Chapter Text
Welcome everyone to a new story. I hope you all will enjoy this one. Make sure to read the notes I included at the end of the chapter. Thank you.
Prologue : Life's Turning Point
It was evening in the expansive Tokyo metropolitan area, where skyscrapers stood tall and proud. However, one building was bigger than the rest. It was the number one company in Japan with its contribution in a wide range of fields.
Smart Brain
Although this was just a mere front to what other activities it hides within its walls from the general public. Situated beneath the building was an elaborate underground research facility that dedicated itself to research like no other.
In one observation room, two men wearing lab coats stood in front of a large console, staring into a large one-way mirror that looks into a small room accommodating a young male teen of 13-years-old.
The room was an empty room with white walls. The only thing in the room was a simple bed with a mattress and a single pillow at the edge of the room. A sink and mirror hanging above it on the opposite side.
The teen was wearing a white shirt with white pants, a standard uniform for Smart Brain's captives. He has thick and long ash gray hair and quite pale skin. He crouched on the floor with both hands to his head, resisting an unknown force.
"Don't give in. Don't give in."
The teen continues to mutter to himself. The two adults on the other side of the glass weren't amused.
"He's resisting. Crank it up to max."
His co-worker nodded and turned one of the knobs on the console to the max. A speaker inside the teen's room emitted a sound that almost drove him insane. He screamed in agony and flung his body to the other side of the room, onto the floor.
He pulled on his hair and almost decided to bang his head against the wall until his head cracked open to end it all.
He subconsciously let out a murderous low growl and couldn't be considered human-like.
"Looks like he's hitting a breaking point. This is good news for the boss."
Both men just laughed at the results displayed. As they celebrated, a woman's stern voice interrupted them.
"The boss would not hear of this because I did not authorize this session."
At the door was a beautiful woman in her mid-to-late 20s. She wore a lab coat over her red office shirt and black skirt. She got wavy bright red hair that went down to her back. She had a scowl on her face and her piercing dark blue eyes glared straight at the two men.
"Dr. Inuzaki. I thought you went home for the day."
Dr. Rina Inuzaki strutted into the room and got into the face of the two men. She raised her hand and the two flinched, only to realize that she was going for the console. She pushed a button and, in an instant, deleted all the data and turned off the machine.
"Hey! What are you doing? That data's valuable!"
"Yeah. We're just about to make a breakthrough."
Dr. Rina turned her murderous gaze at them and they took a few steps back.
"Data? What data? I don't remember this session supposed to be done without my authorization."
The first man tried to put on a brave act but he was terrified of the woman.
"Listen. I know that the boss put you in charge of the boy but your method doesn't seem to have any fruition. We need results."
"I did give results over the years without problems. It's just you people who think I'm not fast enough for your liking, but it's me that had the last laugh every time."
The two made a dissatisfied face.
"Listen here, leave the boy alone and let me do things my way. If I see you two undermine me again, I'll make sure the last thing you see is the sole of my shoes! Got that?"
After she finished her threats, she was left alone as they flew out of the door. She sighed and walked to the door to access the teen's room.
Once she entered, she approached the teen in question, silently laid on the floor, using his arms to wrap his head from further harm.
She heard whimpering coming from him and hoped he's okay.
"Hiroshi? Hiroshi? Are you alright?"
She was about to touch his shoulders when Hiroshi shot up and swiped his right hand at her as if her hands would kill him.. She jumped backward and raised her hands defensively.
"It's alright Hiroshi. It's me. Rina." The woman talked in a soft motherly tone that seemed to help the teen to calm down.
"Dr. Inuzaki? What are you doing here? Where's…" His amber eyes stared behind her to make sure no she's truly alone.
"They're gone Hiroshi. They won't hurt you anymore. I'll make sure of it. I don't know how they got the approval to lead the session without my authorization. I'm sorry."
Hiroshi's head was still pulsing from the torment, or 'treatment' what the adults called it. But since he's dealing with Dr. Inuzaki right now, things will be easier for him.
He got up and sat down on the floor with his arms crossed.
"Seriously? You can't keep track of your men? I thought you're better than that." he faced away from her and a mischievous smile appeared on his face.
Dr. Rina looked at him with a deadpan expression and put her hands on her hips.
"Okay, mister. I know that look. What do you want?"
Hiroshi's smile got wider as he turned back to face her.
"A hamburger steak for dinner, please."
Hiroshi had to wait for another half an hour for Dr. Rina returns with his 'apology dinner'.
While lying in bed, he began daydreaming of a wonderful hamburger steak that he quickly took a liking to when Dr. Rina first brought him some.
Among the researchers at this top-secret lab, Dr. Rina was the kindest of them all. She was polite, caring, motherly, and not to mention, beautiful.
She could be very scary and intimidating when needed and very respected among other scientists. She may be also tried to 'treat' him but she was nice and never once she put him through torture like the others.
Her method of getting data out of him was unorthodox and slow. She wasn't a favorite when it comes to methods by the higher ups but she never hurt anyone. Safe to say she's the most humane.
Too bad Hiroshi couldn't say the same for the other monsters working here.
The others were ruthless, impolite, and treated all captives, including Hiroshi less than a human.
Yes, there are other captives here. Every day Hiroshi could hear them screaming and shouting either from being experimented on or wanting to be freed. Either one, Hiroshi needed to cover his ears if he wanted any sleep.
What the company wanted with them was never made public to them, but Hiroshi had an idea what it might be. He saw many people come and go, and it all went the same way.
They rebelled when they were brought in but were docile when they left the place. It's easy to figure out what the company was trying to do.
His train of thoughts shut down when he heard the door open and a high pitch squeal was heard.
He quickly got off the bed, only being tackled back on by a hyperactive and adorable 9-year-old by the name of Rin Inuzaki.
She was an exact spitting image of Dr. Rina including her dark blue eyes. The only exception was her bright red shoulder length hair, rather than wavy, it was smooth and straight instead.
"Hiroshi-ni! Hiroshi-ni! Did you miss me?! Did you miss me?!" Rin Inuzaki excitedly hopped on the spot.
Some might find the little girl's explosive energy annoying but not for Hiroshi. All the pain from the torture he had gone through immediately vanished and replaced with outmost positive energy. He smiled with a goofy grin and picked up the little girl by her waist.
"Of course, Rin-chan! Ni-chan misses you so much."
Rin laughed at her 'brother' goofy smile. He always had it when he saw her.
"Hiroshi-ni. Your smile is weird and funny."
"Call my smile weird and funny? Let's see if you like it when you're too dizzy to see it."
He spun her around in circles. Their laughter filled the room.
"Okay, you two. Quiet down. What would the others say if they find out we're having a family day here?" Dr. Rina came in with a picnic basket.
"Food!" Rin and Hiroshi shout out and scramble to wash their hands.
Dr. Rina placed a blanket on the floor and put their dinner on it. The girl immediately went for her hamburger steak and shoved it down in her mouth.
"Rin, slow down." Dr. Rina tried to get her daughter to eat slowly.
"Ish sho goo," Rina said with a mouthful full of food.
"Please don't talk with your mouth full either. Where are all the manners I taught you, young lady?" She grabbed a napkin and wiped her daughter's dirty face.
Hiroshi just laughed at the mother and daughter interaction.
Dr. Rina turned to the teen and sighed. "What are you waiting for? Eat up or your dinner will get cold."
They ate dinner, filled with laughter and chatting about their day.
"So," Rin said, "sensei gave me the honor of representing our class in the next school spelling competition. He even said I'm the best speller in the school."
"That's amazing. You're amazing at spelling, Rin-chan. I can't spell that well." Hiroshi complimented her.
Dr. Rina, who sat opposite of Hiroshi, reached out and pinched his cheek.
"It's not something to be proud of. Can't spell properly at 13-years-old? What happened to the things I taught you over the years?"
"Ow. Ow. Dr. Inuzaki. I have more important things to focus on."
"Like what?"
"Keeping the real me hidden."
Hearing this, Dr. Rina released him and felt sorry for him. He's right. He had more important things to worry about rather than the ability to spell from the top of his head.
Hiroshi isn't a slow learner, it's just every time an episode flares up, his mind acts up and has a hard time recalling things.
Rin looked worriedly at him. "Hiroshi-ni? Are you alright? Do you need anything?"
"Did you have an episode that I wasn't aware of?" Dr. Rina asked him with a stern look.
"No. I'm fine. It's just," Hiroshi placed a hand on his chest.
"There are times when I woke up in the middle of the night, feeling like the real me was about to burst out at any moment. Let my real feelings loose for everyone to see. Or worse, accidentally hurting the both of you."
"Hiroshi" Dr. Rina felt sorry for him countless times since he met him all those years ago.
"It's alright." Rin proclaimed and she lightly patted the teen's arm. "Hiroshi-ni will never hurt us no matter what. Hiroshi-ni will always be Hiroshi-ni."
Hiroshi placed a hand on Rin's head and lightly ruffled her hair. "Thanks, Rin-chan."
"You're welcome. Can I cut your hair now?" Rin innocently asked.
"You were nice to me so that you could cut my hair?" Hiroshi pretends to be shocked.
"Your hair is so long. You look like a stray. Let me cut it. Don't you trust me?"
Hiroshi covered his head, "I trust you and your hairstyling skills but I like my hair as it is."
Rin just pouted but Hiroshi stuck to his decision of keeping his hair thick and shaggy.
"Okay, okay. That's enough." Dr. Rina poured some drinks for them. "Rin, leave Hiroshi and his long hair alone. You, on the other hand, Hiroshi. Please from now on, if anything happens. Anything at all. You tell me immediately. Do not tell anyone. Only me."
Without saying a word, Hiroshi nodded.
They finished their dinner and said their goodbyes. Dr. Rina brought Rin to her office above ground.
"Mom needs to get something, so we'll need to make a few stops. Okay, sweetie?"
"Okay, mom." Rin quietly agreed but she felt quite uneasy.
She loves coming to Smart Brain to meet Hiroshi but she dislikes coming to the offices. Rin remembered what her mother had said,
'Hiroshi has a special condition that needs to be monitored or he would get seriously ill or injured if left unsupervised.'
When Rin asked why they didn't bring Hiroshi to the hospital, Dr. Rina replied that only they had the machines that could help Hiroshi. Believing her, Rin didn't ask much further.
Rin didn't remember her life without Hiroshi in it. She always remembers him even in her faintest of memories. For her entire life, despite not being blood related, Hiroshi will always be her big brother.
"Wait here, sweetie." Dr. Rina sat Rin down on a chair in her office waiting room, while she went for her computer. She quickly typed in something on the keyboard.
[LOGIN]
[PROJECT AUTO]
[DATA UPLOAD COMPLETION AT 99.02%]
"Hmm. It's uploading at a better rate than I thought. I need to keep it hidden a bit longer if I want to keep my head on my shoulders."
She transferred the files to her laptop and quickly shoved it into a bag.
"Dr. Inuzaki?"
She lifted her head and saw a man at the glass door that separates her office from the waiting room. He wore all-black clothing. He entered her office with a smile.
She subtly shoved her laptop that was hidden with a stack of files into her bag. "Toda-san. What a surprise."
Eiichi Toda walked towards her, "No more than seeing you here. You don't usually stay here too long after working hours. I assumed you were having an extra undocumented session with that boy?"
"Nothing like that. Just a simple meeting. Rin-chan wanted to come along. I believe I already stated in my presentation of a new research a few months ago how we need to make a steady trust between us and our clients?"
Toda just scoffed and chuckled at the statement, "Steady trust? Who needs trust when we could just be forcibly indoctrinated…?"
Toda stopped talking when Dr. Rina glared at him. "Finish that sentence and we'll have a problem."
"Okay, okay. Has anyone ever told you how attractive you look when you get angry like that?"
Dr. Rina walked past him and stood at the glass door. "Seriously Toda-san, I wouldn't know if you were flirting or sexually harassing me. If it's the latter, I have to report you."
"Come on. It was a joke. But all that aside, ever thought of getting back out there? I'm available. If not for you, do it for Rin-chan. I know she would love to have a father figure in her life."
Toda strolled up beside her and they looked out of the glass door to see Rin practicing her spelling by reading magazines.
"I don't need another man in my life. I couldn't bring myself to replace him. More importantly, I don't think I deserved to be loved again after what I've done."
"Even when he never has his eyes on you to begin with? He doesn't deserve to plague your mind. Don't do this to yourself."
Dr. Rina shook her head. "He only said that but I know he loved me as much as I loved him. That woman took everything from me, at least, that is what my immature 17 year old self would say."
"Does he know of Rin-chan?"
"No. I didn't tell him. After what I've done, I don't want to burden him with me anymore."
"Okay, that's enough of a sob story for tonight. I think it's time for you to go home. Rin-chan is probably tired by now."
"Yes. See you next week, Toda-san. Enjoy your weekend."
"You too, Dr. Inuzaki."
Dr. Rina took Rin's hand and they walked out of the office.
Rin glanced back at Toda-san, who smiled and waved at her, to which Rin returned the gesture.
She always felt Toda-san was weird but he was among the few adults in the company she could hold some conversation with without having the feeling that they want to eat her whole.
The drive back home was full of life as Rin told her mom, the things she wanted to do with Hiroshi the next time they went to see him, like painting and even having themselves a spelling competition.
When they arrived home, without even properly turning on the light, Rin sprinted up the stairs to her room.
"Rin-chan! Don't run! It's dark, you might trip and fall."
"Okay!" Rin shouted as she continued running.
Dr. Rina sighed and walked into the dark living room. "Fell onto deaf ears."
"I could say the same thing about you."
An annoying high pitch voice came from within the dark living room. Dr. Rina jumped and hit her hand onto the light switch. As the light brightens the room, she sees a young woman in a light blue outfit that has a Smart Brain logo on her clothing, sitting in one of the chairs.
Her cheeky and friendly smile sends shivers down Dr. Rina's spine.
"Where have you been? It's rude to keep people in the dark, you know. Literally."
Dr. Rina crossed her arm at the Smart Brain's so-called 'mascot'.
"It's also rude to break into someone's house."
"I wouldn't have to if you were at home. Yet again, I don't have to come here if you did come home when you're supposed to, so this is quite a dilemma."
"What are you doing here? Did the higher up send you? Is this about…?"
"...you interrupted a session with that boy? Yes."
Dr. Rina gritted her teeth. She doesn't know what's worse. Her action caught wind by the higher-ups or this 'poster girl' interrupted her mid-question.
"Doesn't feel good being interrupted now, do we? Maybe you should consider what those two men might feel before ruining their hard work."
"Hiroshi is my responsibility. I will guide him to where it will be best for him."
The young girl wagged her finger dismissively.
"Tch. Tch. Tch. That's where you're wrong. You were assigned to lead him where it's best for the company."
She stood up, spread her arms wide and looked longingly above her.
"That's the goal of every Smart Brain employee. To dedicate their lives to the betterment of the company."
She slowly lowered her head and flashed a friendly smile. "You do know that, don't you? Dr. Inuzaki Rina. Because, I don't have to explain or remind you what would happen if you disobey that rule, right?"
Dr. Rina choked on her words. "Yes. I do know.."
She happily giggled at Dr. Rina's answer.
"Good. Let's not have this kind of meeting again, because next time won't be this pleasant. As much I loved meeting employees personally like this, this neighborhood isn't my style. So, bye-bye. Say hello to Rin-chan for me. She's so cute, I could just eat her up like an apple pie."
With that, the lady left while giggling at her own comment.
Dr. Rina closed the door and let her forehead rest on it.
'This is bad. If anything happens to Hiroshi. It would be my fault.'
"Mom? What are you doing? Are you alright?" Rin, clad in her yellow pajamas, walked down the stairs while wiping her soaked hair with a towel.
"Nothing Rin-chan. Come now. Let me dry your hair."
Sitting in Dr. Rina's lap, Rin let her mother diligently dry her hair, while the older women tentatively listened to Rin's chatter.
"Believe me, mom. One day, I will cut Hiroshi-ni's hair."
Dr. Rina laughed at her daughter's fighting spirit. "I'm sure one day, Hiroshi will personally come to ask you to cut his hair."
"Are you sure, Mom? I want to make sure Hiroshi-ni looks good. So that he could get a girlfriend. If he gets a girlfriend, then, I will have a big sister. Yay!"
Rin clapped her hands as she loved the prospect of having an older sister.
"Where did you learn all of this stuff? My Rin-chan doesn't usually talk about stuff like this." Dr. Rina was surprised by her daughter's 'planning' that involves her big brother figure.
"The girls at school talk about it sometimes."
"Elementary kids these days sure grow up fast. There, all done." Dr. Rina finished drying and brushing Rin's hair and the girl immediately went to watch TV before bed. Since it was the weekend, she was allowed to do her homework the next day.
"Do you want some tea, Rin?"
"Sure."
Rin was laughing at the comedic sketch on TV while munching on a cookie that she smuggled out of the kitchen. Just when things got quiet, she heard her mother's scream and a loud clang was heard from the kitchen. She ran over to see her mama holding her burned hand.
A teapot was dropped onto the floor with hot water spilled all over.
"Mom. Are you okay?"
"I'm fine Rin-chan. Just a little spillage" She answered and quickly put her injured hand under rushing water at the sink. Rin stood beside her and held her mom's hand. After ten minutes, they examined it together.
"What happened?" Rin asked curiously.
"Nothing. Just a little accident. Lots of things to think about at work." Her mama reassured her.
Her hand was now red and some of the skin slowly peeled off. It was quite painful and even she, an adult woman, might admit it's quite painful.
"Mom. It's getting worse." Rin panicked.
"Calm down. This is normal. It might take a few days or even a week or two to fully heal. I'll be fine with some ointment and bandages. You're making it sound like I'm dying. It might look bad but every second, our body is fixing itself. It might be small and slow, but there's progress." She chuckled.
Rin thinks hard and deep about what her mother said. Slowly, huh? It would be great to speed things up. In that instant, Rin was surrounded with a slight reddish glow. Dr. Rina was agape at the sight before her.
The light reddish glow spread onto Dr. Rina's hand. She felt a cold sensation from it. The right degree of coldness was effective against the pain. Right before her eyes, the red color and the pain on her skin slowly began to disappear.
Her hand was healing right before her eyes.
By the time she looked at Rin, the glow around her had already stopped. The injury, especially the pain, was almost gone. From the looks of it, the injury that might take up a week or two to heal might only be a couple of days.
"I'm so tired," Rin said as her eyes slowly became sleepy. She looked down at her mama's hand and smiled. "Look, mom! It's healing. My wish came true. Isn't it great? Mom?"
Instead of answering, Dr. Rina's eyes slowly filled with tears. She wrapped her arms around her daughter. She caressed Rin's hair slowly and lovingly as her motherly instinct could.
"Mom? What's wrong? Are you happy that I speed up the healing process?"
"Yes. Sweetheart. Mom is very happy. Thank you."
Her mouth might be thanking her, but in her mind, another statement rushed through her head.
'We need to escape tonight.'
Hiroshi smacked his lips as the taste and memory of a filling dinner was still strong in his memory. It was almost midnight, and it was time to sleep. The room was dark, and the whole facility went quiet. The only sound was the footsteps of the security guards that were on shift.
As much as he should hate Dr. Rina for being one of them and keeping him here, Hiroshi could not deny that the woman was the closest thing he had to a mother. He knew that one day, whatever they have between them will be severed once and for all.
He almost fell asleep when the alarms in the facility began to blare. He fell out of bed and smacked his nose onto the floor. Not only did the alarm drive him crazy, but he also heard the guards screaming at each other.
"What is happening?"
"I don't know sir!"
"The captives! They're escaping!"
Hiroshi picked himself up and banged loudly on the one-way glass. He couldn't see anything except for his reflection.
"Hey! What's going on out there?! Turn off these stupid alarms. My ears!"
Without expecting it, the door to his room opened to see Dr. Rina in her work clothes, with a lab coat and all entered. Behind her was Rin in brown pants, white sneakers, and a black hoodie that covered her face.
"Dr. Inuzaki? What's going on?"
"Questions later. Put these on." Dr. Rina handed him a bag of clothes.
"What? Why?"
"Stop asking questions and just do it. We do not have much time."
Hiroshi nodded and immediately changed clothes. As he put on his dark blue hoodie to go along with his black pants, he turned towards Rin that looked quite pale. She didn't say much and only stared at her mother that guarded the door.
"Okay. Now would you tell me?"
"We're leaving. Come on. Follow me and stay close." Dr. Rina held Rin's hand and she carefully ran out the door.
"Leaving? Like escaping?" Hiroshi asked for confirmation but she ignored him. For the first time in almost a decade, Hiroshi left his room not to get 'treated' but for his survival. Once outside of his room, Hiroshi clearly could see what's truly going on outside. The only way to describe it was that it was a warzone.
Outside, the guards were battling against the other captives that also escaped their captivity. It was a good chance for them to try to escape as the rest of the guards hadn't arrived yet. The ones already on this level were outmatched almost 4 to 1.
Hiroshi walked a few steps to only being blocked by the body of a security guard that was being thrown by one of the captives.
"Come on, Hiroshi-ni!" Rin called out to him as she and her mother entered the elevator. Hiroshi sprinted and managed to jump in at the last minute before the door closed.
"Why are we escaping? Where are we going?" Hiroshi asked but Dr. Rina just stared at the floor numbers in the elevator.
"Mom?"
"Stay quiet for now! I promise to explain everything once we're safe. Please trust me!" She screamed at them. Rin jumped and Hiroshi hugged her from behind.
Dr. Rina realized what she had done and covered her face. "I'm sorry you two, but please trust me. We'll leave all of this behind us and find a better life for us. I promise. Do you two believe me?"
Rin nodded, "I believe you, Mom."
Dr. Rina turned to Hiroshi.
"I do too, Dr. Inuzaki."
"Thank you. We'll get through this."
The elevator door opened and they arrived at a laboratory filled with computers and unknown techs.
"I'm surprised that no one is here. Did you have something to do with this, Dr. Inuzaki?"
Dr. Rina pressed a few buttons on a padlock and the door opened to reveal a dark-lit corridor.
"I have my ways. Wait here you two."
Dr. Rina disappeared into a long corridor as the two stood there, hoping no one would find them. Hiroshi proceeds to keep Rin hidden behind some counters.
"Are you okay Rin-chan? Are you hurt anywhere?" Hiroshi asked her.
"Why are we running, Hiroshi-ni? Did we do something bad?"
"Did something happen?"
"Mama burned her hand after spilling hot water and I healed it by speeding up the healing process and…"
Hiroshi shook his head. Did he hear that correctly? "What do you mean by, 'speeding up the healing process?"
"I wished mama's hand would heal quickly instead of taking weeks and then, it happened. Her hands healed up in an instant. Then mom told me to pack my things and told me that we're running away after getting you. Did I do something bad, Hiroshi-ni?"
Hiroshi went paler than he already was. He got an idea of what might be happening and prayed that Dr. Rina returned soon so that they could ultimately leave this hell they found themselves in.
Though, he was touched that Dr. Rina thought of bringing him along. It was a huge risk she's undertaking.
Footsteps were heard and Dr. Rina returned with a black and silver metallic briefcase with a Smart Brain logo on it. "Let's go."
"What's that?"
Dr. Rina patted the briefcase and bit her lips. "Something we might need down the line. Don't worry. Come on."
They made their way down to the underground parking lot and avoided many guards that were trying to round up the captives. The lot itself was empty except for a few cars. Dr. Rina led them to their escape vehicle.
As they approached it, footsteps echoed through the underground parking lot and Dr. Rina knows what's in store for them.
"Stop!"
They stopped in their tracks when a dozen men in black suits appeared in front of them. Walking confidently in front of the men was Eiichi Toda. He smiled at her and waved at Rin that was behind the woman.
"Get behind me, both of you."
"Can't say I'm surprised that it was you that sabotaged the system and let the captives out. You're always the type to do the unexpected. All I got to ask Dr. Inuzaki, is why?"
"I'm not letting you have her."
"Have her? Oh, you mean little Rin-chan here? I see. If you kept it a secret, we still would find out eventually. Smart of you to take things into your own hands. But you could always leave undetected. Why risk yourself by coming here? It can't be because of him?"
Toda glanced at Hiroshi, who had his arms protectively around Rin.
"I've said this many times–Hiroshi will always be my responsibility. I won't let the people I love slip through my fingers again."
Hiroshi turned to Dr. Rina. He knew she loved him and Rin-chan, but why did she say it like that? Like she'd already lost too many people before them.
Without anyone noticing, Dr. Rina discreetly pressed a sequence of numbers into a black-and-silver flip phone.
[LOGIN INTO PROJECT AUTO]
[DATA UPLOAD COMPLETION AT 100.00%]
[ACTIVATION READY]
[ACTIVATING NOW]
Deep within the facility, a sleek and futuristic black, silver, and red motorcycle lay still–until its engine roared to life. Its headlights flashed bright. As if to respond to a silent command, the motorcycle started to move on its own and sped off.
"Come now, Dr. Inuzaki. It's not as bad as you think. Rin-chan could be a major asset to our company–a prodigy, even."
Dr. Rina's only reaction to that was to grip her daughter tighter.
"Here's my proposal, surrender now, and I'll personally ensure this incident is off the records. You and Rin-chan could have a good future at Smart Brain. Even that boy of yours."
She shook her head and glared at the man.
"You think this is about career advancement?" Her voice wavered, before rising in fury, "They won't have a future here! I won't let you turn my children into weapons!"
Toda signed and cracked his neck. "Looks like I couldn't convince you huh? After all my best effort to keep you safe all these years, and this is the way you repay me? So be it."
The men behind him were revealed to be wearing a belt with the buckle in the vertical position.
"Who are they?" Hiroshi asked Dr. Rina.
"Riotroopers. Smart Brain's personal lackeys. They don't send these out unless they mean to finish the job quickly."
"Henshin." The men said in unison before pushing the buckle down horizontally.
[COMPLETE]
The bright glow engulfed them, and when it dimmed down, all of them were wearing brown and black armor with a silver circle on their faces.
Toda-san smiled as he morphed into an ashen-gray squid humanoid monster. The monster's shadow formed on the ground projects Toda-san human form's torso.
"This is as far as you go."
Rin's grip onto Hiroshi's arms tightens as her body tensed up at the scene before her. For the first time in her carefree life, fear began to creep in.
"What is that!? What's happening to Toda-san?"
"That's an Orphnoch." Hiroshi calmly answered her question. "The next stage of human evolution."
"Hiroshi! Take this and Rin! Get away from here!"
Dr. Rina hastily threw the briefcase and the flip phone at Hiroshi, who caught it just in time.
The teen immediately grabbed Rin's arm and pulled her away deeper into the underground parking lot.
Toda-san lunged forward and grabbed Dr. Rina by the arm. The strength of the initial grip caused her to yelp in pain. He raised his gaze to see the two running with the briefcase with Hiroshi held on to it.
"Is that? You bitch." Toda-san muttered under his breath. "Riotroopers! Get them!"
The lackey's of Smart Brain gave chase.
Dr. Rina tugged her arm and struggled against her captor's own grip.
"No! Stop! Please!"
Toda-san's grip only intensified.
"Should've taken the offer."
One of the soldiers almost got a hold onto Rin's hoodie but a loud rumble of a powerful engine distracted the entire group as a lonesome and riderless motorcycle crashed into the soldiers.
The mechanical wonder spinned around a few times, knocking the assailants down and all over the place.
As if that wasn't impressive enough, it proceeds to transform itself into a towering hulking robot mecha, standing on two legs and without warning, grabbed two of the dozen Riotroopers and threw them into several of their friends.
"Woah" Hiroshi and Rin were amazed at the display.
"It's like one of those robots from those early morning shows!" Hiroshi voiced out.
"Yeah!" Rin agreed as he jumped in place.
"What on earth!?" Toda-san gawked in surprise.
Scanning…
The robot's scanning system did its work and scanned the area to identify its friends and enemies.
"Scanning. Scanning."
Hiroshi and Rin were taken by surprise as its voice module was more of a high pitch robotic, cheerful and boyish tone instead of a lower gruff one that they usually associate robots with.
"Hostile enemies detected. Dr. Inuzaki, may I proceed to eliminate them?" It cheerfully asked.
"Yes, Auto!" Dr. Rina demanded.
"Understood. Eliminating hostiles"
Auto proceeds to propel itself forward with the combination of boosters on its feet and back, which was the motorcycle's front wheel.
It knocked right into the Riotroopers, disorganized them before they could even regroup.
It managed to handle itself well. It withstood attacks after attacks from the Riotroopers swords and guns thanks to its hardened metallic body and advanced combat AI, learning its enemies strength and weaknesses.
The second wheel attached to Auto's left arm acted as a shield, either to effectively block attacks or just to smack enemies away.
Installed within the shield itself is a powerful high-caliber rapid fire machine gun but due to this fight being a closed-natured combat, let's save it for another day.
"Stay here Rin," Hiroshi said, guiding her to stay hidden behind one of the cars. He took the briefcase and made his way towards the two adults.
"Hey!" Hiroshi shouted, raising the briefcase in his hand. "You want this? Let Dr. Inuzaki go."
"Hiroshi no! Forget about me and…Arrgh!" Dr. Rina screams cut off as Toda-san wrenched her arm to keep her silent, shooting pain through her shoulder.
"Hey! Stop that! Just take the briefcase. After that, you let her and Rin-chan go…and I'll come back with you to Smart Brain."
"Hehehehe" Toda-san let out a sinister chuckle that sent chills down Hiroshi's spine.
A faint blush tinged Hiroshi's cheeks. What gives? Were his words not cool enough?
"Hey! What's so funny?"
"You really think you're still the most valuable one here?" Toda-san asked amusingly as the teen followed Toda-san's gaze and fell onto Rin, who stood several meters away.
"Rin! Stop! Stay back-Ugh!" Dr. Rina got the wind knocked out of her when Toda-san slammed his knee into her stomach and let her crumpled to the floor like a used up discarded towel rag.
"Stop hurting my mom!." Rin bolted forward but Hiroshi lunged, grabbed her arm and stopped her in time.
The Squid Orphnoch shifted back into his human form. Dr. Rina, still on the floor, glared up at him and muttered a curse through gritted teeth.
The man slid off his sunglasses, revealing sharp and cunning eyes underneath, and smiled warmly at the little girl.
"Rin-chan. I promised I won't hurt your mom anymore…but," he paused,"...you have to promise me to be a good girl and come over here. Alone. With the briefcase."
"Promise?"
Toda-san nodded, his eyes shined with anticipation.
"I promise." Toda-san said with a reassuring nod.
Rin pushed Hiroshi's hands aside and took the briefcase into her own. Hiroshi wanted to stop her, but any move he made would endanger both Rin and Dr. Rina.
He took a look at the battle at the far end of the parking lot. Auto dominated the fight as the Riotroopers couldn't even make a dent in the mecha no matter what strategy they used.
Rin dragged the briefcase over and excitement spread across Toda-san's face. He crouched down and ruffled Rin's bright red hair and playfully pinched her cheeks.
"What a special girl you are." He said with his voice thicked in admiration.
"I am?"
"Yes. You just don't know it yet. Tomorrow, you'll be the talk of Smart Brain."
He turned away from the girl and proceeded to open the briefcase and smiled at its content. Inside was a belt with an empty slot in the center and few other items.
"Perfect."
He lifted the belt out of its casing, along with the flip phone that Rin hesitantly handed over.
His smile widened, displaying his teeth. He looked at it in pure bliss as if he just scored a jackpot.
He placed the flip phone into the empty slot, completing the puzzle.
"So, this is the rumored Faiz belt? I'm surprised. You've outdone yourself, Dr. Rina. It is indeed revolutionary. I've seen other models, but…"
"Arghh!"
Dr. Rina jumped onto her feet and tackled Toda-san to the ground, with both of them crashing hard against the hard concrete floor.
The belt slid across the floor as Rin immediately dived at it and scurried back to Hiroshi's side.
"Hiroshi! Put the belt on! The code is 5-5-5!" Dr. Rina commanded as she desperately tried to keep Toda-san down.
Hiroshi wasted no time but to put on the belt. He flipped the phone open and entered the code.
[5-5-5]
[ENTER]
[STANDING BY]
He closed the phone and raised it in the air.
Toda-san shoved Dr. Rina off and transformed back into his Squid Orphnoch form. He summoned his stave and aimed it threateningly at Hiroshi.
"Give it back!" He ordered.
"You forced my hands!" Hiroshi argued back. "Henshin!"
He placed the phone vertically on the right side of the buckle slot and slammed it down horizontally.
[COMPLETE]
Four high pitch red lines flow out of the belt. Two went downwards to the legs as the other two went up to the torso. The ones moving upwards wrapped around Hiroshi's shoulders, back, and front. The red lines emitted a pulsing bright neon red light slowly blinding them.
As the red light died down and their vision sunk in, Hiroshi was in a suit of armor with the red lines running along the arms and legs. He has a black bodysuit with a large silver chest piece.
The armor also gave him silver handguards and shoulderguards. For the face, there was a black helmet with large yellow eyes that was split in the middle by a small antenna.
Accompanied by a small mouthpiece that resembled shark teeth out of all things.
"So, this is Faiz? Not bad. I must commend you for able to transform on the first try. Now, I must kill you."
Toda-san shot multiple shots of black ink blobs from one end of his stave and Faiz rolled out of the way.
The blobs exploded on any surface it touches, which took Faiz by surprise.
"Hey! That's dangerous!"
Faiz turned his attention towards Rin as he stood up, "Rin-chan! Get . Run! I'll handle this one!"
With a single nod, Rin ran towards her mom and helped her to get back up, "Mom, are you okay? Are you hurt?"
Toda-san turned to the mother-daughter pair and raised his stave at them. Faiz rushed in and punched the monster in the face.
Once!
Twice!
Thrice!
And the fourth attack in the form of a kick to the chest, sending Toda-san farther away from his family.
"That's for hurting Mom!"
A motherly smile adorned Dr. Rina's face.
She couldn't believe what she was hearing. Mom. Hiroshi called her 'Mom'. She knew she should be focusing on escaping but she could not let this moment of joy slip past her.
Faiz subconsciously flicked his wrist and clenched it hard, ready to fight. He went in and threw a punch but it was blocked by the stave.
Toda-san took this chance to push Faiz's fist out of the way and slammed the stave into his opponent's stomach and shot out a blob of explosive ink into Faiz's chest at point-blank range.
Despite the armor protecting him, that blast still threw him into a nearby concrete pillar.
"Hiroshi-ni!" Rin shouted as she tried to help her mom escape.
Faiz got back up only for another blob to explode near his feet, blasting him further away from them.
"Run! Go without me!" He shouted back while his gaze never left Toda-san. Studying him, to see if any gap would give him the advantage.
The Orphnoch looked at the escaping mother and daughter and grip his stave harder.
"Look what have you done Dr. Inuzaki! This all could be avoided if you didn't grow conscious! I'll give you one last chance to…."
"Keep your chances, you creep! Auto!"
The mecha tossed a screaming Riotrooper away and readied its boosters.
"Order received."
It burst forward towards Toda-san and took the Orphnoch off-guard as Auto delivered an uppercut that launched Toda-san up and crashed into the ceiling.
Faiz threw his hands in frustration as he walked up the mecha.
"Tell me why you're not fighting Toda-san to begin with." He complained.
"No one gave me the order."
Faiz face-palmed himself and groaned hard. His frustration ends when Auto picks Faiz up and places him on his shoulders.
"Let's go!" Auto cheered.
Auto blasted off and grabbed the other two with ease. Faiz and Dr. Rina hang onto Auto's shoulders on its back while Rin all snuggled up in Auto's arms. They flew throughout the underground parking lot, trying to find the exit.
"Where did you find this guy?" Faiz asked.
Dr. Rina smirked proudly, "I built it myself. You like it?"
"Like it? I love it!" Faiz screamed.
"Aww. You made me blush." Auto cooed
"Crap. I forgot you have one weird personality for a robot."
"Hiroshi Inuzaki! Watch your language!"
"Crap? Hiroshi-ni said a bad word!" Rin shouted.
"Ringo Inuzaki! You watch what you said missy!." Dr. Rina called her out.
"Mom!" Rin whined "Don't call me Ringo! I don't like it!"
"But that's your real name sweety."
"Why do you have to name me after a fruit!?" Rin whined even more.
Their happy conversation was suddenly gone when Auto interrupted them.
"Umm, I don't like saying this but we got company."
The trio looked up ahead and saw dozens and dozens of Riotroopers were already on standby with their weapons, blocking the exit.
Auto stopped and landed a few feet away from the human barricade. They turned around, only to see six black cars stopped behind them, blocking them from going back.
Dozens of Riotroopers exited the car and did the same by forming a human barricade.
"What now mom?" Rin asked as her voice began to shake..
"Auto, is there a way you could blast your way through them?" Dr. Rina whispered.
"Scanning. There's a small chance I could maneuver myself to avoid getting shot. There's lots of them and some are bound to hit me."
"Let's do that then. What could go wrong?" Faiz gets ready as he eyed the group behind them.
"Just one." Auto answered, turning to face Faiz. "That would be Dr. Inuzaki. You're armored, I'm impervious to bullets, Rin-chan is safe in my arms, but Dr. Inuzaki would be extremely exposed."
"I'll stay behind." Dr. Rina said without hesitation.
"No mom!" Rin hugged her tightly. "If you're staying, I'm staying!"
"Me too!" Faiz holds his mother dearly.
"Listen to me you two. You don't want to be part of Smart Brain. The only reason I'm here and worked for them this whole time was that I'm being petty of a person who cannot let go of the past."
She let out a deep exhale.
"Don't be like me."
"What? No! We won't leave you!" Rin cried out as her eyes slowly filled with tears..
The Riotroopers slowly make their way towards them.
"I wouldn't sit here and let you two be used by them. I loved both of you. Never stop loving others, Rin-chan. That's your best quality."
She kissed Rin on the forehead and turned to Faiz with eyes glistening of her own.
"I loved you like a son. The moment I laid my eyes on you, nine years ago."
She kissed Faiz on his helmet.
"Take care of each other. You will only have each other to depend on. I'm sorry for this. Auto! Activate Code Red1224! Go!"
As if the code overrides its system, the visor on Auto's helmet flashed the code before it grabbed Rin and Faiz. Before either of them could react or protest, Auto blasted off.
"Mom! Don't leave us! Auto! Put us down!" Rin screamed.
Faiz's own struggle didn't do much as Auto had a strong grip on him, "Put us down you stupid robot!"
Rin trashed about in Auto's arms but the robot was adamant to finish the orders given to it. Rin could feel bullets hitting Auto like rain on the windowsill in her room.
Just like her house sheltered her from the rain, Auto sheltered her from the bullets.
She turned her gaze back as much as she could and saw her mom for the last time.
"Mom loved both of you! Look after each other!"
That was the last thing she heard her mother said before Auto rammed through the Riotroopers and exited the parking lot.
Faiz turned as well and saw glimpses of the Riotroopers surrounding Dr. Rina and aimed their weapons at her.
"Mom!"
It doesn't matter how loud he shouted and screamed for his newly mother figure, they were already far away from the building and the underground parking lot.
Auto dashed past tall buildings and away from the city center. Hiroshi's eyes teared up in his armor. At least Rin wouldn't see him in such a state.
After 15 minutes of flying on Auto, they landed in a small tunnel that goes under a small road outside of Tokyo City center. Auto put down a silent Rin, and Faiz violently shoved Auto away from them.
"What was that back there?!"
"That was an override code. Created by Dr. Inuzaki. If it's read, it'll override all my instructions, and prioritize both of your safety. It feels quite tingling to be honest. Instructions override are never pleasant. It's like someone tickling your kneecap."
Faiz pulled out the phone from the belt and canceled his transformation, revealing Hiroshi with a very confused look on his face.
"What?"
"You asked what just happened to me. Naturally, I answered."
Hiroshi lets out a frustrated groan and kicks Auto's legs, which only hurts him and now he's hopping on one leg, groaning in pain.
"Oww! Damn you!"
"I'm suggesting you try to kick me while wearing your armor."
"Shut up!" Hiroshi snapped.
"Sure, boss. I'll be in bike mode should you need me." Auto casually turned back into its motorcycle mode.
Hiroshi limped slowly over to Rin, who was sitting on the ground, buried her face in her knees while resting her back against the tunnel's walls.
He could hear the little sniffles coming from her.
"Rin-chan? Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?"
Hiroshi crouched near her only for Rin to suddenly get up and pushed him away, before she made a run for one of the tunnel's exit.
"Rin-chan!"
Hiroshi gave chase and held onto one of her arms. Rin turned to kick him and hit him with her other hand.
Despite feeling annoyed, Hiroshi just silently let her.
"Rin-chan, stop this."
"I want to see Mom! Let me go, Hiroshi-ni!"
"There's nothing we can do for her. If there's more of those guys and more Orphnochs like Toda-san, there's no way for us to save her."
"We're just going to leave her?!" Rin barked back.
"What could a 13 and 9-year-old do anyway?!"
Rin began to stomp her feet.
"Well, mom didn't leave you! You already gave up on saving her?! You're already a bad son! No wonder you don't have real parents!"
With that Hiroshi just looked at her in disbelief of what she just said. A wave of guilt washed over her.
Hiroshi let go of Rin's arm, walked back into the tunnel and sat down there.
Rin on the other hand, just stood there.
"Hiroshi-ni? I'm sorry. I didn't mean it."
But Hiroshi didn't answer her. He just stayed silent and looked off into the distance. Rin slowly felt her chest getting heavier and heavier. Her eyes slowly teared up for the second time that same night.
The longer Hiroshi sat there in silence, the louder he heard her sniffling. After a few seconds, Rin burst into tears.
But Hiroshi still ignored her.
Rin ran to him and she rocked him back and forth.
"Hiroshi-ni! Hiroshi-ni! Please say something! Rin-chan didn't mean it. Rin-chan sorry!"
Still no answer.
Rin buried her face into Hiroshi's jacket as a wet dark patch slowly formed. The sound of Rin's wailing travelled through the night.
Not long after, Hiroshi turned to her and placed a hand gently on Rin's head and softly ruffled her long bright red hair.
"I'm sorry too. I should have considered your feelings."
Rin lifted her head and leaped into his arms. The two shared a hug before comically interrupted by the growling of Rin's empty stomach.
"Let's see what we have in our bags."
Rin dropped the bag she's been carrying this whole time and Hiroshi opened it
There wasn't much in it-some clothes, a few ¥10,000 notes and a few chocolate-coated-peanuts energy bars. He unwrapped one and gave it to Rin.
"We got some money. So, we could get some real food when we found a convenience store. We need to make sure that we're far enough away, so that Smart Brain can't find us."
"Hiroshi-ni. What's that?" Rin pointed at the bottom of the bag.
Hiroshi reached out to it and revealed it to be two sealed envelopes. One of them was addressed to the two of them while the other didn't state who it was for.
"A letter for us?" Hiroshi wondered.
"Maybe it's from Mom. Open it, Hiroshi-ni. Open it! Open it!"
"Okay,okay. Relax." Hiroshi gave in between laughs.
With Rin all snuggled up in his lap, he opened the letter and brought it up for them to read.
Dear Hiroshi and Rin,
If you're reading this letter, that means you're already escaped Smart Brain and I'm not there with you. I'm sorry. Whatever the reason might be, I stand by it. I'm sorry I have to leave, but I always knew we would be separated for some time.
Now both of you must've had a lot of questions. All I could say is that, Smart Brain is your enemy . Humanity's enemies. You must be wondering why I worked for them. That's a long story, one I greatly regretted.
My past is none of your concerns but your future is. You two need to hide. Someplace where Smart Brain couldn't, or at least would have a hard time getting to you.
I know a place. A place where I thought I wouldn't be thinking of affiliating again, let alone sending you two there.
Alice Academy.
A special school for special people like Rin-chan.
Yes, Rin-chan. You're special. You're an Alice Holder. I always thought you might be one but as you grew older, the discovery phase was over and you don't have one.
You couldn't imagine my surprise when you accelerated the healing of my hands. I discovered mine when I was a couple of years younger than you Rin, albeit we have different Alices. I entered the academy when I was 7 years old and stayed until I graduated at 18.
From my observation, your Alice is a form of Amplification Alice. Don't be confused with Healing Alice as I know what that looks like.
Your Alice allows you to amplify other people's Alices and also any living beings' biology. Tonight, you just amplified my body's healing rate.
Now you can see why it is dangerous for you if Smart Brain gets a hold of you. They will use your abilities to benefit them. You're not the first Alice Holder that Smart Brain decided to use nor will be the last.
Hiroshi, please keep the Faiz belt away from them. Right now, only you can wear it without any complications and I don't trust just anyone with it. I'm not asking you to fight Smart Brain but protect your sister.
Protect Rin-chan.
You two couldn't rely on anyone else but each other.
Right now, your priority is to get to Alice Academy. I have already put the coordinates in Auto Vajin. When you get there, give the other sealed envelope to any Alice Academy staff.
They will direct you two to the right person to help you, especially Hiroshi, to enter the school. They would not let anyone without Alice enter.
Once again, I'm sorry for leaving you two. We will meet again and when that time comes , we will be a family again.
The three of us.
Until then, Mom loves you two very much.
Your mother,
Rina Inuzaki
The two adoptive siblings couldn't stop tears from overflowing. She loved them very much as they loved her..
"We love you too, Mom." Rin let out a small croaked.
After finishing their energy bar and making sure their things were secured on Auto, they both put on their helmets and get on the motorcycle.
Hiroshi made sure Rin was nice and comfy sitting in front of him.
"Ready Rin?"
Rin smiled under her helmet and gave a securing nod, "Ready, Hiroshi-ni."
"Auto, take us to Alice Academy."
"Roger. Next destination : Alice Academy."
Auto slowly activated its engine and began the journey with a cruising speed before slowly and steadily picking up speed. They rode into the night with Auto's headlight shining the way.
Based on the GPS, Alice Academy is on the other side of Tokyo, meaning they have to go back into and through the city.
This is a new point in their lives. A new life where they only have each other to depend on. Whatever this Alice Academy might be, their mom must've had her own reason why she felt bitter towards their new safe haven.
Whatever it might be, the two siblings hoped it would be enough to keep them safe from Smart Brain.
'I will protect Rin. I'll protect everything that's precious to her.'
Hiroshi glanced at the briefcase, strapped tight behind him onto Auto and smiled confidently.
'I promised you that mom.'
TO BE CONTINUED…
Disclaimer: This particular crossover will be slightly different from other crossovers (on fanfiction.net that is) I had written before. In this story, I will be focusing more on the storytelling and character development rather than action. Meaning, there will be chapters without Rider fights or Rider transformation unless necessary for the plot.
Think of this as a small introduction to help you understand what this crossover will be about.
Q1: If you're de-emphasizing the Kamen Rider elements, why write this crossover at all?
A: I wrote this story out of my nostalgia for Gakuen Alice and wanting to write something other than an action heavy story. The inclusion of Kamen Rider is basically doing what I'm comfortable and familiar with.
Q2: Why did you choose Kamen Rider 555 specifically?
A: I would not lie, 555 isn't exactly my favorite season but it is the most grounded season that could fit with Gakuen Alice and feel even up the factions without being too underpowered or overpowered. Also, it gives me the perfect excuse to revisit Gakuen Alice and Kamen Rider 555.
While I won't spoil what's to come, I truly hope you'll stick around.
As always, feel free to PM me if you have any questions about this particular crossover and I will try to answer them without giving too much away.
Once again, thank you for stopping by.
That's it for this prologue. Please favorite , follow and leave a comment. It is greatly appreciated.
Stay safe and healthy everyone and I'll see all of you next time.