M-a-r-i-o-n-e-t-t-e

Summary: The battle ended in a tie. N told her to become his princess. She gave him the finger and told him to get lost. After going home, she came to a realization: Her every move was being controlled by N. She was his puppet, and he was her master. Who will win? N's desire? Or her heart?

~String 17~

It's been days. I don't know exactly how long...but I haven't seen N in forever, and after seeing Ghetsis' mutilated body, I'd passed out and somehow ended up locked in my room again.

Sighing, I finger a strand of string that is coming undone from one of my bedsheets, and rub my forehead. There's absolutely nothing to do. I never got anything fun to pass the time, so my room is sparse and bare.

It kinda sucks as well. I hate being bored, and on top of that, all I do is sleep...it doesn't surprise me that I find plates of food set just a few feet from my door every time I awaken. I'm just glad they don't expect me to starve...

That's not what I wanted to do for a solid week.

….I think…?

Pushing myself up and out of the sheets, I pad over to the door, and lean my cheek against its cool surface for a moment. "...N?" I murmur quietly. "Where'd you go?" There's silence. "I don't understand what's going on…"

Nothing happens. I swallow thickly, feeling a little let down that he didn't answer, and turn away from the door forlornly.

Suddenly, it flies open, and I'm encased in someone's embrace.

"W-wha-!?" I start, but I'm cut off when we hit the floor with a jolting thud.

I look up at N, my eyes wide from being startled as he hovers above my form; his hands hold my wrists on either side of my head.

"N-...N..?" I stammer, waiting for N to get up.

He doesn't.

Instead, he lowers himself so that we're flush together, and I feel my embarrassment meter skyrocket as heat radiates off my cheeks. N's face is closing in towards mine, and I know exactly what he's planning next. Squeezing my eyes shut, I flail about.

I DON'T WANT N TO KISS MEEEEE!

I stop moving, as N rests his forehead against mine, and breathes in and out as his eyes flutter closed. He just stays there without moving, and I blink at his relaxed face; all traces of stress are gone as he basically breathes in my scent and...falls asleep?

-.-.-.-.-.-.-

I groan; it's been an hour and N is STILL asleep. He must've been exhausted for one reason or another. I push myself up onto my palms and manage to crawl out from underneath N. Grabbing his shoulder, I sling one of his arms around my thin neck so that I can carry him over to my bed. It's better than him sleeping on the floor.

This would be a lot easier if he wasn't so FUCKING HEAVY!

Grunting, I shove N onto the bed; he faceplants into the pillows as I grab one leg and toss it up before bending back down to get the other. Moving him is proving to be quite a chore…

I climb onto the bed and proceed to roll him over so that the nest of pillows doesn't suffocate him; I move nimbly over his large form, and manage to get him turned around before slumping down and gasping for breath.

That's when I realize where I'm sitting.

My face burns as I notice that I'm straddling N. In a jerky movement, I try to jump away, but end up slipping and slamming my forehead into the headboard of the bed, thus passing out.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-

My eyes crinkle as I let out a small grunt, the pounding in my head throbbing dreadfully. What the hell happened?

Oh yeah…

Blinking, I look up at the ceiling and realize I'm under the covers of my bed. I glance to the side, my eyes sliding over to see N sitting in a chair. His arms are crossed on the edge of the bed as he rests his head on them and watches me.

"You're awake," he says, smiling gently, a blanket of calmness surrounding him.

My eyelids flutter rapidly as I try to process what I should say. "Uhh...I think?"

Immediately, I facepalm, and regret it seconds later. "OWWWWWW!" I yelp, curling up in a ball as I clutch my forehead with both my hands. A good thing to note for later: Never hit a bruise that's on your head. It's worse than a brain freeze.

N rolls me over abruptly with a flick of his hand, and puts a careful finger against the delicate skin of my forehead. "Are you alright?" he asks, his eyebrows knitting together in genuine concern.

I give him a small nod of acknowledgement and push myself up onto my palms before looking into his eyes dead on, my heart beginning to quicken as words formulate in my head.

"N…" I say, my mouth feeling extremely dry, like a desert. Am I going to go through with this? Should I? Is it a good idea? I mean..after what happened to Ghetsis..I don't know if I should.

Swallowing the lump in my throat, I let out a breath before blurting my words out. "I...need to talk to you."

The quiet King looks at me with an unreadable expression as I lean closer..and closer towards him, my hair falling over my shoulder as I stare up into his eyes...

~Misty/Ms. Ketchum