Fic: Discovery (Adam)

[guanin]

Summary: Hiro really should have taken more care in hiding those scrolls.
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: I own nothing except my own words.


It wasn't meant for him to find, though how Hiro thought that he wouldn't see it Adam can't figure. Inscribed in the hilt of his sword, just at the base, lay two words: "Ando, open." Hardly inconspicuous. Anyone with just a modicum of curiosity would have followed the simple command, but none would have done so with the anxious trepidation gripping Adam’s fingers, making them tense as he fumbled with the cap hiding the hollow chamber inside. He tilted the sword and five tightly curled scrolls tumbled out onto his waiting palm. Five letters written by the man that vanished from his life after setting fire to its very foundations. And Kensei knew exactly who they were directed to. It didn't take him more than a second to place the name. Hiro had mentioned it once: the friend who waited loyally for his return. He remembered Hiro leaning against a fallen tree trunk, eagerly scribbling on a piece of paper the same size as these, his eyes lost in a future Adam couldn’t see.

Sifting through the scrolls, he noticed that each was marked with a different number, as if in a sequence. He opened the first, his eyes sweeping over the tightly packed words. Although his reading of kanji got better with each passing month, he still stumbled over some of the characters, but not enough to keep him from understanding the tale Hiro wove of his adventures with the great Kensei Takezo. Adam's heart beat a little harder as he read Hiro's lackluster first impression of him, his determination to make him a hero, his joy when Kensei finally stepped onto the hero's path. The words awoke a sharp tang of reminiscence within him, squeezing at his chest. But the passages that really caught his attention, compelling him to read the scrolls over and over again were those waiting at the end of the text, as if hoping that any other person that chanced across them might get bored before getting that far. Their superficial appearance was simple: "I miss you"' and "I wish you were here"' and inside jokes between friends, yet buried deep in the black ink lay a meaning far more substantial. A message of hope, of yearning, of love. Whispers of emotions Adam had once hoped to feel directed at his own self. His fingers clenched suddenly, wanting to rip the fragile paper to pieces, scratching out even the smallest fragment of emotion engraved on it, just like he wished he could banish Hiro from his own perpetually beating heart. But as his hands moved to do just that, a thought, wicked, insidious, slithered through his consciousness, the hum of vengeance stamped with blood.

Carefully, he rolled up the scrolls and dropped them back inside the hilt, making sure that the cap fit tightly. It wouldn't do to lose them. For though every word burned in his mind, memory was a treacherous thing, and he wanted to ensure that the information was fresh when the time came.

Kensei smiled.

Comments

[yanjara.livejournal.com]

That was... vicious. I really like the hidden yearning in Kensei here
"Whispers of emotions Adam had once hoped to feel directed at his own self."

It seems like just another step on Kensei's path for revenge but at the same time the idea or the uncertainty what he's going to do with his information.

A great story <3

[guanin.livejournal.com]

Thank you very much!

Kensei is pretty vicious if he's held on to a grudge for over 300 years.

[paperteacup.livejournal.com]

Adam!Vengeance one Hiro by way of Ando is sadly, something I would like to see written-- Not to see Ando hurt, but because in the Heroes canon I remember (OH SO SWEETLY), Ando would be only second to his papa in ways of hurting Hiro.


I...I still love you, Kensei/Adam, you have reasons to be a dick ;;

[guanin.livejournal.com]

It surprises me a little that the show doesn't have Adam going after Ando. He had plenty of opportunity after killing Kaito. I actually have a couple of bunnies in that vein, though I can't promise anything.

Thank you for the comment!

[psycocatgirl.livejournal.com]

I like Adam/Kensei. He's an interesting character, and you put a very wicked twist on his relationship with Hiro. I would love to see you write something along the same lines as other have suggested. ;)

[guanin.livejournal.com]

Thank you!

I agree about Adam/Kensei (I don't know what to call him anymore). I'm really interested in seeing what they do with him.

I'm definitely working on something to follow this. I have bunnies chomping at me from all sides.

[likeahobbit.livejournal.com]

OMG YES. This is *exactly* what I've been wanting to see. I love how you've portrayed Adam here; he seems far more emotionally real than he does thus far in canon. I, too, would love to see you continue with this. Fantastic.

[guanin.livejournal.com]

Thank you! I already have this little continuation piece that I'll be posting either today or tomorrow.

[irisbleufic.livejournal.com]

Adam is such a sick bastard. If living for 400 years hasn't done enough for his dementia, then the possibility of his one day getting free of that coffin will. I fervently hope the writers just plan to leave him there.

[everworld2662.livejournal.com]

"Five letters written by the man that vanished from his life after setting fire to its very foundations. And Kensei knew exactly who they were directed to. It didn't take him more than a second to place the name. Hiro had mentioned it once: the friend who waited loyally for his return. He remembered Hiro leaning against a fallen tree trunk, eagerly scribbling on a piece of paper the same size as these, his eyes lost in a future Adam couldn’t see."

My god, that paragraph's beautiful.