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The Gilded Cage	By : Aragem23 Category: Comics > The Darkness Views: 1385 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Haibane Renmei or the Darkness. Nor do I make money writing this fic.

Chapter List
- 2
- 3
She was immensely grateful the water pump outside worked. It was rusted and creaked with protests, but she managed to get it working. It took several trips, but she was able to get what she needed to with it. She was able to coat her wings in the medicine and rinse them with cool water. Then she set to work cleaning the master bedroom. There was a closet in the corner with a broom and mop. She took the sheets outside and hung them over the porch railing and beat them with a broom until they were clean. Then she set to work sweeping the bedroom and mopping the floor. It wasn't spotless, but she bet it was the cleanest it has been in years.
She took a short break and smoked a cigarette outside. The sun was getting low in the distance, just a round yellow cusp on the horizon. The real work would start soon. Once the Haibane was born, she would have to explain what a Haibane is and then the arduous event of the wings growing. There were medical supplies in her bag along with the halo mold given to her by the Renmei for the newborn. There was even a change of clothes for him or her. However, Reki felt certain it would be a girl and by the size of the cocoon it would likely be of a mature age. Kuu was going to be very disappointed she wasn't going to get the little sister she had been hoping for. Kana told her that if the newborn was any smaller she would be put in with the Young Feathers, children Haibane.
Thinking about the others made her homesick for Old Home; right now she would go through the eternal struggle of getting the kids in bed on time. There was always one last bathroom trip, someone begging for a glass of water, forgetting to brush their teeth, and then the outright refusal to go to sleep.
It's not fair! You Big Feathers get to stay up! I want to stay up too! Shouta would say and he would be backed up by his friend, though sometime enemy, Dai. And then Hana would chime in and then Reki would have a mini rebellion on hand from the rest of the Young Feathers. She wondered how Kana and Nemu were handling them. She wondered how Old Home was doing without her?
She tossed her cigarette butt on the ground and grind it out. The cocoon could hatch at anytime and she needed to be up there when it does. No one wanted to be born into the world alone.
* * *
Once they landed, they were driven to the nearest car rental place and got an RV. It would be less conspicuous if they appeared to be a group of male friends trekking across the US in an RV. The true purpose was to have room to tend to a Haibane who may either be unconscious or growing her wings. Many exchange hands and they were able to rent the RV without a background check or waiting period. Jacob tried his hand at being the dutiful driver, but it turned that he couldn't drive an RV even if his life depended on it. He kept making the turns too close and scraping the sides against a tree or sign. Not to mention hitting every pothole and making everything swing about violently knocking the passengers off their feet. Samuel's gun almost went off when the large vehicle lunge violently to the side. Thus, Jacob was unanimously dismissed as the driver and Samuel was put in the driver's seat as he had a license for driving large vehicles due to his military background. The windows were covered with pieces of cardboard and tape so he could bring out The Darkness. The darklings made themselves at home rummaging through the fridge and cabinets. One was even riding the ceiling fan as it spun. A trio was at the small folding table playing a form of poker, but instead of chips, they lost fingers and ears with gleeful laughs and rusty saws.
Jacob kept his distance tucking himself into a chair near the flat screen. A single darkling who was polishing a meat cleaver kept giving him hungry looks. Edward ignored the roaming little demons and toyed with the small tube at his neck. He stood with Jackie at the back of the RV where there was a queen size bed. There was a curtain on a rod providing privacy from the rest of the RV cabin.
“So where are we going to sleep?” Edward asked. There was only one bed and a couch in the dining area of the RV and it was already apparent to everyone that Jackie was going to be taking the bed and would not be sharing it with others of the same sex.
“Outside.” Jackie liked how the bed was arranged. It was rounded with memory foam mattress and white Egyptian cotton sheets, 1500 thread count. The thick comforter was a soft blue color. The bed was the reason why he selected this RV. “The Haibane and I need time to get to know each other.”
“I hate to disappoint you. She's not going to be jumping your bones right away.” Edward twirled the tube between his thumb and forefinger with his blue eyes were on the feather within. “She's going to be confused and scared because she won't know who she is or what she is. And then she has to grow her wings which is going to hurt like a bitch.”
“I like to be prepared,” Jackie shrugged his shoulders, but glanced at the bed longingly. He wouldn't say, but if the Haibane wasn't a mature female, then chances are they were going to sleep outside because he would be back here breaking down.
“Want to stop at a florist and get some roses? We can spread the petals on the sheets and maybe arrange them into a large heart?” Edward lifted his eyes from the feather and met Jackie's mirthfully.
“Fuck you, Ed.”
Jacob wisely kept his distance from Jackie for the majority of the trip. Jackie took pleasure in seeing him rubbing the back of his head where it hit the wall last night. Samuel silently drove with a picture of twin black girls waving over a large birthday cake propped on the dashboard. Samuel was working off a huge gambling debt he owed the Family. He told Jackie that he was coming on this trip so men would stop threatening to put his daughters to work off the debt on street corners.
“We deal in prostitution, but not kids,” Jackie told him when he sat up front in the passenger seat after a short stop for food. He was sipping soda after eating packaged sandwich. “That shit stopped when I took over. When we get back, I'll find out who's doing it and put a stop to it.”
Samuel nodded with a slight movement of his head, but his eyes lacked emotion. His black t-shirt stretched over a muscular frame created from years of military service. Jackie had heard he was kicked out of the military due to killing a fellow officer in a drunken brawl. When he came back to the States, he had a drinking habit that drove his wife to file for divorce and take his daughters away. Then he racked up a debt with the mafia. He had done grunt work for the Family, collecting and operating as a body guard for underground brothels and gambling dens.
“Once I do this, the debt is gone? I don't owe you people anything?” Samuel turned his dark eyes questioningly towards Jackie.
“Yeah. Once we get back you're free to go. None of my guys will bother you.” Jackie leaned his head against the window feeling hot. Being the Host of The Darkness had made him more prone to getting uncomfortable with daylight heat, but then he had always been nocturnal. Most of the jobs he did for Uncle Frankie had been at night, collections, roughing up people who didn't see the wisdom in paying protection, and hits.
He spent most of the trip in the back, in the dark. He retreated to the back bedroom where it was darkest. The Darkness was being quiet lately. He could still hear it's inner thoughts, feel it desire for violence, but now it was being subdued. Was it being sullen because Jackie may have found a way around the enforced chastity? No, if it was angry or displeased, it usually made it known to him. Whatever it was, it would eventually come up sometime in the future. Till then, this Haibane would have his full attention.
The sun was setting and Edward said they were getting close. And then they finally came to the ghost town. When they stopped in the nearby town to refuel, Edward had taken time to ask about the location marked on the map. The town had gone up practically overnight during the short-lived Texas Gold Rush, it was quickly abandoned once miners set their sights further west to California. It once served as a tourist trap back in the 80's, but once the main highway was built people fail to come and it since became a hangout for teenagers to drink and fornicate. Once the RV was fueled and Edward returned from the store, he nodded to Jackie, “It's there.”
“You sure?”
“Yeah, cocoons only appear in abandoned buildings. Your Haibane is there, Estacado.”
* * *
There was a car parked in front of an old two story building. Two people in hoods and draped in layers of cloth. Small chimes hung from their clothing and sang in the wind. Jackie drew his gun, but Edward put a hand on his arm, halting him. “Don't. They are Toga. They won't do anything to hinder us.”
Edward's face was focused intently on the two people and Jackie could see the awe in his eyes. “Who are they?”
“No one knows. They're the only people who can come and go from Glie. They bring goods for trade and work closely with the Haibane Renmei.” He noted Jackie's questioning look and quickly said, “The Renmei is a group that takes care of the Haibane. I shouldn't be too surprised they sent Toga to come and collect the new Haibane.”
“Then they're going to be a problem,” Jackie's voice was cold as steel, an icy sheen on a sharpen blade. The Darkness flexed and coiled about his body. The last rays of the sun was hidden behind the house and would be gone within minutes. It was always a fearsome sight to behold Jackie in the armor of Darkness. The darklings flooded to his side, pawing about his legs all of them gaping with sharp teeth and grasping claws.
Edward face became bloodless when he beheld this side of Jackie Estacado. It was then that regret shone from his eyes like empty pits, but resolve harden like stone in his heart. “No, they interfere only if they have to, but they shouldn't be a problem. I don't think they'll do anything.”
Jackie turned his facemask to Jacob. “Make yourself useful and stay here with the RV. If those Toga fucks do anything, shoot 'em.”
“Y-yes sir.” Jacob stammered, his wide eyes taking in Jackie's visage.
Samuel drew a shotgun from the floor and nodded to Jackie indicating he was ready. There was little reaction to Jackie's sudden change, but he was a very adaptable man when the situation demands it. Jackie took the lead, stepping off the tall bottom steps. The darklings scampered out about his feet leering towards the Toga who offered no reaction. Their hoods hung so low, Jackie couldn't be sure if they could see him.
He watched them as he approached the house and they did nothing, but stand impassively like two statues. The sun slipped out of sight and The Darkness shuddered with delight sending not unpleasant chills down Jackie's spine as the tendril's at his back unfurled like dark tongues tasting the night. With Edward carrying a Glock and Samuel with his combat shotgun following, he led them into the house. The foyer was littered with old beer cans and gang tags on the walls. There was movement upstairs and Jackie took to the stairs almost flowing up them with the Darkness following close.
“Is someone down there?” A feminine voice called.
A girl in her late teens appeared at the second level holding a battery powered lamp. The darklings hissed at the unwelcome light and Jackie felt some, just some, of his power wane in its brilliance. When she saw the monster climbing the stairs, she rightfully screamed and ran off down the hall. Jackie arrived at the second level in time to see a door down the hall slam shut. Jackie surged towards the door and with a swing of one hand he smashed it opened. The girl had been in the motion of wedging a chair against the door, when it burst open she was thrown backwards. Jackie stood over her watching her recover and took in the sight of her halo and wings. She was the pretty dark haired Haibane girl.
“Hello, there,” he purred, “What's your name?”
The girl's dark eyes stared in horror and she scrambled backwards on the floor towards a door on the west side of the room. With a silent command, the darklings were on her. They grabbed her by her clothes, hair, and wings and pinned her to the floor. The Haibane shrieked and twisted in their grip, but there their numbers outmatched her strength. One darkling wearing a chef's outfit with a salt and pepper shakers in the apron pockets and a kitchen knife in hand eyed her wings, “Hey, Boss, I got a recipe for Kentucky Fried Haibane Wings.”
“Woot! A snack!”
“Mmm-mmm! Sounds tasty! Can we, Boss? She's got two! She won't miss one!”
“Get off me!” the Haibane shouted kicking at two small demons who were trying to peek up her skirt.
“Don't hurt her, but don't let her get away.” Amber eyes were on the door the Haibane had tried to flee to. He ignored the moans of disappointment from the darklings and the grunt of protest from the Haibane as he approached the door.
He opened it to reveal what was once a nursery. There was an old dust covered bassinet against the far wall and broken toys scattered across the floor. Filling the room was a large orb with plant like roots growing into the ceiling and floor. It was huge even dwarfing his consider height of 6'2. He approached with a silver talon and touched the shell. The Darkness's armor allowed him to retain his sense of touch through it and he could feel the warmth radiating through it. He knocked his knuckles against it and could hear water vibrating within the round surface.
Placing his palm flat against the surface, he pressed his ear against it and listened. He could hear the hum of water and something distant, a thrumming. The Darkness quivered with delight as he recognized it as a heartbeat. There was movement, a soft sigh which disturbed the water. His claw tips dug into the cocoon's shell leaving small grooves and he mentally reached out toward the core of the cocoon with the Darkness. Like sonar, he could sense the outline of a human and when he realized that it was female, he sucked in air through his teeth in excitement. He attempted to reach out mentally, the part of him allowed him to communicate with and command the darklings. Jackie wanted to communicate his wants and desires and see how she responded with the same. He didn't know if he succeeded, but he could sense she was in a deep slumber unable to respond anyway. Once he made that telepathic touch, peace and warmth spread through him from her. It was soothing balm on the wounds on his tainted soul, pain he had become so accustomed to he forgotten their presence. A pleased sigh exhaled from his face mask and he pressed his body against the curvature of the cocoon, letting physical contact enhance the connection.
“Holy shit.” Samuel hissed from the doorway. “Goddamn that's huge!”
Jackie almost – almost - had the Darkness crush him in a web of tendrils and flesh. He had ruined the moment. It had taken concentration to maintain his mental contact he had with the life within and it was gone now making him feel empty, cold, alone, and pained. “Get down stairs and keep watch.”
Samuel took one last look at cocoon and disappeared from the doorway. Jackie forced himself to withdraw from the cocoon, giving it one last loving caress before returning to the master bedroom where Edward was kneeling behind the dark hair Haibane being restrained by the darklings. He tightened a set of plastic cuffs around her wrists and lifted her onto her feet. The Haibane wrenched forward, but he grabbed her back. “Be still, honey.”
“Let go of me, jerk!” she hissed angrily.
Edward shoved her into a chair and turned his attention to Jackie. “Is it in there?”
“Yeah, huge. It's a mature female.”
“How can you be sure?”
“I know,” Jackie said firmly and then walked towards the dark hair Haibane. “How much longer before your friend makes an appearance?”
The Haibane answered with an angry glare. Dark eyes flashed with rage and determination with her teeth clenched and her hands were tighten into fists at her lower back. Jackie's face mask melted away showing off his attractive bone structure framed perfectly by jet black hair. He touched her chin and would have snatched her face away if she didn't fear cutting herself on his talons which pricked at her skin.
“You didn't answer my earlier question, honey,” Jackie whispered giving her a brilliant smile that has drawn women to him like moths to a flame. “What's your name?”
“Don't touch me,” the girl spat.
“Aw, honey, don't be like that. I just want to be friends.” His tone and wistful smile indicated that he wanted something more than friendship from her. There was a slight, an ever so small, pressure where his claws touched her skin. A silent warning.
“Reki. My name is Reki.” She cast her eyes to the side, not wishing to meet that dark, lustful gaze.
“That's a cute name. You can call me Jackie.” A clawed thumb stroked the edge of her jaw. “I got some questions for ya. They might be personal, but if you could help me out, I would really appreciate it.”
Reki swallowed, but turned her eyes bravely to meet his. “What do you want to know?”
“Can you Haibane get pregnant?”

She was so surprised by the question she barely grasped it. “What?” Jackie repeated the question, but slower. She shook her head, “No, I . . .that is . . .I never seen a Haibane . . .no, we can't have children. It goes against all tradition. We do not get married or raise families. The family we tend to is the nest.”
“But can you have kids? This is important. Can you get pregnant?” Jackie demanded. “Yes or no.”
“No! No Haibane has every had children. We can't! We're not supposed to!” Reki furrowed her brow, “Why do you want to know?”
“Let's just say me getting a woman pregnant isn't good for my health.” Jackie released her chin and turned back to Edward. “Just needed to hear it from the, oh, Haibane's mouth.”
Edward's mouth was set in a grim line. “I know what you are thinking and I recommend against it. You don't want Reki.”
“What? She's a sweetheart, aren't you?” He glanced at Reki who at that moment realized what his intentions were.
“You monster! You-you can't do this!” She raged at him as she pulled against the plastic restraints. “We're Haibane! We're not for you to-to,” she couldn't bare to say what was on her mind. “To have!”
Before Jackie could respond a darkling wearing basketball shorts dribbled a basketball minimized for his size. “He shoots!” And with that, the darkling tossed the ball. It sailed over the other cheering darklings' heads towards Reki's halo. It went through the ring and bounced off Reki's head. The darklings whooped and jeered as the scoring darkling threw his claws up in a victory dance. Jackie's lips turned up in an amused grin while Reki shouted insults at the little demons.
Edward cleared his throat drawing Jackie's attention back to him. “As I was saying, you're better off getting the newborn. She'll be easier to . . . control, more complacent. The other one is going to give you a hard time and she's already been accepted as Haibane with the Renmei. They may send people to come after her.”
“And they won't send people to get the . . . the new one?” He didn't like calling the Haibane from the cocoon a newborn. Newborn made him think of little babies lined up in the maternity ward observation window. The Haibane wouldn't be a baby or a child.
“No, because she won't have the chance to become recognized by the Renmei. She'll be listed as a Lost Feather, a Haibane who never made it to Glie.” Edward glanced at Reki who was trying to kick an amorous darkling off her leg. “A hundred years ago or so, a cocoon hatched outside of Glie. The Renmei tried to retrieve it, but the Haibane was missing by the time they got to it so they listed it as a Lost Feather and never bother looking for it. They don't waste resources on Haibane outside of the Renmei.”
Jackie touched his chin thoughtfully. Edward made a serious point. Reki would be troublesome, but he never had trouble getting whatever he wanted from women, not ever since he was fourteen. She would come around eventually. Yet, that wonderful glow he felt from within the cocoon still lingered in him. He wasn't feeling that around Reki and he wanted to experience it again, to curl it around him like a warm blanket.
“Hey, Boss! Look, a bubble wand!” The darklings had begun rummaging through Reki's duffel bag ignoring her protests. One held up a rod with a ring on the end.
“Put that down! That's not to be played with!” Reki shouted rising to her feet awkwardly with her hands still behind her back. She turned her fierce eyes on Jackie, “Make them stop before they . . .”
The round mold popped open with a hiss and the darklings yelped as a bright glowing ring tumbled onto the floor. It rattled and then lay still glowing hotly before fading to a normal glow.
“You idiots! That's for the newborn!” Reki was beside herself with horror and rage.
The darkling responsible giggled sheepishly. “Oops?”
“She's kinda cute when she's pissed,” Jackie said unfazed by her outburst.
- 2
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The Gilded Cage