Hold It In

Part 1 White Hair

Chapter 1

Floating, at first, he doesn't feel a thing numb to his surroundings. Bathed in comforting darkness, wondering if he's finally met death? It's peaceful, the boy's thoughts seem to conclude? If possible, a soft smile might have played on his cracked lips. But he knows nothing of peace, only able to take guesses. Hibukis's sense of comfort is short-lived as memories of the past day sprawl amongst his consciousness. Flashes of another failed mission... Suddenly, this floating doesn't feel as peaceful as he had hoped. The longing for it to continue will end once the white-coats know he's awake. If he could just will his body to stop shaking.

"Seems subject 13 is awake now sir..." A young blond in a white lab coat spoke. The older of the two set down a mug of coffee before pressing important looking buttons. After that, the subtle hum of machinery resounded around the pod in the center of the room, and the oxygen mask was disconnected from the boy's face. The scientists watched with bated breath as the kid failed to swim for air due to his restraints.

"Start at his top max. We have orders to not go easy this time." The older scientist motioned to the blond. A minute of reluctance from the young blond had the man doing it himself. And the session began.

Noises, loud yet muffled and distant. He could hear them but not make them out over the splitting pain of electricity rippling through his bones, the haggard screams that reverberated through the tank resting unfazed to the white coats on the other side of the tank's glass. The small figure can just make out the pressure around him, getting thicker, threatening to shatter his skull. Trying to open his eyes was a mistake instantly getting stung from whatever liquid his body was being suspended by.

With clenched teeth and uncontrollable body spasms, Hibuki couldn't take it anymore.

Just give up already. You're useless to them anyway. Give up, and it'll all stop

His thoughts, his only source of comfort, seem to betray him at this moment. But despite the pain, his resolve holds strong, refusing to give in...to give up...to be disposed of again.

I refuse to die..

On the other side of the glass, the scientists linger around the tank, observing their struggling subject scratching pen to paper.

"Why is his hair like that?" the blond recruit asks, peeking from the picture of a greenet in the boy's files to the now dual white and green haired kid who's too small to meet his age.

"It's most likely the stress of these sessions. But we're not being paid to care about hair. Just document his vitals and..." The older whitecoat is cut off by a man with a bird mask.

"Raise the voltage." The menace of a man demands without room to debate, yet the older of the two scientists lets his opinion be known without much hesitation.

"Subject 13 has reached a new limit, sir. I'm afraid if we go much further he'll be done for this time." He states, not even looking back at the masked man. Having said something, garnered the other to speak out of turn as well.

"His vitals are dropping tremendously!" The scientists rushed to do what they could about stabilizing the boy's vitals, but the man wasn't having any of it. The room seemed to drop in temperature as the man spoke, his voice dark and foreboding.

"I've been left in charge of this project now, do as I say, or would you like to be in his place?" he growls impatiently. Both scientists froze for a moment. The young blond's hand halts over the shut-off button, shaking. Slowly and hesitantly, he moves to turn the dial up. Guilt washes over the man who didn't sign up for torturing kids when he applied for a job in quirk applications and research.

Hibuki's teeth tear through the skin just below his lip in an attempt to keep what air is left in his poor little lungs fighting the urge to breathe. After minutes of electrocution, his mind started to slip till the voltage was upped. This time, it feels much worse than any other time. The men outside the pod can only watch as his body wraiths in the pod sloshing in the liquid, pulling at the tubes attached to him. Something in him snaps, unimaginable white hot pain bolts through the base of his neck resting behind his eyes. Another scream breaks out, and the remaining bubbles of oxygen float from his mouth being replaced by the burning liquid before the small frame stills within the pod no longer affected by the electricity.

He no longer feels like floating. His thoughts no longer say anything. And he's no longer breathing.

The flatline of a heart monitor cuts through the thick aura as the muffled screaming comes to a halt. The blond scientist hurriedly rushes to drain the tank and get the boy out. Frantically calling in the doctor on standby who tries to get the boy's heart to work again, he can only notice this boy's hair is back to being one color...

His hair is now pure white...

------------------------------------------------------

Hiho readers, thank you for picking up this book. I haven't written in ages so I hope this book will be good! I can't promise current updates as this is for fun and for non pressure writing practice on the side of making webcomics and freelance illustration.

Please leave notes and critiques.

THANK YOU!