A "Father" in an Unclean World

Chapter 5 - Tiger

The group entered the building and immediately Atsushi noticed the men in suits. They seemed to either be saluting, looking somewhat in "awe" or remaining silent in Mori's presence. 'Yeah not weird at all...' Atsushi thought.

Atsushi continued tailing Mori, scaling the building, and turning corners.

Eventually they stopped at a door. "This room here has not been in use for sometime now, so I will be lending it to you. You're free to do whatever you would like with the room." Mori said, opening the door.

As he opened the door, Atsushi peaked inside. Whoever was here last seemed to have been in a hurry, as they took as much as they owned with them, but still left small traces that they used to be here.

There was a desk and chair, which still had documents and pens on it. This desk and chair was to the far right corner after entering the room. To the far left of the room was a large king sized bed, which definitely was a bit rundown from usage. It looked quite comfortable though, Atsushi noted. A window was positioned to the right of the head of the bed, which would allow the moonlight and sunlight to soak in the room. To the foot of the bed was a large wardrobe, where Atsushi could stash his clothes. A large door, which led to the bathroom after Atsushi's discovery, was positioned a bit to the left of the wardrobe. The bathroom was quite spacious with a toilet, sink and shower.

'This is amazing!' Atsushi could not help but let out a small squeal of excitement. He then cleared his throat before saying, "Thank you- uh- sir. It's a great room, I could never hope for any more."

Mori chuckled, "Very well then. Elise and I will have to excuse ourselves, so please do feel welcome and make yourself feel at home."

Atsushi waved the two goodbye then ran over to the bed. He plopped down, laying there for a while before checking the wardrobe. Some clothing was left there, but he didn't know if it fit him. Black attire, like the suits the men wore earlier, were hanging on clothing hangers.

Atsushi, feeling tired from the long day, decided it would be best to lay down and sleep. He was safe here. No need to worry. Mori ensured his safety.

Safe...

He was safe...

Atsushi, no longer able to keep his eyes open, even despite his doubt, fell asleep. Nothing could harm him here, not even the tiger.

———

Mori awoke to the sound of a loud roar. An animalistic roar. And crashing of furniture.

His hypothesis seemed to be right then: Atsushi was an ability user.

He got up from his bed hastily grabbing a small syringe and filling it with some purple liquid. 'A precaution...' Mori thought then rushed out of the room, Elise following closely behind him. Elise did not have her childish aura, but rather she wore a blank face.

As Mori and Elise turned down various halls, they eventually ended up near the door where Atsushi would be sleeping. A harsh roar sounded from inside the room. Then a large smash of furniture.

Mori looked down at Elise, who in turn looked up blankly and nodded. Mori grinned then slowly turned the door knob. The door creaked. The hinges screeched. The white tiger growled.

"Aha... My theory seems to be correct, young shōnen..." Mori chuckled, gawking at the albino tiger looming in the darkness. At the sound of Mori's voice it snapped its head forwards, staring at Mori and Elise. It made a low sound. Then it dashed at the two.

Elise shielded Mori from the tiger's claws, a large doctor's syringe appearing. Light pink particles appeared as this happened. With the syringe Elise pushed the tiger away, sending it flying backwards lightly. Mori stood at the doorway, watching in admiration.

The tiger growled again. It used all of its legs as support to bounce off the walls. Springing at Elise, it began to claw rather blindly at the girl. Elise scowled, face still blank. She kept using the large syringe as a shield, as well as a weapon. With the syringe's needle, she swung, poked and jabbed at the tiger, causing small cuts to appear. As quick as the cuts were inflicted, they healed twice as quickly.

Mori watched with interest as the tiger healed itself. "I see... Regeneration..." Mori calmly noted. Elise's syringe and the tiger's razor sharp claws clashed with a loud piercing sound. It was a rather metallic shriek.

Seemingly no longer content with watching, Mori pulled out a couple small scalpels. He charged at the tiger, piercing a sharp stab to its hind. The tiger yowled, turning backwards to swat away at Mori. Elise found this as the right moment to swing, preventing the tiger from laying its paws or claws on Mori. The tiger backed away, whining softly, before it regenerated its cuts again.

Mori sighed, "Now, I wish for this to not draw out any longer." Mori looked at Elise, she looked back blankly. He then nodded. Elise darted towards the tiger again, attempting to draw its attention towards her again.

Mori used this as a form of distraction, allowing him to pull out the small syringe with the purple liquid. He beckoned for Elise to draw the tiger in closer to him, like a fisherman with a net.

Elise did just that, and the moment the tiger's focus shifted to Mori, he dueled once again. The two fought with scalpels and claws. However, Mori was bored with this fight, and so injected the tiger with the syringe containing the purple substance.

The large white beast swayed around before collapsing on the ground. Mori neared closer and prodded lightly with his foot at the tigers front left paw. It stirred slightly, eyes closed, but made no threatening or violent movements at him. It was fast asleep making large grunts and snores.

"The perfect sleeping medicine. A large dose for a large beast such as a tiger." Mori eyed the tiger. Elise snapped out of her blank trance-like state, and smiled down at the tiger.

"Oh, look how sweet he is sleeping!" She cooed. Mori chuckled at her comment.

"This window ought to be covered more securely from now on." Mori commented, glancing at the window by the right of the head of the bed. "Some dark, tough metal and dark curtains should suffice." He added.

Elise looked at the window and agreed. "As long as I can decorate them!" She exclaimed, making an eye smile.

"Of course Elise-chan." Mori said. "I'm sure Atsushi would love some homely and lovely touches to the design of his room, from you."

Elise huffed in victory.

As the two childishly discussed decor design ideas, Mori noted that the security changes should be made now. He called for one of his men to retrieve said protection, and once gathered, he made the man set it all up.

The procedure was rather slow, but the tiger never woke up. The only indication it was alive and well was because of the slow rise and dip from inhaling and exhaling of its breath.

Elise walked over to the tiger and lay down on it, lightly stroking the fluffy white fur. Mori smiled at the sight. He walked over to the two, and decided to sit down next to the two, not doing anything, just sitting.

Elise yawned and closed her eyes, tired from the events of the day. She fell asleep on the pelt of the tiger. Mori couldn't help but adore the sight.

He looked up to see the man still working. He stayed awake for the rest of the night, making sure the tiger did not awake and attack again. As he was awake he stayed seated by the tiger and Elise.

Looking up slightly, the man sighed, "What a day..."