Tap-tap-tap-tap. The sound of the punk-girl's foot tapping impatiently was becoming annoying. Forte ignored it, staring over the wasteland at the Neo Arcadian base in the distance, still in poncho and armor. He didn't want to hear about the broken contract or their deal if everything failed. He didn't even want to be anywhere near the Neo Arcadian base. But he was standing here with the punk-girl, waiting for her Goth-friend to appear and hoping beyond all hope and desire he could have a second change. I need to see Halperia again, Forte thought sadly. I need to know if he's okay...or I'll go insane again...
The punk-girl turned as the sound of footsteps approached them, the Goth-girl going to them. Finally Forte said, "So...how seriously are you going to take this whole contract thing?"
"They aren't happy with your actions," stated the Goth-girl. "Mainly because you've neglected to contact Halperia since your date a week ago."
Forte glared at them. "Gee! I wonder why! I'm afraid to talk to him because of all the shit he went through during our date from Hell!" He sighed, looking back at the Neo Arcadian base. "I scared him...I beat him...He said he loved me and I pushed him away..."
"Yes, yes..." the punk-girl said irritably. "We all know the sob-story and that's all fine and dandy. We're behind schedule."
"What!" Forte looked at the punk-girl curiously. "You mean...the deal is still on?"
The Goth-girl smiled. "While talking to Omega, I caught a little bird spying."
She stepped aside to reveal Halperia standing behind her in a green shirt and jeans, covered in dirt. There were tears in Halperia's eyes, and his expression was unreadable; both wrists were bandaged still with the strips of Forte's poncho, though there was no sign of blood on them now. He wears them as a symbol, Forte thought, looking over Halperia. But of what? Hopeful love or growing hate? He's not so femme now...
Halperia glared at Forte and went to him, wings fluttering furiously behind him as he walked. The younger Reploid stopped in front of Forte and slapped the Bioroid's face. It wasn't a hard slap, but it left a sting on his cheek. "That's for making me worry about you." He threw his arms around Forte's neck and kissed his lips. When it ended, Halperia smiled weakly and said, "And that's for coming back..."
Forte smiled and hugged Halperia back, holding the Reploid close. "I was afraid to see you..." Forte whispered. "Afraid you hated me for pushing you away...for hurting you..."
"I understand..." Halperia answered. "You lost your mind...went berserk...I know you weren't you..." He sighed, pulling away from Forte. The tears were gone now. He's matured so much in one week! Forte thought. And all because of me... Halperia smiled. "I guess I have to get out my dresses again, huh?"
The Bioroid grinned. "Nah. I like the pants." He slid his hands into Halperia's back pockets, the younger Reploid letting out an "eep!" and pressing closer in surprise. Forte nuzzled him lightly and whispered, "Makes it easier for me to undress you in my mind."
"Pervert," Halperia sighed, resting his head on Forte's shoulder. He was blushing a bright red, Forte feeling the warmth of his cheeks through his poncho and jumpsuit.
"Well," the punk-girl said with a smile. "Now that you two are back together, we have a schedule to keep up."
"Yes..." said the Goth-girl. She looked over her clipboard. "You still need Omega's blessings and a place for you two to live when Halperia is allowed to move out." She rose an eyebrow. "Unless you'd rather have Forte move into base."
Before Forte could answer, Halperia said, "I want out."
"Then we'll see what we can do." The Goth-girl made a note on her clipboard. "For now, Omega wants an interview with Forte and has asked if Forte wanted to stay the night at the base."
Why am I sensing another trap? Forte thought. He managed a smile and said, "It looks like Gospel will have to sleep outside for the day." He let go of Halperia. "C'mon...let's go see Omega."
As they walked away, the punk-girl glared at her Goth-friend. "What were you thinking! You could have ruined everything with a stunt like that," she hissed when the two robots were out of earshot.
"It brought them closer, didn't it?" The Goth-girl watched Halperia and Forte enter the base. "Even you have to admit that."
"Hn..."
Far below, Forte asked Halperia, "Why the sudden change in apparel?" He wasn't trying to be perverse.
Halperia sighed, sadly almost. "Just...a temporary change of pace..." Halperia answered. "I planted those seeds you gave me..." He sighed. "No one knows about them."
"Good," Forte kissed Halperia's cheek. "Are you okay?'
"Of course!" Halperia exclaimed with a smile.
"No..." forte stopped and pulled Halperia close, his arms around Halperia's waist. He pressed his forehead against Halperia's lightly. And he whispered, "Please...tell me...there's something bothering you...please tell me..."
Halperia hugged Forte's neck, his head on Forte's chest. He listened to the heartbeat-like pumping of his energy coil. "When I woke up...I was afraid...I thought I'd never see you again..." He closed his eyes tight, and Forte could feel the younger Reploid's sadness envelope him. "They told me...you were a bad person for abandoning me in such condition. They even said you had raped me, but I tried to defend you...Then the KAMI agents showed up...I was so sad when I saw them with their clipboards and paperwork...I thought they were here to say we'd never be together." He laughed weakly. "The Goth-girl met with us in the conference room and told us exactly what happened during the date..."
"And your family still approved?" Forte asked.
There was a hesitation, then "I don't know what deal was struck. Omega made my siblings and me leave the conference room."
Forte felt an uneasiness in his gut. Omega was one of the rejects that came before Halperia. But what part does Omega play in the "family"? Is he the father-figure? It seems so...What deal did he make with the KAMIs? "Halperia..." This is probably the only time I'll be with him...Now's my only chance... "May I kiss you?" Halperia nodded and started to stand on his tip toes. Forte shook his head. "No...not one of those two-second pecks...A real kiss..."
"Oh..." Halperia sighed, blushing. His wings fluttered excitedly behind him, lifting him from the ground and closer to Forte. As their faces neared, their eyes closed and lips parted in unison. Random soldiers passing by stopped what they were doing to watch, holding their breaths in hopes the two would kiss. A few even ran off to distract the other generals so no one would disturb the two.
Finally, their lips met and the random Neo Arcadian soldiers silently cheered, not wanting to cause a commotion that would bother the lovers. Halperia hummed in pleasure as the kiss continued, pressing his body against Forte even more. Forte gently pinned Halperia to the wall, wedging his legs apart with a knee. He fit almost perfectly between Halperia's legs. A bit of saliva escaped their mouths as the kiss was deepened by Halperia, the two panting through their noses. One brave Neo Arcadian soldier whispered to another, "Five minutes," to indicate how long the two have been kissing.
Forte let his armor vanish, allowing even closer bodily contact. A muffled moan escaped Halperia as his hips rubbed against Forte's. Forte's hand moved from Halperia's waist to his thigh. The younger Reploid moaned again as Forte rubbed the back of his leg. Both could feel each other become aroused and slowly they broke the kiss, gasping. Halperia leaned his head back, and Forte took the opportunity, kissing the nape of Halperia's neck. He bit his bottom lip to keep from moaning, a hand pressing against the back of Forte's head to hold him there. Halperia gasped as he felt Forte suck his neck, a warm tongue licking him viciously now and again.
"Ahem..."
They froze, knowing the person clearing their throat was not a random soldier about to ask if they wanted a room. In fact, all the random Reploids were gone, leaving the two lovers in the hall alone with the person who had cleared their throat. Grumbling unhappily, Forte reluctantly pulled away from Halperia after giving his rump a parting squeeze. They faced Omega and blushed a deep red. His expression was more surprised than anything.
"M-Master X..." Halperia whispered shakily as he bowed. "I-I can explain."
"No need," he said. The leader smiled at them. "I understand your...desire...to be with one another, but it'll have to wait." He said this looking at Forte. It took a lot of effort for Forte to keep from glaring daggers at Omega. There was something about his tone Forte did not like. Now Omega looked at Halperia. "Could you bring some refreshments to the Tea Room?"
"Yes Master x." Halperia bowed, kissed Forte's cheek, then fluttered/skipped away.
Omega smiled at Forte. "Follow me." He turned and walked away.
Again Forte suppressed the urge to glare at Omega's back as he followed. "What deal did you make with the KAMI agents?" Forte asked as calmly as he could.
"I don't know what you're talking about," Omega denied. "Unless you have spies to speak for you, you have no proof of a deal."
Damn, Forte thought. I almost forgot about their damnable privacy policy. And I can't tell him Halperia was spying. Who knows what Omega will do to Halperia if he finds out. But I have to know what Omega is plotting...Damn it... "I must be mistaken," Forte sighed. "My," he twitched, "apologies..."
A smirk crossed Omega's face as he entered a room, the door closing behind Forte. It was a room designed and decorated like a Japanese room with walls that looked as thin as paper and hard mesh floors. A single table was in the center of the room with four cushions around it. Omega took a seat, sitting Indian-style, and gestured for Forte to do the same. Forte sat across from Omega, the door to his left.
Halperia entered and began serving them tea. "Halperia," Omega said the teen's name, touching a lock of hair lightly. The younger Reploid didn't look up, and Forte was slaughtering Omega multiple times in his mind. "Put on that beautiful kimono I bought you a year ago and join us."
"Yes Master X," Halperia whispered after he had served them. He bowed and left silently.
Forte now let himself glare at Omega, who sipped his tea with a victorious grin on his face. But Omega spoke before Forte could, "Forte, I'm glad to know you fancy my youngest general, but I'm curious to know just how much you know about him." There was a large dose of challenging venom in Omega's words. "Do you know exactly why I built Halperia?"
The voices in Forte's mind chimed in echoing whispers, Toy...toy...He's nothing by a pet to Omega... He had to contain his brewing anger as he spoke, "You built him...to be your sleazy lap-dog!"
"Very good," Omega answered, nodding. He sipped his tea casually, as if this were a common thing for him. "I built him, programmed his basic personality, and ah...That's where I ran into a bit of a blockade. What should happen if anyone tried to hurt him? He'd be vulnerable..."
"So you made him a berserker..." growled Forte.
"Yes..." The word was purred with emphasis. "And then it came to naming him. He was beautiful and deadly...a harpy. So I named him Halperia. I trained him to fight, to command, to live, and..." He grinned darkly at Forte. "To please..."
Forte's tea cup shattered as he clenched his fist, spilling the liquid. "You bastard!"
"Is that anything to call the creator of your soon-to-be bride?" Omega appeared quite proud of himself. "Or should I say, your future father-in-law?"
A random soldier entered and cleaned the small mess Forte had made, then left. "So why the sudden interest in selling out your pet?" Forte asked, remaining seated. "Are you getting something out of a deal I don't know about?"
"Let's just say...I'm curious about my history..." Omega said. Forte shivered, catching what was being implied. "If all goes well, I get a new son-in-law and another general to expand the army. If not, I get a new play toy." He shrugged. "Either way, I win."
The door opened as Forte stood to leave, Halperia choosing that time to enter. Forte bowed and sat back down. Halperia was wearing an elegant mint-green set of kimonos; his pig-tails now in high feathered buns. The door closed behind him as he stepped onto the mesh. Omega patted his knee, looking at Halperia. The younger Reploid shook his head, looking afraid as his wings drooped behind him. Omega glared, patted his knee again, and Halperia sighed, going to Omega. Halperia sat on Omega's knee and yelped when Omega pulled him into his lap, holding Halperia close. Halperia gave Forte a sad, pleading look.
"Let him go..." Forte growled. "He doesn't want to be held by you like that..."
"He enjoys it," Omega answered. He slid a hand into Halperia's kimono, either rubbing his chest or sliding below his waist, it was hard to tell. Either way, Halperia blushed and closed his eyes, relaxing against Omega. The Neo Arcadian leader smirked, nuzzling Halperia and kissing his neck lightly. "Don't you enjoy the attention, my sweet little bird." It was a statement, not a question.
Forte was becoming angry and sick with jealousy. "What do you want form me?" Forte asked. "Why am I here?"
"You remember when I told you I programmed him to be a berserker?" Forte nodded. "Not only is it activated when he or someone close is in immediate danger, but it's also activated by a key word." The Bioroid's eyes went wide, suddenly unsure if it was wise to have tested Omega's temper earlier. "All I have to do is whisper it in his ear," Omega licked said exposed ear, Halperia sighing and squirming a bit against Omega, "and he will lose his innocent mind."
That's where he's wrong, Forte thought as he watched. Halperia's not as innocent as he thinks. Forte sighed, trying to still the maelstrom of emotions he was feeling. Halperia's eyes opened, and Forte could see the sadness in them. He's not happy...Damn you, Omega! Can't you see he's in love! "Is there any way to take that out of his programming?" Forte asked as Omega continued kissing Halperia's neck. "The key word, I mean."
"It depends..." Omega was grinning like a Cheshire cat now. "What do you have to offer?" Forte didn't answer, his gaze going to the floor. "Nothing? Hm..." Omega kissed Halperia's ear and said, "Leviathan, Phantom, and Fafnir have given you their tests. It's time I give you mine." He stood, making Halperia stand with him. Omega untied Halperia's obi, undressing him to reveal his white jumpsuit and a pair of thigh-sheaths holding bladeless hilts. Halperia looked scared now, looking down at Forte as tears streamed down his cheeks. The younger Reploid suddenly screamed, trying to cover his ears with his hands, knowing what was about to happen. Omega grabbed Halperia's wrists and whispered in Halperia's ear, "En guard."
Forte was on his feet instantly, removing his poncho and tossing it between him and Halperia. When it drifted back to the ground, Halperia was gone, and Omega left quickly. En guard, Forte thought, looking around for Halperia. Why that as a key word? What meaning does it have? He felt a surge of energy suddenly appear behind him. Forte turned around quick enough to block a spin-kick to his neck, wincing when he blocked.
Halperia's eyes were a glowing red now as he fought. Forte blinked and suddenly fell to his knees, holding his broken shoulder in pain. Halperia stood straight from his hammer kick, looking over Forte before attacking again. Halperia bent down and swung a leg to hit Forte in the gut with his heel. Forte went flying into a wall, hitting solid steel rather than paper. In an instant, Halperia was in front of him, spin-kicking for Forte's neck. The Bioroid caught Halperia's foot. Glaring, Halperia twisted and jumped, throwing his other heel toward Forte's jaw. Wincing, Forte again caught Halperia's foot.
With a shout, Halperia planted his hands on the floor and cart wheeled back. Forte was pulled over Halperia, then onto the floor with Halperia sitting on his chest. Now Halperia began pummeling Forte's chest, pounding on the armor to try to break it. En guard, Forte thought as he rolled so he was on top of Halperia. Where have I heard that? Before he could attack, Halperia planted his feet on Forte's chest and kicked him off. Forte went flying, hitting the ceiling. Halperia stood and spun around, catching Forte by the neck with the back of his knee. He punched Forte hard, then dropped him on the ground.
En guard...fighting...French...history...fighting...speed...Forte's mind drifted as he got up weakly, struggling to fight back. Guard...parry...hit...touch...Omega touches Halperia...danger...touch...Halperia hits target...Halperia touches target...touch...touché...
"Got it!" Forte exclaimed. He was now able to keep up with Halperia, blocking kick after kick. "Touché!" Halperia stopped attacking, the red fading from his eyes. He wobbled, then fell into Forte's arms, sobbing. Forte held him, ignoring the pain of his shoulder. He glared at the door. "I'm still alive, Omega! And Halperia is normal again..."
Forte held Halperia protectively as Omega entered, looking around. "Impressive," he said. "No damage to the table or floor, a dent in the wall...From when Halperia did that interesting squatting-kick?" Forte only glared in response, Halperia silent in his arms. Omega smirked. "Not bat at all. Record time I believe. Halperia," the younger Reploid flinched at his name and the pause, "see to Forte's wounds, then make sure he's comfortable in his guestroom." Smirking confidently, Omega strode out.
After he was sure Omega was out of earshot, Halperia muttered, "Fuck the guestroom...You're sleeping with me tonight."
The Bioroid smirked. "Did I leave a good impression on you?" He grabbed Halperia's rump and gave it a squeeze.
Halperia blushed, instinctively moving into Forte. He kissed Forte's neck. "I didn't have that in mind...I just want you to be close so I can protect you."
He thought he heard a bit of sadness in Halperia's voice, but Forte ignored it. "Do you want me to...?" Forte parted Halperia's legs with a hand, his voice near Halperia's ear.
A soft moan escaped the younger Reploid, hugging Forte's neck. "N-not here...n-not now...Besides..." He kissed Forte's wounded shoulder, the Bioroid wincing at the soft touch. "You're hurt...You need to heal before we do anything...extreme..."
"You're afraid...aren't you?" Forte asked. Halperia looked up at him, confused. The Bioroid rubbed his cheek against Halperia's. "You're afraid I'll use you, then leave you..." Halperia looked away from Forte and buried his face in Forte's chest. He nodded silently. The Bioroid felt angry by the fact the younger Reploid had been hurt so much. He kissed Halperia's cheek. "No...I'll never leave you...I promise..."
Again Halperia nodded his head and slowly pulled away. He went to his discarded kimonos, picked them up, then smiled at Forte. "I'll take you to med-bay. Follow me."
"So...I take it I won't be able to have my revenge for all that teasing you did earlier, will I?"
"Nope. Not tonight."
Forte grumbled in a displeasured way. Damn...he thought. None for me tonight I guess...