#revise-leviathan

Christopher Arclight had been missing for three years. 

Kaito was fifteen when he last saw his mentor. It had been a dark and stormy night and the two of them were inside Heartland Tower, watching their younger brothers play with Thomas’ dog and drinking hot chocolate. It had been a long day, but Kaito was glad to spend some time together, and he was laughing at some story Chris had just told when the man suddenly changed the subject.

“I’ve gotten a new job.”

“Oh? Congratulations, Chris!” Kaito couldn’t help but smile, knowing Chris had been searching for work for a while now. “Where’d you get it?”

“It’s a job here at the tower. Your father set me up with one of his associates on the higher floors. His name is Professor Shingetsu and he does work on skin and hair cells. I start work tomorrow.” 

“That sounds really good. My dad was talking to Professor Shingetsu about research the other day. He’s a respectable member of the science community. I’m sure you’ll be happy working with him.” Kaito said softly. 

Chris tilted his head slightly as he looked at the blonde and gave a tiny chuckle. He put his mug down and leaned over, ruffling his companion’s hair. “I know that look. Don’t worry. I’ll still have time to teach you to duel and help you with your studies, okay? I’ll be here for you, Kaito. Don’t worry.” 

Kaito blinked in amazement, a slight blush rising to his cheeks. “Yeah...” The two men looked at each other, sharing a warm moment until Thomas attacked Chris’ leg and demanded a mug of hot chocolate.

After that night, Kaito never saw him again.

Mihael and Thomas had seen Chris at home a few days after that night, but eventually he just stopped coming back. Bryon had a search party look for him and the police had been on his case for weeks, but there had been no signs of a kidnapping. It was as if he had just disappeared off the face of the planet.

Kaito knew better than that. Chris would never abandon him, his family, or Haruto. The police had long given up, but Kaito didn’t dare. He’d dedicated three long years juggling taking care of Haruto and finding any trace of Christopher Arclight.

Those three years had taken him full circle. After years of questioning and interrogating, Kaito found himself back at Heartland Tower. He had heard something from an assistant at the tower when he was staking out a bar.

‘Professor Shingetsu was talking to Christopher Arclight the other day! ... What do you mean he’s missing?’

------

“You must be Kaito. It’s very nice to finally meet you. Your father has told me all about you.”

“Good things, I hope. Thank you for seeing me, Professor Shingetsu.”

“Please, call me Vector. There’s no need to be so formal.” The orange-haired man shot him a grin as they shook hands. “So, what can I do for you?”

“I know you’ve been questioned by Professor Arclight and the police already, but... I feel like I need to ask you about Chris.” The smile slackened on Vector’s face and Kaito watched the man sit down in his office chair.

“What about Chris?”

“Do you know where he is?” 

Kaito never expected a positive answer. The police were clueless without witnesses, evidence, or even speculation. However, Vector gave him a clear and simple nod. 

“You shouldn’t worry so much, Kaito. It might give you wrinkles.” The man’s smile was back. “Christopher is safely in my care.”

“What? Since when? Why didn’t you tell anyone?” Kaito demanded, clenching his fists in clear sight. Vector raised an eyebrow, and Kaito snapped out of his riled stance, coughing and murmuring a small apology for his outburst. With a steadier tone, he asked, “Can I see him? Where is he?”

“...Ah... Kaito. One thing you should know is that Chris is in my care purely because he doesn’t want to be seen. Which is perfectly understandable, given his condition.”  

“Condition?” 

Vector only smiled in response. 

Kaito scowled. He had to keep pushing. “What’s wrong with him?”

“That’s confidential.” Vector gave a large shrug before he gave himself a playful facepalm. “Oops~ I shouldn’t have even told you he’s with me.”

“Confidential? What? Professor, I don’t understand, how can you not tell the police or even Professor Arclight about where Chris is? If you know-”

“There are some things that must be kept confidential, Kaito. Please understand. Research is valuable and dangerous if not in the right hands. It goes without saying that you don’t need to know what happened to Chris.” Vector said firmly but not unkindly. There was an undertone of amusement to his words, making Kaito grit his teeth harder with every minute.

“I’ll do anything to see him. Look, I don’t want to reveal your research- or even see it. I just want to see Chris, talk to him for five minutes. Please.” 

Vector’s purple eyes flashed as he pondered the notion for a minute. Before Kaito could pester him further, the man joyfully clapped his hands together. “I’m really not supposed to do this, Kaito. However, since I your father is such a good friend of mine, I suppose I could show him to you under certain conditions." 

Kaito’s eyes lit up like a struck match. “Really?”

“I’ll just let you see him for ten minutes. No touching or discussing the research though, or I might just have to lock you up.” Vector started to laugh but Kaito settled into a confused frown. It took Vector seconds to realise Kaito wasn’t laughing with him. “Lighten up, junior. I’m just kidding.” 

“Yes... I know, professor. I’m sorry, I just want to see him.”

“I understand. Well then, come on.” Vector stretched from behind his desk and lead Kaito out to a small elevator in the hall. It was a lot narrower than the one Kaito had gotten in to get to the tenth floor and he found himself nearly pressed against Vector. Their close proximity unnerved Kaito a little. 

“Basement?” Kaito asked above the light music. “I thought the basement had nothing but boxes and supplies. Does Chris work down there?”

“Not particularly. He just stays there. Stop asking questions, you’ll see soon enough.” The door opened to a dark area, but when Vector switched on the lights, Kaito could see a long, branching, ghostly-green hallway.

“I always hate coming in here. It’s no fun.” Vector whined, “Chris’ room is down the right-hand corridor at the very last door. I’ll open it up for you so you can have your little talk.”

“Thank you again.” Kaito said quietly. Uneasiness gurgled in his stomach. The corridor was long and winding and it didn’t feel like they were walking in the same direction. After what seemed like hours, they came to a large iron door and Vector swiped a small panel with his card key.

“Go on in…he’s right inside.” 

Kaito looked at the door and slowly took the handle. After all this time, he’d finally see Chris... but would Chris even want to see him? His skin tingled as he felt the cool metal and he sighed. Gathering his resolve, Kaito held his breath and pushed open the door. 

The room faintly smelt of decay and fungus, despite not having a speck of dirt on the walls. Panels and panels of metal covered every inch of floor and wall space. Kaito’s instincts were screaming at him to leave the unsettling place, but such noise was deafened the moment he spotted the occupant of the room. “Chris...” His heart stopped in his chest. It was Chris, tall, elegant, beautiful Chris standing by a full-length mirror, brushing his hair. “Chris!”

“K-Kaito?” The figure turned to face him, but his eyes widened when they settled on Kaito’s face. “No… Kaito! You’re not supposed to be here! Get away from me! Now!”

“Chris? What’s wrong?” Kaito had never heard his friend sound so terrified. He took a step forward and there was a light ‘crunch’ underneath his foot. He had been so surprised that he didn’t take in much of the cold, dreary surroundings. Everything was cold and metallic, from the walls to the furniture, and covered with long, thick waves of something white... and something moving.

“Kaito!” Chris screamed as the hair Kaito had just stepped on started crawling up his leg. The small blonde yelped as he was suddenly hoisted into the air by his ankle and suspended upside down. Chris rushed over to try and help, but another long ringlet of hair curled around his waist, separating him from Kaito. 

“Professor Shingetsu! Help!” Kaito yelled. However, there was nothing but silence on the other side of the door, though Kaito swore he could hear faint laughter just beneath his own terrified screams. The tendrils worked quickly, hugging Kaito’s waist, and although he tried prying them it off, he would have had better luck with trying to snap steel cables. Blood rushed to his face and his head was starting to throb in pain.

“Stop hurting him! Stop! Stop! Stop! Don’t kill him!” Chris yelled, digging his nails into his scalp. 

The slender curls twisted further up Kaito’s body until the tip reached Kaito’s cheek. It felt like a makeup brush, soft and almost feathery. If Kaito wasn’t so terrified, he might have liked the feeling. He looked at the tip slither over his entire face and looked at Chris desperately.

But Chris didn’t have to move. Kaito felt his binds shift and suddenly his body turned the right way up. He blinked hard. God, sweet oxygen. He inhaled deeply, groaning ever so softly. “Chris...” Kaito stiffened as his bonds placed on a toilet seat. Everything felt so cold, and despite the jacket he was wearing, Kaito was shivering.

“Why did he bring you here?” Chris muttered. “I was told I was going to be left alone. Why? Why did it have to be you?” Chris staggered back into a corner, shielding his face like a monster fearful of daylight. He started murmuring to himself and Kaito silently wondered if the man had gone mad. 

He certainly didn’t look sane or healthy. Chris had always been on the lean side but now he just looked malnourished. Chris’ bones jutted against his pale and sickly skin, and his scraggly and stained shirt was slipping off his boney shoulders. Kaito couldn’t see his face properly, unsure if that was a blessing or a curse. The only part of Chris that didn’t seem like it belonged to a rotting corpse was his hair, more beautiful than ever. It sparkled and shimmered, despite the dimming florescent lights, and looked so lush and thick. It was longer than ever, cascading like an intricate veil around Chris. Kaito’s eyes followed the mane and it really did seem like Chris’ hair covered every available surface. 

It was only then that Kaito realised that what was binding him, as impossible as it seemed, was Chris’ hair.

“What in the world is this?” Chris didn’t respond. Kaito tried to move off the toilet seat but the hair pushed him back. It was a lot denser than it looked, and no matter how much Kaito moved, he couldn’t progress forward. The hair curled around his body again and started stroking his cheek once more, sending a chill down his spine.

“Don’t fight it, Kaito. It will hurt you.” Chris was stroking the long locks gently. Although it remained plastered to his cheek, the hair stopped brushing Kaito’s face. 

“This is crazy... You talk as if this hair, no, your hair, is alive.” Chris staggered to the wall and leaned against it as he sat down. A bundle of hair crept into Chris’ lap and the man stroked it like he would a delicate kitten.

There was silence between them for a long time. The only sound was the light blowing of the air conditioner, keeping the room chilly. Although Chris could move around, he remained just as stationary as Kaito. He just kept stroking that hair, looking tired and defeated.

Kaito had long since realised that Professor Shingetsu wasn’t coming back for him and Chris wasn’t going to take the initiative, so he spoke first. “What happened to you, Chris?” Kaito asked softly, afraid of scaring Chris in his weary state. “Do you even know how long you’ve been gone?”

“Two years...”

“Three, actually.” Silence again. “... Why did you leave?” ‘Why did you leave me?’ “We were told you couldn’t handle the pressure from working for the professor and you ran away. You disappeared.”

“... What are you doing here, Kaito?” 

“What? I was searching for you, of course! Chris! I never thought that you’d abandon your family for something like that. I thought you were kidnapped or lost and I wanted to find you.” Voicing it made Kaito feel childish but Chris looked at him and gave the smallest of smiles.

The older man sighed. “I see... and I’m sorry, Kaito. I didn’t want to leave... but I didn’t want this to happen to you.”

“You knew this would happen?”

“I suspected something.” Kaito waited for him to elaborate but there was nothing more. 

“Chris... I came here to know more. Please tell me more about what happened. Why are you here? Why is your hair like this? Chris...”

The other man sighed wearily and stopped stroking his hair. There was another cold pause before Chris’ voice softly rung through the room. “I was testing Professor Shingetsu’s latest research project; a quick, surefire way to treat split ends. It was simple and innocent enough, and all the trials on the other human test subjects showed that it was completely safe and effective. He wanted me to test it, so I took it home and I used it for a few days.” Chris bit his lip. “I didn’t notice it at first but my hair began growing too fast. It wasn’t so bad, but once it started touching the floor, I tried to...” He paused, “I couldn’t get rid of it. It just kept growing and in only two days, my hair started to move, like it had a mind of its own. When I told Professor Shingetsu, he just laughed at me and said I was dreaming.” Chris frowned. “Believe me Kaito, I would have told you as soon as my hair started moving on its own so you could help me, but it started doing... things.”

“What kind of things?” There was another sigh. “Chris? Chris... Please tell me...”

“I have a few pictures of you in my room.” Chris said suddenly. “You remember that, don’t you? One of us together, one of us dueling and a group shot of us and our brothers. My hair... started smashing them. Not just photos, but anything related to you. It would rip a book I wanted to loan to you from my hands and tear it in two. It would hide the jacket you left under my bed. I never got close to you because I was scared. I used to think it wanted to hurt you...” 

“Used to think? Your... your hair has me captured.”

“I know. But I know my hair too. It wants to protect you.” 

In all honesty, now Kaito was starting to think all of that hair was crushing Chris’ brain.

“How does imprisoning me protect me?”

  “... I eventually showed Professor Shingetsu my hair and he helped me out,” Chris said, ignoring the question, “He said he would work to find a cure while I stayed down here where it was safe and my hair couldn’t hurt anyone. He has someone deliver meals, but for most part, I am isolated.” He gave a soft, defeated smile. “It should have stayed that way. Being alone is surely for the best.”

“No it isn’t!” Kaito yelled. No. No, his Chris couldn’t just give up like that. “How long did you plan on being trapped here? You’re rotting away, Chris. Look at yourself!” 

“Only until my hair suffocates me-”

“No. I’m not accepting that. Christopher Arclight. I’m going to get you out of here! I’ll cut you loose. I’ll shave all of this off myself.” 

The speech didn’t rouse any courage or hope though. Instead, Chris buried his face into his boney hands and began to weep. “Please Kaito... don’t do that. Don’t. Just don’t.”

“Why not? Chris? You’re not some test tube experiment. You don’t belong locked up.”

“Yes, I do. I can’t leave here. You... don’t even try.”

“Why not?” 

“I’m a menace, Kaito.” Chris sobbed harder, pointing to the ceiling. 

Kaito followed Chris’ finger to the long, spiraling tendrils of hair, hugging the wall. Some of the strands suspended in midair of their own accord while others kept skyward to where the lights were hanging from metal poles. The hair spiraled around the poles and three thick bundles of hair had separated from the rest, looping around to form nooses.

Kaito covered his mouth and his stomach heaved. His eyes dilated and watered as bile rushed up his throat, forcing its way out of his mouth, splattering against his face and dripping down his fingers. Hanging in Chris’ hair were the rotting bodies of Bryon, Thomas and Miheal Arclight. 

The hair picked him and caressed him. It slowly brought him over to a small sink, where the strands wrapped around the tap and switched it on. The hair gently held Kaito’s head over the sink and the bound man found his hand and mouth being wiped with a warm cloth.

“They came here a year ago. My father and brothers found this place and they tried to get me out of here. They tried to cut my hair but...” The hair nudged Kaito’s cheek and the man looked down. Just underneath the multitudes of curls were the shattered shards of metal scissors. “My hair wants to keep me here, Kaito. I take care of it. I don’t have a choice.”

“Chris...”

“But... now I’m beginning to understand.” Kaito was lost again. “My hair attacked my family straight away but it didn’t attack you, even though it always took away my reminders of you. It’s holding you captive instead of keeping me isolated.”

“What?” Kaito expected to see some mad glint in Chris’ eye, a sign to say that he was as insane as he sounded; but Chris was only shocked, now looking a lot more levelheaded than before, but the twinkle of fear was undeniable. “Chris, what are you talking about?”

“My hair likes you.” Chris shakily stood up, pulling on his own hair to get to his feet. “It likes you more than me... It wants to keep you here too...” As if to prove this, the hair began to fondle Kaito’s cheek, tightening its hold around Kaito ever so slightly. 

“It likes me?” Kaito struggled but the hair held him firmly. “We can’t stay here, Chris. We have to get out.”

“Kaito...”

“No! Don’t give me that monster shit, Christopher Arclight. You’re being a moron! After I shave your head, I’m going to strangle you! You can’t just sit there and do nothing for three years! I haven’t given up on you and you shouldn’t either. Help me help you get us out of here! I refuse to die like a prisoner!”

“We can’t. My hair-”

“Goddamn it, Chris! You’re not that pathetic to submit to your hair, are you? I know you’re stronger than that! Just cut it now! Get rid of this evil thing and show me that the man I love isn’t dead!”

Chris froze and staggered, as if Kaito had physically wounded him. Both of them could practically hear Chris’ heartbeat ring through the room. His sullen face contorted even more hideously and Chris looked at the full-length mirror, at Kaito, and then at the floor.

The man dove at the floor, and the hair didn’t expect Chris to dare defy it so there was no resistance. Chris’ fragile skin tore open as the metal scraped at his skin but he didn’t even wince. He grabbed the broken shards of his brothers’ scissors and started hacking at his hair, desperately trying to wade towards Kaito. The hair didn’t even fray, no matter how hard Chris sliced. The ends were all waving wildly like an agitated squid, and Kaito felt his binds curl tighter on him. The hair thrashed at the wall, enraged that the body it came from dared to try and hurt it. 

“Chris! Watch out!” Kaito yelled out, and Chris turned around, but it was too late. Chris was picked up by his neck, as thick chunks of his hair started to strangle him. “No! Chris!” He screamed. Both men fought valiantly- fruitlessly- against their bonds. Kaito bit the strands as best as he could and kicked at any locks around his body, but he was powerless. 

Chris’ face was going red and tried grab at his neck but more strands pulled on his wrists. He was turned to face Kaito and both men could see the terror in the other’s eyes. Chris gasped for breath. His body was paling as his lungs were starving. His heart was working too hard to move air that wasn’t there. 

And like a rag doll, Chris was tossed onto the ground at Kaito’s feet, just out of reach, his dark eyes wide open. 

“Chris?” Was Chris unconscious? “Chris... Get up. Get up. You have to get up.” Words were starting to choke in Kaito’s throat as his mind slowly processed the scene. Chris couldn’t be... “Chris...” No, Chris was stronger than that. He was just proving to Kaito that he wasn’t ready to die here. “No... Please... Please get up. C-Chris.”

The blonde lost every bit of self-control he had and he let cry a wail of anguish. The hair suddenly swarmed around his limbs and Kaito allowed terror to finally take him. Chris was dead and he was trapped.

He had failed, but the nightmare wasn’t over.

----- 

Kaito had expected that Chris’ hair would die soon after he did, but, days -weeks? Months? He had no way to tell time- passed and the hair was still alive, looking as beautiful as ever. The silver tresses, which all wanted to get close to Kaito, had long since covered Chris’ body.

He had been subject to incessant stroking and nuzzling, unable to put up any resistance. Kaito had fought to get out of the hairs’ hold by any means he could think of, but had been foiled every time.

Kaito opened his eyes to the sound of a small flap opening. Someone had brought his meal to him. In the beginning, he had yelled and screamed at the person to try get him out of there, but had been ignored every time. The hair always took the food from the door to the toilet where Kaito was constantly seated at, letting him feed himself. 

His hands shook as he accepted his meal from the tendrils and gave a strand a small stroke. The hair curled in delight and slithered up his arm loosely, staying near its love as Kaito ate. Kaito was never hungry but always ate his meals; if he didn’t, the hair would grab the food and force it down his throat.

It was torture. Being alive was torture. Innocent corpses hung around his head and laid by his feet. There could have been one less corpse. There could have been one less corpse. Running back to Haruto had been on his mind at first, but now all he wanted was to just get far, far away.

Escape.

He looked at the knife and fork he was holding and in a moment of agony, he tried to plunge the metal into his neck.

Kaito cried as the hair yanked his hands back the utensils were sent clattering to the floor, underneath the long, shining waves of hair.

 ------