c h r o n o c r a s h
By FL#2
(Hikaru-chan64@msn.com)
AIM screen name: Sergiekins
Chapter 17: Choice
Disclaimer: I do not own Chrono Cross, or anything related to it. Square owns it not me, so don't even think of getting me in trouble. * = Author's note
*Well, on May 10th a tornado touched down between my hometown and Bartlett, and the sirens were going off. Thank whatever I'm still alive. o_O; Anyway, this chapter is somewhat longer than what you've been getting lately. I'm sure you'll all be happy with it. *
Thump.
What's that?
Thump, thump.
... Am I dead? No...
Thump, thump, thump. Serge's heart heard itself echoing in an empty shell, it's uniform palpitations making it known to him. His senses seemed to be clouded, mingled with an odd sort of ringing in his ears; perhaps it was their way of screaming in pain. But, he felt none of theirs, only a numbness that hung his limbs limp like a broken marionette. He slowly opened his eyes, his nerves standing erect in a precarious caution.
At first, he saw nothing, and he felt a panic rush down from his head through his body, a tingling sensation of primal instinct that he may be in for something bad. But, softly and sharply all at once, his vision came back to him and an iron weight fell upon his head as the light pierced through his eyes. The throbbing of his cranium made his vision blur a bit and he could barely make out what was in front of him. He found that the blurring was not his vision, but water, surrounding him in a large glass tube. Wires curved and twisted around him, piercing into his skin here and there and a one large black cord ran into a mask that sheltered his mouth. Air as cold as the breath of the north sifted it's way into the mask, his only life-line in this liquid filled prison.
"Wha..." He managed to say, but a white, hot knife ran down his throat like a ricochet.
Serge then saw a musty figure move suddenly in front of him, from what he could see was that the man, or whatever he may have been, was dark in color, and tall in stature. The man quickly looked back down at the hunk of metal, which must have been a console of some kind for the operation of Serge's "tube", and typing in a very quick fashion. And then, the voice of someone Serge knew very well came from that person outside his confinements, into a small microphone at the console.
"He's come to, finally. If you want to see him before I release the tank, come over to the Sustentation Room." Lynx's deep, growling voice echoed in Serge's head like a tiger's roar. Serge's eyes widened as he heard Lynx's voice, calling someone to come into the room while he floated here, completely off guard and helpless. He was obviously here to be killed. At least, that's what he thought at first.
Wait a second... "Sustentation Room?" That must mean that they've been keeping me alive... but, what... oh, god. I can't think straight. I've probably been drugged or something.
Serge lowered his head as best he could, his hair floating upwards in the almost weightless atmosphere of the water surrounding him. Closing his eyes to shield them from the stinging of the water, he paid no attention to the door that opened on the other side of the room. The florescent lighting and cold tile floor, metal and silicon surrounding him in a death trap he somehow fell into but, as soon as he heard that one word, the sky opened up as his eyes brought him back to the world that is sight.
"MATE!"
Serge's eyes of orchid felt as if they would burst into a piteous sob, but he held back. He merely lifted his head towards the voice, where a golden- haired figure dashed up to the tube, but stopped short as Lynx's hand raised from the console to the left of her.
Kidd did not so much as take a step back, she just jerked her gaze towards Lynx, and silent and untrusting she stared at the man of cats.
Lynx also stared her down, his crescent shaped pupils contracting as he warned her subconsciously.
"Stand back, he isn't very stable yet. He hasn't recovered from the "drowsy" symptoms quite yet." Lynx flashed her a toothy, fang-filled snarl, crossing his arms against the dark, oily leather coat he wore.
Kidd sneered, her lip lifting up in disgust at him. "Look 'ere, we dun know if we can trust ya yet, so dun go assumin' that the deal is on jus' yet." She then put a foot out in front of her, moving to the glass shell that kept her away from Serge.
Serge could barely keep all the events straight in his mind, but all he wanted was the get out of there to get to Kidd. To see her, touch her, whatever he needed to do to know that she was there. He couldn't even tell what he felt at the moment as she walked closer to the tank, but he tore himself towards her in the confines of liquid and wire. His joints ached with a cold rhythm of pain as he twisted himself to meet her, ignoring the man that was once his father, and now an enemy.
Kidd's eyes too widened as he moved toward her, as she wasn't expecting him to move so quickly for her sake. Her dominant look she had fashioned for Lynx's futile warning softened to that of kindness reborn. She lifted her hand and pressed it against the glass. "H-hey... Mate... 'aven't seen those eyes a yours in a blue moon..."
Serge felt himself moving and thinking as if in a dream, and through the strain of prolonged sleep and pain, he lifted his hand to meet hers against the glass. An indirect touch that seemed so perilously close and yet so distant and confined from what they both dreamed of. The warmth of each other's hands met with each other, and then they both brought the other hand up together, so that they both could meet and touch. It had seemed as if they had been separated for another eternity, the heavens were running through their fingers, and all was theirs' to have. But, the touch was suddenly cut off as the liquid that held Serge afloat abruptly spilled downward through the bottom of the tank, the glass tube jerking upwards so violently that the metal border attached to the ceiling bawled in pain.
Serge fell painfully into the metal platform (luckily on his knees); the wires snapping out of his skin excruciatingly quickly, and snapping against his back like a master's whip. Serge burst out a rush of delayed air from the pain, and he felt in his throat that he had attempted to scream, but in failure. Only a small chocking noise cam out, and he looked up at Kidd.
Kidd stared at Serge for a few moments, mouth open in a gawk, but she forcefully grit her teeth. She kneeled to meet Serge at an eye level, covering his back with her arms to make sure that he was in a fair condition after the sudden release. Her blazing azure eyes pierced the air between her and the cat-man.
Lynx's eyes met her in an inverted mirror, gold against blue in a flurry of elderly and matured hate that lived within their very souls, though intertwined so tightly, they found themselves inseparable. He stepped away from the console, the walls surrounding them etched with screens and blue- tinted metal consoles where those who once worked in the room had long abandoned. His heavy boots slammed against the tile in front of the pair, acting as an omen.
"Welcome, my fine boy. I'm sure you remember Kidd, this place, and me." He flashed another fang-filled grimace, lifting his hands to wave through the air subtly. "Chronopolis, the city of humankind." He let out a small chuckle that ended abruptly, his golden eyes narrowing at Kidd. "Kidd will take you to your quarters, and explain all that you need to know. Now, you'd better not waste time, for the clock is ticking away."
Serge couldn't make out much of what Lynx was saying, but he felt himself regaining his identity in the world around him, and Kidd's warm touch seemed to melt the pain from the broken skin where the wires had been. He slowly began to stand, without Kidd's aid until he felt his knees buckle beneath him, and she quickly caught him with a grunt. They left, and Serge did not even notice a redheaded counter-part in the next tube in line where he had been in. His arm slung over Kidd's shoulder, they slowly made their way through the silicon halls into the room that Serge and Kidd had apparently been assigned to.
The room was about 10 feet by 12 feet, and two beds had been pulled from the blue metal plates of the walls. Serge could see the pouch with their stars and weapons in them scattered on one of the beds, which was obviously Kidd's. His legs were numb, and he could barely feel the sheets under him as Kidd sat him down on the bed opposite from the other. She sat next to Serge in a few moments of silence, and as he noticed she was looking at him, he felt his head clear a bit. He blinked a few times, quickly, and asked:
"... What?"
Kidd's eyes went wide for a moment, and she clutched the edges of her nightgown, as she practiced looking at her knees. It was night, Serge realized. She stood up, her bare feet pattering against the cold, metal floor, and she left. Serge's senses fuzzed as she left, hardly noticing the fact she left, and she came back in as quickly as she had gone.
In her hands was a wrap of bandages, a bottle filled with a liquid and some cotton balls. Her eyes were pensive and empty, and before he knew it, she was behind him on the bed, legs curled under her to medicate his wounds from the wires.
Kidd plucked up a cotton ball from beside her knee, pressing it into the neck of the open bottle, and Serge recognized the smell as peroxide. Dabbing his back, he felt a sharp sting as it seeped into the wound.
Kidd's voice was slightly alarmed, but calm to an extent. "Mate... yer back's all bloody... s'all red." She dabbed the cotton ball around the holes in the small of his back, and he arched back in pain.
Serge hadn't noticed, but the hurt had been numbed until she had begun to clean the sores and the cuts from the whipping wires. He saw that the white sheet around him was now dyed crimson. "I... didn't notice..." He managed to mumble, and he suddenly felt naked as her fingertip graced his spine.
She chuckled. "Tha's bloody-" She caught herself in unintentional pun, deciding to continue, she said: "Tha's bloody like ya, mate. But, ye'll be better 'n a minute or so. The painkillers'll be wearin' off, and then you'll probably be screamin' yer arse off in anguish." She faked an evil laugh.
Serge let out what was meant to be a laugh, but it mostly was him letting out air in some kind of amused sigh. She always could cheer him up, and he was not really helping her in the situation, he realized. He felt Kidd's hands slip under his arms to wrap a bandage around his chest. He could hardly get himself under control, as she touched so gently. Breaths became a bit uneven.
After the wrapping job was done, Kidd scooted next to him, pulling her nightgown down just to make sure he didn't see anything he wasn't supposed to. Her hair was pull up into that high "braid", tied with red ribbons into four separate sections, and she stared at him, hands in her lap.
Serge felt that he had woken up a bit more, and he, once again, stared at her. "... What?"
Kidd's eyes quickly fell down to her feet. "... It's nothin'." Her eyes glanced up at him, and back down again, but she forced herself to look into his eyes.
Serge, once again, stared back at Kidd. His orchid eyes were glazed over with weariness again, and he just fell backwards, bending his body a bit so her could half-lay on the bed. He smiled up at Kidd, sweat forming on his brow.
Kidd smirked, her lips pursing towards the side, raising a brow at him, and she copied his falling action.
"Yer still stupid, mate." She laughed heartily, giving him a punch to his breadbasket.
Serge stuck out his tongue and make fake "dying" noises, laughing with Kidd, even though he was so tired he felt he might fall asleep right there with Kidd next to him. Snap. That triggered a thought. He had killed himself in his past life... because he lost Kidd. And from what Leena had explained, it seemed like he had had extremely strong feelings for her, perhaps even...
Kidd's voice broke what was left of his thought train. "Hey, Mate..." He felt her arm slip under his bare back and she hugged herself against him, closing her eyes. He looked down at her in a whirlwind of panic, but when he looked at her, she looked like a little girl hugging her father. It was a small cry for help on her part. "..."
"... I'm sorry I couldn' help ye." Her voice was high and broken, and he could feel a pang within his chest, knowing that she was about to cry. Wrapping an aching arm under and around her, he said nothing to her for a few moments. He could feel her heart beating, throbbing against her ribs, reverberating into his.
"Don't blame yourself, you couldn't do anything, Kidd. It wasn't your fault- "
Zzt. All fell into inky blackness. A rumbling tremor or noise rattled the walls a moment later. They both sat up quickly, trying to figure out what had just happened.
"Ah-Aye!! What the hell happened?!" Kidd's voice rang into the darkness, her hands groping for Serge roughly, and she grabbed his hand oddly.
"How am I supposed to know? I think that what we heard was thunder or something, so it could be a black out..."
He felt Kidd's hand slap the back of his head. "See, I knew you knew whot it was!"
Rubbing his head, Serge sighed. "Well, let's try and see if the power is out everywhere else..."
Serge stood up, pulling Kidd with him. His free hand waved through the sea of black, searching for the door. Just as he felt the smooth, metal handle beneath his fingertips, the huge sheet of metal slammed into him, throwing he and Kidd back skidding across the floor to the other end of the room and into the wall.
"HEY! JUNIOR! KIDD!! You guys all right!?"
Karsh seemed to be oblivious as to what he had just done; no light came from behind him, which told them that the rest of the city was indeed under the black out.
A familiar voice rang from behind Karsh; it was Glenn. "... You're a very spastic person, Karsh."
The answer to Karsh's question of the moment was a jumble of moans and groans, and shuffling of bodies. Serge answered before Kidd could.
"We were ok, until you hit us with the door."
"Er! Sorry about that...!" Karsh's voice bounced back.
A snicker from Glenn and then footsteps could be heard echoing in the darkness. Serge felt Karsh's hands grip around his arm, and as he was lifted up, he could hear Kidd being pulled up by Glenn.
Kidd threw her arms up, nearly hitting Glenn in the face. "Whot the bloody hell is goin' on?! Bargin' in on us like that and in the dark!!"
Glenn answered this time; Karsh seemed unable to speak. "The power has gone out through the whole city, high winds and a storm... We were up at the observation deck, and we just wanted to see if you guys were all right." He laughed, nudging Karsh.
Kidd let out a breath, and she rubbed her forehead, invisibly in the ink filled room. "Well, we're olright, and I'm pretty damn tired meself... so..." She rushed forward in the dark, arms out to push Karsh and Glenn out the door. Stumbling under the sudden force, Karsh and Glenn flew backwards out the door, Kidd slamming the thick metal sheet and dusting her hands together.
"... Ye hafta leave. Ye ready for bed, Mate?" She grinned, and Serge could tell.
Kidd walked back towards him, but she stepped just a little too far and they bumped together, chest to chest.
"... Aye! Sorry mate!" Kidd pulled herself back as quick as she could, but her knees buckled under her as she backed into Serge's cot that jutted out from the wall. She flopped down onto the sheets as her voice heightened in pitch into a tiny yelp.
Serge blinked and frantically walked up to the bed, to see if she was alright after her little fall. But, then something caught his attention. He could feel the air around him was getting colder, but he managed to say: "... Are you okay?" His voice was soft, but urgent.
The rustling of sheets could be heard. "Yeh... I'm okay."
Serge sighed, brows furrowing as he glanced over at the door. "Let's just forget about checking the place out, and just get some sleep." He felt a tingle run up his bare back and he rubbed his smooth arms. "... Is it cold in here, or is it just me?"
Kidd too felt the cold creeping up her legs and arms, and she pulled the blanket around herself. "I think so, mate..." The sheet was thin, and didn't do her much good. She hesitated for a moment as a thought came to her; the thought of being cold was not good, so she threw her idea forward. "... Ye wanna pull the cots togethea'?"
Serge's cheeks went hot. A thousand images ran through his mind, a few that he was too ashamed to even acknowledge. But, he nodded as he saw his own breath in the darkness.
"Good idea."
Bending his knees to grip his hands under Kidd's cot, and it slipped easily to meet the other cot's edge, the soft sound of metal against metal was the only disturbance in the chilling air. He climbed up onto the soft mattresses, going under the sheets to lay next to Kidd. He could feel the warmth from her turned back filtering to his bare side, and as he felt his head spin a bit, he quickly decided to turn his attention to something else.
G - gotta... find a pillow...
His hands groped around the edge of the bed, and he found the feathery object, and jerked it over to him, slamming it down and gingerly rested his down. His dark blue locks pressed against his forehead and temples, and he sunk softly into the cool pillow. He then heard Kidd shift next to him, and his heart skipped a beat.
... What's wrong with me? He thought to himself, as he turned slightly to glance over his shoulder at Kidd, though he could not see her in the blackness around him. She no longer moved, but he heard her sigh loudly. Finishing his turn, he now faced her, and she did as well, as he could feel her breath.
"Kidd..." He heard himself speaking. "Is... something wrong?" He raised his hand to touch her shoulder, but his hand pulled away from the icy cold flesh. She was absolutely freezing.
Kidd did not say anything for a moment, an empty gust of wind moaned from outside, reminding them of the storm. "Th' sheet's too thin, mate... I'm bloody cold!!" She sounded tired, and Serge found his eyelids drooping in the cold air.
He rubbed an eye, and his cheeks soon warmed his face, and he scooted closer to her, pulling the sheet around him closer to his body, as well as Kidd's. She did the same, and he felt the fabric of her nightgown press against his bare chest and stomach, and the temperature under the sheet suddenly seemed a lot warmer. He felt himself reach an arm over her, and rubbed his soft hands over her icy shoulder as he said:
"Kidd..." His eyes rolled up to look at the darkened ceiling, and the rumble of thunder sounded in the distance. "... what happened to me...?"
Kidd shifted, lifting her arms up to her bosom and letting out a more contented sigh this time.
"I'll tell ye in th' mornin', mate."
*** End of Chapter 17 ***
Chapter 17: Choice
Disclaimer: I do not own Chrono Cross, or anything related to it. Square owns it not me, so don't even think of getting me in trouble. * = Author's note
*Well, on May 10th a tornado touched down between my hometown and Bartlett, and the sirens were going off. Thank whatever I'm still alive. o_O; Anyway, this chapter is somewhat longer than what you've been getting lately. I'm sure you'll all be happy with it. *
Thump.
What's that?
Thump, thump.
... Am I dead? No...
Thump, thump, thump. Serge's heart heard itself echoing in an empty shell, it's uniform palpitations making it known to him. His senses seemed to be clouded, mingled with an odd sort of ringing in his ears; perhaps it was their way of screaming in pain. But, he felt none of theirs, only a numbness that hung his limbs limp like a broken marionette. He slowly opened his eyes, his nerves standing erect in a precarious caution.
At first, he saw nothing, and he felt a panic rush down from his head through his body, a tingling sensation of primal instinct that he may be in for something bad. But, softly and sharply all at once, his vision came back to him and an iron weight fell upon his head as the light pierced through his eyes. The throbbing of his cranium made his vision blur a bit and he could barely make out what was in front of him. He found that the blurring was not his vision, but water, surrounding him in a large glass tube. Wires curved and twisted around him, piercing into his skin here and there and a one large black cord ran into a mask that sheltered his mouth. Air as cold as the breath of the north sifted it's way into the mask, his only life-line in this liquid filled prison.
"Wha..." He managed to say, but a white, hot knife ran down his throat like a ricochet.
Serge then saw a musty figure move suddenly in front of him, from what he could see was that the man, or whatever he may have been, was dark in color, and tall in stature. The man quickly looked back down at the hunk of metal, which must have been a console of some kind for the operation of Serge's "tube", and typing in a very quick fashion. And then, the voice of someone Serge knew very well came from that person outside his confinements, into a small microphone at the console.
"He's come to, finally. If you want to see him before I release the tank, come over to the Sustentation Room." Lynx's deep, growling voice echoed in Serge's head like a tiger's roar. Serge's eyes widened as he heard Lynx's voice, calling someone to come into the room while he floated here, completely off guard and helpless. He was obviously here to be killed. At least, that's what he thought at first.
Wait a second... "Sustentation Room?" That must mean that they've been keeping me alive... but, what... oh, god. I can't think straight. I've probably been drugged or something.
Serge lowered his head as best he could, his hair floating upwards in the almost weightless atmosphere of the water surrounding him. Closing his eyes to shield them from the stinging of the water, he paid no attention to the door that opened on the other side of the room. The florescent lighting and cold tile floor, metal and silicon surrounding him in a death trap he somehow fell into but, as soon as he heard that one word, the sky opened up as his eyes brought him back to the world that is sight.
"MATE!"
Serge's eyes of orchid felt as if they would burst into a piteous sob, but he held back. He merely lifted his head towards the voice, where a golden- haired figure dashed up to the tube, but stopped short as Lynx's hand raised from the console to the left of her.
Kidd did not so much as take a step back, she just jerked her gaze towards Lynx, and silent and untrusting she stared at the man of cats.
Lynx also stared her down, his crescent shaped pupils contracting as he warned her subconsciously.
"Stand back, he isn't very stable yet. He hasn't recovered from the "drowsy" symptoms quite yet." Lynx flashed her a toothy, fang-filled snarl, crossing his arms against the dark, oily leather coat he wore.
Kidd sneered, her lip lifting up in disgust at him. "Look 'ere, we dun know if we can trust ya yet, so dun go assumin' that the deal is on jus' yet." She then put a foot out in front of her, moving to the glass shell that kept her away from Serge.
Serge could barely keep all the events straight in his mind, but all he wanted was the get out of there to get to Kidd. To see her, touch her, whatever he needed to do to know that she was there. He couldn't even tell what he felt at the moment as she walked closer to the tank, but he tore himself towards her in the confines of liquid and wire. His joints ached with a cold rhythm of pain as he twisted himself to meet her, ignoring the man that was once his father, and now an enemy.
Kidd's eyes too widened as he moved toward her, as she wasn't expecting him to move so quickly for her sake. Her dominant look she had fashioned for Lynx's futile warning softened to that of kindness reborn. She lifted her hand and pressed it against the glass. "H-hey... Mate... 'aven't seen those eyes a yours in a blue moon..."
Serge felt himself moving and thinking as if in a dream, and through the strain of prolonged sleep and pain, he lifted his hand to meet hers against the glass. An indirect touch that seemed so perilously close and yet so distant and confined from what they both dreamed of. The warmth of each other's hands met with each other, and then they both brought the other hand up together, so that they both could meet and touch. It had seemed as if they had been separated for another eternity, the heavens were running through their fingers, and all was theirs' to have. But, the touch was suddenly cut off as the liquid that held Serge afloat abruptly spilled downward through the bottom of the tank, the glass tube jerking upwards so violently that the metal border attached to the ceiling bawled in pain.
Serge fell painfully into the metal platform (luckily on his knees); the wires snapping out of his skin excruciatingly quickly, and snapping against his back like a master's whip. Serge burst out a rush of delayed air from the pain, and he felt in his throat that he had attempted to scream, but in failure. Only a small chocking noise cam out, and he looked up at Kidd.
Kidd stared at Serge for a few moments, mouth open in a gawk, but she forcefully grit her teeth. She kneeled to meet Serge at an eye level, covering his back with her arms to make sure that he was in a fair condition after the sudden release. Her blazing azure eyes pierced the air between her and the cat-man.
Lynx's eyes met her in an inverted mirror, gold against blue in a flurry of elderly and matured hate that lived within their very souls, though intertwined so tightly, they found themselves inseparable. He stepped away from the console, the walls surrounding them etched with screens and blue- tinted metal consoles where those who once worked in the room had long abandoned. His heavy boots slammed against the tile in front of the pair, acting as an omen.
"Welcome, my fine boy. I'm sure you remember Kidd, this place, and me." He flashed another fang-filled grimace, lifting his hands to wave through the air subtly. "Chronopolis, the city of humankind." He let out a small chuckle that ended abruptly, his golden eyes narrowing at Kidd. "Kidd will take you to your quarters, and explain all that you need to know. Now, you'd better not waste time, for the clock is ticking away."
Serge couldn't make out much of what Lynx was saying, but he felt himself regaining his identity in the world around him, and Kidd's warm touch seemed to melt the pain from the broken skin where the wires had been. He slowly began to stand, without Kidd's aid until he felt his knees buckle beneath him, and she quickly caught him with a grunt. They left, and Serge did not even notice a redheaded counter-part in the next tube in line where he had been in. His arm slung over Kidd's shoulder, they slowly made their way through the silicon halls into the room that Serge and Kidd had apparently been assigned to.
The room was about 10 feet by 12 feet, and two beds had been pulled from the blue metal plates of the walls. Serge could see the pouch with their stars and weapons in them scattered on one of the beds, which was obviously Kidd's. His legs were numb, and he could barely feel the sheets under him as Kidd sat him down on the bed opposite from the other. She sat next to Serge in a few moments of silence, and as he noticed she was looking at him, he felt his head clear a bit. He blinked a few times, quickly, and asked:
"... What?"
Kidd's eyes went wide for a moment, and she clutched the edges of her nightgown, as she practiced looking at her knees. It was night, Serge realized. She stood up, her bare feet pattering against the cold, metal floor, and she left. Serge's senses fuzzed as she left, hardly noticing the fact she left, and she came back in as quickly as she had gone.
In her hands was a wrap of bandages, a bottle filled with a liquid and some cotton balls. Her eyes were pensive and empty, and before he knew it, she was behind him on the bed, legs curled under her to medicate his wounds from the wires.
Kidd plucked up a cotton ball from beside her knee, pressing it into the neck of the open bottle, and Serge recognized the smell as peroxide. Dabbing his back, he felt a sharp sting as it seeped into the wound.
Kidd's voice was slightly alarmed, but calm to an extent. "Mate... yer back's all bloody... s'all red." She dabbed the cotton ball around the holes in the small of his back, and he arched back in pain.
Serge hadn't noticed, but the hurt had been numbed until she had begun to clean the sores and the cuts from the whipping wires. He saw that the white sheet around him was now dyed crimson. "I... didn't notice..." He managed to mumble, and he suddenly felt naked as her fingertip graced his spine.
She chuckled. "Tha's bloody-" She caught herself in unintentional pun, deciding to continue, she said: "Tha's bloody like ya, mate. But, ye'll be better 'n a minute or so. The painkillers'll be wearin' off, and then you'll probably be screamin' yer arse off in anguish." She faked an evil laugh.
Serge let out what was meant to be a laugh, but it mostly was him letting out air in some kind of amused sigh. She always could cheer him up, and he was not really helping her in the situation, he realized. He felt Kidd's hands slip under his arms to wrap a bandage around his chest. He could hardly get himself under control, as she touched so gently. Breaths became a bit uneven.
After the wrapping job was done, Kidd scooted next to him, pulling her nightgown down just to make sure he didn't see anything he wasn't supposed to. Her hair was pull up into that high "braid", tied with red ribbons into four separate sections, and she stared at him, hands in her lap.
Serge felt that he had woken up a bit more, and he, once again, stared at her. "... What?"
Kidd's eyes quickly fell down to her feet. "... It's nothin'." Her eyes glanced up at him, and back down again, but she forced herself to look into his eyes.
Serge, once again, stared back at Kidd. His orchid eyes were glazed over with weariness again, and he just fell backwards, bending his body a bit so her could half-lay on the bed. He smiled up at Kidd, sweat forming on his brow.
Kidd smirked, her lips pursing towards the side, raising a brow at him, and she copied his falling action.
"Yer still stupid, mate." She laughed heartily, giving him a punch to his breadbasket.
Serge stuck out his tongue and make fake "dying" noises, laughing with Kidd, even though he was so tired he felt he might fall asleep right there with Kidd next to him. Snap. That triggered a thought. He had killed himself in his past life... because he lost Kidd. And from what Leena had explained, it seemed like he had had extremely strong feelings for her, perhaps even...
Kidd's voice broke what was left of his thought train. "Hey, Mate..." He felt her arm slip under his bare back and she hugged herself against him, closing her eyes. He looked down at her in a whirlwind of panic, but when he looked at her, she looked like a little girl hugging her father. It was a small cry for help on her part. "..."
"... I'm sorry I couldn' help ye." Her voice was high and broken, and he could feel a pang within his chest, knowing that she was about to cry. Wrapping an aching arm under and around her, he said nothing to her for a few moments. He could feel her heart beating, throbbing against her ribs, reverberating into his.
"Don't blame yourself, you couldn't do anything, Kidd. It wasn't your fault- "
Zzt. All fell into inky blackness. A rumbling tremor or noise rattled the walls a moment later. They both sat up quickly, trying to figure out what had just happened.
"Ah-Aye!! What the hell happened?!" Kidd's voice rang into the darkness, her hands groping for Serge roughly, and she grabbed his hand oddly.
"How am I supposed to know? I think that what we heard was thunder or something, so it could be a black out..."
He felt Kidd's hand slap the back of his head. "See, I knew you knew whot it was!"
Rubbing his head, Serge sighed. "Well, let's try and see if the power is out everywhere else..."
Serge stood up, pulling Kidd with him. His free hand waved through the sea of black, searching for the door. Just as he felt the smooth, metal handle beneath his fingertips, the huge sheet of metal slammed into him, throwing he and Kidd back skidding across the floor to the other end of the room and into the wall.
"HEY! JUNIOR! KIDD!! You guys all right!?"
Karsh seemed to be oblivious as to what he had just done; no light came from behind him, which told them that the rest of the city was indeed under the black out.
A familiar voice rang from behind Karsh; it was Glenn. "... You're a very spastic person, Karsh."
The answer to Karsh's question of the moment was a jumble of moans and groans, and shuffling of bodies. Serge answered before Kidd could.
"We were ok, until you hit us with the door."
"Er! Sorry about that...!" Karsh's voice bounced back.
A snicker from Glenn and then footsteps could be heard echoing in the darkness. Serge felt Karsh's hands grip around his arm, and as he was lifted up, he could hear Kidd being pulled up by Glenn.
Kidd threw her arms up, nearly hitting Glenn in the face. "Whot the bloody hell is goin' on?! Bargin' in on us like that and in the dark!!"
Glenn answered this time; Karsh seemed unable to speak. "The power has gone out through the whole city, high winds and a storm... We were up at the observation deck, and we just wanted to see if you guys were all right." He laughed, nudging Karsh.
Kidd let out a breath, and she rubbed her forehead, invisibly in the ink filled room. "Well, we're olright, and I'm pretty damn tired meself... so..." She rushed forward in the dark, arms out to push Karsh and Glenn out the door. Stumbling under the sudden force, Karsh and Glenn flew backwards out the door, Kidd slamming the thick metal sheet and dusting her hands together.
"... Ye hafta leave. Ye ready for bed, Mate?" She grinned, and Serge could tell.
Kidd walked back towards him, but she stepped just a little too far and they bumped together, chest to chest.
"... Aye! Sorry mate!" Kidd pulled herself back as quick as she could, but her knees buckled under her as she backed into Serge's cot that jutted out from the wall. She flopped down onto the sheets as her voice heightened in pitch into a tiny yelp.
Serge blinked and frantically walked up to the bed, to see if she was alright after her little fall. But, then something caught his attention. He could feel the air around him was getting colder, but he managed to say: "... Are you okay?" His voice was soft, but urgent.
The rustling of sheets could be heard. "Yeh... I'm okay."
Serge sighed, brows furrowing as he glanced over at the door. "Let's just forget about checking the place out, and just get some sleep." He felt a tingle run up his bare back and he rubbed his smooth arms. "... Is it cold in here, or is it just me?"
Kidd too felt the cold creeping up her legs and arms, and she pulled the blanket around herself. "I think so, mate..." The sheet was thin, and didn't do her much good. She hesitated for a moment as a thought came to her; the thought of being cold was not good, so she threw her idea forward. "... Ye wanna pull the cots togethea'?"
Serge's cheeks went hot. A thousand images ran through his mind, a few that he was too ashamed to even acknowledge. But, he nodded as he saw his own breath in the darkness.
"Good idea."
Bending his knees to grip his hands under Kidd's cot, and it slipped easily to meet the other cot's edge, the soft sound of metal against metal was the only disturbance in the chilling air. He climbed up onto the soft mattresses, going under the sheets to lay next to Kidd. He could feel the warmth from her turned back filtering to his bare side, and as he felt his head spin a bit, he quickly decided to turn his attention to something else.
G - gotta... find a pillow...
His hands groped around the edge of the bed, and he found the feathery object, and jerked it over to him, slamming it down and gingerly rested his down. His dark blue locks pressed against his forehead and temples, and he sunk softly into the cool pillow. He then heard Kidd shift next to him, and his heart skipped a beat.
... What's wrong with me? He thought to himself, as he turned slightly to glance over his shoulder at Kidd, though he could not see her in the blackness around him. She no longer moved, but he heard her sigh loudly. Finishing his turn, he now faced her, and she did as well, as he could feel her breath.
"Kidd..." He heard himself speaking. "Is... something wrong?" He raised his hand to touch her shoulder, but his hand pulled away from the icy cold flesh. She was absolutely freezing.
Kidd did not say anything for a moment, an empty gust of wind moaned from outside, reminding them of the storm. "Th' sheet's too thin, mate... I'm bloody cold!!" She sounded tired, and Serge found his eyelids drooping in the cold air.
He rubbed an eye, and his cheeks soon warmed his face, and he scooted closer to her, pulling the sheet around him closer to his body, as well as Kidd's. She did the same, and he felt the fabric of her nightgown press against his bare chest and stomach, and the temperature under the sheet suddenly seemed a lot warmer. He felt himself reach an arm over her, and rubbed his soft hands over her icy shoulder as he said:
"Kidd..." His eyes rolled up to look at the darkened ceiling, and the rumble of thunder sounded in the distance. "... what happened to me...?"
Kidd shifted, lifting her arms up to her bosom and letting out a more contented sigh this time.
"I'll tell ye in th' mornin', mate."
*** End of Chapter 17 ***