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“No, you bastard!” The corpse-less amalgamation of wires begged to the lady in cocktail green. “I don’t need them!”
Her artificial tears stained on her face seemed to mock the A.I. It was a false sense of security and remorse as she responded. “I need to complete you-“
“Dad thought I was perfect!” Ranger well interrupted. “That’s why he stopped you!”
His seething words did not affect he woman as she began to work on a connected computer, which wires were directly fused to the head through his gunshot wound and his mouth.
“Stop, Safalin!” He pleaded, “I don’t fucking want this! You’re only trying to flaw me… to weaken me!”
His words were startling.
Tia Safalin was silent for a moment, her hands stopped like a musician at his piano as she took a break from what she was doing. She turned and faced the mangled head.
“You’re right…” She eventually spoke gently to him. “I am going to give you the greatest flaw of humanity.
Rio Ranger’s face contorted into that of confusion, he couldn’t even protest when Safalin turned on the machine, letting all the love, hope, and happiness pursue him… along with that of regret.
“S-sto…p… why…?” He was barely capable of asking.
“You need to know what we have taken from you.”
“No! Stop it!” He became self aware of the hood on his head and the hair clip holding synthetic hair.
“You need to know who you are.”
“Please…” His body, wherever it pathetically lay, tingled with disgust. “I… do… k-know.” Goosebumps flared over his skin – rejecting the clothes that bear agony over his body. “I’m Rio… Ranger…” His body was repulsed by his ‘trophies’ for they don’t belong to him. “Gashu’s… m-asterpiece…” Everything, that he had decorated himself with, represented nothing more than fruitful lives discarded by jealousy and greed.
His face became wet, unsure of what had caused it because this was the first time he had ever cried.
“What have I done?” His rhetorical words were just as pathetic as the rest of him.
“The greatest flaw of humanity is realizing that all you can do is feel, but cannot understand.” Rio was silent so Safalin continued. “Now finished, you are Gashu’s complete work, Rio Laizer, a human at heart.”
Safalin finally stopped talking, at least Rio believe she did, he had stopped listening and all of his senses were a miss. Every new emotion he felt… and all that he had learned… there wasn’t even room for his to think. All he could do was feel.
It’s funny…
Rio thought as he looked at Safalin one last time. He admired her vibrant eyes and quivering lips, some parts of her personality that he had always liked. She was always dressed so sweetly, in comparison to the darker edge to her personality. He realized that his malicious remarks and constant torment was his way of expressing affection to her… when he didn’t know any other way. Through all the things that Safalin and Rio went through, by the way she was staring at him now, with no pity or remorse, this was by far her worst.
“S..top it…”
How positive emotions only gave me a greater sense of agony.
“For-give… me…” His hatred, this time, was directed to himself.
Feeling everything, Rio let out one last agonizing scream of a synthetic voice and gnashing metal for everything, everyone and all that he had regretted and wronged. What rang louder was the silence that followed, the lifeless head lain quiet.
“It is finished.” Safalin eventually spoke, cutting through the silence gently with her haunting words.
“Good job…” Sara Chidouin responded. Safalin forgot that she was even there… along with everyone else… She knew why they were here, what they wanted. Though in a moment so sacred, if really felt like her and Rio Laizer were alone.
“Please don’t say that.” Safalin hid her face with the brim of her sweet-themed hat. “It was only my obligation.”
-
Darkness…
That is all to be seen,
a scentless,
soundless,
darkness.
Rio walked and realized that he had his body again, though clad in the first outfit he had remembered from being built: a tight black tee with matching shorts.
He instinctively searched for his expression cards, noticing how easy it was to see his own body, despite the darkness shrouding him, almost as if a light was shining from within him.
“Um… hello?” Spoke a kiddish voice from behind him.
Rio turned towards the voice and met the orange eyes of a very unfamiliar, familiar boy. He was nearly half of Rio’s height and had very familiar unruly orange hair.
“Who are you?” The boy asked.
“I’m Rio Ranger – or Rio Laizer I guess…”
“Can’t even remember you own name, huh, old man.” The boy giggled. “Those are stupid names anyways, I wouldn’t wanna remember them either.”
“Pretty witty for someone who looks and is the size of a grapefruit.” Rio quipped back at the kid’s rude humor.
“That’s no fair, you can’t pick on the youth out here.” He stuck his tongue out and closed his eyes. “Just mad jealous that you gonna be old and wrinkled by the time I’m gonna hit my prime.”
“Where even is here anyways?” Rio asked.
“I dunno, I’ve been here for a while and I’ve not seen anyone here before, b’sides you of course.”
The spunky young boy studied Rio. “So strange, ya look just like me! If I were an adult, that is.” Rio didn’t even respond, he just observed as the boy walked circles around him, taking in details. “Hm… but you’re too scrawny!” The boy chirped triumphantly. “When I grow up, I’m going to be way more muscular that you, since I’m an assassin and all.”
An assassin?
Suddenly, a memory flushed Rio’s thoughts, somewhat of training with a smaller variant of a certain, black haired, boy.”
Kai.
What was that?!
“Wait…” He had to ask. “Who are you?”
It couldn’t be.
“Oh, my name is Sei K-“
No…
“Sei Satou! The latest and greatest addition to the Satou family.”
So I am he, but he is not me?
“Wow, can’t even remember your name, huh?” Rio mocked.
“Hey, at least I have a real name.” Sei playfully quarreled. “While my name is a statement, you’re just a pun!”
Just then, a familiar masculine voice interrupted the heart-felt moment. “Sei, who are you talking to?”
Sei turned his head and saw Gashu standing with open arms. He didn’t even know when he started running, but it all made sense. Rio is Sei and Sei is Rio – a part of Sei was still trapped in his machine body, but now, he was set free.
“Dad!” Upon impact to Gashu’s chest, the two became one, there was only one Rio Laizer, who was always named Sei.
He felt like a child again as Gashu stroked his unruly orange hair. “Oh, my son, if only I had been a more suitable father for you…” Sei’s grasped tightly as Gashu spoke. “I should have been there to support you instead of pushing you away, I should have never played with your life like that in the first place.”
“Dad, you’re everything to me.”
“Please forgive me…”
“I already have forgiven you, pops! It’s okay, we are here now right?” His voice hitched in his throat but he still had reason to speak. “I love you!”
“I love you too, Sei.”
Another familiar voice interjected. “Father, who are you speaking with?”
“Kai!” Sei chirped as he saw the older man. Gashu let Sei go, and watched as the boy rushed to his brother.
“S-Sei?!” Kai dropped his utensils and rushed into a hug. As soon as they made their embrace, Kai seemed to have reduced down to a state of childlike wonder.
They released and Kai began to cry. “Big brudder, I didn’t think I’d ever see you again.”
“S-shaddup, you’re making me cry!” Sei said as he quickly wiped away fallen tears.
“I’m sorry I couldn’t s-save you or perform your dying wish.”
“It didn’t feel so lonely with you there, so ya did just fine.”
“You haven’t changed a bit.” Admired Kai.
“Neither have you, shorty.” Smirked Sei playfully. They both giggled.
A kind voice interjected. “I’m very proud of you, Sei/” It was familiar and calming, like it had been a part of Sei his entire life.
Sei turned his head towards the direction of the voice.
Who he saw was a man he could never forget… Someone who he believed he would never see again, but the last felt as if it was just yesterday.
“D-daddy..?” For the first time in years, Sei expressed a heart-felt smile.
“Come here, son, let’s go home.”