Chapter 5

From Mind to Heart

The sun had yet to fully rise as two shadows moved the purple painted skies, the larger shadow carrying a smaller one bridal style. Vex's mane flapped wildly in the wind as her double-sided jetpack spit out its purple flames propelling them through the air. Antauri's offlined body laid snuggly against her chest as the robot finally came into the set. Punching in the entrance code after landing, she wandered in the robot.

The cold early morning air sent shivers up her spine from the door swishing shut. Her blank face glanced down to the male in her grasp, his face's reflection gleaming in her amethyst eye. Funny, just hours before she feared for their future, now he is her groom. Though in her defense, she had no idea that's what would happen last night.

Still a touch fuzzy from the liquor, she carried Antauri to his black shoot. Placing a claw to his face, she nuzzled him as the wind current carried them up to the floor containing the monkeys' living quarters.

She tiptoed, trying to stay as quiet as possible, not wanting to wake up his teammates. His limb body tried her patience as one of his silver arms kept flopping out of her grip. Reaching his room, she slinked in and closed the door behind before carrying him to his sleep capsule. The lid swished open as she laid his body in while connecting the charger to him. Apparently, the soul-bonding had really taken a lot out of him, seeing as the percentage level of his power was at a flat zero.

She glanced down to his beautiful silver frame once more, wanting to lay with him, but decided against it—at least just for tonight. Placing her claws to his cheek, her slit pupil reverted to a soft circle, a sliver of a warm emotion slipping past her numbed condition. The warmth came so suddenly, though weak, it spooked the formless monkey.

She had not felt true inner warmth since the silencing of her soul, now… could it really be? Did her condition truly have a reversal? Shaking her head, she placed a brief kiss over Antauri's mouth.

"Thank you…" she whispered before closing his pod and exiting his room.

Today was the team's day off so no doubt they'd be sleeping in, especially since Sterling would need half the day to recover his entire system. There was time to take a quick walk, Vex pondered as she found the nearest exit and shot away from the robot. Her eye bounded from one building to the next, blankly monitoring the still asleep civilians. Monday mornings, no one liked them, especially on Earth. She chuckled to herself before landing at the entrance of Shuggazoom's park.

The dense trees would provide a good cover, she noted while strolling in. So many thoughts raced across her mind, checking the newest add-on extension to the cybernetic half of her formless body. Antauri's model number was burnt right into the mainframe of internal breath pumps. Oddly, she could see the progress of his recharging body, even at this distance.

Vex paused and leaned against a tree, apparently the soul tying did more than spiritually combine them—it'd appear their physical bodies had somehow connected. She knew they had gained access to each other's' memories, but the thought of being able to monitor each other from miles apart felt a little creepy to her.

She was a former assassin, not a stalker. Yea, a weird spot to draw a line, given all the things she did—but unless someone was a true threat, then the purpose of tracking them down was required. But invading Sterling's most private moments? It… just made her nervous, the thought of him feeling her pain just hurt more.

Deep in thought, the former killer failed to detect the small amount of movement rustling the bushes. A loud metallic click stirred Vex as she turned around to face the source of this intrusion. Surprised to find herself staring down the barrel of a laser sniper.

"You…" The lithe built man draped in a full black cloak and matching mask hissed. Gun rattling in whitening knuckles, Vex could hear his teeth grinding together.

She crossed arms, eyebrow raised, the only physical projection of her confusion. He seemed to pick up on this as he pressed the gun closer to her forehead as if trying to scare her into submission.

"You're the one who turns in my friends that day at the museum…!"

Not expecting this, Vex's face remained mundane as she shook her head and sighed.

"Proof being?"

"Shut up! I saw you there with the other two Hyperforce chimps!"

Grunting, Vex turned her vision another way, nonchalantly dismissing the gunmen. This gesture seeming to enrage him even more.

"At first, I thought it was one of the other robot monkeys, but I saw the wounds on one of my friend's faces. H-he… almost… died… I knew those stupid robot chimps wouldn't cause that level of damage; it was almost inhumane! I knew it had to be you, I can tell just by your appearance alone, y-you psycho!"

Lifting her head up, Vex turned completely around and advanced on him. Unafraid as the barrel was pressed right up against her face, blank eye staring the human down like a cornered animal despite having the weapon trained on her.

"You label the attempted murder of a whole civilization humane?" She inched closer; eye boring into his own.

"Your judgment of me is correct, to an extent." Pressing a paw to her chin, she sighed in frustration, still too early to be dealing with this, especially after last night's event. "I've spared your friends… their punishment being only jail time… and his mild flesh wounds applied by my claws."

The gunmen stepped back, sweat beginning to drip from his mask.

"Mercy is never to be taken for granted." Vex cast her eye to the sky, seeing the sun about to rise. "I do not wish to harm you. Please, give me no reason… and go home."

Turning around, the formless monkey walked away. Shocked at her words, the gunmen tightened his grip on the gun, veins overlapping his knuckles. His finger pulled the trigger.

The thermal bullet popped out of the barrel and landed on the ground a few feet away, ooze dripping from its sharp tip. Vex stared at the small piece of heated metal, a big opening gouged from her forehead. Frightened footsteps pounded against her hearing processor as the frightened man ran away, his smoking gun left lying in the bushes.

Light headiness caused Vex to sway before feeling a heavy thud of her body hitting the ground. Ooze poured from her gums, surprise washed through blurring mind, this lad was offered mercy and he did this? Even after reminding him his friends were spared, an unfit desire of vengeance was what drove him to such wicked actions? Ironic.

Vex felt everything in her vision slowly fade into deep darkness.

~Spirit Realm~

Vex rubbed her forehead, noticing her transparent body that belonged to her younger self. No longer a formless, she felt her restored non-scarred face, though feeling lighter than air, this felt so freeing, a little more lighthearted than the tension-filled moment of her soul tying moment with Antauri.

"Vexus?" A suave male sound voice called out to her.

It couldn't be, Vex turned around to spot a white blob closing in on her. The shape came within reach as it grabbed hold of her wrist, the blurry face finally taking on the clear image of Wisp, the first monkey to have romantically succeeded her.

She was lost for words as his beautiful spring green eyes stared right into her own amethyst ones. His long white bangs covering his right were partially brushed to the side so he could really see if this grey monkey was really his former companion. His jaw drop informed the female that reality seemed to hit as he realized she was indeed who he thought she was.

"Y—you're here," He whispered, arms rattling as he reached out to slowly hug her. "La Bonte… I have missed you so."

Vex just stood frozen, face remaining mundane, but her eyes revealing the shock that punched her gut. Wisp pulled back to gaze at her face, confusion crisscrossing all over him. A grey finger touched her snout, stroking the place where her horrific scars once settled.

"Quoi… why so frozen? As tu… miss me?" His French accent garbled his words like how her Romanian withdrawal did.

"I…" she sighed, unsure of what to say to the white monkey. So much was happening, information her brain struggled to catch up with.

Seeming to dismiss her confused state, the white male smiled a dazzling smile almost as white as his ghostly fur. He leaned into her, pressing a hand to her fluffy chest till she was backed to a, what appeared to be, a glowing staircase that swirled all the way up into the most star decorated cosmic sky she had ever seen. The beauty of it was… without words.

"I have waited for you," he smiled, breathing a warm breath into her face as he closed in. Eyes shutting and mouth opening an inch, he searched for the grey snout of the female before him.

Two claws pressed to his mouth, causing his eyes to pop open in surprise as the metallic purple hand gently guided his mouth away from her face. Wisp tilted his head, completely at loss for words as Vex slowly pulled herself out of his once-welcoming grasp.

"I don't underst—"

"You… will always be valued by me. But…" she pressed a claw to his chin, now backing the male against the staircase. "My… heart… belongs to him."

"Him?" Wisp gawked, pushing her claws away as he urgently stood up. "Your heart… belonging to… him? Que se passe-t-il!?"

Vex shook her head and turned away from her friend, heading back to the exit that'd bring her soul back to her formless body. The slow stride of her walk, the glow in her eyes, it seemed to be sending data streams of information to the male monkey as he called out to stop her.

"You… are mariee?" His jaw dropped further, reaching his hand out to grab her shoulder. "Married… to whom? Who have you attached to?"

When Vex only glanced back at him, this seemed to answer the question as the white male released her shoulder. A fiercer streak of shock grew on his face as he pressed a completely befuddled paw over his helmet. This was clearly both painful and confusing to the former kleptomaniac. Vex waited for him to come to terms with this.

"The monk? Oh, my ex espouse… Why have you not said anything?" He turned away, shaking his head at this horrible news. "Vexus, how could you bond with one such as this? I want you to find peace, but… One such as him, strict views of morality, would not understand one such as yourself."

Vex cleared her throat, ending the white monkey's mindless rants.

"An alternative was offered; he rejected it."

"He knows everything?"

"All."

Wisp sat down, unable to accept what he was hearing. Though not wanting the ex-assassin to be alone, he had hoped she would have returned to him. He had waited for so long, so afraid for her existence… now that her second chance had been established, this of all things happen right under his nose?

"I thought… reconcile was an option between us."

Vex kept her back to him, not saying a word to his question.

"I… know our last moments were bad… I—I understand that… b—but do you not pardonne-moi?"

Vex pressed a paw to her forehead, rubbing her temple to massage away the growing headache.

"Please… I don't…"

Sighing, Vex turned back around to face the white monkey. She pressed a gentle paw to his cheek, eyes glowing with a kindness she had not shown since the terrible night she ruined her own life.

"You never needed forgiveness. I… understand our demise. Because of me… but that story has ended. We both must carry on."

Wisp shook his head, taking her hand in both of his. His green eyes glittering under the light.

"Then… just once question."

Vex raised her eyebrow, waiting.

A/N: Cliffhanger, so one more chapter and this story will be complete. Review please and enjoy!

Sorry for grammar mistakes, please ignore them.