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A flash of the bloodhound appeared in Harper's mind the moment Hyde grabbed her hand. When she tried to pull away, his grasp tightened.

"What did I tell you about crossing the line?" Hyde tilted his head and narrowed his eyes.

"I'm... I'm sorry." Harper huffed.

Her arms felt numb after the shock. After being forced to remember the face of the hound that killed all her friends, she realized that this feeling wasn't the usual fear she had.

Hyde turned to face her and spread her fingers before intertwining his with hers.

All her energy was drained in a matter of seconds. The scar began to brighten, and a red aura outlined Hyde's torso.

"Let g-go!" Harper screeched when her heart ached. A wave of confusing emotions overwhelmed her. Emotions that weren't there before.

Rage, Contempt, and a strong desire to kill scoured through her. It was extremely painful. She had never felt like this before.

Harper was able to snatch her hand away from Hyde, and all of those emotions vanished, along with the shock.

"What... What was that?!" Harper panted heavily. She felt that the bloodhound 10 years ago had a strong connection with the man before her. It wasn't a warning, but a detail she missed.

"What did you do to me!?"

"I have no clue what you're talking about." Hyde shrugged casually and put his shirt back on.

Something about his scar was very odd. Just by touching it, Harper gained hurtful memories that weren't her own. It was the clawmark of a bloodhound after all, a species they've had yet to do full studies on.

No one could tell what other various effects their marks left on someone.

"You're angry... at Someone besides me." Harper huffed. Something wasn't adding up. The scar. The painful episodes he's had. And his untamed fury toward Westona and her. "What happened to you 10 years ago?"

Hyde didn't answer. He only stood up and walked into the bedroom. Harper was hot on his tail.

"Hyde! What happened?" She stood in front of him.

"Get out of my way."

"I know what you're feeling. But whatever you're holding in, won't get any better with your plan to bring Westona to ruin!"

He was confused by her statement. And when Harper observed his expression, she realized that he didn't feel anything at all when his scar was glowing. Only she had felt the horrible shock.

"You don't know shite about me." Hyde shoved her aside effortlessly.

Harper frowned.

If anyone else knew the answer, Arnest did. Arnest was the one treating his illness.

"You didn't have to save me."

Hyde sat down on his mat and pulled a cigarette out of his pocket.

"10 years ago, you didn't have to save me from those hounds," Harper repeated. "You never had to come to my town and help. If I had known you would turn out like this—"

"Stupid," Hyde puffed out a cloud of smoke. "Do you think servicemen have a choice? When an order was issued, my job was to fulfill my duties. You think I chose to go to that crap-ridden subdivision?"

Hyde snickered, but the look on his face was fueled with bitter annoyance.

"I didn't stand in front of you because I wanted to. It was my job. And don't get ahead of yourself. I didn't go 'insane' because of you." Hyde raised his fingers and air quoted.

"I wouldn't have blamed a bystander back then... even to this day, I wouldn't."

"If that's the case..." Harper mumbled. "Why did you... why am I here? If you're not angry with me, then why?"

"You pissed me off." Hyde shrugged. "You still do."

"You plan to take everything away from me because I pissed you off?"

"You're not even a major part of my plan. Getting rid of you is the easiest part of what's to come."

"You said you weren't going to—"

"As long as you uphold your part of the deal, I'll allow you to live." Hyde drummed his fingers on his knee, bored with the conversation. "Westona's fate is different from yours."

"Wait... but you said you wouldn't—" Harper stopped herself. "Westona is our home, Hyde!"

"And?" Hyde rolled his eyes. "I've already told you that you were only in phase 2 of what it takes to accomplish my goal. Getting you out of the way allows more room for going back without a snitch giving away my location. But you agreed to keep quiet and stay in my sight."

"If you hurt the people of Westona, you hurt Yanpu too."

"He'll get over it."

"Hyde," Harper whined. "Please reconsider!"

"No."

"I'll do anything you want!"

"No. Don't make me repeat myself, or I'll take it as you disrespecting me. Your job is to keep your part of the deal. I will kill you if you don't drop it."

Harper dropped to her mat with a pout. Hyde didn't care.

"Enjoy your time here while you can." Hyde popped his neck by tilting it from left to right. "It's late. I'm gonna get some rest." He plopped himself flat on his back and closed his eyes.

~~~

There was a lot of commotion in the city the next day. While watering her flower, Harper observed the busy street. Surrounding the dojo, were lots of people.

It wasn't until she saw a very sweaty Giada not too far away, jogging toward her. She was drenched, and her black wavy hair was sticking to the back of her neck.

With heavy breathing, she placed her hands on her knees. "Harpy!"

"Good morning, Giada."

"Where isseh Arno?!"

"Um..." Harper placed the water bucket down. She hadn't seen Arnest since the day before when they were at the Vineyard. He had been disappearing a lot often lately.

The more she thought about it, Arnest and Hyde both seemed busy with something. She noticed that they hadn't paid much attention to her or Yanpu lately.

"I don't know."

"Andeh Hyde?"

"He's sleeping."

As if on cue, the doors to the dojo opened wide, and Hyde walked on out with a towel over his shoulder. He was wearing a baggy black tank top with a few holes in them, and long shorts.

He pulled his hair back into a low ponytail. When his eyes met Giada's, his stoic expression changed into one of worry.

"Mama Giada,"

"Hyde!" Giada heaved.

"Don't tell me it's the tax collectors again..." Hyde gritted his teeth.

"Non. Non! It isseh Anna Bella."

Hyde went rigid, and that's when Harper's anxiety surfaced.

"She isseh having the babinio."

"Shite." Hyde poked his head back into the Dojo. "Did you tell Arnest?"

"She came here to find him," Harper mumbled. "Is Anna okay?"

"Si. Perfeito. She isseh with Piccposto finest Doctore. I come to tell Arno."

"He shouldn't have gone far." Hyde sighed. "I'll go and look for him."

"Non! Eyu must come with Amora andeh see!"

"Giada..."

"Silencio! Must come!" Giada shook her head, refusing Hyde's denial. She walked away quickly, back up the steep hill, and climbed toward her home.

"Do you think she'll deliver the baby alright?"

"Don't know." Hyde placed his towel down.

"I hope she'll be okay. I'm worried."

"She's done this before."

"Did you just try to reassure me?" Harper followed him as he began walking the same way Giada had left.

"I stated a fact." Hyde picked up his pace. "Anna has had several natural births. You wouldn't know, but the more children a woman has, the easier it gets."

"Wait..." Harper stopped him. "I know that. What makes you think I wouldn't know?"

"Your efforts to defend incubation."

"Incubation isn't a bad thing! It's more convenient than natural birth! Do you realize how many complications are possible when a woman goes through natural birth?"

"And you think placing a packaged fetus in a machine to grow for 10 months isn't strange at all?" Hyde shoved past her. "You're more deranged than him."

Than him? Harper narrowed her eyes. Who was Hyde talking about?

They walked up the hill and neared the courtyard where Giada stayed. There were so many people standing in a crowd outside of the main home.

Muffled screaming was heard from inside. Harper reasoned that Anna must've been pushing just as they arrived.

"Why are there so many people out here?" Harper asked.

"Piccposto culture," Hyde answered. "The town is close-knit, they've known the Cazzioco family for decades. A lot of the townsfolk will come to show their support. It's tradition."

"So they all come to wait for the baby to be born? That's crazy."

"It's different. Not crazy."

"I wouldn't want all these people to show up if I was having a baby."

"You're right. You'd probably have yours incubated."

"Okay, do you have to—"

"No talking back." Hyde shushed her, pressing his finger against her lips. "You remember it, don't you?" He smirked at her.

A few seconds later, there was one more scream, before a baby's cry could be heard. The crowd began to cheer, and soon after, Giada came out from the double doors.

With tired eyes and a soft smile on her face, she wiped the sweat away and nodded. "It isseh girl."

A woman, dressed in a blue robe with long sleeves also came out. Harper was able to pinpoint that she was the doctor. "Graci everyone. Anna Bella will be alright."

Harper exhaled softly. She was relieved. Hyde's stiff stance diminished. There was no doubt that he felt at ease too.

"Come inside," Giada motioned at both Harper and Hyde. "Come! Quick!"

The crowd separated for the two. Once inside, Harper was shocked to see just how big Giada's home was. It made sense because Anna had seven children, plus the newborn.

On the walls by the doors were pictures of the entire family. Harper was quickly able to locate Arnest and Anna in their youth.

One portrait caught her eye.

An older man with a thick white beard and blue eyes next to a younger and more muscular man. The younger man had short shaggy black hair that reached below his chin.

Both men were looking at the camera, but only the older man was smiling. The two were in the middle of sharpening a sword in the photo, and only the younger one seemed caught by surprise.

Harper recognized the red eyes immediately. It was Hyde. She did think it was odd that he was included on the wall but remembered that when Hyde left 10 years ago, he ended up here.

Oddly, the photo brought comfort to her. Hyde looked less intimidating here, and very dazed. Harper thought it was cute.

"Come! Here!" Giada strolled into another room away from the entrance. Hyde was right behind her, so Harper followed. They walked into the living room, nicely decorated with the furniture being spread apart.

For a family with a lot of children, this place was very clean. And it smelled amazing. Giada was probably preparing food before Anna went into labor.

Anna was on the big couch, cuddling up with her little one on her chest. Her smile fell when she only saw Harper and Hyde.

"Where's Turo and Arno?"

"They will come soon," Giada reassured her. "Turo is at the restaurant. But he will mail Andreis andeh come later."

"Okay..." Anna was disappointed, knowing that her brothers missed the birth once again. It was already bad enough that her husband was away, on special duties to serve their country. But it hurt her just as much when her own brothers who lived nearby couldn't come.

"You did well." Hyde smiled at Anna. Harper was extremely taken aback by the genuine emotion she saw on his face.

"Thank you." Anna shifted her eyes over to Harper. "Do you wanna hold her?"

"Oh! Me? Um, no, I..."

"Non problemo. She's sleeping." Anna chuckled. "Arno called dibs, but he missed out. So I'll give you the chance."

"Are you... sure?" Harper giggled nervously.

"Si. Take her."

Harper wrapped her hands around the baby carefully, before pulling her close. And just like that, a memory of Yanpu, when he was an infant, flashed in the front of her mind.

She remembered the heightened love and desire to protect him the moment he finished incubating. Yanpu's soft skin, smooth hair, and chubby little face almost brought tears to her eyes.

Harper sat next to Anna and rocked the baby. "She's beautiful."

"Si. She is." Anna hummed, exhausted from pushing. Anna could feel her eyes shutting slowly. It wasn't long before she fell asleep.

Hyde sat next to Harper and bounced his right foot up and down.

"You look like you've done this before." He snorted.

"She reminds me of Yanpu." Harper smiled at the baby and brushed her tiny arm. "Soft skin... chubby face and all."

"You mean after you forcibly removed him from the incubator?"

Harper could sense where the conversation was going, but she refused to argue with him.

"Going through natural birth is more rewarding..." Hyde added. "Labor pains are no joke... I admire women who go through that and still are able to bounce back up knowing full well most of their work from then on will go into taking care of their child."

His words made Harper think. It was the first time he was being honest with her. And as much as she felt puzzled by it, he was talking sensibly.

There was a huge difference between scientific incubation and going through labor pain. Admittedly, when Yanpu was born, Harper was strictly forced into a work routine immediately after.

Rather than treating him with proper parental care, Yanpu was tested on constantly. He was always well-fed and cared for physically, but the facility always focused more on his mental stability than his emotional.

They only did blood tests to measure the levels of Puron he had.

Her job was to expose him to new experiences, without exceeding a standard procedure. And even though she was the scientist in charge of him, she felt a bit of disconnection with him.

Harper observed how Anna dealt with all of her children. She also saw how Giada treated Arnest and the rest. The parental love was there. It was in plain sight. And it was evident enough to make Harper feel welcomed, despite her not actually having any sort of relationship with Hyde.

Back in Westona, familial relationships always felt so formal. Harper's mother tried her best, but it was easy to see there was some sort of disconnection.

Westonian parents usually demanded that their children go to school to achieve higher education and apply for higher-paying jobs. This would ensure the parents would receive honor and awards for their efforts.

And the children would only work hard to supply everything they owed their parents for raising them.

It wasn't that Harper didn't love her mother. But her mother felt more like someone she owed, rather than someone she could be relaxed around.

But in Itaria, she sensed the closeness and warm attitude.

"You may be right."

"Are you agreeing with me?"

"I'm not sure..." Harper bit her lip. "But what you said makes sense."

Hyde chortled. "What's going on in that head of yours? All it took was for you to hold a baby for you to understand. If I had known, I would've helped Anna induce labor."

That comment made Harper smile. When their eyes met, both of them quickly changed their demeanor. Hyde's gentle attitude quickly turned sour.

Harper snapped out of her trance, remembering that the man beside her was a killer, and threatened her life several times. She couldn't believe that her guard had gone down and that he actually made her smile.

Hyde crossed one leg over the other, and placed both his arms behind his head, resting against the seat like he wasn't just getting along well with Harper. The two of them remained quiet for the remainder.

The silence was cold, but not awkward.

The more time went by, the sleepier Harper became. She wondered when Anna was gonna wake up and take her baby back, and in the process let her head fall against Hyde's chest.

Hyde was going to shove her away, but he stopped himself. Any abrupt movements would disturb the infant. So for that reason, he decided to let her stay.

He could feel her shoulders rise and fall with every breath. He noticed her arms sinking, which loosened her grip on the child.

He was extremely hesitant, but he wrapped his arm around Harper and tucked his hand under her arm to support it. This action brought their bodies closer.

It also made Hyde feel warmer. The top of Harper's head rested right under his chin. He could feel her curly hair tickling his neck, and smell her.

He thought his senses were malfunctioning because her scent was affecting him so much that he felt his stomach churn.

He exhaled and kept his heart rate as stable as he could. All the while thinking to himself, that it was better that she was sober than it would be if she were drunk.

He closed his eyes and tried his best to clear his mind.

It was very difficult. How long was he supposed to wait here? How long would Harper stay asleep?

How long would he have to support her arm to make sure the baby was secure?

His senses were irritating him. He thought about just taking the baby out of Harper's hands, but he didn't want to disturb the child.

No, the children didn't like him. At the earliest of ages, children could sense that Hyde was off-putting. If he touched the infant, no doubt, it would start crying.

He decided against moving, only to help Anna get more rest. He didn't care much for Harper's exhaustion.

But he was starting to, only because her skin and hair were too close for his liking.

At some point, his mind drifted off into a dull state. The thoughts about Harper went away, and he felt his body get heavier.

The sound of a loud click woke him up. His eyes opened, and even with the blurry blobs floating around, he could make out the silhouettes of Giada and Arnest.

Giada was holding a thick camera, and in her hands was a premium-sized Polaroid.

"So beautiful together." Giada giggled and took another picture of Hyde and Harper. Another click along with a flash went off. Hyde squinted his eyes and sat up, jolting Harper awake.

"Giada..." Hyde groaned.

"I've never seen you this affectionate before, Hyde." Anna smiled mischievously.

Hyde looked at Arnest. If looks could kill.

Arnest swallowed hard and snatched the camera out of Giada's hands. "Mama... that's enough. You know Hyde isn't photogenic."

"Nonsense! Hyde isseh made for photos. Si."

"What?" Harper mumbled. "What happened?" She became fully aware of her surroundings but was startled by Anna, Giada, and Arnest all staring at them.

"Aiy. Amora. Eyu andeh Hyde. Perfeito."

~~