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At 5:55 PM that evening, Harper handed another stack of papers to Hyde, showing Yanpu's vitals results for the day.

He took it from her and skimmed over all the details. "You're early today."

"His heart rate has increased several times again." Harper glowered. "Can you please tell me what's going on?"

"Your job is to gather the info, summarize it, and hand it to me. I don't owe you shite."

"You're right. But... understanding that I really care about Yanpu's wellbeing, can't you tell me so I can at least sleep without any more worries?"

"You're precious," Hyde taunted her. "Why would I do that for you?"

"Hyde..."

"My shoulders are a bit stiff..." Hyde rolled his arms and neck. "I could use another massage."

"You're ignoring me."

Harper's shoulders sank. He was back to his usual selfish ways. His attitude from speaking with Andreis completely turned 180. That terrified her, that he was able to juggle his tone and behavior around without much effort.

Harper raised her hands to Hyde's shoulders, before letting her fingers rest over them. Slowly, she started to squeeze and press onto his skin.

Hyde exhaled briefly and scanned the information she wrote on the paper.

"Well whaddya know..." He murmured. "His heart rate did increase..."

"If... if something is happening at the school..."

"It's not a significant difference." Hyde turned the page. "There's one thing I noticed in your reports."

"Huh?"

"You don't list any records of past health complications."

"... that's not what you asked for..."

Hyde slapped her hand away and quickly turned around to face her. "This is a half-arse'd report."

"You asked for his vitals,"

"It's your job to give more than what I ask for, Considering the fact that I'm sparing your life."

Harper took a breath."I'm the primary caretaker of Yanpu. As far as I know, Yanpu has never had any complications with his health."

"You're the same person who didn't even know that shock therapy was used on him."

"Why is this a problem? You don't care about Yanpu." Harper threw back at him.

"I don't," Hyde smirked. "But that doesn't mean I won't ask."

"I gave you an answer. Can I go?"

"Make me a sandwich." Hyde yawned and kicked back on the floor. "Cut the crusts off."

Harper inhaled slowly, staring hard at him. But after a bit of hesitation, she pulled herself up and did what he commanded.

She went into the fridge and took out some ingredients to make a basic sandwich, slamming a slice of the unusually colored meat in between the bread to vent her frustration. She cut the crusts off unevenly, not wanting to put much effort into his meal.

She heard footsteps tapping on the concrete behind her. But when she turned around to bring him his sandwich, Hyde was nowhere to be seen.

He was gone and left the sad excuse of a snack with her.

~~~

"Stand up here," Hyde pointed at a big tree stump poking out of the grass. Before Yanpu could take a rest from his day at school, Hyde ushered him right back out of the dojo and brought him into an open field near the vineyard.

"Hold the bucket high, and keep it up. Let's see how long you last."

"Do I have to?" Yanpu mumbled lazily, exhausted from the night before. Hyde was taken aback by the response but masked his shock with a hardened sneer.

"Do you want to fight back or not?"

"I don't wanna fight."

Hyde raised a brow. "Then why the heck am I out here wasting my time?"

Hyde clenched his fists and stepped forward dangerously. While observing Yanpu's scrawny frame, thin arms, and skinny legs, he wondered what exactly had Bomb been using him for.

What was the purpose of this experiment? It seemed that, unlike Hyde, Yanpu wasn't born to be a powerful combatant. But that was odd, since Hyde was similar in stature, 24 years prior.

Hyde asked himself why Yanpu's abilities haven't kicked in yet. He reminded himself that he wasn't only trying to aid the kid to avoid school bullies but to test how much power the boy could actually control.

"Stand here and don't let go of it," He repeated his earlier words. "Not until I say so."

Yanpu stepped onto the stump woefully.

Hyde sat down on the grass and took out his pack of cigarettes. With a heavy sigh, he lit one. An hour went by and Yanpu's legs began to become sore. He started to tap his feet against the wood to extend circulation throughout his lower body.

Hyde furrowed his eyebrows at the little dances Yanpu was doing but kept the confusion to himself. "If you can hold out for another hour without letting go once, I'll be impressed."

Yanpu's chest rose and fell heavily. Despite his arms trembling, he fought hard to keep the bucket over his head.

He tried his best to drown out the sounds of Hyde puffing the smoke out of his mouth, and his constant foot tap against the stump. They were distracting him.

Unfortunately, only 30 more minutes passed when Yanpu caved. The bucket full of rocks hit the ground, and most of the contents inside spilled out. Yanpu's tiredness overwhelmed him.

His vision faded and he toppled over.

"What the heck?" Hyde hissed. He threw his hands out and quickly caught Yanpu before he went down. "Oy, kid."

Hyde gently nudged him. Yanpu's head dropped downward and Hyde pressed his hand against the boy's forehead to steady his neck. He swore and laid Yanpu flat on his back to rest on the grass.

Did he overdo it?

The thought crossed Hyde's mind for a split second.

The buckets weren't that heavy. Not for someone with Puron for blood. Why wasn't Yanpu using his abilities?

Weeks before, back in the wastelands, Yanpu almost killed Hyde. His lack of effort to shift the crystals in the cave, to cause the solids to erode and reshape proved that his abilities were immeasurable, potentially greater than Hyde's.

Puron gave them strength. Unnatural amounts of it. So why was Yanpu holding back?

By choosing not to trigger his power, he was going to end up damaging his muscles, or even worse.

Hyde tucked one of his arms under Yanpu's feet, and the other around his back, before scooping him into his arms.

Yanpu's messy hair, coated in sweat, hung over Hyde's fingers. He twisted his lips in revolt.

"She won't let me hear the end of it," Hyde muttered to himself, talking about Harper.

His goal wasn't to overexert the child. It was to test his endurance, his strength. But he couldn't do that when Yanpu was refusing to put in any effort.

Until Yanpu had the will to fight, Hyde couldn't do anything with him. Yanpu was as useless as coal in a burning forest. He had nothing to offer.

He propped Yanpu up, holding him more securely. The kid was out cold.

"Hyde," Arnest's voice called out. He approached from behind with soft footsteps crackling the grass. He stopped when Hyde turned to face him. The moonlight shone against Yanpu's face, and Armest immediately noticed their lack of consciousness from him.

He lept over and halted to a stop. He hovered his fingers over Yanpu's head before peering up directly into Hyde's bone-chilling eyes.

"Is he...?"

"He's alive," Hyde confirmed before Arnest started to overreact.

"Oh..." Arnest exhaled as if he put down a heavy weight. It wasn't that he thought Hyde killed him. Yanpu was very important to Hyde, as he was the key to a great purpose.

"He collapsed."

"I see." Arnest nodded. "I don't see any bruises so that's a good sign."

"That means she won't worry and do something stupid," Hyde stated emotionlessly.

"A letter," Arnest waved the paper in front of Hyde's nose. "from Harald. I just came back from the Postal Home."

"What does it say?"

"It's written in Kragaran." Arnest raised the paper to his face. Itaria was a great place to see the moon, but only in Piccposto did the light brighten up the entire field.

"I'll read, you translate. But excuse my pronunciation. I'm a bit rusty." Arnest cleared his throat and began reading the first two sentences. "Neyph tan gorrh, neiylagt su mordhe. Neht no phert puhsht wedst sul meidth."

"The ship will sail from the North to South. Nay may there be a Westie's sight on me." Hyde recited. "He's on his way?"

Arnest nodded and continued reading. He paused briefly, trying to comprehend the rest of the letter. "The Officials could be keeping an eye on him. But he sounds urgent like he's trying to take off."

"Harald wouldn't do that." Hyde shook his head. "It is urgent, but he's saying that he will come to Piccposto to keep out of their sight."

"I have a bad feeling about this,"

"As do I," Hyde admitted. "If he leaves now with the ship, then Westonian Officials will think it's suspicious. They could intercept him,"

"They're using the DTA as a cover."

"I'm not surprised." Hyde shrugged. "We have to make sure that he docks on the eastern section, and not Piccposto."

"Why the East?"

"Isn't that where your older brothers reside?" Hyde raised a brow. "They'll take care of him. If Bomb pinpoints that location, he'll end up lost. The East is a massive trading district."

"Of course, plenty of tourists from other countries go there all the time because of the valuables. And the food." Arnest smiled. "The DTA time period will only last for so long until they will have to leave."

"Exactly." Hyde nodded. "When the DTA expires, it'll be easier for us to travel east, and to leave."

Arnest couldn't have thought it better himself. As always, Hyde was one step ahead.

"But before we go," Hyde gestured at Yanpu's unconscious body, "He's gonna have to pick up a few tricks."

"What do you mean?"

"He needs a bit of stimulation." Hyde's eyes darkened.

Arnest couldn't understand completely what the look on his face meant. For the past few weeks, Arnest and Hyde have tried many things to provide for Yanpu's social and emotional intelligence.

And it was obvious that he wasn't adapting well to Piccposto. "Is it not enough?"

"He's refusing to use his power."

"Oh." Arnest blinked, stunned.

"But I think I know what will motivate him."

"How so?"

Hyde smirked in response. However, Arnest felt a bit uneasy. "Is it her?"

"Who else?"

"Hyde... I'm not one to go against anything you plan for, but..." Arnest didn't want to admit that his recent interactions with Harper had an impression on him.

He had seen a side of her that was so vulnerable, so terrified. Although it was only in seconds, she trusted him when her fear coursed through her.

"She's been through a lot lately."

"You're worried about her?" Hyde scoffed.

"Not quite—"

"I'm practically looking my end straight in the eye, and you're concerned about a woman who is associated with everything your people are against," Hyde seethed, "Have you lost it?"

"Hyde, calm down!" Arnest spat. "I'm more concerned about you! I don't want your desperation to cause you to make a decision you will regret!"

"I don't have the time to focus on regrets." Hyde cackled. "I can't sit here and wait for a solution to fall into my lap. I'm at my wit's end. You know this."

"I do, but..."

"This isn't something I'm messing around with," Hyde stated honestly. "I have to try everything."

"Hyde, you aren't alone in this." Arnest retorted. "Every decision you make will affect other people. We don't even know for sure how stable his condition is."

"Who says we can't find out?"

Arnest rolled his eyes, tired of debating with him. "Alright,"

He knew that the only reason Hyde was acting so irrationally was because of his circumstances. As someone he considered family, he wanted to call him out for it. But as a close friend, he wanted to provide comfort.

"Test him."

"I wasn't asking you." Hyde moved Yanpu's body up and placed his head to rest on his shoulder.

"I'm not doubting you," Arnest grabbed Hyde's arm. "But allow me to find other ways to help."

"Do whatever you want." Hyde snatched his arm away and walked on the path that led back to the dojo.

~~~

Some days had passed and Harper was starting to get impatient with Hyde's antics. She would hand him the reports she wrote on Yanpu's results, and every time he would complain.

Her report was either too long to read or had too many grammatical errors. He was never content with anything she created. It upset her because her reports were up to the standards at the Facility. What would a no-good brute like him know about informative reports anyway?

Harper wiped a small droplet of sweat cascading from her face.

The aroma of freshly made carrot stew filled the entire room. She had just finished whipping it up.

Earlier that day, Giada had taken her along to the market. They had a nice conversation. Harper let it slip that she didn't know how to cook, so Giada bought her some carrots, canned broth, and a few other ingredients to make something quick.

The steam made the dojo really warm, so Harper spent the last half of preparing the dish waving her hands around her face to cool down.

Harper turned the fire off and slid the pot across the stove.

"Mmm..." She moaned softly when the scent drifted around her airways. She was surprised to see that it turned out well.

All she needed to do was a little taste test. She opened one of the drawers and pulled out a wooden spoon before dipping it into the stew. When she brought it to her lips, a soft giggle escaped her.

Her first dish tasted great. It was so well seasoned that she could've thought Arturo himself prepared it for her. Of course, it was Giada's recipe. There was no wonder why it was this delicious.

"What a surprise," That monotone, venom-laced voice that Harper loathed to hear whistled into her ear.

Hyde was leaning against the counters to her right with a dark smile on his face.

"I already put the report on the table." Harper frowned.

"I'm not here for that." Hyde twirled his fingers mockingly. "I see that you've finally picked up a skill that makes you somewhat useful."

Harper rolled her eyes. Rather than arguing with him, she grabbed a bowl and a ladle and scooped out his serving.

When she handed it to him, he took it with a look of astonishment written all over his face. His eyes seemed somewhat dazed as he tried to identify Harper's intentions.

"I didn't poison it." Harper felt the need to explain. "Giada bought the ingredients."

"I'm more worried about the taste." He chuckled and took the bowl from her.

Slowly, and hesitantly, he raised the dish to his lips and took a sip. Then he brought it away to glance at the contents, puzzled. "Hm,"

Harper raised her head and waited for his judgemental words.

"Not bad," He stated emotionlessly, before sipping some more.

"Do you need a spoon?" Harper teased, saying extremely low so he wouldn't hear.

She grabbed another bowl to start fixing a portion for Yanpu, but Hyde snatched her wrist when she grabbed ahold of the ladle.

Harper gasped and her body tensed, panicking that he would hurt her. But his expression was blank. There was no ill intent written anywhere on him.

"Yes?" She mumbled.

"Don't serve anything to the kid just yet." Hyde let go of her.

"What? Why?"

"Because I said so."

Harper inhaled. She was imagining punching him square in the nose for being so rude, especially after she chose to fix a meal that wouldn't harm him in any way.

"Yanpu just came back. I'm sure he's starving."

"He'll live." Hyde placed the bowl into the sink. After he rinsed it, he turned off the water and remained there.

That was very off, Harper noticed. Something about his demeanor was more stiff than usual.

"Set that aside and put your shoes on."

"... Why? Am I going somewhere?"

"We are."

"To Giada's?" Harper assumed. Anytime she would go out this late in the evening would be to Giada's to check on Anna, or if she was going to the marketplace down the path. She had already gone to the market earlier, so maybe Hyde wanted to go see Arnest's family.

"It would be a lot easier for me to tolerate my decision to spare you if you just did what I told you to." Hyde seethed.

"Okay, okay." Harper sighed and placed a pot cover over the stew. Then she walked over to the entrance to slip on her sandals.

"You don't have to be so threatening. I'm only asking out of curiosity. See? I'm doing what you said." Harper brushed her hands against her hips before gesturing at her feet.

"You," Hyde pointed to Yanpu. "Get up too."

"Him too?" Harper mumbled to herself. Why did Hyde also want Yanpu to tag along? "His vitals would be much easier to read if he's had plenty of rest."

Hyde shot a glare at her, and Harper quickly closed her mouth. "It was just a suggestion. I could get the reports to you quicker."

Yanpu's eyebrows raised as if he wanted to ask Hyde a series of questions about Harper also coming with them. Earlier in the week, Hyde had been taking him to the vineyard to test his strength.

He collapsed one night, and suddenly, Hyde stopped taking him there. He was going a little crazy wanting to know why.

Yanpu put on his shoes without any hesitation.

"Oh," Harper started to speak again as Hyde shut and locked the dojo doors behind them as they stepped out. "Giada had been wanting to know when you would come over. I think they need a little help with the baby."

Hyde kept silent as they walked down the path.

"It seems like she needs you to pick up some supplies because Andreis and Anna are a bit busy handling their newborn."

Nothing. Still no response.

It wasn't until 5 minutes later that Harper realized they were walking in the opposite direction of Giada's courtyard.

Perhaps there was something going on? Was it an event or a festival? Another one of Itarian, specifically Piccposto's traditional gatherings?

There had to be a reason he was taking them to the vineyard.

"Hyde..." She decided to call him as another 5 minutes went by.

"Are you listening to me?"

"I hear you."

"Oh." Harper crossed her arms. It was a little chilly out.

"Let's stop here." Hyde brushed his hands together.

"Here?" Harper looked around. The clouds were covering the moon, so it wasn't as bright as it usually was.

Why did he bring her out here?

"You're testing my patience."

"Me?" Harper blinked.

"Which, I don't have much of."

It took a few seconds for her to realize that Hyde had circled around to her front and he was looking at Yanpu.

"You've pushed me over my limit. So I'm going to test you one more time, and don't hold back." Hyde bent down slightly, so Yanpu would see him directly. "You're being given one more chance,"

"Hyde, what are you talking about?" Harper asked him.

Hyde ignored her question and shifted his gaze over to the bucket. "Lift that bucket over your head, and don't let go until I tell you. I don't want to see a tremble, shake, or quiver coming from any part of your body. Don't play me for a fool, I know that you are much stronger than I take you for."

Yanpu bit his lip nervously. His fingers fiddled with each other as he tried to think about Hyde's words. Were they a threat?

"Don't want to?" Hyde exhaled and his eyes began to glow.

Something about his slow and cautious movement scared Harper so much that her arms and legs went rigid.

"Fine, you can't say I didn't try reasoning with you." Hyde stood up gradually.

In the blink of an eye, Hyde jolted forward and his hand wrapped around Harper's throat.

~~