"She can't leave if she wanted to," Meruem thought to himself as he snuck a glance at Piper, who looked as if she wasn't entirely there, "I marked her. I'll be able to track her no matter what. She's mine forever." Meruem looked down at the board to find himself trapped in Komugi's gungi trap once more. He focused on Komugi. He loved how her mind worked when playing gungi with him. She was an honorable opponent. Her skill was impregnable. Her aura was gentle, focused, and very light.
"It seems you've bested me again," Meruem spoke, "Retire to your room for the day."
"Thank you, Supreme leader," Komugi said as she grabbed her stick and began walking back to her room. Piper stood tried to walk away.
"Piper," the king spoke before Piper could exit the room. She turned around to face his majesty.
"Yes, sire?" Piper said, trying to mask her uncomfortability.
"Come to me," He commanded in a sordid tone. Saying nothing, Piper walked towards Meruem. As much as she tried, she couldn't mask the cautious aura that swallowed her. She stopped being two feet away from him.
"Did you need something from me, sire?" Piper said in a cold tone.
"Are you sure you're a human?" Meruem asked.
"Positive, sire," Piper responded quickly. Meruem stared into her eyes. Her small, skinny frame made it easy for him to hold either in his arms or his tail. "Is there a problem with my form of sire?" Piper asked curiously. Meruem looked Piper up and down, imagining her with real claws and a tail. Then, he looked at her human form. A smile curled onto his face. He chuckled confidently.
"Not at all. I think I like you like this," Meruem stated as he gently grabbed her chin pecking Piper on the lips. Piper felt the strong urge to jump back and cover her mouth. She fought desperately to stay in place, keep her lips from trembling. His eyes turned serious, laced with confusion. "Tell me, Piper. Why am I getting a warm feeling in my chest when I have you in my arms? Why do I lose all common and logical reasoning?" He asked as he took my hand and pulled me into his chest. My face felt as if it was on fire.
"Sire, I think what you're feeling is-"
"Piper, I can take your stitches off now," Pitou said as she burst through the doors. I quickly jumped back from Meruem. I looked at him, expecting his highness to order me to finish my sentence or for Pitou to come back later. However, he said nothing. Without skipping another beat, I nodded and walked out of the throne room with Pitou. I felt a wave of relief wash over me.
"Does this mean I can go back to training?" I asked, anxious to get back to my training regiment.
"Yes. You'll be sore for a month," Pitou responded happily. I know she's always liked watching me train. I think my fire people intrigue her. Maybe it's a cat thing. I noticed since I took a break from my training, my skin has gotten visibly more robust. I doubt I'll be able to burn myself again. I couldn't help but get excited about my practice. I was going to get to use the metal claw finally.
"Are you going to take Youpi up on his offer?" Pitou asked curiously. I looked at her in confusion. "Youpi offered to spar, you remember?" I had forgotten entirely about Youpi's offer.
"It would help tremendously," I thought to myself, "Seeing as I'm going to have to fight and kill each of you one by one." I smiled and nodded. Pitou smiled, not knowing her unaware of the plans I have.
"All done," Pitou said as she stood up. I jumped up and moved my arm around. I could feel each sore spot on both sides of my shoulder. Thankfully, this isn't my dominant arm. I grabbed my metal claw and slipped it on. Each one of my fingers slipping into the loops. I wiggled them excitedly before grabbing my Jian and running out the door to find Youpi.