Green Goo of Jealousy
By: Angelus Erreare
Disclaimer: I OWN NOTHING. ALL BELONGS TO ATLUS USA.
WARNING: LANGUAGE, SUGGESTIVE THEMES
A/N: Dedicated to my favorite little girl…who by now had become a pretty little lady, Untainted Mind. I've heard from your sister that you're still an S/A shipper. And I've figured that yes, I've done way too many H/A's…In short, S/A made me think of you…
And YES, Contra Mundum WILL be finished.
Anyway, I hope you enjoy this fic. Much love to you!
Chapter 1: Lock of Blonde
"What the hell is her problem?! She's really ticking me off…!" growled Argilla; her arms crossed.
Serph looked at her with confusion. What was she talking about? Who was she talking about?
He looked at her, his silver eyes as inquisitive as ever and there the pink-haired woman's blood rushed to her face and turned away, "Nothing."
He opened his mouth to speak but Argilla had cut him off, "I'll just be over that hill if you need me."
And with that, she had left him.
He shook his head; well, that was strange…
However, there seemed to be nothing amiss…So, he supposed that he could go about his business…
And what business was that?
Ah yes.
His inspection of Manipura.
With his face as stoic as ever and his heart rate as calm as it had always been and having forgotten all about Argilla's strange behavior, Serph walked outside of the newly-liberated Manipura. He looked at the huge gate in front of him and made for it but stopped as he heard a voice to his right.
"Sir. Wait."
Turning to the source of the voice, he noted that it had been a new member of his tribe.
'Former Maribel…' he thought knowingly, nodding in her direction, asking for her to speak.
The woman fell suddenly silent and this earned Serph's curiosity. Tilting his head to the side, he blinked before resuming his calm self and looked at her intently, his eyes burning into her, urging for her to speak her mind; a warning that this was her last chance lest he turn his back on her.
The woman seemed to have taken the hint and opened her mouth to speak but once more froze and there darted her eyes here and there, left and right, everywhere and nowhere.
"Erm…sir…I…" she trailed off, stammering clearly in her words before nodding, taking a deep breath and spoke, "Sir. You are really strong and remarkable…I'd…"
Serph blinked. What was she saying…?
Granted, that he understood the words that she spoke; but he didn't understand why she said them…
"Sir, I would do anything for you. You have my loyalty…" the blonde told him silkily, her voice soft and sultry.
Serph blinked again.
That was it…?
Well, with all the strangeness that he felt aside, he was glad that he earned her trust and loyalty that fast…
"I would…" she trailed off.
Serph raised an eyebrow. There was more?
She would what…?
"I would do anything for you sir. If…if you want, you can…you can devour me…!" she said, her hand on her heart, her eyes piercing his.
Serph was taken aback by what she had just said. Devour her…? But why…?
Surprised, he blinked, his silver pools enlarging quite a bit, "Devour you?"
She nodded, "I'd do anything you want me to do…" she said, her demeanor now becoming bold, with a hint of a grin, her hands behind her back as she leaned forward towards him.
He stared back at her, reciprocating neither her coy look nor her suggestive and perhaps even, provocative posture. He looked at her blankly; what was she talking about…? And why was she looking at him that way…?
Still not comprehending what it was the blonde really wanted and what the real meaning was behind her previous statement, Serph merely stood there as if he were a statue and continued not to move even as the female in question began to zone in on him…in physical proximity.
"Sir…" she trailed off in a light-feathered voice that just…didn't seem natural to Serph.
Serph's silver eyes now moved from her puckered up lips up to her eyes that seemed to…sparkle?
'What is that…?' he asked himself, confused.
The two suddenly froze as a piercing gunshot was heard.
"Eeek!" squealed the blonde.
His heart skipped a beat as his uniquely acute silver eyes had caught a glimpse of the bullet that had just rushed in front of him; more specifically, in between him and the blonde girl in front of him.
'That was close…A bit too close…' he thought sourly.
Serph shook his head as he found himself broken from the trance and there stared at the woman in front of him whose locks of blonde had been sliced from her head.
What the heck just happened?!
Were they under attack!?
"…"
He listened for a split second and noticed that the gunshot was a lone one.
Nope. They weren't under attack. That was a relief.
Looking down, he found the locks of blonde hair.
'Sliced…from the bullet's accuracy.' he thought knowingly, narrowing his eyes a bit, closely noting the peculiarity of such a rare and strange occurrence.
'Then who was…?'
He raised an eyebrow and turned around, and prepared to speak when he was cutoff.
"I apologize sir."
Serph made a perplexed face as he looked at Argilla from a few meters away, her rifle in her hands, an unreadable expression on her face.
So it had been her.
Her?
But why?
He looked at her intently and the pink-haired woman nodded in understanding.
"Sorry Serph. My rifle malfunctioned." she told him before turning away and sauntering off.
Serph couldn't help but scratch his head.
What was that all about…?
Argilla's rifle malfunctioned?
That couldn't be; right?
'That's…strange.' he thought.
Strange was right.
Argilla's rifle just did not malfunction.
Hm. He was just going to ask her about that.
Turning back to the girl who had a strange look on her face, her eyes dilated and only focused on him, Serph suddenly began to feel uncomfortable. There was just something about the way this girl was staring at him that just felt…
'Wrong…'
"Better let the medics take a look at you." he told her before turning away.
He froze though and his hair stood on one end as he heard her…moan…?
Wanting to relieve himself of that strange feeling and the even stranger behavior of his new recruit, he forced his thoughts to focus on more important things, in which, they inevitably fell upon Argilla's malfunctioning rifle.
Again, he raised his eyebrow.
He really should talk to her about that.
It wasn't that he considered that to be of grave importance. However, it was just that…
'I'm just amazed that that bullet didn't hit me.' he thought with a sweat-drop.
Yes; if that rifle of hers continued to malfunction, then…
Then there was no telling on who might be the next victim. He scratched his head. He didn't really feel like being the next tragedy in the Junkyard.
'A bullet in the head; right in between the eyes…by accident.' he thought with a sour face.
He started to walk in the direction in which he last saw the pink-haired woman but stopped as he came face to face with Sera.
He blinked as she gave him a weak smile.
Again he felt strange and…awkward.
What was it with females that day that they just went onto him and giving him those strange looks!?
"Don't worry about Argilla Serph." she told him, that quaint smile still on her lips.
Worry?
Worry about whom?
Argilla? He wasn't worried about her! He was just…
"I think Argilla's a bit jealous. That's all." said the black-haired girl, cutting him off.
At hearing that, Serph gave her a confused look.
"Jealous…?" he asked, "What is that?"
Sera laughed at that.
Again, Serph felt something within the pit of his stomach stir as Sera laughed. Why did she laugh? What was so funny? Was it really funny that he knew not what this word "jealous" meant?
"Oh Serph." Sera said as she giggled, shaking her head left and right.
Serph tilted his head to the side, even more confused.
Sera, once recovering from her laughter, smiled, "Serph. Don't look so concerned. It's nothing bad…"
"But…" interjected the Embryon leader.
Sera sighed, "Okay. I'll tell you. Being jealous is…feeling bad because of lack of…attention being given to that person."
Serph raised an eyebrow, "So…if Argilla is jealous, then…she feels bad?"
Sera gestured with her hands as she urged him to continue.
"Because…" he trailed off, "of attention that…isn't given to her?" he asked, unsure.
"Right." Sera said, smiling.
"But why?" he asked; all the more confused.
Sera nodded, "Never mind that Serph. It's…it's something that you'll figure out. Don't worry." she told him as she touched his cheek with her fingers before walking away.
He looked on after her retreating form, 'Argilla's jealous…?'
xxxx
Days had gone rather quickly and for Serph, the concept of the word "jealous" had escaped his mind thoroughly.
He hadn't the time or the opportunity to ponder over the said subject…And the person in question, who was supposedly the one to exhibit such symptoms, exhibited them not.
And so, he had left it at that.
He looked around himself and sighed inaudibly.
Now, there was something else that needed his attention.
Sera was gone. And Sahasrara had denied them entry to its premises and had nullified their victory over the Junkyard. And what was worse of all…was that each of the cities that they had converted had been ravaged by a new band of rookies.
He had been receiving reports about them but had always put his other lieutenants in handling it. He had never expected the rookies to have gotten as far as to bypass their defenses and had created their strongholds within each of the four cities!
That was why he was there at Manipura…
He had once more liberated the place…
But there was one thing missing.
"You got what you asked for…"
That was Argilla.
He turned to his right and he wondered who it had been she was speaking about and who she was speaking to. He looked at where she stood and there noted that she stood on the very same place where his blonde-haired admirer had been.
He raised an eyebrow; aa, now he knew what it had been that was missing.
'She's missing.' he told himself.
But that wasn't the point.
At least, not really.
He gazed into Argilla's face and noted with peculiarity the ghost of a hint of a…grin on her face?
Was it just him or was Argilla…grinning?
He couldn't help but get a strange feeling swell in his gut as he looked at her. There was just something unsavory in the way Argilla was looking at that spot.
He shook his head. What was it with females and them giving funny and strange looks?!
It was then that he came to a conclusion.
'Females…only lead to trouble and confusion.'
Well, that was one issue…
Bu there was still the issue of the missing blonde girl.
Walking over to where his master sniper stood, he spoke calmly, "Where is the blonde girl?"
The pink-haired woman who seemed to be in a world on her own, turned to him, first slightly surprised only to turn into an expression with a hint of…irritation?
He was taken aback.
What did he do now?
"What?" she asked; still having that irritated look on her face.
He blinked, "What happened to the girl?" he asked calmly, not letting her irritation get to him.
The woman frowned a bit before shaking her head, "Dunno. She is not here; that's for sure." she told him before walking past him in one stride.
He looked on after her. She had never been that curt with him. He could only wonder as to why that was. Did he do something to offend her? Was she having problems? What was wrong with her?
He blinked and thought back; she hadn't been this distressed since…Jinana's death. And that had been a while back.
So, that couldn't be the reason.
He thought further back and there remembered Sera and what she had told him last that they had been there.
"I think Argilla's a bit jealous. That's all."
'Jealous…?' he thought; again with that issue?
What was jealousy anyway?
Was Argilla really "jealous"?
'Why?' he asked; all the more confused.
xxxx
He looked at her from afar and noted how feisty she was as she spoke to Heat.
Hm; they must be having another argument.
He looked at her with curiosity. Sera had told him that she had been "jealous" and although he really didn't pay it much heed, it did however, burrow itself under his skin.
Why?
'I can't have a member of the team who's distracted.'
That was right.
He thought for a moment. When did Argilla start to feel the way she did?
He raised an eyebrow.
'The girl.'
He shook his head.
That couldn't be right!
Besides, Sera had told him that being jealous was a result of lack of attention being received. But in his opinion, he had given her more than enough of his attention.
And she didn't even flinch.
It didn't change much in her demeanor and it would seem that she wasn't even interested in whatever it was that he had to say!
*Flashback*
The meeting had ended and each of his teammates had already begun to walk out of the room in order to fulfill each of their designated duties.
He scanned each and every one of them and finally rested his eyes on his pink-haired teammate who remained in the room, seated on the chair, inspecting her rifle.
He frowned.
He had not forgotten.
She had claimed not too long ago that it had malfunctioned.
He blinked; aa, then there was still the issue of him not granting her enough "attention". Hm, perhaps this was a good time for him to break the ice between the two of them.
Making up his mind, he lightly walked over to where she was.
The woman noticed his approach as his shadow engulfed her seated form. She looked up at him with a semi-surprised look on her face and there set the rifle on her lap calmly, "Serph. What's up?"
The man opened his mouth to speak but stopped and instead pointed to her rifle.
Argilla followed his line of his vision and spoke, "What? This thing? Yea; I was just inspecting it. You know; making sure that it doesn't become trigger-happy." she finished with a slight grin.
Serph raised an eyebrow at that.
She was saying that as if she had expected her rifle to go trigger-happy!
He blinked and spoke, "Is it still…malfunctioning?"
The woman stood; the rifle firmly in one hand before shaking her head, her eyes still on her weapon, "No. It's fine now. Don't worry about it."
He still had many questions to ask her. However, before he could utter one word, the woman had taken one step past him and cut him off with words of her own.
"I'll see you at 0500 hours Serph."
And with that, she was gone.
Serph raised an eyebrow in perplexity.
He scratched his head. Well, was she lacking attention or not?!
It would seem that she wasn't…
*End Flashback*
He frowned…ever so slightly.
Women; he just didn't understand them…
xxxx