Senseless Abyss (Zero-One Fanfic)

-Chapter 186

"If I pick a fight with you right now it'll only upset Mari. I cannot upset her right at this time. I'm thinking of her mental state after Jin's death." Horobi is avoiding the fact that he knows about the baby. 

"Keep the light on in the bedroom tonight and the door open. I do not want anyone doing anything naughty here," Gai says, bossing me around. "I will get out of the way now. Mari knows how to follow the rules."

Gai moves towards the exit of the room and Horobi turns his head, looking over his shoulder. 

"When great malice is born, Master Ark can be revived."

Azu said that there was great malice, which means something bad doesn't it? Does that mean I'm a ticking time bomb? Does that mean I'm going to crack at some point and go off on everyone? I am holding out for now, but that doesn't mean I can forever. 

"Mari, is there something bothering you?" Horobi asks, snapping me out of my thoughts.

I shake my head. "Nothing really is bothering me. I'm being honest with you right now." I do not want to cause him any extra worry right now.

If I make him start to worry about me, he'll then blame Aruto for it. I know Aruto has caused a lot of problems for us, but I don't need him getting stomped into the ground. He doesn't deserve to have a beat down happen to him. Horobi is going to be way stronger now since Aruto killed Jin.

"Have you talked to anyone you shouldn't have recently?" Horobi steps closer to me and puts his hands on my arms gently, touching them with his cool hands. "I am worried about you."

"Don't worry too much about me," I tell him, smiling. "I am doing well right now. I haven't talked to anyone I shouldn't have talked to." I talked to a demonic woman who offered me a key and what appears to be never ending power.

"I'm glad you haven't talked to anyone you shouldn't have. I am afraid of someone trying to take advantage of you in your current state," he responds, removing his hands from my arms. He steps even closer and puts his arms around me. "I do not want someone doing that." 

Azu tried seducing me with her Master's power he left behind and it would have worked if I didn't have a baby inside of me. I can't risk my baby's life. This baby is very, very important for me to protect. I'm not going to lose this one.

"I know. Me too." 

I would have accepted that power if I didn't have a reason not to. I would have ended up in Aruto's position and seem like I'm a nightmare. I hate what Aruto is doing, but I know why he did it. 

"I miss Jin."

"I do too, Horobi." I place my face into his chest and close my eyes. "I want him back. I want to see my son's face again." I don't have any pictures of Jin on me at the moment. I should have took a ton of pictures with him when he was alive. 

"He was a good boy. He did plan on killing me, but he did it because he had the right idea. He knew that the Ark was not good for this world while I believed it was." He should have believed everyone on the fact that the Ark was evil and needed to be destroyed immediately.

Jin was the sweetest person in the world out of the Humagears. Horobi would be sweeter if he would stop wanting to destroy everything he sees. Of course, he's just living up to his name. I still wonder who named him. Did the Ark come up with it or did his father do it? I should really ask his father that. He got a new body, but he still has his memories. 

"Jin thought he was doing the right thing," I tell him. "So, you're right about that."

In one way, Jin was doing the right thing by trying to get the Ark into a body he could destroy. Of course, the Ark was way too powerful and he didn't predict that. If he would have, he could have used me as a weapon against the Ark. The Ark would never fight me because of Abyss. Without Abyss, I would be in danger. Why couldn't the Ark tell the Magias to not fight me?

"He really did." 

"I loved that boy." He's my son no matter what anyone else says in this world. "Horobi, did he love me like he loved you?"

"Yeah, he did. If you were closer to him when he...he died, he would have said something to you. He would have told you to watch over me and that I should protect you. He would have also said that we're going to be a family." 

"Aw..." That's super sweet of him to tell me. I agree that Jin would have said something like that to me. "Horobi, I'm going to go and make some tea along with a snack. Do you want to come with me?"

I pull my head back and he looks down, staring at me softly.

"Yes, I'll come with you." 

I'm glad I won't be alone tonight. Gai is good company, but it is awkward being with him alone sometimes. If I remember what we've been through together, things get quite odd with him. I don't hate him, but does memories make me want to.

"Thanks." 

~.~

(???'s POV)

"You're moving quite slowly with your plan," Azu comments, talking about how slow I'm working on this plan to get what I want for our Master Ark. "I've made my moves a lot faster than you." 

I look over my shoulder as my lips curve upwards. "I am moving slowly because this plan needs to be perfect. If I do what you do, it won't be perfect. Your plan is bound to end in failure while mine will not." My plan is going to end the way I want it to.

She laughs. "Like you're capable of doing what you want to do. What makes you think it'll work?"

"I trust the process." She doesn't understand me and never will. "Just because you were the favorite of the Ark, Azu, doesn't mean you're good at your job. The Ark only favored you because you were capable of doing what it could not at the time." The Ark never got to really give me a chance due to me not being able to move around as much until now. I should remember to thank someone later for my ability to now move around. 

"Someone sounds bitter and jealous!" Azu exclaims, laughing once again. She brings her hand up to her face and leans forward. "Are you going to cry about it? It is all water under the bridge since we all have the same goal."

"No, our goals are not the same. They are only similar." I have an entirely different idea from her. "Your plan is boring, mine is exciting. I cannot wait to make it come to life. I can toy with people longer with my plan."

"Destruction is better than toying with people for a long time. Master Ark wanted this planet to meet its end quickly after he started moving around." 

"No, it is not. The Ark won't have anyone to toy with if you destroy this planet. It is a boring plan overall. It makes life not so worth living." I wouldn't want to live in an empty world. "Now, leave me." I look away from her, eyes going to the not finished data before me. "I have things to do, Azu."

"Fine. Be this way," she says, sounding annoyed.

She'll come to see things my way one day. 

A/n: Mari has now accepted she is full of malice, but it doesn't seem like she wants to deal with it right now. So, we will definitely see that come into play soon. Just what will happen with that malice of hers? And yes, it is because of Aruto doing something she didn't think he would do. She believed in him to be a light in the lives of the people around him and here he is accepting the darkness. 

Thank you for reading and please look forward the conclusion of the main storyline.