Why, hello there again. Do feel free to pelt me with virtual objects. I do believe I deserve it.

Anyway, this is the seventh chapter. This is where shit starts to get really real. Well, no more real than previous chapters really, but still pretty darn real.

I have a more than half-formed idea for how this might end now, and I'm actually feeling pretty motivated to finish this. I won't make any chapter estimates right now, although I am personally hoping for somewhere inbetween 15 and 20 chapters, which will hopefully all be uploaded within just over a years' time.

Still, that's a long-term goal, and in the meantime I'll be trying to motivate myself to get the next chapter out by next month (next month being the end of May/beginning of June). I'm serious about it this time. ...I say that every time.

Anyway, that's enough of me blathering on. Enjoy the chapter.

-Le Fez-Wearing Husky


Chapter Seven: Mother's Child

[Sakurami City]

"It was all because I fell in love with a Subject."

The words escaped Akise's lips with a sigh. Yukiteru's head jerked up suddenly, surprised by the abrupt sentence that cut through their communal silence.

Crimson eyes briefly met cobalt before gently detaching themselves. The Regulator emitted another sigh.

"It was early days. The Operation had just started; we were exactly four months in. Deus had told us all to remain inconspicuous, to do our utmost to blend in with the Subjects and the ornaments. Well, I say he 'told' us… but it had been built into our programs already. It went without saying."

Akise paused. A perfectly ordinary car rolled down the perfectly ordinary street. It was a typical scene of suburban serenity. Arboreal blossoms wafted on the breeze, spiralling towards the tower which loomed authoritatively over the skyline.

During this silence, the soft footfalls of two perfectly extraordinary people could be heard hitting the perfectly ordinary pavement.

When Akise finally broke the silence again, he emitted a chuckle; albeit one of soft, subtle bitterness. "Back then, I had unquestioning faith in Deus. I took his intentions very seriously. So I did what was asked of me…" He chuckled again. "I'm sorry, it's just… the irony. In the end, I obeyed his orders too well. And, thinking back on it, it was because of that that I ended up as a rogue in the first place."

There was another, shorter pause. Yukiteru felt tempted to speak, but decided against it. He would let Akise tell his story in his own time.

"They were just a kid, really. I should've known better, even then. I should've been able to guess what I was getting them into. In fact… I knew. I knew, but I just ignored it. All for the sake of being with them.

"I wasn't even surprised when Houjou came looking for me. We met, for the first time since our briefing at the very start of the Operation, atop Sakurami Tower. He told me that I shouldn't be getting too close to the Subjects. I asked him, 'Well, why not? After all, they're the ones we're supposed to be observing. Doesn't it make sense to get as close to them as possible?'"

Akise shook his head. "Houjou burst into an incomprehensible rant after that, and left. That was all his child's mind could think to do in that situation. But… that same mind… is one of uncanny genius. He's a great strategic planner. I will give him that."

Yukiteru could sense by the increasingly sombre tone of Akise's voice that his tale was about to come to a close.

"His plan was… e-executed… perfectly…" The albino's usually smooth, unblemished voice was fraying, cracking like parched ground in a heat wave. "I didn't expect him to strike so soon, even if they were orders from Deus. As soon as I got back, they were… they were… just… sitting upright, with this… this serene expression on their face, almost as though nothing had happened. Almost as though there wasn't a bloody gaping hole in their chest.

"Houjou hadn't deleted their avatar from the system yet. He left me to do that. And all the while I was wondering, what was to become of their body in the outside world? I know, a strange thing to think, but… in that instant, I realised that I knew so little of what was going on outside. Could I really accept what Deus had told me as the truth? As time went on, this feeling only grew. And now, here I am."

He glanced at Yukiteru, his smile a curved line of melancholia. "You're wondering why I'm telling you all this now, correct? Well, my point is… I don't want to have another Subject's death on my hands. You don't have to be this close to the fighting, Yukiteru-kun. All you have to do is say the word, and I can make it so that you won't come to any more harm. Of course, it'll only be a temporary fix, but it'll keep you safe for much longer than out here."

Yukiteru blinked. "You… you don't have to worry so much about me, Akise-kun," he blurted. "I just, I…" He wavered from the Regulator's gaze. "This is as much my problem as it is yours. I want to help you… find out what's really going on here."

Akise nodded in understanding. "That's alright. Just let me know if you ever change your mind. I won't lie to you, Yukiteru-kun; it's going to be a bloody battlefield. It would be a miracle if both of us get through this unscathed."

The silence settled back in between the two of them, snugly wrapping the modest street in its thick folds. Several paces later, a sudden thought occurred to Yukiteru.

"Why are we heading this way, Akise-kun?"

"We're going to meet someone who might just be able to prevent Deus from hacking your phone." Akise's voice was steady, but he put just enough emphasis on the might to suggest that he was uncertain.

"Are they… a friend of yours?" Yukiteru wavered. The notion was somehow strange.

Up until now, Yukiteru had been convinced that it was just the two of them in this world, alone. The two of them, versus a god.

Could they really have an ally, hidden away somewhere amongst the elaborate façade of this pseudo-city?

Akise smiled. "Not a friend, per se. But she might just be willing to help us out."

Again, the might was a subtly uncertain one.

The noirette tensed. Just what lay ahead of them? From the way Akise spoke, it sounded as though there would be some sort of catch to this deal…

"Who… who is she? Can we trust her?"

"Hmm. That's a fair question, Yukiteru-kun." The albino appeared to mull it over for a few moments before continuing. "Well, there are few things that can be truly said about her. She doesn't really do anything to defy Deus, except… Well. She doesn't take sides, is all I can tell you. She has her own side, her own territory. She's not a slave to Deus like the other Regulators, but at the same time, he doesn't consider her a threat…"

Yukiteru blinked, more puzzled than he was before he asked the question. "What does that mean, Akise-kun?"

Akise stopped. His reply was even more softly-spoken than usual, and instead of meeting Yukiteru's eyes, his own gaze was fixed on a point somewhere on the northeast horizon.

"My apologies. You'll soon find out for yourself, Yukiteru-kun."

The noirette followed the Regulator cautiously down a back alley. The two of them were immediately submerged in the gloom. Their footsteps left aural ripples in the confined space.

They emerged into a spacious courtyard teeming with flowerbeds, each tended to the finest, most exquisite detail. In the centre, a gleaming complex lay in serene inertia, its single floor spread wide and languorously across the landscape.

A sign propped up next to a flowerbed just before the building read "Mother's Village".

Yukiteru guessed that it must be some sort of institution – an orphanage or care home, perhaps.

Yet, it seemed uncharacteristically inviting. Comforting. Everything about it – from the glittering windows to the complex's soft architectural curves – carried the impression of happiness, tenderness, love. It was a far departure from the gloom and despair that most orphanages were associated with.

The noirette didn't need Akise to say anything in order to exercise caution. He had learned quickly over the past few days that judging things at face value in this world would earn you nothing but a one-way ride into the mortal abyss.

And that abyss was real, even if nothing else in this world was.

The two of them stepped synchronously towards the front door. It was painted a carefree shade of cyan.

Yukiteru tried his best to relieve the tension in his body as Akise punched his thumb against the doorbell. The muffled tone resounded through the interior.

A young girl's voice responded, her words just about audible through the thick outer door. "Ta-kun! We've got a visitor!"

"Tch! Why's it always got to be me, huh?" came the response in the form of a somewhat irritable masculine grunt.

Reluctant footsteps traced their way to the door. The portal opened with a sharp click that made Yukiteru flinch in its suddenness.

Olivine eyes glared between them from a face contorted by indignance. A flash of recognition sparked within them as they met Akise. "It's been a while, huh," he muttered. "Here to bother us with another of your favours, I assume."

Akise smiled pleasantly in return. "We'd like to see Ueshita-san, if you don't mind."

The boy's frown deepened. "Fine, but you'd better be willing to pay us back for our trouble this time. I don't want Mother coming to any harm because of you." His eyes flickered suspiciously towards Yukiteru. "And who's this?"

"A-Amano Yukiteru," the noirette spluttered hesitantly. "I'm a friend… of Akise-kun."

"Is that so?" The boy, who couldn't have been much older than Yukiteru and yet was at least half a head taller, adjusted his grip on the door frame. "Well, I suppose I'm going to have to let you in. Just make sure you don't leave any traces. The last thing we want is Deus knowing that we're helping rogues." He practically spat the last word out.

"I'm Nanba Taro, by the way," he introduced brusquely, more as an afterthought, as he dipped his head back into the building.

Yukiteru and Akise followed Taro as he briskly escorted them through the charmingly decorated hallways of Mother's Village. Yukiteru hung a few paces behind and leaned in towards Akise.

"Is he also a Regulator?" he inquired softly.

"That depends on your perspective. From an official viewpoint, he's a Subject like you, but unofficially…" Akise's voice trailed into a thoughtful silence before resuming.

"Well, let's just say that Ueshita Kamado, the owner of this place… can impart some aspects of her Ability to others. She can't make Subjects as powerful as Regulators, of course. But she takes them up one step from being utterly powerless."

Yukiteru stared at Taro's back whilst absent-mindedly tracing the outline of his pocketed phone. The lines between Regulator and Subject… are becoming blurred, he noticed. And it looks as if I'm not the only one…

"B-but… why? How?" the noirette found himself asking.

"I don't know, Yukiteru-kun," Akise admitted. "It seems inconceivable that Deus doesn't know about this already. So why hasn't he intervened? Is this part of his plan? Does he maybe see Ueshita-san as some sort of asset that he's biding his time to use?" The albino shook his head. "I don't try to press for information. Ueshita-san… is a lot more powerful than she looks." A rather hapless smile twisted his features.

When Yukiteru glanced again at the walls, the flowery décor seemed suddenly disconcerting. Just what is going on here…? The Subject had no idea if he was right to be afraid, but even so, the way Akise talked about this Ueshita Kamado… it sounded as though there was something sinister lurking in the shadows of this place.

He flicked open his phone and warily checked the upcoming entries.

3:34 P.M. [Mother's Village Orphanage] We meet Ueshita Kamado. She's a kindly woman and doesn't seem threatening.

3:36 P.M. [Mother's Village Orphanage] Akise-kun begins to negotiate a deal with Ueshita-san. It looks as if they want something in return for their service.

Nothing even vaguely worrying there. But as Yukiteru had learned from his previous battle with Reisuke, he couldn't put unquestioning trust in his diary's words.

When Taro abruptly stopped in his tracks, the others obligingly followed suit, Yukiteru hastily pocketing his phone.

They had halted just before a set of sliding doors that connected to a pentagonal inner courtyard. A young girl stood outside, as though on guard duty, with her arms folded and an inscrutable expression on her face.

"Orin-chan," Taro began, "I've got two visitors here to see Mother."

Orin gazed between them impassively. "Oh," she muttered vaguely upon noticing Akise, but made no further comment. She turned back to Taro. "Yeah, sure. They can see her. Lead them in, Ta-kun." She pulled back the door, revealing the lush vista of one of the most beautiful gardens Yukiteru had ever seen.

Vibrant orchids bloomed in each corner beneath the verdant tendrils of grape vines and the moss-clad roots of trees. Everything seemed almost too colourful to be real; even the inert grey pebbles that spiralled outward from the centre possessed a kind of subtle radiance. A small fountain sprouted from the garden's centre, potted plants surrounding it on all sides. The detail was simultaneously minimalistic and profoundly complex.

Beside the fountain knelt a squat figure, hunched over an intricately gnarled bonsai tree. As Taro led the two of them closer, Yukiteru could see that she was a rather plump, round-faced woman dressed in a disproportionately large chef's hat. A white apron was tied over her dress and her tender hands were encased in gardening gloves.

She glanced up from pruning the roots of the tree as they arrived. "Oh! Visitors?" she beamed, bowing before them. "It's been quite a while, hasn't it, Akise-kun?"

The albino dipped his head respectfully and smiled. "It's a pleasure to meet you again, Ueshita-san."

Yukiteru tried to ignore Taro's suspicious glare as he took his lead from the others. "H-hello," he mumbled warily.

"I'm sorry that I'm not in any position to offer you anything," Kamado continued apologetically. "Though you are always welcome to stay for dinner."

"Oh, we don't mind," Akise smiled. "And I couldn't help noticing, but your garden is beautiful. You must put a lot of effort into it."

Kamado chuckled. "Oh, you don't need to flatter an old woman like me!"

Yukiteru stared. Earlier, Akise had mentioned that Kamado might be their enemy, and yet now he was treating her like some old formal friend. Just what exactly was he supposed to believe about this woman…?

"So," Kamado prompted after a momentary silence, "What is it I can help you with, Akise-kun?"

"As you probably know, we're being pursued by Deus's Regulators. We've recently acquired a certain asset, but we're going to need some extra protection in order to use it." Akise laid a hand on Yukiteru's shoulder. "This is Amano Yukiteru. He is the sole person capable of using the Observer's Diary, a unique skill that he can access through his phone. But the program can still be hacked by other Regulators. We were wondering… if you could maybe help us stop that from happening."

Before Kamado could answer, Taro suddenly stepped into the conversation, clearing his throat with loud deliberation. "And what will be our compensation for this? If you're careless and end up leaving a trace, they could easily find out that we're responsible. Mother doesn't stand a chance against the other Regulators! You can see it, can't you? Her Ability isn't one that's suited for direct combat!"

Kamado sighed. "I'm sorry about Ta-kun. He means well, but doesn't –"

"Forgive me, Mother, but you're putting far too much trust in these strangers," Taro growled. "Akise-kun hasn't repaid his debts in the past, so what's to say he won't now? And just yesterday, that demonic… child appeared and insisted we give up all the information we have on rogue Regulators. Mother, I don't honestly think we should –"

"W-wait!" Yukiteru interjected fearfully, "don't you mean… Houjou Reisuke?"

"Yes," Taro seethed. "That psychopath! He's nothing but a mindless slave to Deus. I know he'd rip us apart without hesitation if he became even the tiniest bit convinced that we were a threat to him. He's a child. He doesn't understand neutrality."

He pushed forward so that he was inches from Akise's face. "And when we agree to help you, they're probably going to come again. Only this time, they're not gonna just leave us be. So what're you gonna do to help protect us, huh?"

"Threats won't be necessary, Ta-kun." Kamado spoke gently, and yet her words evoked such authority that Taro immediately stepped backward, returning to the side of his mother. "I am certain that Akise will be able to repay us for our help. Won't you, Akise?" Her smile could only be described as reasonable.

Akise wasn't lying. She truly is powerful… Yukiteru could tell at a glance that all the orphans in this complex revered their mother. They followed her like the disciples of some omnibenevolent prophetess, obeying her every command. In this place, he realised, Deus had no power. The Subjects belonged to her, not to Deus's experiment.

But what was she trying to use them for? Was she really just satisfying the maternal instincts she had, presumably, been programmed with? Or was this all for a purpose?

It has to be, Yukiteru reasoned. After all, Deus created her that way… didn't he?

"Of course," Akise replied. "I will try to make it up to you anyway I can –"

He never finished his sentence, because at that precise moment, Orin burst hurriedly through the sliding door, slamming the portal shut so rapidly that it shuddered on its hinges. The girl breathlessly yelled, "Mother Kamado! We're under attack!"

Taro was the first to respond to this news. He rounded on Akise, screaming, "This is your fault, rogue! You led them here, and now they're going to kill us just for being in the wrong place at the wrong time! Orin!"

"Yes, Ta-kun?" Orin rasped, her body jittering with adrenalin.

"Get the others out if you can! And whatever you do, don't let them near Mother!"

Orin nodded wordlessly and ran out. Just before she pulled back the sliding door, a digital ripple congealed at her side and a fully-formed katana appeared in her outstretched arm. She then dashed into the complex at unbelievable speed.

So they really do have the Ability…

Yukiteru however had no more time to contemplate that notion, as Akise urgently grabbed his arm. "Yukiteru, we need to get out of here," he muttered, before turning towards Kamado. "I'm sorry, Ueshita-san… I didn't anticipate this."

"You've got some nerve." Taro's tone was dangerously quiet. Then, at a speed faster than Yukiteru's eyes could follow, the boy's hand lashed out and grasped Akise tightly at the collar. "What do you have to say for yourself?! You traitor, you –"

A gleaming dagger had already appeared in Taro's free hand.

Yukiteru didn't even feel his body move. All he registered was the fact that he was now, very suddenly, standing in front of Akise, helplessly watching Taro bear down on him. And then there was nothing else but pain.

"Arragh!" the noirette yelped as the dagger sank deep into his abdomen. Blood started pooling beneath his shirt with astonishing rapidity.

Taro let go of the weapon in shock and staggered backwards. "You fool," he uttered, his voice a heavy broth of guilt, horror and exasperation. "You complete and utter idiot! He's a Regulator! He can't be killed just by a mere dagger…! You must know that!"

Yukiteru felt Akise's arms wrap around him as the Regulator endeavoured to hold him upright. "Then why is it…" the noirette grunted through the searing pain in his gut, "that you're so intent on protecting your mother?"

Taro stared at him incredulously. "When a Regulator is dispatched, they are sent to the Akashic Records. We couldn't even spend an instant without our mother. Her death isn't the issue here!"

"Then I guess we're the same." Yukiteru forced a smile, in spite of himself.

"Yukiteru, hang in there," Akise muttered. The noirette heard both surprise and guilt in the Regulator's voice.

Yukiteru managed a chuckle. "It's not your fault, Akise. I –"

He was cut off before he could explain himself. The splintering sound of a drastic explosion erupted behind them. They all turned to see that the door had been ripped right out of its frame and now lay in scattered fragments, Orin sprawled amongst them.

The girl picked herself up and thrust her katana defensively out in front of her. There was a sharp, metallic clang as the sword viciously collided with another blade.

Yukiteru saw a flash of pink amongst the rapid scuffle that ensued and felt his chest freeze as though blasted with liquid nitrogen.

Shit…

Kamado was also quick to catch on to the exact nature of their enemy. She strode out in front of them, her arms projected wide. "Ta-kun! You must get out while you still can! I will find you again and catch up to you. Tell the others –"

"No!" Taro roared. "You know I can't do that! The moment you're sent to the Akashic Records, I'll lose the Ability you bestowed upon me. I'll be helpless without it, and then they'll use that to find me and strike. It would be pointless! I'd rather die fighting!"

And before anyone could even think to stop him, Taro was already dashing recklessly towards Orin's assailant.

As Yukiteru watched the fight unfold from his helpless vantage point, he recalled that his phone had not even given him the slightest warning of any imminent attack.

Akise had called it their secret weapon against Deus… but what use was it if it could be so easily suppressed?

The noirette felt an odd feeling of guilt pool heavily in his chest as he watched Taro dash into the fray. He knew it wasn't his fault, and yet… he felt so useless. If his diary had been in proper working order, this whole fiasco could have been avoided. But instead, the orphans of Mother's Village were destined to die.

Shit…

Orin managed to defend herself from the onslaught for mere moments before her body was blasted skyward, gushing crimson spirals into the atmosphere. Her limp frame landed with a dull clatter amongst the pebbles, limbs twisted at a grotesque angle.

Taro bellowed wordlessly upon noticing his comrade's fall and dashed furiously towards the magenta streak that curved around to meet him.

He barely took two steps before his neck erupted into an oozing mess of arteries and axons. Gasai Yuno materialised as the headless body of Taro Nanba collapsed into the orchids, casually swinging the boy's head back and forth between her fingers like a pendulum before tossing it into the flowerbed behind her.

Both the Subjects' bodies immediately started to disintegrate. A swarm of deconstructed pixels trailed off them like smoke into nothingness, and within moments, both were gone, along with the dagger in Yukiteru's gut. No trace was left; no indication that they had ever existed in this world.

"So we finally meet again, Amano-kuuun!" Yuno trilled gleefully. Her smile was pleasant enough, but the manic hunger in her eyes was enough to make her entire expression absolutely horrifying.

It was all the noirette could do to hold the contents of his bladder. He stiffened as Yuno approached, wincing as he felt the muscles tense against his stab wound.

The rose-haired Regulator abruptly stopped her advance. "What… what happened to you?!" Her voice was almost shrill with panic and, Yukiteru noticed, filled with concern. Or perhaps he was just imagining that…?

Yuno's gaze flickered from the dagger wound up to Akise's crimson orbs, and her face distorted into a dark grimace. "You…"

The Regulator readied her stance for a charge, but never got as far as initiating it.

A wild tornado of soil and pebbles erupted around her, twisting together into knotted helices and congealing like algae on pondwater. They latched to Yuno's wrists and ankles, forming grimy shackles that tethered her to the ground. She screeched apoplectically, but the bonds only contracted and strengthened their hold. Her body flickered wildly in a desperate attempt at teleportation, but to no avail.

Kamado turned to Yukiteru and Akise urgently. "They won't hold her for long," she murmured, her gentle voice somehow cutting across Yuno's frenzied roars and wails. "Ta-kun…" A pained expression crossed her motherly face, but only for a brief moment before she continued. "You heard him, didn't you? I'm not a Regulator who specialises in combat. The most powerful part of my Ability is that which I give to others… so please, accept this from me."

The rough fingers of Kamado's pudgy gardening gloves closed over Yukiteru's own. He felt a buzzing vibration travel along the length of his arm, and at the same time, his phone emitted a single syllable of static tone.

"I have completed your favour," Kamado breathed, smiling. "I wish you the best in your fight against Deus's Regulators. However, I see no reason why we can't both benefit from this. If you are ever in need of help, seek out the Regulators named Ai Mikami and Marco Ikusaba. I have left a message for them on your phone. If you show it to them, they might just be able to assist you."

Her hand left Yukiteru's as her gaze travelled up towards Akise. "Take care."

Akise merely nodded, though for some unknown reason a troubled look passed his features upon hearing those two words.

"What do you think you're doing, you old bat?!" Yuno shrieked. "You're giving away our secrets… our powers… to Subjects! I can't believe Deus hasn't issued the order to kill you yet!"

"Are my sins really so egregious?" Kamado mused. "I don't believe so. Gasai Yuno, you have killed many Subjects. What do you think Deus would say to that? The Subjects are an integral part of our Operation. Without them, our function is meaningless. I see no reason for Deus to remove me from the system. I have only ever done my duty, as a mother… and as a Regulator."

With a final resounding scream, Yuno wrenched free of her shackles and pounced on Kamado.

Yukiteru did not see what happened next, as in that very moment the entire scene dissolved into a whirlpool of swirling digits.

He leant back against Akise, allowing the other boy to clutch him tightly. He closed his eyes, listening to the roar of data thundering overhead, below, all around.

The pain in his abdomen was dissipating. Within moments, it was gone.

Gone, as though it had never existed.