Other than the utter exhilaration of freedom, Gigan's entire world was now unsure.
In the thrill of the moment Gigan had entirely forgotten he was in a fight, he still didn't recognize it was ongoing. He sat their, slumped over, heavy thoughts whirling in his head like objects strung up in a destructive hurricane. He was paralyzed by the revelations that welled from within, the postulation of a future where he was free to act completely of his own accord. He ignored the paralysis that seemed to grip his whole body; even the slightest movements were liberating in that they were entirely his own.
There was no feedback, no delay, and no computers to check if he was trying to do something against orders and fundamental programming. His motions were real and fluid and his mind no longer swam with thoughts that were not his own. Even the searing pain in his neck from the atomic blast that had torn through it was comforting.
It was real, all of it was real and he was truly alive for the first time in so, so very long.
Godzilla, on the other hand, did not share his sentiments and was already charging up another attack ready to take his head clean off. Godzilla had no reason to assume anything had changed, he merely assumed the slumped-over figure of Gigan was a result of his prior hit's damage. While true, he didn't understand the extent of what he had done. Even less would he assume that with that attack he had brought Gigan salvation.
But Mothra did.
Mothra was a legendarily powerful wielder of those strange, primal mental magics that melded into the spirits of all living things. Of course, she couldn't get much of a read at all on someone from distance, especially if they were guarding their emotions. It was easier with physical contact, but even then if their true biology was obscured like Gigan was, it was almost impossible to form any kind of link.
The thing was, Gigan wasn't hiding his emotions.
Mothra could feel the waves of pain travel up through the strands of her silk when Godzilla's blast hit, but what she did not expect was the positive emotions that followed. Mothra could feel all of it laid bare, the raw emotions of relief, happiness and utter jubilee nearly unparalleled by any being she had felt before. But there was also doubt, a doubt that left a gaping hole in the soul that was ignited with those positive emotions. Uncertainty laced every emotion Mothra could feel off of him, and it was then Mothra knew that something drastic had changed.
She could put it together quickly, Gigan's slumped posture, his stillness, and absolute relaxation. It didn't make sense for a fully conscious, and by her accounts still perfectly capable, being to simply give up so suddenly amid a fight so vicious. So, knowing she wouldn't be able to convince Godzilla to stop by asking, Mothra launched herself from her perch to land as close to Gigan as she possibly could.
As she went, strands of burning silk flew through the air, the intact bits falling to the ground around the cyborg, it would have looked somewhere between beautiful and apocalyptic to one of the little ones. She made it just in time, as soon as she fell in front of the being that mere moments ago had been her opponent, Godzilla's fiery blue aura simmered into nothing in his mouth, the sound of the building energy being replaced by a guttural snarl.
"Mothra, Move. Now."
To most, that threat would be enough to make one reconsider their entire life choices. To Mothra; it was merely a suggestion. One that she promptly ignored.
"I said MOVE! I am going to finish it."
Mothra continued to ignore him, she knew what she had to do and she wasn't going to waste time dealing with the angry atomic lizard who she knew wouldn't attack unless she was out of the way. She moved around Gigan, even slumped over with his head resting as low as it could go he was still a fair bit taller than her larval state. She raised herself up onto her rear legs to increase her height and started to lean in closer to the side of Gigan's head.
"Mothra what are you doing?! You know he is dangerous MOVE NOW!"
Mothra could feel the anger, but there was also a tremendous concern in Godzilla. Mothra noticed the possible 'danger' Godzilla was referring to, Gigan had slightly tilted his head towards her, now regaining spacial awareness. She wasn't afraid, because she knew Gigan was. He was curious, but also terrified. Not of her, no. But of the living incarnation of destruction that was behind her.
"Even after all this time Gojira, you still don't understand."
She leaned in, pressing her head to Gigan's, the gentle headbutt causing Gigan to flinch slightly, but he didn't lean away.
"Nothing in this world is absolute, nothing is simple. Sometimes, you just have to look a little deeper to find the truth."
Just like that, before Godzilla could utter any reaction at all, Mothra delved into Gigan's mind.
The mind space of any being was largely presented to an outsider as how they wanted it to be seen.
But Gigan's mind held nothing to be seen, nothing he wanted to display even as he was aware of the intrusion. He had nothing to show, nothing to hide, he was still trying to wrap his head around the implications of his newfound freedom. So, rather than attempt to organize his mind space into something coherent for himself or for the guest he unwittingly harbored, he simply left it blank. He didn't even know where he was.
That was all that existed, an endless blackness surrounding him that made Gigan shiver. It reminded him of space, of the void that had devoured him for so long. The familiar feeling of being swallowed up by endlessness was drowned out by other, less familiar sensations. He recognized them, but his memories were mute, his understanding suffocated. He didn't know why he just felt... different.
Gigan tried to check his equipment, to see what the issue was, and what had changed. He was surprised to see nothing come up across his screen, then he realized he didn't have a screen for it to come up across. The reddish hue that he had grown so used to was gone, replaced with a clearness that almost made the endless black look cold to Gigan. The incessant whirs and infernal ringing that always echoed in his metallic skull had gone deafeningly silent, not as if he missed them.
Then he looked down, his breath hitched in his throat.
Another thing he had long lost, the sensation of truly breathing for yourself. To genuinely be alive and functioning without the aid of machines was something Gigan knew he missed, but he wasn't able to focus on it.
No, all he could focus on were the shades of gold and green that colored his torso and the sensations of feeling in his claws. Yes, they were claws, organic and of his body, of his bone and running into his flesh. He could feel it, he could feel the sensations of simply existing again. There was no breeze, no airflow, but what he could feel was real, not the synthetic feelings of false nerves and the cold data of the sensors. His beak, his true, organic beak, dropped open, gawking in surprise.
Gigan lifted his still sharp but club-like appendage, staring at it, before dragging it across his scales and flinching when he could feel the contact. Was this real? Where was he, why was he back to how he was before? What happened to the battle, to the burning in his spine, and the confusion that freedom brought? Was he not about to die before all of this?
So many questions buzzed in Gigan's skull, but he had to confirm something, he had to make sure this wasn't just an illusion. As he continued to trace his scales, he felt his throat knot up as he tried, tried to speak. He felt choked, he didn't even know if he remembered how to speak, how to vocalize the language he knew long dead. It had been so long since he had spoken anything at all. The Xilians had been the ones to tear out his larynx, that was eons ago. Did he know, could he know, how to speak again?
He tried, he croaked and gasped in effort until finally, something clicked.
"What... what is... this...?"
He didn't recognize his voice. How long had it been since he understood his vocalizations? Since the cries he gave were on intention more than instinct.
"Is this not your natural state?"
Gigan froze up rigidly, he didn't recognize that voice. It was warm, it was so warm. It stole the cold from the air, and seemed to bring comfort even in the void that made him so uncomfortable. It didn't seem to travel from anywhere, in particular, it came from everywhere but also from within himself. It was as if the sounds translated seamlessly into his thoughts.
It was only after he heard the voice he recognized the feeling that he was not alone, the technological terror turned with trepidation and after doing a full 180-degree turn he found his newly restored vision swallowed by blue. It was a warming blue, mellow and serene. It reminded him of the oceans he had seen in this world. He saw white, black, and oranges plus shades of brown and red.
Gigan stood only a few feet away from a gigantic Moth.
"Who... Who are..."
His voice strained, there was no fear, no inquisitiveness. His voice was simply exhausted, his throat felt like it hurt, and he struggled just to remember and voice those simplest of thoughts.
"Oh, of course, you do not recognize me. I almost forgot you haven't seen me in this form before."
Gigan croaked a sound that could best be described as confusion, straining to form a coherent sentence to express the well of emotions as deep as an ocean yet as wide as a puddle.
"Recognize... form? Do not... don't u-understand..."
He froze again when he felt a sensation wash over him. It was warm, soft, and like a wave of warm air. He felt an emotion not his own. Was this the creature's emotions? He couldn't recognize it at first, it had been so long since he had felt this one. The Moth continued to emanate the emotion, and he finally found himself with a word for the feeling.
Pity. He was being pitied.
"I know. It hurts for you to speak, does it not?"
Gigan didn't respond, he simply hung his head a little lower, mulling over everything that had happened. He didn't know what was going on anymore.
"It doesn't just hurt, you have lost your voice. I have seen this in others before, your voice has been swallowed up by the void, just like theirs.
The pity continued to emanate as Gigan worked through the meaning behind the words, in a language that wasn't the same as he spoke but he understood it all the same. He understood, the emotions she exuded as she spoke allowed him to understand her, even though they spoke entirely different languages. More still, when she spoke of them he knew exactly what she meant. He could almost hear the echoes of their songs in her voice, an imprint of memory.
"Golden... ones?"
The Moth furrowed, pity replaced with surprise and... suspicion.
"You know of them?"
Gigan was finally coming to his senses, what was this creature? How was it speaking to him now? Where were they? What was going on?
"What... what is n-name...?"
It finally occurred to Gigan that this Moth wasn't flying, just hovering there suspended in nothingness. He supposed there was no ground for her to fall to. She moved back from Gigan some, not in fear or caution, but seemingly just to create space.
"I am called many names, many species and people know me many different ways. But, for simplicity, you may call me Mothra."
Gigan croaked again, recognizing the sound. The word was comforting, he wanted to hear it again. The feeling it brought wooed his aching mind.
"M...Mooooothraaaaaa."
Mothra exuded amusement at his exasperated response, but there were also feelings of encouragement there too. She seemed happy he had gotten it.
"Yes very good, I am called Mothra. Now, you are probably wondering where we are and what is going on right?"
Gigan hesitated, before slowly nodding, feeling the muscles in his neck and the subtle crick of the bones in his neck and taking satisfaction in the renewed organic sensations. They were inefficient, but by whatever power, there might be above he missed those inefficiencies.
"Well, to make this short and sweet, we are inside of your mind."
Gigan almost did a double take but remained paralyzed by the strangeness of the situation. Inside of his mind?
"Mind... inside m-my head?"
Now it was Mothra's turn to nod, albeit more firmly and enthusiastically than Gigan had.
"Yes, we are in the space that represents your mind. Usually, this would be filled with your thoughts, but it seems rather empty. Why is this?"
Gigan paused, thought over her words, and responded after a few seconds.
"Don't know w-what to think..."
A new feeling emanated, recognition, understanding.
"I see... why were you on this planet?"
"T-This planet...?"
He didn't know what she meant, what planet? He had never seen her before, did she mean Earth?
"Ah, maybe it would help if I just-"
Before his restored eyes, Gigan saw Mothra become engulfed in a fiery aura as she glowed in intense heat, it reminded him of the stars he would so cherish visiting. It burned at his renewed irises and filled his pupils with a light that cut through the endless darkness. When she was finished, Gigan had to look down to see her. Those blue eyes remained, he recognized the same being in them. That same serenity, that same wisdom, and calm. Everything else had changed, her form was now small and covered in a brown carapace. Gigan recognized her now.
"Y-You...?"
It was hard to hide his shock. What was this one doing in his head? She had been trying to kill him, or at least he assumed as much. At the least, he was aiding that other creature in trying to snuff his life out. But at the same time, that meant that she was also responsible for freeing him. That still didn't explain why she was here.
"Why are you... in my head...?"
The larvae looked up at him, no emotions emanating anymore, she seemed lost in thought, as if contemplating what to say while remaining perfectly still for a few moments before a new emotion emerged. Resolve.
"Because I needed to know if you were like them. I needed to understand what your intentions were. So, why did you come here? What is your purpose on Earth."
"T-To find the... the G-Golden Oneeeees..."
Mothra's senses hardened, she was far more alert and defensive. She wasn't hostile, she wasn't furious like one might expect. She was plain and simple; serious.
"Why."
"N-Not my c-choice, cont-trolled. D-didn't want to c-come here..."
He expected doubt, maybe even anger, but Mothra remained resolute and continued to press.
"But now you have changed, you are no longer under control, I can feel that."
Gigan remained silent, he didn't know what to say. It had been so long since he thought of a future, of what to do with himself. After all, he couldn't do anything with himself until today, one day out of the countless millions he could not count that he had been without the ability to decide for himself. He radiated it like a bonfire, a sensation Gigan had not felt in its entirety since a point he could scarcely remember.
"You're afraid."
Gigan flinched, being snapped out of his musings by the Goddess. Gone was the serious, rather invasive tone that had filled her voice when he mentioned the Golden Ones. Her voice had returned to how it was before, soft, radiating comfort and warmth. The pity had transformed into pure sympathy, perhaps even a little empathy. Gigan remained silent.
"Tell me, why are you afraid?"
The scaly creature that was Gigan found himself looking down, off into some endless black abyss trying to ease his discomfort with the question by not facing the source of said question. It didn't work, all the darkness did was remind him of those haunting centuries hurtling through a silent and never-ending expanse with only the light of distant stars for company. His gaze returned to the Moth, and he relaxed. She had that comforting presence to her.
"Am... I am f-free... h-how long am I f-free...?"
A silence settled over the pair as he finished, Mothra encouraging him to open up with the feelings of trepidation that existed before replaced with comfort and a feeling of understanding.
"I am free... n-never want to stop b-being freeeeeee..."
Gigan felt the coldness, the bitter darkness inside well up again at the thought. He was so caught up in the moment he never imagined what his future could be, or that he might not remain free. His regained ability to breathe ceased to function as he audibly choked, breath caught in his throat as his body tensed and his regained sight seemed to distort at the thought. What if they came for him? What if his old masters would come and find him and take him back into chains again what if this planet would do it instead was he going to be enslaved was he going to lose it all he couldn't not again-
Gigan flinched as suddenly he found a warming sensation running through his body, feeling the sense of pressure on his head he had before all this had started. His vision refocused and he realized something, no, someone was pressing their head to his again. Mothra was there, Mothra was pressed against him. The Queen sent emotions directly into his body, feelings of comfort, feelings of calm and understanding and warmth as Gigan suddenly found the malice of his fears fade away in the glow of the Moth's light.
"It's ok, it's ok, you're alright now."
Gigan huffed and gasped for air as the Moth helped him work out the anxiety. Of course, Mothra had dealt with this before. Contrary to what the humans might believe, Kaiju were more alike to them mentally than they could imagine. A panic attack, an anxiety attack, and whatever it may be that they called it. It was fitting, and Mothra had seen the signs as soon as they came.
"You are free, you can make your own decisions now. Nobody will harm you as long as you do not harm them."
Gigan became aware that he wasn't even trying to hold himself upright, he would have collapsed if it weren't for the Moth pressing against him he likely would have toppled over. Gigan didn't know what would happen if he did. Would he hit some solid surface? Would he plunge endlessly down into the eternal nothingness that surrounded them? Gigan didn't know, and he didn't want to know either. He didn't care.
Because, somehow, Mothra was holding his whole weight up without so much as a shred of effort.
"You... f-fought with me before...?"
"Only because you were attacking someone of this world."
Was she referring to the bird? Perhaps the big, overgrown lizard? He didn't know which, only that it meant if they were in his head he would have to deal with one, likely both, when he was here no longer.
"Do not worry about them. I know they will not understand what is going on, but I have. I will. I feel your pain, I know you do not want to hurt us."
Gigan twitched a little in surprise. Was she reading his thoughts? Or was she just able to get exactly what he was feeling? Perhaps she simply was that good at guessing what the emotions she picked up meant. The Moth either knew what he was thinking or felt his confusion and gave what could best be described as a simple laugh in response.
Eventually, after Gigan had calmed down and started supporting his weight again, Mothra pulled away. Gigan would have liked to protest, the feeling of warmth lessening as she created distance from him. It had been so long since he had felt another living being touching his scales. Scales he knew he probably wouldn't feel again after this little jaunt into his mind by the Goddess was over.
"Oh, I never did get your name. Do you have one?"
Gigan opened his beak to respond, only to find the words caught in his throat. He had stopped referring to himself in the third person long ago. He remembered his name, it may have not been his original name, but it was the one he had known for so long. Ever since he had started working for, then working under the different masters whom he served he had known it.
"Gi...g.."
Mothra once again encouraged him, emotions permeating the non-existent but somehow ever-present air that filled the blank and uncharted mind space.
"Giiiiiigaaan. I am... G-Gigan."
It felt appropriate. It felt right. He knew now that even after all this time, they hadn't taken that from him. Mothra agreed, sending out a wave of content and approval. He guessed she could feel that the name resonated within him as well. He shouldn't be surprised, they were inside his head after all.
"Well, Gigan, now that I know you mean no harm, would you like to return to the outside world?"
Gigan flared up in concern, in absolute fear, an immense terror. Mothra nearly flinched at the sheer level of absolute discomfort that brought. Gigan didn't have to say or think anything else for Mothra to know he was horrified by the mere idea.
"I told you already, I promise that no harm will come to you. I swear upon the Earth itself."
But that didn't dissuade Gigan from retaining the fear that was there, it was then that Mothra realized Gigan wasn't fearing harm. He feared not her, not Godzilla, not Rodan. She didn't know what he feared at that moment, only that it was utterly overpowering.
"S-Scales..."
Mothra perked up, attentive, and also curious. She encouraged him to keep going as Gigan shivered and twitched in continued terror.
"Scales... eyes... b-beak... flesh..."
He paused before continuing, voice filled with an edge of fear that undercut the inexperienced use of such a voice.
"Will be... lost when I return..."
Mothra understood now, she couldn't imagine how it felt to be deprived of your own body. Not simply killed, or mutilated, but to have everything you have ever known desensitized. To have yourself be unrecognizable, to have most of your body taken apart and put back together with parts not its own. The world of metal that Gigan lived in was clearly beyond horrific. Mothra paused for a second to take it all in before quickly coming up with a solution.
"We cannot stay here forever. However, if you go with me now, I will teach you how to do this on your own."
Now that, that got Gigan's attention. The fear subsided, replaced with an interest and a desire she had so rarely felt in living beings. Purely and simply; hope.
"I can teach you to protect yourself, to feel in your real body again whenever you want. It isn't easy, but I can teach you how to escape from the metal."
"P-Promise...?"
If Mothra could smile, she would be. The warmth of her aura only seemed to grow. Gigan could feel his fears subside again as what she said next sapped all the fear away. he could feel her honesty, how genuine her words were. He could feel the hope growing in the deepest depths of his soul. The hope to escape from the cold, unfeeling prison that marked his eternal hell.
"I promise."
While what had taken so many minutes, maybe hours, inside Gigan's mind was nothing but a passing second to all outsiders. By the time Mothra had finally brought Gigan out of what felt like a deep sleep, Godzilla was still there growling in hostility, Rodan was still face down in the dirt somewhere and the two who had been talking were still there.
Mothra pulled her head back from Gigan's head, Gigan went from being hunched over still to suddenly relaxing, almost falling face-first downward before regaining his motor control and steadying himself. He was reminded of his mechanical body all too soon, but he tried to neglect the drastic feelings of difference between the two forms for now. Mothra had told him to remain calm, and to simply wait as she talked the one she called 'Gojira', also known to Gigan as an overgrown lizard with a temper problem, down from his battle frenzy.
So while Gigan tried to regain his footing, aware that the pain in his neck that had previously freed him from his bondage was now rather severe, Mothra attempted to talk to the walking storm of rage and atomic death and hopefully convince him not to destroy the wounded cyborg.
"Mothra, what did you do?"
There was a growl behind it, but the tone was more like a parent scolding their child than any genuine rage or inquisitiveness. Unfortunately for Gojira, he played the part of intimidating terribly when it came to her, and she had a flippant disregard for his anger and impatience. Those beady little blue eyes stared up at the King of the Monsters and, without so much as a word, she spat a wad of silk in his face.
Godzilla screeched in anger and confusion as he relentlessly clawed at the mess of white silk that stuck to his claws and palms and, if he hadn't just been in a deathly fight, Godzilla would probably have realized that he should have just cut it with his claws. Instead, he thrashed with both claws stuck to the bunch of silk stuck on his face and tried to tear it up.
This went on for half a minute as Mothra chuckled, Godzilla roared in completely transparent frustration, and Gigan stood off in the distance puzzled as to why the Moth had attacked her 'friend.' Of course, eventually, Godzilla did manage to get the obnoxious white fluid off. He snarled as the bundle fell to the ground before blasting it to ash with a light use of his atomic breath and snapping his head to an amused Mothra.
"WHAT WAS THAT FOR!?"
Mothra huffed and did what could best be described as a snort.
"You deserved it."
"FOR WHAT!?"
"You have been a pain all day, someone had to teach you a lesson."
Godzilla moved to retort, to call out the Moth in anger for her unnecessary and completely uncalled-for actions, to launch into a tirade like he always did, before he stopped. He almost forgot why they were here as he stared at Gigan, who stared back at the pair in confusion while he looked over his body to observe his battle head snapped back to Mothra and he let out a low growl, his tone suddenly serious.
"I haven't forgotten, Mothra. What were you doing with him?"
"Wasn't it obvious, Gojira? I bonded with him of course."
Godzilla blinked, frozen and taking his time to absorb that little tidbit. Little was an understatement, but that hadn't set in yet. Eventually, after a second or two, Godzilla's eyes widened and his jaw fell open a bit. He gawked at the Moth, at the Goddess, like she had just told him that up is down and water isn't wet.
"You did... what?"
"I just told you, I bonded with him. I needed answers and felt he was different from when he was fighting with you."
Godzilla continued to gawk. He didn't know whether to be in absolute disbelief, utter confusion, or unyielding rage. probably a mixture of all at once.
"Mothra... you are aware of the RISKS of BONDING with an ENEMY, RIGHT!?"
"Oh shush Gojira, he is no enemy, I have seen that much. You, on the other hand, can't see beyond the end of your snout."
Godzilla was fed up with the snarky attitude, but he didn't want to fight her over her manners when he was already fighting her over putting herself at such immense risk. Leaving herself open to one of the greatest dangers she could.
"If he had hurt you while you were in there...!"
"But he didn't."
Mothra cut him off and turned her lengthy body around to stare at Gigan. Gigan was still checking himself over, sometimes going through the motions to test his newfound freedom. Mothra knew of mind control, mystic or material in nature, and she knew that the scars of it ran deep in Gigan. He would take a long time to recover, but Mothra believed she could mend them. Maybe her altruism was foolish, but she was far older than Godzilla. She knew how to judge a situation, and how to judge other beings, Godzilla only saw enemies and friends. He didn't realize enemies could be friends too if given time.
"I... what happened in there?"
Mothra turned back to Godzilla and stared deeply in thought, wondering how to phrase it best.
"He told only the truth, I can feel that. He isn't here of his own free will, he was under the control of other beings."
Godzilla only gave a huff in response, she could feel a bit of disbelief radiate from him, but he trusted her word that she saw the truth in his words.
"Well then, why was he sent here?"
"To find whatever is left of them."
Godzilla's gaze hardened, he fought back the urge to growl at the mere mention of them, much less the circumstances of someone or something looking for them.
"Did he find anything?"
Mothra shook her head, her carapace being loosed of dust and pebbles as well as the small bits of metal filings that had been loosed from Gigan's armor.
"I didn't ask, but from what I can gather the quest to find them was far from complete."
Godzilla grunted in affirmation. Good, the last thing they needed was more aliens showing up looking for that freak. Worse still, if the humans got a hold of the psychopaths' flesh and blood there is no telling what they would do. Whatever mess he would inevitably have to clean up. They had been the ones to release the bastards in the first place.
"He is free now, but he doesn't know what to do he is..."
Mothra paused, the bright blue eyes seeming to dim a little.
"He is scared."
It got no sympathy out of Godzilla. All he cared about was what the menace that had shown up on his turf, his kingdom, and attacked his subject, wanted to do next. He leaned over a little to get closer to the larvae.
"What is going to happen to him now? Is he going to leave?"
Mothra shook her head again, chattering sounds of disapproval at the mere idea.
"No, he cannot. He is too wounded to travel the void safely. Besides, he means us no harm."
"I don't care, I want him gone. Now."
"he isn't going anywhere, Gojira. I refuse to send him off when he bears us no ill intent."
Godzilla glances down at his scar-covered body and growled at the Queen with a hint of annoyance.
"'No ill intent'?"
"That wasn't his choice."
"But they were his actions."
Mothra reared up on her hind legs to gain some height, with Godzilla leaning and her standing at the height she could feel the fiery hot breath he pushed out in agitation.
"No, they were not Gojira. You should be able to empathize here. You don't want to be controlled, to bow down. Do you?"
"No, I do not. But I am not him. How do we know he isn't like them deep down?"
"He is not, I can promise you. Their scars are different, their minds are different."
"Why are we even discussing this!? If he won't leave, I will make him leave."
Godzilla suddenly jerked back a bit as Mothra's psychic aura flared in absolute fury. The defensive display of the ancient being, despite her small strength and stature, reminded anyone who stood against her just how truly ancient the being they were faced with was. The flood of energy from the Moth was like an ever-expanding wave. Godzilla could feel the pressure of her ambient energy on his body. It wasn't severe, but the force was there.
"I will not, let you hurt him. He has been hurt enough already. He won't trouble you or anyone else anymore, that is my promise."
Godzilla's tail swiped the ground behind him before slamming down in frustration.
"Tell me then, how can you promise that? How can you make sure he will not?"
Much to Godzilla's surprise, her aura rained in, but did not disappear. She kept the ever-present feeling of psychic pressure up and allowed it to bare down on him, only it now formed a thick field rather than the relentless waves of aggressive emotions that it had prior. It was then that Mothra spoke with seriousness, a determination Godzilla hadn't heard since the fight with Ghidorah.
"I will watch over him."
Godzilla could have scoffed if he wasn't so angry and disbelieving of that statement. He prepared to retort and call her out on a false promise when he looked into her eyes again. She was resolute, the blue, watery orbs that suddenly glinted with a steely shine. They left little doubt that Mothra was being honest and serious about her words to their fullest extent.
"Wha- you're serious!? What makes you think I would even let you be alone with that freak, especially after what he did to Rodan?"
Mothra turned her back to the baffled Godzilla and began to walk away toward Gigan as she radiated that unwavering determination. At the same time, she let her psychic powers calm, the thick cloud of pure mystic power retracting back to its normal warm, soft glow around the Goddess.
"I don't need your approval to do anything, Gojira. If necessary, I will protect him as I protect this planet. He has done nothing to deserve what he has been put through. I will tend to Rodan, so there is no further need for your presence here."
Godzilla couldn't believe it. It had been eons since Mothra had been this confrontational with him, he could barely get over the shock and try to argue with her.
"If you think I am just going to let you-"
"Go home, Gojira. I am going to help him, whether you 'let me' or not, and that is final."
As much as he wanted to argue, the finality in her words and her stubborn refusal to so much as look at him anymore saw Godzilla defeated. Not that he would ever admit it, especially not to her, but she had indeed won. The King growled and huffed with disdain, something both of them knew wouldn't last for long. Godzilla thought he just needed a swim to cool off, Mothra thought he needed a nap.
"Fine, but don't blame me when the freak costs you another one of your eggs."
Like that, the King of the Monsters turned and stalked over to the rocky shoreline before diving head-first into the water. Mothra watched as the distinct dorsal spines of Godzilla sailed off into the distance before sinking beneath the waves, shrouded in the ocean blue. The Queen of the Monsters let out a breath she didn't know she had held, finally relieved to see Gojira's rage subside enough. She didn't like to be so commanding, but sometimes, especially with him, it was demanded.
Mothra was snapped from her stupor by the feeling of cold on her body as Gigan walked his way over and gave her a gentle nudge to shake her from her musings. She summoned up their newly established psychic link, realizing they could not communicate verbally, and spoke to him as she softened without Gojira's anger frustrating her.
"I have to check on my friend, then we will get going."
Gigan nodded at her first remark, but then tilted his head to the side, exposing much of his battered metal neck while showing his confusion. Mothra shook her head and nudged his leg to make sure she was clear in delivering her thoughts.
"He would not relent, so you must stay with me for now. I am sorry, it was the best I could do."
Gigan didn't seem as bothered by that thought as she would have thought, in fact, he almost seemed rather... glad? She began to turn away before confusion and a bit of fear returned to Gigan and he nudged her once again, this time expressing his thoughts to her more readily. There was only one way she could sum up the collection of feelings and thoughts that came through.
"Safe?"
She felt her heart swell at the question, she sent her deepest reassurances through the bond to comfort the wounded extraterrestrial warrior.
"Yes, you will be safe. I won't allow harm to come upon you."
"Promise?"
"Yes, I promise."