emil as well.
Help us, Sensei. Save Emil!
Unable to give shape to that scream, she simply fell into darkness.

She could hear someone calling her name. It wasn't Mom or Dad. It wasn't Sensei, either.
Who is it? Emil only ever calls me "Sis". Oh, I get it. One of the grownups is calling me. But I'm sick and tired of "lessons" already. I guess they're better than "physical examinations" though, at least. Wait. Didn't I just have one of those? That's right, after it was over I went back to my room...no, did I go back? I didn't go back!
The memories all came flooding back in an instant. Halua jumped to her feet. She looked around at her surroundings. It was that room. There were strange patterns drawn on the walls and floor....but, something seemed off.
"Halua. Can you hear me?"
She turned to look in the direction of the voice. There was nobody there.
"Over here."
She looked in another direction. She turned around twice, but there was definitely nobody there. It seemed she was hearing nothing but a voice.
At the same time, she realized. The reason why something seemed off.
"Splendid! It's a success!"
Ignoring the voice, Halua looked down at her feet. The floor was terribly far away. Yes, it was inevitable that she'd been bothered by the height of her own gaze. It was an extremely strange sensation, to feel like she was standing somewhere high up, and yet know that this was not the case at all.
There were feet that looked just like the skeletons she'd seen in picture books. And arms the color of rotted wood. Something was wrapped around her body, so she couldn't see it very well.
What's going on?
She startled herself as she moved to remove whatever was wrapped around her.
The arm...moved?
She slowly tried lifting the arm. It moved at her will. She unfolded the palm, and moved its fingers. Thumb, index finger, middle finger....
No way. No way.
The voice kept on coming from nowhere, but she didn't care about that. Something-or-other about Experimental Weapon No. 6, and mankind's hope, words like that.
She made to stand up. She couldn't move. That's when she understood. The thing wrapped around her was her own body.
No! This is wrong! This can't be my body!
Halua struggled. She wanted to run away. From this place. From this body. Her hands and feet moved without any solid goal.
She could tell the voice from nowhere had changed to a more soothing tone.
Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!
She struck at the wall with all her strength. Cracks ran through its surface. She could hear a panicked voice telling her to stop, but she didn't bother to obey. She struck the wall again. When she felt the heavy recoil run through her entire arm, a dull pain accompanying it--she finally understood.
This...is my body. These monster-like arms and legs, are mine.
Timidly, she raised her hands to her face. It didn't feel human in the least. No, she couldn't even tell if she had a face to begin with. All she knew, was that she was no longer a human being.
Aah, I'll never be able to see Emil again. If he saw me like this, I bet he'd run away from fear. He's a scaredy-cat, after all.
At the same time she thought of Emil, she remembered something. Someone saying "Even if it fails, she has a brother. As a close relation, he should have some aptitude."
The adults in white had mentioned a "sixth". That voice earlier had said "Experimental Weapon No. 6". Five other children had been turned into this before her.
Maybe, it was possible that all those kids who'd disappeared from the building they'd first lived at, had been used as human test subjects like this. The kids who'd showed "aptitude" as experimental weapons had probably been screened out from there, and moved to another building.
Somehow or other, it seemed that Halua was the first to have become a "perfect body". In other words, they'd properly established their manufacturing technology. And her twin brother Emil had aptitude as well....
Emil's face floated through her mind. His innocent, trust-filled smile. She had to save him. That thought turned into a ferocious strength.
Tearing off her restraints, Halua stood up. She kicked the door in the corner of the room. She needed to get out of her first of all, but with this body she couldn't get through doors made for humans. She tore down the wall, door and all.
An alarm rang out. Shutter-like metal plate began to cover the walls. Halua promptly reached out to stop them, but some sort of invisible force repelled her hands.
Come to think of it, she was a "weapon". She was a monster, wielding a dangerous power strong enough to make cracks in the wall just by hitting it, or break down a door with a single kick. They weren't stupid enough to leave something like that unattended. Wild animals were creatures that got bound with chains, and put in cages.
There was probably some sort of trick to these metal plates. Something to make them so not even an "experimental weapon" could break them.
Suddenly, the room went dark. The lights had gone out. The alarm stopped, and everything went quiet. She was trapped. They'd stopped the alarm, precisely because they knew Halua couldn't get out.
Once more, she tried feeling the wall with her hands. She could see something like blue sparks scattering in the darkness. Halua's entire body was hit by a repelling force.
I won't give up. I'll protect Emil. There's no way I'll give up!
Her arms, her legs, her entire body gave out a creaking noise, and intense pain ran through her. Her vision went white. Something swelled and burst.
Suddenly her body grew light. The force pushing her back disappeared, and she could freely move her limbs. It wasn't dark, but it wasn't pure white either. Halua was in the middle of an incredibly ordinary brightness.
The alarm was ringing loudly. She came to her senses. The wall was crumbling. She went outside without a moment's hesitation, but nobody tried to get in her way. Perhaps Halua's escaping that room had been beyond their expectations.
It's possible that they hadn't even expected her to tear off the restraints. She remembered there'd been a panicked voice telling her to stop.
Shutters had descended all over the passage, but they were paper compared to that wall. Halua easily kicked them flying and continued on her way.
She had to destroy it. This entire facility. In order to prevent Emil from becoming a monster. She had to get rid of everything relating to experimental weapons.
Brutal strength welled up from inside her body. When she released it, it became a blade that cut up the surrounding area. When she glared at the walls obstructing her path, a mass of fire burned them to ashes. With only one thing on her mind, she destroyed anything and everything in delighted abandon.
She realized that, in her current inhuman form, she wielded an inhuman power. Had the adults wanted her to fight something with this power? Had they thought they'd be able to control it, if they were working with obedient children?
Adults in white were running about in the wreckage and dust, trying to escape. She couldn't let anyone escape. Halua grabbed whatever people she could lay her hands on, and twisted them. Like ripe fruits, they were softly crushed into pulp.
Where is Emil? Where's Sensei? Maybe she escaped with him.
No, Sensei wouldn't have done such a thing. Sensei knew. She knew what was going on here. She knew they'd been keeping the siblings like pets, to turn them into monsters. After all, she was an adult as well. She'd just had the duty of kindly raising them.
Before she knew it, the women in question had appeared in front of her. Wearing the same white gown she always did, she stood there, looking up at Halua.
Even though she'd wanted to trust Sensei. Even though she really had felt incredibly happy, when Sensei said she loved her. Even though she'd loved Sensei's voice as she read them bedtime stories.
Sensei's lips moved. It seemed like she was calling her name, and she looked like she was apologizing.
I won't forgive you!
Her anger was so strong it was as if she'd lost consciousness. Her heart felt like it was being torn to pieces. It was like she was being painted over by something....
With all her might, she mowed down the area before her. The white gown went flying straight into the wall, and red seeped through it.
Liar! I hate you!
Halua tearfully screamed. Neither tears nor voice would come out. Nevertheless, she cried. She screamed.
Midway through, she saw her own face reflected in the tempered glass. It really was a monster's face, red spheres for eyes and all. And yet, for some reason she didn't feel sad. She even found it funny. Her sadness, her tears, they weren't because of something like this....
Run, Emil! To somewhere far away. To a place without any grownups in white, without any Sensei, without anybody at all.
Exactly how much time had passed? It felt like it had been days, and yet it also felt like it had barely been a second. Wherever she looked, the site of the facility was now just a pile of rubble. Destroying it this much should probably be enough. It seemed like enough.
"Sis."
She couldn't believe her ears. A monster like this shouldn't be called a sister. She turned around. It was Emil. There was no mistaking that. He held out his hand, a sad look drifting across his face.
Forgetting what she'd become, Halua rushed towards him. Emil. We need to run. The two of us, far away.
It had been her intent to run to him. And yet, her legs wouldn't move. Her feet had started turning to stone, without her notice. It wasn't just her feet. At some point, her entire body had begun to change to stone.
She could easily shake off this level of petrifaction. She knew that. It wouldn't take much power at all. But.
"Sis, I..."
Emil had already been reconstructed into a weapon, just like her. Though his form hadn't changed, he'd gained terrifying eyes that turned everything they saw to stone.
I couldn't protect him. Even though I'd wanted to.
Once again she felt her heart pulling apart, and the sensation of something painting over her. Anger? Sadness? What was it, she wondered?
"I'm sorry."
It's fine, you don't have to apologize.
Halua smiled. Though her face had already turned to stone, and whether that face could smile in the first place was a mystery. Nevertheless, her consciousness as a human being was fading away. That much she understood.
"They said I have to seal you away...because your magic power is too strong, so it's dangerous. I'm really sorry, sis."
Just seeing Emil on the verge of tears was painful. Please. Work harder at turning me to stone. It'll come off soon if you don't. Make it so I never wake up again....
What kind of colors would stone dreams have?
Emil's voice faded into the distance. Quietly, Halua surrendered her body to the cold sleep of death.