Chapter Four

Sweat rolled down Zenarith's face, then crystallized, turning into icy droplets that shattered as they reached the floor. He spun on a heel, ice hissing and crackling with his movements, shards of ice scattering though the air. They thudded into multiple targets throughout the sparring room. He heard a hissing sound, and ducked, rolling across the floor, sweeping his hand up as he pulled out of the roll into a crouch, letting loose a few more icy shards at the animated target that had begun shooting projectiles at him.

A smirk played along his lips as the animated target sparked, dropping to floor. He grinned, then turned again, a long, icy blade materializing with a sinister hiss. The room grew noticeably colder. He slid across the floor, slicing through several more targets, their pieces joining a multitude of other downed targets. A bell rang, and the lights came back on to full, revealing the piles of smoking metal and straw, ice shards sticking out of them. He released his sword, letting shatter upon the floor as he shook himself off.

He made his way to a panel along the side wall, touching a few raised bumps. A low-lying mist spread throughout the room. Zenarith wrinkled his nose as an acrid odor filled the room and he covered his mouth and nose as the mist swirled around the targets. The mist liquified, and then a low hum raised the hairs on the back of his neck. He shivered, and then the fans went on, clearing the mist. The floor was pristine white once again.

Zenarith dusted off his training gear, and brushed a stray hair from his face. The door to the training room opened, and he turned, wiping his face of the dirt and grime caused by his warmup. The smile on his face widened into a grin. “Avin, my old friend!”

A tall man, well-muscled, with vibrant green hair that stood out from his skull, unruly and wild, leaned against the door frame, arms folded across his chest. He grinned at Zenarith, dark eyes glinting brightly. “Doing a bit of training, eh?” He chuckled. “We were in the area, and decided we'd better pay you a visit.”

“We?” Zenarith asked, re-tying his hair back. He blinked as a head peeked out from behind Avin's back. Soft, pale blue hair, long-lashed dark crimson eyes, and a quirky little smile beamed at him. The young man stepped out from behind the taller, green-haired man. He wore a comfortable-looking sweater, dark pants, and black gloves over his slender hands. A dark blue tail swished behind him, and his ears, the same dark blue, twitched happily as he held out his arms.

“Zen!” The young man practically jumped into Zenarith's arms, hugging him tightly, tail waving behind him. Zenarith could feel his chest rumbling with a purr as he hugged him back.

“Rinn,” he said, grinning widely. Avin chuckled, watching them with some amusement. “How are you?” he asked. “It's good to hear you speaking, Rinn.”

The young man's cheeks flushed faintly. “Have been taking speech classes. Will practice more, yes?” Rinn beamed at him. “Oh. Am studying genetics! Wish to be a scientist.”

“Is that so?” he asked, ruffling the younger man's hair. That was a bit of a surprise to Zenarith. He'd thought that the last place Rinn would want to be would be in a laboratory...after all, such a place was where the worst sort of things had happened to him. Rinn had been experimented on, tortured, and mistreated in such a place. Zenarith remembered a time when the boy would shake like a leaf when anywhere near anything resembling a hospital.

He looked at Rinn again. No longer a boy then...It had been nearly two years since he'd seen the cat-boy. He smiled softly, studying Rinn's features. Slender nose with just the slightest upturn, full, soft lips that held the smallest of smiles at all times, long thick lashes, elegantly arched eyebrows, all under silky powder blue hair. Once short, the hair was nearly to the young man's shoulders. There were hints of the feline DNA the other had, other than the obvious furry ears and tail. The delicately pointed chin, long fingers, smooth grace with which the other walked...all pointed to the unique qualities the other possessed. Rinn smiled widely at him. “Can eat fish for dinner?” he asked, eyes wide and innocent as he waved his tail back and forth, looking expectantly at Zenarith.

He grinned, ruffling the others hair. “Sure thing, kiddo.” He chuckled. “Haven't you been feeding him, Avin? Kid's thin as a pole,” he teased, giving Avin a wink. He wondered how the pair had been doing. The last time he'd spoken with Avin, he and Rinn had been undergoing some intensive psychic training on Aeros, the sky-city. He'd have to ask Avin about it later.

Avin just shook his head. “Oh you know. Kid's got a hole in the bottom of his foot. Food just disappears.” He grinned widely, and Rinn giggled. Avin held out a hand for the blue-haired young man, who accepted it, and stepped close, hanging on the taller man's arm. Avin motioned around the room. “Were you going to do some more training or...?”

Zenarith shook his head. “Byakuya will want to see you. Some...interesting things have come up.” His face darkened slightly. Byakuya would want to see Avin. Rinn as well, probably. If they were going to dig through more of Nefe Kuro's work, it would be necessary.

Avin's face grew serious. “...Bad things?” Rinn's eyes widened as he searched Zenarith's face.

“Troubled,” Rinn said softly, tilting his head to the side. “Are troubled.”

Zenarith smiled and shook his head. “We'll talk about it later. For now, though,” he said with a grin. “Let's celebrate! It's been far too long since I've seen either of you.” He would wait to explain. He wasn't sure if it was a good idea or not to have Rinn present when he spoke of the bio-gens. He knew how frightening the creatures could be, but after hearing what he'd heard the day before, Zenarith wasn't sure they were strictly just mindless monsters. It appeared that they had intelligence...and were planning something. He shoved those thoughts out of his mind. Rinn was a powerful empath, and even with Avin's ability to negate psychic powers, the boy would still be able to sense emotion from people, especially those he was closest to.

Zenarith hurried the two into the main house, showing them the new tapestries added, and then down the hall to the quarters that were Rinn's. The cat-boy's eyes widened as he entered the room, stepping forward, brushing his gloved fingers along the blankets on the large bed, tracing the wood of the dresser at the foot of the bed, a soft smile on his lips.

“We've kept it just as you left it, Rinn,” Zenarith said softly. “You're always welcome here.” Rinn turned to him, eyes sparkling and then gleefully looked around the room, touching books on the shelves, looking out the window, enjoying the view of the ocean.

Avin touched Zenarith's shoulder, pulling him back into the hallway a bit, a concerned frown on his lips. “Zenarith...what's going on. I haven't seen you smile so fake in a long time.”

Zenarith shook his head. “Byakuya got attacked after the council meeting yesterday...guess I'm still a little jumpy.” He frowned. “I didn't even notice the presence of an attacker. I must be out of shape.”

Avin studied his face, dark green eyes unreadable. He put his hand on Zenarith's shoulder, squeezing. “Well, no worries. I'm here now , so you can expect a good training session, eh?”

Zenarith chuckled and nodded. “Thanks, Avin,” he said, meaning every word of it. He glanced at Rinn, who was now on the bed, feet waving in the air as he thumbed through the pages of the book. “...How is he...really?” He asked softly.

Avin turned slightly, eyes lighting on the boy. He was silent for a long while. “Better,” he said. Zenarith nodded slowly. Rinn had come to them in bad shape. It had been a trying time. Zenarith remembered it like it was yesterday...the bio-gen stench of the tunnels, Rinn's frail, thin frame...all of it. He'd been tipped off to one of Nefe Kuro's labs. It had been a setup, of course. Nefe had pulled out all his men, leaving his 'failed' experiment to die, and left the south tunnels open when he'd blown a hole in the wall to make his escape. Bio-gens had eradicated all of Zenarith's team, except for Avin, who'd nearly been crushed by a collapsing wall. Zenarith had managed to get both Avin and Rinn out before the structure had completely been destroyed.

Later they'd learned that Rinn was a genetic experiment, created by the very same doctor running the illegal laboratory : Nefe Kuro. Terrible things had been done to him, including sexual assault, abuse, and malnourishment, but the very worst thing had been the force activation of the very virus that created augmented abilities...the very same virus that when corrupted, created bio-gens.

Zenarith grimaced. The Nex Virus. It was a plague of their world...the very thing that had destroyed the Ancient's civilization, ending the great war of that time, and leaving the following generations to struggle in its wake. In ancient time, the virus had killed most of the worlds population, and left the rest with an incurable genetic virus that rewrote human DNA. When children reached a certain age, usually between twelve and sixteen, there was a higher probability that the virus would activate. If it activated, there were only three things that could happen. The virus would either mutate, and change the infected human into a bio-gen, or it would augment a natural ability. It seemed to be a random possibility. Age, gender, physical structure...there seemed to be no specific genetic tell that would give some hint of whether or not you'd be a bio-gen or gain an augmented ability. Then there was the third option, and some might think..the most preferred. Death. That was the most likely result of activation, and most certainly the result Nefe had wished for.

The doctor had not gotten his wish, however. Somehow, the boy had pulled through the illness, but he had not survived unscathed. The force activation had burned through Rinn's genetic pathways, making him unable to completely control his new ability. Rinn had been cursed with extreme empathy...the ability to sense emotion from anyone and everyone he was around. He'd also gained some minor telepathy, but he was unable to shield his mind. Rinn would be constantly bombarded with emotions and thoughts from anyone he came near.

Zenarith had feared for the boy's sanity. Not only had he been experimented on, but he'd also been given a curse that he'd never be free from. Somehow, however, Rinn had gotten lucky. Avin, who'd never thought he had a power of any sort, other than physical strength he'd earned through hard work and training, somehow made things..quieter...for Rinn. The boy had clung to him, and refused to leave his side, refusing to even speak.

Zenarith shook his head. “He's come a long way, hasn't he?”

Avin nodded, appearing to be deep in thought. “We went to the doctors on Aeros. You know how they study the augmented abilities? We'd hoped to find a psychic who'd be able to help him. You know, teach him to shield his mind. But...every single one...every damn one of them told me the same thing.” His lips tightened into a thin line. “They told me he would lose his mind. That he was never going to amount to anything other than a vegetable.” The taller man's fists tightened, knuckles going white. “I was so angry...how could they say that about him? After all we've worked for...all the things we went through to put Nefe away...He'll never be at peace. He'll never understand silence. That's the burden he will never be free from. But you know....I won't accept that.” He turned to face Zenarith, his eyes burning. “I'll free him I swear. He'll be happy. Truly happy. I want him to have that...even if it's all I ever am able to do for him, it will be enough. I just...want him to be happy.”

Zenarith smiled softly, placing a hand on Avin's shoulder. “Look at him, Avin,” he said softly. “See that smile? It's a real one...he only ever smiles around you, you know. Every time you were not there, he never smiled. Not a single time...and when he finally smiled, it was when he was looking at you, and his face lit up. He glows when he's around you Avin...just like you glow when you look at him.” Zenarith looked back at Rinn, who was giggling over something in the book he was reading. “He has never been more..human.” He smiled softly. “Don't belittle what you've given him, Avin. He is here because you gave him a reason to live on. You've given him the only peace of mind he's able to have, and I believe that someday he will be able to enjoy silence by his own right, but right now he has you. And that makes him happy. Can't you see it?”

Avin fell silent for a long moment before a small smile curled on his lips. “Yeah,” he said softly, his eyes lighting up again, the cheery expression returning. Zenarith felt relief. It was so obvious to him how much Avin loved the boy. The tall man's face lit up every time he looked at the boy, and Zenarith noticed how little things would cause the softest smiles to curl on Avin's lips. It was so sweet to watch, and it made Zenarith so happy to think that finally, his friend was able to find someone to care about. For so long, Avin had refused to love anyone..had refused to care about anything. He'd been a shell.

Avin had lived in a small colony outside the major cities. A group of people had decided to try to make a promising area into a new liveable area, starting farms, and putting a basic shield around the living space. There was a miscalculation, and everyone had died...except Avin. Zenarith's eyes followed the line of the others shoulder and down to his hip, knowing that underneath the sturdy cloth, a long, thick scar rippled across Avin's torso. Zenarith shook his head again, glancing first out the window at the setting sun, and then at the time-keeper on the fireplace mantle.

“Want a little time to clean up? I'll have the maids bring your luggage to your rooms. Avin, you're welcome to sleep wherever you'd like. You know where the dining room is? Dinner's in an hour.” Zenarith grinned at the two of them, stretching a bit. “I'll see you there,” he said with a grin, turning to head towards his room without another word.