Chapter 2: Instability

Werner sat alone in his office, reviewing the days tapes of the two children, he couldn't help but be taken aback at how such an odd pairing was possible, a parasite capable of free thought and expression long thought lost to time and greed, and the result of years of perfecting genetic research and experimentation.

It has been many years since such a genuine connection had ever been made between two people, it was quite frankly, mesmerizing, how even in such decrepit conditions people can still form connections and bonds.

Seeing the two so happy in each others company stirred something deep inside of his mechanical shell, a feeling he hadn't felt for many years, not since Alina had passed.

Three things remained to bother him however.

The boy hadn't displayed any results of the saurification yet other than the time he was captured, almost like it was incomplete.

He was still unsure on how the saurification took place.

And he realized creating hybrids through children was incredibly dangerous and complicated, perhaps he would need to look for alternatives.

He thought long and hard on the potential resolution to these roadblocks, perhaps he needed to make the treatment worse? Add more twisted 'experiments' to the already filled list? No no no, he was going about this all wrong.

In terms of alternatives, well he could always try to replicate the creation of 002, but that could take just as long, if not longer, he needed results sooner rather than later.

As he sat there watching the monitor he had a sudden thought.

There were already undeniable signs of mental strain on the boy, any further mistreatment could potentially ruin his chances of observing the new hybrid in the future if he was to follow his plans, for now he just wanted to record his abilities one last time, then send him back to the other children after having his newfound genes suppressed, and in order to do this...

He just needed to replicate what provoked the boy to begin with, and go from there.

-

All this poking and prodding...

When will you be satisfied?

Why won't you just let us be happy?

Just... get it over with already...

Hiro was currently strapped to a table with extensive medical equipment around him, for the past few days they took samples of anything they could get their hands on, carved holes into his body, burnt his skin with acid, broke his bones and watched them heal, any torturous method of experimentation the doctor could think up was sentenced to him, when he wasn't busy convulsing in agony he glared at the busy workers, those damn vultures, but he couldn't help but laugh at how ironic his situation was, that his attempt of escaping his life as a lab rat lead to him becoming a science project for an insane doctor instead.

He unfortunately didn't have a choice in this treatment, in order to keep Angel safe, he would need to have himself be a stand in for the scientists whims, he wanted to give her a long overdue break from being used and abused by her captors, if that meant he would suffer in her place, it was all worth it.

A familiar machine whirred into life and begun to blow divots into his abdomen and legs, each shot producing stinging tears and endless pain, all of his pre-existing wounds throbbed with a dull pain as his nerves were wracked with unbelievable agony, in order to power through he just kept his eyes shut firmly and grit his teeth, with only one thought going through his mind.

It's all for her, It's all for her, It's all for her, It's all for her.

His mind was all he had during these 'tests', the only way to escape the suffering, even if temporarily, if he didn't keep himself occupied he would have shut down a very long time ago, and that was just something he couldn't afford to do at the moment, by the time he had re opened his eyes the burning and dull pains had slightly faded, along with the groans of the machinery overhead.

Noticing the nurses had begun to take the many fluid bags and pipes off of him and freed him from his constraints he breathed a sigh of relief, the mad scientist had seemingly felt he had adequately robbed the boy of all the DNA and sanity he could for the day, before he even had a chance to stretch his constricted limbs he was forcefully escorted back to his cell, only being stopped after being handed a green apple lollipop, each time it happened he just wanted to crush the face behind the mask, as if sweets were the thing that would make up for the horrific treatment the two received, however he still had one thing to make it all worth it, one he saw immediately as he arrived at his cell, a rush of cold air signified the door being shut behind him after being shoved in.

"DAH-LIN!!"

A horned red skinned girl lunged onto him, sending him toppling onto the floor, she immediately began snuggling into his midsection, Hiro couldn't help but smile at her signs of affection, but involuntarily grunted in discomfort whenever she brushed against fresh wounds or burns, the awful fabric of her rags were not a welcome feeling against his skin, but if it meant being closer to the girl then he would just have to deal with it, they lay there for a few moments before he moved Angel into a sitting position in front of him, he eagerly wanting to give Angel something, she cocked her head in confusion momentarily, but after seeing the neon green wrapping paper come out as he removed the confectionary treat from his pocket her eyes lit up like a firework.

He chuckled and unwrapped it for her then placed it in her open palms, she instantly began to consume the sugary orb, her face portrayed pure bliss, he noted to himself if he wasn't careful she may become addicted to sugary foods, however the scraps of food littered around the room proved her appetite was as healthy as ever.

Looking around the sparse room he thought back on the previous days, after devising a plan to rescue the tortured oni, he managed to become a fugitive for two days, but was captured after being cornered by A.P.E guards, however a few memories were currently locked behind a blurry wall of static, the doctor never mentioned the cause of this but he noticed his eyes would always react whenever the question was asked, while he clearly knew the answer he was clearly not willing to disclose such a thing to him at the moment.

All he understood from the previous events was that he gained some sort of regeneration ability during this time, constantly being reminded that his hand was still not fully formed after the doctor's twisted 'experiment', alongside all of his newer afflictions, but was relieved to notice the main wounds were relatively close to being fully sealed, only some tissue remained to be formed which only served to add to the boys curiosity and agitation.

What actually happened back there in the forest?

It had been 4 days since they were recaptured, during this time he's been subjected to a cycle of being leered at and cut open like bio sample, he's been trying his best to power through for the sake of pink haired girl, but he could feel his grip on his mind loosening almost constantly physically and mentally he was at his absolute worst, his body was currently adorned with scars, fresh wounds, and burn marks, the only respites from his personal hell was being able to stay with Angel once the tests had concluded.

Asking Angel for any information of what happened was a dead end, she was still unable to speak despite understanding him relatively well, not that he could blame the poor girl, and getting anything out of Dr Frank was like pulling teeth, he still intended to continue trying to gather anything he could, along with teaching the oni how to communicate, it was important to at least get her acquainted with speaking small sentences even if she didn't instantly adapt to it well, and seeing as her vocabulary consisted of "Eo-To", "Dah-Lin", and "Awwi", he certainly had his work cut out for him.

The pink haired oni was squirming around nearly constantly, her overwhelmingly energetic personality made it impossible for her to sit still for more than a few seconds, usually Hiro would have played a game with her, or read her one of his books like he would with any other child, but he had none of his belongings at the moment, leaving the job of caretaker to him.

Seeing as the desolate room had absolutely nothing to do in terms of entertainment he instead resolved to talk to her about his time spent in the garden, recounting his friendships with Ikuno and Mitsuru, Ichigo and Goro, Miku and Zorome, and finally, Kokoro and Futoshi, each story bringing sparkles to her eyes as she experienced a world beyond her own, one of pain, joy, happiness, and sadness, but one that was still fascinating to her nonetheless, anything was more interesting than a concrete floor and a medical table.

He spoke about present day, the time when every child was allowed to ask for one thing from papa, and on that day you would receive it in a wrapped box, he mentioned how his favorite present had to be his book on astrology, and as he explained the constellations and what each one meant, Angel was completely infatuated with the stories he spoke of.

His final topic was going to be on how he named each child in the garden with him, explaining the method of using the code numbers to create a name, and how it all was meant to help the children diversify themselves with a sense of uniqueness.

Hiro looked down before he continued speaking, remembering the other children brought back some difficult memories.

"I've always found it difficult in the garden though, all of the other children are fine with being sent down a path of destruction and pain, no one else seems to be aware of what's really going on... I had hoped naming everyone would help people see that we weren't just numbers, we were actual people, clearly it hadn't worked." He brought his knees up to his chest "That's why I'm so happy I met you, I don't need to feel alone anymore."

Hiro's voice began to waver, eyes threatening to brim over with warm tears, the red oni responded to this by cuddling the boy again, gazing into his glossy aqua pearls, after thinking for a moment she sputtered:

"Eo-To awwi Dah-lin!"

His heart melted at the act, finding it impossible to wipe the large smirk off his face after hearing that sudden confession, remembering when he promised to marry her while reading the book under the mistletoe, he wrapped his arms around her and held her tight, ignoring his body's nerves screaming in discomfort.

Every moment he spent with the odd girl was a breath of fresh air, a chance to make good on his promise, the opportunity to help someone just like him, and while they grew up completely separately with unique experiences, there was a bond there between them.

He wanted to be by her side for the rest of his life no matter the cost.

But life is often cruel, not every wish can be granted.

-

The doors to their cell hissed open and in stepped Doctor Frank, being escorted by several guards, two of which flooded into the room and pulled the pink haired girl off him by the scruff of her neck, the boy bolted up and frantically tried to reach her, his mind a frenzy as he tried to rationalize this sudden betrayal.

"YOU SAID IF I WAS YOUR LAB RAT YOU WOULD LEAVE HER ALONE!" He roared at the intruder, his mind began to grow hazy and his breathing labored, deep growls began to form in the back of his throat.

Werner scoffed and replied "And I had meant it at the time, but a sudden epiphany requires code 002 specifically, you will regrettably not be involved in this test."

He couldn't believe his ears.

He made a desperate dash at the guard restraining Zero Two who was currently struggling and biting against the bulky arms that held her, but was knocked to the ground by a rifle to the back of the head, "Dah-lin!" was all he could hear as his mind raced a mile a minute, everything he had suffered EVERYTHING he did for that STUPID doctor to keep her safe was all for NOTHING?! No, no no no no no, not again.

His blood boiled.

His eyes were wild.

His body was tense.

Something in him snapped.

And a beast was unveiled.

An ear piercing shriek sent everybody crashing to the ground clutching their heads, save for Werner who simply watched on in awe at the display before him, occasionally glancing at the squirming oni who's cries were drowned out by the howl.

Hiro was hunched over the spot he was thrown, the ground under his hands had large streaks of blood and claw marks, his face contorted into pure fury while baring his fangs for the world to see, another scream escaped his throat while he flung his head back, as his eyes widened in agony two spires of sapphire burst from his forehead in a spurt of indigo blood, and after a grunt of effort he lowered his face to match the visor of the guard cowering in terror and pain in front of him, his bloodshot eyes and blade-like canines striking fear into the onlooker.

With a cry of pure rage he dashed towards the horrified guard, lowering his arm to be able to drag his claws up the exposed throat of the security guard like a knife through hot butter, his eyes caught a glimpse of the tell-tale red skin of Angel as he threw the corpse to the side and charged into his next target, slamming him against a wall with a sickening crunch as he crumpled like a ragdoll, Hiro spun around and stared maniacally at the onlookers desperately seeking the one he wished to protect.

"GIVE HER BACK!" he screamed.

Werner barked orders to a squad of guards to move Zero Two away into a safer location and told the remaining guards to restrain and sedate the rampaging Hiro by any means necessary, it seemed his last ditch effort to bring out Hiro's Klaxosaur traits worked all while discovering the boy's blood was currently a stable mix of both blue and red, an expected but still interesting development, although he realized there was a time and a place to admire his work, and stuck in a room with a bloodthirsty monster was certainly not one of them.

As Hiro crouched in preparation for another lunge the A.P.E security began to open fire onto him, coming to the startling realization that while he was being hit by the bullets, the wounds had instantaneously healed, unphased by the volley of lead he demanded once again in an raspy voice:

"BRING HER BACK OR I'LL LEVEL THIS ENTIRE FACILITY WITH YOU IN IT." he finished off his threat by climbing onto another A.P.E grunt and tearing into his neck with his teeth, Werner simply grinned and looked onward to an unseen figure creeping up behind the boy, Hiro kicked off the guard he was biting, sending him flying across the room, then crouched and spun around to plunge his arm through the chest of the man, Werner took note of his enhanced senses as the crazed boy was coated in blood as he retracted his arm.

Realizing his options were dwindling, the doctor let out an exasperated sigh as he pulled a remote out from the pocket of his lab coat, he had hoped to allow the boy a bit more time in his newly embraced form but for his intended plans they would both need to be alive, Hiro realized the button was a danger to him all too soon and before he could reach the sadistic man his body seized up and began to convulse as volts began to flow from a chip implanted in his neck, the sneaky scientist had implanted it as a safety measure to prevent any further escapes.

As Hiro lay in a puddle of tears and saliva Doctor Frank strode up to him and said:

"If it means anything, this isn't happening just because I enjoy inflicting pain, I just don't currently have any use for an unstable child."

Hiro willed himself to stay conscious but the looming void continued to drag him deeper and deeper, surrounded by the cries of the one he failed to protect.

-

Meanwhile, a blue haired girl sat on the edge of a bunk bed clutching a stuffed bunny tightly, a blonde boy with glasses and a redheaded girl were stood talking to her:

"I'm sure Hiro is fine, Ichigo! they probably just wanted him for some more tests, you know what the adults are like with you double digits, there's no need to be so worked up over it."

Ichigo looked up, her eyes puffy and red from extensive crying:

"But even Goro agrees! it's been way too long for it to be just some tests, it's been 6 days Miku! the most he's ever been gone for was 2 days!"

Miku glared at Goro for siding with Ichigo, causing him to awkwardly chuckle and scratch the back of his head, then returned her gaze to the tearful girl:

"Look, if Mitsuru can come back from the Elixir Injection, and you know how dangerous that can be, then there's no way Hiro is gone for good, just be a little more optimistic you two."

Finished with her talk, the redhead stormed off in a huff towards a girl with wavy silver hair known as Kokoro leaving the two in an uncomfortable silence, a sickly looking boy named Mitsuru watched the conversation from afar, unsure of what to do, while a loud mouthed child called Zorome and a slightly pudgy kid named Futoshi were off riling up the other children as usual, seemingly unaware or uncaring of the lack of one of their own, but in the back of all of their minds they all begged the same person for one thing.

Please Hiro, come back already.

-

The partially cybernetic doctor observed as the two horned children had their heads hooked up to bulky visors, the machines in question being memory implanters, the doctor surmised 016's volatile nature caused by the extensive physical and mental torture had made him a loose cannon, his original plan to make him into a weapon had flown out of the window after seeing the recent brain scans from his many 'check-ups', he was currently too psychologically damaged to be safely trained as he would most likely break down and tear apart everyone in the room, he didn't want to waste the boy so he instead wanted to see if he would be better suited for the position later on in life.

Doctor Frank had previously attempted to raise the boy's yellow blood cell injections while he was in the garden, he viewed his unnecessarily emotive personality as a nuisance and intended to use the injections to nullify the unusual traits within him, but seeing as his current status as the 'special specimen' made a lot more sense, he intended to keep that project on hold for the time being.

Seeing the boy's blood was simply fascinating, a mix of the blue Klaxosaur blood running rampant through his body, along with the red human blood forcing a stalemate between the two, he assumed this is why his transformation seems to be situational for the time being, his body is at war with itself trying to adapt to this newfound power.

To avoid any future problems he was going to interfere with the memories of the two, specifically of their time together, seeing as it was scientifically impossible to completely erase their time together, the next best thing would be to create a mental block around said memories, 016 specifically would have the most interference, being a few personality changes to make himself slightly more reasonable and controllable, he wouldn't be looking forward to more breakouts any time soon.

Once the memory imprinting was concluded he intended to use an experimental serum on 016 to temporarily nullify the Klaxosaur DNA in his bloodstream, he was unsure on how successful it would end up being but he was out of time and unable to continue manufacturing alternatives, he planned to send the boy back to his place in the garden as a sort of scientific insurance in the event of needing to call upon the boy once again due to a breakthrough.

He gave the all clear, and a lever was thrown, the pair began to have their memories scrambled and destroyed, while not his preferred outcome it was born out of necessity so 016's hybrid status would be heavily prevented for a currently unknown length of time, once the procedure was underway he opened a call with the leader of A.P.E. known as "Papa":

"Werner, what a pleasure to see you again, good news on the new prototype I presume?" his pretentious voice oozed from behind his golden gorilla mask.

"Code 002 will soon be entering the beginning phase of the parasite program, so far we have hit no snags aside from 016's brief interference, however he is being dealt with as we speak."

The golden masked being nodded in approval, "I expect great things from you Werner, I know you will not let me down." the call came to an abrupt close before the doctor could get another word in, he mumbled an obscenity under his breath then returned his attention to the pair on the tables.

It was time.

A small monitor displayed the pairs memories, their time on the run in the forest, their time in captivity together, along with their original meeting, everything would need to be removed to prevent retribution, viewing these memories he had once again remember something from a very long time ago, something that made his heart ache...

Is he really doing what's right?

He quickly shut down these rebellious thoughts and blamed them on lack of sleep, he made a note to have a full nights rest along with plenty of caffeine injections in the morning.

With his eyes still trained on the monitor, a brief flash of what looked to be code 016 licking a wound of code 002 caught his interest, it seemed he finally understood how 016 mutated so drastically.

After the successful operation he quickly injected the boy with the experimental fluid before the pair were once again separated, 016 being sent back to his place in garden, and 002 being placed in a new windowless cell in the event of any nosy children poking around again, the doctor gave an order to stop any further yellow blood cell injections for code 016 for a month, suddenly resuming the yellow blood cell transfusions could potentially reawaken the Klaxosaur DNA if his theory was correct, he warned them to only resume the injections after being given clearance specifically from him and to keep the records unlisted until the injections resumed, once all was said and done he returned to his office, deep in thought on his next moves as he viewed the lifeless boy being dragged back to the other children on the security cameras.

-

Each child was doing as they usually did, either playing in groups or standing around staring blankly into space, the garden was a place that would make or break people, those not being able to cope with the conditions and isolation along with those who were deemed to be useless to the regime wouldn't last very long, children would disappear daily and would never be heard from again, nothing ever changed around there, until a familiar scruffy haired boy was seen being dragged back to the other children.

Everybody's eyes were drawn to the entrance as two guards dragged a limp Hiro through the door and dumped him on the floor, his eyes were empty and soulless, devoid of his usual vigor and wonder, Ichigo, Goro, Mitsuru and Ikuno were the first to arrive at his side desperately trying to shake him awake or to get any form of reaction at all, after a few seconds the boy gasped loudly and began to violently cough, everyone was happy to see he was okay, but quickly realized there was something wrong, he looked lost, terrified, and angry, as Hiro looked around in a cold sweat everyone noticed his pupils dilating and returning to normal, swapping from a calm cyan to a violent aqua, he scuttled away from everyone and pushed himself into a wall, screaming over and over again:

"STOP IT, STOP IT, PLEASE STOP GET OUT OF MY HEAD, IT HURTS, MAKE IT STOP!" Mitsuru quickly ran up to Hiro and tried to comfort him, but his arm was caught in the inhuman grip of the upset boy and he was pushed back with a monstrous force, quickly realizing his actions, Hiro's expression was one of shock, pain and sadness as he realized what he had done to Mitsuru, tears streamed down his face as he began to get hysterical.

No one dared to approach the sobbing mess at the moment, his outbursts and unnatural actions had everybody on edge for good reason, this was not the Hiro they knew, instead they resolved to view him from a distance, the only ones being brave enough to stay relatively close by were Goro and Ikuno, Ichigo had quickly run away from seeing their idol in such a fragile state, and Mitsuru was currently being helped up by a few children, Miku quickly ran after Ichigo to comfort her knowing that seeing Hiro in such a state was too overwhelming for her at the moment, Kokoro watched on in horror from a distance, while Futoshi and Zorome broke from their cocky joking personas to witness the sorry state of their unofficial leader, both having an uncomfortable look on their faces.

Hiro didn't move an inch from his spot for the rest of the day, constantly keeping himself distanced from everyone while occasionally talking to himself, mumbling about remembering and forgetting, or breaking into tears, his violent outbursts became exclusive to his own body, leaving deep gouges in his legs and arms whenever he was feeling particularly upset, every act always resulting in the same saddening display that left him a complete mess, morale for the children was at an all time low.

Despite Hiro's friends begging the adults for help they all continued to ignore Hiro, only acknowledging him when required to heal his self caused lacerations, and even then they just tossed in some bandages and left the task to the children.

Ikuno and Goro were the most concerned about whatever had happened to Hiro, knowing full well that he was disliked by their caretakers due to his unique, and often disruptive personality.

In the fallout of the return of Hiro, Miku had been mostly staying by Ichigo's side, she was extremely emotional over the state of Hiro at the moment, so whenever she wasn't soothing the navy haired girl she occasionally checked on how Mitsuru was holding up after Hiro had uncharacteristically attacked him, being someone who also looked up to Hiro the sudden assault had really shaken him up, all while Kokoro, Futoshi and Zorome were currently working on keeping the rest of the children under control.

It didn't take a genius to tell that something seriously traumatic had taken place during his extended disappearance, however details of what exactly happened were nowhere to be seen, all they were really able to do at the moment was hope Hiro would calm down enough to be able to explain what had caused such a violent change in his personality.

He was volatile, aggressive, unpredictable, and it left a lot of people feeling unsafe, they didn't know if they would end up like Mitsuru, they didn't know if they would end up like Hiro if they did something wrong, it just made everyone worried to no end.

One thing was known for certain however.

Some big changes occurred, and new events had been set in motion.