Guys, I'm going to make an announcement. Don't worry, it's not the type in which authors says they're abandoning stories XD. I'm not abandoning the fic. I'm just not going to update much often anymore.
The reason? I had an awful experience (won't go into details) that made me realize that I spend too much time in the phone and computer, and I'm going to start spending less time in the screens.
Besides, I also got to work on my thesis to get my college degree.
Shades of Purple
Chapter 27- Surprise.
"Ma'am, the Vortian wants a word with you."
"Which one?"
"The one who calls himself Lard Nar." Ah, that one.
"Let him in." She said, uninterested, instead focusing on her birdcage. She heard the door swishing open again as timid footsteps echoed inside the room.
"Hello, Captain Mizorant."
"Now, now, Lard Nar, there's no need to be so formal. You may call me Mizorant."
Lard Nar gulped; Mizorant might sound friendly, but he still couldn't help but find her scary. Those teeth of hers could quickly chop him into tiny pieces if she wanted.
He had heard lots of things about her, most notably her intense dislike of the Irken Empire even for a Sobrekt. That's the reason she had agreed to work with the Resisty in the first place when they'd been turned down by the Shuryo; she was itching for a fight with the Irkens, and since her leader would not join the war without a viable reason, she made it her goal to provide him one.
He distracted himself by looking at the surroundings. True to Sobrekt mindset, hanging plasma blades, and, to Lard Nar's mortification, the heads of Irken commanders and Elites who had been deemed 'worthy rivals' adorned the walls. Lard Nar gulped.
He'd never understand that particular custom.
"Well, Mizorant, you asked that we keep an eye on Tallest Purple's movements."
"Yes, I remember. Any news?"
"As you know, they announced not long ago that his wife, Tenn, was kidnapped by Sobrekt."
Mizorant scoffed. "That's what they say."
She recognized marital problems when she saw them. After all, she had experienced it. She understood the decision to cover it up, though, it's not like she'd want to let everybody know about said problems, especially if she were in charge of such a strong Empire.
"Yeah. Anyhow, I got contacts who say Tallest Purple departed the Massive to look for Tenn on planet Urth." Mizorant glanced back at him with slit pupils, interest picked.
"Urth? The one Hitorken Zim conquered?"
"Yeah, that one. Officially, Tenn found a way to escape her captors and went there."
"Oh, please, Lard Nar, we both know the true story: she ran away from her 'husband." Mizorant focused her attention on her caged birds again. "After all, no matter how golden, a cage is still a cage, so you'd want to run off when you got the chance too." The Sobrekt left her seat and glanced towards the wide window panel. "And this Tenn girl was smart: she went somewhere she knew the Armada would go to."
"Well, it didn't work out if Tallest Purple's gone looking for her." Lard Nar pointed out.
"Hitorken Zim probably informed him without her knowing."
"So, what's the plan? We got one of the Irken Leaders away from the Empire's flagship without any security; it would be a perfect chance to capture him and gain leverage! I can have my guys go to Urth and-!"
"It won't be necessary. I already got a team of my own ready to go to Urth and deal with him."
Her team? That could only mean one thing.
"Wait, ma'am! Killing the Tallest instead of capturing him alive just because you want another trophy would be like-!" Mizorant turned to face the Vortian, expression stern and teeth bared.
"I told you, Lard Nar. The purple one is mine, and I will do with him what I see fit." She warned, narrowing her eyes. "Do not forget who was the one who aided your cause, Vortian. Just as I gave you my support, I can just as easily take it away and leave you to face the Irken Empire by yourself."
Lard Nar gulped. There was the infamous Sobrekt short fuse.
"As you wish, ma'am." He stuttered as he took a few steps back towards the door.
Mizorant twitched the tip of her tail as she heard the Vortian tripping and then speeding out of the room. Ugh. No wonder the Shuryo never took these guys seriously.
Thankfully for you, Lard Nar, I have no intent on killing the Purple Tallest. At least, not yet. I've got something else in mind.
Tenn was truly afraid for her life as she was abruptly pushed into her own place, and the door slammed shut.
She trembled as Purple moved towards her in a threatening posture: lekku high up in the air, fists clenched, and eyes narrowed. All the other times he had been pissed at her looked like sugar in comparison to this one.
"How did you find me?"
She hadn't meant actually to ask. It just came out of her mouth as the question passed through her head. Had she made a mistake and unknowingly left a crumb trail? Or had someone betrayed her and ratted her out?
Purple chuckled humorlessly. "I am the one who will do the questions here, my dear." The tone in which he spoke 'my dear' sent shivers down her spine. "For how long have you been planning this? For how long have you played me for a fool, toying with my feelings and manipulating me like a puppet?"
Tenn contained the urge to point out that he loves puppets. She tried to say something, but nothing wouldn't come out.
"ANSWER ME!"
Tenn jumped back at the sudden shout. She took a deep breath.
"...A while." She confessed coldly, but with a trembling voice.
Purple's stony expression became pained for a few seconds before hardening up again.
"Why?"
Tenn gave him a skeptical look. "Are you still asking me that? You know why."
"Have I not given you everything?! Whatever you asked of me, I gave you! You live in the lap of luxury and want for nothing! Is this how you repay me?!"
"I never wanted any of that! I never wanted you in the first place, but you just couldn't swallow that fact and instead put me inside a cage like a slave, wanting to force me into being something I'm not! Not comfortable with that, you even stripped me of my greatest achievement!"
Purple went silent, then sighed.
"I guess you finally figured it out. Took you long enough."
Tenn clenched her fists. "So, you admit that you deliberately messed with my PAK and erased all my memories of my mission!"
"Yes, I did." Of all the cynical-! "And quoting what you just said: You know why." Tenn hated to admit that he had a point. "You humiliated me back on Devastis, and I had to teach you a lesson. Stripping you of your rank wouldn't be enough in the long run, so I decided to block out your memories of Meekrob until you came to your senses." Purple narrowed his eyes, sneering. "Well, now you can forget about ever getting them back."
Tenn felt as if her heart broke in half for a second time as she glared at her Tallest and husband with all the hatred she could muster.
"Don't you dare repeat that you 'love me' in my face. It's clear that you don't know the meaning of that."
"How can you say that?" Purple hissed. "Everything I've ever done was for love, for you!"
"Love?! You forced me to marry you! You forced me to-!" Tenn felt like crying as she recalled their first night together.
"You left me no choice!"
"I left you no choice?! Don't forget who left who no choice! You provoked me into attacking you to blackmail me into becoming your wife! You altered my body and my memories without my consent, not once, not even twice, but many times! All this time, you didn't stop rubbing in my face that you're my superior when a real couple is supposed to be on equal terms!
"Don't dare say you don't know why I wanted to get away from you because you perfectly know it!"
"Do you- do you have any idea of what it means for a man to be ignored and rejected by the woman he loves?! It's the most humiliating, heartbreaking thing ever!"
"And do you have any idea of what it means for a woman when a man forces her to be with him against her will?! You didn't even respect my grief over Dren's death. You just decided that you had to have me and closed your fist around me!"
Tenn froze as she felt Purple's grip on her shoulder. His expression had turned into a desperate one, his eyes filled with hurt.
"Why can't you understand that everything I did was because I love you?!" He yelled.
"There's a fine line between love and possession, Purple!" Tenn cried at the verge of tears herself. "You never made me feel like you loved me; you made me feel like I was your doll!"
The atmosphere grew darker and tenser as Purple's PAK-limbs emerged and struck the wall behind her, trapping her.
"You're wearing out my patience, woman. I've tried to put up with you because I'm a very considerate person, but you have seen what happens to those who cross me."
"You wouldn't dare lay a hand on me." Tenn defied, but quickly regretted when she felt Purple's grip around her throat.
"Give me a good reason."
Tenn found herself back in her apartment on Irk that night. The scenario was more or less the same, except this time, Tenn wasn't sure Purple would be as forgiving. The darkness in his eyes had made her feel a primal fear from the olden days before the PAK.
Was he actually going to kill her? In this state, she thought him more than capable of that.
For some time, Tenn didn't realize what was going on. She didn't even know she had spoken until the grip on her throat loosened. Opening her eyes, she found a look of utter shock.
"What did you just say…?"
"I'm pregnant," Tenn said, almost automatically. She quickly took her hands to her mouth upon realizing what she had done. Why on Irk did she tell him?!
Then it dawned on her: he still wants a smeet of his own. He wouldn't lay a hand on her as long as she was carrying it.
Purple remained frozen for a few seconds.
"You're lying," he said, narrowing his eyes. "How can I be certain you're not just trying to save your hide?"
"Don't you remember we spent a night together right before I left, honey?" Tenn retorted with a hiss. "If you don't believe me, you can ask Zim's hyooman mate, and she can take you to the medical drone who checked on me to confirm it."
The PAK-legs retreated, but Purple didn't move. He was just staring down at her, his eyes wide. Tenn almost tried to dart towards the door to make her escape, but she didn't dare. Not right now.
"P-Pregnant… I'm going to…"
Then, without saying a word, Purple stomped his way out of the apartment, slamming the door shut behind him.
Tenn waited a few more moments before running towards it, but as she tried to slide it open, she found that it had been locked from the outside.
Shrieking, she sent a vase flying against the wall, shattering it into pieces. It didn't stop there: soon, she found herself tearing through her apartment for a second time, just like when she learned Dren was dead.
Pregnant.
The word echoed inside his head as he walked around the plaza, trying desperately to put his emotions in check. In his anger, his boot came into contact with a nearby feline and sent it flying into a tree. The animal hissed. Purple retorted with an angry shriek, additionally spreading out his PAK-legs to make himself look bigger. The cat bristled its fur and ran away. Once he got tired of kicking stuff, Purple sat down in a nearby bench.
He pondered over what he'd just learned: Tenn was pregnant again.
Under other circumstances, he might be jumping and shouting happily, but right now, he felt torn. One part was thrilled and hopeful for the new chance at fatherhood. But the other was pissed at Tenn for leaving him and wanting to deprive him of such a wonderful experience. And naturally, these two warring parts of himself put him in a terrible mood.
Honestly, Purple had been planning a severe punishment for Tenn. He didn't know what, only that he wanted to make sure that she would never escape from him again.
But now… He was having a smeet.
They would be having a smeet.
This changes everything. Purple felt torn in-between pampering his wife and making her feel miserable.
Damn it. He needed to talk to Red.
Purple glanced around the area to make sure nobody was around and sent a long-distance call through his PAK. Shortly after, two of his PAK-limbs projected a small holographic screen displaying Red.
"About time, Purple, I was starting to think you were intercepted by enemy ships!" he said, visibly upset.
"Sorry, Red. I got… distracted." Purple sighed.
"Anyhow, what happened? Did you find Tenn?"
"I did."
Red narrowed his eyes. "I know that look. What's wrong?"
"Well, for starters, I had to spend three goddamn hours in Zim's 'pizza party' just to keep his stupid robot from calling every five minutes to wail!" Purple snapped unintentionally. He rubbed his temple. "But that's not it. Not completely. Tenn... is pregnant." he confessed.
Red spat out his soft drink then took some deep breaths to recover his lost air. "What? You mean that-?"
"Yes, the night before she ran away. We had sex, and now she's carrying a smeet" Purple said bitterly.
"That's wonderful, Pur…! And yet, you don't look thrilled."
"I am thrilled. I want to be happy about this. After what happened with the lizards, ever since we lost…" Purple closed his eyes, sighing sadly. "You know how much I've always wanted my own smeets. And I wanted Tenn to be their mother. And after all this time, I have a second chance at being a father."
"But…"
"It still doesn't erase the fact that Tenn ran away, that she lied to me. Every time I look at her it's the only thing I can think about. I'm afraid of… What if I end up hurting her in an outrage? You and I both know that I have a problem with my temper…"
"Okay, Pur, first of all, calm down. Do what you must, but vent off your anger on something else that isn't your wife! Second, I know that you're angry, but do not stress her out! Lena almost miscarried Rouge when Ilk got injured during training, remember?"
"Don't remind me of that." Purple shivered. He didn't want even to compare which one could be worse: miscarriage through stress or miscarriage by injury, as had happened with Tenn.
"When are you coming back?"
"As soon as possible, but I think we're spending the night here."
"Purple, be honest with me. Do you still want Tenn by your side? Do you still love her?"
Purple closed his eyes shut. The wound of what she'd done was still fresh; right now, he felt like he hated her for playing with his feelings and then stabbing him in the back. He wanted to! But...
Rawr!
Purple perked up his lekku. "What was that?"
The slightest hint of annoyance dawned on Red's face as he looked down. "For the fifth time, you're not climbing unto the couch!" He growled.
"Who's there? Is that Rouge?" No, it couldn't be. Red wouldn't talk to him like that.
"Oh, yeah. Remember the indokuro egg?"
The camera shifted its focus to the ground. A small, gray indokuro hatchling with white spots near its eyes was clawing on Red's robes, trying to climb into his lap. Its golden eyes were looking up pleadingly at Red as it made small chirp-like growls.
Despite his emotional state, Purple couldn't help himself. He awed over the little thing, especially as it noticed the screen and tried touching it, only for its claw to go through the hologram. What could he say? He had a thing for cute things.
"Aww, it's so adorable!"
"Don't let its 'adorable' looks fool you. This thing is a menace! It's already ripped my favorite boots, Rouge's toys, and Lena's skirts with its teeth alone! And it left a big…!" Red paused, his face turning a bit greener than usual.
"A what?" Purple pressed on.
"A… A b-big…" Red closed his eyes shut, gulping. "I can't show you because I had it cleaned up, but it smelled worse than your socks!"
Purple chuckled as he realized what Red was talking about. "Why is it with you, then?"
"Ilk said it'd be better that he sees you or me when the egg hatched so it would imprint on us, which would make training it easier. Since you went to look for Tenn, I was the one it imprinted on." Red frowned. "But now it won't leave me alone! I can't even take a bath because it jumps in after me and makes a mess! I tried locking it in the wardrobe, and it wouldn't stop making noises!"
"What did Ilk say about it?"
"She sent me a copy of Indokuro Training for Dummies." A small laugh escaped Red. He was beaming proudly. "Can you believe it? She got the information in less than a week!"
"That's Ilkie, alright." Purple agreed. "Hey, where's Lena?"
"She's locked herself in our room with Rouge. She won't let me in until I do something about this," Red pointed down, referring to the off-screen hatchling.
"You can't blame her; it is big enough to eat Rouge."
"Anyhow, I have to go. The war council begins in fifteen minutes. Be sure to call me when you're on your way back!"
Purple sighed as the transmission ended. At least something was working in their favor.
Good news: Tenn is still breathing! Bad news: She's prisoner again. And this time, Purple won't be letting her go that easily...
