Disclaimer: I own nothing. Not Love Hina or Azumanga Daioh.

This chapter has been remixed

"Is the old man's attention off him?" asked an old muscular 45 year old scientist. He had brown combed back hair and green eyes. His physique was too much for the lab coat he wore.

"For the moment." said the good doctor Matsumura, her wrinkleless face cracking a smile of satisfaction. "We may have lost millions developing him, but soon it'll be worth every penny." She placed a syringe full of what looked like red gel, a manila envelope, and a rectangular box wrapped in white silk on a desk in front of her. "Andrew, please, make sure he gets these" she asked of him as she pushed them his way, "Yes Matsumura-sama."

Chapter 5- Crossroads- Heaven or Hell? (Part 1) (Remix)

Time had passed since Keitaro came, miracles, and troubles had come and gone, but time stood still for some.

Outside was a beautiful day. School was in session for everyone, and teachers all sitting in their desks ad gathering their daily lesson plans. In class, the fourth most violent tenant of Hinata-sou (behind Naru, Motoko, and Suu) sat in his desk gathering up his homework. His friends all having their lunch and waiting for the next class period.

Eating a packed lunch from Shinobu, Soma sat staring out into space. His thoughts turned to his parents of whom he had no leads on. Shit, if I only had some kind of a clue. A sign maybe, just don't leave me out in the dark like this.

"What's the matter Soma-kun?" asked a auburn haired girl about a foot taller than he was "You've barely touched that delicious looking lunch of yours." "Yomi-san, if you want some just take it. I'm not all that hungry." He slid his lunchbox towards her. "Well, if Soma-kun aint going to eat it, I am!" said a peculiar girl with a pointy haircut. She tries to grab it, only to have her hand smashed under the lid of his kit. "I offered Yomi-san. Tomo-chan." She retracted her hand, rubbing it constantly.

He put on a smile, "Osaka! You want some?"

While his lunch caught her attention, the osakan had her view focused on Yomi's lunch. "What's with croquet? It's all red on the inside." "Well, you want some?" Kiyomi offers, "But it's really spicy." She shook her head, "I don' like spicy stuff." The anorexic girl goads her into it, "It isnt all that spicy." Taking the bait, she had herself a bite.

An awkward pause. Seconds later the cafeteria was in an uproar as she yelled out in pain, running in circles asking for water.

Soma groaned, "For the love of God…"

Getting his grades back, Keitaro's heart nearly stopped as he saw the red 24 circled over as if to taunt him. His eyes widened as he slowly released the paper, letting it fall limp onto his desk. Looking over his shoulder, Naru was holding a paper that had a red 100 underlined. "Crappy scores again? Are you sure you're even studying?" she gloated as she fixes her coke-bottle glasses. She wore her guise of her giant pigtails that made her resemble Aika from Skies of Arcadia along with her coke bottle glasses, and her ridiculously thick sweater that covered her developed bosom, hiding her beauty from those around her. "With those kinds of grades, you'll be lucky to get a job at McDonalds."

"This coming from the top mind in Japan, I sure feel a lot better" he said sarcastically as he threw his head back in his chair "I'm screwed now aren't I?" The teacher walked over to Keitaro's desk. He sighed, "Urashima-kun, I have never had a student ever do this poorly. I recommend you have Narusegawa here tutor you for a night straight. With any luck, you'll raise your grade up to a respectable C or maybe a B."

The class took a break for lunch. Everyone takes their either packaged or pre made lunches, with the exception of Keitaro which is signaled by his stomach churning and rumbling. He groans as his focus became blurry. "Ugh…Hungry…" he moans as he stretched his arms out on his table that was now connected to Naru's. Taking pity on the two year ronin, she took out her half of her sandwich which spilled out crab meat and stir fried noodles. He sniffs the meal and started to drool. He then took a look at it and reared back a little, "Is this edible?" Naru started to take it back, "You want it or not?" He smiled nervously and took it, "Yes, please!"

After devouring the odd meal, he smiled cheerfully and thanked her. He then looked up and saw a bill, with an overly priced total of 1364 yen. He freaked out on the fact that he was broke and looked around to find out that Naru was up and out of her seat. She looked down at him and said coldly "That wasn't free you know." He pounded his hands on the table and panicked. "Can I just pay you back?"

And with that act of kindness, it kindled an infatuation that would eventually grow into a deep love…

The scientist from earlier was sitting in a black SUV, the windows all tinted an eerie black. He rode in the back seat with a muscular driver up front, wearing shades to conceal his eye color. The man took out a Nokia cell phone and punched in a few numbers. Upon receiving a dial tone, the line is picked up by Dr. Matsumura.

"Speak" she ordered from one end of the line. She kept her conversations to the point, and very private, in case it might be somebody else than her colleagues. "I'm in position" he said almost monotonous. "Good. As soon as he comes, make contact, but not for long. He has eyes everywhere." She knew Hirogawa had contacts that would report a member of her research team contacting someone who's supposedly dead. "Doctor, would you mind if I asked a few questions about the subject?" he asked. She paused for a moment, then responded "Go on ahead."

"Tell me, there are things only you knew about the project. I want to know a few things. After all, I am here to help" he nearly begged her for an answer.

She sighed, "Well, alright. What do you want to know?" He tossed a question her way, "Well, exactly what is in this syringe?" She explained it to him. "That syringe contains thousands upon thousands of nano-machines. Those little machines are all fit with an artificial intelligence that will integrate with his bodily systems. I fit the nano-machines in that syringe with a special ability. Pharsti will know what to do with it." He remembered, "You mean the Artificial Intelligence that you fitted him with?"

"Correct. Once he injects himself with the nano-machines, Pharsti will help the machines settle." She finished her explanation. Another question came, "Why don't we just let him inject the other syringes then?"

"If we do that, then the nano-machines in the gel would develop its own intelligence, and try to override his nervous system, with two AI fighting in his head, that will create terrible results. If we install these ability drivers in certain intervals, he can take them in without much trouble. With the added support of the other nano-machines" she answered. He held up the envelope, "Doctor, what exactly is in this envelope? It's a bit heavy" he complained. "Something only Soma should know about."

"Another question, madam" he requested. "Why exactly did you erase his combat data?"

An easy question, she answered quickly. "I was forced to. If I got rid of the combat protocols, he wouldn't try to act. Also, he would have followed anything that bastard ordered him to. Combat protocol varies from fighting, to loyalties. The only things I didn't delete were System DG, the target acquisition system, and Pharsti of course."

She began to feel dogged. As if dozens of paparazzi were hounding her for question after question. She tried not to reveal too much, so if she were to perish, the sensitive information would go with her. She made an exception to Andrew, who was a friend, more than a colleague. "What exactly is Soma?"

"The short version is he is an prototype Natural experiment, to create a child without the trouble of labor. He learns from his environment, and adapts to it, ever changing it's attitude and behavior." Andrew sighs, "So, you're playing God. Trying to build a better human being."

"Just one more question. Why go through this much trouble?" asked the innocent man. She looked down at a picture on her desk, a woman, a man, with two children; a boy and a girl. "That's none of your business is it?"

On the Captain's desk, the Doctor and the Scientist's voices played over a small recording tape, a phone tap. He hits the stop button after he listened to the doctor make a point. "My project is still alive" he grinned. "I'll have to play the doctor's game for now." He promptly smashes the recorder with a bare clenched fist.

On the way home from school later that day, Soma was walking home with some of his classmates. What surprised him; was the fact that he lacked male friends other than Urashima-sempai.

A midget asked him, "Soma-kun, is it true you live at the Hinata Apartments?"

"Yeah Chiyo-chan. I do. Why do you ask?"

"I thought that place was renovated to be an all women's dormatory."

"Well, our landlord is a guy and they let him stay." He scrambled for an excuse.

Tomo-chan put up her daily routine of being an ass, "Are you gay?"

"No I'm not gay!" he yelled back at her face.

"Then why live there?" asked Chiyo.

Soma sighs, "I was adopted. And the co-manager, my new mom, lives there. She thought it'd be convenient."

"Don't you find it the least bit strange? Being all alone there? Don't you ever get bored being surrounded by all that estrogen?" asks Yomi.

"We're like family there. Never a boring day really."

Yomi turned to a taller girl, with long beautiful black hair, who walked alongside them gazing at the stray cats that pass by. "Sakaki-san, you've been pretty quiet. What do you make of him?"

Sakaki turned to him, "Soma-kun, it's good to see you have a sensitive side."

He twitched, "Sensitive? I'm not very sensitive. Damnit, quit ganging up on me."

"We're not ganging up on you." Said Yomi, "We're just curious. That's all. We want to know how you can stay, normal."

"Being normal sucks. Can you define normal for me?"

"Well—"

"Don't answer that. Listen, this is where we split. See you next week everyone."

After a few more steps, he had to split apart from the others and go down a different road.

The black van lay dormant as he approaches; the scientist intercepted him and called out to him.

"Matsumura Soma!" he hailed in a rigid voice.

He stopped, "Yes? Are you a counselor? What'd I do?"

The man stepped forward, his hands casually in his pockets. "My name is Andrew Krueger" he said "I'm a friend of your mother."

He raised a brow, "Yeah, yeah. Don't get into stuff you don't understand."

"Why don't you just ask Pharsti?" he pointed.

That sentence threw him off balance. "Listen, your mother asked me to give you these gifts." He stepped forward and had a look. Soma scratched his head, "Do you know where my mother is?" The old man's expression changed from serious to a saddened tone, "Listen Soma, your mother won't allow me to reveal her location" he said as he put his hands on his shoulders, "She says that you are not destined to meet again for a while."

He felt betrayed. Andrew's broad hands gave the impression that he could trust him, yet felt paranoid "Okay, fine" he said as he took the envelope (with the syringe put in it), and placed it in his briefcase. He took the box and bowed politely, "Please tell my mother, I'll find her." He walked off as Andrew went back into the van and asked the driver to go.

His angel got an interrogation. "Pharsti, how did he know about you?" he said angrily. She placed one of her hands on his head, "He was one of the people who designed me." He swatted her hand away, "Why the hell didn't you tell me?" She folded her arms together, "You didn't need to know. But I'll tell you the information I was loaded with." He became annoyed, "I'll ask again, 'why the hell didn't you tell me!'"

She sighed sharply, "I am merely a program. I have a prime directive from your mother alone. She gave me specific directions to give you instructions when you managed to figure a few things out. She told me to tell you, all will become clear to you in due time."

"…Okay, I'll play with you. But what about that guy, Andrew Krueger?" he began.

"Andrew Krueger was your family's caretaker and your mother and father's most trusted friend. An MIT degree, a real Ivy Leaguer. He helped genetically engineer you into life. He's an Englishman, but he picked up Japanese here. He catered to your mother, father, sister, and you. He's been with you for 13 years. Not a more trustworthy man" Pharsti finished.

"So, he's safe. At least I have another person I can trust. I barely feel comfortable with the girls" his face twisting painfully "I've even got blood on my hands." "That could not be avoided. After all, without you Narusegawa-san would be lying in a grave somewhere." she accessed. "But answer me one thing. I was engineered? What do they think I am, a sheep?" he asked angrily, his expression becoming grizzled. Pharsti stayed silent, after a slight pause, she answered him.

"The truth is, you are dead" she said grimly. "Your mother was ahead in her field of genetic research. She lost you, and her husband in a freak accident" Soma felt a deep pit in his stomach. "I'm nothing but a…clone?" She continued. "Using her knowledge as a genetic engineer, she took one blood sample, and reconstructed youback to life." He cocked his head to the left, "What about my lack of remorse?" His question got answered quickly.

"Well to shape you she was forced to get rid of anything that may interfere with her advisors wishes." He huffed, "So, I'm nothing more than just a weapon. Why create me in the first place? Did my mother decide on making me some kind of mass killer?"

"She isn't as twisted as you might think. She was forced to."

"But where is she?"

His angel winced painfully, "I…I cannot answer that." He was completely pissed. "Okay, then what CAN you answer? What about my sister?" He had hoped for a good answer. Pharsti delivered an answer, "Your mother has been unsuccessful in finding her. She has no idea whether she is still alive or dead."

Walking up the stairway to Hinata apartments, he slammed one of his fists into one of the nearby trees in anger. He had another blood relative, but she was as lost as he was.

When he got back, everyone else had beaten him home. Shinobu greeted him at the door, giving a warm smile as Soma gave her a hug and a pat on the back, and made off to his room. After dropping everything except for the box, he walks back down the stairs tightly gripping it. He was hoping for something like a clue of her whereabouts in a riddle as he sat it down on the coffee table in front of the sofa in the lobby.

The silk wrapping was gently stripped from the parcel, showing a rectangular wooden box. As he grasped the sides of the box to open it, Keitaro walked by and the package caught his attention. "What do you got there, Soma-kun?" he asked as Soma opens the box.

The box contained a Katana. The hilt had a polished shine, the grip was interwoven black and white fibers, the sheathe was just as polished as the hilt and shined a beautifulebony marble color. Soma picked it up by the sheathe and gave it a close examination.

"Saiketsu?"

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