Story

It was the cyber-time. For a long time in their history, there was no such thing as imperfect humans, for they all were intelligent according to status.

Yet, they were somewhat on the line of imperfection, for they still owned emotions. They were easily stopped by their emotions. Especially one named "love", for when one felt love, one's rationality would be suppressed.

At this time, there lived a perfectionist named Mana. He was a scientist who seeked perfection in humans.

So, the foundation supplied Mana with plenty of resources. He was to make a perfect human.

One stormy night, Mana had finally found out the perfect way to make a perfect human. He would stimulate the part of the brain which repressed love, so that it would only feel nothing.

He named the foetus Hyde, which apparently meant "hide", or "hidden". The true nature of Hyde was unknown, as he was without emotions.

Hyde grew fast, in a tube, and his first knowledge was the laboratory, meeting no one and knowing no one.

However, under all these, he felt very empty inside. And then he met a friend who was studying biology in the same laboratory as he was. His name was Tetsu. Tetsu was a lovely human who loved everything, made beautiful music, and was talented. Most of all, he was emotional. 

The two of them spent all their free time together, making the music which both of them enjoyed so much. Their interests were common, and it almost seemed as if they could understand each other. 

However, Tetsu always seemed sad about something, and when Hyde asked, he would reply, "Love." and that was it.

It made Hyde think of his missing heart; and suddenly he wanted to feel.

So he approached his maker one day. However, his maker said, "no, you cannot have your heart."

But days later, just as Hyde was studying with Tetsu, Mana came to them with a girl behind her.

"Her name is Megumi," Mana introduced. Hyde looked at her. She was a pretty little thing (excuse me while I puke...), her eyes were big and her smile was radiant. "She's a human, just like Tetsu is."

A microchip in Hyde's mind said, "She's the type I'm programmed to like". So he thought, /maybe I will love her if I get back my heart./

"And you can have your heart back," Mana continued, after pausing coldly for a moment, "If you kill your friend over there. It is part of the experiment which you are undergoing."

"I will surely be able to live happily if I get my heart back," He murmured, closing his eyes. 

Tetsu's eyes were flooded with tears as he looked at him sadly. "Why are you doing this?" He asked so even though the answer was evident.

Hyde replied, not understanding why Tetsu felt so sad, "It is because I want to feel love, the love which you've been talking about, the love which you've been spreading to me. I only want to know what you were talking about."

"If it is really so..." Tetsu smiled. His face was beautiful in the glare of the bright lamps overhead. "Then kill me."

Hyde reached out, almost gently even though he was a killing machine. "Thank you," He whispered.

And with a graceful movement, he pushed his hand through Tetsu's heart. Blood flowed out profusely as he withdrew it; and as Tetsu took in his last breath, Hyde held him closely. Then he turned to Mana. "I killed him. Can I have my heart back?"

Mana smiled with a cold satisfaction. "Sure you will. Remember to come to my laboratory at 6am tomorrow. Come on, Megumi."

Hyde watched as the Mana and the pretty girl left, and pieces of Tetsu's memories were floating in his mind. Somehow, something inside him forbade him to leave Tetsu just lying there as he had left others before, and he put Tetsu into the chamber where the temperature was of absolute zero, where nothing would change even with time.

The next day, the operation went successfully. As Mana was finally done with it, Hyde lay on the operation table. His eyes were closed. 

He could hardly remember anything, and then Megumi came into view. Yet he felt nothing for her, and he did not know what was warmth. Days passed. He said hurtful words, and she left him, sobbing her heart out.

Hyde still did not feel anything. Maybe the operation hadn't gone so well after all.

Then, memories reappeared bit by bit. He could see Tetsu's face again. Knowing that somewhere in there lay someone who could let him know what was love, he entered the chambers where the absolute-zero tubes lay. Among them were many dead personalities, waiting for someday when science may allow them to be resurrected.

A redhead caught his eye. It was Tetsu. It was the one whom he had killed, his best friend. And then he realized that he had killed the one whom he loved most.

He collapsed to the ground, sobbing helplessly, like a child who had lost his way.

Tetsu had indeed taught him what was love.

The memories of Tetsu was shining in his mind, as one of the chambers opened, and he slowly got in, after injecting some deadly poison... 

The death only lasted for half a second or so, before the coldness could kill him. It might have been the end, or not; it didn't matter because he was at ease. 


By Hidoko Matsumoto

http://xz0ne.cjb.net
voidmatsumoto@yahoo.co.uk