towerofanimus | They tried to build a nation...

By the time he received the message some hours later, he was still in the library, recording information down in his notebook. Even after coming terms with the fact that this wasn’t the facility, he wasn’t sure how to move forward from there. What was his purpose for being terminated, and then brought here to the tower? Unlike the facility, whomever was in charge of this tower didn’t assert their dominance so openly. Their intentions were very much shrouded in mystery.

It had surprised Gaara to learn that death wasn’t permanent here either. Grimly, he wondered how long it would take for people to become desensitized, unless they were mentally incapable of coping with this kind of tragedy. Death bothered the more compassionate types like Ishtar, and that trait seemed to be more common amongst civilians than warriors. This was one of the reasons why the redhead had decided not to tell his friend that he would eventually die… assuming he actually returned to his world.

He shut off the computer and retrieved his notebook, leaving the library with swift steps. It didn’t take him long to reach Elian’s room; there, he knocked on the door and waited for an invitation to enter.

"It's open." Came Elian's voice. His eyes were fixed up at the ceiling with his arms spread out and his knees bent upward.

No matter how powerful he thought he was, this place proved a huge challenge to the youngest Alter user of HOLY. With two vastly different abilities, and without knowing the details, this bothered Elian more than dealing with death.

In all honesty, the only ones that would ever visit him were the people that he gave his room number to. Aside from his roommates and a few others that he had selectively spoken to, there wasn't that many he trusted with any information.

He sat up, but not before he wiped his eyes with his sleeve. "This tower has me blocked somehow. I can't sense anything. I can' access the terminals remotely anymore." With his powers so drastically decreased since death, it was hard to say if he would ever get them back at all.

Gaara opened the door and stepped inside, shutting it behind him. He looked around, in case Elian's roommates were there. He disliked this arrangement, sharing private quarters with completely strangers, and spent more time outside of his own assigned room than actually in it.

He came in time to see Elian wiping his eyes with his sleeve. He was socially inept, but he wasn't so stupid not to understand that implication. "Are you in pain?" Sadness and pain - physical and emotional - were common reasons for people to cry. Books had also claimed people cried out of happiness, but Gaara didn't really believe that.

"Your powers have been restricted?" That was surprising to hear. Some of the others had speculated that the abuse of power could lead to restriction. What had Elian done to deserve this hindrance? He stepped forward, peering curiously at Elian's collar to see if it had changed colors. "When were you last capable of remote access?"

He tried to put on a strong face but the fact remained that he is still a child no matter how much he tried to hide it. He nodded his head and thought back to the time when his powers started to take a nose-dive. "It was after the Mousetrap. Given that I was unable to sense any of the creatures once I was released that was the cause of my second death, I am now severed from my ability to use my Absolute Perception properly."

It was true that he was in pain. Emotionally, he felt like a failure, that he could be so easily overtaken and terribly overpowered. "I'm...defective." Worthless was more like it by the way he felt.

His brows furrowed with confusion. “Mousetrap?” Gaara did recently notice a sudden influx of people, but had assumed it was the typical cycle. At the facility, newcomers would arrive regularly. Though, there was no pattern to how often they were terminated.

“You believe you are defective because your abilities are hindered.” He understood that feeling. At the facility, whenever the collar turned gold, everyone’s supernatural abilities were sealed, reducing them to weakened states, like defenseless civilians.

But now, Gaara shook his head. “You can turn your weakness into strength, in a different area. If you want to remain helpless, then simply do nothing to improve your situation. Otherwise, focus your time and energy on developing new capabilities. You are certainly intelligent enough to do so.” A brief pause. “You were involved with the military, in your world. Have you been trained in self-defense? That is, hand-to-hand combat.”

He paused to look at his hands. "No. My father had me hidden so I wouldn't have to." In a lot of ways, Elian didn't like that part of his life. He was sealed away twice with only one person that would ever come to him should he need it.

He missed Urizane, but Gaara was right. Elian's fists tightened. He had to do something with his underused Alter and he certainly had to learn how to fight just in case his powers were ever blocked entirely.

He didn't take what Gaara said as offensive. In fact, he was grateful for it. It was making Elian realize just how much he was shielded in his world for the sake of a selfish gain even if that gain would benefit everyone.

"It appears that my skills are ridiculously lax in comparison."

“I see.” His father had protected him, Gaara mused silently to himself. He was careful not to show any emotion on his face. There were some startling similarities between his upbringing and Elian’s, which brought up a few unpleasant memories. The latter seemed to be having difficulty coping with certain aspects of his situation, like Gaara had, when he was younger.

The redhead released a quiet sigh, almost ghostly. “You are a child. It is ridiculous to-…”

But wasn’t that the same case for shinobi in his world? Trained since childhood to fight, and even kill, on some missions? Elian’s father had been in the military. Even if they were regular humans, they had to hold themselves to higher standards than civilians.

“…Never mind.” He shook his head. “Are any of your friends trained warriors?”

Elian tried his best to remain in the mindset to keep that militarist mentality. He answered all of Gaara's questions with decorum and honesty.

"Affirmative." Then again, the reason they could be trained was because their bodies were better suited. Elian was thought to be too small, too frail, and too weak to withstand the rigors of that training. Even at 14 years of age, he wasn't much bigger than a boy of 10 or 12.

Who would suspect a kid as the perfect spy?

He frowned slightly in bewilderment. “But you were excluded from that training. For what reason?”

For shinobi, frailty wasn’t an excuse to escape training. In fact, it was an even greater burden for those individuals to prove themselves. Useless shinobi were only used as long as they had utility, before they eventually got discarded.

“And here, at the tower? Not all of the inhabitants are civilians.” Surely, someone could train Elian to better defend himself. He needed to learn some form of offensive capabilities.

"I have a trainer." Elian spoke quietly. He looked at the table top intensely for a moment. He knew why he was excluded. He knew the reasons for that exclusion and in all honesty, he resented his father for letting it happen.

His father trained him personally when it came to the use of his Alter and part of the book learning process. After that, Elian was left on his own. If it wasn't for Urizane watching him and protecting him even on his father's orders, Elian would have long been dead.

“......”

Elian didn’t answer his first question. He seemed to be lost in thought, the way he was staring at the table. No matter. It was none of his business.

“…Good,” he replied with a nod, “You can continue your training, and you will become stronger.”

The ninja surveyed the other for a few silent moments, and then remarked, “You should steadily build up your physical strength. For now, you can use speed and agility to your advantage, if you possess those attributes. Without sufficient physical force, you will need to rely on weapon usage for offense.”

That was his assessment, based on a quick preliminary investigation. Gaara had taught a student in Suna back when their own Academy was being established. Elian wasn’t a ninja, but he didn’t have to be, to learn the basics of combat.

He didn't ignore the question. He was trying to figure out the reasons himself why his father didn't allow him in combat training other than his size. Perhaps it was to protect Elian, but it really didn't do him a lot of good now being sheltered the way he was compared to the dangers he faced now.

He contemplated his inadequacies in silence. Complaining didn't do any good other than just making noise. He had to act and the sooner he did, the better. Gaara was right and he knew it. His nod came as the response to the assessment.

"My father... he protected me. Sometimes I think he did it because of guilt. He blamed himself for my suffering in the lab. I didn't find this out until the moment he died." His small hands clinched into fists on the table top. His expression changed from shy contemplation and internal questioning to resolute and determined. "I have to fight now."

Gaara turned his head to the side, maintaining a cool composure with the control he had meticulously acquired after a couple years of practice. He listened while keeping a neutral expression, feeling a small spike or two of empathy at certain parts of the explanation.

He closed his eyes just then, thoughtfully turning the information over in his mind, before inquiring out loud, “Was he responsible for your suffering?” What other reason would he have to feel guilt? Perhaps for not preventing it?

“You may need to fight at any given time, particularly in this tower. Engage in training on a consistent basis – daily, if you are able to.”

Remembering the past wasn't something that he was willing to let himself do. He tried to move on past it, but he never had the chance to actually face it... not like this. He tightly closed his eyes and shook his head. "He... I think he tried. I was strapped down. He was too. They kept poking me with needles, taking samples, burning me, anything they could think of to get him to react."

Everything they did in that place was terrible. The scientists didn't call the Alter users human. Even worse, Elian was considered a thing instead of a person. His reactions were definitely human even if they tried to remove it from him entirely. Having an eidetic memory of the physical meant remembering everything that happened to him even at the cost of his own sanity.

He was called defective because he cried. The scientists were about to terminate him for being the imperfect test subject because he showed emotion. Even though he tried to maintain himself as a tool, Martin would let them continue and killed several of the scientists for nearly killing Elian.

"His power wasn't strong enough for their purpose. He made a deal with them... told them that he would find more Alter users if they would let us go and serve them. They agreed." Elian tried his best to hide that fact from so many others. It was another reason he hardly talked to his teammates. He knew they were tools just like he was with one dividing factor. They didn't know the real reason behind HOLY.

"I... believe my father did what he thought was right even if others didn't think he was. He led a duel life to protect us even if it meant we would be hated for it later."

“......”

He couldn’t help the involuntary flinch that coursed through his body, causing one hand to curl into a tight fist. From his description, it sounded like Elian had been tortured, not experimented on. Strapped and stabbed to see how he would react? He had a functional nervous system, didn’t he? Of course he would feel every ounce of pain that they forced on him. What kind of malicious, deranged individuals would-

Gaara abruptly cut off that train of thought before his emotions could surface. Slowly, he exhaled, all the while keeping his eyes closed. He didn’t want Elian to see the anger that was gradually rising in them, burning at the knowledge of people being treated as tools, toys, pawns to simply play in a game, and then get easily replaced. As a demon host, Gaara had been treated inhumanely in his childhood, just as most of the jinchuuriki in other villages. They were largely feared and hated, in spite of the fact that it wasn’t their choice to become vessels. They were created and raised to be weapons for their respective villages, and yet, the people they had to protect, resented them, even desiring their deaths. Why? Simply for existing, and being shackled with a role that would affect the rest of their lives.

And Elian’s father… doing what he thought was right. That meant he had been a warrior first, and a father second. Similar to Gaara’s father. He didn’t know what to think about that. He was still a young leader, and didn’t believe in compromising his morals the way the Fourth Kazekage had.

For the sake of the village…

He internalized the information, and only commented coolly, “It was cruel of them to treat you in that manner. You are not an object. …What did he do, that others would have disapproved of?”

Elian's answer would send a chill down his own spine. It wasn't something that he was proud of, knowing where to find other Alters, knowing that they too would be experimented on and tortured in a similar manner if not worse, knowing that some could die. Perhaps it was out of self-preservation and even then, he didn't entirely follow orders and thwarted his father in subtle ways by diverting the coordinates to by the Native Alters that were being hunted a little more time.

Still, he answered honestly. There was no reason to lie anymore. No reason to hide anymore, he didn't see the point in it. "We hunted our own kind."

He lowered his head. There was nothing he could do to change the past. The future rested on Elian's shoulders to fix those wrongs and uphold the beliefs that his father tried to accomplish but never had the chance to see it through. "Those that we captured, we gave a choice to join HOLY. Those that didn't, we sent them to the Mainland to be refined. We didn't have much of a choice at the time. My father... he made a deal with the devil and gained its trust before he defied them, betrayed them and died because of it."

That revelation caused Gaara to quirk a brow in curiosity and turn to face the other. Survival of the fittest; kill or be killed. The concept was deeply engrained in the ninja, and he didn’t show shock so much as intrigue. At least, he and Elian had the advantage of military association. It altered their mindsets in ways that typical civilians weren’t affected by.

“By force, correct?” It sounded like Elian’s father had been limited in choice, unlike his own. At least, that was how it seemed from his perspective. It was something Gaara had yet to fully comprehend.

“Deception can be necessary, at times,” he began quietly, “Hardly anything is what it seems, at first glance.”

His curiosity piqued, he posed his next question; “How do you feel… toward your father? Regarding what he did.”

His head turned upward to look at the ceiling in thought before he focused on the question at its breadth which could lead into the depth. "Yes. We all knew the risks. On the surface, we were an enforcement division of the Police Action Force HOLD."

The concept of deception wasn't new to Elian. He was good at it if he wanted to put it to use. He wanted an honest life, something that he wasn't allowed to have before. He knew about the sacrifices his father made for Elian and he agreed.

At the final question, Elian looked at Gaara with that same stoic expression he first met him with. "I am sad that he had to die to show us the way to freedom. I don't hate him. I never did."

“You did what was necessary in order to survive,” was all he could comment on. Whatever they had done, he didn’t know the full story. Even if he did, he wouldn’t pass judgment on the other. It wasn’t his place to decide what was right or wrong for them to commit. On the other hand, if these were ninja matters, he would actually have a say in it.

He studied his expression for a moment, before finally nodding. Elian’s father had, at least, expressed some remorse and regret toward his actions. He didn’t pretend as though he had no fault in any of the events that unfolded, as a result of his decisions.

“Do you have any other relatives? Siblings, perhaps?”

His head nodded at the inquiry. To describe his brothers was difficult for Elian. "Yes, but they don't know me. Elian 3 and Elian 4... they work for Mujo."

It almost made Elian shudder to think that the same thing could have happened to him if his father hadn't taken him out of that place when he had. His mind would be connected to his siblings completely; no longer allowed to speak unless spoken to, be nothing more than a shell of flesh and bone with no means to be an individual, those thoughts scared Elian more than death.

At least death was a means to an end. To live and be nothing more than a tool for a madman was a fate he never wanted to have.

His face nearly contorts into the anger that was swelling up inside. His fist clinched, his jaw tightened. That wasn't life.

“…Other clones?” It wasn’t hard to reach that conclusion, given those names.

Clone. He was one too, like everyone else that had come from the facility. Scowling, the redhead shoved that thought far away from the forefront of his mind. He wasn’t ready to accept that fact just yet.

“You are angry,” he stated the obvious, glancing at his clenched fist with mild intrigue. He easily recognized that emotion, having felt it countless times before.

"Affirmative." His answer took care of both questions. "I am angry because Mujo treats life poorly for his personal gain. He doesn't care about my brothers. Their growth was accelerated to accomplish only one task; to block me and eventually kill me. They don't know any better."

His head lowers slightly, the pain of this truth hurt him far more than he originally thought possible. "They're only children."

They were infants when he was taken out of the Facility on the Mainland. Because he Elian was taken out of there before the scientists could finish their work, Elian was able to grow and form bonds naturally where his brothers couldn't but only with themselves.

"If Elian One had survived, I would have formed the same connection to him as Three and Four were able to with themselves. I could not get in to help them, to warn them. Their link was too strong." If he managed it, the link that all three would have would have been tremendous enough to overthrow everything that the Mainland was trying to do through Elian's influence as an individual which made him dangerous to their cause. It was just another reason for them to try to destroy him.

"I'm sorry. I know it seems complicated, but I have to be honest with you. It hurts me when they hurt. I know they are only doing what they are programmed to do, their conditioning was too strong for me to break through. I am angry because they can't live for themselves. I'm angry because I can't help them. I'm angry at Mujo. I'm angry... because I want them to be free."

“Kill you…?” His brows furrowed with confusion. “Are you not still useful to him?”

On the comment regarding children, Gaara watched his reaction carefully. It intrigued him to know that someone with a military background would harbor such a vulnerable thought. Even though children were protected by shinobi and civilians alike, at the end of the day, if they were required to fight, age wasn’t going to save them from that fate. “You… sound like a civilian.”

After a pause, the redhead decided to elaborate, “In the world I come from, children typically begin their ninja training at very young ages. Most shinobi believe that emotional training is equally as important as acquiring techniques. Tools can be used more efficiently when they lack the burden of attachment.”

There was a brief glimpse of his opinion on that subject when his gaze suddenly darkened, but then the moment passed and Gaara appeared stoic once again.

He shook his head, assuring Elian in a quiet tone, “No… I appreciate your honesty. Your father’s cooperation – that wasn’t enough to ensure their freedom?”

Elian knew then that his vulnerable reaction would cause some regard to his mental well-being. With everything that he was taught to fight for, with all the pain he had gone through in the lab, his thoughts couldn't form the words to express this pain.

He shook his head slowly. "He didn't know they existed until I was able to form my own free thought, and speak for myself. By then, it was too late."

In regards to his connection to Mujo, it was one of those matters he wished not to discuss openly. He turned his head to the side and listened to Gaara's explanation. "Then, I would make a terrible shinobi in my current state. I will performing to my optimum parameters once I have gotten some more rest."

"...I see." His death hadn't been a complete waste, but... clearly, there was still unfinished business to take care of. Elian felt responsible for completing the task.

Now, that was an interesting proclamation. "For what reason? The existence of emotions?" He frowned, hearing his father's words echo inside his mind in a swift flicker. "Not everyone was meant to be a ninja. The choice was... simply made for us. I was born to fulfill a specific purpose."

The tragedy of Martin Zigmarl left a lasting impression on the young Intelligence officer. He worked harder than any other member of his group and free time was very rare. It was constant work for Elian. Having this much time was making him feel useless and discarded which was harming his self esteem.

The explanation of what a ninja was did intrigue Elian. He knew what it was like to be born to do something specific. "I understand. My purpose is no longer clear in the Tower. It is presenting a challenge that I must face. My incomplete Alter form, Jetstream, needs work. Perhaps the purpose for Absolute Perception to fail is to boost and control it."

In all honesty, he was frightened of it. He saw what it did to his father.

Slowly, he nodded, also understanding how Elian felt, now that he was here. For the longest time, when he had been at the facility, he was unsure of his purpose. In Suna, Gaara knew what was required of him. Having those responsibilities suddenly stripped away was, in a way, liberating, but also a shock to someone used to a certain order and routine.

"You will need to determine your own purpose," he replied softly, his eyes shifting down to the floor, "Particularly if you don't return to your original world."

He didn't know what Jetstream was, nor what kind of work Elian would have to conduct, in order to improve it. "Will you be able to complete this form? What needs to be done?"

Elian took Gaara's word and nodded his head slowly. It was true. Everything that he was trained for, his beliefs and ideals were shaken. Basically and intrinsically, they were the same as if he were back home, yet it was finding that foundation again to stand up and take control again was the part that had him worried.

In regards to his powers, with Absolute Perception in question and Jetstream showing a more dominate side in its revelation, this balance shift has him more worried than afraid, more unsure than insecure.

"I will have to discover that on my own preferably without too many people around. I don't think it can be completed. I've only seen Alias once and it aged my father ten years." He remembered clearly the first time it erupted. The second time was horrific and now he has no choice.

“Then… what is it?” This mysterious ability might be similar to the way hosts learned how to control their bijuu, the redhead mused to himself. “Are you attempting to correct an imperfection? Or control a power that is potentially dangerous?”

He fixed the boy with a stern look and warned, “Exercise proper precautions.” If he was going to realize the extent of his abilities on his own, that was fine, but he also suspected Elian would push himself beyond his capacity, once again.

"Air pressure. My father's was refined to the point that if he used it, it took his life." Even though Elian's was virtually the same, the trouble with it was it was a naturally occurring force that had no real form. The refining process that created Elian's Alter, Absolute Perception, was unnatural and it became his primary from the manipulation and mental conditioning he had gone through.

"I can create shields with it, the trouble is controlling it. Jetstream cannot be controlled currently and certainly not easily. If I used it here, I could destroy this room and you could possibly get hurt." His voice was nearly soft at this point. He had seen what it did to his father, and he remembered the Alter users he used it on. The pain from their destroyed Alters still rang through clearly even thought it was a year since that battle.

Jetstream was not something he wanted to use again yet he knew that if he had to survive, he had to learn at least how to control it properly.

“Air pressure,” he repeated, and then his mind drew the natural conclusion of, “Is your ability capable of suffocating others?”

He quirked a brow, feeling almost amused by that bold statement. But he wasn’t going to deliver any backlash toward Elian. “I understand your concern. However, I am not easy to harm. If you wish to practice on a living target, then it should be someone trained in combat and defensive tactics.” There wasn’t notable arrogance in his voice; he felt confident that he could find a way to defend himself against all techniques, somehow. It would just differ in effectiveness. “Don’t allow fear to prevent you from doing what you feel is necessary.“

Gaara sounded just like his father for a moment at the objective assessment of his own ability. He didn't detect any arrogance, much like his father. Elian knew that if he had to gain control, he couldn't sit on his thumbs to accomplish that. He didn't feel that there was a need to hide it anymore either.

"Understood. I can suffocate others, yes." It wasn't anywhere near as precise as Alias, his father's Alter, but it was definitely very close in a wide area. He needed to hear that Gaara could defend himself against it which did put Elian's mind at ease. He nodded his head with a small smile.

"I look forward to the training."

They tried to build a nation...

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so, so late orz DX i’m sorry

It's okay. I'm really glad for the tag. :D

Thank you for your patience. My brain is just. Short tags only! orz

No proble. I've had days like that. <3

And now you get lots of tags! \o/

Woohoo! <3

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