Genghis rolls to the side of the bed until he clumsily brings himself to sit on the edge of it. When his bare feet touch the cool flooring, he winces into a disgruntled groan; his whole body feeling like shit. Slowly blinking to better his vision, his eyes focus and glance around to see the mess that was made the previous evening.
"She's like a hurricane…", he mumbles quietly, definitely not wanting Amnessia to hear. He twists his back to look over her while she sleeps and takes notice of how beautiful her shaded skin glows in the low lighting. He then watches her hand ungracefully search for his body and hears, "Why are you up already?", which causes him to clap his hands together excitedly and jump to a stand, "My pretty lady...today they begin training!"
Amnessia turns to face him and immediately snickers to his bruising eye that in her morning daze, forgot she gifted him with. "You better not get that healed up, Temujin. Your punishment is to endure the pain.", but smiles as he leans in to give her a kiss goodbye.
"You are a fierce beauty…", he says with annoyance in his tone yet displays emphasis on a sweeter truth as well, "…but I'll take your beatings."
Genghis can no longer ignore the cold air striking his genitals, causing him to shiver and rush to his robes. While donning the golden fabric, his gaze finds Amnessia again as she lays on her side, adoring him doing so. 'She looks so harmless right now, how deceiving.', chuckling softly as he recalls her trashing the place in a heated fit, eventually punching him so hard in the face that he fell over and through the long glass dining table.
"I wouldn't have to do it if you weren't such an asshole. Someone has to stand up to you!", Amnessia holds an arrogant tone but in her heart, she hates that she felt compelled to swing, "If you'd come to the infirmary to visit me like a good boyfriend, you would've known that I made it back early; I heal fast, remember? I wouldn't have had the time to sit here and boil over your absence." She gets out of bed as he finishes the fine details of his attire but she still flattens her hands to help smooth his wrinkles out.
"Oh, you precious, insolent banshee, you…", Genghis taunts but smiles kindly as she stretches her neck to meet his lips. While running his hands over her bare, goose-bumped body, purposefully working her up knowing that he's about to leave, he groans to Amnessia's magnetic aura. Genghis breaks their kiss and looks into her round dark brown eyes to watch her whimper and smirks, "You better not take care of that, my punishment to you is to be left wanting…", and enjoys the glare she shoots him.
"See... you must love it when I beat on you, Temujin! You're ALWAYS asking for it.", she playfully backs away from him and turns her nose up before crawling back to the bed, "I can take care of myself just fine…I don't need daddy Temu!" She cackles when he raises an eyebrow as if to challenge her statement.
Meeting the discourse, Genghis slinks back onto the bed on his knees and pulls her by the hips towards him. She squeals to his aggression but he silences her with an aggressively mesmerizing kiss. He wears a mischievous expression which she clearly seems to love as she bites her lip and squeezes her large, supple breasts.
"Mmmmm…you know how to keep me distracted… I must repel your devilish womanly spells.", but Genghis is already taking a mouthful of her soft, ripe mountains.
Right as Amnessia thinks she has him, he quickly stands up and walks toward the door so shoots up on her elbows, "Hey, what the fuck?!" Frustrated and mildly embarrassed, she grabs a pillow and tries to throw it at the back of his head but it falls short which makes her feel even more ridiculous. "I am tired of your shit, Temujin!", she allows laughter into her tone but is also half serious.
Genghis opens the door but before closing it, he blows her a kiss and egotistically reminds her, "You don't need daddy Temu, remember?", and shuts it behind him. He stands by it though to hear her muffled complaints, the banter between them always bringing him humor.
'What an interesting woman...'
He snickers quietly while walking away, stretching his arms and outwardly saying, "Now to check on Suguru…" He's terribly enthusiastic about his little stunt working in his pupil's benefit. 'They just needed a little push.", he thinks to himself confidently as he hurriedly makes his way through their compound. Genghis passes by many of his fellow Titers along his path and graciously nods to them all when they bow before him but some of the whispers in response to his battered appearance has everyone riled up.
"Did Satoru Gojo do that?"
"I didn't know that monster was still here!"
"Yeah, he's a few levels up. I haven't left this one since he arrived, just to be safe..."
"Now I won't be sleeping either!"
'These people really believe anything…', Genghis thinks to himself while the unsavory sound of necessary sheep fail to be secretive with their fears at all. Wanting to save his pleasant mood, he chooses to ignore the fellow Titers without so much as making a comment on the rumors.
——————————————
Suguru opens his groggy eyes and immediately stretches his legs. It takes him a moment to realize that he's still in Elska's arms, instantly wishing he hadn't fallen asleep and wasted their time together. Lightly, he places his hand on her stomach and sprawls his fingers out, admiring how much he covers her when doing so. After nuzzling his face, loving the feeling of her bare breasts against his skin, he carefully sits up and maneuvers her onto his chest instead.
Now playing with her hair, Getou heavily sighs, knowing he's going to have to leave soon before he's caught, whispering, "But I want to stay." He thinks about the night before and bends his neck forward with an abrupt, wide toothy smile as the excitement of their strange evening stokes him. Elated, Suguru brings his other arm over to the one of hers laying across his abdomen and tenderly strokes it, simply surprised by how surreal it feels being here with her. He pulls up on the sheets to cover more of her while staring into the raised textures pattern their legs show. For something so incredibly abnormal, this whole sight seems right. There's a timid knock on the door, "SHIT.", but before Suguru can even jolt with panic, it opens to show Genghis.
"Oh, how wonderful!", Genghis whispers as he slowly approaches the bed, taking in the display of Suguru cuddling Elska, "Should I expect an heir?!" He grins when his pupil's dumbfounded expression shifts to the sleeping girl.
"What?!", Getou narrows his eyes and hastily whispers back, "No! The fuck?!" He feels Elska stirring, causing his eyes to widen with anxiety as he brings them to his mentor. Fed up with the lack of privacy for them both, his presence increases, "GET OUT!"
Elska snuggles into the man she's comfortably wrapped around and mumbles, "What are you guys whispering about? Satiiii...just leave them aloneee..."
"Umm...", Getou clears his throat, flattened by the awkward air, "Elska?"
It isn't until Suguru speaks her name that her eyes shoot open and she remembers everything from the night before. Elska gasps, launches up and looks at Suguru and reads his nervous expression but then turns to see who he was talking to but doesn't find anyone. Confused, she swivels her head back to Getou but looks down and thinks, 'Maybe I was still dreaming or something…', but is still shocked by waking up like this.
Wanting to ease her, Suguru grabs Elska's arm and soothes, "I didn't mean to wake you, you seemed so peaceful.", but sees in her eyes, that the comment bothers her. His mood dampens upon understanding that she meant it when saying this isn't something that could continue and with depression familiarizing itself once more, he reluctantly releases her arm.
Elska sighs and runs her hands through her hair while coming to terms that Pandora's box may have already been opened, 'What have I done?!' She looks over at Getou who glances up to her with dark, distraught eyes and feels compelled to share, "I'm sorry… Ge-Suguru. I don't know what to say…nor what to do…" She sees him reaching out to her again but holds her breath as she hides the fact that she wouldn't mind his touch for the sake of her lovers, 'I will lie to myself if I have to.'
Suguru stops short of connecting with her though, coming to the harsh conclusion that if he has even hope of a shot here, it will take time and he shouldn't rush anything. "I understand Elska, its okay.", he sincerely says this before shifting out of the bed to find his clothes. He's doing his best to remain positive, knowing that if nothing else, he can serve his lesser desires since he at least will get to spend a lot of time with her today.
Elska is relieved that he's not wallowing in her decision, unlike herself. She keeps her vision on the sheets of the bed until her curious eyes draw to him dressing and his physique. Every inch of him seems trained to a type of perfection. He's tall but not lanky, with defined muscles that blanket his body like custom padding, all of which are things she didn't expect to be hidden under those golden robes. She saw a tiny bit of him last night but wasn't able to get the full view. Nonetheless, now that she's seen it, Elska gulps and quickly glances away but to her dismay, he turns his head towards her with a devious smirk. 'Oh no!! Getou's actually attractive now that I've seen his kindness…', but she closes her eyes and stretches her brow with frustration over admitting that, even if just in her own head.
Suguru subtly bites his lip, completely comprehending that Elska was just checking him out.
'Indeed, there is hope.'
Getou slowly ties the collar of his black undershirt that drapes over his nudity while looking over her as well, savoring every inch of her body and desiring her more than ever. In his mind, he walks back over to the bed, which she stands up on with open arms. He scoops her up, holding her thighs and rear as they vivaciously lock lips. Maybe he'd pin her against a wall, or lay her down on the dresser, it really wouldn't matter, he'd just want to treat her as if she's his alone. Shaking the thoughts from his mind, he clears his throat again and searches for any other evidence of his existence but finds nothing.
Elska tracks him as he cautiously nears her and allows him to raise her hand to his lips. She feels her brow twitch as she tries to maintain a platonic expression; his newfound sensuality is unreal though and she can tell through his demeanor that he means it to be so. She takes a camouflaged breath, not wanting to show that he's getting to her, shyly retracting her arm and holding it close to her chest.
"I suppose I will see you in a little bit then.", he winks to her with a soft smile, melting to how cute she is when trying to hide her feelings. He takes a few steps back, attempting to appear casual and calm but she asks, "Where do I go?" He prepares himself to use the traveling technique but happily reassures, "Nowhere at all. I will come for you."
With that, Suguru disappears and leaves Elska to drown in apprehension as she fears about keeping this from the others. Sauntering over to the dresser with a heavy heart, she quickly understands that she's not comfortable with lying to her lovers. After selecting the work-out clothes she brought for training, still not having a good idea as to what that entails, she's prepared to sweat nonetheless. In fact, she's hoping to work out so hard that she'll temporarily be forced to forget about this traitorous situation. She feels presences approaching but somehow still smiles when she depicts it to be them and as they get closer, it's hard to tell what is being said but judging by Naoya's tone, she can gather that he's getting picked on by Satoru.
Gojo abruptly opens the door in his fresh shaman uniform expecting Elska to be asleep still and is surprised to see her up and moving around. He'd say something goofy relating to that too but his mouth curls when he looks over her little outfit and raises his arm, blocking the doorway before saying, "Um, love? Where has the rest of this get-up gone off to?"
Elska playfully scoffs and responds with, "Sati it's training! Do you want me to sweat to death and pass out?", giggling to his protectiveness. She witnesses Toji and Naoya duck under Gojo's arm to get into the room and moved by their presence, she quickly walks over to them all and takes in the tattered state Naoya's Zenin robes are in.
"BABY! He's right! Where's the rest of it?!", Naoya hugs and holds her immediately but moves his head around to inspect her black spandex shorts and sports bra from overhead, "You are not hanging around that evil Titer fucker all day with your cookie defined…"
Elska laughs into his neck, being beyond happy to see all of them, "I think you're exaggerating, my prince." She waits for Toji to add a similar comment now, based on everyone else's disapproval, but she finds that he's rather quiet this morning. She studies him and he lovingly smiles at her but she's not convinced that everything is alright...and then her heart stops.
'Does Toji know?'
Gojo walks over to the bed and starfishes on his back, "Damn they definitely have preferences, your bed is waaaaaay softer than mine, love!" He stretches once and sighs, letting his limbs fall limp but laughs and agrees when Naoya states, "Well she's a princess, that's just how it is"
Satoru rolls over to his stomach and observes everyone, feeling whole now that she's in front of him again. He can't help but wash his eyes over her body with how much she's revealing and thinks, 'That Titer cunt is going to do the same…probably wants to fuck her', and whines into the mattress at the thought of Getou getting turned on by his love. 'This is such shit. Why didn't I just wipe the Titers out back then?!!!'
Naoya informatively announces that he has to pee before making his way to the bathroom which makes Elska laugh. After he closes the door, she turns towards Toji who leans against the wall in dark grey sweatpants and a tight black tee, even more concerned with his silence. "Are you ok my beloved?", and reaches out to cup his face.
Toji nuzzles his cheek into her hand and softens his expression. He brings his left arm up to tenderly latch her wrist, "Yea doll, I'm fine. I just have a lot on my mind is all." But he stares into her eyes while breathing in, perplexed by Getou's scent masking her own but after looking over at Gojo, he feels like bringing it up would only be disastrous. He could also be wrong because the entire compound has traces of Suguru.
Now she comprehends that Toji must be upset over everything else and wants nothing more than to ease his stresses, "Come here…", she says sweetly, motioning with her hands for a hug. Elska rests her face into his chest, not being used to him having a shirt on anymore and tells him, "If you want to talk about it Toji, I am here for you… if it's about Sachiko, I still don't mind listening." He squeezes his hold around her with appreciation but she continues, "I love you, Toji Fushiguro. Don't bottle that stuff up. I won't pressure you to do it now but when you're ready, my ears will be too." She brushes her hands up and down his back, wanting to soothe him.
Gojo watches them and can sense Toji's unease. He feels sadness over this, knowing that Toji must feel pretty confused over what to do about Sachiko. 'I guess I can't kill her then…', his bright eyes drifting to the bed as he fills with disappointment. He has wanted to end that woman ever since she was found with Shoko and especially after her attack on Elska. What kind of man would he be if he considered anything other than that?! However, Satoru looks back up at Toji who's being consoled and decides he's willing to stave off his bloodlust for his friend. A small, heartfelt grin works its way across Gojo's face, 'Friend.'
Naoya comes back out of the bathroom but walks over to Gojo to quietly ask, "Hey, so do you think you could do your teleportation thing for me today? I need to go shopping."
"Seriously? Can't it wait? We'd be leaving my love behind here…", Gojo wants to get out of that sunless shit hole too but he's apprehensive to simply do so without Elska. "Getou would have a fucking field day. Naoya, how do you not see that he's probably just waiting for the right time to make a move?! You know she's addicting!"
Elska and Toji turn to face the two as Satoru was being loud. Toji asks, "What are you over there whispering about, Naoya?", Rotating Elska to be in front of him so he could hang his arms around her shoulders.
Gojo mumbles into the sheets, "Little Naoya here wants to leave Elska to fend off Getou by herself." Naoya sits down hard on his legs which causes Satoru to curl up in surprise and cackle, "What are you doing you Zenin-ass, weirdo?", trying to catch his breath despite Naoya's silliness.
Naoya crosses his right leg over and folds his arms, "I said no such thing baby, I simply want to go shopping for something special." He lifts his chest and then barrels his weight back down, bending Satoru's knees backwards which makes Gojo create noises of strain. "Gojo lies, my princess!"
Elska giggles at their interaction and even hears Toji surrender a throaty Hah. Glancing between them both, "Sati, I will be okay, you worry too much! You guys should all go get some fresh air, relax a bit!"
Gojo lifts his head up from the bed and glares at her, "No love. I'm not leaving you here alone with that cunt. He'll fucking try something the moment we're gone." She only tilts her head in response, causing him to have trouble gauging her reaction. 'Has he already tried something?', crosses his mind which further sinks him into his adversity with the situation.
"I'll stay here with her. Even that Genghis guy doesn't want to mess with me.", Toji states with confidence. "You two are like children, if you don't get to burn off some of that energy, you'll just end up being obnoxious.", and chuckles when Elska gasps and lightly slaps his arm. Gojo and Naoya both scoff stubbornly to the idea of that being an accurate comparison.
Naoya stands up now, "Baby, you know I wouldn't want to go unless it was for a good reason!", charging her to playfully snatch her by the waist. "It's for you!", he romantically coos, tilting her chin towards him to rub their noses together.
Elska doesn't know how he can still make her feel so shy sometimes but shares, "My prince, I say we'll be fine…", being infected by his smile. She leans over to see Gojo, "Sati, I promise…we'll be okay!", and nods at the end of her words to emphasize.
There's a light knock on the door which instantly fills the room with tension. Everyone reluctantly remains silent as if the person on the other side would just go away so Elska awkwardly asks them to come in.
Getou opens the door and instantly perceives Toji's arms around Elska. He blankly stares into the floor as he closes the door behind him, not wanting share his envy. To make matters worse, he doesn't make it two feet into the room before he sees Satoru prop up on his bed with hateful, exacting eyes. 'Those sheets are ruined now.', he internalizes with disgusted thoughts of using those after the silver shaman touched them. Suguru doesn't have to look at Naoya to know he wears more or less the same expression; he doesn't doubt it for a second. When his vision takes to Elska again though as he walks towards her and Toji, he struggles to peel his eyes away from her tight little gym outfit. 'She is not making this easy.', but he understands that she doesn't realize what kind of training they will be doing. He could clear it up for her but then she would have to change and if Getou's being honest, that just doesn't seem necessary.
Elska can feel Suguru's eyes lingering. She wishes he would stop before the others become aware of it too. 'Please let there not be problems…for once!', she begs the sky that's somewhere above.
Gojo grinds his teeth, becoming extremely territorial over the way Getou gawks at her. He nudges Naoya to point out that this is exactly what he was talking about.
The Zenin's whole demeanor rearranges as he stomps over to the Titer. Elska puts a hand out to stop him from closing the distance to Getou but he gently grabs it and tells her, "Baby, I'm not going to do anything, I just have something I want to say." He now darts his glowing eyes to Suguru, "If you harm her in any way Getou, there will be no stopping the repercussions.", Naoya narrows his eyes but keeps his temper in check, "I don't like you. I certainly do not trust you. Do not touch her. Don't even thiiiiink about touching her. Toji is going to remain here. He will definitely fucking kill you if you try anything stupid." Naoya then points his finger at Elska with conviction and with his deep voice, adds, "I still owe you from before and it's taken every ounce of decency in me to not rip your fucking heart out. Know that I am the one waiting for the perfect opportunity to do so." His fangs inadvertently form as he remembers the scenario in his disdain.
Gojo gets a chill from the Zenin's darkened presence, wondering if that also came to be from being turned. His interest in the matter compels him to mentally note the changes in order to help speculate on what could become of himself and is hoping it will help ease Elska's anxieties over exacting her violet violence. He's taken out of his thoughts though as Getou prepares to respond.
Suguru takes a deep breath, burying the harsh truth that he actually feels intimidated by Naoya's display. 'He's not going to be easy to beat either if things go south…', regretting that there's no denying it. Being reminded of his atrocities towards Elska again rocks him a little too but he does his best to maintain composure. "No harm will come to her, little Naoya.", is all he says, not wanting to provoke any of them and draw this out. Taking advantage of the cleanly cut conversation, Getou looks over to Toji and Elska and outstretches a hand towards the door, "Shall we get started?"
Elska nods but first walks over to Naoya to say goodbye. Still in alpha mode, the Zenin slips his tongue into her mouth and hums gratifyingly while running a hand through her hair. She feels herself blush in reaction to her prince's serious yet alluring expression and feels a trace of her pheromones forming.
Naoya smirks at his ability to still get her. Sensing her developing affliction, he admirably decides to pull back, not wanting her to release the scent in front of Getou, "I love you baby. If you need anything, call. We will not be long though.", and pecks her on the forehead while eyeing Toji, 'Do not let your guard down.', he thinks to the giant cousin.
She now walks over to Satoru on the bed but he's actively avoiding her, "Sati? Are you mad at me?"
Gojo is indeed pissed over the whole situation but he's stuck on Naoya telling Elska to call, 'He knows we don't have service down here…', pondering on what they could mean. He thinks to ask Naoya in a few once their alone but brings his eyes to Elska, "I'm mad about everything, love, I do not like this.", and glances at Suguru with a scowl.
Elska forces him into a hug, not wanting to leave on a bad note, "Sati, please…it's going to be alright!" He finally puts his arms around her which makes her smile, "Thank you, my sweet Sati.", and she kisses the top of his head before letting go.
Suguru feels like every second he's forced to watch this, he loses a fragment of his hope. He glares at the wall and pretends none of it is happening, wishing it wasn't until he catches Toji suspiciously eyeing him. Put on edge, Getou straightens up and eerily slips back into his persona knowing that witnessing this nauseating scene is almost over anyways but he can't help but fear what Toji's telling eyes scream. Suguru refrains from smiling when she walks back towards them but knows that his expression likely gives him away still. Nervously, he opens the door to fresher air with a new lease on the day as he listens to Elska and Toji follow.
Gojo falls back onto the bed, sighing miserably as he listens to Naoya's grievances over everything.
The Zenin says, "He's a twisted fuck, I'm telling you. He laughed while tearing her wing out Gojo…laughed."
Satoru grunts, "Trust me, loverboy, I'd prefer him dead as well…" He takes a deep breath and stretches him arms against the sheets, causing his hands to tuck under the pillows, "He'd make for a nice throw rug..."
"What the fuck is wrong with you, Gojo?", Naoya's face scrunches.
Satoru rolls his eyes but while shifting, his fingers brush something foreign so he grasps it and pulls out for examination. Narrowing his eyes, Gojo begrudgingly scans the hair tie while whispering, "Love…you never wear your hair up.", while knowing someone who always does. "Fucking Getou.", Satoru scornfully mumbles under his breath. Now he definitely doesn't want to leave, not understanding what this could mean. To his dismay though, Naoya is already wanting to head out so he grins and bears it, hoping to get this over with quickly. 'Suguru Getou has to die…what the fuck is this doing in here?! Would my love really...'
--------------------------
Elska and Toji follow Suguru down to lower levels of the compound and into a big, warmly decorated Dojo. The floors are a rich dark wood, with the walls matching but mostly covered by large canvas paintings that leave her in awe. She zeros in on one near her that depicts a samurai up swinging his katana, admiring the detail in its design. Backing away, Elska notices that although the paintings are all different and display various things and pallet color schemes, there's a consistency with the style. She spins around to see the other wall behind her and excitedly states, "This artist is amazing!"
Suguru's heart soars upon hearing the excitement in her compliment. He watches Elska tug on Toji to share in her admiration but becomes increasingly shy and doesn't know how to tell her that he's actually the creator.
Elska turns towards him and excitedly pries, "You have to tell me who this is so I can buy some art too! I can already imagine some hanging in the livingroom...ooooh and in bathroom!"
"Well, uhh...you might be in luck...", Getou bashfully begins explaining, feeling the heat in his cheeks from embarrassment but before he can trip over his dilemma further, Genghis suddenly walks in and beats him to a response.
"Ahhhh, Lady Oda, so I see you've taken a liking to Master Suguru's paintings?", Genghis masterfully pretends like he's shocked, knowing plenty well that Getou's talents hardly knows bounds. He perceives Elska's face morph into bewilderment as she turns towards the true head and sheepishly asks, "You made these?!!"
Toji stretches out his neck, disliking her reaction but is unable to deny the fact that Getou is genuinely skillful so he offers, "They're nice, even I'll admit.", not wanting to seem like a dick. Thwarted by the Titer's artistic abilities, the giant reaches down and lightly grabs Elska's fingertips, wanting to remind her that she needs to not be swept away by the enigma in front of them. He better than most understands that Getou has been changing but still can't fully trust his intentions, he may never be able to. With unease tickling his senses, Toji turns towards Genghis, "So about their training, what does this consists of?"
Suguru darts his eyes over to Elska but becomes startled when that shows that she's already look at him. He doesn't keep his vision on her long but can definitely see that's she's in disbelief over the art, anyone could sense her gears turning. Orienting towards Toji and Genghis, Getou straightens his posture and maintains will power for the sake of not setting off alarms.
Genghis states, "We will be strengthening both of their minds. Master Suguru is hardly one to need my assistance with these exercises but I will remain with them in case needed. He will be able to synchronize and guide her through the process and exercise her mind which will save us a great deal of time.", but he casually walks over to the giant, "There's someone who is asking to speak with you though Toji…it's Sachiko."
Elska feels the twisting of Toji's presence and squeezes his hand for support. When he twists to her with a heavy, guilt-riddled expression, she brings both hands around his and says, "My beloved, I completely understand if you want to see her… it may be good for you both!" His emerald eyes seem to relax a little but she can tell he's debating inside so she thinks to him, 'I will be okay, Toji, please…I want you to feel better. It's not wrong for you to still be worried about her…'
Toji knew that Elska would likely push for him to find closure and although he loves that she's so selfless, he has his reservations about leaving her alone. "My staying behind was a thing so you wouldn't be left unattended, doll…"
Suguru chimes in, "You can feed from me and decide for yourself if I am a danger…", pulling down his collar and turning his head. When Toji fails to say anything, Getou internally sighs knowing that was risky bluff. Getou plans of course, not to hurt Elska but he wouldn't be able to hide the temptations coursing through his veins.
Elska hugs Toji from behind and mumbles, "It's up to you, beloved; there's no pressure either way.", and smiles when she feels his strong hands clasping over her own. He removes her arms from around him though and turns in her direction to say, "Doll, I will not be long alright?", and leans down to kiss her while thinking, 'I love you, too.'
Sain appears as if this was timed and announces that he will lead Fushiguro to where Sachiko is located.
"Fuck...", the giant groans with uncertainty as he has no idea how to even act around Sachiko, nor what to do; what to think, "Alright. I'll be back." Toji keeps his eyes on Elska as he walks away until he's made to turn around and leave out the door.
Genghis interrupts the silence to cheerfully state, "There are a few things I forgot to gather so I will be back in just a moment!", lying through his teeth but wanting to give Suguru a chance to engage in privacy with her before they begin.
Elska holds her breath as Temujin leaves the room, slowly bringing her eyes to Getou with apprehension as the physical tension between them is far from being deniable. His hungry but calmed eyes stare into her deeply; she can feel their invasive curiosity as they search her. 'Okay…maybe I should've asked what would've been appropriate to wear…', she thinks to herself, finally taking Satoru and Naoya's concerns to heart.
Getou decides to walk over to her slowly, eating up her display of panicked vulnerability that intensifies the closer he gets. He can't help himself so when he reaches her, he tucks some loose hair behind her ear and asks, "So, what do you want me to paint for you?", sincerely radiating from her interest. He chuckles kindly when her eyes grow with excitement but then she obviously checks herself so they shrink and dull out. When her eyes dart to the left with insecurity, he brushes his thumb over her lips and sighs, "I'm not trying to seduce you Elska. Please, relax…"
She gulps before shooting serious eyes to him, "Then why does it feel like you are?", and walks away toward the wall, sliding her back down against it until she's in a comfortable pout on the floor. She hears him walking towards her and tries to convince herself that she doesn't care but when he kneels in front of her bent legs, she yelps to him pushing himself between her knees. Looking up at him, she shivers to how he towers over her, making her feel so small and weak even while knowing she's likely the stronger one.
"Elska...", Suguru dances his fingertips atop her kneecaps to combat the remorseful air, "If I were trying, something tells me we wouldn't still be here." Before her glare evolves to violence, Getou harmlessly snickers and quickly shuts her legs again in front of him before grabbing her hands and pulling her to her feet. "See? I'm not going to make you do anything, little one…", and cradles her into his body. He feels her arms trembling against him but becomes relieved when she settles and tenderly clings to the back of his robes. He closes his eyes and rests his chin over her head while using a hand to rub her shoulder blades, unable to contain his need to brush along her smooth skin. When she pushes against him to create a little distance, he releases her with haste but tilts her chin up towards him. Her wide, tortured eyes feign many signs of discontent but he proceeds to bend his neck in order to ghost his lips over hers while whispering, "Don't worry...I am a man of patience…"
Elska doesn't mean to but a whimper escapes as Suguru breaks her rules. 'Why? Why is this so penetrating?', she wonders with tearing eyes, wishing she had the strength to push him away or run and not care to look back. She doesn't though. Getou was already occupying a small part of her mind before last night happened but ever since then, his presence blares off sirens within her soul like she's tainted with the need to relish in the forbidden waltz. When he's done with his psychological warfare, she watches him posture upright but he trails his fingertips from her chin, lowering down to her throat where he gently mimics having a strangling hold. Elska can only sharply inhales to the rush of desire that spawns but relaxes when it's clear he isn't planning on fixing his hand there, eventually placing his palm over her heart.
Suguru feels her racing pulse and for petty reasons, asks her in a seductive tone, "Do you intend to keep lying about how I make you feel, Elska?", with a haughty smirk.
She squints her eyes and knocks his hand away angrily, "YES!", she yells but slightly covers her mouth upon comprehending her admittance to pretending her feelings did not exist. Getou quickly takes up the swatting hand and places it on his chest. Elska furrows her brow when she feels his own rapidly beating heart and turns her head to the floor in frustration.
"That's fine, little one, but I do not plan on living a lie.", he informs her before letting her wrist go completely. He didn't mean to make her so upset but he's almost unable to help himself ever since their shared evening only hours before. He strolls a few feet away to give her a moment to collect herself but when she remains silent, he nervously pulls a gift out of his pocket and outstretches his arm in her direction. "I made this for you…", he shyly states, all of his confidence evidently dissipating.
Elska looks up after wiping her eyes and cautiously holds out her hand to take the beautiful metal rose. It's familiarity stings her with warmth as her eyes find their way to his, "So that was you?", she asks while remembering the similar one that was on her pillow back at the dorms. "…Suguru…", she says sweeter than she expected to, "It's the prettiest flower I've ever seen, thank you." She wraps her fingers around the stem, blushing to how forward he's being.
Getou smiles and feels more at ease now knowing that Elska seems to genuinely love it but he nearly ruins it when his hands begin untying his robes to hang at his waist which causes her to redden and become a flustered, stiff twig. Suguru chuckles to this but continues before removing his black undershirt from himself so he can drape it around her shoulders, "Our training won't be physical. I should've said something earlier but I couldn't bring myself to do so because of how cute you looked…"
Elska emotionally giggles as she takes his long sleeve and puts her arms through it, loving how warm it is and even the way it smells of rich oak. He steps away from her again to look her over but she can't help but notice the glint of lust that sparkles in his dark gaze for only a second. She glances down her body and understands why, 'It looks like I'm only wearing his shirt…Greeeaaat…', but isn't really annoyed, instead rather touched that he would fess up like that. Suguru turns his head to the door seconds before Genghis walks back through it and straightens his stance as if to hide his romanticism.
Genghis looks at the rose in Elska's hand and sighs proudly, knowing that his little pupil is all grown up now and behaving rather dashingly. He also raises an inconspicuous eyebrow to Elska's appearance with Getou's shirt swallowing her whole and innocently thinks, 'Yep, definitely cute. I'll be surprised if he has any defenses to combat that.' Once getting closer, he instructs them to organize near the far wall where the floor is matted. Genghis begins taking out small red candles from a low black colored cupboard and places them in a large circle and begins lighting them. "Alright you two, step inside.", he vocally guides with a smile, ignoring Getou's expression that would lead to his pupil inquiring about the candles. He wants to say, 'I know they're not necessary but I have purpose for doing this little one, just go with it…', but thinks it to himself instead.
Elska looks up at Suguru's invigorated eyes as he nods and enters the circle. Once he's inside of it, he holds a hand out which Elska takes, successfully ambulating in and avoiding starting a fire. She stands next to the tall Titer and proceeds to feels anxious as their immediate area reminds her of a vague ceremonial matching, ' But where am I getting that from?', she wonders, not being able to pinpoint why this feels so familiar.
"Lady Oda, I advise that you two maintain some form of physical contact through this, it will ensure the health of connectivity." She nods wearily so he explains, "Every living creature emits frquency waves and these waves lead to the path of that creature's brain's, conscious thought." He watches Suguru's fingers bending in a way to search for Elska's hand but pretends like he's unaware to keep her from getting uncomfortable. "What we will be doing today is exercising your path, strengthening it so that you can not only have hopes of regaining memories but also so Master Suguru can become acquainted with your waves. If there's ever a time where you lose control of that other side, he should be able to help you regain the wheel by entering your mind."
Elska looks up to Suguru who is still watching Genghis, slowly lowering her neck while thinking, 'He'll be able to see inside of my head?!', becoming apprehensive by what he'll find, especially in regards to him. 'I guess I can't lose control anymore then…', she determines with absolute resilience, lifting her gaze and becoming doubtless. "I understand.", she says with a confident nod.
"Lady Oda.", Genghis iterates, "When you enter our realm, some things will be confusing upon first sight so please, remember to keep calm. It's a very different experience than in this physical realm but you will have Master Suguru with you so you have nothing to worry about."
Suguru cracks a smile at Elska's subtle change in demeanor, dying to get this going so he can begin to understand her better. They're instructed to sit in a meditative way, which they heed and place their backs against each other while he still holds her fingers near her hip. He's terribly anxious in the best of ways but there is the underlying concern. 'I hope she doesn't struggle too much with this…' he thinks while comprehending this can easily become dangerous if he's not attentive.
Elska follows the directions of relaxing and clearing her mind which is usually busy with multiple thoughts at once. After a few minutes of forced stillness though, she begins to notice energy all around her that she wasn't aware of before. Genghis must see this because he tells her, "That's good! You can already sense what we call, time's remnants.", which makes her proud but she refocuses and continues to fall into a peaceful state.
It's almost as if everything in the large area fades and with it comes heavy eyelids. A random spark in her temple reconnects her with purpose though and following the opening of her eyes, she feels like a wildly powerful ice-cold gust blows her over but when she looks around, she discovers nothing but absolute darkness.
"What the hell is this?!", Elska's so scared and doesn't understand where Getou or Genghis have gone…or even herself for that matter.
"Hellooooo???!!!", she calls out but doesn't even hear her own echo.
"What is this place?!", she drops to her knees and huddles herself together against the nothingness that acts as the ground, "GET-TOU? Where are you?!"
"Where am I?"
Elska gradually starts crying as she fears she's fallen into some trap; that Suguru somehow for some reason, tricked her. Dark red wings wrap around her and although this shouldn't be the case, she wasn't even aware hers were out. There's a defensive warmth that seeps from them however, along with copious amounts of blood that should frighten her but they're actually the only thing staving off insanity. Oddly coddled by them, Elska sniffles and runs her hands through the feathers but gathers that they're not metal at all nor does blood end up on her hand, leaving her to wonder why that is.
'Did my wings change again?'
They hug her more, her now understanding that regardless of some discrepancies, they will undoubtedly shield her. Abruptly, a streetlight appears which brings her to her feet quickly.
"Wh...what the..."
Fueled by desperation to find answers, Elska tries running towards it but can't even make out if she's getting closer or farther away. Seemingly making zero progress, she eventually stops trying to chase it as the physics she once knew cease to prosper wherever this is.
"HELLO!?", she tries calling out again, fear quickly ramping back up. Almost like a response, the light suddenly travels directly overhead, terrorizing Elska even further as she wide-eyes the simple structure above her head like it's some kind of monster.
'This is so eerie…what does it want?!', but this is when she feels a hand rest on her shoulder and screams horrendously in pure terror.
"Elska…it's okay, it's just me!", Suguru can sense her fear and hugs her immediately, "It took me a while to find you, I'm sorry... I wasn't expecting this." She sobs into his chest while he strokes her hair with regret. 'Why didn't we arrive together?', he wonders, wishing she'd never had to endure this mind-breaking level by herself.
He's been searching for Elska much longer than she's been awake but he assumes that she's been left here alone in the dark for at least a while. When she seems to calm down some, he pulls away to see her face, noticing her mind's eye appearance with astonishment. She's covered in scars, deep cavernous ones, a large cluster of them already having formed over her heart but branching outwards like hardened veins across her abdomen. Splinters of them shred her once flawless arms and legs but Getou winces once feeling the crater where he stole her wing. One of Elska's eyes are completely blackened like Choso's when he engages his portal and the other one's fragmented into multiple colors that include red, green, amber, multiple different shades of dark brown and even an ice blue. Strange maroon wings float near her but they aren't attached and they are doused in blood, dripping an evaporating pool by her feet. Suguru can't help but think that she's still beautiful though, like an abstract piece of art that should be displayed for everyone's temperamental benefit.
Completely missing her own changes, Elska gasps when she sees Getou's chest since it looks like he's suffered severe burns. "Oh my God, are you okay!?", she panics and touches them lightly, perplexed by his lack of pain and the stiff scarring. They're arranged in patches along his skin, some so deep that they show adipose tissue and muscle, "Suguru…" But then, she looks down and notices that they're both nude and shrieks into a panic when she witnesses the state of her own body. As she's dropping to the floor though, Getou catches her and picks her up to allow her some security which she immensely needs
"Shhh…it's okay, nothing has happened to us. This is merely the perception of ourselves manifested." She wraps her arms around his neck and buries her face as he continues to try and console her. Trying to be funny, he jokes, "Not too long ago I was here but I was stuck in my childhood body. Do you know how frustrating that was? I was tripping all over my clothes and felt like I was going insane!" She peeks her marvelous mismatched eyes up to him so he makes a silly face, "I'm not kidding, I lost my shit and was so disoriented that I didn't even recognize where I was!", and chuckles when a trembling smile appears on her lips.
"What is this place, Suguru? I don't know if I like it…", she keeps her face rested against his shoulder, fearing that if she moves, she'd lose him and be alone. He places a side kiss onto her head and picks her up as he starts to walk them but she can't tell which direction they're going or if they're even really moving at all. 'Is that streetlamp going to follow us?', she ponders while feeling conflicting emotions of fear of it yet acceptance by it.
"This the Final Stage. It's an overlapping dimension to the world we live in. It's hard to explain but everything you know is merely the shadow, or a hologram of another plane of existence."
Elska's jaw drops, "What???"
Suguru chuckles, "Ever looked into quantum physics?"
"Not really? No?"
Getou's happily holding the role of a scholar, "We'll have to sit down one day to discuss it because it's a pretty vast topic but you've traveled through Choso's portal, right? It's similar to his realm of shadows and that I say that out loud, I now imagine there's a door to that lying around here somewhere. It's weird but the two places are reallllly similar."
Elska asks him if the being is nearby but he says, "I don't' thinks so…but he seems to have knowledge of this dimension which I wasn't aware of before. No one other than us Titers and those of higher dimension should know of it's existence but life is also constant with change..." Elska snuggles into his arms more which makes him feel like her protector, layering him with a type of strength that feels rather foreign. To his surprise, he then watches a patch of burns on his left bicep disappear and his eyes secretly widen as he considers how she's truly helping him heal internally, 'It's not purely physical…', he surmises with disbelief. "You know Elska, we synced easily. I wasn't sure if you were going to be able to do it but you succeeded without even trying."
She looks up to him, "Really? I didn't know…is that why we're here?"
Getou grins and responds, "Yep. I was looking for you in other levels; there are typically stages you have to navigate through to get here."
Elska doesn't know how to feel about that as she's never done anything like this before and doesn't exactly understand what that means. She glosses her eyes over Suguru's confident expression and feels completely safe while he carries her through nowhere. "What do we do now?"
"Well, our training was supposed to be preparing you for this point but we've already made it. I thought maybe we could learn each other more though while we're here though. There are some things that I wish to show you and other things I wish to see." Suguru feels energy from to his left and abruptly turns towards it while saying, "Elska, this may be upsetting for you but it would seem that Gojo doesn't even recall...but I want you to know that we speak the truth…"
Elska turns her head when she senses a randomly appearing window and witnesses Genghis strapped down to an operation table-like set up through it.
"I only show you this so you can understand..."
But Elska shrieks abhorrently while watching the younger version of her sweet Sati break back the Titer's rib cage all while Genghis seems to be able to feel it. "Oh my God…", she whispers under her breath, "Why?! WHAT IS THIS?! How?", she demands to know while feeling Suguru's arms firmly hold her.
"He's killed many of my clan Elska, I still to this day have no idea why. You do know that my goal is to avenge everyone by ending him?" Suguru wanted to take that truth back as soon as it left his lips since these days, hearing her cry upsets him deeply. She's continuously jerking around in his hold as to try and escape the stark, horrendous truth but he stoically forces her to bear witness for the sake of understanding, whispering, "I'm sorry for making you see this, little one..." Finally, they reach the point in the scene where Genghis passes away while looking right at them both, leading to Satoru's frenzied stabbing fit. Elska now callously fights his arms, not wanting to see anymore so Suguru concedes and carries her away back into the nothingness.
Elska quietly sobs, horrified by what she just saw and having to understand that Gojo was really that awful at one point but restlessly seethes, "I won't let you hurt him Suguru." She's aware of Gojo's violence and strong stomach though so she doesn't understand why Getou would make her see that. "I don't fear Sati…and he's not that man anymore!", a cry she assumed would be brushed aside but to her surprise, Getou sighs and agrees which makes her feel like maybe he won't enact those horrible plans on her lover.
Eager to change the subject, Suguru glances over to his right, noticing that her unattached wings are still floating near them and asks, "What is going on with those?", half amused by how strange they are.
"I don't know...and I don't know why they're that color..."
They were merely just bleeding but they begin to pulsate out a small dark force that makes Suguru stop walking as it's presence creeps through his body. He gets that they're likely a mental creation of hers but the more he studies them, the more concerned he becomes.
"Elska, I need to put you down for a second…something's off here."
Getou regretfully feels her apprehension but carefully lowers her anyway, using his hands to push her behind him as he approaches the continuously bleeding wings. While harshly examining them, something forms out of the blood, a man like figure that animatedly ticks as if it's connection to praxis is poorly made, "Elska, this blood is energy…and its coming from somewhere…" When he reaches out to touch the mysterious feathers to further study, a man-like silhouette snatches Getou's hand and instantly crushes it, shearing bone fragments out of his skin to float around them.
"SHIIIT!! HOWW???!!"
Suguru recognizes the wicked face that forms out of shadow but is not acquainted with this ominous wrath he exacts. He belts out a roar of pain when the ominous figure attempts to do it again and turns to Elska, "GET OUT OF HERE NOW!" , but she releases a blood curdling scream and expresses that she doesn't know how.
"SUGURU!! WH- AHHHHHH!!!!"
Getou's eyes land back to Elska right as he feels his chest become pierced from the back and dazedly stares down and perceives the shadowy hand hanging out of him and coughing up blood which only makes Elska more hysterical.
'N-no no, NO!', Suguru strains to look up at Elska once he understands that he's going to have to do something horrible to save them. With his remaining strength, he launches towards her and tackles her into the weightless, black air. The shadow and wings race over to them as hands erupt from the presence and aim for Elska, electrifying his adrenaline. With vengeance and confusion wrapping his mind, Getou draws Elska's screaming form close, making sure she can't witness anything before it closes in, whispering, "Don't lo-ok. It will be over soon…", and bellows out his horror as he's forced to crush them both with gravity.