-Chapter 113: Seeing You is Suffocating
"You look beautiful in your dress, Mari," Gai says, giving me a compliment as I sit down beside him. "I guess you did not see the result earlier of the vote, correct?"
I look down at my plate that he has already prepared for me and swallow. I think I know where this is going and I don't want to hear it. He has done enough to me so far and I don't want to know what happened.
"The competition concluded and the result ended up being in my favor. Three to two," Gai states and I turn my head a bit as my heart sinks. "I can finally give the order to dispose of HumaGears. Of course, I'll spare the ones I need for my wife's sake."
I close my eyes and dig my nails into my legs, causing a bit of pain. I just need to bite my tongue. He can have his way for now and then I'll be free. It is only a bit longer and then I can be free.
"Please, sir, I'm begging you to not destroy them. They have souls!" Aruto exclaims and I open my eyes, turning my head towards him as Izu stands at his side.
"Tools do not have the ability to possess a soul. Of course, Kairi is different it seems," Gai responds. "I have learned that she has data of her look alike, Kiyoko."
Aruto gets off his chair and goes to the ground. I stand up, knocking my cup over off the table and causing it to shatter. He's going to beg for HumaGears to be saved? Gai won't listen. He'll never listen.
"Mari, are you alright?" Gai asks me. "You must have gotten scared from him suddenly falling onto the ground to grovel. I know how it makes you feel to have someone suddenly fall to the ground and make a noise." I'm just going to ignore that.
"Please don't destroy them! I'm begging you!" Aruto...
"You no longer get to have a say in the matter," Gai responds, being cold. I turn to him and stare at him as he puts his hands together.
"There has to be a way to co-exist," Aruto tells him and I close my eyes. No, Gai won't ever see it that way. He'll only let Kairi and his precious Abyss exist.
"For some reason you don't seem to understand it still," Gai says and I open my eyes as he reaches over and grabs his ZAIA Specs. He puts them on, looking intelligent and a bit more handsome than he normally does. I prefer this look on him despite him looking absolutely disgusting to me. "Go on, destroy the HumaGear."
My eyes go over to Izu and I shake my head. "No, please!"
"Mari, if I wanted your opinion on my business decisions, I would ask for them. Did I even ask you to speak?" Gai asks me and I look back at him. No, he didn't ask me to. "Sit and wait for the glass to be picked up off the ground."
My eyes return to Aruto as he gets in front of Izu. I know that Isamu is here. I don't know what Gai has over Naki, but he has something over her or them. I honestly don't know how to refer to Naki now.
"Ugh..." I look over as Isamu drops to the ground, blocking off his weapon. He is trying to avoid hurting Izu.
"Isamu!" I turn to head over to him and I feel someone grab my arm roughly. My eyes go down to my lower part of my upper arm and I stare at Gai's hand on it.
"What do you not understand? You're here to look pretty, not help anyone out." Gai...
"Do it!" Yua orders. "You can't disobey the President."
"Is that what you really want, Yaiba?" Isamu asks her, still struggling with himself. "Do you want to be a tool for a corporation? Just look at how he treats his own wife."
"My wife is none of your concern," Gai snaps, sounding pissed off. "I treat my wife with respect."
"I'm no tool," Yua responds and I look at her as she looks unsure of herself. I think she's afraid of Gai. "I said I am doing this because I want to." She puts a belt on and shoves a key into it. I forget that name of it.
She transforms and I remove Gai's hand from my arm, prying it off. I'm not going to sit here and take this. I'm not here to sit pretty and be some eye candy to make Gai look even better!
"If you won't do it, Isamu, I will do it," Yua says, sounding completely dead inside. I feel for her. She's totally afraid of Gai like how I'm afraid of him.
"No, I won't let you touch her," Aruto says, pulling out his transformation stuff. He puts it on and puts in his key, blocking Izu so she can get out.
They rush outside and I move around Gai quickly, heading towards them. I step outside as Yua tries aiming for Izu. Aruto knocks her away from Izu and I stop as someone shoves me to the side. I turn my head as Gai moves pass me. He's going to fight now? He's in his Thouser suit, so I assume that he's up to no good.
Aruto blocks Gai from hitting Izu and he pushes his weapon back. Yua smacks him and Gai lifts up his weapon, aiming to hit him. Yua moves towards Izu and Aruto blocks her form getting hit.
Yua moves towards Izu with her scythe looking thing and Aruto rushes in front of her. He takes the hit, screaming in pain, and I gasp. I would transform, but I'm not wanting to cause more issues between everyone here. Besides, I didn't bring my things with me because I thought I wouldn't need it today.
Gai sends lightening looking things at Aruto and hits him, sending him to the ground. I turn as Isamu approaches us, looking in pain. He's still fighting with Naki right now for control over his body.
"It is useless to resist," Gai tells Isamu and Isamu winces and grits his teeth.
He drops his weapon down to the side of him and stares, looking a bit empty. "Understood," he says. N-Naki?
He points his gun at Izu and Aruto gets up. Gai knocks him to the ground and I cover my mouth with my hands. Gai puts his foot down on Aruto's chest, keeping him down on the ground.
"Izu, run!" Aruto orders.
I turn to Izu and drop my hands from my mouth. "President Aruto!" Izu exclaims. Why isn't she running?
Isamu approaches her and Izu turns, ready to flee. Yua gets behind her and smacks her down to the ground, making her fall. No, this isn't right!
"Izu!" I exclaim. Why didn't she run sooner? Is it because she wanted to help Aruto?
"Now you all see that you're instruments that are at my disposal!" Gai exclaims, sounding thrilled about this situation.
Yua brings down her weapon towards Izu and Isamu gets in the way, blocking the hit with his gun as his coat gets torn and blood comes dripping out. He's hurt...he's...why? Why is he doing this when he hates HumaGears?
He shoves Yua away from Izu. "All I ever dreamt about was scrapping the HumaGears for what happened years ago, but then what will I do after I accomplish that dream? What then? I never once thought about what I wanted to do after that, but I know I'll find a dream of my own one day." He puts on the belt that Gai must have given him earlier. "I will find a reason for my existence, but I will keep fighting until I do. I will do whatever the hell I please!" He holds up his transformation device and opens it up, screaming as he struggles to get it open.
It opens up and he fires his weapon, sending a horde of different things at Yua. Is that a scorpion? He can do that with everyone's animals except mine?
Isamu transforms, a nice blue suit surrounding him. "What is it that you live for? You work for ZAIA like some dog, but is that what you want?"
Yua charges at him and he blocks her, easily fending her off. He's trying to reason with her isn't he? I don't blame him. I know for sure she doesn't want to be Gai's lackey any longer on the inside.
"Well, Yaiba? Answer me," Isamu orders.
Gai moves forward and Isamu moves back as Gai hits him across the chest. Isamu grabs the weapon that Gai is using and holds onto it tightly, keeping it from doing anymore damage to him. How is Gai going to win this? That thing he gave him is probably way stronger than he is.
"Tool, how can you defy me?" Gai asks.
Isamu swings Gai from him and Gai activates his finisher. Isamu does the same and fires at him, sending needles at Gai. It hits Gai, knocking him back, and Isamu charges at him. He flies at Gai, using Jin's former power, and kicks him down.
Isamu looks over, ignoring Gai now. "If you won't answer me on what you're living for, then I won't listen to anything else that comes from your damn mouth. I'm going to beat you, Yaiba, and let you see that you should live for yourself." Wow, he's harsh.
Yua activates her finisher and Isamu does the same for his finisher and she jumps at him. He grabs her around the neck and swings her around, making her fly in the air for a moment. She lands on the ground and he charges at her, bringing his foot down. He hits the ground and send her up in the air. He then brings her down and she bounces over to Gai. He then points his gun and fires at her and Gai. Gai gets in the way, trying to use his Jacking Break to prevent it.
They fall to the ground and I rush forward, heading towards Gai and Yua. I may not like either one that much, but it isn't like I can leave them in a bad state. I'm still President Amatsu's wife at the end of the day and we're in public. I have to do the proper thing and keep Aruto safe.
Gai stands up, not transformed any longer, and he looks ahead at Isamu. "You will learn that it is wrong to defy the will of ZAIA." I state at his face, which looks a bit messy. Also, he looks snobby right now.
"Mari, stay put," Isamu orders and I turn to him. "I need to tell you something."
I wonder what it is.
~.~
I stare at Gai as he sits at his new desk, which used to belong to Aruto, and I swallow a bit as Yua puts his chessboard down. Gai seems to be pleased so far. How long will he be pleased though? Everything is slowly collapsing around him whether he knows it or not.
Isamu talked to me earlier about how Gai manipulated everything. He made sure he would win. He knew Aruto would lose and I didn't. I had no clue this is how it would end.
"Yua, can I have a moment alone with my beautiful wife?" Gai asks and my heart drops. He's going to have some alone time with me?
"Yes, sir," she responds and I turn a bit as she heads to the exit. She's just going to leave me with the person that torments me non-stop?
"Mari, I am thankful for you. You're at my side where you belong and now I have his company," Gai says and I look at him as he stares at me, his eyes gentle. "Now, how about you forget about Aruto? He has no importance to you now that he's a loser by society's standards." Aruto...a loser? No, he's not.
I shake my head. "No..." I will not forget about Aruto.
It isn't about the title he once had or the power. Heck, I don't even care about the money! I care about the person who has always been kind to me and shown me the brightest smile in the world! That is who I care for.
"You should focus on loving me," he tells me.
"I won't." I can't love him. "I will never love you, Gai. You cannot force me to be in love with you." He can't force me to love him and he never will.
Gai stands up and shoves his chessboard off his desk, his face twisting in anger. I stumble backwards, gasping. A violent reaction?
"I want you to forget about that man now. You do not belong with someone like him and you never will. You two aren't meant to be just like you're not meant to be with a HumaGear."
I swallow hard, resisting the urge to tremble. "Gai..."
He doesn't know anything about me if he thinks that kind of thing.