I BET YOU DIDN'T KNOW THAT I WAS 『DANGEROUS』

Chris had her attention on her surroundings, hoping that, even if Aspros didn’t seem to bother, no one would come anytime soon. She was ready to fight, but that did not mean she actually wanted to.

“Huh?”

Her aqua eyes met his, and even after his first statement, she couldn’t help but display a small smile.

“I didn’t really have any doubt that you could do anything without me.” Why, to be honest, she wasn’t quite thinking straight before acting. But her response was still genuine. She was well acquainted with Aspros’ strength. 

“However… once I felt your… cosmo fading, I knew what was happening, and I wanted to do anything in my power to help… even if it’s not much.” Chris looked down at her small palms, and her lips stretched further in a brighter smile. “So it’s not a matter of you requiring my help, but a matter of… a desire of mine, to help you. It’s a pleasure to be able to be useful to you.”

At his apology, she couldn’t help but smile even more, touched by his gesture. It seemed to be a rare one, and she would cherish it.

“I’m happy you seem to be feeling a bit better.”

“That’s flattering, but I don’t think you have a clue what you’re getting yourself into,” Aspros huffed, leaning over a bit to meet her gaze. “Do you remember what I told you? That good and evil have no meaning to me… that I’ll do whatever is necessary, be whatever I need to be, in order to accomplish my goals?”

Although her situation had struck a chord in Aspros, Chris’ heart was still much different from his own. He’d heard it, clear as a bell, when he’d ripped her deepest desires from her throat. She didn’t want to hurt people. She didn’t want to be a Spectre. She wanted both her sister and herself to live on, despite the hardships.

Feelings like that felt very distant to Aspros now.

As soon as Chris felt the muscles of Aspros’ hand relaxing beneath her touch, she looked up with her teary eyes surprised at seeing that at last, she had been able to soothe his anger. His wicked appearance remained, but at least his expression seemed more like one of his former self.

A soft smile contoured her lips and she eagerly nodded at his words whilst she looked at him. Chris went swiftly to look for the seal Aspros spoke of, not admired by the torture instruments she saw in that place. 

The seal, in the end, was a small and silvery object which possessed the format of a snake, and that glimmered with that dark aura which she had seen before. It was the kind of specters used as their source of power. It was embedded amidst the stones, and it wasn’t that evident between the crack of the stones. But once found, it didn’t seem to be so resistant, therefore it was easy to destroy, even to an inexperienced person like her.

Chris quickly returned to where Aspros was, and she looked a tad concerned.

“It was enveloped by a dark aura.” She said, visibly a tad weary. “I hope it won’t serve like an alarm, or anything of the sort.”

Aspros was able to easily tear the door of the cell off its hinges when he felt the power of the seal fade. He pushed back his hair and stepped out, trying to get his bearings. Dying and ending up in this place were all an uncertain blur in his memories. He could still feel his mind pulling itself back together, even if the anger remained below the surface.

“Don’t worry about it. If they know, let them come. My intention wasn’t to hide.”

He let himself focus on Chris properly for the first time. It struck him just how surreal it was to see her there in the underworld. She’d certainly grown.

His eerie laugh that echoed in the decaying walls of that building brought a shiver to run down across her spine, but she still didn’t let go of his hand. It was like Aspros was possessed by an evil spirit, one that perhaps was part of him. Chris didn’t know him enough to tell, but she wouldn’t leave without trying to help him til the last moment, either.

Aspros’ words weren’t taken into account, for it was clear he wasn’t himself now. Her only choice would be to try to reason with his insanity to bring his former self back.  That was why she was there, after all; to bring him back. Now in more than one single way.

“You don’t have to fit in anywhere, Aspros. There is no one else here, but me.” Chris’ voice was low in comparison to his, a gentle whisper, a soft breeze in the middle of a hurricane, as she remained looking into his reddish and disturbed eyes that were filled with rage. Her fingers tightened their hold around the Gemini’s tensed hand, and a faint portion of her cosmo poured, involving her grip on his hand. Maybe like this, his own cosmo would remember hers, and that would aid him into retrieving his consciousness. 

“I came to help you. I don’t… I can’t let you die like this. Please come back to your senses.” She plead. “We can go anywhere then, you’ll be free.” Or so she hoped. “Please, Aspros. I beg you.”

The gentle seep of her cosmos brought a sense of familiarity to her touch, and Aspros remembered it then-- a similar situation, Chris holding his hand while her tears dripped into his palm. How can I be someone more like you?

You’ll be free.

Although his anger faded, her words had a bitter taste. In reality, he was in the exact place that fate had planned for him, despite his best efforts to divert it. The prophets had read his future exactly as it had played out. There was still work to be done, but Aspros’ priorities had shifted, somewhat.

After a moment of silence, he calmly canted his head down to meet her eyes, black hair falling over his shoulder.

There was something different about him, and she couldn’t pinpoint what it was exactly, but she was certain that the man was Aspros, regardless. Even if he didn’t seem like himself. And she noticed that quite well when he came into the light that would pass through the rocks that composed that decaying building, illuminating faintly part of the cell Aspros was stuck in.

She jumped back with a gasp stuck in her throat and fear in her eyes at his action, covering her mouth not to let out a louder sound. By any means, she couldn’t draw any unwanted attention. Chris observed him with care and fright, but even then she attempted to be firm. Even if glimmering pools of tears wouldn’t stop gathering together in her eyes.

‘What have they done to you, Aspros…’

“I-… I didn’t came to mock you!” She replied as promptly as she could, confused, with her silver eyebrows furrowed slightly. “You… you don’t remember who I am?” Chris wasn’t counting with that possibility, but Aspros looked visibly disturbed. Like a shadow of his former self, one that was nothing like him. It shook her juvenile heart.

“I am… Chris, Aspros. Remember, now?” She forced a soft smile, resting her smaller hands atop of one of his tightened fists. Maybe it was a dangerous move, but in the very place she was, she had little to nothing to lose. “You… saved me many times before. I’m your friend. Do you recall that?”

Whatever happened to Aspros went beyond her understanding, but she was there to help him. And she would keep up with it, even if she had no idea what exactly she was dealing with.

Chris?

For a second his mind seemed to catch on to a thread-- he wondered what she was doing here-- but then it was lost when anger started to consume him again with such ferocity that he could feel himself shake with it.

“A friend? Don’t make me laugh!” He actually did laugh, but it was harsh and without humor. “If you think that, then you were fooled! I’ve played the part plenty of times, so that’s no surprise. But you have no idea who I really am or what I’m capable of, do you?”

No, because they’d all rather he were someone else. Someone good. In the end, he was absolutely despicable, but at least he acknowledged that, embraced it even. He didn’t need to justify himself to anyone, that way.

Even in death, the place between Aspros’ ribs where Defteros had punched through seemed to ache; it felt difficult to pull air into his lungs, if he even needed to breathe. For some hours, maybe days, he’d been listening to the soft patter of water dripping on stone. His head was pounding. It hurt to think too much. Every time he did, he was overcome with an uncontrollable sort of rage, a feeling of betrayal, that made it more difficult to breathe or even see straight.

In the beginning, he’d had visitors to wherever he was being “held”, but his apparent volatility had scared them away quickly. Even now, the stone floor around his body was partially destroyed, blown away by a particularly strong burst of ill-contained cosmos. Even if the underworld’s restraints were a tight bond that made his power feel strained, he could escape if he wanted to. But he couldn’t focus his mind enough to do much of anything, not now.

There was a lot of information floating around in his brain, but he couldn’t piece it all together to make a clear picture of who he was or what he was doing. It was mostly feelings, unpleasant things. Anger. Hatred? Something so strong it made him feel sick.

Then, someone said his name-- something unusual here. Aspros finally looked up, red eyes glinting in the shadows. His gaze didn’t sharpen into anything like recognition, however. And why would it? If there was one thing he was certain of, there was no one in this world that was a friend to him.

He pulled himself to his feet, but it seemed to take some amount of effort. He walked right up to the bars and gripped them in his fists, ignoring the way electricity sparked around his hands, the power of a seal. The way she spoke to him was annoying, like they were friends, like he should be glad to see her, like he needed her help. He wasn’t that naive.

“… Do you think I’ve slept since I arrived here?” he asked, lips pulling back in an unsettling sort of grin. “Get out of my sight before I lose my temper again. I’m not in the mood to be mocked.”

“Feelings? No, not really. I’m more interested to know how your mind works rather than how you felt before those unfortunate events. And I’m not so disappointed with what I heard - not that much, at least.”

“I told you that I am not the kind of man who asks, but if you want to kiss me so badly, I won’t stop you. Unless you do a poor job, that is – which then would, indeed, be an immense disappointment.”

“Am I really that difficult to grasp? I follow my own whims and desires rather than those of anyone else. That’s all. I would think that someone like you should be able to understand that...”

He leans close as he says it, touching fingers to the bottom of Minos’ jaw and angling his face. He drops his voice an octave when he speaks again, breath against Minos’ lips.

“A man with desires like you... Do you want me to kiss you? Or perhaps... you just want me to want you.”

He presses his thumb to Minos’ mouth and winks before he pulls back again.

“No, they respect me enough to know that I will be the one to judge you when the time comes. In any case, I always have the last word…”

“I suppose I will be the one to judge that, sooner or later.”

“Interesting justification… I do not completely disagree with it. It makes some sense, I guess. More than helping her out of the ‘purity’ of your heart.”

grybasileus:

“You will find out soon enough if you remain here til my patience wears out, crab Saint.”

“Crush? Well, now that is an interesting fact. I can understand your reluctance to return to the Sanctuary, then, especially since my company is not only more pleasant, but also more attractive than the likes of Athena’ Saints, naturally, as we can well observe…”

Oh, so that is how it was going to be.  He can see how this is. 

“…heh…heh…” If there is anything that Manigoldo learned from his experiences when it came to harassing others, it was best to not give any sort of attention.

Minos’ comments could go to hell. So can Aspros’s. By now Manigoldo knew that by barking back, it would only encourage them. Swiftly, Manigoldo lifted a heel and glided out of their triangle, turning to the horizon of dulled colors gazing over yonder..

“Why, I am a simple man. Personal level, you say? I wonder how. Clarify that for me, if you will. You got both my attention and my curiosity, now.”

grybasileus:

“Did he come to take you back to the Sanctuary? My, Athena’ Saints never fail to amaze me. He may feel free to do it, far from my domain.”

“Get your ego out of your ass, Aspros! I came here for me, myself, and I! And where’s your name to show it’s yours, you poodle-reject? I don’t see it.”

“And yet here is all of you here in our company...

“Very well, I do have a question. I eventually came to understand your rebellion towards the Sanctuary, however… there is something amidst it that never quite made sense to me. Why did you choose to protect that little girl from Lord Hades’ influence til the end? Please, do not tell me it was the task assigned to you. As you said yourself, you will answer me truthfully, and I want a honest response.”

“Oh, rewarded…? I am listening…” 

“…”

“… You are almost as good looking as I am. How does that sound to you?”