To Heal... [C] (Read 230 times)

[Electra]

It was amazing how things turned out, it really was. Fate had brought Ellie and Kai together no more than three weeks ago now, during Magnolia Town’s rush hour, and since then, they had bonded even closer than that first night they spent together. First they completed a combined spell against a rampaging Moira in the forest, and between times they had hung out casually and talked… a whole lot to one another. The blonde had originally been renting a room in a small hotel nearby the Fairy Tail guild, but as of late she found herself spending the nights in her new friend’s room at the basement of his guild. It could of course come with all sorts of awkward moments, but thus far she had been careful and very lucky.

Today was no different. She woke up feeling delighted as she rolled over hugging a pillow tight to her chest, and decided to steal the bathroom first while her companion wasn’t around at present. He had told her that he was going… somewhere, and he wouldn’t be long. That gave her the chance to steal the bathroom first, since she always took the longest being a female and whatnot. Kai might have never questioned it, but she always showered when nobody else was around, and even if she wore casual clothing, she would always wear thigh-high socks or long evening gloves to bed. It was a habit, she would often put it down to, but it was more than that; it was something that had been deeply ingrained within her since childhood, since her father mercilessly abused her physically, gouging out chunks and lines of flesh whenever he came home in a bad mood, which was literally every evening.

She never spoke about the past, and always managed to stop any conversation breaching too far into her history. It was amazing really that she was such close friends with the white-haired Fairy Tail mage without him knowing anything about where she came from or why she had such strange habits, like hugging things at night, wearing long gloves and boots at all times, and many other things. She had gone past the point of acting cold towards her fellow mage, as she was well and truly smitten with the young man, even if she would never admit it. Other mages in the guild had picked up on her attraction towards him, mainly girls, and always asked her if they were together yet, to which she’d always stubbornly reply that she didn’t like him in that way.

All of that aside, she claimed the bathroom and showered as quickly as possible, just in case her friend would return at any time. She dried her unruly blonde locks and dressed quickly into a short t-shirt dress, typical of her to wear when she wasn’t going out anywhere particularly special. She had become comfortable enough being around Kai that she wore casual clothing rather regularly when they just planned on hanging around in his room, like they were planning on doing today. She cursed as she remembered that she had left the thigh-high white socks and matching gloves in the main room, and unlocked the bathroom door to go searching for them. Her organisational skills were not… brilliant, and she always managed to lose things. She wanted to wear the white socks for definite, because they would contrast against the dark blue t-shirt dress embellished with a large number twenty on the front in a varsity style.

Her long blonde hair was in a topknot to avoid it getting in her way while she dressed and got ready, and she was literally entirely vulnerable while she paced back and forth in the room with bare feet, bare arms and a completely exposed neck.

‘Hmmmm… where did I put them?...’She thought, standing with her back to the door that led into the basement room, a finger tapping her chin thoughtfully while she considered all of her options. She would be angry if she had lost the socks especially, because they were amazingly cute; topped with frills and bows to make them even better. The gloves she could easily replace and wear other ones that would match her current outfit, but not the socks.

What a pain…

[Kai]

Three weeks was a short time when you spent it with the girl of your dreams as Kai had. Since that time they spent in the woods, Ellie had moved back to his room at Fairy Tail and since was a form of roommate, despite not paying rent of any sort. Kai had enough jewels to pay and did enough missions to keep the jewels coming in. As long as he knew he had a chance at wooing Ellie he was happy to accommodate her. Fortunately so far, he hadn't had the misfortune of walking into the bathroom while Ellie was there, or of her getting drunk again. Of course, several nights were spent with her arms around him again, but he never brought it up. Since the forest they had become close friends, a fact not lost on the guild, who previously thought that Kai was incapable of such friendship. It was true, he had few people that were considered friends, and perhaps that wasn't the Fairy Tail way however, he was not one who had come to Fairy Tail because he wanted friends. He came because he needed help. He needed people that would be strong enough to help him find and free his sister, taken from him and sold into slavery. And yet, even though he had not sought friends, he found himself with one who he was close to as his sister. Ellie was the friend whom he never expected to find, the girl who came from the night and who had landed here with him.

He had left the room in the early hours of the morning to go to the market and get food, as well as ingredients for a little surprise for Ellie, her favorite dessert which he had discovered a short time ago to be dorayaki. In any case, he had been shopping for several hours, with completely no idea what went in dorayaki, but with a good idea where to learn. He had headed for the chefs quarter, where all the restaurants and cooks of Magnolia resided. Here he was bound to find someone who knew the secret to dorayaki.

Sure enough, he had found a pastry chef on Ivy Lane who knew of how to make such things, and had even provided them for the party where Ellie and Kai had met. Before long, he had taught Kai the basics of dorayaki crafting and where to find the ingredients. After that, Kai had quickly rushed around town to gather what was needed before Ellie got up. He had gotten it all together and was now heading back to the guild hall, the sun had already risen, but it was not yet high in the sky, and he could tell it was still only just past breakfast time.

When he entered the hall very few were present, only those who either couldn't sleep the night before, or those who had slept in the mess hall, or rather had passed out the night before. In any case, Kai really had no interest in their reasons, he was heading to his room, and Ellie. He headed downstairs and carefully pushed the door open, moving in on oiled hinges. When he had left it had been to Ellie, still in bed and sleeping soundly, and it was what he expected to come back to as well. What he did not expect when he came in, was to see a feminine figure, dressed in nothing but a loose T-Shirt, with her hair pulled up. She had her back to him, and when he entered it was without a doubt, Ellie who stood before him. And yet, he saw something he had never seen of Ellie. Scars. Scars covering her legs, arms, and neck. All of them were long healed, and yet, Kai had never seen them before. Now that he thought on it, Ellie always covered her legs and arms, and her hair always fell past her neck. No wonder he had never seen them, they were always hidden.

Walking silently to the counter as Ellie was bent over, searching for something, he put down his ingredients and turned to look back to his roommate/love interest. "Ellie?" he inquired quietly, trying not to startle her.

[Electra]

“Maybe this will teach me to be more organised…” The blonde muttered to herself while she rooted through the numerous bags she had garnered stuffed full of her belongings. When she first arrived in Magnolia, she had brought nothing but herself and a few jewels, but had ended up with quite the collection of new things thanks to job requests that she often took. Then again, ‘a few jewels’ was quite a lot, so that had covered most of the costs of her living more comfortably with more clothes than just one set. She sighed, obviously defeated in her efforts to find the thigh-high socks to wear, and eventually decided to pull on a pair of black ones, of which she had many pairs exactly the same.

Just when she had grabbed hold of a fresh pair, and the gloves she planned on wearing to compliment them, she heard the door open. The sound was no more than a whisper, but she had heard it alright. The slight click of the door handle alerted her to it being opened. Her body automatically froze where she had been bent down rooting through one of her bags, her magenta eyes wide and every muscle in her body feeling tense beyond belief. She was aware of the rising tension as whole minutes passed with nobody speaking, and because she knew nobody else but one male would enter the basement, it was Kai currently stood behind her with a full view of her numerous weaknesses. Things that other people would call ‘scars’.

After hearing her name spoken as a question, she slowly straightened up with her eyes staring at the wall opposite, not a single sound leaving her parted lips apart from heavy breathing. She had been careless, so very careless. All of this time until now had been flawless; she always took the correct items of clothing with her into the bathroom to change straight into so nothing was seen or visible when she didn’t want it to be. Since receiving the scars that ruined her body, she always wore long boots or socks, long gloves or long-sleeved shirts, and her hair was always kept long, no matter how unruly it became. The one person she would wish to stop seeing the scars was currently witnessing all of them, every one. Not just one arm’s worth, or the scorch marks at the back of her neck. He could see all of them, and it tore her apart on the inside just thinking about that fact. Ellie prided herself in being strong, both physically and mentally, and nothing much could really perturb her or stop her from being her usual carefree, happy-go-lucky self. As with everybody else, however, she had her limits. The scars on her body were on the list of the worst things about herself, in her opinion.

They were signs of her old self, of Electrace Clio Samui, the girl she wished to leave behind the moment she left home. That girl was weak, and Ellie wasn’t; Ellie was strong, bright, bubbly, energetic and, above all, happy. Nothing could stop her from being who she was, and she would always do whatever she wished without a care for other people. She truly was independent.

But now all of that façade came tumbling down the moment Kai had entered the room. Her body was still frozen and she couldn’t even bring herself to turn and look at her companion, instead biting her lip so hard that blood was drawn. Slowly, her limbs were overtaken with uncontrollable shaking as she folded her arms across her chest, a protective barrier of sorts as she doubled over where she stood. Silent tears streaked down her face, and while no sobbing came, she wanted nothing more than to collapse and cry for an eternity. It was hard to explain how she truly felt, and it was hard to face this situation.

“Kai…” She spoke his name in response, her voice quiet and barely louder than a whisper. She still refused to turn and look at him, the shakes even more violent than before as she could slowly feel herself breaking down from the inside out.

The one person that shouldn’t see this had, and it felt as if her world was falling apart. He would wash his hands of her and she would never see him again. Her fragile heart that had been pieced together with no more than cellotape was already falling to pieces again, like shattered glass it had never truly been fixed in the first place. The pieces were broken up even smaller while she stood there, tears continuing to fall and stain her face while her bottom lip quivered, trying to stop herself from crying. It didn’t work.

[Kai]

Immediately after he had spoken, Kai knew that something was wrong. Ellie froze, upright and rigid, not saying a word for several moments. While the scars that covered her limbs and the marks that marred her neck were large and numerous, none of them drew Kai's gaze. What drew his eyes was the figure of the girl before him, her psyche on it way to shattering. As noticeable as the scars were, none of them detracted from how he felt about her. As deep as the wounds must have been to inflict such damage, Kai saw naught but a beautiful girl with a past he had not even begun to understand. And as she stood there she folded her arms and began to shake, as as much as she tried to hide it, Kai knew she was crying. She doubled over, seemingly incapable of standing, incapable of facing him now that her secret was revealed. And yet, Kai knew that she wouldn't want him to simply say he felt sorry for her, no, words such as those were far too shallow for wounds this deep. She needed someone there for her, a stalwart anchor of sorts, someone she could trust. And Kai knew he needed to be that someone.

She barely whispered his name, and he knew then that he needed to comfort her. In an instant he was at her back, crouched over her and with his arms wrapped around her, holding her, forming a shield of both his body and his will. He tried to make her feel how he felt, how she was his one and only, how no scars or burns could change that. He pulled her close, trying to get her to stand up once more. He felt hot tears fall on his arm and the shakes that wracked Ellie's body dampen in his own. He was a barrier, trying to contain her sadness and replace it with his own love of her, but he knew it would take time to do such a thing.

"I see that I am not the only one who is pained with scars of the heart. Those types of scars are the ones that cut deepest, but you have the misfortune of bearing both the physical and emotional ones." he aimed to plant a light kiss on her neck in an attempt to try and staunch some of the tears. "Even a girl as strong as you must find it hard to bear this burden. I am here, Ellie, and I don't know if you remember that first night we spent together in Fairy Tail, but I told you something which I believe I need to tell you again." Creating a small space between himself and her, he tried to turn her to face him, so he could look into those lighthearted eyes before telling her once more how his heart sang of her. "Scars do nothing to detract from your beauty, tears do not make you any weaker. There is nothing you could do, nothing that can be, that will falsify this single truth. That truth being how I love you. Please, won't you tell me your woes, your troubles, your fears. Bring to me some of the burden you bear. Show me why you cry, and why you hide these scars of yours from me, the one who's heart tells him that you are the one." True, he quoted a book which he had read, he wasn't one that could think of something deep on the spot like that, but he meant every word. He would listen to her, he wouldn't abandon her, even if she thought he would.

If she was agreeable, he would guide her over to the bed and sit with her, one arm around her waist and holding her close to him to give her something to hold. He was fighting back his own emotions as well, to see such a travesty, that someone would harm this woman, was enough to nearly bring up tears, but his tears has dried up long ago. They had all be used on that when he lost not only his sister, but his Dragon as well.

He would hold her for as long as it took for the tears to stop, for the shakes to cease, and for her to feel safe with him. He would be there for her, they would be there for each other. He was, would, and will be there for her when she needed him, and even if she didn't, he needed her. He would help her piece herself back together and pick her up when she fell. He would catch her so that no inhibitions would hold her back, and most certainly, he would punish whoever hurt her this way.

[Electra]

The circumstances couldn’t become any worse. Ellie was stood with all of her ugly scars on show, marred and just as horrific as if the wounds they originated from had only just been inflicted. They bled in the form of her tears that wouldn’t stop flowing no matter how hard she tried to stem them, and she could feel herself becoming hysterical as her breath caught in her throat when she tried to take deep breaths to calm herself.

After speaking Kai’s name, he wrapped his arms around her from behind, and his touch made her body stop shaking altogether. Instead, her muscles grew tense again, and she ceased all movement apart from the rapid rising and falling of her chest as sobs developed where tears had come first. She had not been expecting this reaction, this sign of affection and comfort from the icy white-haired mage. He pulled her close, so close that through her back she could feel his heart beat and the way its rhythm was fast instead of slow and calm. As he pulled her closer, she straightened up and shut her eyes tightly, raising her head to look up with unseeing eyes at the ceiling. Her own heart was hammering hard, and with every throb it brought a shoot of pain through her system. It was strange how her emotional pain was becoming physical, much like the origin of the scars themselves.

She couldn’t believe that he was touching her, right where her scars were. He seemed to have no care for them, and he seemed more worried about her than the awful scars that marred her body. She opened her eyes slowly and looked down through a film of tears at his strong arms that had encircled her, and then at her own arms that were down at her sides. Her hysteria continued, albeit slightly restrained, while she listened to Kai speak. He was so calm and composed, and his voice soothed her as well as the words. He almost sounded poetic; as if he was speaking straight from a passage in one of the romantic books that the blonde read so avidly. She flinched harshly when she felt his lips brush the back of her neck, as if anticipating a hot iron poker to be dug into her flesh; something that happened in that very spot. The shakes returned after that as memories flashed through her mind, of her being pinned beneath the strong foot of her father while he told her that she was nothing, that she would walk this earth weak and unwanted.

Of course she remembered what Kai said to her on the first night she arrived here, over three weeks ago now, but she hadn’t mentioned as much because she was scared that her companion had said those things out of intoxication as opposed to real feeling. What she couldn’t understand was how he had been so infatuated with her on the first day of their meeting, and even though she had felt the same towards him, she was hesitant, so very hesitant. ‘What if?’ was forever on her mind. He told her that he was here for her, and that even somebody as strong as herself couldn’t bear everything on their own.

If only he knew…

His poetic language continued, words flowing as sweet as honey. Ellie wondered for a second if she was dreaming, if this was some kind of twisted nightmare that she was imagining turned alright in the end. Soon, she would wake up in the bed and none of this would be real. Her friendship with Kai would continue, and she would be careful about revealing the scars on her body. But after shutting her eyes tight and opening them again, she knew this was real. This was actually happening, and his words were actually being spoken, to her of all people. He cared not for her scars or tears, stating that neither were important and nothing could make her ugly or weak, and instead stated that he… loved her. Love? He loved her? What? Was this her mind playing tricks on her? Was she so hysterical that she was making up fantasies to make it all better? What if she turned around and saw that the white-haired youth had disappeared, he’d run away to avert his eyes from both her grotesqueness and weakness?

He begged her to tell him about what made her this way, and he wanted to help share the burden that she carried. Ellie turned, albeit slowly and rather unwillingly, to look at Kai, her magenta eyes still streaming with tears and her lips still pressed tight in a dead-set frown, mainly because she was trying to stop her pathetic sobs. His heart sang for her? The words he used were so beautiful that they made her cry more, her tears coming thicker and faster while she looked at him with a wavering gaze.

She at least owed him an explanation if he was telling the truth about how he felt. Her body moved of its own accord when he led her to the bed, and she felt entirely numb inside as she was sat down and he continued to hold her close. She instinctively drew her bare legs up onto the bed, pulling herself into a foetal position as she slid down his torso and rested her head in his lap, back turned to him as her arms wrapped around her knees as a comfort mechanism. Tears streamed continuously down her face, and only when she had snapped herself out of hysterics enough to have cohesive thoughts, she cleared the lump in her throat to speak. “My father…” Her voice was weak and dry as if she hadn’t said anything for years. “My father did this…” It was obvious that she was talking about her scars. She waited for this to sink in for Kai, for him to understand why she was so distraught.

Her own father, the man that helped bring her into the world, had betrayed and scarred her so badly that she was an emotional wreck.

[Kai]

Kai's arm molded to the soft curves of the girl he held close, even as she shook their contact did not part for even a moment. Their walk to the bed was short, but he held her the entire time, she needed a companion, and that meant that she needed contact with him. Kai knew how deeply emotional wounds cut, and that the embrace of someone was the best medicine when one's heart and mind were wounded so deeply.

He remembered the days after he had lost those close to him, Mizuki, their parents, and their dragons. All of the losses that had come in his life had also come with a strike at his heart, especially the loss of his sister. After that day seven years ago...he had been a shell of what he once was. He had wandered aimlessly through the forests until he had stumbled into a town, starving, exhausted and dehydrated, but alive. That town had been just across the border between Veronica and Fiore. He was taken care of there, but he was still empty and broken, not even a fully grown mage yet, and he had lost the will to live. It was difficult for him to do anything but sleep in that time, and his thoughts had been only of ending it, joining his parents once again. And were it not for that one man, that aggravating, unreadable man, he might not be in the present. But, that man had found him, and he had given Kai new purpose, new hope in life. That man had taught him the ways of Requip, ways that his father had never done. Syrio Forrel was his name, and he had been from a far off land where he was known as a great swordsman. He had taken Kai in and fed him food for both the body and mind. He had taught Kai the various forms of swordsmanship, given Kai the starting pieces of his set collection, and he had given Kai a purpose. He had told Kai of the crime of slaving. That that was probably the purpose of the kidnap of his sister, to sell her into slavery when she was older. This had given Kai a new light, that his sister might not be lost was enough to keep him going to make him want to live on, and it was this sort of support that he sought to give Ellie now.

On the bed, Ellie lay there, her head nestled in Kai's lap and her legs pulled up to her chest. She was still crying hard and wouldn't speak, but Kai still sat there with her, stroking her head gently with one hand and holding her lightly around the middle with the other. He waited with her, and finally she seemed to snap out of it, not looking at him, but still speaking. She told him that her father had done this, and that in and of itself filled him with a mix of rage and pity. "I see...well. I suppose that makes me the lucky one here. Better to not have a father at all than to have one who treats their own daughter like this..." He could feel her rapid heartbeat transfer through to his body, he could smell the sadness on her, he could hear the shudders in her bones, all from his Dragon gifted abilities. "How did you get away? How did you escape him? And...if he's alive, do you look for revenge?" These were all simple questions that would have not so simple answers. Was Ellie's father, as vile and cruel as he seemed, still considered her father so much as to prevent her seeking revenge? And did she escape him? Or was she saved? How did she come to be the Ellie he knew, the strong, willful Ellie that didn't seem the type to take that from anyone?

[Electra]

SPOILER: Click to show

Slowly but surely, her once-numb body regained feeling again. She felt how Kai held her close around her waist, and how he continuously stroked a hand through her messy hair. It soothed her, albeit slightly, and she knew that she could get through this, no matter how hard it felt or seemed, nothing was impossible… at least, she hoped not. Her breathing was calmed, as was her frantically, erratically beating her heart, and she continued to take deep, calming breaths to ensure that the sobs and shakes wouldn’t return. Her body was still trembling and she could feel that much, but she couldn’t do much about it.

She was astounded by how patient her companion was being with her. Was this what it felt like to be in a relationship? In amongst her sadness and sorrow, she felt a slight warmth radiating in the pit of her stomach just from Kai being beside her, for holding her and actually caring for her. In a round-about way, he revealed that he didn’t have a father, but she knew as much after the memories of their first night together had returned a couple of days afterwards. She started to wonder what was better; if her father had died and left her alone, or if he had lived to do what he had already done. If she could turn back time to change things, she was unsure of whether she would do it or not. As terrible as the scars she had received were, and as messed up as she was, she was scared to think what would have happened if she stayed as her old self, the weak Electrace. Chances were that she wouldn’t be here today if it wasn’t for her father’s harsh treatment to her most of her life.

And then the questions came, one after another. She knew that they would be asked, but it didn’t make it any easier to answer them. She took a deep breath and shut her eyes tight, tears continuing to fall down her face. She felt bad for ruining her companion’s trousers as her head was resting on his lap and her tears were dripping down onto them, but if he was truly annoyed, he wouldn’t be here like he was now. Perhaps it was best to start her story from the beginning.

“I was born in Crocus, the capital of Fiore… although everybody else lived prosperous lives, my family lived on the outskirts of the city in the slums alongside some others that were shoved aside…” Her voice was still shaking slightly, as if it was about to crack, but now that she had started, she chose to soldier on with her magenta eyes shut tight. “My mother was a banished daughter of a merchant, my father was a shoe maker. They might have loved one another at some point… a year after their marriage, I came along, and that’s when things started to turn nasty.” Her hands subconsciously clenched into fists around her knees as her eyes flashed open, tears streaming down her face once more. “Daddy was never home when I was young, and mama always looked after me. All I remember was him coming home with bills, shouting at mama, hitting her with things, and then going to bed. When I was six years old, mama had enough of the abuse and left him, leaving me behind. With her gone, he turned his anger on me…”

Her arms unwrapped themselves from around her knees and she held them out, the shakes in them quite easy to see as she let Kai look at the wounds for himself. “At first, he would hit me where nobody would see. But then he became more and more violent, and after he lost his job, sadism started to appear. He would heat an iron rod and gouge these lines in my arms until I couldn’t scream for him to stop and I thought my tear ducts had dried up… when he ran out of space here, he moved onto my legs. In a random bout of anger he struck me with a hot coal that melted his own flesh, but that left this scar.” She gestured vaguely at the back of her neck where the angry scorch mark was present. “I found that I was able to use magic at the age of ten. When I was able to defend myself, he would become even more enraged and go to every length to keep me pressed down. He feared things that he didn’t understand, and magic was one of the things he couldn’t begin to comprehend. He called me a demon child, the spawn of all things evil, until eventually I left home in the dead of night. I must have been… fourteen years old.” She had dealt with that pain for far too long, she realised, as a sad, distant smile plastered itself on her lips.

“I developed that strange sleeping habit of mine after mama left home because nobody hugged me like she did, so I suppose I was always searching for something to cling to… I was born as Electrace Clio Samui, and because she was so weak, I threw her away to become Ellie who would be strong. As for daddy… he may well be locked up somewhere by now, somewhere for the mentally insane. Poverty drove him mad and got rid of everything he loved, so he could never love me… I guess I’m okay with that…” Her voice was still quiet, even if it had regained slight strength while she had been talking. After that, she fell silent to listen to what Kai had to say in response.

[Kai]

Ellie's hot tears rolled down Kai's leather trousers and Kai continued to sit with her, breathing calm and thoughts at ease. He waited patiently for Ellie's answers if they were to come, and if they didn't he would be perfectly fine with it, he would simply be there for her as needed and ready to continue to serve as a shoulder to cry on. Yet, after the long silence, just when Kai was convinced she wouldn't answer, Ellie spoke.

She told him of her origins first, living in Crocus, her life in the poorer part of town, her mother and father. She said that her birth was the cause of her parent's troubles, and as much as Kai wanted to object to that he remained silent as her story continued on. A father who was never home, Kai knew what that was like, but Ellie had had a mother with her, Kai and Mizuki hadn't had anyone but their servants. Ellie held her arms out and for the first time, Kai really took a look at the raised pale flesh that covered her old wounds. They were large, and numerous, and yet they fit the tough girl that Ellie was. Kai looked back to the back of Ellie's head as he stroked it and she continued on. She had been through numerous tortures, all inflicted out of rage or simply because her father wanted to, and all of them pained Kai to hear about. Then she answered the question he had been wanting to hear about most. She had managed to escape at 14. So that was when she decided to become strong? Well, Kai was glad she had left and that she was here talking to him now.

Her sleeping habit then became clear as well. He remembered the night they had spent together in each others arms, she had started it and he had thought it was just her drunk and assertive that night, but now he knew that it was a far deeper habit than that. Kai smiled a bit at that, not the reason behind the habit, but rather his misinterpretation of it.

Ellie seemed to be finished talking then, and waiting for Kai to speak his mind, and yet he was silent for a time. He stopped stroking her and instead scooped her up into his arms and moved back onto the bed, laying down and setting her carefully on top of him, once again wrapping his arms around her waist. "You say your father never loved you...well, his loss. I've seen just how great you are, and I want to give you the love that he always denied you. And if he feared you...well, he would fear all of Magnolia then. He was narrow minded from what you tell me, and if he is dead, well I hope he is, because if not then he will have me to answer to if he ever crosses paths with me." He sighed contentedly, breathing in Ellie's scent as her hair draped over him. "And as for you, I am here for you. I will hug you, I will be there for you, I will do everything to help you, because that's what is right. I...dunno if you feel the same way as I do, but my love for you knows no bounds, and I will be your shield and anchor for whenever you need it." She was on her back on top of him and he unwrapped his arms now letting them go limp at his sides and giving Ellie the freedom to do whatever she wanted to do. If she wanted him to hold her more, she could put his arms back where they were. If not, she could get off him. Anything she wanted him to do he would. This was her time, this was a time when he needed to help her and he would, as his heart was hers.

[Electra]

The blonde held her breath apprehensively in the silence that followed her tale, hoping that her friend wouldn’t think less of her for hearing it. Her body grew tense once again as if awaiting to be struck or hit or yelled at, and her eyes instinctively closed tight while anticipating such a thing. Instead, Kai stopped stroking her hair and wrapped his arms around her, moving them both back onto the bed properly. He laid down and placed her on top of him, keeping his arms around her waist as he held her close. Her magenta eyes were wide and staring at a fixed point up at the ceiling, amazed by the reaction she had received. She had been expecting disgust or something along those lines, and had instead been embraced.

He went on to say that it was her father’s loss for never loving her, and that to make up for the lack of love she was shown as a child, this white-haired young man would show her it instead. Kai stated that her father was narrow-minded for being fearful of magic and things that were beyond comprehension, and threatened that if he ever saw the man he would exact revenge on him. A slight blush had stained Ellie’s cheeks about what her companion said before, about loving her unconditionally, and she thought back to the first night they spent together. He had said as much then, hadn’t he? She was still astounded by how somebody could have these feelings for her after learning the truth, and after such a short space of time. Maybe she would ask him, because she was immensely confused by this fact. That being said, the only person she had ever truly loved was her mother, and she had left.

Could she bring herself to truly love again?

Kai continued, stating that he would be here for her no matter what, to hold her and comfort her and act as an anchor when she needed one. He expressed uncertainty as to her own feelings about him, but in spite of the possibility of being rejected, he bravely confessed his love yet again. After speaking his mind, he let his arms fall from around her waist, and the lack of contact suddenly scared her. She blinked wide-eyed and her heart beat rapidly increased again as she frantically turned herself around on top of him, eyes sad and full of a longing, a longing to be loved by this young man.

“Please…” She murmured, biting her lip and having to halt her speech as she wrapped her arms around him tightly, pressing herself down on him with her head pressed against his torso. “Please don’t let me go…” She pleaded softly, her voice feeble and weak and reverting back to a time in her childhood when she felt the same; when she had watched her mother leave the house. She had begged and pleaded and wailed, but her mother wouldn’t take her. She had been doomed to stay with her father. She realised that she never wanted to be left alone again, and more than that, she wanted Kai to stay in her life. It was all so overwhelming that she didn’t know what to say or do, and she couldn’t confess her feelings for him as her mind was in such a muddle of emotions at present. She was sad, happy and distraught all at once, and her grip around her companion didn’t loosen or let up as she nuzzled her head against his chest affectionately. “I don’t want you to leave me, Kai… I need you… I… need you…” Her words became slower and held much more emphasis as they were a little disjoined towards the end. Fresh tears poured from her eyes as she inched up her companion’s body, resting her head on his strong left pectoral where she pressed her ear down to listen to his heartbeat.

Its rhythmic beating soothed her, and the tears fell slower as breaths came through her slightly parted lips, her eyes wide and unblinking as she stared across the room at nothing in particular. Nothing mattered anymore, not as long as Kai didn’t leave or let her go, not ever.

[Kai]

Kai closed his eyes as they lay there, even though his arms were at his sides, the feeling of having the soft form of Electa with him was soothing after such a reveal on both their parts. He felt her squirm on tip of him, moving to roll over so they were chest to chest. Her heart rate had increased as soon as he had let go, and she had quickly settled on top of him again, looking him in the eye for a moment before wrapping her arms tightly around him, as though he was the only thing she was sure of. Her head was laid on his chest, ever so gently, and she was whispering, nearly whimpering, for his return to holding her.

His heart thudded in his chest as she nuzzled into him and told of how she needed him. Could she mean...could she mean that she felt the same way as he did? But...he had to keep it under control, she was distraught, of course she needed him. But still, there could be something there. Gently he wrapped his arms back around her, holding under her arms and around her back. He held her as he had held his sister when they lost their parents, how he held her to comfort her. And, on a whim, he craned his neck and kissed her forehead as she rested on his chest. "Don't worry, I won't leave you, no matter what. And you can't leave me. Deal?" He let his head fall back on his pillow, looking at the ceiling. He squeezed her affectionately and a contented smile crossed his face. There were no more secrets now, except...his magic, and his history with his sister and their Dragons. That was something he wouldn't tell her until the right time, and that would be when they found his sister, only then would he feel right about it.

[Electra]

Much to her relief, she felt the same pair of strong arms wrap around her again, and in spite of everything that had happened to make her an emotional wreck, a small, barely undetectable smile touched her lips. Her eyes widened in surprise as she felt his lips gently press against her forehead, effectively placing a kiss there. To say it caught her unaware would be a huge understatement to say the least. Was it a sign of comfort as opposed to love? She couldn’t really be sure with the way her mind was working at present, and all she could do was snuggle herself closer to him in the hope that he wouldn’t see the blush creeping its way to her face.

She heard his head softly hit the pillow as he leant back down, and he spoke up; stating that he wouldn’t leave her and that she shouldn’t worry. The blonde did feel more reassured, that went without saying. Just hearing the words solidified them in her mind and made her realise that Kai was somebody different; he wouldn’t do what everybody else seemed to, and he would actually stay with her. He continued to state that she couldn’t leave him either, making it part of a deal between them, by the sounds of things. It seemed so simple and almost childish, but it managed to settle her down when she assumed nothing could console her, and for that she was glad. She nodded her head slowly in agreement, movement obstructed by her companion’s chest, quite obviously, but an agreement all the same.

“Yes… deal.” She vocalised her agreement as if to make it even more obvious, and a relieved sigh shuddered through her shaking body, enjoying this feeling of closeness that the two of them shared. They may have only known one another for three weeks, but their bond was a close one. All she had to do now was make sense of her frazzled thoughts and find out what she truly felt for this young man, as this whole incident left her feeling utterly and completely drained.

Eventually, her body relaxed entirely. The trembling and shaking subsided, and she did indeed feel rather… at peace. She was unsure about whether she felt better because of sharing how she felt about her father, or because it was Kai here to comfort her. She curled her legs up slightly on top of him, her head still tilted to the side on his chest while she continued to listen to his continuous heartbeat. Something about it mesmerised her that she couldn’t quite explain, and she wouldn’t wish to either. That would ruin just how special it was to her. “I’m really sorry about all this…” She managed a shaky laugh, raising a hand and undoing the topknot that her hair had been tied in, feeling irritated by how uncomfortable it was becoming as it pulled her long locks tight. Her blonde hair splayed down to her hips and the usual bangs framed her face now, and slowly but surely, she was seeming much more like her old self. “But let’s get one thing straight. If you call me Electra or Electrace, I may just have to pummel you.” Now she was most certainly becoming more like herself. Although her tone was deadly serious, it almost seemed comical. “Like I said, I threw that girl away. She was too weak for her own good. You know me as Ellie, and you will only know me as Ellie.” She stated, tilting her head back to look up at her white-haired friend. Her eyes were still glistening with tears that hadn’t fallen, but in spite of everything, a smile did actually touch her lips.

[Boom boom boom, END THREAD]