As he moved away from the place where yet another of his "selves" had been killed, Aptom seethed. It was just one more thing to hate about that little Zoabrat, one more reason for him to want to eat that little annoyance and have done with it already. It wasn't just a question of gaining the little brat's Zoalord powers now – oh, no – now it was a matter of pride. He wasn't going to be beaten down by some snot-nosed little daddy's boy who could barely handle himself in a fight and was too stupid to know when to run. He'd beaten the vaunted Hyper Zoanoid Team Five, after all. They'd been hailed as the best Chronos had had to offer, and now they were all a part of his vast array of Zoanoid powers. All except Zektor, but that really didn't matter since he'd gotten a good enough taste of that bug to be able to replicate him. Now he was going to get that little Zoabrat and make him a part of his body, too. Not only would that severely piss off his former "employers", it would provide him with some needed variety in his diet.

Moving again, Aptom tried to figure out a way to separate the little Zoabrat from his dad – as in keep him incommunicado – for long enough to eat the little bastard. It wouldn't be all that difficult. At least, that was the impression he'd gotten from dealing with the kid those first two times. He'd just have to find the right words to say… Of course, finding the right words would have been easier if he'd actually been a people person. There was always the chance of asking 'Freezer or Feline Face, but if those two soft hearts ever found out just who he was trying to sweet-talk, things were going to go sour between them. Especially since both of them knew just how and – more importantly – what he ate. No, if he wanted to have that rarest of rare treats, he was gonna have to earn it for himself. It was only a matter of how…

XxXxX

Their foray into the park and the ice cream shop Kenji had seen and then begged him to make a stop at, was now over. They had ended up staying at a hotel for a half day, since Kenji had gotten tired from all the food he'd eaten and wanted to rest. He had ended up having to drag one of the other guests out behind the hotel, break his neck, and throw the body into a Dumpster because the man had been making lewd comments about what he and Kenji were going to do in their shared room. He'd almost been forced to do the same at the ice cream shop, this time to a woman who had commented that what he and Kenji were doing was "disgusting". The only thing that had saved that stupid human's life was in fact the presence of his son at the same table. But he was going to remember that foolish woman's face, her voice and mannerisms, and if he ever met up with her again he was going to rip her limb from limb.

Purely for Kenji's sake, of course.

Now that they were back in the safety of Cloud Tower, Imakarum was helping Kenji to pack. It was really too finicky a task for Kenji to manage all on his own, and the fact that his son had been stymied by the choice of which other stuffed animal to bring aside from Kaji – though it was incredibly cute – had made that fact very plain. Now that he was folding some of Kenji's favorite clothes and putting them away inside the suitcase he had bought for the boy, Imakarum took another look over at Kenji.

He was still standing in front of the small shelf that Imakarum had helped him to fill with stuffed animals, staring at each one in turn.

"Are you going to take another one of your stuffed animals, Kenji-chan?" he asked. "Or will you just be taking Kaji?"

"I don't know yet, Dad," Kenji said, turning to look over his shoulder. "I'm not sure if I should take the bunny or one of the kitties."

"Well, which one do you like better, Kenji?" Imakarum asked, smiling slightly since he suspected he already knew the answer. "What type of animal?"

"I like kitties!" Kenji said without hesitation.

"Well, then there's your answer, Kenji-chan." Patting his son's head, Imakarum placed the last of his son's folded clothes in his suitcase and locked it. "Here," he said, handing the suitcase to his son as he kissed him on the crown of his skull. "Have a good time, my son. And be safe?"

"I will, Dad," Kenji said, smiling.

Imakarum hugged Kenji, holding him, delaying the inevitable moment when he would have to say goodbye. Even if it was only for a few days, he would be lonely for Kenji's company while his son was away. A knock at their door drew his attention, and Imakarum looked over Kenji's shoulder as their door opened to admit Lord Fried'rich.

"I apologize for my intrusion, Imakarum," the Fifth Zoalord said, "but I was wondering if your son was prepared to leave yet."

"I think he is by now," he said, bowing to Lord Fried'rich. -Please watch out for him; I don't know what I'd do if he came to any harm.-

Lord Fried'rich nodded, taking Kenji's hand. "We're going to have to leave now, child. I trust you've said your goodbyes."

"Yes, Mr. Fried'rich, I have."

"Good," Lord Fried'rich said, smiling. "Then we will take our leave now."

XxXxX

With Kenji's hand gripped loosely in his own, Fried'rich led him out of Imakarum's room. Their Twelfth Zoalord really did tend to worry too much about his son's health. It could not be natural for a parent to worry so much about their child, to say nothing of the effects it had to be having on Imakarum's own mental health. This temporary separation would probably be very good for both of them: Imakarum would see that his son was able to survive without his constant supervision, and Kenji would see that he did not need to rely so much on his father. It would be a learning experience for the both of them.

Once they had reached the main elevators, the boy started to become agitated. He was young, so he could not truly be expected to know the value of patience, but now was as good a time as ever to instill in him that virtue.

"Kenji, settle down," he said, gripping the boy's shoulder more firmly as he began to fidget.

"Sorry, Mr. Fried'rich. I'm just really excited! It's not every day I get to go to a whole new branch of Chronos!"

The boy paused for a moment, nipping at the tip of his index finger the way he always did when he was thinking about something and unsure if he would be allowed to speak his mind. Fried'rich knew that the boy's fear of being rejected by those he loved kept him silent more often than not. He was easy to read, even without probing his mind for the answers.

"Is there something troubling you, child?" he asked, knowing the answer but wanting to be courteous.

"No. It's just that… do you think Dad's going to be lonely while I'm gone?"

This old routine again. It grew tiresome, but it was truly not the boy's fault for the way he had been raised. "I'm certain that your father will be fine. What are you most looking forward to seeing at the Pillars of Heaven, Kenji?" he asked, deciding to give the boy something else to think about.

"Well, are there different Zoanoids there?"

"Indeed," he said, nodding.

He was pleased that the child could be distracted so easily from thoughts about how his father would react. He truly did need to learn that his life did not begin and end with his father, though at times it could seem that Imakarum worked to cultivate that very impression.

"What kinds of Zoanoids are there?"

"The main models in that area of the world—what is known as a Section in Chronos terminology—are Vikarr, Devold, and Valvatos. The incidental models, which are made in far lesser numbers, due to their lower rate of success during processing, or their being made redundant by the later mass-produced forms, are Lu-kill and Heffex. Female Zoanoid production has so far been limited to the Halsha and Javisis forms."

"I never got to meet any girl Zoanoids while I was here," Kenji said, sounding only mildly troubled. "Do you think I'll get to meet any while I'm over there?"

"It's quite possible," he said. "But you must remember that the female Zoanoids are intended to take care of internal disputes with the scientists and human overseers. They are not truly meant to be seen. And there are far fewer of them then there are of the male type."

"How much fewer are there?"

"Since there are currently twenty-three thousand Zoanoids in that area of the Section, there are in fact two thousand three hundred of the female variants."

"Oh," the boy said, seeming to have trouble taking this new information in.

"I can explain the function of the female Zoanoids in more detail once we reach the Pillars of Heaven, Kenji," he stated, knowing that there would be very little chance that the boy would be interested in such mundane things as the inner workings of Chronos when there would be far more engaging sights visible from the windows of their helicopter.

They would be flying to the Pillars of Heaven from the heliport atop Cloud Tower, and such a thing was bound to excite Kenji, no matter how many similar journeys he and his father had undertaken together. He was still a child, after all.

"I think I'd like that," the boy said, smiling. "Thanks, Mr. Fried'rich."

"You're quite welcome."