Chapter Fourteen: Missing

(Warning: This chapter deals with issues such as depression and the refusal to eat, causing unhealthy body proportions. Read ahead at your discretion)

A month had passed in Nanba Prison. It was early July. Elizabeth had been taken a month ago exactly, and things weren't looking good. The Fourth of July in Nanba had come and the Americans were only reminded of the friend that they had lost.

"Man, I really miss Elizabeth," Nico said as he leaned back in Cell Thirteen. "It's so much quieter here without her."

"I know," Rock agreed. "I feel like we shouldn't even be celebrating the Fourth of July today."

"What's the big deal with that?" Uno asked. "I mean, you're celebrating your separation from an awesome country there, Rock."

"The Fourth of July represents freedom in America," Rock told Uno. "It represents our independence and that's something to celebrate."

"Whatever you say," Uno replied.

"Besides, it usually has cookouts and fireworks at night," Nico chimed in.

"You can make a lot of good food on a grill," Rock explained. "Plus, in most cases, the fireworks displays were really beautiful. I used to love watching them."

"I know, me too," Nico agreed. "There weren't really any prisons that would celebrate the holiday, though. I don't think any did, aside from one of them giving me red, white, and blue food. It wasn't even that good."

"D'you think Nanba's going to do anything?" Rock asked.

"Probably not," Jyugo reasoned. "It is a Japanese prison, after all."

"Yeah, but with Elizabeth gone, they might decide it's a good morality boost," Nico put in.

"Fireworks would be very pretty," Uno mused. "Think we should ask Hajime?"

Rock shook his head. "Seitarou'd be more willing to hear us out. Besides, Elizabeth was American. If we appeal to the side of the missing inmate, we might get this."

"You want to use her to get fireworks?!" Uno demanded. "Rock, that's sick!"

Rock shook his head adamantly. "No! I just meant that maybe Elizabeth would like it. She's American, so it would be a Fourth of July celebration in her honor!"

"That's a good idea!" Nico chimed in. "We need to find Seitarou!"

Luckily for them, Seitarou was walking through the halls and heard his name mentioned.

"Is everything okay?" Seitarou asked, looking into the cell.

"Seitarou!" Nico exclaimed giddily. "We have an idea!"

"What is it?" Seitarou asked.

"We want to celebrate the Fourth of July tonight," Rock told him. "I mean, Elizabeth's American, so wouldn't this be a good way to celebrate her?"

"We can have pretty fireworks!" Nico chimed in.

"That does sound like a fair idea," Seitarou replied. "I'll take this up with Supervisor Sugoroku, alright? Maybe he'll like the idea."

"Hajime's just going to say no," Uno whined.

"Eleven, you aren't even American. You're British," Seitarou reminded him.

"But I've been to America," Uno whined. "And fireworks are pretty."

Seitarou sighed. "I'll take it up with Supervisor Sugoroku."

In Building Three, during lunch, Honey had gone to see Kiji.

"Kiji, you have to talk to Trois," Honey demanded in the guard room of Building Three.

"Eighty-two, you should be at lunch," Kiji reminded him. "And Three doesn't want to see me. You and him have made that quite clear."

"He won't eat, Kiji," Honey told him. "I can only get him to eat something small that I bring back from one meal. He isn't leaving the cell! You have to talk to him. Make him see sense! Make him see that just because Elizabeth is gone doesn't mean he has to starve himself!"

Kiji sighed. "Eighty-two, go back to lunch. I'll take care of this later."

"Kiji, please," Honey pleaded. "Trois is my friend. I need to make sure that he's taken care of. I feel helpless watching him do this to himself."

Kiji stood up. "Alright. Let's go check on Three."

The two walked back to Cell Six, where Trois was sitting in the furthest corner from the door. His green hair hung limply, not wavy like it usually was. He wasn't even wearing his glasses, they had slid down onto the floor. Trois was also thin, thinner than Elizabeth had been just a month or so earlier. His face was gaunt, his magenta eyes full of weariness and sadness. There was no other word for it. Trois was depressed.

"Three," Kiji said gently as he opened the door. "Come on, I'm going to take you to the infirmary."

"Go away, Kiji," Trois replied meekly.

"I will not," Kiji insisted. "Eighty-two is worried about you. You have to get up, Three."

Trois just waved his hand at Kiji, trying to get him to go away.

"Trois, please," Honey pleaded, coming into Trois' view. "I'm scared. You've never acted like this before."

Kiji scooped up Trois before he could protest. Trois tried to wriggle away, but he was too weak to fight. "We will get her back, Three. For now, take care of yourself. How do you think Seventeen would react if she saw you like this? I'm sorry, I didn't know that he would take her that easily. We'll get her back as soon as we can."

Kiji carried Trois to the infirmary, followed very closely by Honey.

"Okina, Dear!" Kiji called.

Okina came up to Kiji and his eyes widened in surprise. "What happened to Three?"

"He's been very depressed as of late," Kiji informed Okina as he set Trois down on one of the beds. "Please take care of him, he's not eating. Eighty-two, you have my special permission to stay here until the end of free time later, okay?"

Honey nodded. "Thank you, Kiji."

"Of course. I'll come back to pick you up when it's over, alright?"

"Yes, thank you."

In the guard's office of Building Thirteen, Seitarou finished presenting the Fourth of July idea to Hajime.

"So you want us to waste our fireworks to give the inmates a display?" Hajime put it blatantly.

"Well, yes, Sir," Seitarou replied. "Seventeen was American, it says so in her file. If we were to do this celebration in her honor, perhaps it would be a good morale boost. Many of the inmates don't seem to be getting out of this stupor, and Supervisor Yozakura is still mourning the loss of his guards. Perhaps we could honor them as well, Sir."

Hajime nodded, beginning to understand. "That's not such a bad idea, Seitarou. Alright, I'll take it up with the Warden. If she says yes, we can have a fireworks display for the inmates and guards to watch up on the roof at ten."

"Thank you, Sir."

At 9:30 that night, an announcement rang across the prison.

"All inmates and guards, go up to the roof for a special Fourth of July fireworks display in honor of Inmate Number Seventeen and the two guards that were killed trying to protect the prison," Mitsuru's voice came over the intercom system.

"Kiji!" Honey said as soon as Kiji came to let him out. Honey had spent all afternoon at Trois' bedside, making sure that he would recover. He had been asleep the entire time Honey was there, but it helped to know that Honey could help. "Let's take Trois up."

"He's not really in a fit state to do so, Eighty-two," Kiji said gently. "Three is most likely too weak to walk."

"We'll take him in a wheelchair, then," Honey reasoned. "Kiji, this could really help him. Don't you want him to recover as much as I do?"

Kiji sighed in defeat, knowing that Eighty-two was not going to back down. "Alright. You go on ahead, I'll bring him up."

So, very close to ten at night, Kiji was pushing a wheelchair up onto the roof to find Honey. They found each other rather quickly.

"Trois!" Honey exclaimed. "You're awake!"

Trois gave a small smile. "Thank you for getting Kiji, Honey. I didn't realize how much of a fool I was being."

Honey grinned. "These fireworks, they're in honor of her."

Trois nodded. "I know. It might be nice to get some closure."

"Closure?" Kiji asked.

"Kiji, Elizabeth has been gone for a month now," Trois reminded him. "I doubt we'll ever see her again."

"Don't say that," Honey told him, but Trois raised his hand to stop Honey from continuing.

"I was a fool to think that she would come back," Trois continued on calmly. "I'll be fine. Let this celebration of America mark a new beginning. Then perhaps we can celebrate France in ten days."

"What's on July Fourteenth?" Honey asked.

"La Fête de Nationale," Trois informed him. "More commonly known as Bastille Day. It marks freedom for France. To be more specific, the storming of Bastille, a turning point for the French Revolution."

"Inmates and guards!" Mitsuru's voice spread across the roof. "Turn your attention to the sky for a special Fourth of July fireworks display, honoring our deceased guards and missing Inmate Number Seventeen!"

All the inmates and guards turned their attention to the night sky to watch the fireworks. For once, no one was trying to escape. The guards and inmates were at peace, honoring the dead and gone. No one was fighting. No one was doing anything against the rules. Not even the members of Cell Thirteen, who were notorious rule breakers, were doing anything wrong. They were honoring their friend, hoping that someday, she would return to them.

Everyone back inside that night satisfied, a little sad, and ready to move on. They were all ready, especially Trois, to remember Elizabeth fondly, but no longer mourn for her or desperately wish that she was back among them. For Kenshirou and the other guards, they were ready to move on from their fallen.

---

Elizabeth was being held in a room, no longer tied down. The same night of the fireworks, the same night where Trois had decided to move on from her, she had been undergoing horrendous tests.

She had cat claws as nails, a wild expression on her face, and razor sharp teeth. Her usual jumpsuit was gone, replaced by a tunic and leggings. This is what the man with the scar had determined he would use her for. A faithful pet and weapon. This was her first transformation.

"Sir!" one of his attendants called. "Specimen Seventeen is showing signs of awareness! Should we calm her down?"

"No," he ordered. "Keep her going."

For three months this went on. Soon enough, Elizabeth could completely control when she used the claws. The claws weren't claws, per se, but they were extremely tough, sharpened nails. They could appear and disappear at will. Unfortunately for her, as soon as she showed the capability to control herself with them on and control when they appeared, the man with the scar decided that he would have no further use for her. He got rid of her.

Elizabeth drifted for two days until her body washed ashore Nanba prison. She was wearing a torn-up tunic and leggings, skin-tight metal bracelets around both of her wrists. Her hair had grown longer. Her skin, paler.

The date was October 14th. The place, Nanba Prison.

"Sir!" Seitarou alerted Hajime. "There's been a washup! Someone's on the shore!"

"Who is it?" Hajime asked. "Do we know them?"

Seitarou nodded, gulping. "It's Number Seventeen, Sir. She's alive."