Luna: So it's been a few weeks since my last update.
Ib: Folks, she's been working on this chapter since the last one was put up.
Luna: Lots of stuff going on, especially with fall semester coming up in less than a week.
Garry: So in short, she wont have time to do regular updates.
Luna: I'm really sorry, but I will try my best to get a new chapter out at the very least every month, hopefully every 1-2 weeks.
Ib: Good luck.
Luna: Also, this chapter as well as the oncoming chapters will be in a different POV, I actually planned this out. Just in case anyone needs this to be explained, the italics are Garry's thoughts and the italics with ' ' are Ib's. Enjoy!
Chapter 6: In Time
"Ib?" Garry stood in front of the little brunette deep in thought.
"Hmm? What?"
"Oh my, we can't have you spacing out if we leave this room. It's too dangerous for you to be doing that."
"Sorry." Ib stared at the ground with concern filling her eyes. She still is a bit hard to read, but knowing her for that while paid off.
Each small almost unnoticeable detail is what shows her true emotion. Especially in her eyes. As if she were a carefully sculpted statue.
"Well, we're not out there quite yet, so no foul done. Just be careful." He gave her a gentle smile and lightly ruffled her hair.
After being caught in his gaze for a moment, Ib turned her head, trying to hide the light pink powdering her cheeks, but failing as Garry took notice. 'Why does my heart feel so weird around him, in more ways than one?'
Garry only smiled cheerfully as he turned on his heels to head toward the closest bookshelf. On his way, his hand lightly brushed a thorn in his coat pocket. All at once he was aware of the pain his body had previously shut out. He fell to his knees instantly without warning.
"G-Garry! Are you okay?" Ib quickly strode to his side to kneel next to him. She soon saw what he held in his hand.
"I-I thought you were supposed to die when all the petals fell off." Ib gaped at him then at the empty stem in his hand.
"That's what...Mnph! I had figured." He gritted his response between his teeth, "Although, maybe you just fall into a coma like state given that I haven't opened my eyes for the past eight years. Until you woke me, I hadn't even the slightest clue how long I was in here for."
"Th-then we need to find you a vase first. If you give me you're rose I'll–" "No! Not again!" Ib jumped at his harsh tone.
'...Does he think that I'm going to leave him behind?' She felt a pang in her heart as she slowly retreated her hand back to her side.
Realizing his mistake and her hurt expression, he quickly formulated his explanation. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to yell like that...It's not because I don't trust you, I'm just afraid of you getting hurt." He observed the thin lines on her face change while he raised a hand to cup her cheek.
I don't want you to have to go through this alone again.
.
.
.
"Shit, man. What the fuck is this!?" Daron wandered down a red corridor and stumbled upon a door at the end. "Hmm?" He sauntered up to it and opened the creaking door.
Daron stared into the empty room. "Nothin' but a piece of crap table with a piece of crap vase." As he swiveled around to exit, the door shut and a message appeared on it.
"'Grab it.' Grab what? What the hell?"
Turning around to face the vase that now held a black rose in it, he shouted into thin air, "You want me to grab a fucking flower!? Is that it!?"
He spit to his right before trudging to the flower and ripping it out of its vase. A note on the table appeared stating, "You and the rose are unified. Know the weight of your own life."
"Da hell does that mean? What am I supposed to do with this shit anyways?" Daron twirled the flower between his fingers before throwing it on the ground. "Heh, thought I would play your stupid game?" He stomped his foot down onto the rose once before curling over himself. "Ulgh!" He grabbed his stomach while coughing out blood. "What the...? Man, its like someone kicked my stomach."
The message on the door changed. Daron peered intently at the repeated words. "You and the rose are unified. Know the weight of your own life."
After staring at the rose on the carpeted floor, he connected the dots. "So this flower is supposed'a be my life? Hahaha. That's the most ridiculous fucking thing ever. Hahaha." Picking up the squashed and wilting rose, he left the room to wander down the red corridor.
.
.
.
"Garry...Your hand..." Garry pulled his hand away from her soft pale cheek.
Clearing his throat once, he said, "Sorry about that. I shouldn't have done something to make you feel uncomfortable." My throat feels tight.
Ib shook her head slightly, "It was just, really cold." Her voice cracked a bit. "You're not going to die, right?"
So she's worried about me. You're a sweet child...child?
"Dear me. Don't you worry about things like that, I'll be fine. We'll both get out. And don't frown. It's a disservice to your cute face."
'There it is again. This feeling. I feel like I heard him say that before. Maybe another dream?'
Ib looked up at the man with moist eyes. 'There's something about him. Maybe it's his face. But, is that it?'
She went to grab something out of her pocket, but remembered the object she initially was thinking of was wrapped around her leg. She had made a habit of feeling the soft velvet material to calm her nerves.
However, even without it, she did have the petals.
Ib, grabbed a hold of them gently and started to pull them out.
What is this? My chest is so warm.
Ib felt the pulse flow through her hand again. 'They're warm.'
"I found these in my room earlier today. Well, more like my Mother found them."
Sitting on the floor, one carried a lifeless stem as the other protruded a lively pair of petals.
"Those are from my flower!"
"Then, how did they get into my room?"
After giving each other a quizzical look, they both watched in amazement as the petals started emanating a soft, blue glow. The petals somehow seemed to be calling for something.
As if knowing what it was, Garry put the stem near. The blue fragments elevated as the stem rose with them. Bathed in the soft light, the rose petals attached themselves onto the stem. Once they were connected the almost dead flower dropped between Ib and Garry.
"My body, it doesn't hurt as much." He regarded the wilted yet still living rose with a perplexed expression.
"Well...then we need to find the other petals too." Ib looked nonchalant, but she poured out determination.
"But we don't know where in the world the others are. For all we know, they might not even be in this world."
Without saying a word, Ib gave him a definite answer. She would look, even if she had to do it herself.
"M-my, I suppose we'll just have to do our best." He sighed a heavy sigh.
Ib muttered under her breathe, just loud enough for Garry to hear her, "I'm sure we'll be able to find all of Garry's petals."
"You're right. We can't let our spirits get low, now can we? Stay optimistic, and we'll get out of here. It's most definitely a promise."
'Again...Is it just a deja-vu? No, it feels like something else.'
.
"Garry, have I met you before?"
.
Garry was completely caught off guard.
.
I'm not quite ready for this.
.
"Gee, I wonder. Haha, my memory is a bit hazy." He scratched the back of his head, feeling his lilac locks' laxity. That isn't entirely untruthful.
"There's a deja-vu feeling. As if I've heard you say certain things before...and when you first woke up..."
Ib could feel those pale lavender orbs peeking down at her.
Garry inhaled deeply. He stuffed his hands in his coat and looked at the door as if in the middle of a staring contest. "Ib, as much as I would like you to know the full story, now isn't the time for it. Please, you're not ready...I'm not ready."
Understanding that she shouldn't pry any further she accepted the answer for now.
"All in time, my dear. All in time."
'"All in time"...That's what he used to say. No, don't think about it.'
"Why not think about me, then?"
"Eh? Whose there?" She shot up and glanced around the room.
"Do you remember how to get 'Loves me' every time?"
"Huh? There's no one here?" Garry stood up to face the startled brunette.
"Do you?"
"No..." Ib brought her hands to her chest.
"You just have to count the stem at the end, so you'll always get 'Loves me'."
"No, no, please stop." She tried to block out whatever was trying to come in. Covering her ears, trying not to listen. Shutting her eyes and heart from the pain.
"Ib! Calm down, what's wrong!?" Garry took her arms and carefully shook them. Her whispers faded out, barely audible as she shuddered beneath his hand.
"Loves me, lov****"
She...is she remembering? Did Mary play it?
"Ib...Ib! Look at me." He caressed her face in between his hands and searched her frightened crimson orbs. "No one is here, okay? Don't worry."
"But your rose."
"It's right here." Garry held up his rose with the few petals.
She's remembering too fast. At this rate, she'll overload with dreadful memories. Something to take her mind off, but what? There's...
He eyed the pale pink and tender lips that were parted slightly. No, no, no. What am I thinking? This is Ib. She's like a sister. Why did the thought even cross my mind?...Well, I guess that's an option.
"Hey, Ib?" She stared blankly into his eyes.
"You're okay?"
"Yes. I am." "That's good..." Ib's tone was airy only by a margin to even his trained ears.
"Do you mind if I share a story with you? About my life before this. In the real world." His tone being heavier to even the most random of strangers.
Luna: Not much happened in this chapter, at least it doesn't really feel like it, so this might not have been worth the wait. Plus it's not going how I originally thought, but I'll go with it.
Garry: But now I know that Daron guy is in here with us, what a piece of scum.
Ib: We found out how to get you're rose back together.
Luna: Aww, she's concerned about you Garry.
Ib: Well of course, that means Garry will feel better–*blush*
Luna: Right, right? So anyways, I'll work diligently as possible on the next chapter. Review, favorite, follow?
Garry: Until next time?