| abstract | - Gai slumped forward, lifelessly like a still doll. He couldn't muster the strength to move. Merely resting upon the couch, Gai's remaining arm hung forward, his eyes dull and listless. What was there to do? There was nothing; nothing to live for. His most important trait had been stolen from him—without his power, he was nothing but a pale shadow of the legendary White Devil. He wasn't Gaillardia Nagareboshi, but some whiny, clingy teary-eyed moeblob. This is what had become of the almighty Rising Phoenix? It was no wonder why Gaillardia Nagareboshi had given up on life. It was fucking disgusting. "Gai, are you okay?" A baritone voice resounded through the air, as Mitsuru Inazuma plonked himself down next to him. Slowly, the Nightwalker extended his arm, clutching onto Gai, wrapping his arm around his small figure, pulling him close. "What happened, exactly?" No response; Gaillardia Nagareboshi gazed into the vast abyss of nothingness as Mitsuru nudged him lightly. Once again, no response. Mitsuru tapped him on the head, attempting to get a rise out of his partner. "…So, the woman was bad-touching your brain-meats and powers, huh?" Gai murmured, "Yeah, that's right. She was pulling out memory after memory. Especially all the bad ones I'd hidden away." Mitsuru responded, "Yep. I bet she got all your most embarrassing moments. Y'know, the ones that make you wanna cry into a pillow and kick your legs?" Gai sighed, "…Yeah." The Mototsu-Seishin hybrid glanced down at the beige carpet, still completely and utterly shocked. He had—he had lost everything. Trying to snap Gai out of it, Mitsuru put on his best devil woman impression. "Very soon~ Soon I'll kill you~ Hihihihihi~" Gai's brows twitched a little as redness began to enter that frozen face. In an instant, Gai jerked upright, snapping, "O-Oi, damn devil woman…! I'll kill you before you can do me in, understand!?" He slowly extended his hands, beginning to strangle Mitsuru. "Hurk! Gai, what are you…!?" Mitsuru gasped, as Gai realized what he was doing; jerking back as if yanked by a puppeteer's string, thoroughly shocked at what he had done. "…Huh? Oh, sorry Mitsuru. I didn't mean to nearly strangle you to death, I honestly didn't." Mitsuru caught his breath, regaining his bearings. Gai's muscles relaxed for a moment, sighing, "…Guh. Damn, I still…I still can't shake that feeling. I'm sorry." Mitsuru responded, "Ah, it's okay—BWHAAAAAAT!? You a-apologized…? Really, she did mess with your mind." Gai inched back, still rather tense. At the moment that Mitsuru touched him, the Mototsu-Seishin hybrid shrunk back in fright; Mitsuru seemed rather disturbed by such an action. "…Gai? What's wrong?" Gai began to shiver, grasping onto Mitsuru lightly, informing him, "My mind was being eaten away…She unraveled my mind…She defiled my mind and stole what was most precious to me…Her touch came from all directions simultaneously. She was outside and inside and somewhere else. For a moment…I couldn't remember any of you—not even the sound of your voice. All I remembered was her, defiling my soul." Shame. Disgust. Humiliation. Kaede was talking to him; touching him that way, worming her way into his mind. Mitsuru placed his hands upon Gai's shoulders, drawing him close into an embrace, patting his back lightly as tears streamed down his face in pain. "It's okay…It's perfectly okay now. There's nothing bad anymore. You can always talk to me about it, remember?" Gai's grip tightened upon Mitsuru, hugging him tightly as he burst into tears, crying his eyes out in Mitsuru's chest. Backing up, Gai pressed his pointer fingers together, twitching, "…You have no idea how it feels; everything you've worked towards—the power you've gained to protect the ones you love; it's all sapped away and stolen by some succubus-creeper." Mitsuru placed his hand upon Gai's thigh. Gai froze up at such an action; yet he did nothing about it. A faint hue of scarlet crossed the Mototsu-Seishin hybrid's face, causing him to stutter, "…Mitsuru, I—I—I—" Mitsuru pulled Gai closer into a tight hug, pressing his lithe frame against his own body. "You don't need to worry or fight anymore. I'll protect you, no matter what. Understand?" The tears began to flow down Gai's face once again, who, after a brief pause answered him clearly yet unsurely, "O…Okay…" Truth be told, Gai had never had anyone else protecting him. He always fought for himself—this feeling, was new and unusual. He'd never allowed anyone to protect him before—in a way, Gaillardia Nagareboshi was entirely independent. But now, with his powers stripped from him, the Mototsu-Seishin hybrid felt so weak—so completely, utterly helpless like a rabbit on the freeway on a busy day.
|
