Once again, I'm too lazy to think of anything interesting to say, so just read the damn chapter already! *spazzes out, then swallows a pill* Okay, I'm good...pill is good...but it makes me hallucinate a bit *sees an imaginary creature that looks like it was conceived from a squirrel and a spider* Aaaah! It's a mutated spider! Quick! Kill it with a stick! *swings stick around, hoping to hit the figment* Why isn't this working?! Anyway this is a long ass chapter. Sorry, I'll try to shorten them in the future if you want (or not! hahahahahah!)

Red Rose

Chapter 6

Director Kakuzawa sat back and carelessly glanced at his clock. It read 9:30 p.m. exactly, therefore leaving twelve and a half more hours until the subjects would be released to begin to track Zoe down. With a sigh, he heaved himself from his chair and began to make his way out of the room.

"Miki!" He called to his assistant, who was standing in the hallway.

"Uh, yes, sir?" She hurried over, adjusting her glasses.

Kakuzawa gave her a cold look. "Take me to where Numbers Forty-Five and Fifty-One are being held. There is one last thing I must inform them about."

"Yes, sir." Miki led him down the corrider. "You don't know where they are being kept?"

"Of course I know where they are being kept," he growled. "But since Itami was running a few more experiments on them before the night ends, I want you to just bring me to the direct room where they are being held."

Miki nodded. "Yes, I'm sorry. We'll be there in a minute."

Soon, they reached a large set of metal doors, and Kakuzawa quickly typed his password into the keypad. After a brief moment, he placed his hand over the scanner and waited for it to recognize him. The light above the door flashed green, and then the door slowly opened.

"You are dismissed," he said over his shoulder. "I'll call you if I need you for anything."

Before she could reply, he had made his way through the doorway and slammed the door shut.

"Waiting for the day he actually says 'thank you' for something," she mumbled before walking away.

Kakuzawa saw that the two Dicloniuses were chained against wall, nearly ten feet separating them. They were confined in their full-body strait-jackets, as well as their metal helmets.

Masaki looked up with a dry laugh. "It seems that the director has decided to grace us with his presence."

Kanae, who had been dozing off, looked up. "How can you tell if we can't see out of these godforsaken things?"

"I just know these things," he replied.

Kanae snorted. "Whatever...."

"Good, I see that you two are still awake," Kakuzawa said.

"Yes, it's a bit difficult to sleep when you have needles constantly being jabbed into you," Masaki told him. "I suggest that you hire help who actually know how to properly insert them."

"Enough with the attitude, Number Forty-Five. I do not find it amusing one bit, so it would be smart to knock it the hell off," Kakuzawa hissed.

Masaki smirked. "Why, are you not used to someone talking back to you?"

"Why you little-"

"Oh, shut up already!" Kanae exclaimed, annoyed. "Now what the fuck do you want?"

Kakuzawa glared at her. "Don't you dare speak to me in that tone again. I do not appreciate it-"

"Why are you here?" Kanae impatiently interrupted. "Just get to the point so we can get out of here and get some damn rest before we find that blond chick."

The director looked angry, but decided to let her attitude go for now. "I came to inform you a bit more of what Zoe is capable of."

"What do you mean?" Kanae asked. "I thought you said that you only know her first name and her age. How old is she anyway? You never told us that."

"She is eighteen years old, but we do not know when her birthday is. She claimed that she didn't know it either, though she may have just been hiding it from us. Anyway, just so you know how vicious she is, I decided to tell you how many people she has killed," he explained.

Kanae raised an eyebrow, though he could not see it. "Let me guess, she killed like, what, fifty people?"

"Not exactly," Kakuzawa replied. "You see, we first discovered Zoe when she was four years old. There had been a series of breaking and enterings, as well as household murders. Before we found her, there had been a grand total of ten households murders, with twenty-six people dead. After my assault team failed to capture her-"

"A four year-old got away from a special assault team?" Masaki asked with a laugh. "Your team must be pretty damn pathetic."

"Quiet!" Kakuzawa glowered at him, then continued. "As I was saying, after she got away, we lost sign of her for four years. It is unknown of where she went or how she survived. However, after those four long years, the household murders began again. Before we went crazy to track her down, we stood on the sidelines so that the police could investigate and wouldn't find us suspicious. There were fifty-five more households killed, with one hundred and sixty-three people dead. Shortly after that, she was the reason behind the Carnival Day Massecre. Forty-seven more people were slaughtered at the hands of the eight year-old. She killed a family of three on a train before my army finally caught up to her. Also, a few weeks before we found her, four children were dismembered in a classroom at a local orphanage. Although we're not sure Zoe was kept there, we suspected that she was behind the killings."

Kanae was staring at him in amazement. "Did she seriously kill that many people?"

"Yes and when she escaped the facility a few weeks ago, she killed twenty-three more people within the span of five minutes. Since then, she has killed one of my best soldiers, John Bando, as well as two other employees of mine, Nina Shirakawa and Kasumi Kobayashi. Another girl was found dead at the beach, and I think Zoe was responsible for that as well. And when the bridge collapsed, seventy-five of my soldiers were killed. Although I can't prove it and have no way of knowing, I suspect that Zoe somehow caused the bridge to collapse," he said.

Masaki thought for a moment. "So based on the figures that you gave us, Zoe killed three hundred and eighteen people altogether."

Kakuzawa nodded. "Yes, and those are only ones that we know of. She could've killed more for all we know."

"Holy shit! Are you serious?" Kanae cried out. "That's insane! What is she, like a psycho or something?"

"Not exactly. As a child, I'm sure she was teased mercilessly and that can accumulate into a bitter hatred. After the rage was pent up for so long, she probably had a breakdown and went on a killing spree," Kakuzawa said. "And Diclonius children under the age of five have a tough time controlling their abilities. We do not know where Zoe came from so it is possible that she either killed her parents at a young age or was abandoned."

A tiny smirk curled on Masaki's lips. "Well, I can already assume that this will not be a boring task. Quite interesting I must say...."

"How the hell does someone kill that many people?" Kanae hissed.

"Have you killed any?" Kakuzawa asked her. "There were no proven charges on your records sheet."

Kanae groaned in discomfort. "Damn, would you loosen these fucking straps already?"

"After you answer the question," he replied.

"Fine. Yes, I have. In case you couldn't figure it out, I killed my parents as well as my aunt and uncle," she told him.

Kakuzawa chuckled. "I figured that much. Anyone else?"

"Just a few people here and there," she said nonchalantly. "Muggers, a few girls who made fun of me...no one important."

The girl's restraints were slightly loosened, and she sighed in relief.

"What about you, Number Forty-Five?" Kakuzawa asked. "Have you killed any other people other than what was recorded in your sheet?"

"Maybe I have....and maybe I haven't..." the male Diclonius answered.

The director scowled at him. "Either answer me or I'll tighten your restraints instead of loosening them."

Masaki raised an eyebrow. "They're not bothering me one bit. In fact, I enjoy tight spaces....I can think better that way...."

"Freak," Kanae muttered. "The only thing I feel is claustrophobia."

"You get used to tight spots after spending so much of your time hiding in such spaces," Masaki said.

"Why? Did you spend most of your time hiding from other children?" Kakuzawa asked.

Masaki was able to shrug, despite his restraints. "Somewhat. I used to hide while other kids tried to find me and make fun of me. They followed me into abandoned alleys and streets, right where I wanted them. Once they entered, they were never seen again."

"How many children did you kill?" Kakuzawa inquired, his eyes narrowing.

"I won't give you a number," he simply replied.

The older man glared at him. "Number Forty-Five tell me this instant or I'll-"

"You'll what?" Masaki challenged. "Don't bother threatening me with your explosives because I know that you won't do it. If I wanted to, I could easily kill a dozen of your workers and you'll still hesitate to do it."

"Why do you think that?" Kakuzawa growled.

"Because you value your success more than the lives of your staff," he replied in an icy voice. "I'm not doubting Kanae's strength, but without me, you'll have a much harder time capturing Zoe. You know it and so does everyone else. But if you hate me enough and want to blow me up, then by all means, go ahead."

Kakuzawa was seething, his entire body shaking. "Your insolence is really getting on my nerves!"

"You act as though you've never had anyone show you up before," Masaki mused.

"That's it! I've had it with your backtalk. I'm going to my office and you two will be released tomorrow at ten o'clock. In the meantime I suggest that you watch what you say. While I do not want to go out of my way and find myself new Dicloniuses, I will if push comes to shove. You two are expendable. Especially you, Number Forty-Five," he said in a low voice.

Masaki soft laughs echoed in Kakuzawa's ears. "Good to know that I'm special."

Kanae snorted. "Conceited prick...."

The male Diclonius simply ignored her comment, directing his full attention to the director. "See you in the morning, Director. Try to get some sleep..."

Kakuzawa glared at them, then stormed off, leaving them alone. Itami and Silverman made their way over to the pair, then unshackled them. The scientists then ushered them into their separate metal chambers, locking them inside the constricting darkness.

Kanae groaned in aggravation, the metal harnesses holding her up uncomfortable. She shifted as best as she could, trying her hardest to let sleep overcome her.

However, in his chamber, Masaki's mind was concentrated on the blond Diclonius. From what they said about her abilities and body count, she is quite powerful, he thought to himself. I'll have to make sure I get her at her weakest point. It may take awhile to figure out how to hurt her...but I will do whatever it takes to make her break...

Meanwhile

"Hello? Is anyone there?"

Zoe stood there alone, surrounded by endless darkness. Her voice seemed to echo, though there was nothing for it to echo off of.

"Takuya? Kouji? Nana? Is anyone there?" She called out.

The nothingness seemed to engulf her very soul, and she looked around, desperate to find anyone.

Soft footsteps slowly approached her, yet she could not see anyone coming towards her. She squinted her eyes, hoping to see someone. Although she still couldn't see anyone, there seemed to be more sets of footsteps approaching.

"Is someone there?" Zoe asked, her voice almost inaudible.

Gradually, she could begin to make out forms surrounding her. The blond's eyes widened in terror as she immediately recognized each one.

"Miss me, Zoe?" The naked girl asked, a single green eye shining through the thick bandaging covering her head.

Zoe jumped back, her heart quickening. As she scanned her surroundings, her anxiety only increased.

"Hey, Horns. How's it going?" The headless body of Isamu asked.

She stared at him in horror, unable to speak. The boy she had killed in the classroom ten years ago laughed, along with his two dead friends, Ryoma and Yoshimi.

"Just because I'm dead, it doesn't mean that I'll stop tormenting you. Oh, and I brought you a present." Isamu dropped the blood-covered corpse of her puppy. "I figured that you missed the mutt."

"No! You're not real!" She cried out, finally finding her voice. "Go away!"

A bikini-clad redhead took a step forward, her body filled with bloody holes. "We'll never leave you alone. You killed us, so therefore, we will always be haunting you...."

"Oh, god...." Zoe dropped to her knees, holding her head. "This isn't real...it's just a dream...."

"You fucking bitch! I'll fucking kill you for this!" The mutilated body of John Bando screamed at her.

The dismemebered form of Akane, the girl who had betrayed her ten years ago, smirked. "You can trust me, Zoe. I would never hurt you..."

The forms cackled around her, and Zoe frantically looked around at them. There were special assault team soldiers, security guards from the facility, murdered families...every last one of them....

"Eveyone you have ever killed is right here," the naked girl said, pointing to her head. "Right inside your mind. When will you just except it? Life will be so much easier once you do..."

"No!" Zoe screamed, tears coursing down her face. "Leave me alone!"

Her inner self let out a dry laugh. "It's okay, Zoe. They all deserved to die...each and every one of them...."

Although many of them were headless, the corpses began to laugh at at her, taunting her.

"Become one with me," the naked girl continued. "You did it twice before...once when you destroyed the bridge...and the other when you killed those people at the carnival. Join me once and for all...."

"I said shut up!" Zoe yelled at her, then felt a familiar burning pain in her skull. "Aaaaaaahhhh!"

She lowered her hands from her head, then saw that they were coated with a layer of blood. The broken horns on her head seemed to be throbbing and she could feel more blood leaking from around them. The crimson fluid dripped onto the floor, one teasing drop at a time.

"They'll come back," her inner voice said. "You already know this, though. Most Dicloniuses die when they lose their horns. But not you, Zoe. You're special....we're special..."

Zoe looked up at her hopelessly, her body trembling.

"It's time for us to go," the mummified girl told her. "But before we do, I have one last person to introduce to you."

A small figure limped over to her, his head down. He was young, probably around five or six years old. When he raised his head, Zoe's breath caught in her throat. The boy looked very much Takuya and she immediately realized that he was Takuya's deceased brother.

"Surprise, Freak," he said, blood dribblng down the corners of his mouth. "Remember me? Takuya's little brother? The same one who you ripped into two pieces?"

Zoe began to sob, tears running down her face at a faster rate. "Oh, fuck...."

Shinya smirked. "Too bad Takuya didn't believe me when I called you a killer, huh? If he had, then maybe I'd still be alive. And do you honestly think he could ever love someone like you? He may think he does, but he's hopelessly confused. But someday, he'll realize that you're nothing more than what we all think of you....a monster."

"I'm sorry...." She wiped the tears away. "I wish I could go back and time and take back-"

"It doesn't matter what you wish for," he interrupted. "It's too late now so you'll just have to deal with the consequences for the rest of your life. And in the meantime, I'll be around to convince you that my brother doesn't want you. You'll see soon enough."

With that, his body viciously ripped in half, blood splattering all over the place. Zoe screamed in anguish, his blood covering her body.

"Zoe? Zoe, wake up!"

The blond suddenly found herself in Takuya's arms, who had an alarmed look on his face.

"Are you okay?" He asked, brushing her hair out of her face.

Instead of answering, Zoe simply cried, burying her face against his bare chest.

Sorry the chapter was so damn long, but whatever. ^_^ Anyway please review and let me know what you think, kay? See ya and the next chapter is coming some point this year.