-Chapter 165: Why You Gotta Be So Loud?
I stare at the base of Metsuboujinrai and swallow hard.
Last night I made a terrible decision and I have to live with that. I couldn't keep Horobi out of my mind with Aruto. There wasn't a thing that Aruto did wrong during sex. It was nice and felt really good, but I just couldn't help but worry about Horobi. Why did I think that would even work in the first place? I'm no better than Elise by doing that to someone. I feel so guilty right now for doing that to him.
"Hey, Mari!"
I turn, my eyes landing on the former space Humagear. "R-Raiden?"
He places his hand over my mouth, covering it completely, and my eyes go wide. What in the world is this HumaGear doing right now? Who told him he could touch me? I'm too good to be touched by him! He has stopped me from telling him to get the hell away from me.
"I don't have time to hear what you have to say," he says, sounding a bit like a douchebag. "When I let your mouth go, you will shut up and not bother me."
He removes his hand from my mouth and I glare at him.
"Did you seriously have to do that? I hate your freaking robotic guts! What the hell is wrong with you? Did something shock you and turn you into a pile of hot metal?" I shout, my blood boiling. How can anyone like being around this idiot?
He steps closer to me, his eyes looking into mine coldly, and I step back a bit. "Mari, I don't even know why the Ark keeps me from doing anything to you. Just know if things were different, I would be destroying you right now." How would he even destroy me?
"I just got here," I spit out. "I haven't even done anything yet! But guess what? You don't even want to hear me talk despite that? Did I do something to piss you off already?" Does my face piss him off?
"You haven't really done anything to piss me. Your existence pisses me off though. It is frustrating having to put up with you because the Ark keeps me from touching you. I know all about your previous face and how you got plastic surgery to get rid of it," he says. So, he knows about that like everyone else? Good for him.
"Do you want a gold star for knowing the same thing as everyone else? It isn't like it isn't out there in the universe."
He laughs. "I don't need a gold star from you. Mari, I just want to know why you changed your face. I would look into it myself, but I rather not waste the energy. It wastes less energy to talk to you." Sure it does.
I look away from him, resisting the urge to roll my eyes. "I had to change it."
"You got abused, right?"
"Yeah, I did." I look back at him. "Everyone knows that I did and it sucks having it out there. Everyone is probably thinking I'm insane for having stayed in such a relationship. Everyone else would have ran away faster than I did, but I stayed for all kinds of reasons."
I stayed in that marriage for children and I really thought at one point things would change. I believed that some miracle could happen, but it never came. There is no miracle in that kind of relationship other than finding a way out. I found mine from blackmail and changing my face and name. Well, I slightly changed my name.
"Your original face was nice. You should have kept it."
"I would be in that first marriage still if I did. You have no idea what it is like to run from something like that." It is awful dealing with that kind of thing. I didn't know if I would live or die when Allen got into one of his moods. "I hated it."
I felt on edge all the time and I'm sure I seemed like I had no emotion to those who did get to see me. I probably looked fake and it probably made them suspect something was wrong. Anyone who probably thought something was wrong probably got some fake story from Allen. Pretty sure he would tell them I felt sick or was upset over another miscarriage.
"I believe that Mari looks fine the way she is right now." Horobi?
I turn my head a bit as Horobi approaches us, his gaze looking icy. What is he doing here? Does this mean...does this mean that the Ark is using Naki right now to get around? Jin is back with Aruto and the others.
"Oh, Horobi, what is up?" Raiden asks, being casual with him. "It seems like it isn't a busy day for you."
"The Ark has ordered me to come and stop you from bothering Mari," Horobi states, his eyes going to me. "Did he touch you in any way that would bother you, Mari?"
"Uh...define that kind of touch..." I don't want to lie to him about what Raiden did, but I want to know if he determines that it was a bad touch from him.
"Did he touch you or not? If so, did it bother you?" Okay, so he just wants my opinion? I can make that work.
I nod my head. "He touched me by covering my mouth up. He didn't want me to make any noise, but it cause me any harm. If he would have hurt me-"
"I would have put an end to that kind of thing. The Ark would never let you get hurt by our hands." Horobi's eyes go over to Raiden. "Go away or else I'll have to make you go away."
I look over at Raiden and bow my head a bit. "I will see you around then, Raiden."
"Ikazuchi," he says, correcting me as his eyes stay on Horobi. "I will see you around then, Mari." He turns away from us, heading off to a different part of the ruins of Daybreak.
I turn to Horobi and he looks me over, eyes checking for any possible injuries. I wonder why he came here on the Ark's orders. Is something going on that the Ark needs him to address on his own?
"It seems that he really didn't hurt you. Good." His eyes go to mine. "Don't be foolish around him. I don't trust him to leave you alone due to his disliking of you. Just because he is following the Ark's will doesn't mean he can't do something on his own. I believe he's reaching singularity on his own."
"Singularity?" Again? That means...his data got taken for sure!
"Just be aware that you can't trust something that feels and do things on their own right now. Malice is out there."
I nod my head slowly and force a smile on my face. "I should get going then. I only came here to see if you were in good shape. I was worried about you."
"Don't give me a fake smile while you're here."
"Sorry." I drop the fake smile. "Horobi, do you think that the Ark pities me for my past?" Does the Ark hate that fact I got abused and only lets me live for that reason alone?
"The Ark does pity you, but that isn't why you're still standing. You're standing because you're the Abyss user. If you weren't-"
"I would be dead. I know." I am sorry for cutting him off, but I already know this. I just wanted to make sure that I wasn't being pitied by that satellite and living because of it. "Sorry for asking something so stupid."
"No, it was typical of you to ask that." He isn't wrong.
"Horobi, thank you." I wish he could wear something new. Maybe I should buy him something to wear one of these days. "Do you mind it if I embrace you for a second? It won't be a long one."
He steps towards me and puts his arms around me, embracing me first. "I am fine with you embracing me. There is nothing against that as far as I know in the orders I got from the Ark."
"Horobi..." I wish he would reach singularity again.
"It wasn't your fault you were born with someone else's face, Mari. You were born with that face because of your destiny. You're meant to be here as the user of Abyss."
I put my arms around him and close my eyes as I bury my face in his clothes. "Horobi, I know."
"Don't let anyone make you feel bad for changing your face. You lived because you did so."
"I did." I kept going because I wanted to keep living and not die at the hand's of my own husband. "I had to live. I had to do that to myself."
"You didn't pick your face, but you did decide to have it change. It doesn't matter how it worked out because you got to live." That is very true.
I nod. "Yeah..."
"The Ark has just given me an order. You're to return home immediately."
I pull back a bit, opening my eyes and looking up at him. "I have to go home right now?" Why can't I stay a bit longer?
He nods. "Yes, you have to go now," he answers, his eyes not looking so cold. Maybe...maybe he's starting to feel like his old self again.
"Alright." I guess I should go.
I hate that freaking satellite so much right now!