CHAPTER 9: Bloom

Lucielle and Axl arrived in Lucielle's room, and she immediately helped him sit on a stool-like chair. The cushion is soft, but it doesn't have a backrest so that Lucielle can treat his back. She takes out her big deluxe first-aid kit before examining Axl's wound.

"It's quite deep..." she remarked. "Well, let's get that armour off. I have an armour auto-repair capsule. Your armour should be fine by tomorrow morning if we put it in there."

Axl nodded with a smile. His armour de-manifested from him and manifested in a pile beside the chair. He then tried to get up, but Lucielle stopped him.

"What's wrong?"
"Um, I'm putting my armour away, to the capsule."
"It's okay, Axl. You're injured. Don't move. Stay there, and I'll do it for you."

Lucielle smiled sweetly, radiantly, as she placed a gentle hand on Axl's shoulder, helping him sit back down.

"Why don't you take your bodysuit off too? It'll regenerate in the capsule, too."
"Wh-wha..."
"You...you bled quite badly, and obviously, the blade tore the cloth of the suit, so..."
"Ah...ahahaha...yeah, you're right..."

The bodysuit disappeared from Axl's body and re-appeared on the pile of armour. Lucielle picked up the heavy pile without any trouble and carefully places them neatly in the capsule. She closed it and activated it, and waits until the monitor displays the time required for the armour to return to top condition.

TIME REMAINING: 08h 38m 19s

"Oh...we'll need to sleep on it," She remarked, "No problem. But...the only damage you took was that backstab. And this capsule is top-quality; it's the fastest one out there. Why does it take so long—"

Lucielle found her answer when she turned to look at the topless Axl. His body is covered in scars and bruises. The torso in particular has the most scars, but his limbs are also covered with scars, some older than others. He still has his underwear on, but no way is she going to look there. Besides, if he was ever hit there, he probably doesn't want to remember that event.

"Oh, Axl..."
"D-don't look..."
"You must've been through so much. Come here, you can tell me all about it while I patch you up."
"I-I'm pathetic...you don't need to know..."
Lucielle shakes her head. "Axl, whatever Red Alert said to you...it's not true. I know they insult you and belittle you every chance they get...it's not right. If you're pathetic, you would've killed yourself a long time ago. You would've looked for the easy way out. But you persevered."
"Lu...Lucielle..."
"So it's okay. Please tell me of your battle scars...my hero."

Axl was quiet at first, but then his cheeks turned a light pink and he flashed Lucielle a big, happy grin.

"Alright, my princess!"

She took out a sterile cloth from the first-aid kit, and soaked it with alcohol to clean Axl's wound.

"This is going to hurt a little bit, but I'll be gentle." Lucielle said. Axl nodded without a word. "While I'm at it, maybe you can tell me your story so you can relax better?"

"Well...it started with Red finding me. The details were fuzzy...but he said my facility was attacked by mavericks." Axl spoke, stopping to grit his teeth when he feels the sting of the alcohol coming in contact with the wound whenever Lucielle gently tries to clean it.
"Mmhmm...and...then?" Lucielle replied as she threw the cloth away and took another.
"He said he'd make me a hunter. A maverick hunter...like him. Haha...if anything, he was probably the one who attacked the facility himself."
"I see..." Lucielle said sadly as she carefully soaked the new cloth with medicine.
"But of course, stupid little old me didn't know anything. So...so I came with him."
"And...then?"
"Well...they made me kill reploids with my ability at first. Ow—they said that I'm making the world better, one dead maverick at a time. They treated me so well. I was happy. They said I was their ultimate weapon. And then..."
"They started making you kill humans?"
"Ha...hahahaha...yes. That's right. And like before, they said that we're killing bad people. Criminals, corrupt rich people, villains...but then I...I realized that the people we were killing had loved ones. Spouses, children, friends, relatives...even pets."

The memory returned to him. It was choppy, but the parts that stayed remained clear as the day it happened.

Axl had killed a man who lived alone. He felt no regrets then, especially not when Red placed his hand on his shoulder and said to him, "Good job. You see what happens when you do bad things? You die alone, just like him—"

Red was interrupted by barking. The deceased target's bulldog ran towards them, from the corridor. It stopped in front of its master's body and gently licked it. Axl stared at the dog in awe, and confusion stirred within him. He didn't notice the dog lunging at him before it pushed him to the floor, intending to maul his face.

He panicked. He wants to shove the dog away, but it's quite strong. He could kill it, but how could he ever find it in his heart to kill a loyal companion?
His dilemma was solved when the dog stopped moving, and Axl sat up to see Red's bloody scythe and the dog's corpse falling beside him.

"Axl...Axl!"

Axl saw the interior of Lucielle's room again the moment her angelic voice rang in his ears.

"You didn't respond when I applied the medicine...are you okay?"
Axl bit his lip. "Flashbacks...I got flashbacks."
"I guess they...they forced you to do terrible things..."
"You bet they did. I had influence in Red Alert then, so I wasn't afraid of speaking up. But they wouldn't listen. So I kept hesitating. I questioned the reasons for why our targets deserve to die. Slowly they started to doubt me. Doubt turned into disappointment. Disappointment turned to irritation. Irritation turned into dislike. And dislike...turned into hatred."
Lucielle said nothing as she fetched a bandage to cover the wound, but she would glance at Axl whenever she could to indicate that she was listening to him.
"The whole group hates me now. But they forced me to work nevertheless, because I have this stupid power. Every single day, I wake up with dread. I know I would have to meet and speak to people who hate me. It's a terrible feeling..."
"It must have been really hard." Lucielle remarked as she gently bandaged the wound.
Axl nodded. "Nobody was on my side. I feel like I live in a place where anyone can kill me and get away with it. I want to escape from all that, but I could never do it. And then..."
Lucielle continued to expertly bandage his wound as she listened. "And then?"
"You came along. And everything just becomes better." Axl said, smiling at the end, just as Lucielle finished taking care of his wound.

She walked to face him and returned his grin with a sweet, sincere, angelic smile.
"I'm glad I can make a positive impact in your life."

Axl responded with a big hug. He pulled her body towards him; her chest touching his, and then the abdomen—the sensation of their skin coming in contact with each other feels heavenly, like they're meant to touch each other all along.
Lucielle closed her eyes and relaxed as she savoured his warmth. Avoiding his injured back, she returned the hug by wrapping her arms around his hips instead.

They remained like that for a few blissful minutes before Lucielle pulled away.

"E-eh? Why...?"
Lucielle giggled sweetly. "It's late. It's time for bed."
Axl nodded, and looked around the room. There's a comfortable enough couch in the room, but...
"Lucielle...do you...mind sharing a bed with me?"
Lucielle laughed. "Of course not! How could I make you sleep on the couch? My bed is big enough for two anyways."

Axl smiled, blushing. What a pure maiden. His thinking was a bit...different, but it's not like he's a dirty fucker like Warfly anyways.

"Here, you can take these. I'll be changing my clothes for a bit." Lucielle said as she gave Axl a baggy T-shirt and shorts from her wardrobe. She then goes into the bathroom to change clothes after picking an outfit to wear.

Just as Axl was finished with putting the clothes on, Lucielle walked out the bathroom wearing the sexiest, most attractive nightgown ever—it is a light, pale green nightgown. The shade was just right; pale and light, fitting for a beautiful young lady, but not as bright as to make her look childish. The colour of the dress makes her beautiful dark brown hair and blue eyes stand out magnificently.
The neckline of the dress is a low V, showing off her cleavage. The skirt is short, reaching a few inches below her crotch. The dress itself gradually fades into transparency from top to bottom, with the bottom of the skirt being the most transparent part.

Axl could only stare in awe, with wide eyes and blushing cheeks. He has never seen someone—something—anything so beautiful before. It's a wonder his nose doesn't bleed.

"How does it feel?" Lucielle asked. "I hope my clothes fit you well."

Okay, that wasn't the question he was expecting—but it was still something he liked hearing. Even now, after she's done patching him up, her thoughts are still of him—

"Yes! Definitely! And-and—you're beautiful, yourself..." was the only thing Axl could say.
Lucielle giggled. How many times has this sweet girl giggled? It doesn't matter. He enjoys hearing it nevertheless. "Thank you, and..."

Lucielle pauses as her cheeks turned a slight pink.

"You're...quite good-looking yourself, you know..."

Axl grinned. Well, this is going to be the first relationship of his that's definitely going somewhere, right? Going...really...fast.

Lucielle turned the lights off, and then both of them then got on the bed, positioning themselves really close to each other. Their faces are inches away from touching.

"Hey..." Lucielle spoke up, whispering.
"What is it?" Axl responded. Is she going to tell him something really important and intimate? What if she intends to—
"How are you feeling? Did...did I do a good job?"

Oh. Okay.

"I mean..." Lucielle continued, "It's not like I don't have confidence in my abilities, it's just that I'm not an actual medic...I don't work as one, but I do try my best..."
"Oh, no! You were really good!"
"Really? You were in pain when I applied the alcohol and medicine..."
"That's normal. It happened to me even with the best medics in Red Alert when I was still one of the high-class members. In fact, it hurt less when you were doing it."
"Oh, thank goodness..."
"I...I'm afraid of being left in the hands of the workers. I know they don't care. All they care about is getting paid. I'm afraid that they'd put others before me or leave me unattended for some time, or...um...yeah, you know..."
Lucielle nodded. "I understand. I completely understand. I know that somewhere in my memories, I know that they're all like that, so that's why, I..."

Suddenly, Axl gently moved his hand to hold Lucielle's.

"Lucielle...thank you. I'd rather...I'd rather be here with you, than be alone on the medbay's bed."
Lucielle smiled widely, her eyes full of happiness. She almost looks like she's about to cry.

"Thank you...thank you, Axl..."
"I should be the one thanking you, Lucielle. Good night...my princess."


AUTHOR'S NOTES: HAHAHAHAHAHA HAHAHAHAHAHAHA HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! oh my lord. this chapter. This chapter. THIS CHAPTER. Made-and still does make-me go insane. I swear, Mary Sue stories-the early, most obnoxious ones at least-should count as erotica because of the purple prose on the female lead and/or the male love interest in CERTAIN situations. But first things first...

Lucielle does NOT embody my ideologies. She is NOT someone you're supposed to root for. She is someone who will accomplish many things in the story and spout ideals and when you watch her, you CRINGE. Not CHEER. You are supposed to watch her and cringe, preferably to the point of laughter. My target demographic is people who do this, and come back for more. That said:

No, I do NOT think suicidal people are weak. I've felt suicidal before. And snapped out of it. And felt it again. Repeat. This on-off thing has gone on for far too many times to count, and I won't say-nor will I let anybody say-that I was, or am weak for being that way. Everyone's got a breaking point. Life is hard, so I won't blame anyone to be somewhere beyond their breaking point and reacting accordingly. Have you ever felt so much pain that the only exit or cure is death? The next time you try mocking suicidal people or suicide victims for being "weak," try answering that question yourself.

I am only exploiting the trope of "ALL the working professionals don't actually CARE" and do not believe in it myself. That trope in itself is bullshit because customer service/front-line workers are people, too. Some care more or less than others, but people have conscience. Films use that trope to justify the leads taking action in their own hands, but I don't think it's a very nice thing to do, since media shapes culture, and culture shapes people. Don't believe me? Look up how Jaws alters people's perception of sharks, and consequently the shark population. Peter Benchley, the writer of the novel himself, regretted it.

OKAY. With the heavy stuff over, let's move to the light-hearted aspects of the author's notes. CRINGE WITH ME.

I HAVE SINNED. I HAVE DESECRATED AXL SO VERY MUCH TO THE POINT HE'S BEYOND UNRECOGNIZABLE, IF IT'S EVEN POSSIBLE. YOU CAN JUST SEE WHERE I BROKE. WHERE THE NARRATION JUST. BROKE. Or at least, I can see where I broke, because...I...was the one who broke? lel.
Axl unexpectedly gets himself a backstory. But I think it's for the better. I think it makes him more...relatable? If it's even possible with the mangled state of his character. Some people might identify with it. Or at least, I do.

What happened to light-hearted? Anyways, I wrote some of my feelings in Axl's backstory-waking up anxious to go to school because I fucked up yesterday, afraid of stepping into a place where everyone around me hates me and wished I was never there; losing the love given to you through no fault of your own and your beloved parent turning painfully abusive; your life being (possibly) a lie crafted for the benefit of the liar that used you? Yeah, they've all been real for me. And I'm pretty sure that they've been real for someone else somewhere, too.