Note: This was originally meant to be a one shot, but since it dragged on for too long, I'm going to break it into two chapters so it's easier. :) This is honestly one of the longest fics I've worked on, so I am nervous and excited at the same time to share it with you guys.

Takes place in AU, though I did try to make it as canon as possible. Warnings include alcoholism and a fair amount of violence. But other than that, it's pretty PG. Oh, and very slight sexual references.

Enjoy!

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"Monkeys, we need your help. Shuggazoom's top crime syndicate has been detected at Sector Three, near the old abandoned kindergarten. The police force is currently hot on their tails-"

Mandarin frowned at the choice of words. Otto sniggered softly behind him.

"-No pun intended. Our reinforcements won't be able to arrive in time. Police officers have the area surrounded, and nobody has escaped so far, but we don't have enough men to go in for the arrest. We can hold them off for about fifteen minutes, but that's it- they have a whole lot of weapons and explosives with them. We're not sure when they'll make their move."

"Alright." Mandarin replied into his communicator before cutting the call. He turned around and looked at the other monkeys, who were all already standing upright and waiting for his command after having heard the conversation. Mandarin grinned in delight.

"This is the moment we've all been waiting for," he spoke out loudly, securing his glove tightly on his right hand, "Shuggazoom's most wanted criminals are at our fingertips. We cannot let them escape this time, not anymore. Prepare your jet packs, team. We won't use the robot, that would alarm the criminals, leading to unnecessary violence. There are too many innocent lives at risk. We will carry the arrest out in secrecy instead. This is one mission we absolutely cannot fail."

The rest of the Hyperforce members nodded as Otto immediately inserted an extra tube of fuel into each of his brother's rocket packs. He winked as he passed Mandarin the last one. "All set." Otto gave Mandarin a thumbs up, smiling, once the orange monkey had locked his own refill in place.

The orange monkey nodded in appreciation. "Then we're ready to go. Monkeys, mobilize!"

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The night skies of Shuggazoom city felt cool against their fur as the Hyperforce made their way toward Sector 3. Gibson's eyes traced his scanner carefully as they got closer to where the criminals were. The red blip on the screen blinked once, twice, and then with a higher frequency, until it did not disappear at all. The scientist took that at his cue and pointed downward to a dark alley.

"There. That's where we should land."

Antauri was the first to lower his altitude, and the rest followed closely behind him. They started to walk into the blackness of the alley until all traces of street light disappeared. Mandarin activated his helmet's flashlight and quickened his pace, proceeding to the front of the team cautiously, leading them to where the police were. Metallic footsteps clanked throughout the cramped space as a sinister gloom hung around the Hyperforce. Sprx shuddered involuntarily and wrapped his arms around himself.

"I think I see them," Mandarin suddenly halted to a stop at the front, causing the rest behind him to bump into the monkey in front, creating a chained effect, "crouch low. We are near enough; we don't want to be spotted yet."

The commotion before them was indeed a sight to behold. Police cars floating in mid air flashed out moving red and blue lights, and about a dozen men formed a circle around the building, holding their guns up in front of them at point blank position. Search dogs growled with aggression and restlessness, drool dripping from the side of their jaws. A small group of reporters gathered a few meters away, clutching onto their cameras tightly, ready to catch a shot of the criminals, while another officer tried to contain the eager crowd.

"We know you're in there!" A deep voice shouted into the loudspeaker. He sounded like the man over Mandarin's communicator earlier. "We will be forced to take action if you do not show yourselves! We have you surrounded. You cannot escape!"

A hushed silence fell upon the crowd in seconds as everyone waited intently for a sign of movement from the criminals. Not even breathing could be heard as they scrutinized the building, but after a few minutes, there were still no traces of life. A few light sighs of disappointment could be heard, but nobody made a sound louder than a whisper.

Mandarin turned his head back and spoke softly into Antauri's ear, his dark orbs narrowing in suspicion. "Phase into the building and see what they're up to. I don't like how it's too quiet in there."

The black monkey nodded in agreement. "My thoughts' exactly. I'll return as soon as possible."

After saying that, he jumped into the ground below him gracefully and disappeared without a trace. Mandarin resumed looking at the building and swallowed. These criminals had escaped from his grasp once, spreading their illegal activities throughout the city- unlawful drug trades, assassinations of important embassies, selling of lethal poison. He could not afford to let anyone else to fall into a life of corruption and felony. As leader of the Hyperforce, it was his responsibility to maintain the peace in Shuggazoom, and he took great pride in carrying out his missions.

He had failed once. He is going to make sure that he does not fail again.

Gritting his teeth in determination, Mandarin activated his night vision and zoomed in on the building. He furrowed his eyebrows in concentration as his eyes swept thoroughly from left to right, looking out for any signs of footprints or clues that may lead him to-

A small, flat, grey device firmly implanted on the ground near the door of the building caught his attention. He was all too familiar with those gadgets, having used it several times himself. The orange monkey felt a wave of dread crash over him. He licked his dry lips nervously, trying to register what he was seeing in his brain.

"Explosive."

"I see it." Gibson's british accented voice sounded out from behind, his night vision activated as well. "We need to deactivate that bomb before anybody gets too close."

Mandarin's eyes turned wide in realization.

"Do you know what this means?" He shot a quick glance at the rest of his teammates, voice growing more urgent by the second, "they're on a suicide mission. The minute they step foot out of that door, the bomb is going to blow up. Everyone's lives are in grave danger now. Nova, I need you and Sprx to alert the police and get every citizen away from here. And do it quietly. We don't want to cause any unnecessary commotion."

The golden warrior stood up and smirked. "Finally we're doing something." She grabbed Sprx by the wrist and jumped into the nearby shadows with the stealth of a ninja until both were completely out of sight.

Seeing that Sprx and Nova had vanished, Mandarin then beckoned towards Gibson and Otto, who were expectantly awaiting a command. "Deactivate the bomb before the criminals come out," the orange leader placed his hands on the other two's shoulders, "be careful. I know that both of you are fully capable of this. We've had many training sessions on how to shut down explosives, and you all have performed well beyond my expectations. Now comes the real deal. I will go and join Antauri to keep the criminals contained inside the building while you two are working. Got it?"

Otto quickly erased all traces of uneasiness on his face at Mandarin's comforting words, perking up with renewed cheerfulness. "We'll succeed, definitely! C'mon Gibson, let's go!"

As the green monkey ran off, Gibson gave his leader a soft smile. "There is no need to fret. We have this under control."

Mandarin punched his fist lightly into his brother's arm playfully, a friendly habit that they had developed over time. "See you later then, Brainstrain. And look after Otto, please."

The scientist nodded and chased after Otto. Mandarin couldn't help but let a smile cross his features as he activated his powers and phased into the ground, where Antauri had gone.

This team meant everything to him, and he couldn't imagine a more perfect life without them.

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It was like the walls around him were alive as Antauri finally reached his destination. He heard continuous sounds of creaking and groaning of old and worn out wood from the footsteps above him. It was barely any surprise for Antauri to pick up every sound in the building because he was situated directly below the floorboards, which had just enough space to accommodate his small build. The black monkey activated his antenna ears and leaned towards a man's mumbling voice that resounded on top him.

"... I think -ee should... -ait until...- 'esky flies are -one-, and leave 'e –ild in –ere,"

Antauri frowned and tuned in to a higher frequency, leaning closer toward the sound.

"-and leave the child in here. If anything, he should die with us, since you filthy son of a bitch didn't wan' to get an abortion! The police gots us surrounded anyways, there's nuthin' we can do, but if we 'ave to be arrested, then I'd rather die and kill everyone around as wells! That explosive's outside the door the most powerful one we's gots!"

"Don't," a woman's voice sobbed, much softer than the male one, "you can jolly well commit suicide for all I care, but me and the child don't deserve this fate. Chiro is barely three years old, he needs me, I need to feed him, who's going to provide him food-"

"Shut up." A hiss, then silence. "Chiro waz' a mistake. Your attachment with that... burden waz' what leds us into dis' situation!"

"I honestly don't get why you like the damn kid so much, whore," another deeper voice interrupted rudely, "we don't even know who the father is. I mean, we all took turns to have sex with you so many times that night, how could you possibly tell after we've spilled-"

"Enough!" The woman raised her voice for the first time, but it was trembling as she struggled to find the words to speak, "the child is Alamie's, I loved him, he was your partner in crime until you abandoned him to die in the last time the goddamn monkeys almost got us!"

A snigger and a scoff from two different voices. Antauri silently growled, resisting the urge to attack.

"Save the child, please," she begged and started to cry, her voice breaking completely, "we may deserve death, but Chiro is innocent. He cannot die."

The black monkey's antenna ear folded back to its original size as he withdrew himself from the floorboard he was leaning on, thinking deeply about what he had just heard. Piece by piece, he connected the information all together, like parts of a puzzle. Explosive, child, indiscriminate killing of lives. It could only mean-

"Suicide mission."

Antauri whipped his head back to the sound of the other voice behind him and cannot help but let out a sigh of relief to find out that it was only Mandarin. Before he had a chance to speak, Mandarin crawled into the cramped space on all fours in front of Antauri, his torso flat against the ground.

"Don't make any noise," the leader whispered, signaling Antauri to crouch as well, to which the black monkey complied obediently, "We haven't got much time. Attack on my signal."

Silence enveloped them as Mandarin listened intently to the voices above, his eyes screwed shut in concentration to find the perfect moment for ambush. Even his breathing became deeper by the second, a technique he used during meditation when he was very focused on making a choice. Antauri knew that Mandarin required absolute silence for this, so he did not dare to move even a muscle.

Antauri waited quietly for Mandarin's command, which felt like eternity before the orange leader raised his gloved hand high enough for him to see. Three fingers. He brought down another finger as the voices got closer. Antauri activated a ghost claw, ready to invade.

One.

Antauri took that as his cue as they jumped up skillfully from their hiding spot, breaking the floorboards above them. The voices stopped abruptly, frozen in place at the unexpected appearance of the two monkeys. Mandarin wasted no time in advancing at the criminals, moving closer and closer to them until they were backed into a corner with nowhere to run. Antauri stationed himself in front of the door, both ghost claws glowing an eerie shade of green in the dimness of the room. The room was flooded in artificial yellow light emanating from a small bulb, and the conditions were horrible-dusty cobwebs, cockroaches, scattering rats. The place smelled of cigarette smoke and stale sweat. Mandarin wrinkled his nose in disgust, his eyes sweeping over the sight in front of him. Three people. Just enough for him and Antauri to handle.

The orange monkey let out a snarl, causing the woman to flinch. "Surrender and your arrest will be peaceful." He warned dangerously, before realizing that humans couldn't understand him. Mandarin sighed, then went for a more forceful approach.

He activated his blue energy tail, causing the metallic part of his tail to metamorphose into something like a rope, and aimed for the weakest of the group- the female. He ripped off part of the tail and threw it at the woman's hands, effectively tying them together as the energy rope wrapped itself around her wrists. The woman's face turned pale. She looked like she was about to faint.

"To 'e door! Quickly!"

With Mandarin distracted, the other two males rushed straight toward the exit. A short, stubby looking man hurriedly fished out a gun and shot two bullets at Antauri, who dodged aside swiftly. The man cursed under his breath and loaded a new set of ammunition into his gun, aiming for the black monkey carefully. The second-in-command charged forward without hesitation and used a claw to scratch his arm, causing the man to scream in pain as he released his weapon, which was thrown to the opposite side of the room.

"Antauri! Monkey mind scream, now!"

As if they shared the same mind, Antauri let out a high pitched screech as white, circular rings of energy assaulted his enemies. The two men cried out painfully as they tried to cover their ears to block out the sound, but eventually crumpled into a heap on the floor as the attack continued. They laid there, motionless and unmoving for a few seconds. Antauri ceased his offense and approached them slowly. He placed two metallic fingers on their necks and checked for the pulse. Weak, but still there. The black monkey let out a breath of relief.

"You should stop doing that," Mandarin commented as he carried the female over his shoulder, laying her unconscious body beside the other two, "criminals are criminals. It doesn't matter if we kill them, they're going to get executed sooner or later. The Hyperforce doesn't face any charges for killing criminals during battle anyway."

Antauri crossed his arms and looked at Mandarin directly in the eye. "All life should not be regarded lightly, no matter how tainted. It is our duty to keep evil from spreading, but that does not mean we have the right to kill."

Mandarin smirked and walked past Antauri, opening the door. "Xan has taught you well, but you remain so soft hearted, as always."

At the appearance of the orange leader, crowds outside the building cheered loudly for the defeat of the criminals, and more importantly, the success of the Hyperforce. Otto rushed forward and glomped Mandarin into a tight hug, shouting out joyfully. (To which there was a unanimous 'awww' from everyone, but Otto was too ecstatic to notice.)

"We heard gunshots," the mechanic stated, his eyes narrowing slightly in worry, "we thought someone had gotten hurt. Out of all the criminals we've defeated none of them have used guns before!"

Mandarin returned the hug and patted Otto's back comfortingly. "It's going to take a lot more than mere guns to take the Hyperfoce down. We're nearly invincible." His voice softened down a notch as he saw an innocent smile cross Otto's features. "There's no need to worry so much about me after every mission."

Taking the mechanic by the hand, Mandarin waved goodbye to Antauri and beckoned Gibson to follow them as they walked into the distance. "I'm counting on you to settle the matters with the police!"

As a second-in-command it was Antauri's duty to wrap everything up after each capture- communicate with the authorities, discuss about current criminal activities, etcetera. The black monkey waved back to his disappearing teammates and approached a police officer. He levitated the unconscious criminals out of the building and settled them gently on the ground beside him. The man grinned, removing Mandarin's energy rope and replaced it with a proper handcuff.

"Reliable as always, Antauri." He bent down and gave the black monkey a firm handshake. "Thank you for your services."

Antauri smiled in return and was about to head back to the robot when a soft crying caught his attention. He walked toward the direction of the sound and ended up inside the building. A small shadow at the corner of the room was where the sobbing was coming from, and Antauri approached it cautiously, afraid to startle whoever it was. His eyes softened considerably as he saw a small child wrapped around in a white, dirty, blanket. Gingerly picking up the child into his arms, Antauri felt his breath being taken away as he saw the most beautiful blue eyes he had ever seen. Crystal, baby blue opals, sparkling with the innocence of life itself, but with a certain depth of wisdom that he could not explain. Unsure of what to do, Antauri carried the child up and rubbed small circles on his back lightly, something he had done with Otto on several occasions to help calm the green monkey down, hoping that the child would stop crying. Chiro, Antauri thought to himself, that was what she said his name was.

The child eventually quietened down as he raised a hand to touch Antauri's face. He giggled as he came in contact with the black monkey's soft fur, tugging on it slightly. Antauri smiled and walked outside, still carrying the boy in his arms as he swished his tail back and forth to entertain him, who was mesmerized by the sight of the moving tail. The boy reached out both hands to try and grab it unsuccessfully, and Antauri chuckled. He walked toward a nearby officer and cleared his throat. The officer knew all too well that clearing of the throat meant that the Hyperforce members had something to say, so he passed his pen and notepad to Antauri, who scribbled some words down.

Can I keep him?

The man blinked in surprise. He looked down at Antauri, spotting an amused child laughing as it tried to take hold of Antauri's tail. The officer rubbed his head in confusion at the sight.

"I think so? I'm not very sure..." He replied hesitantly. As a result, the black monkey's eyes lowered down in disappointment after hearing the doubt in his voice, and the officer, afraid to offend the Hyperforce, quickly corrected his sentence.

"I mean, of course you can keep him! As the Chief of the Police Force I humbly grant you the permission to take this child into your care! After all," he pointed into the abandoned building sadly, "his parents were probably those convicts we arrested. Poor thing has nowhere else to go. It would be an honor for the Hyperforce to care for him."

Antauri's greenish-yellow orbs lit up so much, they almost glowed with joy. Reminding himself to keep his emotions in place, the black monkey quickly regained his composure and scribbled something down onto the notepad.

Thank you.

Thinking that two words were not possibly enough to express the immense gratitude he was feeling, he added something else as an afterthought.

:D

Returning the notepad to the officer and bowing as a form of respect, the black monkey activated his jet pack and flew into the skies, leaving a very baffled man behind wondering if he had made the right decision.

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"Chiro. His name is Chiro."

The rest of the Hyperforce stared at Antauri carrying a giggling human child in his arms. It was indeed a sight to behold- Their second-in-command holding the gentlest expression on his features that they had ever seen, a soft smile evident on his muzzle whenever he took a glance at the bundle of joy.

Gibson didn't know what to feel. Sprx was in shock, his mouth wide agape. Mandarin was rubbing his chin and thinking thoughtfully at the sudden change of events while Otto and Nova held a blank look on their faces.

Sprx crossed his arms, clearly perplexed. He stared at his brother as if he was crazy. "Y'know Antauri," Sprx said, "let me get this straight. You want us, a crime-fighting, superhero team to care for a kid? What were you thinking, playing angel? Do you want a halo over your head with that?"

The red monkey chuckled at the mental image, but nobody else laughed. He quietened down meekly after a few moments.

"I don't see why we shouldn't take Chiro in." The black monkey's calm exterior only added to his frustration. Sprx opened his mouth to rebut, only to be interrupted by Otto.

"I like him!" The mechanic took the child from Antauri's arms and used a finger to rub on Chiro's hair, who snickered in response, "He's so cute! And giggly!"

Nova stepped forward and took a closer look at Chiro. "I'm not completely up for the idea, but you gotta admit, he is kinda cute." She poked Chiro's chubby pink cheeks, and smiled when the child grabbed her hand before letting go.

Mandarin raised a skeptical eyebrow. "I asked you to settle matters with the police, and you bring a child back to the robot?" He tapped his foot, looking at Antauri sternly, "we cannot leave this child alone, because we were the ones who arrested his parents, so we have a moral duty to keep him until we find a couple who wants to adopt. But," he narrowed his eyes at the black monkey, "this will not happen again, understand? The Super Robot is a fighting machine, not a playground for kids."

Antauri nodded in understanding and visibly relaxed at Mandarin's approval. Gibson pried Chiro away from Otto gently and wrapped the blanket more securely around the child. He couldn't help but smile as Chiro cooed in delight.

"I will take him to my lab to check for any signs of disease. He looks like he's about three years old... but Chiro seems uneducated in terms of speech. Hmm, figures, since his parents were criminals. I'll need to get him washed up first before I perform any medical scans."

Gibson walked towards the blue tube and disappeared from the room. Mandarin let out a loud sigh as he rubbed his temples. Sprx mumbled something inaudible under his breath, earning a glare and a jab in the arm from Nova.

"Well, team," the orange monkey announced, assessing everybody carefully, "looks like we've got a new mission on our hands. I want Otto and Gibson to provide Chiro education on the human tongue. Sprx, Nova, you're in charge of self defense. Since Antauri brought him back, I want him to take full responsibility for the child's food, clothes and accommodation. And of course, as Hyperforce leader, I will provide my assistance with that. Got it?"

The remaining monkeys nodded and ran off to the respective chambers to make the necessary preparations, albeit unwillingly on Sprx's part. But an order was an order, and orders were meant to be obeyed. Antauri approached Mandarin and muttered a word of thanks, to which the orange monkey waved off casually.

"Moral duties are supposed to be fulfilled, and this is no exception."

Antauri dipped his head in agreement. "Yes... but we do face one crucial problem though."

"Spill. And that is...?"

"...Clothes."

Mandarin looked at his brother in confusion before he was struck with sudden realization. The orange monkey slapped a hand to his cheek, eyes widening in surprise.

"How could we have missed that? The boy needs clothes and we've got none since we don't exactly... ahem, wear any." He smiled with glee, rubbing his hands together excitedly at the idea of a trip to town (and a chance to unwind.)

"Tell everyone to get ready to go out in an hour, and leave Chiro in the robot. We're going shopping."

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The town square is bustling with citizens who are ecstatic over the arrest of Shuggazoom's top crime syndicate. The news of their defeat had spread like wildfire, and many of the city's peace-loving citizens could now lead the tranquil lives they yearned for without fearing for danger. Cheers could be heard as the Hyperforce made their way to the local shopping street, and more adventurous citizens even came up to them and offered tokens of appreciations, like fruit baskets, to which Gibson graciously accepted. Sprx pretended to gag jokingly at the overload of bananas, and Nova slapped him sternly on the back.

"Look at all these people," Mandarin commented to Antauri with both hands resting at the back of his head as he continued walking, "it feels really good to have them cheering for us. I don't get villains who want to take their smiles away. If I were given the choice to rule over Shuggazoom, I'd create a place where everyone lives together on equal footing. No sadness, no crime, nada, but a paradise where people enjoy what they're doing. But of course, they will need a good leader, and I'm perfect for the role."

"You do have a bizarre way of expressing your opinions," the black monkey replied, slightly disapproving of his brother's narcism, "though I can't say that I have any desire of going so far as to rule over the city."

"No, no, of course not, the situation was purely hypothetical." Mandarin shook his head. "Protecting the city is enough for me. Nothing more, and nothing less."

As the team walked toward a store with several toddler items on display behind its glass window, a friendly lady waved to them, welcoming the Hyperforce inside.

"My name is Serena, and I am the shop-owner of this humble little abode." She introduced herself jovially, and Mandarin shook her hand as a way of saying hello. Serena blushed and quickly averted her eyes away.

Mandarin beckoned to Otto, and as if reading his brother's mind, the green monkey passed him a small, newly built galactic translator badge. The orange leader tiptoed and pinned it onto Serena's right sleeve, who shuddered in delight at the contact.

Once he made sure that the badge was properly activated, Mandarin opened his mouth to speak. "I think we're looking for some clothes, suitable for a three year old." He held up four fingers and watched as Serena's eyes widened in shock at the sound of his (very, very handsome) voice. "And some milk power as well." He counted off another finger. "I think Antauri needs to get Chiro a new blanket since his current one is soiled, and perhaps a toy? To keep Chiro entertained in his room when he's busy meditating."

Serena's mind spent some time to absorb the new information. She had so many things to ask the monkeys, now that she actually understood them, but she wasn't sure what to feel-Happy because she was the first (and luckiest) person in Shuggazoom to hear Mandarin's voice, or shock because the Hyperforce had a three year old with them.

"You guys have a child with you?" She spoke slowly, her vision narrowing to the black and orange monkeys in front of her. She turned stiff when Mandarin nodded in confirmation. Then, Serena pointed to the black monkey. "And he, the one called Antauri, is the mom?"

Once again, Mandarin nodded firmly. She felt all the blood draining from her face.

"That means you two are homosex-"

Realizing the implications of Mandarin's actions in an instant, Antauri immediately levitated up to Serena's eye level and placed a hand on her shoulder. He shot a glare at the leader, who pretended not to notice as he and Sprx exchanged a small smirk. She rubbed her eyes and wondered if the very light tint of red blush dotted across Antauri's cheeks were real, or was her overactive mind just imagining things?

"Rest assured that we are not in any sort of romantic relationship," he stated calmly, "Chiro is merely a child we found last night at the site of the crime. We believe that his parents were members of the crime syndicate."

"Oh, my god, thank goodness." She heaved out a breath of relief she didn't know she had been holding, "come this way, Hyperforce members. I have all the things you want."

The monkeys explored the store where Serena led them to. The room was filled with racks of toddler clothes, pacifiers, toys, children's books, hats, and many more. Otto gushed at the tiny shoes and Nova couldn't help but be mesmerized by the number of soft toys gathered in one corner. She hesitantly touched one of them- very soft, very fluffy, and very smooth. The golden warrior grinned, grabbing a giraffe and hugged it to her chest, sighing in contempt. She doesn't know how much time she had spent gushing at the toys, but-

"Ahem." Mandarin's stare snapped her out of of her paradise as the leader stood close by. She hurriedly put the toy down, sheepishly rubbing her helmet with her tail. She glanced at the clock. Twenty minutes. Mandarin shoved a bag full of supplies in front of her face to prove his next point.

"We're done, and we're leaving."

His voice was commanding, dominant, just like how it had always been, but she knew he meant well. Nova scurried out of the store to catch up with her brothers, and turned back to wave goodbye to a very dreamy-looking Serena.

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Their days passed by peacefully. Ever since the most wanted criminals were gone, Shuggazoom's crime rate fell by more than fifty percent. With no influence or power, other smaller secret societies either disbanded or stayed quiet. Whatever monsters or convicts who caused chaos in Shugazoom were quickly destroyed or captured by the Hyperforce, with them having numerous overwhelming victories.

In about two months, Chiro had learnt how to speak properly like a normal toddler. He often wore a blue blazer with a red tie around his neck, accompanied by a matching small, round hat which Otto had picked out for him. Everyone had to admit, it did add to Chiro's adorable image. The monkeys grew closer to him than ever, and even gave him their one and only galactic translator, so there was no communication barrier between them.

In the morning, Nova would lead Chiro to the training room and they would start with cardio workouts, just to ensure that Chiro developed a healthy immune system, which Gibson said took physical exercise to build up, especially important for a growing human boy. They would do that for about half an hour before Chiro would collapse on the floor in exhaustion and groan in complaint until the golden warrior stopped and smiled, picking him up and leading him out of the room. Sometimes Sprx would pop in and take Chiro for a round of flight stimulation exercises, to which the boy would often shout out with joy and race with the red monkey to the flight stimulation room noisily down the hallway. Even though Sprx initially did have a dislike for Chiro, he soon came to open up after finding out that hanging out with the boy was actually enjoyable.

In the afternoon, Gibson would take charge of Chiro's lessons and teach him the pronunciation of certain words with the help of the galactic translator. At this point, Chiro could already say everyone's names accurately, with the occasional slip of the tongue, changing "Mandarin" into "Mandawin" (much to the orange monkey's annoyance), or "Antauri" into "Antauwi". The scientist also taught him basic numbers and very simple math, often flooding the child with worksheets, which surprisingly, Chiro had enjoyed doing very much. Often, he would get the questions correct, much to Gibson's marvel. Chiro could very well be a prodigy if he were to continue at such a rapid rate of development. The scientist couldn't help but smile at the thought.

Nighttime soon fell as Chiro stumbled tiredly into Antauri's room. The meditating black monkey opened an eye and smiled as the door locked itself behind Chiro. It was one of the gloomier nights in Shuggazoom, when dark clouds gathered up in the sky and a mist fell upon the city, blanketing the buildings.

"Antauriii," Chiro hopped over the stream and giggled as he held both of his arms up expectantly towards the levitating black monkey, "I want to fly too."

It was a habit he had developed with Chiro over time. The first time Chiro had seen him levitate, the child stood rooted to the ground for a good fifteen minutes before jumping up and down excitedly. Unsure of what to do, Antauri had picked him up by his arms and lifted him in the air, and Chiro couldn't stop laughing until his face had turned as blue as Gibson's fur. Soon the action became a routine for them, and Antauri enjoyed it as much as Chiro did.

Snapping out of his thoughts, the black monkey smiled softly and hoisted Chiro up, settling the child's small build easily onto his lap. Chiro was about a third of his size, and tall for someone his age, but still a lot smaller than the robot monkeys themselves. Chiro laughed at the feeling of cool air on his face as he wrapped both his hands around Antauri's neck and embraced the monkey in an awkward hug, sticking his body firmly to Antauri's torso, like how a panda climbs a tree.

"Gibson said that cuddles make your fears go away." Chiro's blue eyes blinked innocently, looking up at Antauri. Thunder resounded from outside the robot and he whimpered slightly, but kept a brave face, although his grip around the monkey tightened noticeably. "If I can learn how to fly like you, then I can go up into the clouds and make the thunder gods leave, so kids in Shuggazoom won't be scared anymore." He paused for a minute, thinking. "Antauri, can you teach me how to fly?"

The black monkey chuckled at the question and ruffled Chiro's hair. "Only people with the Power Primate can fly." He made sure his words were simple enough for Chiro to understand. "And you have to train for several years before acquiring this skill."

Chiro lowered his head in disappointment, but recovered in an instant. He grinned childishly. "Then can I get the Power Primate?"

Antauri smiled. "Maybe. You have a lot of potential in you."

And it wasn't a lie. Somewhere deep down inside Chiro, Antauri could sense a vast amount of hidden skill and talent. If he did happen to be a wielder of the Power Primate, he would be able to surpass Mandarin easily.

"Yay!" The child cheered, clapping his hands. "If I get special powers, I want to become like you guys, protecting the city and making people happy!"

A yawn escaped his lips before Antauri got a chance to reply. Unable to describe the warmth that was building up in his chest, Antauri let out a small laugh and levitated down, settling Chiro onto his bed. He used his telekinesis to remove the boy's hat, covering his body up with a blanket. The black monkey watched contentedly as Chiro slowly fell asleep, his chest rising and falling with a steady momentum. Over the past few weeks, he was the one who had created the strongest bond with Chiro, much to Mandarin's disapproval. It'd only make it more difficult to part ways when we find adoption parents for him, the orange leader had said. But Antauri didn't care. He wanted to cherish his relationship with the child, no matter how short their time together was going to be.

It was a sort of connection that he couldn't quite put his finger on.

'Don't grow up,' the black monkey thought, stroking Chiro's hair fondly, 'I wouldn't mind if you stayed like this forever.'

He knew that something like that wasn't possible. Antauri shook his head and sighed, resumed his meditative position in the air for about an hour before he turned off the lights, climbed up onto his bed, and snuggled into the warmth of the child beside him.

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One cried, 'God bless us!' and 'Amen,' the other, as they had seen me with these hangman's hands. List'ning their fear, I could not say 'Amen,' when they did say 'God bless us'. Methought, I heard a voice cry, 'Sleep no more! Macbeth does murder sleep'.
-Macbeth, Act II, scene II

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The changes were subtle, but they were there.

The first abnormality came about after two whole weeks of peace, when the Hyperforce was pursuing a group of gangsters in an alleyway. The gangsters were adults in their early twenties, but they were an easy catch. Gibson had grabbed one by blasting a burst of blue energy from his drill and creating a crack on the concrete below, causing one man to trip. Nova was fast enough to tackle another member from behind, and Mandarin used his tail to wrap the last member's legs together, rendering him immobile.

The gangster that Mandarin had caught faced the orange leader in fright. He covered his face with his hands, unable to look at Mandarin directly in the eye, as if he's seen a ghost.

"You're the one!" The man had shrieked out loudly in fear, "you're the one who captured the big boss a few weeks ago, and the monkey who killed Alamie!"

Mandarin raised an eyebrow and pulled on the man's shirt in a death grip. He narrowed his eyes dangerously and leaned forward until their faces were only inches apart. "So what if I did?"

He had never thought about Alamie's death until now, not when people didn't see him as anything else other than a hero. But now that his status as a hero was sort of in jeopardy when someone implicated him of murder, Mandarin started to reflect quietly, remembering how his sword plunged into Alamie's chest, leaving behind a bright stain of red. The facade he had put up in front of Antauri when he said that criminal lives didn't matter had somewhat slightly faded away now as he recalled the day the other three criminals escaped from his grasp, and only Alamie was lying on the floor, fighting for his last breaths. Like a fish out of water.

Now that he thought about it, the scene had become much more gruesome than he had originally remembered. Alamie's blood had formed a pool around his feet, but Mandarin, at that point in time, hadn't cared.

He was starting to feel slightly concerned now that someone was actually blaming him for Alamie's death. He felt his throat turning dry.

"There's no more hope once he's got his sights on you!" The gangster that Gibson had captured called out a few meters away. "You're as good as dead!"

He felt a small rage bubble up in him at the harsh tone.

"D-don't kill me! Please!" The man under Mandarin covered his face with his hands, as if trying to block out an incoming blow. "I'll repent for my sins! I'll even confess to my crimes! Just don't kill me, please, I promise I'll change, I have my whole family to support..."

The man's voice trailed off into a desperate sob. Seeing how he was begging for his life in pure fear, Mandarin's eye twitched irritatedly as released his hold on the shirt. Nobody had ever been genuinely afraid of him before. He was a hero, for Shuggazoom's sake, not a killer.

"I didn't kill him," the orange monkey whispered softly, looking on the ground with his eyes, "it was an accident."

"Liar! We clearly saw you stab Alamie!"

"He died of blood loss! You wannabe hero, pretending to be protect the city, when all you are is a cold-hearted murderer!"

"You don't deserve to be leader of the Hyperforce! You've made a mockery out of its name!"

The voices from the other gangsters blended together as one, until they sounded like a single, condemning voice in his head. Mandarin slowly fell onto his knees as the sounds got louder and more aggressive in intensity, beating at him mercilessly until doubts bled out inside his mind. He clawed at his helmet with enough strength to make dents, trying to block out the accusations that were suffocating his heart so tightly, it made it hard to breathe.

I did not kill Alamie. It was an accident. I miscalculated the projectile of my attack, and stabbed him at a vital area. He was about to shoot me with his gun. It was an act of self-defense.

I did not kill him. It was a mistake.

But it was fatal.

"I..." Mandarin's voice came out soft, vulnerable, but the remorse he was starting to grow heavier by the minute. Otto walked up to him and placed a hand on his shoulder, trying to offer even an ounce of comfort, but the orange leader did not budge.

"I did NOT KILL HIM!"

A scream, and it sounded like his own. His breathing remained deep for some time as he growled, closing his eyes shut, trying to calm his racing heartbeat down. Suddenly realizing the abrupt silence around him, Mandarin lifted his head up and looked at his surroundings, only to find numerous eyes locked onto him in shock.

Without even taking a glance at his brothers, the orange monkey turned around bitterly and activated his rocket pack, taking off into the sky and ignoring the cries of Otto behind him.

I am sorry.

At this point, he wasn't sure if he was just apologizing to Alamie, or himself.

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Every hero has made a mistake he regrets.

For some, it becomes the stuff of legend, the story they tell to others as a joke at the dinner table, or during winter when everyone is lying snugly beside one another near a fireplace in the living room.

For others, it becomes a living nightmare. It's the face he sees over his shoulder at the mirror. It's like always having someone with him, even if he's alone.

It's knowing, every second of the day, that he failed as a hero.

After the incident, Mandarin cannot get the sight of Alamie's dead body out of his head. It constantly comes back to haunt him. He tries his best not to think about it, but the memory will somehow always find a way to resurface, frequently reminding him of his mistake. Mandarin starts to grow extremely weary after a week, a certain kind of guilt consuming him from inside out.

He doesn't know when was the last time he slept. Mandarin's night is plagued with nightmares from his blood-stained sword. The taunting voices of all the criminals' he has caught. The jeering of citizens as they shot hateful glares at him when he walked down the street.

Look. The orange one. He's the one who committed a first degree murder.

We are grateful to him for capturing the criminals. But killing? That's crossing the line.

He doesn't deserve to be called a hero, not after what he has done.

So-called warrior of the Hyperforce. He is nothing like his brothers. He is a monster.

Mandarin would often wake up in cold sweat, shooting up from his bed in the middle of the night when the rest are in deep sleep. He despised these dreams. They tormented him to a whole new level- shaking up his rigid core and confidence as a hero, Shuggazoom's top protector. He knows that they are not real, and he cannot help but acknowledge them due to their frequent appearance.

During the day when the city is not in danger, he would sit in the command centre and feel the warmness of the chair on his back, not noticing the clock tick by until a few hours had passed. The weekly news would be on, but he doesn't hear a single sound. He remembers the neon colors from the television screen, flashing throughout the room, and the reporter moving her mouth, but he doesn't recall what she says.

When night falls, he becomes afraid of the dark. If he had been engulfed in black, he would see things he knew that shouldn't appear. Blood stains on his hand, even though he had a perfectly clean legal record. Alamie's blood. Or his own. Or the past criminals' he's injured. He wasn't very sure. All he wanted was for these crimson red stains to go away. No matter how hard he tried to get these stains washed off, he couldn't. It became attached to him like a parasite, draining his sanity away day by day. As a result, Mandarin never turned off the light in his room, not even when he was taking a light nap.

Sometimes when he managed to even get a few minutes of shut-eye after trying to convince himself that he is fully qualified as professional fighter and protector of Shuggazoom, he would wake up with his head throbbing, and Alamie staring him down. Like hell you are, he says to him.

Sleep. He misses sweet sleep so, so, much.

He doesn't remember when was the last time he had a full sleep cycle. Whenever he closed his eyes, he kept hearing these whispers in his head. They never stopped talking, and he doesn't even know who they belong to. Mandarin wills for them to go away, but his efforts are fruitless. He knows that, and eventually stops trying altogether.

He starts to ask Gibson for sleeping pills after the first week of insomnia. The scientist complies at first, prescribing one bottle. Then one would be finished far too quickly, so he asks for another. The second one, too, disappeared in the blink of an eye. When Gibson refuses to prescribe any more medicine by the end of the first week, Mandarin starts stealing from the scientist's lab, replacing the white sleeping pills with cheap drug store vitamin sweets so Gibson wouldn't notice.

He knows it's wrong to steal, but he simply doesn't care, not if it meant that he had to suffer the torment that sleep puts him through every single night.

It is an endless cycle of torture, and he hates it with his entire being, but he knows that he cannot escape.

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It had been a simple conversation between them. Not as two leaders, not as two partners-in-crime, but as brothers. Mandarin remembers it as clear as crystal on the night he had the talk with Antauri. The black monkey was the one who initiated it, bringing in a cup of hot tea with just the amount of honey he preferred, and sat down opposite him in his room.

Mandarin stares at his beverage solemnly. He doesn't speak.

Antauri breaks the silence.

"The whole team has noticed your change in mood lately."

Mandarin looks up at his brother. He smiles, but the smile doesn't quite exactly reach his exhausted eyes.

"I figured."

A pause.

"What's bothering you, Mandarin? Otto has been worried sick."

"...There's no use in asking me that. I don't suppose even someone as spiritual as you can get rid of the ghosts that I see? Every living, waking hour?"

"...Ghosts...?" Another pause. "Ah, you mean Alamie's."

Mandarin lowers his head at the taboo name.

"Am I correct to say that you feel responsible for his death?"

There is no response. Antauri takes it as a yes.

"Mandarin," he placed a hand on top of his brother's hand, "what you need to do now is accept your mistake and move on with the courage you once had. We all know you didn't mean to-"

"That's right, I didn't mean to." His sudden harsh tone startled them both. Then, his voice grew softer. "But a life is a life. Even if he was a criminal."

He is unable to look at Antauri. Having his hands stained with someone's else's blood, he feels tainted from the rest. Dirty. Corrupted. Evil. Mandarin buried his face in his hands.

"I know I said before that criminals deserved to die, but I didn't mean it. I never did. It was just a tough act. I wanted to show the team how strong I was, that even a death cannot affect me. But none of this should have happened."

He choked back a sob.

"He died because of me. I am not sure how much more I can take."

Antauri stared at the broken leader in front of him. He brings him into a soft hug before letting go.

"Talking about it helps. Just know that none of us blame you. It was not intentional, and what happened has happened. All you need to do, is to learn how to forgive yourself."

Mandarin brain doesn't exactly register Antauri's words fully. He is far too deep into his own guilty conscience to understand what his brother is saying. Mandarin stares up at Antauri, and looked at him as though he is speaking French.

"Do come to my room if you need additional assistance."

The orange monkey nodded as he watched Antauri walk out. Don't leave me alone, he opens his mouth to scream, but no sound escapes his throat.

And despite his promise, he never did show up to Antauri's room.

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Each night he is drowning in cold sweat. He wants to know how to bring back what life has taken away from him. His pride. His bravery. His honor.

After weeks of being locked up inside the robot, Mandarin finally decides to a stroll in the city. The light he sees is white- the first real light he's seen in weeks-blinds him, but he persists forward.

His journey doesn't fail him. Soon, he finds the answer he seeks.