A World Away

by ripitupgenki

Years after Mu's defeated the courageous seven have settled into their new lives. What happens when Genki hides a deep secret from the rest. How will the others react? How will they deal with his world and his problems when he finally tells them? Warning: Lots of drama and dark themes. Main pairing is GxH & TxGR; there will be HxGR and GxGR as well throughout this story.

3. Forging Discoveries

AAN: Here's the second part of the monster 30+ page chapter. There's a bit more angst in this chapter but also more back ground on Genki.

Forging Discoveries

Holly took a seat on the sofa next to him. She knew he would need some comfort right now. He hadn't said it but she had seen a tinge of sadness in his eyes as they spoke earlier. Holly placed a hand gently over his clenched fist; he looked over at her startled but then relaxed when she smiled to him. "Take your time, there's no rush." she spoke softly, knowing he wasn't sure how to tell her what was going on. She had been able to read him extremely well for a while now. In fact he seemed to do the same thing to her to a lesser extent.

"My sister, Rei, has always been the black sheep of the family. She was always in trouble growing up, always doing something she knew she wasn't supposed to be doing; always pushing boundaries as far as they could go. She's always been very selfish, I'm not sure if she even realizes just how bad she is about that." He sighed, "Her call was fine at first; she's worried about our mom. Apparently mom's upset about something, or at least Rei believes she is. Not that she knows our mom all that well. I told her I will call in the morning and see if she's alright. Mom has been acting a little… off this week but I didn't think anything of it really." He glanced to Holly seeing her concern. "If it had remained at just that the call would have ended on a better note but Rei found a way to make it about herself again. She went on a long monologue lamenting that mom won't talk to her about important things and that I shouldn't always be the 'hero' each time. She also said something about mom really needs another woman to talk to and not just me. That I couldn't understand what a woman goes through." he rolled his eyes at this comment, though it held a grain of truth it wasn't really that true for him in practiced experience. "Needless to say I lost my temper when she called herself a well-seasoned lady who can handle anything mom could possibly have going on." Holly raised a brow at that phrasing; she knew all too well that those that referred to themselves as ladies usually were anything but a lady.

"Why was that the last straw?" she promoted him when he seemed to stop talking. She heard him sigh,

"She is anything but a lady that's why. She's a whore that will sleep with any guy to get what she wants. She's always used her good looks like that. She's also a thief; I know she's been caught twice stealing from stores. Based on who she is currently hanging with… I'm betting she's using drugs or some other illegal substances as well. But I have no proof of that; it's only a hunch on my part." He closed his eyes, he felt Holly's thumb caressing the back of his hand. "She's stolen from her own family as well. Broken so many promises that we can't even keep track anymore." he shook his head, "She had the gall to ask why mom wouldn't confide in her. I told her because she wasn't there when mom needed her most. She never has been, if she contacts us it's because she wants something NOT because she cares. She claims now that she wants to change. I instructed her to prove it, that if she calls me again it better be to tell the truth about what has been going on. I doubt she'll call, she was after something again… this isn't her first time pretending to change." he didn't open his eyes but he knew Holly was worried about him. "My family is full of drama Holly, it's something I have to live with whether I want to or not. I just do what I can to help my parents."

"What about your brother?"

"Kai tends to try to stay out of any drama that happens. He has some… mental issues that he has to deal with. I can't say as I blame him all things considered but it would be nice if he took some interest in what was happening."

"Mental issues?" Genki finally looked over at her; he could see her confusion and worry.

"He has anxiety disorder. He basically can't handle stressful situations. He will either totally freak out and have a panic attack or pass out if its stressful enough." he could see a shift in her eyes, "he tends to do a lot of stress management as a result, trying to stay away from stressful situations as much as possible. He does see a doctor about it, though I'm not sure what they ultimately decided on as a treatment."

"I think I understand Genki, we don't really know much about this kind of thing in my world. But if I got this correctly he's a lot like your coworker with PTSD right? Something triggers it, in this case stress and he has mental break down over it?"

"That's correct Holly." * I knew you were smart, I doubt the others would understand any of this. *

"Genki… earlier what did you mean by "when your mother needed her most"?" She saw his gaze shift again, he seemed unsure of talking to her about this. "If it's too sensitive you don't have to answer." He chuckled,

"Perceptive as always Holly…" He seemed to be thinking now; Holly waited to see what his answer would be. "She had a miscarriage awhile back… that's when mom needed us most. My brother at least tried to be there, mom avoids burdening him as much as she can. My sister though… she can be a callus bitch when she wants to be… I think her words hurt mom more than the loss of the child did. I know dad wanted to throttle her for what she said. I had to physically hold him back… I have never seen him that angry." Holly's eyes showed sympathy in them, she was extremely attentive and was weighing her words carefully knowing full well this was a very sensitive subject. It hadn't gotten past her how harsh Genki's words towards his sister were. He never spoke that way about anyone else.

"What did your sister say to her?"

"She told mom that she was glad for it…. That we didn't need any more family members. She also joked that mom was too old to be having kids anyway." Genki had gritted his teeth, as he spoke it was obvious this had hurt him as well. Holly decided he needed more than just a comforting touch now, she moved to pull him into her arms. He didn't resist at all, he buried his face in her shoulder as he held onto her. Holly was thinking very carefully about how to approach this now. She was well aware of the pain he was feeling and could only imagine the betrayal and loss his mother had felt. She just held him as he used her as his refuge for a while. When he seemed to relax a bit in her arms she spoke again.

"Genki I won't pretend to know what you or your mother are going through. I can't imagine such pain, but I do understand the betrayal you must have felt at that moment. It seems to me your sister doesn't deserve your forgiveness at this point and I understand your anger towards her. I can't fault you for wanting nothing to do with her after what she has done." it took him a moment to respond,

"I appreciate you listening Holly, I know a lot of this must be very foreign to you."

"I understand most of it actually. I know we don't have the same technology but that doesn't mean we don't have people like that in my world." she felt him nod,

"I suppose that type of person is in every world."

"They are unfortunately." she closed her eyes and concentrated. Her power allowed her to understand the pain of others and though she rarely used it, she could feel his pain. At the same time, she projected her love and understanding into him. Genki immediately realized these feelings were coming from her; he didn't pull away or reject her gift though. He rested his forehead on her shoulder and embraced what she was doing. * So she's an empath? I never would have imagined her power with the stones was a psychic ability. Though I suppose we never really investigated that when we were younger. I wonder if that's how she knows when I need to talk to her? Or perhaps she's just good at reading me.* He relaxed with her, she only projected her emotions for a few minutes to help sooth him.

---

Once she finished she could sense he had relaxed some. He didn't seem to want to move from his spot and Holly was content to hold him for the moment. Genki chuckled softly,

"I never realized you had empathic abilities, when did you learn to use those?" The fact that he had given a name to her abilities was mildly surprising to her.

"I realized I could do this a few years ago, I first discovered it while trying to help Granity. I don't use it often." He smiled,

"So you finally bonded with her huh?"

"Yes… in more ways than one, though I never expected to be that intimate with her." Holly was blushing heavily. Though he couldn't see her face he felt her heart rate increase and her muscles tense slightly. He pulled back to confirm his suspicions and found she was looking quite embarrassed.

"It's OK, I think she needed that. I know she's had trouble trusting humans ever since her prior trainer took advantage of her." Holly's eyes widened,

"You knew about that?"

"I read between the lines. I realized what she had told me, a long time ago, when I got older. I suspect she was sexually abused by him, hence why she had such a hatred for humans." He saw Holly's gaze shift, "If she could trust you that way then it's a good thing. It means she is healing." Holly's blush returned full force at the implications of that statement. He smiled to her,

"Genki… I…" he pulled her into his arms,

"It's fine Holly. I'm glad you bonded with her, there's nothing for you to be embarrassed about." Holly hid her face in his chest; she was silent for a long time before she found her voice again. Genki had merely held her while she recovered.

"Genki… no one else knows what we did that night. The others only know that I helped her emotionally…"

"Don't worry about it; your secret is safe with me. I hadn't realized it was such a sensitive a topic." his voice was soft; he knew she could hear him.

"I… I've never been comfortable talking about that kind of thing. It's something very private for me. I'm not sure how Granity feels about it but I do know she has mentioned bonding with you as well in passing." Genki was surprised at that, he hadn't imagined she would ever trust a guy again.

"Holly are you sure she said that?"

"Yes, we spoke of it a little while ago actually. She wants both of us to be her trainers." Holly pulled back to see his expression, she could tell he'd been caught off guard.

"I don't normally do that, but I suppose if that's what she really wants, I can make an exception. I'm just worried she might be pushing herself; I honestly never thought she'd want to bond with a male trainer. Not after what has happened to her." his gaze shifted to meet hers, she could see he was worried.

"I understand your concern but she is ready for it Genki… She's allowed me to use my abilities to help her. It was a little touch and go at first but she decided to trust me after… I let myself be vulnerable to her." Genki saw the embarrassment in her eyes and understood what that meant.

"So how did you accidentally discover your ability?" he hoped a shift in topic might help her with the embarrassment she was feeling.

"I was trying to help her when she had a mental break down… Some monster managed to get under her skin with some teasing remarks. We didn't realize till she broke a tree in half that it had bothered her so much. She took off after that display of anger; when I found her again she was shaking uncontrollably, unwilling to cry even though she needed to. While I was trying to convince her to let the emotions go I discovered I could feel what she was going through. I'm not sure if it was my desperation to help her or something about her own abilities interacting with mine but when I pulled her into an embrace my powers kicked in. I was able to bear a good brunt of the pain for her and help her slowly release it. It took hours to calm her down." Holly's eyes looked distant as she spoke,

"I can imagine she was holding everything back. That's a lot to work through all at once."

"It was yes… I think we both we out of tears and completely exhausted by the end of it. We didn't… bond intimately that night but we did emotionally. She wasn't sure how to feel about my abilities but when she realized I hadn't known of their existence; well, she said she couldn't stay mad at me." She smiled softly at the fond memory.

"I imagine it took more than one time to get her feeling better about things." Holly nodded,

"Yes, she had held onto so many of those negative emotions that working through them wasn't going to happen in one sitting. That first night was just her releasing the over flowing stuff that she couldn't bear any longer." Genki nodded his understanding,

"I had always wondered if that might happen. Her stoic behavior was nothing like other pixies, and though she's always been reserved even I could sense there was something more wrong. Even when I tried to help her when she got injured, shortly after we first met her, she was very adamant that I not touch her. It took a lot of convincing for me to be able to help her walk on her injured ankle. I hadn't totally understood it at the time, I was too young I think but remembering it later… there were clear signs of abuse there. Her posture was always defensive around me, she never relaxed; not once." Holly had been listening carefully; they hadn't spoken of what had transpired while he and Pixie were alone. She knew they had a good relationship now but at the time it had been rocky to say the least. Pixie had certainly believed in him, and probably trusted him to an extent. Perhaps she soon realized he was too young for that sort of behavior.

"I wasn't aware of your take on things but it makes sense that you understood her later. She had spoken to me about her time with you in passing but never about specifics. She did say that she learned to trust again because she sensed your willingness to help and you never tried to touch her inappropriately." he chuckled,

"Even if I had the interest back then I did not have a death wish." he heard her giggle a little, "Though I would never think of abusing my position that way. It's not who I am."

"You made that obvious already I think, not just with her but with those women you work with. They offered themselves to you and you didn't take advantage of that. It speaks volumes about your character and morals." He smiled to her,

"Holly, I will speak with Granity in private later. I won't tell her that I know about your bonding but I will say that you tipped me off to come talk to her. I will let her guide our discussion, I know you could feel that she was ready but I want to make sure she is. The last thing I want to do is hurt her."

"I would appreciate you not telling her about that… I have a hard enough time talking about it already." Holly's face lit with a blush, "I am wondering about something though."

"Oh?" He looked on curiously,

"You said before 'that you normally don't do that but would make an exception for her'. What did you mean by that?" Genki smiled softly and closed his eyes;

"I swear nothing gets past you in a conversation, even things left unsaid." he chuckled, "what I meant was that I normally don't… get that intimate with others. I have had partners before, I won't lie to you about that, but it's rare that I feel comfortable enough to do so. I've always been…." He paused thinking how to phrase things, "...a bit picky about who gets to see that side of me. I tend to feel differently about that kind of bond then most guys. I don't want sex just for the pleasure of it. To me that's meaningless, I can get pleasure from other sources if that's what I want. For me it needs to have more meaning behind it then just that." When he opened his eyes again to see how she reacted he could tell she was shocked by his words. He hadn't ever told her about his relationships, not since they had their bitter dispute years ago. She had made it clear that he needed to move on; he had tried to do so but never felt the need to talk to her about who he was seeing. It took her a moment to recover, Genki waited to see how she'd deal with that news. He suspected she might have been intimate with some guy as well but wasn't willing to ask. If she brought it up, it'd be of her own doing.

"I wasn't even aware you were with anyone…"

"I never bothered mentioning it." his voice was neutral making it hard for her to read what he was feeling. She thought of using her abilities but decided against it. * That'd be an abuse of my power. *

"I hope those relationships were at least productive and that you were… careful about things." He met her gaze as she tested him. He then shrugged,

"I'm not sure how productive they were, they certainly didn't go how I have hoped they would. But I am always careful Holly." He was refusing to show emotion right now as he was testing her in return. He wanted to see what her reaction was to all this. He knew it was bugging her,

"I didn't think you were foolish Genki." she had closed her eyes, "I'm sorry they didn't go as well as you had hoped." She waited a moment, "though perhaps it served as a learning experience rather than anything else." He smirked, * she's picking her words so very carefully now. It is bothering her…. *

"I learned a great deal from them both; I'm still friends with one of them actually. She's provided a lot of good advice over the years. I've always believed even failed relationships have something to offer in regards to lessons." He deliberately phrased it this way to see if she would probe further, yes he was baiting her. He suspected she hadn't been able to move on just as he hadn't. Holly was silent for a while, just mulling over what he had just said. * So he's not with them anymore? Makes sense considering his coworkers tried to get him into bed with them. Who has he been seeing about advice though? I wasn't aware of any other females he confided in besides me. * She sighed heavily * seriously I need to stop feeling so jealous… we were supposed to move on and yet… *

"Genki I would assume you weren't with either woman long term by what you have said?"

"Correct."

"Why bed them then?" Her question was a little different then he had anticipated. He found his words carefully.

"In both cases I happened to bond with them faster than normal. We had a lot of shared interests and hobbies. It was due to that that we became intimate sooner. I was with them for a while before we broke up actually, so it wasn't just a one night stand thing if that was your concern." He kept his voice even and soft,

"No… I didn't think you were doing… one night stands. That's not you. Though I can see now why you lectured Colt the way you did…" He chuckled at her comment.

"Experience can be a great teacher."

"I can't argue with you there. You said you're still friends with one of them? Have things been alright since you broke up with her?"

"Yes, she was the one who suggested we remain friends. She's always thought of me as family, and though we had a bit of a rough patch she has always been there for me. I trust her almost as much as I do you." this caught Holly's attention; she could see an earnest look in his eyes now. She also realized something else just then * He's teasing me… * her eyebrow rose, as she gave him a disbelieving look.

"What do you mean by 'almost as much as you trust me'?" He smiled,

"There are things I won't ever go to her for Holly." Her eyes searched his a moment before she sighed,

"It's not nice of you to tease me so much you know." He laughed,

"It was not my intent to tease Holly." her eyes locked with his again, her gaze was very intense now. * perhaps I went a little overboard... *

"Then what was your intent?"

"My intent was to be honest with you about my relationships. Though I will say I was trying to be… careful with how I approached it." Her gaze challenged his again, he didn't back down though. After a few more minutes she finally looked away.

"You thought I would be jealous?"

"Not necessarily jealous, but you are… a bit touchy with this kind of thing." Holly remained silent for a while just thinking things over. Genki decided to leave her be for the moment. He knew she wasn't happy with him right now, he had been teasing her slightly but it was more of a test on his part. He wasn't stupid enough to believe she had been able to move on. She was still single after all, something extremely unusual for her age in the monster world. He smiled, and then leaned his head against hers gently. He knew it would get her attention; he was only affectionate with her like this when she allowed it.

"Genki… I'm sorry if you believe I can't handle details about relationships… That's not entirely true. I have a lot of knowledge on such things. I may not be comfortable discussing it but I can handle it." He quirked a brow at that response, not what he had expected at all then snorted,

"There's no reason for you to apologize Holly."

"There is if you felt you couldn't come to me for something."

"Holly… that's not…"

"Then what is it?" He sighed; she pulled away from him giving him a look that screamed 'I'm waiting'.

"Look you are very intelligent Holly but sometimes things here are a bit beyond your understanding. Most of what I talk to Akame about are things that would be entirely out of your range of understanding. A lot of it is very... technical to say the least." He realized after he had said Akame's name that Holly might get even more riled up now. Holly's eyes widened in surprise,

"So your blacksmith friend is…"

"Was one of those I dated, yes." He corrected her, "That was over 2 years ago Holly; besides Akame is seeing someone else now." Holly seemed shocked for a moment before she recovered,

"What did you mean 'by beyond my understanding'?" He sighed again mulling over his words,

"You have a good range of practical knowledge but finer details of cultural knowledge you don't have. My country tends to…. Over complicate matters a lot. Akame has always been extremely good with the finer details of how to address matters in that regard."

"So it was something specific to this culture then?"

"Yes, and if I had gotten it wrong on the formal side I might had had one hell of a time recovering from such a faux pas." Holly seemed to relax a little,

"I take it her new relationship doesn't bother you then?"

"Not at all, even if it was a little surprising." He chuckled,

"Surprising how?"

"Let's just say I wasn't expecting her to be bisexual." He gave her a wink which made her flush slightly,

"So she's with a woman then?"

"Her partner at the forge actually; and no her partner doesn't care that I ask her advice, and yes she is aware I'm an ex-boyfriend. We have made no secret of our relationship."

---

Holly was silent for a bit just thinking things over. She wasn't sure what to say to him about his relationships, and she didn't feel like sharing her own.

* Though I probably should be honest with him… * "Genki you said you're going to the forge tomorrow right?"

"Yeah that was my plan."

"Would you mind if I came along?" He gave her a look of suspicion which made her explain, "I'd like to meet your smith friend so I can tell her any changes I might have for the blade. My father's blade doesn't have a normal curve to it and its balance is different than most blades its size." Genki had to admit he had never wielded the blade so he wouldn't know such information.

"If you think it'll help then you are welcome to come. I just didn't think you'd want to stay that long is all. Plus I still need to get some sleep…" She smiled then sighed heavily,

"Honestly, it took everything I had to go through the portal. I didn't sleep at all last night…"

"You were terrified…" his voice was soft, "I was wondering about that… is the fear still there?" she could hear the concern permeating his voice. It was obvious he cared; probably more than anyone else she had ever met. She gave him a sad smile then nodded,

"Unfortunately, yes it's still there. It's a bit stronger actually, the falling sensation…"

"It triggered your fear of heights?"

"Yeah…" Genki closed his eyes thinking of how to deal with this, * I was worried about this happening. Well she'll need some rest before she can try to jump again. There has to be a way to reduce the fear for her… * When he opened his eyes he noticed Holly seemed lost in thought.

"Holly, would you share your fear with me? I want to help you but I need to feel it to know how to help you with it." Holly looked over at him caught off guard, she stared at him a moment.

"Genki… Are you sure?" He nodded, "Alright…" He smiled; Holly reached over and placed her hand on his chest. Closing her eyes she focused on her fear then projected it to him. She could hear by his gasp that he was feeling it. Genki hadn't expected it to be this intense, * Damn this is bad… It's going to take a lot for her to push this down. I can't do much with the falling sensation problem but if we can get her over one of her fears maybe she can fight the other one? *

"It is always this intense or does it get worse just before you jump?"

"It's worse before I jump." He mulled things over; He doubted she could wrangle it even with rest. "Holly while you're power is active can I project back to you?"

"Yes but you'd need to place your hand on me." Genki opened his eyes a moment; he placed his hand carefully on her chest above her breast. He saw as faint blush appear and felt her embarrassment; ignoring that he closed his eyes.

"I'm going to show you something that I do with my fear. I'll project it into you using your own fear."

"Alright." Holly felt Genki projecting back, as soon as he was sure she felt him he showed her how he would metaphorically grab his fear; in this case hers, and forcefully push it down. It didn't eliminate it but it did make it smaller and less intense. After he finished he removed his hand from her chest as Holly gave him a look of intrigue. "How did you do that? I've tried pushing it away and it never leaves like that." He smiled,

"Holly, I use my mind to force my emotions back inline. Fear is only an issue if you allow it to be. Part of the reason the portal doesn't worry me is I know here" He tapped on his head, "That it's safe. I've made the journey with no problem hundreds of times. It always acts the same each time." He smiled as she seemed confused, "If you think about your fears rationally you can force them out of your way."

"I'm not sure if I can…" He chuckled,

"Holly you are stubborn enough to not let this beat you. You can do this." He pulled her into an embrace, "I wouldn't have let you make the jump if I believed it would hurt you in anyway." He felt her nod, "Keep in mind you're not actually falling. The portal is only pulling you along." He felt her hold onto him.

"Genki… can I rest here before I try again?"

"Of course, I know you need rest Holly. You're welcome to rest here and join me at the forge tomorrow. We'll conquer your fear later when you feel you can face it again." he smiled, "if you need I can jump back with you so you won't have to do it alone."

"That would entirely defeat the purpose of why I came here…"

"Perhaps, but I would rather help you than worry about my arm." He heard her sigh, eventually she pulled back and he let her go.

"I will consider it. But I want to do this on my own." He could see her stubborn side kicking in, he just smiled to her.

"That's fine Holly." he waited a moment before asking his next question. "What you are planning on telling the rest of the gang?" She sighed heavily her shoulders slumping,

"The truth I guess…"

"Why not tell Tiger and Granity. I'm sure they can cover for you." She glanced over at him then nodded,

"I'm sure they can. Still this is embarrassing." He chuckled; he placed his hand on hers.

"Holly, we all have weaknesses, we just do what we can. I'm sure once you have some rest you'll be fine. It's been a trying night after all." She nodded reluctantly, she was emotionally drained after her own break down and helping him with his pain.

---

Holly rose and walked out to the kitchen, turning on the mic she decided to get this over with.

"Hey Tiger you there?" it took a moment for an answer to come.

"I'm here Holly."

"Can you get Granity? I need to speak with you both about something in private."

"Yeah give me a second."

"Holly is everything alright?" Suezo asked, he sounded sheepish. Genki was snickering behind her from how he was talking to her. Holly rolled her eyes,

"Yeah, I'm fine I just wanted to run something by them really quick." Holly waited as she heard some sounds and what seemed like Granity yelling 'out' at Suezo.

"OK Holly we are alone, what did you need?" Holly sighed,

"There are two things I wanted to discuss with you. The first is that Genki has told me a bit more about his smith friend, I believe I should probably go speak with her since I'm the only one besides my father that knows the balance of his blade."

"Genki doesn't mind you going with him?" Tiger asked,

"No he doesn't mind."

"Doesn't he have to sleep soon?" Granity asked, making Holly nervous.

"He does yes, but that shouldn't be an issue. Which leads me to my next topic."

"Let me guess, you didn't sleep well and you can't muster the courage to jump back across right now?" Tiger stated with a smirk that Holly could hear. Holly sighed,

"Yes Tiger… I'm exhausted… I don't think I could handle the jump back right now. Genki has a spare room I can stay in and rest up. My plan was to rest and go with him to see his friend. Once we are done with that I should be able to jump back across."

"Then you need us to cover for you?" Granity asked,

"Granity you know how Suezo is. I just don't want him to flip out and do anything stupid. I have enough of an issue just being alone at times." Genki keyed up on this, * He is seriously that bad? How on earth is she supposed to even try and have a normal life? Maybe it's time Suezo and I have a word. * Genki resolved to deal with the lecherous eyestalk the next chance he got.

"Yeah I can see him doing something…" Tiger said grudgingly knowing how bad Suezo could get. He had to force Suezo to leave Holly be on more than one occasion.

"We will handle him. Is Genki in the room?" Genki walked over in range,

"I am Granity what is it?"

"I wanted to speak with you alone. Would it be ok if I made a brief jump across tomorrow before Holly returns?" Genki raised a brow at that and glanced at Holly who looked startled.

"I don't see why you can't; can I ask the nature of this discussion?"

"I'd rather it stay between us."

"Alright, I will see you tomorrow then."

"Holly, make sure you rest up this time. Don't make me drag you back." Granity taunted humorously.

"I will Granity, don't worry."

"You both have a good night, we'll handle the others." With that the line cut off and Genki flipped the mic off.

---

He glanced to Holly to see worry etched onto her face.

"Genki are you sure Granity will be alright?"

"Out of all the monsters she is the closest to human, if anything the portal might just turn her into a human when she comes across. It's my working theory that is what the portal will do."

"But will she go back to normal on return?"

"She should yes. I don't believe the portal hurts anyone Holly. I believe it has the ability to change things if they don't match the world. Out of all the monsters Granity is who I would have chosen to try it first. She has the least amount of risk." Holly considered this for a bit; "you know why she's coming over right?" she looked up at him startled.

"To talk to you about being her trainer?"

"Yes but it's not the only reason. She's coming here to make sure you can get home." Holly sighed at this and looked away,

"I really wish she let me do this on my own."

"She will, I believe she wants to make sure you make it back. But I think if you can do it one your own she will let you. She's not the type to interfere if you are trying to overcome something. She knows this is important to you, but she also realizes you are struggling." Genki lifted her gaze to meet his own, "You know she loves you and just wants to help Holly." Holly's eyes widened a moment and she blushed furiously. * Maybe she is fully Bisexual. Wasn't expecting that reaction... * Holly could see what he meant but his words had a double meaning, Holly shook off her embarrassment before replying to him.

"I know she loves me Genki. I was just hoping to do it myself without help for once. It makes me feel useless that I can't even face this alone." Her words made his heartache,

"Holly, everything comes with time and experience. You only just started facing things head on. It will take some time for you to be able to push this aside and get over it. I certainly didn't do that when I first started dealing with my fears, it took me years to master that trick I showed you. Even now there are times I fail. I just don't give up." Holly looked at him with a strange mix of shock and wonder on her face. She hadn't thought about how long he had been working through his fears only that he seemed to be able to face them just fine.

"Genki… if you don't mind my asking, what are some of your fears?" His brow rose as he heard her question, he then closed his eyes. * I can't tell her the strongest one… but I can say one of the others. *

"As childish as it may be, I was very afraid of the dark for an extremely long time." Holly was startled by that answer, she hadn't been expecting that. He never seemed afraid of anything let alone the dark.

"How did you overcome it?"

"It took years, I slowly over came it as I forced myself to be exposed to it. Same thing happened with my arachnophobia."

"What's that?"

"Fear of spiders." She looked confused,

"I actually made myself pick up and handle spiders to get over it. One of those I held was a tarantula; they are about the size of your hand. Not dangerous mind you but they can certainly hurt if they decide to bite." Holly shivered at that thought,

"I don't think I would want to handle one of those…" He chuckled,

"I didn't think you would." He smiled then walked to the doorway, "I'll show you to where you can rest Holly; you look exhausted." She smiled to him following his lead upstairs.

"Thank you Genki." he returned her smile, Soon they came to a doorway not far from the stairwell.

"Here you go; I'll wake you later if you don't get up before me. If you do wake before me feel free to find something to eat. Most of the kitchen isn't hard to navigate." She smiled and nodded,

"Thank you Genki, good night."

"Good Night Holly, sweet dreams." He smiled and turned to walk down the hall. She saw him enter a room at the end of the hall and assumed it must be his. She peeked in the room next door to hers and realized it was a bathroom if she needed it. With a confident smile she walked back into the guest room, closing the door she removed her vest, tunic, and boots before she climbed into bed. * Wow this is extremely nice… wasn't expecting it to be this soft. I'm just glad he understood my fear and is being patient. Hopefully all goes well tomorrow. *

Genki too was in bed after changing, he had a very long day and it was extremely emotionally taxing. * I just wish I could be honest with her… but she told me not to bring the subject up again… * he sighed, * I just hope Akame doesn't cause issues… she tends to like to brag about my prowess with certain things. Holly is liable to be extremely uncomfortable if the conversation goes that way. * He closed his eyes hoping that the morning would go better.

---

The next morning Holly found herself to be the first one awake; she realized by the light coming in the window that it must be early still. She relaxed awhile longer just thinking a few things over, she certainly felt better now. And though she hated to admit it, having Granity come over would help her a lot. * I guess she understands me extremely well now that we bonded. I wish we had more time alone actually… but Suezo only lets me out of his sight with her because she's female. He doesn't think we are doing anything else… well that and he's afraid of Granity. * She sweat dropped thinking about the time he was electrocuted by the pixie hybrid. * Still I find it interesting the Genki didn't have any issue with my confession. In fact he seemed to encourage it. Maybe he thinks it's good for both of us? Either that or he has never had an issue with that type of thing. I mean his ex is dating a woman so why would he care? Speaking of… I wonder if she knows what he is refusing to tell me? * Holly sighed just thinking about it, * Seriously, what right do I have to pry? I know I want to help him… he's definitely hiding something but then so am I. I never told him when I was dating.* She snorted, * It's amazing I was even able to date at all given the way Suezo is lately… I really need to deal with him… * Holly let her eyes close as she relaxed, she enjoyed not having the lecherous eye stalk sneaking in her room or waking her up for breakfast. * Maybe I should visit more? Would exposing myself to the portal more help with my fear? From what Genki told me it might… Maybe Genki would let me be alone with Granity for a while… * Holly heard some movement now, listening closely she heard Genki walk by her room. He seemed to be heading downstairs to the kitchen. She heard the tap turn on and him open the cupboard. * Is his arm bothering him? * She assumed he was taking his pain pills. Rising she dressed and followed him out to the kitchen where he seemed to be trying wake himself up enough to make breakfast. Holly's face turned a nice cherry red as she realized he wasn't wearing his shirt, just a pair of shorts. Genki finally noticed her and an eyebrow was raised at her blush. He then went back to getting some pans and food out to make breakfast. Holly watched him as he worked, noting where everything was. She noticed his body had a few more scars then she had last known about, sighing inwardly at his recklessness she walked over to where he was.

"Do you want some help Genki?" He smiled,

"Sure Holly if you want to." He indicated for her to take a spot next to him at the stove. She did so and took over making some bacon from him. He meanwhile was making some eggs. He worked with her in silence for a few minutes; he seemed to need to concentrate on staying awake. Holly watched as he flipped the egg over using the pan and not a spatula. She herself couldn't do that though she had seen other people do it before.

"Genki, where'd you learn to do that?" He looked at her questioningly, "flipping something just using the pan I mean."

"Oh, my aunt taught me. My aunt is a chef at a restaurant; so I got to learn quite a few tricks from her when I spent the summer working there." He smiled as she nodded her understanding. He finished with the first egg and moved on to the second. Quickly he set up the coffee maker while the egg heated up and got it to start brewing. Holly watched clearly fascinated. She could tell by the smell that it was coffee, something she never drank as it was expensive.

* He has a lot of expensive things actually… plenty of coffee from the looks of it and I see a salt grinder as well. * Holly wasn't sure what to think as she realized he defiantly wasn't hurting for cash. * is that why he helps us so much, because he has the means to do so? *

"Holly, why do you look like your contemplating life's meaning over there?" Holly looked over startled at him as he flipped the egg he was working on. Holly paid attention to her bacon and responded to his in query.

"I'm just thinking about how different our worlds are. Coffee is extremely expensive in my world. But I'm guessing that's not the case here?" Genki raised a brow at that unexpected question then went back to cooking.

"Yes and no, coffee can be expensive but only certain varieties. For the most part it's pretty affordable here. It doesn't cost me very much to get it, and I buy one of the better varieties." She paused a moment before asking about the other items.

"What about sugar and salt?" He knew where this was going,

"Both are mass produced, sugar is usually pulled from sugar cane or sugar beets. Pretty easy to come buy now days and salt is mined heavily, it is also not rare." Holly seemed to be in deep thought now; he let her contemplate things while he finished up. Holly pulled the bacon and let it drain before placing it on the plates. Once he was set he poured two cups of coffee. Once they were seated and ready to eat he broached the subject again. "Holly if something is rare in your world you can ask me to get it for you. It's not a problem. I know how expensive salt, sugar, and coffee are for you guys. I haven't forgotten all those arguments during our travels." She glanced over at him,

"I didn't think you would forget those arguments considering how heated a few got. Are you sure it wouldn't put a strain on you?"

"I'm sure Holly." She nodded

"Then I would be happy for the assistance." He grinned at this then went on to eat some of his meal. About then Raion came in meowing at him, He glanced down and smiled to his little kitty.

"Where have you been mister?" He got up from his seat as his kitty spoke to him some more. "Oh no you don't, you just go hide whole time company is here then expect food." He picked his kitty up who protest briefly before purring and nuzzling his owner. Holly found the sight touching, as Genki scratched under the cats chin. Holly was aware of most animals and that people had them as pets, but she hadn't expected Genki to have a pet. Genki smiled to her, "This is Raion he's a bit shy but usually very affectionate." Holly smiled as Genki brought the cat over, Raion tense a little. "Your fine, I want you to meet someone" he spoke to his cat then directed his next comment to Holly. "Put your hand out for him to sniff." Holly complied and waited to see what the cat did, Raion after a moment moved out curiously to smell her hand. After a moment he rubbed his face against her hand and Holly scratched him like Genki had just done. After a few minutes Raion glanced to Genki a meowed again. His owner chuckled and let him down, "Alright, let's get you your breakfast."

"He seems very loving."

"He is, he snuggles with me usually every night but last night he was nowhere to be found." Genki finished and Raion purred as he ate, leaving Genki to return to the table to eat.

Holly picked up her coffee and decided to try it for the first time. She noticed it was bitter yet had some smokey, earthy tones to it. It didn't taste like she expected, it was far better actually. Holly saw him smile, He was aware she had never had it before.

"Coffee to your liking Holly?" He saw her nod; he smiled as he returned to his meal. They ate in comfortable silence. Once they finished Genki placed his dish in the sink and poured himself another cup. He was mostly awake now but he knew if he wasn't fully awake Akame would catch him off guard.

"Are all coffees like that?"

"No, the cheap ones are extremely bitter. I generally steer clear of those." Holly noticed he was on his second cup,

"You need two to wake up?"

"Yeah, early mornings are rough on me." Holly finished hers feeling energized waiting for Genki to finish his. Once he did he excused himself to get dressed. While he was off in his room he also made a quick call to his mother. She unfortunately didn't answer so he left a message, figuring she was at work already.

* Now I know why everyone speaks so highly of coffees effects. Though it seems someone can build up a resistance if Genki is any indication. * Once Genki had returned he walked to the door and picked up his wallet and several other items including his phone and Holly's old blade. He then smiled to her, He walked to where she was and opened a nearby closet. He handed her a coat.

"It's chilly out this time of year; I don't want you catching cold." Holly took the article of clothing and put it on as he put his own coat on. "Did you happen to look out any of the windows this morning?"

"No why?" He waved her over to the living room; he opened the curtains then pointed her towards the window. It was then she saw the cityscape before her. Massive buildings reaching to the sky along with many other devices she couldn't name. Genki smiled off to the side watching her child like wonder * I knew she would be shocked, she's never seen anything like this; not even ruins this large. * He waited patiently for her to recover; when she turned to him he could see a mixture of emotions in her eyes.

"Genki… I never imagined a city this large could exist…"

"I figured you'd want to see it before we head out."

"Is the forge in the city?" He nodded, smiling at her.

"It is, about 30 minutes away from here. Don't worry I will explain things as we go. Don't be afraid to ask questions." She smiled, and then gave him a nod. He then turned and walked to the front door, picking up his keys off a nearby table along the way. He had her step out and he locked the door. "We'll be taking my vehicle." he stated as he lead the way to his detached garage. Genki was quite lucky to have a two story home with a garage, not many in Japan did. He grew up living in an apartment after all. But he hadn't wanted to be directly in the city any longer than he had to be.

"Is it like Sandra's taxi?"

"Yes similar though it's far more limited than her vehicle." He opened the garage door then led her toward his vehicle. She saw it flash when he got close, he then opened the door for her. She got on and he closed it and walked to the driver's side. Holly was looking around the interior of the car when he got in. She saw him reach up and pull a strap form the top and snap it into a holder. As he did he spoke to her again, "Pull yours down and fasten it by pushing it into the slot. It's a safety device." She nodded and did so though not entirely sure why. She saw Genki start his vehicle with a button on the dash. Genki then shifted into reverse, when he did the screen on his dash changed so he could see what was directly behind him. Holly watched clearly fascinated, she had seen Colt fly her iron birds and even observed other taxi drivers as well. Genki pulled out of his driveway then carefully took off towards main road. Holly was confused by where he lived, she could tell they were near some rolling foot hills but she never imagined it would be this beautiful * He must have paid a lot for such a nice house… I never imagined he was this wealthy…* Holly considered his car for a moment, looking it over some more and watching what he did * It seems the center level is for the direction though I don't know what everything means on it. I can only read a few things. * Genki pulled out onto one of the busy streets carefully, eventually he managed to navigate his way onto one of the over passes to make their journey easier. This particularly overpass was fairly tall so she should be able to see more of the city.

"I feel I should warn you about Akame. She tends to be a bit… forward about certain things. If you don't keep a close tie on the subject matter it may drift to… unwholesome topics. It's just how she is." Holly glances over at him as he was focusing on driving.

"She likes to talk about such things?"

"Yes she does, and she's not shy about sharing… experiences. I just wanted to warn you ahead of time so you could be prepared if she does try to steer the conversion that way." he knew Holly wouldn't be thrilled about that but perhaps she could use the nudge by another female. He figured he would stay out of most conversations unless needed. After all he needed to get the gold weighed and tested. * If she does probe Akame for information about me she is libel to get more than she bargained for. *

"Thank you for warning me." her voice was soft, she then saw a strange snake like vehicle moving in the distance. "Genki what is that snake like vehicle?"

"It's a train. It runs on tracks to specific destinations." Holly merely observed everything as they drove to the destination, occasionally asking questions but for the most part observing. Genki smiled seeing her so enthralled by his city. They soon arrived at the forge and he pulled into a parking space. Shifting into park he turned the car off then undid his belt. "Push the red button to release the belt." she did so then let it slip back behind her shoulder, as she did he pulled his handle to open his door, automatically unlocking her door. "Pull the handle towards you to open the door." Holly did as instructed and stepped out of the car. She had to admit it was fairly chilly out and was glad for the coat Genki had provided her. Genki smiled, and then waved her towards the door. As he stepped away Holly heard a clicking sound form the vehicle as it locked.

"Genki what did your vehicle do?"

"Oh the car automatically locks its self when I step away; it communicates with the key and knows when it's not present." Holly nodded kind of understanding what he was talking about. The magic stone could activate panels and other objects just by being near them. Holly was good at accepting things how they were and filling the details later. Something she learned while adventuring with the gang and with Colt as well.

---

Genki held the door for her and they walked in together. He smiled seeing Akame teaching a few students about their creations. Holly watched as Akame instructed each student on how to quench their blades. When they all finished she walked to the front the group and spoke so all of them could hear her.

["Alright, I expect you to get these cleaned up and put a handle on them tomorrow. After that we will test your creations for strength and durability. Remember failure is also part of learning. So if your blade does break the best thing you can do is learn why and fix it next time. Any questions?"] She saw them all shake their heads. ["Good, I will see you all tomorrow."] The group set about cleaning up as Akame turned to her new arrivals.

"I see your whipping the newbs into shape slowly." Genki joked with her, deliberately using English so Holly could understand what he was saying. She laughed and smiled to him.

"Slowly, it's taking a lot of time this round actually. Last class was more astute." He chuckled, "I assume you're here for your father's ring?" Akame smiled to Holly, "And with a new friend. It's nice to meet you; I'm Akame co-owner of this forge." Akame extended her hand and Holly took it giving it a shake while replying,

"I'm Holly; it's nice to meet you." Genki could see the recognition in Akame's eyes. He had mentioned Holly before, something he had forgotten about until now. Akame was the only one who believed him about the monster world, she would know why a good blade was important.

"I'm here for that and a couple of other things actually. Holly's dagger recently broke while she was using it. It looked to me to be a failed quench and a cold shut in the tang. We wanted to know if you could make her a new blade as I doubt this one it repairable." Akame looked intrigued now; Genki pulled the blade from his coat and handed it over to her.

"Let's take a look at it then, this blade size is common so I can easily make another for you." She indicated for them to follow as she walked to her work bench. Once there she pulled the broken blade from its sheath and began looking it over. "What caused the break?" She asked looking to Holly,

"Impact with another blade." this caught Akame by surprise; she then looked harder at the blades edge and could see the chipping the blade had taken.

"A heavier blade I'm guessing by the marks."

"Yes, his was far heavier than mine."

"Well Genki looks like I taught you well. You are correct this cannot be repaired. This cold shut runs very deep. I'm surprised it held up this long actually." Akame took a tool and popped the handle scales apart, when she pulled out the tang Genki was shocked to see it had separated into two pieces. Holly looked just as surprised by this revelation. "I don't think whoever made this had any clue what they were doing. A blade with this type of damage before use is very dangerous to its user."

"Well then I'd like to request you make a new blade for her. She can tell you what style she'd like." Akame smiled,

"I'll get the details from you then Holly." Holly smiled and nodded, "Genki what was your other reason for being here?"

"Need a gold piece weighed and tested."

"Mai can handle that for you while I talk with Holly." Akame flagged her partner down. "Mai, Genki needs a gold piece tested and weighed." Mai smiled as she approached and nodded to Akame,

"Alright Lover Boy come with me and we'll take care of that." Genki groaned and grumbled a little as he followed after Mai; he hated it when they called him that. Akame chuckled as he left; she noticed a curious look from Holly.

"We tease him just a bit; he is always attracting girls with his good looks. That's where the nick name came from, he grumbles about it but has never asked us not to call him that."

"I wasn't aware he was that popular."

"He is but most of the girls are only looking skin deep. He refuses to date someone who is merely attracted to him. He generally prefers to go with those he has at least spoken to for a while." Holly smiled,

"He's never been superficial."

"Indeed he hasn't, if he was he'd have taken advantage of that a long time ago." Akame had pulled out her large sketch paper with a charcoal stick while they chatted. "Now, why don't you tell me about this blade you'd like?"

"The blade I'd like is based off of one I've wielded before. It has a gentle curve to it and its balance it toward the handle." Akame began to sketch as she did she asked a few questions,

"Does the blade have a large belly? Is it thick or thin?"

"No on the belly, it's a fairly thin blade. Maybe two inches across." She saw the woman nod as she began to sketch the arc and thickness.

"Is it like this?"

"Yes, more flat towards the tip on the spine."

"Any fullers?"

"No, it's diamond shaped."
"Alright so just hallow grinds then." She solidified the blade darkening the lines, "This look good?" Holly inspected it and nodded,

"Yes, it looks very good."

"About the balance, are you certain you want it hilt heavy? I know you've used it before but it does make them harder to wield."

"All of my blades have been hilt heavy actually."

"Would you like to try a mid and forward balanced blade to make sure?" Holly seemed to be intrigued by the idea.

"If it's alright, I would love to." Akame beckoned her to a side room and pick up two blades. Handing the first to Holly she pointed at the target behind her.

"Take a few swings and see how it feels." Holly did as instructed, impressing Akame with her skill. Holly finished with the first blade and handed it back. Akame handed her the second one to test. She watched as Holly skillfully cut the dummy in front of her. * She's definitely battled before… I will have to make sure this blade is perfect. I want to make sure her blade never fails her again. * After Holly finished she returned the second blade and they returned to the workbench. "So what did you think?"

"The first one felt the best."

"The mid-balanced blade. Do you prefer that over the hilt heavy?" Holly seemed to take things into consideration now,

"Yes, I believe you are correct, the mid would be best." Akame nodded and jotted down a note before asking her next question.

"What about the handle?" Holly smiled,

"The handle on my blade was comfortable for me. If you need to modify it to fit this blade, that's fine as well." Akame nodded then sketched the handle design onto the paper.

"Something like this work for you?" Holly looked it over and nodded,

"Yes, that looks wonderful." Holly was very pleased with how this was going, she never imagined this woman being so good at interpreting exactly what she wanted. "Thank you for being willing to make this for me."

"You're very welcome; any friend of Genki's is a friend of mine." She paused then placed her pencil down. "I should be able to have it done in a few days." Holly smiled to her,

"That's wonderful." Holly hesitated a moment with the next question. "Akame, there is something I'm wondering about."

"Oh?"

"I know you probably know Genki really well based on what I saw earlier. Do you happen to know why he seems… sad all the time? He refuses to even entertain the subject around me; I'm very worried about him." Akame noticed Holly was hesitant but earnest in the desire to help him. She took a moment to thing before answering.

"Genki has a lot of things he doesn't talk about. I can tell he's stressed out and exhausted, far more than he lets on. Believe me it took me years to learn how to see these things in him. He's very good at hiding them." Holly's eyes showed recognition,

"I was afraid the stress was starting to get to him…"

"His sister causing issues again?" Holly looked at her startled, and then nodded.

"Yes but how did you know?" Akame smiled,

"It's not the first time." She noticed Genki was still tied up with Mai at this point. "She has caused trouble for a very long time. It stresses him out to no end as he tries to fix things and help his parents. I told him he's going to give himself a heart attack one of these days." Akame sighed, "He really needs to relax for a while."

"He's been taking on extra work lately… would that stress him further?" Akame looked a bit surprised then thoughtful as she decided how to answer that. *He's not going to be happy with me for this conversation but he needs someone there for him. She definitely loves him in some capacity, and I know he loves her. Maybe I can get her to release him from that stupid promise. *

"It would if he doesn't enjoy the work. Sometimes work is a stress release for him, it just depends on what it is. I know he loves solving puzzles, doing physical labor, or helping others. Those things are not a burden for him." She saw something in Holly's eyes just then,

"Does his job stress him though?"

"Sometimes, he does love programming but it can be stressful for him around deadlines."

"He had to take over as team lead and finish a project this week." Holly stated watching the other woman's response.

"That would stress him out yes." Akame confirmed before continuing, "He told you about Kai right?"

"His brother? Yes, he told me about him earlier while explaining what was going on with his sister."

"He may not look it but he's worried about him as well. Kai… well he doesn't combat his issues well. Genki has tried to encourage him and help him but… let's just say Kai doesn't have enough fight in him to win. I know it frustrates Genki to no end. He may want nothing to do with his sister but he loves his brother dearly."

"I take it Kai has given up then?"

"He has unfortunately. It's my opinion that Genki sees himself in his brother, which is why he wants to help so much. Ultimately it's not Genki's choice though; Kai has to find the will to push his issues back on his own."

"Genki told me he fought his fears and was able to push them aside; I can see him trying to help others do the same…"

"Which fears did he mention?"

"Spiders and the Dark." Akame smiled,

"I figured he left one out. His biggest fear is still a problem for him but he usually won't say it to others. He doesn't want to seem weak nor have people worried about him." Holly looked intrigued, "His greatest fear is being alone, and it terrifies him to no end. He controls it well and most wouldn't even know he has such a fear but it's still there. I'm actually surprised he hasn't dated since we broke up, but for whatever reason he has remained single." Holly looked like she had something she long suspected confirmed, Akame smiled inwardly at this. * So she had a hunch about this huh? *

"Akame, should you really be telling me this?"

"Probably not but he needs help. I'm tell you this because you are probably the only one that can help him. He will be furious with me I'm sure but it's for his own good. I can see his stress is building up again. If he doesn't get a release soon… well let's just say it won't be pretty." Holly looked like she wasn't sure what to do with this information,

"What do you mean 'I'm the only one that can help'?" Akame weighed her words carefully,

"It's obvious to me he trusts you. Even when we were together he has always spoken highly of you. He loves you and always will, and from what I can tell he listens to you. If anyone can get him to release his stress in a productive way it'll be you." Holly looked startled, * does she mean he still loves me as in wanting to be with me? Or as just family? *

"I'm surprised he spoke to you about me…"

"I was the only one who believed him about the monster world. He has issues sure but he's not delusional."

"It didn't cause any issues did it?"

"No, I'm not the jealous type. Plus he told me about your… rough conversation."

"Rough conversation?"

"Where you told him 'no'; that you wouldn't date him. Are you saying you forgot about it?" Holly shook her head,

"No I didn't forget. I'm surprised he mentioned it though."

"Why wouldn't he? He was quite upset over it actually. I will say I never understood why you turned him down." Holly sighed, * So she's steering the conversation that way huh? * She really didn't want to talk about it but she realized there wasn't a way out of it now. Glancing over to see Genki still working with Mai she returned her attention to Akame.

"I had several reasons though the most prominent of which is the whole juggling two worlds thing. I didn't think it would be feasible for us to juggle lives in both worlds. Not to mention how stressful that would be."

"I can see that being a very complicated but a doable thing if you try hard enough." Akame didn't seem deterred in the slightest. "You really should consider talking to him about it again. You already came through the portal; you've seen how things are here. I think you can make a better educated decision now that you understand his world better. Yes, he has moments of great stress but being with those he loves is what keeps him going." Holly seemed taken aback by how forward she was being,

"I'm not sure…"

"Just consider it. I think he wants to talk to you, but if you are refusing to talk with him then he can't."

* I did make him promise… is that why he cut me off yesterday? He did say I didn't want to talk about it. * Holly began to wonder if she had done the right thing now but was interrupted when Akame continued,

"I will say loving Genki is like no other experience. He is very flexible and more than willing to adapt to your needs. Hell, he didn't even have an issue being dominated in bed. Very few men take to that well." Akame laughed a bit, "Though he tends to forget his own needs at the same time. I always had to remind him." Holly had a look of shock and discomfort at what she just heard.

* Well Genki did warn me I guess * she sighed as Akame noticed her mood. "Akame… I'm not really into…" She was struggling to finish that sentence.

"It's fine Holly, not many are into BDSM or other fetishes. Don't worry about it. Also long as you're happy with the sex you have and feel fulfilled that's what matters. I may have corrupted Genki a bit though. He wasn't into it at first, I tend to like it rough and he wasn't being rough at first. I eventually got him to do what I needed, but I always fulfilled his desires as well. It's all about balance." Holly turned beet red at the mention of sex making Akame chuckle a little, * A shy one eh? Probably less experienced hence the embarrassment. *

"Akame… I'm not sure I needed to know about that…" Holly managed to stammer out, making the other woman chuckle.

"I suppose not." She smiled to Holly, "Just keep in mind that a healthy relationship is about communication. If you can't talk about something it's going to cause issues down the road." Holly was still blushing but nodded none the less.

---

Meanwhile…

Genki was dealing with Mai. He wasn't that thrilled to be away from Holly, he just hoped Akame wouldn't bring up too many inappropriate topics.

"Stop worrying about her, Akame won't bite."

"That is not what I am worried about."

"Oh?"

"You know how she is with her sex talks. Holly… is a bit of a prude and doesn't talk about sex with anyone."

"So she's the one that told you no years ago?" Genki looked over surprised then sighed,

"I should have known she'd say something…"

"Don't worry about it Genki, she talks about you all the time, It doesn't bother me. I'm still waiting for you to say yes to a threesome." Genki looked annoyed now,

"I told you no before…"

"I'm aware, don't be so uptight."

"Yes, Holly is the one that told me no."

"You really should try to win her over Genki… it's obvious you love her."

"I'll always love her Mai." He looked away, "She made me promise not to bring it up again… so I can't broach the subject with her anymore…"

"You really are you own worst enemy." Mai could see he was thinking things over so let him do so. Akame had told her all about him, they were all great friends. She had felt conflicted when he was first around but it was obvious he had let Akame go. She just wished she could help him in some way. "Maybe you can have a mutual friend get her talking to you about that again?" Mai decided to suggest as she ran the test on the gold. Genki looked thoughtful for a moment, * maybe Granity can talk some sense into her… But would she be willing to? *

"I can see if a mutual friend with help… I'm not sure if she would be willing to get involved though." Mai smiled at this,

"All you can do is try Genki. By the way your gold is 18 Karat." Genki glanced over at her,

"Really? I wasn't expecting that." She weighed it for him now Genki watched as the weigh came up. He typed the weight into his phone along with the Karats.

"So this coin is 28 grams" Mai looked over at her chart to find its value. "So it's worth approximately 133,800 Yen per coin." Genki whistled he hadn't expected that at all. He knew it was worth more but not that much.

"Who would I sell this to for the gold value?" Mai smiled,

"We could buy it from you, I'm sure Akame wouldn't mind. You'd just have to tell us ahead of time if you have any more to sell."

"You sure?"

"Yeah, it's not a problem." Genki smiled, Mai then lead him back out the forge floor.

Akame smiled as he returned with her lover. She could see a mischievous look in Mai's eyes and wondered what had happened.

"So what's the verdict?" Akame asked, Holly seemed to be recovering from something embarrassing making Genki roll his eyes.

"He's got a 28 gram 18 karat coin. Says he wants to exchange it, if you feel up to it Hun?" Akame nodded,

"Sounds good; write him a check for the value and grab that ring for him. His father's going to need it soon." Mai took the coin from Genki then walked to the office at the back of the shop.

"You sure you guys…" Akame cut him off with a disbelieving look.

"Genki we wouldn't have accepted the exchange if we couldn't, I could use the gold for my jewelry anyway." She sighed, "seriously you need to relax, go get laid or something. We know what we are doing." Holly's face lit up as Genki raised a brow and gave Akame an annoyed look.

"Akame, you know I do not bed people just to have sex. We have been over this before." His voice even,

"I offered him some threesome action but he declined." Mai popped up about then making him roll his eyes, not before notice Holly shrinking and turning into a tomato next him.

"And I will always decline, that is not something I'm willing to do. Regardless of how 'fun' you claim it is." He sighed, "Seriously sex is not the only stress release."

"No but it's one of the fastest." Akame proclaimed grinning at him, Genki just grunted at this response.

"Here you go" Mai gave him the check, then handed him the ring. "Tell your father we hope his day goes as planned." Genki chuckled,

"I will though I doubt it will go as planned. Mom has a way of… figuring things out no matter how well he plans surprises." Both women chuckled at this. He glanced to Holly now, she seemed to be recovering. "You all set?" Holly nodded finding her voice finally,

"Yes, Akame said she'd have it finished in a few days." Genki nodded, he glanced back to his friends.

"I'll call you when it's done Genki." Akame said making him smile.

"I look forward to seeing it." He glanced to Holly again then stated, "We have to get going, I still have a few things to do today. I'll see you both soon."

"Take care you two; it was nice seeing you both." Holly smiled warmly at Akame,

"You as well." She left with Genki as Akame and Mai shared a grin. They were totally going to make sure those two got together.

---

Once in the car Holly let out a big sigh, relaxing a bit. She had felt entirely uncomfortable and now her mind was filled with curious thoughts that she'd rather not entertain.

"You ok?" Genki asked, sounding rather concerned.

"Yeah… she caught me off guard is all… She brought up a lot of… inappropriate topics."

"I warned you about her." Genki started the car and began to back out of his parking spot.

"You did indeed. I just didn't think it would get quite that bad. I'm not even sure what half of the things she was talking about were but I know it was… unwholesome." Genki chuckled,

"If you truly want to know I can fill in the blanks for you. Or give you some reading material." Holly glanced his way noticing he never blushed even when a threesome was mentioned.

"I take it she can't embarrass you?" He snorted,

"Not anymore, pretty much nothing she says bothers me. Occasionally it annoys or surprises me. She has always been all about that type of thing, you get exposed to it enough and it no longer affects you." Holly wasn't sure what to make of that, the whole thing had completely been an issue for her. "Holly I need to make a brief stop to get two items. Shouldn't take long."

"They for something specific?"

"Yes, the desert you asked me to make." Holly seemed intrigued now,

"What are you making?"

"It's called Mushi Pan, it's basically a type of cake." He could see her smile off to the side,

"I look forward to trying that Genki." He soon pulled into the lot; he glanced over at her as he undid the belt. "I'll stay here Genki, just get what you need." He nodded and hopped out to do so. Holly leaned back in her seat just thinking over what Akame had said. The traffic was distracting for her but she was able to focus on her thoughts after she ignored the excess noise. * So Akame wants me to help him and from what she said he was very upset with me when I rejected him. I know he loves me… it's obvious he has never stopped loving me. Why hasn't he said anything though? Is it because of the promise he made to me…* a frown graced her face thinking about that, * it has to be… he never breaks a promise. I probably should release him from that promise. It's the least I can do… it's not like I've exactly moved on either despite all my talk of doing so. * She sighed, * could she see that, is that why she probed me the way she did? Perhaps, I don't know her well enough… but what did she mean that he has 'issues'? Is it from his fear? Or something else entirely? She did compare him and Kai a lot but Genki doesn't seem to have what Kai does. * Her thoughts were interrupted when Genki returned, * I really need to ask him about this weird stuff she had him doing. *

"Holly are you feeling alright?"

"Yes just tired… I think the time difference is catching up with me." Genki just nodded and restarted the vehicle to drive home. He was worried about her but it could wait till they got back.

---

Once they arrived back at his home Holly noticed how nice everything around him was. She had to admit he was definitely well off even if he never spoke much about it. She felt him place a hand on her forehead when he stopped the vehicle. Holly glanced over at him seeing him worried, he removed his hand after a moment without a word. Then got out of the car, Holly managed to find her way out as well and followed him into the house.

"I'm sure you have questions, I'm betting she over shared information again."

"I do yes, but first there is something else I'd like to talk to you about."

"Oh?" Genki shut the door behind him and began putting his stuff on the table. He placed the ring in a drawer in the table then removed his coat. Holly had removed her coat as well and placed it on the coat hook.

"Akame reminded me of something I should have taken care of years ago, it was very selfish on my part to request this and very unfair to you." She paused deciding how to tell him, Genki looked at her questioningly, he wasn't sure what Akame had told her but he knew he was liable to not like it. "Genki I release you from the promise I made you take. I was being very selfish that day and only thinking of my own feelings, not yours. If you wish to speak to me about us being together then do so. I should never have ordered you to stop the way I did." a look of both shock and incomprehension passed over his features he then closed his eyes smiling slightly,

* So that's what she was up to… she's fixing things so we can talk… * "Akame didn't force you to do this did she?"

"No, she only reminded me of it. I truly am sorry Genki. I know I caused you pain… and then I wouldn't even let you vent. I understand now why you won't come to me with relationship things. You felt like I was telling you that I didn't care and that I didn't want to ever talk about such things. It's something I should have realized sooner." She looked away from him now; her eyes seemed far off for a moment. Genki noticed the distant look but decided to leave it alone. Instead he addressed her statement.

"I won't deny that what you did hurt me greatly, Holly, and ever since then I haven't felt like discussing any relationship related things with you. I know you were scared and that's why you were begging me to make such a promise. It's my own fault for taking such a vow not yours, I could have told you no but I didn't. But thank you for releasing me. We can discuss things on that topic later; I don't feel up to it at the moment." * Last thing I need right now is another stressful conversation. Especially before Granity comes over. Not sure I can take much more emotional stress right now. * He noticed her eyes connected with his again, she was searching for something but said nothing. Genki heard a noise from the kitchen and walked that way, notice the lights on his receiver he walked to it activating it. "Yes we're here."

"Good, is now a good time Genki?"

"Yes Granity, see you in ten minutes." He shut the microphone back off then turned to Holly. "Come with me a minute, there's something I want to give you before I forget." Holly looked confused but nodded as he turned and walked out of the room. He opened a door that revealed some stairs going down; he proceeded downward with her in tow. She looked around mystified as to how this story had a window; she had assumed this was his cellar. But it looked like part of the house. He smiled, seeing her enjoying the wondrous mountain view out his window. He let her enjoy it a moment before he touched her shoulder and simply smiled to her. He then continued walking; soon he turned into a room. As she followed she gasped seeing a library, she hadn't seen one in years. Genki walked to one of the shelves and began searching for the book he had in mind. * I don't know if she is ready for this but I need to honest with her just like I was with Akame. If it doesn't scare her off then maybe there is hope. I'll have to thank Akame later for pushing her a little, she really needed it. * Genki found the one he was looking for and pulled it out, He then walked to where Holly was browsing chuckling at her child like wonder, * Perhaps this is now her favorite room… I forgot how she adores books. *

"Genki… I've never seen this many books in one house…" He smiled,

"You're welcome to borrow some to read." He saw her eye light up at that offer, * Maybe this will be an incentive to travel here more. *

"I would greatly enjoy that Genki… I've always wanted to be able to read more." He chuckled again, his eyes warm telling her he loved that she was enjoying herself.

"I pulled this one out for you. I believe you'll find it helpful to answer some of your questions though perhaps not all." He handed her the large, green, leather bound book. She took it and read the cover but looked confused, "It will explain a lot of things for you; it's very good at putting things in layman's terms so anyone can understand."

"What is it about?"

"It's a Psychology book."

"Psychology? What's that." She seemed more confused,

"Psychology is the study of the human mind and how it works. This covers a lot of different topics related to that study. Everything from the different areas of the brain including their roles and what happens what there is an imbalance in the brain, to disorders and even sexuality and it's more complex role. It should help you understand some of what both Akame and I have spoken to you about. And what I might talk to you about in the future." Holly still looked confused but she now realized he was preparing her for something.

"You need me to read this for future conversations?" * is this about his fears? Or his 'issues'? *

"Yes, there are things I can't explain well Holly. I want you to be able to understand them when they come up."

"You said 'might talk to me about'… does that mean you aren't sure if you wish to discuss it?" He chuckled, *attentive as ever Holly *

"Correct… I'm still unsure of it." He looked away a moment, "There are things I keep locked away Holly, that I almost never share. Akame knows some of them, I trusted her with them slowly after she proved to me that I could open up fully. Until I am certain you can handle everything… I'm going to hold back. It's not an easy discussion for me to have with anyone." A look of concern and confusion passed over Holly's features.

* He thinks I can't handle this? And he doesn't trust me with it? Did I break his trust when I told him no all those years ago? I didn't realize I had hurt him that much… * He turned and moved to rack on the wall pulling something from it then walked back over. "Genki…"

"Until you get your blade I want you to carry this one. It should keep you safe." He handed her an ivory ray skin hilted dagger in a black sheath. Its sheath, guard, and pommel decorated in brass. Holly could tell by looking that the beautiful weapon was old, its brass patina darkened with age. "This was my grandfather's Yamamoto from when he was in the imperial navy years ago. It kept him safe throughout the whole of the world war. It'll keep you safe as well." Holly looked very conflicted now,

"Are you sure Genki?"

"Yes, I want you to be safe. You'll have your dagger in a few days' time, you can return this then." He smiled to her; he was trusting her with a family heirloom.

"I will only use it if I must." She returned his smile; she understood now what he was doing. He was opening up to her, showing her he trusted her a little at a time. He nodded then glanced to his watch,

"We better get set up so Granity can jump; I'll show you how to open the gate on this side. Just in case I'm indisposed at a time we need it open."

"Alright, though I don't know when I would need to do that…"

"You never know when it might be handy." he said cryptically making Holly wonder about him. She placed the book and dagger with her bag on the kitchen table on the way upstairs to the room she landed in. * I just hope Granity would make it safely a crossed. I don't want anything to happen to her. *

AAN: spending time with Granity in the next chapter. Trying to do a slow build up for this so I can develop things better. Let me know how you like it so far guys.