Chapter seventeen:

 

#Millia:

 

Oh God, he just had to stick the sore rib, didn’t he? Oh… Oh…

Numb the pain, Numb the pain Millia…

Deep breath… it does not hurt, its just a speck of dust compared to-

 

“What now?”

I frowned at him, “You thrust your finger between my ribs and ask what?”

His expression- or lack of- never faltered. “Let me see.”

See my ribs? Are you insane? “What?” what happened, hair? You were about to shred him moments ago, now is a good time to act up, you know!

“Let me see your bruise.” He took a step forwards, and I maintained my ground, if a soldier he wants, then a soldier he will get.

“No.” I glared up at him, there was a steady pulse of pain with every heart beat, but I refused to let it show. Hair, do something, now!

As Sol usually did, he ignored me and reached for my shirt -the one I borrowed from Jun back at the May ship.

 

I watched as everything went in slow motion, he closed his eyes turned away and caught the quick needle of hair in his hand, completing the twirl he turned back to look down at me.

 

My head was caught in an uncomfortable angle, but what else could I do? Everything seemed to fail wherever Sol was involved.

 

I pinched the vein in his wrist when his hand caught my shirt, never once did I take my eyes off his. My other hand was in the hard mold, and thankfully his own was busy as well.

 

“Let me see, Rage, anything else broken that I should know of?” why did his voice always sounded like he had just woken up?

“My feelings?”

“Hm.” I gave up, and studied his eyes to make sure he wasn’t getting any perverted thoughts, this isn’t exactly they way I had envisioned myself ‘making out’ with my future husband.

 

That vision usually involved smiles.

 

“Shi…” his gaze darkened, and though it didn’t hurt that much just seeing the look in his eyes was enough to make me doubt. “You were walking around with this under your shirt?”

I looked down at two ribs crossed with a dark blue scar. It must have happened when that car hit me. I never really looked at it, just felt it in the hospital. I never told the doctors, didn’t want them to find out about…

Uhh…

 

Uh oh…

 

His eyes turned to look at me again and I scowled, exactly how I was trained. “You can put the shirt down, you know.”  

He unclenched his jaws, but said nothing. He let go of my limp hair and walked over into a room. I sighed in relief and slumped to the floor, thank goodness he hadn’t noticed, I would have been done for. 

 

I lifted my head to the sound of his footsteps, he was buckling up his shirt and walking towards the exit. “Where are you going?”

“Out.” With that he shut and locked the door behind him.

 

No.

Nononono…

 

He left me alone again!

 

I never recall being scared of being alone, not even in the dark, but the past week and the few days after it were just… scary.

 

I had ran away from the only home I had ever known, killed the only person whom I knew better than myself, is being followed by my family who wants to kill me. Haunted by the shadow of my mother and- and my father is a bounty now! Like if that wasn’t enough, I’m married to a man who has no intension of sparing a single glance my way…

 

I’m ready to die now.

 

The door opened again so quickly I almost jumped out of my plasters. My eyes met empty, steel-blue ones. “Sol.” I had to swallow to keep the emotion from my voice.

From where he stood at the door, he threw something at me, I caught it with ease and looked at it, a tube of some kind of cream…

“For the ribs.” He explained and put his hands on his hips. “Can you reach there without breaking anything?”

I pressed my lips together in annoyance, and threw the medical object back at him, he never bothered to catch it. “You don’t order me around.”

 

I knew I should have started panicking when he picked the tube from the floor and stepped towards me.

 

“I’m not a child.” He grabbed my good arm and pulled me to the couch I was forced out of a while ago. “You don’t own me, Sol!” I gasped when his hand slid over the shirt. “Damn you! You told me I should accept your help but you never offer you bastard!” I kicked as best as I could, the pain in my head and chest only increasing. I glared at him, knowing that my eyes held the tears.

I guess I should be proud they haven’t fallen yet.

“You are not my father.” I whispered, he was still emotionless. “You have no right.” Please don’t hurt me, just like everybody else.

“I’m your husband.” He said it. With a straight face. Like it was supposed to be one of the most understandable laws of the universe.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

#Sol:

 

“I’m your husband.” If nothing else would work, this should. Its not the fact that I want to help her, I just cant stand the thought of a woman beating me, in anything. Women will never have that power on me again, never.

 

Her shoulders slumped, her hair died down into stringy strands and her eyes lost their gleam. She had that empty look in her eyes again damnit.

 

“Listen Rage, you want out, then you get better, I’m not leaving you out there like this.” At least make her get the idea that you don’t care personally about her. Do you?

 

Do I?

 

“Why.” Our eyes met.

I have no idea. Why am I doing all this? Why am I helping her?

Answer now, think of the sole reason behind your existence later.

“You cost me money, Rage, I’m not going to just let you die after spending so much.”

“So hand me over!”

You mean, like a… a… A bounty? “What?”

“Hand me over, I think the bounty on my head is more than enough to keep you going.” She was angry, I can smell it in the hormones pouring out of her into the air.

“Drastic measures. I’m not into that yet.” I scoffed and dropped the tube in her lap and got up to light a cigarette, but then forgot that I haven’t bought a lighter.

“Then let me go, I’ll return the favor later.”

I shook my head, “You owe me your life, woman.” Sigh. “You cant repay that.”

“Then just kill me! Sol I don’t want to live the rest of my life…” there was a long pause. “Miserable.”

You wont be miserable, I’ll see to that. “Whatever.”

“No Sol!” she was suddenly in my level, pain in her eyes, “I’ve been miserable most my life, please don’t let me be forever!”

 

I looked down at her, her eyes searching for answers. Two hundred years in this world taught me a lot of things. If it would keep her mind at peace then so be it.

 

“Fine.” I chewed on the filter before I took the cigarette down and opened my mouth, then closed it, then opened it again. “Anything else.”

“What were you going to say.”

“Nothing.”

“You were going to say something! What is it?”

I shoved the cigarette into my pocket in anger and looked down at the annoying woman. “You want to know?”

“Y-Yeah.”

 

I walked closer, until there was nothing between us but mere inches. Her breath on my face and the quick rise and fall of her chest creating a tense atmosphere.

 

Launch: Levelbp.exe

Blood pressure leveled, vessels returning to normal in 2.53 seconds.

Launch: Levelhrt.exe

Heart beat rate leveled, 70\60

 

Damn, she’s hot.

“Haven’t you ever considered,” I watched her every expression. “That maybe there are people who don’t live happily ever after?” she paled. “Not everybody live happy, some people live miserable, and die miserable. Others live a fairy tale and die happy.” Man I should quit smoking, I’m loosing my breath. “Don’t get your hopes up too much, Rage, you might get disappointed.”

She gasped quietly, “What are you saying…”

“What I’m saying is you look up too much, I’m doing my best, don’t question me, don’t question that. Just be grateful you have something now.”

 

What did I just say.

What in the bloodyrealmofthedead did I just say?

 

A tear rolled down her cheek. “I- I understand.” Her hair swayed when she shook her head. “Sorry.”

“Its not like I love you or anything.” I had to cover up somehow. I turned around and sat on the couch, chewing on a cigarette for the lack of any other source of nicotine.

She fell next to me, her shoulders slumped in defeat. “Can I ask you for a favor?” she said very slowly, pronouncing every syllable carefully.

I think you have asked me enough but It wouldn’t hurt to have a little fun. “What.”

 

“Can we play a game?”        

I didn’t know if it was the lack of nicotine in my head or … did she really ask me to play a game?

“We’ll play pretend.” She didn’t look at me.

“What?”

“I’ll pretend to be the patient.” She rubbed her arm. “And you’ll be the doctor.”

Been there, done that.

“Doctor Badguy.” It was Doctor Fredrick, actually, but yah. “I have a sore rib, do you mind helping me?” I knew somewhere under the curtain of that blonde thick hair she’s trying hard to not cry, but damn her voice sure sounded leveled.

I guess years of staying with a blind guy makes you learn such a talent.

 

“You want me to pretend I’m a doctor and fix your bones?” I held my cigarette in my fingers and studied her.

“Yes.”

I guess it wouldn’t hurt. I squeezed some of the tube’s slimy content in my palm and tried to not look when I traced her ribs with my fingers, her skin was on fire. She hiccupped and pressed her forehead to my shoulder. I knew it had nothing to do with the pain, I barely applied any pressure, but the previous talk probably opened her eyes to reality.

 

Something sank in my chest and for the life of me I couldn’t locate it.

What could be more scarier than losing something that wasn’t physical?

 

End of chapter seventeen.

A/N: is it just me or is this chapter shorter? >_>