After he was born to his prostitute of a mother, Zero had been given to Dr. Katse from his father, Diono Varasta. Diono wanted nothing to do with the child of a prostitute, but he couldn't bring himself to kill his own blood. He told Dr. Katse to do whatever he likes with the boy, but he could not tell anyone, including the child, about his lineage.
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After receiving the child, Dr. Katse used him as a prototype for the experiment he was preparing, dubbed Ether Influence. Seeing as he was simply a test for the actual experiment, the boy was given the name ‘Zero’.
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Dr. Katse aimed to create something spectacular out of Zero as far as his ability was concerned. With the Ouroboros as its core, he worked tirelessly to put a plan in place to turn Zero into something truly special. The ability he planned for was named Greed. Since it would be a unique ability, he couldn't be sure of how it would work, but he wanted it to take something. Whatever that something was, they would find out when the time came.
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The first 8 years of Zero's life was spent cooped up in MERD's facilities. Outside of the ongoing experiment for Ability Influencing, he was used as a subject for any other tests the facility needed to perform.
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“Zero, this will be your new home from now on.” Says a young Cem to an expressionless Zero. The petite cabin was situated on the outskirts of a small village surrounded by trees and a single dirt road leading into a likewise small town.
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“Go ahead and open the door.” Zero does as instructed and is met by an attractive young woman with shoulder length reddish-brown hair little younger than Cem.
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“Oh, I didn't know you were bringing… a child with you.”
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“Cem, who is this woman?” Zero says, beginning to hide behind Cem.
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“This is-
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“My name is Anri. What's your's?”
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“Dr. Katse calls me Zero.”
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“Hmm… Why does he call you that?”
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“I don't know.”
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“You are quite the kiddo aren't you?”
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“Kiddo? What does that mean?”
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She smiles. “It's just another way to say kid. Anyway, are you hungry? I just made dinner.”
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“Yes I am.”
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“Great, come on in.”
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Zero walks through a modestly furnished living room and into the kitchen, oblivious to anything but the divine scent of Anri's home cooking. Three plates of roasted chicken, mashed potatoes, green beans and buttered bread sit on the dinner table, still steaming.
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Anri was about to say something before being abruptly cut off by a loud stomach grumble.
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She looks at Zero to confirm it was him, but the look on his face said it all. He was staring at the meal in front of him, mesmerized by the aroma.
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“Go on.”
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He tries to contain his hunger, but he speeds over to the table and sits in the chair nearest to him and begins to devour his plate. By the time Cem and Anri are halfway done Zero had already asked for a second helping. In his eyes, this was the greatest meal he'd ever had. Lab food didn't even compare to the flavors that were coating his taste buds.
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“Looks like you enjoyed it. Did you have enough?”
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“Yes. It was… good.” Zero says, cleaning his hands on a towel. Anri reaches over with her own towel and gently wipes his face. He looks at her and is met by a heartwarming smile. After she cleans him up, Zero lets out a yawn.
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“My mother always said a good meal was the best sleep aid. Ready for a nap?”
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“Yes.”
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“Great. Follow me and I'll show you to a bed.” She says while getting up from the table. Zero drowsily follows suit. As she walks past Cem, she tightly grips his shoulder and looks him in the eye before walking off down the hall.
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“Here we are.” She says while pulling the blanket back. “Climb on in.”
She creates a small fire at the tip of her finger to light a candle in the room. Zero gets in the bed and she tucks him in, kissing him on the forehead.
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“‘Night.”
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“Goodnight. Thank you for the meal.”
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She closes the door and walks back to the dining room where Cem awaits her return.
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“I'm sure you know what I'm about to say, so go ahead and explain yourself.” Anri sits back down in her seat across Cem.
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“So about my friend…”
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“Friend!? That's a child!” She says through a hushed shout.
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“Look, I know how you must feel about this, but-
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“But what? You said you needed somewhere for a friend to stay for a while, but you failed to mention that it was a kid! Where's his parents? Who are his parents? Do they know he's here? Why was he with you in the first place? Wh-”
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“Anri!” Cem says forcefully.
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“You told me to explain myself, so I will. You're upset, and I understand that, however, you have to calm down before I can tell you anything.”
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“I'm not upset, I'm just worried, y'know?” She says while tapping her foot and biting her lip. “I just… don't know anything about this.”
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“How you feel is justified. Here's a forewarning: I can only tell you so much about him due to my position as Madu's teleporter.”
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Her foot tapping slows. “OK, fine.”
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“Now that we have that out of the way, I'll go ahead and start with the big things. He doesn't have any parents, so you don't have to worry about what they might think about his situation.”
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“What happened to them? Did they drop him off at your door and disappear or something?”
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“No, they dropped him off at M.E.R.D.'s door and disappeared.”
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“What does-. Just… keep going.” She cuts herself off and sighs, waving him along.
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“Once he got to M.E.R.D., a researcher performed several tests on him for the last eight or so years. He performed worse than expected, so he was taken off the roster of test subjects and abandoned. That's when I picked him up and brought him here.”
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“Human experimentation? And he's the product of that? You are really dropping a load on me.”
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“I know, and I'm sorry to do it so suddenly.”
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“So now that I kinda sorta know who’s in my house, how long is he supposed to be staying here?”
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“About that…”
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“Cem I swear, if you say-”
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“Permanently.”
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Cem teleports over to her and covers her mouth with his hand.
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She screams something unintelligible before Cem teleports them both outside.
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He takes his hand off of her mouth.
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“Now that you got that out of your system, will you take care of Zero for me?”
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She steps away from him and stares up at the night sky for a moment.
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“Fine, but only on one condition. You have to come around to spend time with him too.”
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“Why? And why me specifically?”
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“At the very least, a kid that's been through as much as he has deserves more than one parent. Besides, it looks like he trusts you.”
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“When you put it like that, I guess I can't really say no. You've got a deal.”
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“You're lucky I like you…” She mumbles to herself.
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“Morning kiddo.”
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“Good morning Ms. Anri.”
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“Y'know, it's been six months since you got here. You don't have to call me Ms. Anri anymore.” She says while sliding a plate of food over to his seat at the table.
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“What do you want me to call you?”
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“It doesn't matter as long as it's not Ms. Anri. You can figure it out later, just don't forget.”
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“Yes ma’am.”
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“When you're done eating can you go into town and get some more eggs from Mrs. Jensen?”
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“OK, are you coming with me?”
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“Nope. I've got some laundry to do before Cem gets here, so I'll stay home this time. You should be able to do it on your own. I believe in you.” She says, tapping him on his chest.
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He finishes eating and heads into town. They had been in town together multiple times before so he knew his way around. Some of the townsfolk remembered his name and even gave him snacks on a few occasions.
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The walk there was about an hour as per usual. Zero was greeted at the town gate by a few of the townspeople and they pointed him in the direction of Ms. Jensen's farm.
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“Thank you.” He says before continuing on to his destination. After another 30 minutes, he arrives at the front gate of the farm. Once inside he walks to the barn situated in the center of her land.
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“Hello? Is Ms. Jensen here?” He shouts into the slightly open barn door.
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“Oh my! Is that you, Zero? You scared me!”
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“I'm sorry.”
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“Oh it's fine. More importantly, where is your mother?”
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“My mother? I don't know. I've never met her.”
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“Then who is Anri to you?”
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“My Caretaker.”
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“Really? Well, if you say so. Anyways, what can I do for you today?”
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“Ms. Anri said she needs two dozen eggs.”
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“OK, coming right up.” She turns around and grabs two rectangular boxes of eggs out of a trunk and hands it to Zero. In exchange, he hands her four gold coins.
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“Thank you.”
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“No problem. Next time, tell your mo- Anri to come with you.
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“Yes ma'am. Goodbye.”
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Zero walks out of the barn and starts to head home but stops when he sees an all too familiar face.
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He dashes over to the nearest alley and ducks into it. He can feel himself panicking. He had just started to get comfortable in this town. The people were nice. Anri made the most amazing food for him everyday. Cem came around every so often and trained with him. He actually had a life here and he refused to get wrapped back up with the researchers of M.E.R.D.
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“Ah, Zero! I've been looking all over for you.”
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Zero looks up, horrified. It was Dr. Katse.
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“Come now, let's go. You haven't had a check up in months.” Dr. Katse says, grabbing Zero's hand and pulling further down the alleyway.
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He tried to resist, but he couldn't get loose. Dr. Katse's grip was too tight, and at this point Zero was being dragged away. He tried to scream, but was quickly struck in the head, forcing him unconscious.
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.
.
.
Anri shoves the tavern door open.
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“Hey, have any of you guys seen Zero around here? I sent him to get some eggs a few hours ago but he hasn't come back home yet.” Asks a worried Anri.
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“Oh, he got the eggs from me, but I haven't seen him since then.” Says Mrs. Jensen.
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“I saw him earlier with a tall older gentleman.”
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She slams on the table. “Who was that man and where did they go?!”
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“Woah there! When he was here in the tavern before that, he said he goes by Dr. Katse. It sounded like he's some big name researcher from M.E.R.D.. They went towards the Southern end of town.” Says the Bartender.
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“Dr. Katse from M.E.R.D.. This couldn't get any worse.” She mumbles to herself as she sprints through the door of the tavern, now on the hunt for Zero.
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Zero awakens to a painting of the Ouroboros. Immediately afterwards, he feels his arm and leg restraints chafing his wrists and ankles. He tries to look around the dark room and finds nothing but more images of the Snake.
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A door opens. A bright light blinds him for a moment. His eyes adjust to see Dr. Katse walking in.
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“Ah you're awake.”
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“Where's Anri?!” Zero says while glaring at him.
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“I see someone's gotten a little feisty since the last time I saw them.” Dr. Katse says with a chuckle.
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Zero scoots away from him as he walks closer to him.
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“Would you like me to let you in on a secret?
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“Stay away from me!”
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“Well since you're so enthusiastic about it I will. Previously, if a child reached eight years of age without awakening an ability, they would live the rest of their lives without one. However, a young man named Faust Von Tyrol just awakened his ability at the ripe age of 16. Do you know what this means for you, Zero?”
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Zero’s lip quivers. “I don't… want to leave.” He says, beginning to cry as the few but fond memories of his new life rush into his mind.
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“Did you say you ‘want’ to stay here? That's the first time I've ever heard you ‘want’ anything. You must really like it here. Too bad I'm taking you back to the lab with me.”
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“NO! I want to stay here with Anri!” He shouts at Dr. Katse.
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“Again with the wants. This isn't a choice, boy!” He says as he swings, hitting Zero squarely on his chin, dazing him on contact.
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A muffled woman's voice comes from behind Zero.
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“Zero… Zero… Where are you!…”
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Still staggered, he lets out a shout. “I'm HERE!”
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“What are you screaming for? No one is going to hear-”
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An explosion. It happens a few feet away from Zero, blasting a massive hole through the wall, blowing flaming debris across the room.
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“Zero!? Are you here?” Anri says, stepping into the now burning building.
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“Ah… you must be… Anri. Dr. Katse says through coughs.
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“Who are you and what did you do to Zero?” She runs in front Zero and glares at Dr. Katse.
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“Nothing much. Just a little rough-housing. But I'll be taking my leave now. Remember our conversation, Zero. You wouldn't want this precious life of yours to be taken from you.” Dr. Katse says before dashing out of the building and leaving town.
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Anri pulls Zero close to her chest and runs out to the street. Once outside, she burns the ropes off of his wrists and ankles.
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“Did he hurt you? Do you want me to go hurt him back?” She says while wiping tears and dirt from his face.
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“You'd do that for me?”
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“For my son, I'd do anything.”
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'Son?' Is that… true?
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He examines her face closer and sees faint tear stains on her cheeks.
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Was she crying… for me?
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“Do you… really mean it?” He says with more tears welling up in his eyes.
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“Of course I mean it. For you, my son, I'd take on the whole world if I had to to see you again. I love you kiddo.” She kisses him on the cheek and pulls him close.
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She loves me…
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He couldn't hold it back anymore. He bawls out in his mother's chest, sobbing uncontrollably and hugging her tightly.
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“I was so scared! Dr. Katse said he was gonna take me away from you!” He cries loudly. “I never want to leave you!”
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“Don't worry, I'll never let anyone take you away from me for as long as I live.”
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“You promise?”
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“Yeah, I promise.” She kisses him on his forehead.
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“I love you, mom.”
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