Still (Y/N)'s POV
"Look after Lazari for me" Zalga requested, closing her eyes as she spoke. I felt my heart sink at her emotional statement, and I wavered at the mere suggestion. It had completely slipped my mind that Zalga was an actual mother, and I didn't anticipate that she even cared for her children. "She doesn't agree with me like Stripes does, but she's still my dear daughter" she continued, seemingly baring her true emotions. "She most likely doesn't view me as her mother, but would you please tell her that I'm-"
"You can tell her yourself" I interrupted, taking my hands off of her shoulder and turning back to Nightmare. "I said I'd get you out of here" I began, grabbing a fistful of my hair and watching my hand imprint on Nightmare's. "I've just gotta make sure you last long enough until I figure out how" I stated, grunting as I pulled my hair.
Zalga watched on in confusion, at both my words and my actions. But it soon became evident that I was slowly but surely dragging Nightmare towards me, with every hair pull bringing him and inch or two closer. "What're you doing!?" Zalga questioned. "What if he wakes up!?" She asked, the concern in her voice clear as day.
"I'm counting on it" I said flatly. "He'll wake up, but he'll be too weak to do anything" I explained with a grunt. As Nightmare was finally dragged up to the bars, I sighed in relief upon letting go of my hair. I crouched down and grabbed his hair through the bars, and held him up so we were eye level. I noticed that I didn't feel anything upon grabbing him, and I smiled at the one to one combat familiarity that I suddenly felt. "And besides..." I muttered, gripping Nightmare's hair a little harder. My mind quickly flashed back, and as I remembered what Nightmare told me I silently prayed that I understood his 'instructions' correctly.
'You can probably get powers if you do the whole 'I won't kill you' thing' I remembered him say, hoping to God that the plan that began to form in my head would work.
I flicked Nightmare on his forehead wound, and he winced in pain before his eyes weakly fluttered open. To say I felt afraid as he awoke would've been an understatement, but seeing the previously stoic and almighty Zalga getting emotional about her daughter had helped me make up my mind. She may have been my enemy before, but now I wasn't so sure. And that was a good enough reason for me to try and protect her. "After all he's put me through..." I continued, picking up from where I started speaking a moment ago. "He owes me" I stated, standing up and dragging Nightmare to his feet. I looked over at Zalga, who had a combined look of worry and confusion on her face, and I smiled smugly as I felt some unnatural strength return as I held my opponent.
"Isn't that right?" I asked, turning back to Nightmare. He weakly and shakily reached for the arm that held him, but before he could reach higher than his shoulders I made my move. I jerked my arm back and slammed his face into the cage's already dented bar, stunning him for a moment. As his head recoiled, I let go of his hair and changed my grip onto the hanging rope of his noose. I yanked it towards me and as Nightmare once again got close, I punched him square in the nose. He bounced back, but I reeled him in a few more times for some more face punches. I could tell his body was going limp, so I let him go and he dropped to the ground pretty quickly.
'And now that I'm the winner, theoretically I should get some power out of this' I thought, looking down at my hands. I clenched my fists and took a deep breath, smiling at the realisation that my earlier burst of strength remained consistent. I made an attempt to set my hands ablaze, but I was unfortunately met with mere embers jumping from my fingertips. I sighed in disappointment, but I was thankful that I was able to at least use my demon voice again. Despite my lack of flames, I could still feel the familiar feeling of magic coursing through my body. I thought for a second, and an idea came to my head. "I can't exactly 'cast spells' right now, but is there a way I can give you some magic?" I asked, turning around and facing the unwell looking Zalga. She jumped slightly at my sudden booming voice, but she soon spoke up.
"Y-yeah..." Zalga answered, shying away slightly.
"Great. What do I need to do?" I asked, reverting my voice back to normal. She fidgeted slightly and averted her gaze, likely due to what the answer was. "Should... should I be scared as well?" I asked.
"N-no... I'm just a little embarrassed, that's all" she admitted sheepishly.
'She's embarrassed!?' I mentally exclaimed, now unsure whether she was red-faced from illness or if she was blushing. "H... how worried should I be?" I asked cautiously.
"W-well, given your state... we should be okay to do it" she murmured, making my eyes widen in both panic and confusion.
"The hell's that supposed to mean!?" I yelled, a sudden pain shooting through my shoulder as my body tensed up. 'Forgot about that one' I mentally groaned, clutching my open wound.
"I need to... 'consume' something that your magic flows through" Zalga stated timidly. "And in your case..." she continued, shying away. My mind quickly flashed back to my the first time I consciously felt a surge of power, back when (B/N) nearly assaulted Sally. I remembered the feeling of my blood boiling, and then the speed and strength that followed suit.
"Ooooooooh!" I realised, now understanding how to help. "Well if that's all it takes..." I began, taking my hoodie and shirt off before tying them around my waist. Zalga shrieked and hid behind her hands, a blush peeking out from where her face wasn't covered. Paying no mind, I unwrapped a few bandages to reveal my wounded shoulder. "Here" I said simply, pushing my right hand's pointer and middle fingers into my wound and pooling some blood in my palm.
"Certainly not how I expected my first day back at school to turn out" I admitted, chuckling a little as I cupped my hands together to avoid spilling any excess blood. I went to approach Zalga, but as she heard me get closer she shuffled away nervously. "I never expected you to be the squeamish type" I joked, holding in a small laugh. I didn't get a response other than a nervous mumble and, while I couldn't make out what she said, I did end up laughing a little at this new side of Zalga. "But, either way, think you're ready to take a sip?" I asked. "I'd put it in a glass, but I haven't done the dishes here so you'll just have to drink it before it soaks into my bandages" I joked, hoping to help ease Zalga's nervousness.
"Y-y-you're done already!?" She exclaimed, peeking through her fingers at me.
"Well, yeah. My shoulder 'opened up' during the fight, so I just pushed some blood out" I explained with a shrug.
"B-blood...?" Zalga asked, now lowering her hands and raising an eyebrow.
"Yeah. My blood sort of heats up when I use magic, so I assumed you could 'consume' some energy from it" I explained, now more confused than before. "Did I get it wrong?" I asked, some blood leaking through the gaps between my fingers as my stance softened.
"N-no..." she admitted bashfully, wobbly getting to her feet. "If anything, this makes it a little easier for me..." she mumbled.
"Sweet" I said with a shrug. "Well then, drink up I guess" I added, holding my hands out to her.
She looked at the red pool skeptically for a moment, before leaning in close and sniffing the liquid. Her eyes widened immediately and she quickly held her hands under mine to prevent any further wastage. Given our rather obvious height difference, she knelt back down so that she was at a height that would make our 'exchange' easier. With a nervous and audible *gulp*, Zalga gently angled my hands towards her mouth. As she shyly opened her mouth and stuck her tongue out, a hot flush came over my face at the sight. 'Well that looks familiar...' I thought, only making my face go redder before I tried to focus up. I tilted my hands slightly, and soon the blood began to slowly flow towards Zalga. She shuffled slightly closer and, after her tongue gently touched my bandaged fingertips, she closed her eyes and opened her mouth a little wider.
To say that the sight didn't give me some dirty thoughts would've been a lie, but the pounding pain of my shoulder certainly helped to offset my 'bodily reaction'. The thin stream blood soon made it to my fingertips and, as a few drops rolled off, Zalga's reaction certainly caught me off guard. Once the blood touched her tongue, her eyes immediately shot open. The look on her face quickly changed too, going from timid shyness to one of adoration and desire. She took ahold of my wrists and tilted my hands a little further, causing my thick blood to flow a little faster. She stared at the makeshift stream in awe, and as the blood got closer I watched as she began to salivate hungrily. Zalga happily drank the blood as it reached her mouth, loudly gulping it down with glee.
"S-so..." I mumbled, suddenly feeling embarrassed. "How do you feel no- WOAH!" I was interrupted by Zalga grabbing me by the shirt, now holding me to her eye level. I was worried that I had just been betrayed however, as all of her mouths licked their lips, I was quickly overcome with a feeling of uncertainty. That, and a different kind of worry.
"You taste so good~" Zalga purred seductively, her eyes lit up in ecstasy. "The power you hold... it's delicious~" she stated, cupping my face with her free hand and leaning closer. "And Mommy wants some more~" she added, making my eyes widen.
I opened my mouth to speak, however Zalga quickly pushed me against the birdcage after setting me down. Before I was able to get a word out, she quickly pulled my right hand up to her face. She looked at my bloodstained bandages lovingly, and I could've sworn she held back a moan as she held them to her lips. I was rendered a stuttering mess, the look on her face now reminding me of a certain other demon lady. She held my right forearm between her soft bust before eyeing me up and down, and without breaking eye contact she licked my hand from the base of my palm up to the apex of my middle finger. Her eyes glowed a fiery orange as she stared at me, a smug smile plastered on all of her mouths.
I winced at the pain still present within my wrist, but Zalga didn't seem to notice. She opened her mouth once again, and give me a sly wink before sliding my blood soaked fingers into her mouth. My whole body jumped as she ran her tongue along the digits, and I felt my brain tingle. And something else tingled at the same time. As Zalga suckled on my fingers, she made sloppy kissing noises between her moans of pleasure. I was stunned to say the least, my mouth agape as I struggled to form a sentence whilst I stared in awe. After noticing my expression, Zalga let out an admittedly cute giggle as an idea evidently formed in her head.
She gently clamped her lips down on her fingers again and, after giving the tips a gentle lick, slowly pulled them out of her mouth. There was a wet *POP* that rang out, and as a strand of saliva between her lips and my finger broke she giggled once again. "Tasty~" she purred before kissing my fingers, causing me to gulp in horny terror.
"G-glad you enjoyed it..." I mumbled, my voice cracking in nervousness. There was a silence that hung for a few seconds, and despite my discomfort I spoke up again. "H-how are you feeling?" I asked, genuinely curious about her condition.
"Much better, thank you, sweetie~" she answered gratefully, licking her lips once again. "Although..." she continued, a lecherous smile growing across her lips.
"Although?..." I repeated, admittedly both excited and afraid of where she was going with this.
"If your blood can make me feel this way, I wonder what would happen if I drank your cu-"
"NOPE!" I interrupted, plugging my ears and yelling in an attempt to throw Zalga off of her rhythm. She was certainly taken aback, but she soon began to giggle to herself after realising what I was doing.
"Oh my~" Zalga said smugly, folding her arms and resting her head in her hand as I uncovered my ears. "Could it be? Is the mighty Vigilante afraid of a little skinship?" She asked, leaning in closer and making my face heat up. I once again began to stutter and fumble for my words, causing Zalga to giggle to herself once again. "You're so cute~" she complimented, pinching my cheek as she spoke.
"Th-thanks..." I mumbled, the pain of the pinch pulling me back to my senses.
"But, regardless..." she continued as she turned around, cracked her knuckles and performed some familiar hand motions. "We should probably get away from these flames... wouldn't you say?" She asked, looking over her shoulder as the portal expanded. Something about Zalga's more humane tone calmed me down significantly and, as she extended her hand, I had been gently led through the portal before I realised it.
I blinked a few time before zoning back in, and as I did a scan of the area I saw that we were now stood outside of the arena. After breathing a quick sigh of relief, I eventually saw Zalga. She was stood by the arena, leaning against it with her arms folded under her breasts. As we made eye contact, she flashed me a toothy grin. "So... I assume you feel better?" I asked, re-tying my shoulder bandages,
"Significantly so, thanks" Zalga confirmed, smiling warmly.
"Good" I said simply, sliding my shirt back on. "Now, about getting you home-"
"I'll figure that one out, just come back after school" she interrupted, holding her hand up to signal for me to stop. "You've been in here for a while, it's probably about time you got some fresh air" she explained, chuckling slightly.
"But-"
"Don't worry that pretty little head of yours" she interrupted once more, walking over to me as she spoke. "With all that power you gave me, I'm able to hold a human voice with ease" she explained, patting me on the head. "So surviving a few hours'll be a piece of cake!" She said confidently, bending down to my height and giving me a warm smile.
With a sigh of defeat, I gave a simple nod as Zalga stood tall and took her hand back. "Fine" I said reluctantly. "But I'll check up on you between classes, alright? Just in case he does something out of pocket" I stated, nodding towards the arena after my question.
"Sounds good to me" Zalga agreed, watching me sit down and cross my legs. "Whatcha doin'?" She asked.
"Leaving" I said simply, taking a deep breath and closing my eyes. "Normally Nightmare will give me an out or things will start to fade when my body's on autopilot" I explained, recalling my previous methods of exit. "But since he and I aren't exactly on the best of terms, I've gotta find my own way out" I finished, the feeling of a lock clicking echoing in my mind. 'Bingo' I thought smugly.
"And you think this'll work?" Zalga asked.
"Yep" I said confidently, opening my eyes and seeing myself fading in and out. "Catch ya later" I said, looking over at Zalga and smiling. "Ciao" I added, giving a two finger salute before closing my eyes and focusing a little harder on the real world.
After a few seconds, I could hear and feel the rhythmic crunching of grass beneath my feet. A smile crept its way onto my lips as I could once again feel the chilly winter air, and I slowly opened my eyes to get a view of where I ended up. I didn't exactly get the chance I was after however, since upon opening my eyes I was met with a rather unfortunate predicament. My eyes widened in a panic as I noticed that I was a little too close to the bleachers, and in an attempt to catch myself I had slipped and fell face first into the barrier. My impact resulted in a *SMACK* that echoed across the field, but I laughed it off as I slid to the ground.
I rose to my feet and stretched out, but upon winding my shoulders a sudden pain shot through my left one. I clutched it in pain, and upon feeling my clothes I could tell it was wet. 'So those wounds affect me in real life now?' I wondered, feeling the bandages around my head. Sure enough, they were wet with blood as well. 'I get the feeling that the nurse is gonna see a lot of me this week' I thought, letting out a reluctant sigh as I walked towards the main building. I made sure to apply pressure to my open shoulder, however it seemed like I'd already bled a fair amount before coming back to reality. This meant I was weakly hobbling back to the school building, and I was in such a state that I ended up crashing through the door to get in.
After accidentally body slamming the door to let me inside, I ended up stumbling further and crashing in to a trash can. Both impacts echoed through the silent halls with a mighty *CRASH*, and I dropped to the ground in pain. I weakly pushed off of the trash can in an attempt to stand up, but as it rolled away I fell back down and rested on one knee. I groaned as a headache began to form, and I returned to clutching my shoulder tight as I felt more blood begin to leak out. I held my free hand to my mouth as I coughed, and I looked to see some new blood splatters on my bandages. 'That's not good...' I noted, trying to stand once again. I felt weak and weary, and my ragged breathing certainly didn't paint me in the picture of perfect health. My chest felt tight, and it felt like something was beginning to clamp around my neck. My eyelids felt abnormally heavy, but as they began to fall a loud yell woke me back up.
"(Y/N)!"