I'm going to bump the rating up to an M, because I put sex in here. I'm...not sure how to feel about it. I just did what I felt right for them. Enjoy! I guess. Also, we finally figure out what Brafez is. Finally, fuck PETA. Seriously.
START OF CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Location Unknown...
"Just a few more feet!" I called back to Olive and Brafez, trudging easily through the snow. They, however, huddled together like flightless birds, shivering in the fragile cold.
"T-That's easy for y-you to say!" Olive shouted, running up to me before falling into the snow. "Son of a bitch!"
"Here," I said, picking her up and wrapping a heavy cloak around her shoulders. "That'll keep you nice and toasty."
I threw another cloak to Brafez, who also wrapped it around his bare shoulders.
"You regretting that wife-beater yet?" I quipped.
"A little bit..." Brafez mumbled.
"Okay, this snow is getting a bit excessive." I said after a few minutes of walking. I snapped my fingers, with the snow disappearing to reveal glorious, rolling expanses of green grass stretching out for miles.
"...Really?!" Olive shouted, flashing a look my way. In response I snapped my fingers again, with the snow coming down twice as hard and fast. "It's fine! It's fine!"
"Good." I snapped my fingers again, walking forwards onto the grassy plains. "Now come, we have a while to walk."
"Really Xeñ?"
"Olive-"
"Xeeeeeeeeeññññ!"
"Fine!" I said, clapping my hands twice and teleporting us two miles away from the Sect stronghold.
"Why are we on a cliffside?" Brafez inquired, clutching onto some handholds.
"Xeñ-"
"Olive, do you want to go to the bottom of this cliff?" I asked, looking down at her. She rapidly shook her head, climbing upwards.
"Good." I muttered, climbing quickly from rock to rock, scaling the wall with ease.
Some hours later...
Brafez stumbled into a cave, the cold winter air tugging at his cloak before he walked inside some more, sitting down next to Olivia and I. I blew on a small fire for absolutely no reason, because, well, I need to do something. I mean, sure, I could just snap my fingers and it could be done, but, where's the fun in that?
"The Sect stronghold is a good two miles away from here." Brafez said, warming himself up with a fireball. Let it be known, if you are a pyromancer, and you use fireballs, that they are practically the Swiss army knife of fire spells.
"You traveled two miles in the snow, found the stronghold where you are sure Welsha is, and came back here to tell us?" Olive inquired, raising an eyebrow.
"No. I went one mile out, saw the stronghold where I'm positive Welsha is, said fuck that noise, and came back here to tell you." Brafez retorted, tracing the scars on his arms.
"Oh, that makes sense." Olive muttered, receiving a glare from Brafez. "I was being sarcastic."
"I know. Both you and your mother are as subtle as tanks."
"Aww, thanks dad."
"You're welcome."
"Excuse me while I butt into your conversation." I said, butting into their conversation. "When should we leave?"
"Well, from what I remember, the guards shift every six hours, and that was four hours ago. The trip there should take us an hour-thirty with all that snow, leaving us thirty minutes to find Welsha and..."
"And what? She put Ariad in the hospital. She has been hunting you for the past seven years, and tried to kill you three times now. The woman you love is in a coma because of this bitch, and your having doubts about what to do with her? Seriously?!" Olive exclaimed, standing up. "Kill her."
"..." Brafez said nothing, looking into the fire. His fingers grasped at a photograph in his hands. "I know what she's done to me. But that doesn't mean I can't be the better man."
"Brafez, this isn't about being the better man! This is life or death."
"I know!" Brafez shouted, looking up at her. Olive quieted down, walking over to the wall opposite of us. "I know...but..."
"You're not the person she loved anymore." I said, looking at him. "You're the person she wants dead. Are you going to let that happen? Are you, Brafez?"
"No, I'm not." Brafez remained silent, before looking up at me. "Ariad said I did something to her, released all the guilt from her alter-ego. How?"
"It was your original Semblance. Intellect; the power to look at someone and know everything about them. You pressing your palm against Ariad's forehead released her repressed feelings of guilt."
"But that was with fire. What about electricity?"
"I suppose, if you still had the Semblance that you could give someone memory loss. But you don't."
"What if I just used the right amount?"
"Wait, you're talking about erasing her memory?" Olivia asked, stepping forward.
"Temporary amnesia. Give her time to think about her hatred, and see if she can overcome it." Brafez muttered, drumming his fingers.
"You can't walk up to her and erase her memory, you know? You'd have to beat her into near-death just to get that close." I stated.
"Then that's what I'll do." Brafez said, looking out the cave entrance and towards the stronghold.
"Well, before we go, I suggest resting." I said, tilting my fedora over my eyes, sitting next to the entrance. The reason why I did this was because back home, at Eden, I always fell asleep cold. I couldn't see it happening any other way. Besides those times at Beacon.
Olive curled up into a ball, yawning heavily before wearing a smile on her face as she dreamt of Pandora. Brafez sighed, laying down on the rocky floor. He missed his best friend. This was the first time he'd slept alone in years, besides that one time at the hospital.
After we had fallen asleep, about thirty minutes later Brafez woke up, tugging the cloak tighter around his shoulders. Before he could exit the cave, I tilted my fedora up, looking at him.
"One point twenty-one gigawatts." I said.
"What?" Brafez whispered, turning to me.
"That's how much electricity you'll need to fry Welsha's brain." I replied, tilting my fedora back down.
"Oh." Brafez sadly sighed, walking out of the cave and into the snow beyond.
After an hour...
Brafez wrapped the heavy cloak tighter against his shoulders, walking the perimeter of the Sect stronghold. He reached out for the wall, his hand glowing faintly. Taking this into account, Brafez quickened his pace, running until his hand glowed as bright as the sun. He stopped, placing a hand on the wall. A section of the wall peeled away, revealing a secret entrance.
Brafez hurried inside, the door closing behind him and leaving him in pitch-black darkness. While he welcomed the reprieve from the bitter cold, he was less than thankful for the lack of sight. If only Ariad was with him...Brafez shook his head, creating a fireball to use as a make-shift torch. Looking around the room, Brafez saw two holes in a depressed console, both glowing brightly. Next to it was a door.
Brafez walked over to the console and placed his hands inside, wincing as rows of needles burrowed through his flesh down into his marrow, syncing with his nervous system. Brafez retracted his arms, both wrists adorned in a pair of gleaming bronze gauntlets, reminiscent of his original pair, yet newer. The gauntlet on his right arm shook itself apart, reforming on his left and extending the left gauntlet up to his shoulder. Brafez took out Alpha Centuri and placed it on his right wrist.
Upon looking up, he was met with the sight of a saying scrawled in bioluminescent substances. It read, "You've met with a terrible fate, haven't you?"
Brafez felt light headed and burst through the door, away from the message. Looking up, he saw another message, reading, "One of us."
He was in a dark corridor, which smelled strongly of iron and glowed with bioluminescence. All over the walls were messages, written in that same, viscous liquid.
Brafez shook his head, running down the pitch black corridor, the messages lighting his way.
"You'll never be him..."
"Just another monster..."
"You're a tool, a weapon."
"Disgusting swine-"
"Monster."
"You have taken everything from me."
"We are the Alpha and the Omega-"
Brafez didn't stop running until he slammed against the wall, pounding hopelessly away at the door in front of him. He looked down, seeing what was secreting that iron smell; it sickened him, and made Brafez question his sanity. Placed against the wall was himself, his stomach shredded and bleeding. He wretched at the sight, going through the door that opened because I told it to. Brafez closed it harshly, rubbing his temples.
The hum of electronics was heard, in tune with constant beeping. Brafez hesitantly turned on the lights, with each overhead turning on painfully slow. All around him was a wide array of computers and life-support systems. The beeps of life-support sounded ominous to him, like dying canaries in a mine.
At the end of the room was a small pedestal, a floating orb indented into the top. Carved into the orb was a bird, glowing like a fire.
Brafez shakily walked across the room, towards the console. With each step he felt sick to his stomach, a growing feeling of dread overtaking him. He reached the console, placing his palm against it. Upon pulling away, the bird flashed blue, and the wall behind it pulled apart. Eighteen cylindrical tubes rose up from the depths, their contents obscured. One by one, lights illuminated the interiors.
Brafez backed away slowly, wearing an expression of horror and disbelief.
Inside each tube, was himself. They all had different styles of orange and blue hair and clothes, yet his own face was undeniable.
Two of the tubes were empty, with the second smashed open. And two more slots that held the tubes were just empty.
It all made sense, yet none at all.
It wouldn't make sense if he was one of them, yet it would.
It wouldn't make sense if he was a clone, yet, it did.
Brafez just didn't want to accept it.
"That's...impossible. I'm not a...I'm not that. I've never been that. I'm not dead." Brafez looked around the room, anywhere but there.
"If only that were true." Welsha responded, stepping out of the shadows. "Then I wouldn't be having this conversation with a thing."
"You...You put my best friend into a coma." Brafez said, his eyes narrowing as he looked at her. His anger nearly boiled over, only to be corrected as Brafez forced it down.
"While I wish it didn't have to happen that way, it did. There's no going back now. I've sacrificed too much; my friends, my ideals. All to get to you."
"Why...why?"
"Because you're not him. You'll never be him." Welsha raised a revolver, pointing it at his head.
"Maybe I don't want to be him! Maybe I'm just different. You ever think of that?" Brafez asked, taking a step further in her direction. "Face it, Welsha; the Brafez Rasputin you knew and loved is dead. He's dead!"
"I've heard enough out of you." Welsha responded, pulling the trigger.
Brafez closed his eyes at the sharp retort. His ears ringing, Brafez heard faint yells of anger coming from Welsha. Then...it stopped. Everything stopped. Brafez opened his eyes, realizing he was surrounded by a golden sphere. A shimmering orange form stood up, walking towards him. When the form solidified, Brafez was looking at himself, the original Brafez Rasputin.
"Hello." The original Brafez said, bowing to him. Brafez looked around, raising his eyebrows in confusion.
"What did you do?" Brafez inquired, kneeling down to look himself in the eyes.
"Intellect can be used to extremes. So I stopped time, so we could speak."
"About?" Brafez cocked his head to the side, even more confused.
"Us. I have to leave you. My time here is up." The original Brafez stated, standing up and smiling at him.
"What about me?"
"What about you? You're doing just fine on your own. Hey, can you tell Ariad I'm sorry for...can you tell her I'm sorry?"
"I promise. Where will you go?"
"I'm...not really sure. But if there's one thing I'm sure of, is that you deserve this." The original Brafez held out his hand, a stream of orange light flowing from him to his clone, surrounding him. "It's my Aura. For so long, you've gone without it. But now you need it. My sister is no push-over. Now go."
"...thank you, for everything." Brafez looked up in time to see his original self standing next to what he thought was the human form of Felicity.
"Goodbye." And with that, he was gone, leaving Brafez behind.
"Argh! Why...on't...die?!" Brafez braced himself, hearing Welsha yelling in anger.
Brafez stopped, shaking his head. He felt a gap form in his mind, that was then suddenly filled with himself. He looked up just in time to grab the hilt of her revolver before she pistol-whipped him, standing up slowly.
"Cogito ergo sum! I think, therefore, I am!" Brafez declared, pushing her across the room.
Welsha yanked away her revolver, taking out her dust-staff and using it to balance herself. Brafez held up a fist, his Alpha Centuri springing to life, firing blasts of pink crystalline needles her way. Welsha spun her staff, shattering the needles before sending a blast of ice dust at him. Brafez melted it before back-flipping over to the console, placing his palm against the orb.
"Sleep well, my brothers." Brafez stated, wings of fire bursting to life from his back. "May no horrors befall you."
And with that, Brafez charged her, a fiery axe shifting to life in his hands. He jumped, bringing the head into the ground and sending forth a fiery shockwave. Welsha jumped away and onto the wall, a purple portal forming on the floor beside Brafez and next to Welsha. Seeing this, Brafez rolled to the side, dodging a stab from Welsha's staff. He dashed forwards, bringing a bout of fire down into the portal, only able to singe Welsha's hair. The girl in question closed the portal, jumping off the wall and flying towards him. Brafez crossed his arms, blocking her kick into his chest.
She rebounded, rushing up to him. Welsha speared her staff forward, barely missing his face. Brafez palmed the tip of the blade, jumping over it and kicking Welsha in the chest. She stumbled, giving time for Brafez to backhand her. She stumbled, wildly swinging her staff around and catching him in the chest, drawing blood. Brafez roared, attacking her in a fury and sending her flying through the door as the result of a shocking uppercut.
Welsha stood up swiftly, wiping away some blood from her mouth. She threw her staff at him, creating a portal behind Brafez if she missed. Brafez slid under the staff, springing up to deliver a flying kick. Welsha caught the handle of her staff, deflecting the attack. Brafez jumped off the handle before sticking to the ceiling, jumping off to a wall and slamming his palm into the ground. Columns of fire burst out of the corridor, heading straight for her.
She smiled. Every extra assassin was right were she wanted them to be. This was too easy.
Welsha pulled out a detonator, thumbing the firing mechanism. The corridor exploded, sending the two flying into the snow-covered cliff below. Welsha stood up, panting heavily and wearing a smile. Three assassins left, she thought. Brafez watched her, doing the same. She charged him, vaulting over to Brafez with her staff before Brafez feigned an attack, dodging backwards before catching her with a blast of electrified fire, stunning her.
Welsha threw herself back into a portal, reappearing fifty feet away. Brafez started to sprint towards her, firing away with Alpha Centuri before stopping as she held up another detonator. Brafez looked around, seeing he had just crossed over a line of explosive charges.
Welsha activated the detonator, with Brafez rolling forwards and escaping the ensuing explosions. The cliff broke apart, with individual pieces rolling down the curved cliffside. Brafez looked around, trying to see through the falling debris to find Welsha. I flew through the falling chunks of ice on my Odonata, holding onto Olive. I dropped her off, giving the two a salute before flying away.
"Dad, you all right?" Olive inquired, worry in her voice.
"Been better." Brafez replied, looking around some more.
"You're bleeding."
"Ain't got time to bleed." Brafez said, breathing heavily.
Olive was about to reply before she caught an energy blast in the chest, sending her flying. She landed on a block of ice, dazed but otherwise unharmed. Brafez looked back in the direction of the attack, looking up just in time to back-flip away from a shard of ice, embedding itself into his own large block. He jumped, kicking it in half and sending the shard flying into the air. Several more shards fell towards him, with Brafez just barely able to dodge them.
A roar resounded from within a massive wall of ice, with a massive, gargantuan Grimm serpent flying through the air and shattering a large ice shard with its tail. Riding the massive beast was Welsha, pointing at him and shouting. Brafez threw a horde of fireballs in her direction, striking the Grimm but leaving it unharmed. The Grimm in response flew into his shard, smashing it to pieces.
Brafez jumped upwards, landing next to Olive and bringing out a magazine for Alpha Centuri.
"How the fuck are we going to kill that thing?" Olive exclaimed, looking at the Grimm with surprise.
"Simple," Brafez said, holding up a finger. On it was a drop of black blood, presumably from the Grimm. "If it bleeds, we can kill it. Now follow me."
Brafez jumped off the shard, flying down through the air with Olive following shortly behind. Brafez increased his descent, using bursts of fire to accelerate towards the Grimm. Olive flew after him, Mjolnir springing to life in her hands. Together they hacked and hammered away at the serpent, digging deep into its hide and drawing forth angry roars. The Grimm spun around, surprising Brafez and gobbling him up.
Olivia felt her eyes go wide, her breath catching in her throat.
"D-Dad?" she whispered, her hair fluttering in the breeze.
The Grimm roared at her, before a deep orange emanated from its midsection. The Grimm was severed in half by a beam of fire, with Brafez flying out of the beast, covered in black ichor. He turned to face Welsha, letting out a screech. Using his Phoenix form, Brafez turned the Grimm into ashes, falling after Welsha.
After an incredibly stupid-long fall, the icy shards penetrated deep into the ground, creating a maze. Welsha, followed by Brafez and Olivia, slammed into the maze, separating.
Brafez looked up, the ice forming a corridor into a circular arena. He ran down it, hopping down into the snow. Welsha jumped out of a snow-covered portal, spinning her body around and catching Brafez in the eye. He clutched at the wound, being kicked to the ground. He tried to stand before Welsha held him in place with her foot, holding her staff's blade high above.
Without a cliché monologue, Welsha thrust the blade downwards, only to have it explode inches from its intended target. She had every intention on ending his life right there.
That was before a hammer struck her shoulder with the force of a thousand suns, before her collarbone was broken into eighteen seperate shards, and most definitely before her robotic arm was torn from her body with a screech of metal.
Flying through the air, Welsha impacted the icy wall, looking around as she stood. A pair of shotgun blasts flew towards her, blowing apart the wall behind her. Olive rushed forwards, a pair of Ember Cecilia on her wrists.
Welsha responded by jumping away, only to catch a shotgun blast in her shoulder. Olive flew forwards, attacking her with swift justice and furious anger. Welsha swung at her, only to have her staff frozen in place as Olive summoned forth her own Myrtenaster. She delivered pin-point strikes to her side, drawing blood before dashing away.
Welsha broke her staff in half, blocking a pair of blades swung at her head. Olivia reappeared, holding her own copy of Gambol Shroud, hacking away with expertise before firing off a round, catching Welsha in the gut. She fell down, clutching her stomach before a scythe blade impaled her chest, digging into the ice below. Olive pulled back the bolt-action, preparing to blow Welsha in half before Brafez stopped her, placing a hand on her shoulder.
"She's mine." He said, looking down at her. Welsha looked back at him with hatred, her green eyes glaring at him.
"If you're going to kill me...do it already." She snapped, coughing up blood. The scythe in her chest dissipated, revealing a hole.
"Brafez, wait." I said, holding up a hand. He looked back at me, confused. I pulled out a rifle from hammerspace, aiming at the snow. With well-placed headshots I killed the remaining assassins, giving Welsha the thumbs up.
"Thank Oum," She said, standing up. The wound in her chest faded from view, revealing only a small cut in her clothes. "Brother."
"What?" Brafez inquired, bemused beyond belief.
"What?!"
"Operative Strife, glad to see you're okay." I remarked, walking up to Welsha and shaking her hand. Olivia groaned out loud, face palming.
"Thanks Avalon. Brafez," she turned to him, holding out her hand. "You'll always be my brother. I never wanted to truly kill you, or hurt your friend. You see, this whole thing, it was an act."
He stood there, stunned. Then he spoke, confused beyond belief.
"...I-"
"Yes, I know this is a whole lot of information to take in. I planned this, and Xeñoirê helped. The Sect's leaders are dead from a bomb I planted in their office. Once I killed you, they were planning to execute me, and get rid of the evidence of what happened here, seven years ago. But with them dead, I can speak freely."
"You...planned this? How can I trust you?" Brafez asked in disbelief.
"In order; Yes, and, you can't. If I had everyone fooled that I wanted you dead, whose to say I'm not acting right now?"
"Why?"
"Because I love you. You're my brother, and you will always be my brother. I did all of this to avenge your death. You never wanted to fight the Grimm." Brafez stopped: this could be a chance to find out about what he was like before his...death.
"What...was I like?"
"Truth be told, you were a bit of an emo. But, you had good reasons."
"This's such bullshit." Olive muttered under her breath.
"You must be my brother's daughter. I'm...ah, I'm sorry about putting your mother in the hospital. And in a coma."
"Did you plan that too?" I asked in a deadpan.
"Yes. If she was put in a near-death state, she'd be removed from the equation and would no longer be a target."
"Did you plan on scarring me?" She smiled meekly.
"Had to make it look realistic?" Welsha responded, shrugging.
"Tell me, Welsha, what happened seven years ago?"
"Oh geez, there's not enough time in the world... Look, the Atlas Council is going to come knocking at our door, and I'll have to explain."
"That, won't be good, will it?"
"No. With the Sect's leaders dead, I'm next in line for command. If the Atlas Council finds out what the original leaders did here, they'll have me tried and executed. So...I need you to help me, Brafez."
"What do you want me to do?" Brafez asked warily, not liking what he thought she was going to ask him.
"I...I need you to give me amnesia. It's the only way." Brafez gasped, taken aback.
"B-But, Welsha...You know who I am...You can tell me what I'm like."
"No, brother, I can't. Because you are your own person. You're unlike anything I've ever seen before. And I wouldn't have it any other way."
"But...you'll forget me."
"I'd promise you I wouldn't...but, we both know it doesn't work like this."
"I...if it's the only way-" Brafez muttered, looking for a way out.
"It is. Otherwise we wouldn't be having this conversation."
"...Goodbye Sis." Welsha nodded her head, kneeling before him. He placed his palm against her forehead, electricity arcing into her skull. He shuddered as she fell into the snow, laying limp. After a few minutes, he turned around, looking forward. He didn't feel good.
"You guys ready to go home?" I asked after a long pause.
"...Yeah." Brafez said slowly, healing his eye.
"I'm sorry dad..." Olive said, looking at him.
"That's gonna scar, by the way." I said, gesturing to his eye.
"Well, at least Weiss and I will have one more thing in common." Brafez stated, chuckling sadly. He gave one last look at Welsha's still form, guilt heavy in his heart.
"All right, lets go home." I snapped my fingers, returning to Beacon with Brafez and Olivia. A while after, a figure walked through the snow, a pair of bird wings on her back.
She crouched down, picking the unconscious Welsha up and flying into the air. And then all was quiet, on the tundras of ice and snow.
Back at Beacon...
I reappeared in front of the infirmary, ushering Brafez inside. Olive followed him inside, leaving me to my lonesome. Or so I had thought. Only a moment after Olive had departed did someone tap me on the shoulder, and upon turning around, I received a punch to the face, knocking me flat on my arse. I in turn spang to my feet, ready to give the offender a can o' whoop ass before I was once again sent sprawling.
"Oi! What'n the fuck are ya doi...Iota?" I asked in disbelief, eyes locked on the face of my girlfriend. I had just noticed the Cheshire smile on her face, along with the predatory glint in her eyes before she grabbed me by the back of the neck, dragging me Deserved knows where. Olive peeked around the corner, giving me a thumbs-up. I returned it in full, a hesitant smile on my face.
I was then reminded that my girlfriend could be downright diabolical at times, and by that I mean she held me against the wall and ravaged my mouth with her tongue. Overall, it wasn't that bad of an experience. Then I realized I was being dragged down the hallway and towards Professor Ozpin's office, all the while being French-kissed. What could she be up to now? Did I care? Well, if it got me more of this, I was fine.
A few hours later...
The first sign of life was a sharp inhale, the girl opening her eyes. A hushed groan escaped the girl's lips, straining to sit up with bandages wrapped around her chest. An IV dug into her wrist, and as she studied the room, she finally noticed that she was in an infirmary.
There was a boy in blue to her right, sitting in a chair and clutching her hand. In a chair further away was a girl wearing a long-sleeved blouse. Her chest hurt to hell and back, but the feeling was starting to go away. Two grey gauntlets rested on her arms, and when she blinked a heads-up-display popped into view, displaying her team's health, Aura, and stamina. Her health bar pulsed every few seconds, giving off a bright green color.
"..." Ariad tried speaking, but nothing came out. Her eyes searched the room for answers, but found none. "C-Calm down, Ari...see? You can talk. Good."
She took a deep breath and yanked out the IV, followed by a long beeping noise. Ariad tried climbing out of bed, but lost her grip due to entropy. A doctor rushed in just as she was pulled into someone's arms, due to her heart "flat-lining."
"Ariad? You in there?" Brafez asked, looking down at her skeptically.
"Brafez...Brafez!" Ariad exclaimed, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him into a deep kiss, entropy forgotten over the realization that he'd said that he loved her. The docter cleared his throat, with the young couple breaking apart and coughing awkwardly. "Sorry."
"It's fine. Not like I haven't seen it before." The doctor remarked, walking over to her and doing some tests. "Well, Miss Greyhound seems to be in excellent condition, so she's good to go."
"That's good. I didn't want to start eating hospital food." Ariad muttered, her face cringing in horror. Brafez picked her up and walked out of the room, closing the door with his foot. "So, what happened while I was out?"
"I figured out what I am. Welsha turned out to be faking the whole "I'm going to kill you!" charade, so, now she has amnesia and gave me this scar on my eye." Brafez blurted out, making her raise an eyebrow.
"Um, why'd you do that?"
"Do what?"
"Say all that in a single breath? That's not like you."
"I...don't know. The last few days have been kinda hectic."
"Tell me about it. So, what are we doing when we get to our dorm?"
"Not sure yet. Maybe you could help me figure that one out?" Brafez asked, looking at her with a smirk. Ariad smiled back and kissed his cheek, a laugh bubbling from her throat.
"I'll have to explain some things before we get started though." Ariad stated, resting her head on his chest.
That night...
"So, first things first, you don't have to wear a condom." Ariad said, standing up and stretching her limbs. Brafez looked on, partially confused. "All Greyhound girls have an airtight barrier in front of their cervix. No unwanted pregnancies here. Second, I know I don't have any STDs, so, how about you?"
"None." Brafez replied. Ariad nodded her head, and started walking towards the bathroom. "I'm going to do some preliminary efforts before we get started. I'd suggest you should too, but you appear not to need help."
Brafez watched the bathroom door close, and began removing his clothing. Though he hit a snag when taking off his pants, he managed. Ariad opened the door a few seconds later, wearing about as much as he was. Which is to say, nothing at all.
"Well, I...damn. I'd forgotten how big you are." Ariad quipped, eyes focussed on him.
"I'd forgotten how beautiful you are." Brafez muttered, sitting down on their bed. Ariad sat down next to him, hands in her lap.
"S-So...how're we gonna do this?
Brafez just sat there, watching her naked form in the pale twilight with a goofy smile on his face. This was his, all his. Ariad had given him everything that she treasured and feared, all to him, because she loved him. And now, he loved her. There was truly no other way to say it, except for that. It was the clearest emotion he had felt in a long time, and he was glad to share it with her. He realized that he hadn't answered and coughed, trying to kick start the conversation.
"I guess...Just what feels right." Brafez muttered.
Ariad stared back, her eyes unashamedly running up and down his body, biting her lower lip so hard she drew blood. That scar just was a bonus, her eyes focused on a single part of his anatomy. She couldn't believe her luck. Five years ago, if someone had told her she would be in this room, naked, with a boy she barely(truly) knew at the time, Ariad would have smiled, chuckled, and then snapped that person's arms like tigs. Yet here she was, displayed in all her glory to the man she loved. And love him she did. If he hadn't shown up, she'd either be dead or still on the run. But she wasn't.
Ariad realized what he had given her, and chuckled.
"What? It's not me, is it?" Brafez inquired, a small blush on his face.
"No, my dear flame. You're quite extraordinary." Ariad whispered with a voice like fine wine, wrapping her arms around his neck, her breasts pushing against his chest. "I was just thinking about what you've given me."
Brafez looked confused, tilting his head to the side.
"You've given me a home, B." she said, with a voice full of heart and joy that it could barely be contained. "Something I thought I had lost to my demons. But then...you came."
Ariad stopped, tilting her head back with a smirk.
"And hopefully I'll get you to do it again," Ariad teased, leaning closer and straddling his waist as he moved so that he was laying down on their bed. She could feel him pressing up against her, and relished in it. She spoke in a joyous whisper, "Make love to me."
"It seems you've already prepared." Brafez noted, resting his hands on her hips.
"Well duh. You think I want my first time to be painfully dry? I've also worked myself up to and just before orgasm, so that way we can do so together. Besides, it's not going to last as long as we hope." Ariad admitted, pulling up a glistening finger.
"Is that a challenge?" She smiled. She really had grown on him.
Ariad reached inside her mind, covering Innocence's view of the world. What was about to happen was not for her eyes. It was only for the two of them, and no one else. And she had a feeling they'd be doing it for a long time.
Brafez nodded, shifting himself until he waited firmly at her entrance, awaiting her go-ahead. Ariad rolled her eyes and nodded, a soft cry of joy exiting her lips as he entered her. He shivered under her, a feeling of lust threatening to take over and end this sweet, sweet symphony before it even started. Brafez held it down, pushing ever so slightly as he felt himself stop.
"Go ahead. Make me yours, forever and always." Ariad purred, goading him on. He nodded, concentrating now more than ever on the task at hand. He felt it give in tune with her muffled pain, however small an amount it may be. Whatever pain Ariad felt soon gave way to absolute bliss, tugging her deeper and shredding her senses with pleasure. And then he was there, euphoria filling his mind as he sank further into her. "Let's just hope you fit all the way."
He had a laugh at that. Brafez knew of his rather extraordinary size, and was quite aware of the disadvantages that came with it. Bigger was most certainly not better in these cases. Ariad sighed, rolling her eyes mentally. She knew Brafez would be gentle with her, but this? This was extreme. Part of her just wanted to let go of her inhibitions and ride him to climax, but she managed to hold that part of her back, albeit barely.
"How are you feeling?" Brafez inquired, slowly allowing himself to go further. Ariad swore, the man would drive her mad if he kept at it like this. Wait...she saw a small twinkle in his eye and groaned/moaned. He was playing with her.
"It hurt at first, but it feels..." Ariad hesitated, causing Brafez to retreat slightly. "G-Goood...oh, so very good. You don't know how long I've waited for this to happen, and now that it is...Monty..."
"That's good. You scared me for a second."
"You can continue you know." Ariad said, impatience in her voice. She wanted it badly, very very badly. Brafez gave her a small look before continuing, a quiet grunt exiting his mouth as they met in tune. Ariad shook her head. She knew this was his first time, and he was hitting her in all the right spots, but good lord if she didn't want to ravage him silly.
Ariad felt herself squeal, their bodies trembling ever so slightly as they rocked together, going faster. She knew it wasn't going to last long, but she had expected to last longer than this. Between her endurance and his long nights in the bathroom, she truly thought it would. But frankly she didn't care; this was bliss incarnate.
"A-Ariad?" Brafez managed to speak, his voice husky. Ariad barely heard him, a smile permanently on her face. "Ariad."
"Yes?" she uttered with closed eyes, driving him mad.
"I'd say those three words, but right now they don't compare." Ariad smirked, opening her eyes and looking at him, her eyes never leaving his.
"Then don't. Say them after, if at all." Ariad smiled, leaning further in and kissing him, her fang brushing against his tongue. They were both trembling now, their bodies tense as coiled wire; the end, their glorious collision of ecstacy, was coming.
Ariad heard herself moan into his mouth, never leaving it. They were both close, oh so very close, so close that it hurt. Then, in the middle of their ravenous tune, it happened. Brafez groaned out, burying himself as deep as he could, feeling her walls tighten around him and her fingernails dig into his back. Ariad felt herself shake, her mind going completely blank except for the thought and feel of him.
A white-hot bolt of pleasure shot through the both of them, and then they were one. Time stopped, the sun dissolved into nothingness, and the world ended. All these things and more condensed into a singular moment that had them crying out each other's names and shaking apart at the seams. It lasted for both years and seconds, ingraining itself into their minds.
And then, when the world stopped spinning, they slumped against each other, falling down on to the bed. Neither of them moved, nor did they want to.
"Hey Brafez?" Ariad asked quietly, and with subdued joy. A few pants followed before Brafez responded.
"Y-Yeah?" He tried, and failed, to raise his head, instead just settling on listening to her peaceful breathing. He felt her purr, a small sigh escaping her lips.
"The books never get this right." Ariad quipped, a laugh in her voice.
"You're wrong. Some do, they're just few and far between. Not to mention the fact that most just cram cock and pussy in every nook and crannie they find." Ariad giggled at his double entendre, feeling a hand travel down her back to rest on her rump. "It feels better than I imagined."
"My ass or puss'?" Ariad inquired, dragging herself up his body with a grunt.
"You're always so vulgar..." Brafez responded, combing his hand through her chocolate tresses. "Never change."
"Not a damn chance in fucking Elsewyre, friend." Ariad said, smiling as Brafez squeezed slightly. "Same to you."
"A-Ariad?" Brafez asked aloud, finding the strength to sit up and look her in the eyes. "I found out what I am."
"And? Does it matter?" Brafez thought it over.
"...no. Not to you." Ariad smiled happily, running her hands up and down his chest. She groaned as she felt something warm slide down her inner thigh.
Brafez saw her face scrunch with frustration, and promptly held her tighter.
"It's not that. I have to get up and take a shower, get all of our batter out. Otherwise it just sits there and...marinades." Ariad shivered in disgust, attempting to sit up before Brafez clutched her waist. "Brafez-"
"No. I'm tired. I want you to sleep with me." Brafez said, pouting cutely.
"I just did."
"You know what I mean." Ariad sighed, stopping as he gave her puppy eyes.
"You- Dust damnit, you're no fair. You know I can't resist your eyes." Ariad admitted, curling back up against him. She did feel tired, admittedly.
"Nap time?" Brafez inquired, somewhat jokingly. She chortled.
"I can't believe you still call it 'nap time'." she muttered, playfully batting his arm.
"Please?" Brafez asked again, increasing the effect of his puppy eyes ten-fold.
"I haven't tried moving yet, so what do you think?"
"Hmm...good point." he replied, yawning and holding her closer. Ariad mimicked him, snuggling closer into his embrace and relishing in the warmth.
"Hey Brafez." Ariad asked aloud.
"Yes?"
"I love you." she said.
"I love you too." Brafez replied in earnest.
I sighed happily, twirling a blonde strand of hair around on my finger. Iota curled up against me, a pure smile on her face. She was just so beautiful. I couldn't help myself. And she was back, back to stay.
"Xas?" she whispered, her voice digging into my heart and spreading like a wanted disease.
"Yes, my love?" I asked, taking a deep breath. She still smelled like marshmallows. Some things never changed.
"I'm happy to be back."
"I know." I said succinctly. She leaned upwards, her elbow on my inner thigh and dangerously close to a part of my body I did not want to have hurt. She knew it too.
"You always know. But do you know that I love you?"
"Is that a question?" I snorted, stopping as she dug into my thigh. "Okaypointtaken."
"Good." she mewled, kissing me on the lips.
"I don't want to admit it," I started, squeezing her waist. "But you looked downright ravenous with bunny ears."
"I know, why do you think Iz had them?" I shook my head, smiling like a loon.
"You're a Deserved damned tease, you know?"
"And don't you forget it, mister!" Iota stated, happily removing my fedora and placing it on her head. So fucking cute. She looked downright illegal.
"Like I ever could forget you..." I quieted down, unpleasant memories coming to the surface of my mind.
"You thought about it, didn't you? About Gatopurry?"
"Yes." I managed to croak out, the fear of forgetting her brought back into the light. "I'm a bit angry with you."
"I...know. There were rules... they wouldn't let me see you. The only reason why you still remember me is because I broke those rules. Since you were technically in danger, they pardoned me, but I still couldn't see you." she muttered quietly, silently begging for me to understand. Her voice shook in fear, fear that I wouldn't forgive her.
"What rule would that be?" I inquired, tapping her shoulder as a sign of forgiveness.
"If two Deserved...come from the same planet, they aren't able to see each other for a thousand years. Last week was a thousand years." Iota explained, her voice still shaky, but not as bad as before.
"I'm going to have to start a petition." I muttered, holding my lover closer and kissing her cheek. "Iota, dearest, my eternal love, look at me."
She did so, albeit hesitantly.
"I love you. I have always loved you. I will continue to love you for the rest of my eternal life. Sometimes I will get angry with you. Sometimes things just happen. But no matter what, or who, or anything else, I will always forgive you. Because we're in this together, and I don't think I can go on without you."
"S-So... you don't hate me?" I stopped myself from hitting her for asking such a stupid question.
"Never." I replied, squeezing the life out of her. Figuratively, that is, considering that we're undead. "Now, how about I get you some hot chocolate?"
"I'd...like that very much." Iota stood up, yanking me to my feet and wrapping me in an embrace. I smiled, sighing with luxury and love as I ran a hand down her back. "Watch it, mister."
"No." I retorted, squeezing a particular part of her body and eliciting a slight gasp from her lips. She punched my arm, a smirk on her face. "If you weren't too busy hitting me, you would have noticed that I placed something in your back pocket."
"Oh really?" She reached in her back pocket, stopping as she felt the smooth contours of a ring. "X-Xas...You didn't-"
"I did." I replied, kissing her once again. She pulled out a golden ring, handing it to me.
"I-I think you should do the honors..."
"If you so irresistibly insist." I took the ring, sliding it down her ring finger and nipping her neck. "How's this?"
"X-Xas...oh Xas...I love you so much." Iota slumped into my chest, crying with joy and enlightenment. "You didn't even have to ask. My answer will always be yes."
"Good. I've already planned the wedding. It's next month. I figured that I'd let you choose the dress. It only seems fair."
"I...I don't know what to say. I really don't. I have to start arranging invitations a-and-"
"That's for tomorrow. What about today?" I asked, walking inside Ozpin's office, leading her by the hand.
"Today...I...don't know. We have so much time to make up for-" Iota muttered, watching as the elevator changed floors.
"Yes, but what should we start with?" I asked aloud, smiling. She grinned and pushed the emergency button, stopping the elevator between floors.
"I'm not sure, but I'd like to have your tentacles in my ass." I frowned, pullling away from her. "W-What?!"
"You killed the mood." I retorted, looking at her with concealed mischief. She wrapped a leg around my waist and pulled herself close, leaning against me. "I don't do tentacles."
"Xas!"
"Nope."
"Please!"
"No."
"Pretty pretty pretty pretty pretty pretty pretty pretty pretty please?" I flashed her a smirk, bringing us together.
"You are indeed very pretty. But my answer is still no. Now, if you want to use the appropriate limb, I'm all ears." Iota mewled and bit her lip, pulling me even closer. "However, a bed would be more appropriate."
I palmed the button, letting the elevator continue its descent. I teleported us away, reappearing in my room in Sanctuary. "So, what do you say?"
"We have ourselves a deal." I smiled, shortly before she threw me onto my bed. There was little conversation after that.
Inverness...
A very confused Welsha Pierre bolted awake, with no memories of herself or what was going on. There was a girl, standing over her. She had wings, and feather-like hair.
"W-Where am I? What's going on?" She asked, trying to stand up before the mysterious girl planted a hand on her chest.
"Calm down dearie, we're almost there." Hazel muttered, looking at the door. "Your name's Welsha Pierre. And you have a long few days ahead of you. Thankfully, I'll be your assistant."
"My name...is Welsha? Why does my face feel funny? Why do I only have one arm?!"
"Calm. Down." Hazel hissed, pushing Welsha against the wall. "I'm going to explain this very carefully. If you don't act like a brain-dead bimbo, you are going to die. All you know is your name, nothing else. Three days from now, you're going to wake up and start screaming about a brother."
"W-Why? I have a brother?-" Welsha was hushed as Hazel pressed against her, their lips meeting. A few seconds later, Hazel pulled away, leaving a stunned and embarrassed Welsha in her wake. "I-I...You're a very good kisser." Welsha meekly stated, touching her lips. It wasn't the best thing to say, but it was all she could think of.
"Thanks. I would hope so, considering I'm seven hundred years old." Hazel muttered, looking at her from out of the corner of her eye.
"What?"
"You have a very beautiful face." Hazel said, smiling. Welsha blushed, looking away. "I'm serious. While some might see your scars as a disgraceful feature, I consider them to be honors. You have survived quite a lot."
"Oh? W-Where are these scars?"
"You have one here from a Major Ursa-" Hazel pressed a finger against her back, tracing a singular spot. "One on your face caused by third degree burns, one on your abdomen due to a Watcher's claws, another on your neck where someone tried to cut your throat, and one on your inner-thigh where a Beowulf tried to cut your legs off. Any other questions?"
"Y-Yeah...what's a Watcher?"
"Not what, who. It's a very old Grimm, older than myself. They exist to stop a Wakujui from ending all Grimm on the surface of Remnant. They use psychological warfare to make a Wakujui commit suicide. However, the previous two failed to do so, thanks to your intervention. Now, they reside in the moon, married to their specific Grimm."
"Oh..."
"Any other questions?"
"Yes. Who were the past two Wakujui?"
"A woman named Summer Rose, and a boy you once called your brother, Brafez Rasputin."
"Okay, I think I'm good. For now. The amnesia thing is making me feel funny. Why does it smell in here?"
"Pheromones. I'm marking you as my mate."
"W-What?!"
"I find you alluring, so now I'm marking you as my own."
"B-But we just met!"
"Oh contraire, we've been seeing each other for the past seven months. Now that your job is done, we can start seeing each other again." Welsha tried to speak before Hazel kissed her again. "I know. You have amnesia, we practically just met. But think. How do you feel when I kiss you?"
"Other than really confused? Well...I..."
"You what?"
"I like it. It feels nice."
"Good. We have a lot of catching up to do. Now, what else?"
Welsha thought for a moment and then some, a small smile on her face as she answered.
END OF CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
A.N. So, now you know the truth. That will make it very easy when I start with the prequel. It's not a fun time. So, for now I'm going on a short hiatus on my main story, during which I'll be publishing When Our Lights Flicker, or WOLF, the prequel to Gods Among Us. It will go over many things, most notably the death of the first Brafez, how his clones came to be, the Watcher, Welsha what she will do to protect her brother, and much more. I'm going to try and get those chapters out as soon as possible so we can get back to the main story rather quickly. However, don't expect six thousand words a chapter. I want to shoot for twenty-eight chapters in total, all around 1500 words. It's going to be VERY straight to the point.