You Always Build It Better the Second Time Around

Chapter 20 - Trust (Me With The Truth)

A/N: For this first scene, I was so tempted to use the Shisha no Teikoku thing when Friday said that if he senses a soul, he'd tap the pen twice to Watson's nose. That scene was so heart-breaking and adorably sad.

...

Nikolai has taken a liking to me, allowing me to watch for a few hours the experiments during the day. Yu isn't the only one who's being experimented on. It's been less than a month since being here, and despite what Nikolai originally told us, today he tells us he's decided to not let the other familiars go to waste. Instead of only having Yu and creating him into a tool, he's playing and dancing with taboos to destroy the contract between the familiars and their gods.

Yu's contract with me is different. There's a 50/50 chance Nikolai will destroy our contract, too, or just place Heaven's Crown within him that Nikolai alone controls, who will also control Yu no matter how strong his emotions toward me are, nor my emotions toward him.

I'm watched closely while I'm in here, and so are the others who were allowed in here to see their familiars and share the bad news that they're being used, too, for experiments. Nikolai will have an over-powered group of familiars not his own, putting even Goddess Inari's title to shame. He's going to change all of these beautiful beings of such unique and beautiful origin, into tools and objects of the apocalypse of the realms.

Yu is housed in another room through the door right across from this room on the other side of the corridor. He's rested upon a small white bed along the wall in the corner of the large room. One side seems to be a living space, while the other, where the experiments are conducted.

I make sure Nikolai is busy in the other room before kneeling down beside Yu's sleeping body. It's a minute of playing with his hair later when his eyes slowly open, though just barely. He gives a small, breathy laugh, clearly tired and fighting even now the sedative. His body must be becoming immune to it's effects, if even just barely and ever so slowly. "Hello, Casanova."

I muster up a reassuring smile, though I have nothing to reassure him of at the moment. The only way we get out of here is if he gives in to Nikolai and goes through with his experiments, and as much as I hate to admit it, that's the only way to go right now. It doesn't look like any alternative plans are set in motion, even with the heavens most likely searching for us. If Krul's been here over two months and they still haven't found her, we could be here for the rest of our lives, and they probably won't find us in time before the end of the world.

"You don't have to say anything," Yu mutters, blinking away the sleep (or at least attempting to). "You'll probably get onto my back for doing this."

"You're back to normal, I see," I mutter, knowing nothing else to say.

"I'm too tired and irrational right now that even these stupid voices can't deal with me," he chuckles. We sit here, in a comfortable, uncomfortable silence for the next few minutes. "I'm glad I met you, Casanova... Mikaela..."

I smile softly at his words, brushing gently the strands of hair out of his eyes. "And even if you come to hate me..." I lower my forehead against his. "... You'll always be my Seraph."

"Oh, shit. I guess we have to alter the history books. Casanova was gay as hell."

And thus our moment was ruined by his tired-shit-antics.

"Fuck you," I mutter, pulling away, only to have my hand snatched into his. His knuckles turn white with his tight grip around my hand, though he manages to keep that playful smile.

"I'm sure you'd like to, but I'm tired as fuck right now. Plus, I don't think Mr. Insanity would like that very much."

"Well, fuck Nikolai, too."