Tell Me Maybe I can Forget
XIV
Callously
Descent of abnormality made my head swoon. Ok, Ok, Tyson, take it easy – I keep on telling myself that but I don't believe it. This shit is so overrated; it's gotten me up the wall. Ok, Ok, maybe it is not an overrated thing or whatever but, what the hell is going on?

Hitoshi won't talk to me. I'm pissed now because I usually don't call him Hitoshi but I call him Hiro – but I do call him Hitoshi too, but I'm accentuating it. When I do that I'm pissed. Ok, Ok, Tyson calm down. Oh fuck it! Zeo, Hiro – both of them are so lame! Even Kai is unstable and that ain't something easy to accept.

' Zeo is locked up in my room…' Kai breaks the silence around us; we are in our hallway, ' I think Grandpa wants us to leave him alone. That's why he ain't giving us the keys to open my room.'

' You know he's acting like a bitch!' I couldn't help but scream to it. Hiro and Zeo were so secretive it annoyed me and I was just feeling ridiculously involved as a third party though I'm in the full-length of whatever this was.

' Point taken.' Kai concurred and it bewildered me; though it was reasonable frustration.

' Kai, you knew this all along – why won't you tell me anything?!' I demanded, though not yelling so loudly.

' Because…as I keep on telling you…it isn't something I wanna tell you…' Kai narrowed his eyes, ' It's something Hiro and Zeo must sort out for us.' He looked extremely impatient at my determination for discovery.

' You are sometimes more dense than a cactus!' I scream now, literally, our Grandpa comes out of Hiro's room, where he had been trying to fork out info from Hiro but to no avail.

' You'll be surprised to know how intelligent plants are…' Kai mutters, ' They are so efficient, they scare me.'

I gawk at him, ' Kai Hiwatari I will just pretend I didn't hear you say that you are scared of plants.'

' Tyson, grow up. What does efficiency of plants being so versatile make me have a phobia on plants?' he looked annoyed. ' Besides…' he went on a trance, ' It's the efficiency that scares me; Just like Zeo scared me before.'

' Huh?' Zeo scared Kai, this was incredulous news.

' You see I always knew Zeo was a machine. When I was told to mix with him – the fact that he was an android really scared me. His efficiency was so mechanized that I really couldn't forget that he wasn't human.' Kai confessed, ' No flaw except maybe a hyperactive personality…' he paused and stared at me, ' Which is a flaw with most…' oh Kai, you are gonna get it, ' But, it was because I thought Boris could make him a perfect anything. That actually scared me. The efficiency could be deadly if controlled by Boris.'

' If…' there was an "if" and it had to be pronounced, ' Basically…' I look at him with a focused eye so detesting the secrecy of the whole affair, ' Hiro and our good friend Zeo will enlighten us and until then you won't say anything…correct?' I say the last part with a sickly sweetness, an abnormal angry sarcasm.

' Basically…' he really does emphasize it, ' Yes.' So, at least he was still adamant as usual.

I look at him. Kai has changed a bit. I could tell. Aside from opening up there was something different. Like he spaced out in a sense of euphoria while thinking and I've got a feeling it ain't beyblading. Could it be…no, Kai hangs around with her…but…could Serena ever…? I mean –

' Tyson what's wrong with you,' he looks at me weird, ' You're not dozing off are you?'

' The way things are going maybe I should.' I lie impulsively as the time to talk to Kai about his feelings isn't now, but, truthfully, dozing off ain't such a bad idea, ' Besides once Zeo's done by "I've got a P.H.D in brat studies" let me know.' I lean against the wall and tamper into daydreaming with closed eyes. This wait can kill.

' This wait can kill.' Okay, he isn't telepathic now is he or – we are thinking in the same wavelengths – geez that bored voice of Kai's sure could match mine, ' What you grinning at big bro?'

' Nothing.' Innocent till proven guilty: I smile sheepishly at him.

' Tyson, we definitely need a role reversal – you be little bro and I be big bro then, it'll be easier to baby-sit…' Ok, he spoke his monotone with his eyes closed popping out a bit of his right eye in an odd fashion and a eyebrow raised hearing my scowl, ' Ok, you know what forget what I said.'

These minutes could kill and rather than being a victim I'll scurry into something convenient. I go to Grandpa's room and see him sitting down worriedly on the floor. I take the keys he put on the shelf – and ran –

' Kai, Uh, Tyson! Kai stop him!' This was hilarious – Grandpa sure could scream.

' Tyson!' Kai was close to stopping me but I busted the door open and Zeo came charging at me.

' Leave me alone!' Zeo looked distraught – Fuck the compassion for a while.

' No can do Gizmo!' I grab him, ' Listen-'

' You release me at once you jerk-off!' Zeo struggled at my grasp, wailing, kicking, screaming and shouting, ' I say hands off dickhead now!'

' Listen – stop this right now – you can't do this Zeo!' I was also struggling as Kai was shouting at me and trying to pry me off. ' You are a strong person and I'm not trying to be the bastard here but please Zeo, lighten up! Please we need you to gain some control!'

' Why do I need to! It's not fucking important!' Zeo started crying now, ' I can't – I can't accept it anymore-'

' What?' I asked with compassion. It couldn't be postponed anymore.

' That I'm not real!' he bawled out completely and I tensed.

' Look what you done now Tyson!' Grandpa hit me in the head with a kendo stick.

Despite flinching I addressed my purpose, ' It had to be done.' Zeo was in my arms still no longer frantically struggling, ' You are as real as anyone here…' I started and Zeo looked up, ' I'm not looking at you any differently than I had before I knew. But, you must accept that your soul is human and that's what counts.'

' Do machines have souls?' Zeo sobbed at the thought.

' That depends on what your heart and mind says…' I looked at him seriously, ' Have you ever felt like a machine aside from the fact that you are android? I don't think so, you are Kai's step-cousin and he looks at you as that as well…'

' No he doesn't!' he broke out from my grasp and he looked fierce, ' I had seen the way he looked at me when I was a child and even now! He thinks I'm nothing!'

' That's not true!' It was the man we were speaking about entering into the scene with a booming voice, Kai looked really powerful in this manner, I was amused, ' That's not true!' he repeated again with all his might, this sure bothered him but he finally calmed down after a minute of utter silence as we stared, ' Zeo…I…I admit…I was afraid of you and your mechanical efficiency but I never detested you – I just didn't like the idea of seeing you as a pawn…a pawn in Boris's hands…'

' Are you sure?' Zeo questioned his manner of behavior towards him.

' What makes you think I'm not?' Kai looked directly onto Zeo then decided to come forward and instinctively (as it seemed) grabbed his shoulders, ' Why do you think otherwise? Please tell me Zeo…'

' I don't know…' Zeo looked down, ' I guess…because…I am different…there seemed to be no other in the world like me…so I –uh-I mean…I'm not used to…I just wanted to be human…'

' There are many monsters who call themselves human…' I decided to speak, ' But a human form alone cannot make one a human…it takes more than guts and blood…it's soul and you have it Zeo!'

' Tyson is right.' There was a new voice and it was Hitoshi, ' You are no different than anyone of us.'

' Hiro…' Zeo just blinked as he muttered his voice.

' I think it's about time we chat about everything that I can offer.' Finally, Hiro is going to confess. This light will reveal the exit to this secretive labyrinth.

I pursed my lips. His quietness made my brain feel ignored and a super-intellect as I cannot accept such petty distances as negligence. I am his star and so I must be treated with the dignity that is rightfully mine.

' Yes Brooklyn?' Boris must have seen my annoyance, ' Would there be anything you-'

' Cut the crap Valkov.' I calmly state, ' This sudden departure for Japan is a callous decision in your part. You work your ass off to feel the kick of the authorities and your enemies. Not pretty smart of the evil genius.'

' You mind your tongue Brooklyn or else I'll cut it.' Vehemently said, an artist is that you Mr. Valkov?

' Why is it that you pine to do so?' I snicker.

' You won't need your tongue to beyblade.' He grins as if he got me. I play these sorts of games better.

' Neither will you need your cock to manage things in your devious ploys just your brains.' I smirk seeing his distemper.

' Cocky little bastard!' he lost.

' Hmm, am I really I can't say.' I close my eyes.

' At least you will get to see that whore Hiromi again – I know you're gonna want to – so you should be…' he cut of midway as I raised the dagger towards his throat, '…dandy…'

' Like I said.' I dangerously maneuvered the dagger closer to his throat, ' You won't need a cock to manage office work.' I slid it down close to his pants, ' What do you say…?'

' Aren't we the obsessed stalker.' He laughed gaining my anger.

' I wouldn't have protected Hiromi if she hadn't shown an interest on me, then would I have been the obsessed weirdo/wannabe-boyfriend.' I withdrew the dagger and sit back to my seat.

' What I learned from love is that it changes if one was never serious about it.' A piece of romantic philosophy from the soulless scientist: interesting.

' And you got a P.H.D. in romance, how…?' I mocked his sharing of ideologies with me.

' You cannot be love with anyone unless you are attracted to them wholly and feel very comfortable around them.' Boris was serious now, about this? Un-fuckin'-believable.

' And you think I just want Hiromi for a good fuck?' I just slashed out with him, unfortunately not with the dagger.

' No, I'm talking from Hilary's part…' Boris eyed me, ' People tend to get attracted and emotional with some people only temporarily only to realize that they don't really covet that person or wish to sow future with them.' He raised a finger, ' Sexuality or sexual fantasies are not the one and only key to anything.'

' What the fuck do you mean?' It was interesting me and annoying me at the same time: Boris doesn't talk like this. Probably, he's PMSing – ok, that was a fucked-up sexist comment. I really meant sugar-coating for the sake of unwanted celibacy. God, he needs a lay.

' I mean people must be mutually, wholly attracted to one another to fall in love – the rest is just time pass or manipulation.' He raises a glass of wine now and drinks it. He can really drink heavily at times and…is it that good to do it in a plane, even if it is his private jet…

' And…' I kinda drawl, not knowing why he's engaging in this conversation bores the fuck out of me.

' Some Boys And Girls may sometimes manipulate you…' he plays with his glass as he sways it and sees the ocean of red follow his instructions to swirl as the obedient liquid-marionette, I feel like that liquid at times. ' They may say pretty things to you so that you feel as you love them, need them, depend on them, cry for them if you are apart from them, want to talk to them and even after the relationship is gone you'll cry over it and make you think if you really loved them because they pirated the symptoms of love so that they could shag you and so you go through a mental stress. Where if you say: "I love you." You don't feel great but your heart clenches in a pain. You may miss them if they are gone because they indirectly fucked you up without you knowing about it and even when you do know that they manipulated you, you can't seem to drop them of your head and disturbingly feel as you love them. But just like a bad tune in your head they leave after a time even when you felt that you couldn't live or breathe without them. This is because they manipulated you to have feelings for them and your soul when it fully heals will address them as a bad dream and then move on. Maybe it won't be simple but it will happen. You'll soon forget their voice, their whole package, because no one can tolerate a manipulator in romantic situations. The heart will heal as you'll learn not to tolerate those hypocrites anymore.'

' You seem well-learned about these matters…' I edge closer, ' Have you ever done some manipulation to get into a woman's pants?'

' I'm not that evil Brooklyn…' he stated with a piercing direct eye-contact, ' But many of my male and female associates were bastards of that breed.'

' I must admit you know quite the good thing of romances.' I teased but then asked, ' Did you ever had the heart to have one?'

' Once but it was short-lived.' He stated drinking the remainder of the wine then pouring more.

' Hmm, a well-learned scholar in romance and yet no eternal love, tsk-tsk, how tragic, what was the fault?' it was a habit this sarcasm but I guess if we were the normal sort of people it wouldn't have been so.

' No, the love is still there, just there wasn't the energy to make it grow, it's our fault really. It wasn't like we didn't want to but – it just we really weren't up to it.' He drinks another glass then hands me one, ' I hope you know what you're doing with the Japanese princess.'

' I hope you know you are drunk Boris.' I looked at him, ' You don't talk polite and sense at the same time with me.' What he said made loads of sense! If you couldn't tolerate someone completely you didn't really care about them romantically.

' No, I know you know I'm sober Brooklyn.' He raises his glass and we toast just for the heck of it, ' I feel doing the bullshit good deed for a while. Don't expect to see it always.'

' That'd be expecting a serial killer to spare his victims.' My morbid humor entertains me as I now play with a glass of wine.

' But how can you know the heart of the killer maybe he might spare his victims if he understands clemency for a while. Well I think I should sleep now because I rather chose this journey to tire me then inebriate me.' He closed his eyes and I decided not to answer.

I looked out my glass window to see quest-filled clouds calmly trotting to where God leads them and some so swirled that they seem the ones spiraling out of control. I guess like that love and lust had thin lines and we humans do the insensible thing of becoming retarded and jumping into situations without weighing our inward responses. I recalled a poetic verse Hiromi once wrote that really stuck to me:

"Callously you open; you become damned
Because you had let the weeds of error slaughter your garden of Eden."

Author's Note: Hope you liked this chapter!