Chapter Text
Langa Hasegawa
Experiment 008 stood in the mirror of his eerily white bathroom. He was wearing a normal teenager outfit for the first time. It was his new school uniform; a white button-up, a cream jacket, light brown slacks, and brown shoes. His snow blue hair hung limp around his ghostly pale face and his usually lifeless blue eyes were filled with excitement. Other than his hair and complexion, he looked normal.
“Hello, everyone, my name is Langa Hasegawa. Nice to meet all of you.”
This was the moment he had been waiting for his entire time. He was finally being let out of the lab to see how well he did with other people his age. Being referred to as Experiment 008 messed with his head. Langa Hasegawa didn’t sound like himself, but he’d just have to get used to it. Now he was trying to drill his new name into his head.
“Hello, I’m Langa.”
That was way too stiff.
“Hey, the name’s Hasegawa. Langa Hasegawa.”
Sounded much cooler in movies than in real life.
“Hi~ I’m Langa.”
That made him sound like a toddler. He took a deep breath, gripping the sides of the sink. He stood up straight like he’d been taught to do.
“I’m Langa Hasegawa.”
Perfect. Nice and simple. The story was that he was from Canada and moved to Okinawa because his mom wanted the comfort of her hometown. He was going to move in with a sweet woman, Nanako Hasegawa. He met her a couple of times before he was assigned to her and she seemed pretty freaked out by him.
Am I scary? Do I look weird? Do I act weird? He couldn’t help but wonder. When he asked, she panicked and assured him that he was fine and she was just nervous. He didn’t buy it. He probably acted weird since he was surrounded by doctors all day.
He was practically harmless since he was in the blue group. All blue group kids were docile, tall, intelligent, agile, and adapted quickly to new environments. He had survived a room that was 120 degrees, one that was 10 degrees, high oxygen levels, low oxygen levels, dry climate, humid climate, and even different gravity levels.
Today, he was going to be leaving the lab for the first time, and tomorrow, he was going to attend his first day of school. The door to his room opened and Dr. Nishimura and Ms. Hasegawa entered. He let out a final sigh, shaking off all the anxiety that clung to his frame.
“Langa, are you ready?” Nanako asked, nervously rubbing her arms.
He took a second to recognize his name, “Yes, I am.”
“Alright, let’s go.”
The three of them exited his room. He looked back at it before Dr. Nishimura closed the door. As they walked through the laboratory, a pit formed in his stomach. He experienced multiple simulations that would get him used to UV rays but he’s never been in the sun before. He’s gotten multiple vaccines and been artificially exposed to multiple diseases, but he’s never been out in public and around people.
Oh, goodness… People… He practiced introducing himself, but was that enough? Did the simulations properly prepare him? What if he talked weirdly? What if school is nothing like the dramas he watched? What if they found out he’s a lab experiment? What if he was actually ugly and would get bullied a lot? What if he didn’t make friends?
He took another deep breath to get a hold of himself. He was the representative of the blue group for a reason. He never met the other blue kids, but he assumed that he was perfect for this. He did well in all the simulations, he was the smartest, and he was the most social. At least he thought he was. Apparently, the other kids were too quiet and would start crying from fear.
You got this. You’re Langa Hasegawa. He thought as he opened one of the exterior doors of the lab and stepped into the sun for the first time, proving that he could-
“Ah!” He shouted, covering his eyes and slamming the door shut.
Nanako rushed over, “Langa, are you okay?” She reached out to touch his shoulder, but he flinched away, still unused to physical touch.
“Y-Yeah, it’s just… bright.” He sounded stupid. Of course, it was bright. It was the sun! He exhaled and opened the door again, squinting, “Woah~”
After he was bombarded with light, he was bombarded with sound and color. Maybe a camera could never capture what the eyes could. The smell of fresh air was addicting and the feel of the slight breeze felt like flying. His brain nearly went into overdrive. He crouched down, relishing the feeling of grass and dirt. He watched an ant crawl onto his hand and then shook it off when it started to tickle. He picked a flower and smelled it. It smelled like everything else and wasn’t as potent as he expected. He huffed but at least he wasn’t disappointed by its beauty and softness. He curiously bent the stem, gasping when a dark green line was left behind.
The sun was beginning to burn his skin even though he put on sunscreen. That’s when he discovered the glorious gift of shade under a tree. He ripped off pieces of the bark and then apologized to the tree when Nanako explained that taking the bark would hurt it. He swung himself on a low tree branch and screamed when it broke and he fell a horrifying five inches, landing on his butt. Nanako helped him up, holding back a laugh.
Next, he explored a pond nearby. He reached his hand out to touch the surface then yanked his hand back when it was surprisingly cold. He managed to catch a small fish in his palms, but he put it back after three seconds because he felt bad for it. The way the sunlight reflected off the pond was mesmerizing and the sound of splashing was a little too entertaining for a seventeen-year-old, but he didn’t care.
An hour later, he first met a dog, a golden retriever named Honey. She got too excited and sprinted towards Langa at full speed, freaking him out and causing him to run away screaming. Honey caught up to him easily, jumping and tackling him. He nearly cried until he realized the dog was licking his face and wagging her tail, then he started laughing. The sound shocked him.
He tried to stop laughing but it was impossible. His lungs burned and he couldn’t breathe anymore. Despite the pain, he loved it. He calmed down after a minute, petting Honey, who also calmed down and sat in his lap. He looked over at Nanako and Dr. Nishimura. Silent tears streamed down their faces as they watched him discover the world.
After playing with Honey, he got in a car for the first time. The noise of the engine was somehow comforting and he took a nap against the window. Nanako gently shook him awake so they could walk around Okinawa, eat food, and buy him some clothes.
“Oh! Not only that, we have to go pick out decorations for your new room!” She smiled.
Langa’s eyes sparkled, “I get to design my room??”
“Of course, you do.”
Dr. Nishimura stepped out of the car, “Careful, Ms. Hasegawa. We can't let him have too much autonomy. He’ll start getting independent and he’s supposed to return to the lab at the end of the school year. Remember?”
“Yes, of course.”
“So… I don’t get to design my room…?” He sounded so sad that Dr. Nishimura had to give in.
“No. No. You can still design your room, but don’t get too attached to it.”
His face lit up again and he hopped out of the car, “Thank you!”
“Not a problem.” Ms. Nishimura got back in the car and drove away.
Nanako clapped her hands, “Alright, where do you wanna go first, Langa?”
The name still sounded a bit odd, “I’m hungry.”
“Okay. I know the perfect place to go. There's an Italian restaurant nearby.”
He followed her around like a little duckling all day. He had no idea what theme he wanted for his room, so he just picked up whatever he liked. Eventually, he got tired and he swayed like a palm tree as they walked to their apartment complex. The moment they set all the bags down in Langa’s new bedroom, he collapsed on his bed. He only got up to change out of his clothes after Nanako insisted so she could wash them. After that, he was out like a light.
He woke up to sunlight filtering through the curtains and a gentle voice calling from the kitchen. He wasn’t used to this but it felt nice. The bed was warm and unbelievably comfortable, unlike his cold, stiff bed at the lab.
He sauntered into the kitchen, still sleepy. He devoured his cereal and then went to take a shower. Wait a minute… I think I did it in the wrong order. I’m supposed to wash first and then eat. I haven’t even left the apartment and I’m already failing to be normal. He stopped chastising himself and focused on doing everything on time.
He was on time to school, hoping to blend in with the crowd of students. He ultimately failed. He didn’t know what he expected being a tall boy with light blue hair. He saw a group of girls whispering to each other and glancing at him. Oh no… They think I’m weird. He didn’t let his nervousness show and still walked with impeccable posture like he had been taught to do.
The crowd of students overwhelmed him and all the colors swirled together. Everyone filtered into their classrooms. It reminded him of the streams he saw around the pond yesterday. He took multiple deep breaths, trying to stay as calm as possible. What if he could never be a normal teenager? What if the girls from earlier spread rumors about him? Oh, he was done for.
Classroom 3-2. He nearly passed it. The teacher, Mr. Yamamoto, asked him to stand outside the room until he was called in for a proper introduction to the whole class. He agreed and as he stood there, he silently practiced his lines until they sounded somewhat natural.
“I’m Langa Hasegawa.”
“I’m Langa Hasegawa.”
“I’m Langa Hasegawa.”
Finally, he heard the teacher call him in, “Take your seats, class. I’d like to introduce you to our new transfer student.”
He stood stiff as a board, not letting the girls’ whispers get to him. He couldn’t tell if they were complimenting or making fun of him. He stayed silent and missed his cue and mentally smacked himself in the face when he heard Mr. Yamamoto clear his throat and say, “Tell them who you are.”
This is it. I can do this.
“Uh… I’m Langa Hasegawa.”
Nailed it! That was perfect. Totally normal teenage boy. Now what?
He kept his gaze straight ahead at the opposite wall, not wanting to make eye contact with anyone. Mr. Yamamoto turned to him, “Nothing else?”
What?!
This wasn’t planned. What was he supposed to do now? He definitely looked weird now. Maybe he was not meant to be the representative of the blue group. Then again, the other kids would’ve cried in a situation like this.
“Huh? Like what?” His quick thinking saved him, “I’m here from Canada.”
Great. Now they knew everything they needed to know. He officially saved himself from heaps of embarrassment and getting food thrown at him at lunch.
“Is that all?” Mr. Yamamoto asked, surprised.
What do they want to know?! My blood type?!
“Is that bad?” Langa’s voice stayed neutral and calm as it had always been.
The class began to giggle as the teacher said, “Well, I’m not gonna grade you on it, per se.”
You’ll now be known as a loser. Congratulations, Langa Hasegawa.
The rest of the day went by smoothly with the occasional whispers from groups of girls. He ate alone at lunch, which earned him looks of pity. If anything, he was more comfortable sitting by himself because it reminded him of the lab and that’s how he ate his lunch for the past seventeen years of his life. He couldn’t imagine trying to talk to someone he barely knew and eat at the same time. Not even Nanako struck up a conversation as they ate.
When he left the campus and began to walk home, he remembered that he was a social experiment and he was supposed to be making friends. All of the girls in his class seemed to hate him and if he dared talk to them, he’d get bullied instantly. He let out a sigh.
Nine months until school ends and I go back to the lab.
After spending a couple of days in the outside world, he wasn’t sure he wanted to go back. The sun, the wind, the earth, the water… All of that couldn’t be done in a simulation. The stimuli that he got from a day of school were new and scary, but he still loved it. The fluffy fur of a hyper dog, the satisfying feeling of slurping up spaghetti, and the warm bed that he was going to crash into. It felt like he was finally living instead of just existing.
He headed past the skatepark where only one person was. It was getting late and the sun was setting. The guy in the park was a silhouette. The way he moved on the board was so lively and captivating. The lab would never approve of him interacting with someone probably considered a delinquent, but he was tempted to.
Right when he was about to talk some sense into himself and walk away, the skater noticed and called out in a bright, energetic voice, “Hey, new guy!!” He skated over until he was in front of Langa, “So, how are you?”
“Uh… Do I know you?”
“Dude, we sit next to each other in class.”
“Oh, sorry. I forgot. I’m not good with faces.”
“Anyways~ I saw you watching me. You wanna try?”
“Try what?”
“Skating, of course!”
Langa turned into ice, his brain panicking as he weighed his options. Dr. Nishimura would be so mad and so disappointed in him. He could almost hear her voice screaming at him to run home and never speak to that delinquent again.
“Sure, why not?” Was his answer.
The redhead flashed a smile that glowed like a thousand suns. Langa thought he must’ve been going crazy because, for the first time, he heard his heartbeat.
Turns out, standing on a skateboard was a mistake. The redhead, who he now knew was Reki, laughed as Langa panicked and fell flat on his back. To add insult to injury, Reki then did an ollie over Langa’s head, giving him a full view of the chaotic underside of the board.
“See?” The redhead said over his shoulder.
God, he looked so cool. Maybe what the lab taught him was wrong. Reki may be a delinquent in Ms. Nishimura’s eyes, but he would forever be a legend in Langa’s.
After a few more attempts, Langa was able to stand on a board without freaking out and falling. Reki offered to hold his hand but physical touch still wasn’t something he was used to. He could try with Reki later but not today. He’d never struggled with something so much and yet, that’s what made it so fun. It was nearly dark outside so they stopped after an hour.
“We- Uh… We should do this again sometime.” He offered, hoping Reki would take pity on him and let him be his friend.
“Yeah, I was thinking the same. Tomorrow?”
“Yeah, tomorrow.”
“Alright, I’ll see you at school, Langa!” And with that, he skated away.
“Bye, Reki!” He called after the redhead.
For the first time, Langa felt like his name.
I’m Langa Hasegawa.