Deadman Wonderland: Diffusion

Diffusion

He spied on the little birdies as they fluttered around in their cage, fighting one another with their Branch of Sin abilities. His body was in a state of rapid deterioration. This body, the body of the previous director, managed to sustain his mind for a good decade. He didn't complain; a chance to live again was still a chance. With day after day, he drew closer to his goal: to unleash the Wretched Egg from her slumber.

Shutting down the Mother Goose system where She was being held was the first step of the plan. But the lullaby only stopped for a short period of time, before it kicked back in at a pretentious volume.

One mischievous little woodpecker, another day, pecking your holes.

Time passed before he had chosen the contestant for his next body. It was a young boy, barely past the age of nineteen, with feathery green hair and bright golden eyes. Hagire considered him among the elite of the other Deadmen, close to only Crow. What truly set him apart was his Branch of Sin, which the boy called "Love ☆ Labyrinth." It allowed him to copy the Branches of other Deadmen, and utilize them in combat to a deadly extent.

Ruining the woods, tree wrecker. The angry forest god turned your poor beak into a poison knife.

The lullaby was still playing. Despite this hindrance, the Wretched Egg functioned perfectly, commanding her terrifying power with ease. With movements as graceful as a dancer, she sliced away at the boy's body. First those pale hands of his, yes, they had to go. His cries of pain were drowning within the furious hurricane of blood inside of the bird cage.

Her Branch suspended him in mid air. Her pearly teeth shone through the dark red sea, and she sliced his legs off from the knees. She enjoyed this slaughter, this torture, much like psychotic children enjoyed tearing the limbs off of insects.

He dropped to the ground, bleeding exponentially. The look in his eyes conveyed a sense of understanding. He knew this would be the final Carnival Corpse he ever participated in.

Poor little wood pecker, your nesting holes are all tainted.

The center of the hurricane opened above him. The boy saw the light, saw the sun, and that was blocked out by the moon, the Wretched Egg. She hovered above him, blood whipping around her armored form, weaving in and out of the iron components that concealed her.

He put up some resistance, in the end. A shell of blood manifested in a small radius around the boy, protecting him from the first strike of her final assault. And again, it absorbed another blow.

It weakened during the third strike, blown open by a quick, crimson lash.

Your food with toxins rife. Touch your friends, and they all die falling at your feet.

With that voracious grin of hers, the Wretched Egg flicked her left hand down, and with it came the finale. A crescent-shaped strand of blood descended on her challenger, slicing open his forehead and grinding his head into steel.

This private match ended with the Wretched Egg emerging victorious. Ah, how sad it was that the song would put her to sleep again. She had so much fun, playing with the other birds.

But the boy...

Standing against the Wretched Egg was no easy feat, even Hagire had to admit it. To shield oneself against her powerful Branch of Sin, that, too, was dearly impressive.

That night, when the boy -- whose name was made apparent to Hagire when he was transported to the morgue -- lost, he decided that now was the time to secure a new host. Chan and En retrieved the freshly dead body, with all its pieces intact.

Oh, sad little woodpecker. Poisonous tears, shining brightly, as they stream down your cheeks.

He gave them instructions on writing a "backup program" which contained his memories. Should he die in his current body, the twins would immediately find the container of the program and "boot it" into his next generation. This body wouldn't last long, anyway, and he needed it in order to keep Tamaki in check until the time was right.

So the fateful day came when he, too, fought against her. Mother Goose was weakening. Its hold faltered each day. Today, tonight, yesterday, all the time in the world didn't matter to him now. He just knew that he wanted to release her soon, to tear her open again, to learn the intricacies of her body and her unique Branch of Sin.

Her strength, even though restrained, was capable. She decapitated his second generation below G-Sector; on top of that, she nearly brought the entire ward down!

Chan pressed her left hand against Mockingbird's head, while En pressed his right hand against it. Chan's right and En's left were clutching the "container" that held their father's "backup program." It was of a simple design; an organic orb with a fleshy feel to it. With hair and eyes, it was close to being a shrunken head.

Their eyes bled for three brief minutes. Then the blood ran dry, and they dropped the fleshy orb.

Mockingbird's blank eyes regained their color, going from a foggy yellow to a bright gold. His fingers twitched and his mouth quivered.

He raised his head and looked at the two of them. Chan and En. En and Chan. Two hollow birds given life at his hand. And now, he was given life again by theirs.

Useful little swallows.

He rose to his feet, in a wobbly and unsure fashion. This body felt strange. It wasn't stiff and immobile like the old man's. Quite the opposite, in fact. Maybe not now, but later..

Hagire lifted his head to them after he adjusted to maneuvering in Mockingbird's body, holding it up to one side with a bony hand, saying, "I, no...I think, we have some work to do. ☆"