Everyone watched and all of them were shocked to just see a plain white screen with static lines but they all felt the ground shaking as their eyes were just focused at the television. But in the same time, there was a whisper coming from the tape. Yoshiki slowly walked towards it and as if he was possessed by a demon, he began talking in a creepy manner. "Your fears are repeating all over and over...your nightmares keep you awake at night, it's as if it's breaking your heads and minds apart. Aren't you tired of it? Repeating everything as if it's a game? You all have your own intentions. I know...I already knew from the start. Naomi Nakashima...or rather, Naomi Shinohara...you're already worn out since the love of your life barely listens to you, but you just bear with it since you love her. Seiko Shinohara...you made and constructed a machine that could make a baby...yours and Naomi's...a true blood relative...but what do you know about the current era? What will the child learn? You know killing is a crime...it's a burden that will take years to lift. Yeah...I'm a hypocrite...don't worry, we're all just hypocrites...doing what we hate knowing it can cause trouble. But I won't run...since I'm not the one being chased...you are the one who's being chased my dear. Catch me? Don't make me laugh...confusing you little brats is actually a fun game...first was hide and seek...second was tag...hmm...let's see if you can escape the third one...let's just call it a game of chess...let's see who'll win...but you should've noticed now...that the knight...is slowly targeting your queen since your defense...is enfeebling..." Seiko started to laugh with an evil smirk on her face while she was approaching the television, but Naomi gripped the back of her shirt and prevented her from breaking the appliance. "Show y-yourself you bastard! Y-you know we're here right?! Are you afraid of losing in these games of yours?! All you do is cheat and see if we aren't concentrating. Listen! I'll peel your skin while you're still alive! You hear me?!" Seiko tried to get Naomi off her back, but was too weak to do so. "Seiko...please..." Naomi tried to repose Seiko but she just continued moving with the strength she had left. "How can you act like that when this humanoid is talking like it knows what real pain is?! I-It's so nettlesome! Guys! Come on...we gotta fight..." Everyone looked hackneyed, either because of the video decreased the morale or because each one of them is exhausted due to a long day.

"Aren't you overreacting Seiko? This isn't helping...we can't continue to fight if we're too languid...look at yourself...look at everyone! Everyone is injured! The scent of blood is in the air! We're losing some of our body parts! We can't...w-we can't think like an oaf!" Mayu's voice started to fade at the end while the others were just staring at an object. Seiko didn't have a response. Instead, she left the house and started walking outside. A man wearing a hat and a long coat started following her with a big grin on his face. Worried, Naomi followed her with a pocket knife in her purse. "Young lady, what's with that apoplectic look on your face?" Naomi was about to rush to tackle the man but was stopped by Seiko. "Don't follow me...I'm not some kind of toddler playing with a knife..." "But Seiko! You lost too much blood! It could kill you and you don't even know this man-?!" Naomi's mouth was covered using a handkerchief by the man, and as her eyes were closing due to a mysterious scent, if it were a nightmare...she would like to wake up...if it were just a hallucination, she would like to get slapped, since, Seiko, was no longer having her usual cheery and merry aura. Instead, it was replaced by something darker and gloomier, something hard to destroy. For the aura has become monstrous.

The man turned around to look at Seiko who was standing straight and wasn't moving an inch, as if she were in a ceremony. "You know why we're doing this to you?" Seiko stared at a blank space , slightly gritting her teeth. "The experiment of yours...is truly wonderful...it can contribute to the society...if you would give us the blueprints of the machine or donate the machine itself to us...I know you would do it...however, we don't want that part only...we want the package deal...we want to dissect Namari and see why she is so perfect...unlike the other experiments which had gone wrong...that even the subjects themselves are willing to kill you just so you can experience the pain they've been through...a prolonged time of pain and suffering...due to hundreds of failures and malfunctions..."zeroes" they were called by the scientists..."weaklings" the title they've achieved in the society...imperfections can be quite unique...but what kind of uniqueness is going to evolve out of it?" The man took out a box of cigarettes and began to smoke. "If I do something that can help the future...I would be considered as a triumphant person...and most importantly, a heroine to my child...something that she can be proud of...although, I would not be a selfish and ignorant nincompoop like you gits...I wouldn't sacrifice anyone or anything that's as priceless as your own child...if she were imperfect...if she has developed any illness or disease that would prevent her from having a good life like the fortunate children, and if her life is too short...I would give everything that I have in order for her to experience the good things in life...even if it's just a short time...I won't rebuke to anyone or anything...instead, I'd be grateful that even if it would bring a great wave of sorrow, I have given my child the time and gifts that I have a acquired. By that, all my regrets would have been thrown away..."

The man's grin turned into a disgusting frown. "Are you saying that something you have discovered is something you should value so highly?! Don't joke around! Experiments determine the scientist's knowledge and hardwork! It doesn't determine love or any bull****!" Seiko huffed on her hand and looked at the man in the eye. "Maybe this fist of mine would help you see better..." She punched him on his left rib cage, surprisingly, the rib cage was shattered, thus, it pierced through some of his veins and organs. The man's saliva and blood dripped from his mouth as he felt his chest go numb, his oxygen started to diminish. "W-what kind of woman are you?! A p-punch like that is more of metallic than fleshy!" Seiko pulled the man's hat and pushed his face towards the ground. "Just a robotic hand..." The hand made robotic sounds and after a few seconds, she punched the man's face. Again and again until it looked like a mashed potato. "S-stop...p-please stop!" The man begged for mercy. The girl chuckled and was about to break his face when someone grabbed her shoulders and feet. "Huh?" A bunch of men working in a mental asylum grabbed her and placed her inside the ambulance. "Ma'am, we'll make sure she's in a very hygienic and healthy environment." The driver said to Natsumi. "Please treat her well..." She said as she picked up Naomi and brought her inside the house. Sakutaro injected an anti-drug fluid in Naomi, and she slowly woke up, looking depressed. "What's wrong sweetie?" Natsumi asked her daughter. "Mom, why is there an ambulance outside? Why are there two people being wrapped up in some kind of equipment? Where's Seiko?" [ Seiko...my beloved Seiko...why did it turn out to be like this? Why did you make a face like that? What was so funny? So funny that your lovely lips turned into a grin? Why was your aura so dark? I have so many questions in mind...my love...] Mayu opened her mouth to say the truth but Ayumi grabbed her shoulder and shook her head. "S-she just left for a business trip, sweetie." Natsumi lied. "H-huh? Why didn't she tell me? She should've told me...s-since she knows I'm a worrywart. W-where is she right now? Tell m-me!" Naomi's eyes narrowed while her face turned pale.

"I-I don't know! Y-you know her...she's always in a hurry when it comes to things like this!" Her mother felt the guilt resonating in her chest. "W-we need to get married! W-we must hurry! We m-must seal our love with a kiss! Seiko, Namari and me...t-that's right...a family of t-three! Then w-we'll adopt a Siberian husky! A-and we'll live near the mountains where the air is fresh and the crops would grow healthy and we would able to experience being one with nature!" Everyone fell silent and stared at Naomi with sad looks on their faces. "Naomi, why don't you rest for tonight? Seiko will be back soon..." Sakutaro said as he grabbed Yoshiki's shoulders, then the blonde haired man, no longer looked possessed. "G-guys! T-throw the disc! Throw it!" Yoshiki begged but it seems that no one could understand him. "Y-Yoshiki? W-what are you trying to say?" Ayumi said as she touched both sides of his cheeks, however, all she heard was static noises coming from his mouth as his eyes appeared to be in vain with tears dripping from it. "Yoshiki?! Yoshiki?! Someone, call an ambulance!" It was no use. No matter how he struggled, no one could infer a word he's referring to. [ Damn it...they think I'm going mad...I can't let them think of such things! There's some kind of static that's controlling my voice box! I must destroy the tv but...the more I get closer to it...the harder it is for me to breathe and walk! ] He stood up and got a big rock from the garden and threw it at the television. A shimmering light with a hint of grayish color, spewed out of the screen, but still, the disc was stuck inside the DVD player. He went back to the garden to get another rock yet, as he picked it up, from the side of his eye, he saw a small figure and it pointed something sharp near his ear. "Stay away from the disc. Stay away from the disc. S T A Y A W A Y F R O M T H E D I S C!" Yoshiki pushed the figure and began pulling the grass from the ground. "STOP! PLEASE STOP! NO MORE!" Sakutaro went out to hear the loud static sound coming from his mouth and pulled out a stun gun to put the poor guy in a motionless state.

"Everyone is growing insane! What was that disc really for?! Does it have some kind of radio waves that can be transported to the brain and some weird damage in your brain?!" Mayu said as she held on tightly to her skirt. "What? Can you say that again?" Ayumi said as she pulled out a recorder. But as she was just about to pull it, the DVD player went nuts and everyone started to hear static noises as well. Luckily, they all went out just in time and Mayu was able to destroy the disc by getting another rock and threw it at the disc. "Let's just rest for today...everyone..." Mayu said as her breathing got deeper. "B-but what about Yoshiki? We can't leave him like this!" Ayumi hugged her husband and he looked at her in pain. "I have the number of the mental asylum. We can bring him there and come back to see him...and see her as well..." Natsumi said in a quiet manner as Naomi slowly turned her head towards her mother. "Her?" Natsumi covered her mouth and made a fake smile. "H-her?! Oh sorry, I meant, 'and see the doctor as well'." As Natsumi brought Naomi inside the car, the brunette quickly fell asleep. "I'll contact the ambulance, you guys can take care of Yoshiki-kun right?" Ayumi nodded and as soon as Natsumi was calling the ambulance, the vehicle suddenly arrived. [ That's weird...did they forget something? Or were they expecting it? ] The nurses went down and carried Yoshiki carefully inside the car. "W-wait, I'll be going with you guys too!" Ayumi said hesitantly. "Don't worry ma'am, there's nothing to worry about. You guys can come tomorrow, we're quite busy tonight. But, we'll make sure that the patient will be taken care of, as a prioritized patient." The nurse said as he closed the doors. [ I've got a bad feeling about this...] Yoshiki thought to himself as his arms were being tied close to each other. "Don't worry sir...we'll take good care of you...because for us, every patient is extremely special..." The nurses said with a creepy smirk on their faces.

- at the mental asylum -

Seiko was placed inside a dark room, locked and alone. The cell had one small bathroom with a toilet and beside it was a faucet, a pail and a dipper with a box of soap and shampoo that the asylum has probably produced. Outside the bathroom, the main part of the cell, was a mattress, a sink, and a small kerosene lamp. The door was made of platinum and light could barely pass through it. "I'm not insane! Who did this?! Who told you guys to bring me here!" The girl punched the door with her left hand but her body could hardly take the fatigue, and eventually, she laid down on the mattress and stared at the ceiling. One security guard who was passing by, heard her rant and angrily kicked the door. "Continue ranting and you'd go without dinner you psychopath!" Seiko's eyebrows twitched and she replied. "I'm not insane! Just let me out you hypocrites!" That did it. The guard opened the cell and was shocked to not see Seiko around. She jumped from the ceiling and punched the guard right at where the guts are and made him lose his consciousness. She immediately ran outside to see a crowd of patients who were being brought out of their cells, heading for the cafeteria. Her stomach grumbled, however she didn't lose focus until she saw Yoshiki being pushed towards the line. She hid near the pantry and listened to the conversations of the nurses and guards.

Nurse 1: Hey, that blondie definitely has a problem with his attitude and vocal chords...

Security guard 2: We still don't know...he might be a robot or something...

Security guard 1: Or worse you dumbass! Every whacko who gets in this asylum will only end up being tortured or killed by the researchers!

Nurse 2: Poor patients are usually the ones who end up being tortured the longest...the ones who can provide are either getting tortured by injecting drugs in them...or they are brought out of the asylum, but their condition is much worse.

Seiko turned around to see a huge safe which was left opened, probably by the chefs. [ What are these? Packets of sugar? No...more like powder...medicine powder? ] She flipped the packet over to see the label. "Phencyclidine"? [ From what I can remember during college classes...phencyclidine is also called as PCP...a drug that is used for veterinary purposes...but why is it here? ] As she glanced near another door which led her to the kitchen. The meatloaf which was being prepared by the chefs, were being sprinkled with PCP. Seiko turned around and went back to the entrance door of the pantry and rushed to Yoshiki who was about to eat the dish. "Yoshiki we gotta get out of here!" She pulled his arm and ran pass through the security personnels. However, one caught her and tied her arms and legs. She was brought outside and was thrown in the river. [ Gah! What in the world?! I gotta get outta here! ] Seiko bit the rope as hard as she could, up to the point that her teeth started bleeding. When she was able to remove the rope which tied her arms, she swam towards the river bank, barely had the energy left to even talk. As for Yoshiki, he was locked up in one of the oldest cells and was tied onto an old and inoperative electric chair. He opened his mouth to protest yet no single word nor sentence was clear. "Hmm...what's wrong kid? Got some kind of wire or radio stuck in your throat? Like test subject number 001?" The mad scientist's face was covered by a plain white mask, which had a few blood stains. Because of that, Yoshiki was uncertain if the electric chair was really broken. "Sir, preparations are almost complete." "That's good...we could finally see what will happen if I electrocute you once the electric chair activates again...and what will happen if I slit your throat." [ These guys...are they even tying to help the patients?! S***! Is this even an asylum?! ] Yoshiki thought as the electric chair made a terrible sound. The scientist brought out a scalpel out and walked towards him with heavy steps. The blonde trembled in fear. He knew he was gonna die as soon as that sharp edge gets near to his neck. Unfortunately, no one came to save him. Seiko was sleeping on the riverbank. Ayumi, Mayu and Morishige are currently resting. Naomi was still in her own world. Natsumi didn't know the facilities at the asylum.

The man laggardly gashed his throat to protract the atrocity. Blood spewed everywhere and tears came out of his eyes as the pain worsened. "As expected...it's as if you are in the same place as test subject 001..." The scientist pulled out a bunch of wires which are stuck to Yoshiki's veins and bones. The boy's voice started getting mixed up with the static. "H-help *static* m-me *static*!" Tears continued to roll down his cheeks until all wires were pulled out. The assistant inserted the plug inside the socket and Yoshiki's body started to bolt. He started to scream but his voice just echoed in the room. [ Make the pain go away! Please...why won't anyone save me...why...w-why?! ] Yoshiki's eyes were filled with resentment. All this time, he was only trying to protect his beloved friends and family. Yet, this was happening to him. "By the way, your buddy Satoshi...that guy was so willing...he said that if we use him in various projects, we would make sure to never bother you guys anymore...hah...talk about heroism...never trust strangers..." Yoshiki's eyes narrowed as he struggled to raise his fists, breaking the straps of the chair. "What did you say?! A-Are you trying to say that he wasn't in control of his brain back then?!" He felt guilt in his chest as he tried to remember Satoshi's face. "A-are you guys this jealous?! D-do you really want us to suffer the exact pain?! That's extremely preposterous!" Yoshiki leaned against a vent, which broke as he slid in. [ What the?! ] He could smell the sewer water as he began getting closer to the end of it. [ damn it...my neck hurts as hell...I'm loosing blood...I gotta have to...close the wound... ] He looked at his pocket to see a needle with a string of yarn. It was weird how it appeared suddenly but he didn't have time. He took it and closed the wound before he fell into the sewer. Realizing that the water can effect the wound, he swam to the sidewalk and climbed up to the ladder. When he got up, he could see Seiko from a distance. He hurriedly crawled to her and pinched her arm. Seiko woke up with a sour look on her face. "H-huh? Yoshiki?! How did you escape?!" Then all of a sudden, Seiko remembered the tall man she was fighting with earlier.

The blonde looked at the brunette with his mouth agape. "S-Shinohara! What happened to your mouth?! It's bleeding!" She wiped the blood off and looked away from his gaze. "A guard tied me up earlier...then he threw me there...so I swam towards here...but in order to use my arms, I had to bite the rope which was tying my arms off." She removed the rope that was tying her legs and as she stood up, she noticed that her knees were wobbling. [ Tch! I guess I can no longer run like before...well, it's worth it...] "Yoshiki! Your neck!" She approached him and took a long stare at the closed wound. "We have to call them. Stay here. I'll look for a telephone station." Seiko looked around to see if there is one, but she somewhat sensed footsteps which were getting louder and louder. She tugged Yoshiki's shirt and they both hid near the bushes. Seiko's eye widened when she saw Natsumi with Naomi and Ayumi. "Ayumi! Mother! Naomi! Wait!" She tried to move, but her legs won't do so. [ Not now! Goddammit! This again?! ] Yoshiki grabbed Seiko and placed her on his back. "I-it's too fatal for you to move around when your body is namby-pamby..." "Same goes for you..." Ayumi turned her head around and was brought inside the asylum, leaving Natusmi and Naomi outside. Yoshiki hurriedly dropped Seiko on the ground and grabbed blocks of cement. "Ayumi hold on!" He smashed the blocks at the door until the doorknob broke. "Wait! What's going on?!" Before Natsumi could say something else, Seiko grabbed her hand and the three of them went inside the car. Seiko took a deep breath and snatched the jug from the cup holder then drank the tea until not a single drop was even spared. "Seiko do you need to rest? I'll drive you guys home, then I'll come back for Yoshiki." The brunette nodded her head and the trio went back home. As soon as they arrived, Satsuki was waiting for them and so was Namari. The baby looked at her parents with delight. Though the couple didn't seem delighted. "We're home, Namari..." Seiko waved at the child and went straight to the bedroom, while Naomi sat on the couch. [ Seiko's here...there's nothing to get worried about...nothing...which means...] Naomi stood up and went to her and Seiko's bedroom then shut it.

"Huh? Do you need something, Naomi?" Seiko removed her shirt to change it, then went to the bathroom to see if there was something that could stop her gums from bleeding. Naomi stared at her with an uncanny smile while sitting down in an alluring form. [ Okay....this is quirky for some reason....she smiles in that way sometimes....but this is definitely distinct....] Seiko wiped her face then went towards the bed. But she couldn't even close her eyes for a second because of Naomi's smile. "Hey Naomi...please stop making that face...it's getting annoying..." The smile turned into a frown. It wasn't different from the smile. The smaller girl stood up and approached the taller one. "What's wrong Naomi? Do you need help in anything? Maybe I can help you out...[ even if I'm so exhausted...]" "Let's do it..." Naomi simpered. "Huh? What? Do what?" A sweat dropped from her chin as Naomi went closer just to pin her to the bed. "Don't play dumb with me~" Naomi said teasingly. She kissed Seiko and made sure that she won't be able to fight back by securing the girl's hands with handcuffs. "U-umm...sweetie I don't mean to object but I-I don't have the energy left to do this...s-so can we just do this some other time?" Naomi glared at her which caused her to shiver. "If we do it now...I'll be able to take you for myself...only mine...no one else...NO ONE!" "But I AM already yours! You don't have to do this!" "Namari...that child...she needs to be punished...your attention for me is divided because of her...that's why I need to-?!" Seiko grabbed the collar of Naomi's shirt and banged her on the wall. "Who are you?! What are you trying to do?! What did you do to Naomi?!" Naomi snickered. "Does it matter? Even if I am not her...it would be hard for you to hurt this body right? Now, what will you do now...professor? It will be a checkmate soon...and all of these events...will only be part of history..."