After she had cried herself out, the next emotion was rage.
Aizawa had been carefully waiting for this and when she leaped to her feet, snarling incoherently, he stood as well.
"Stop." He didn't even bother to raise his voice, nor did he need to. She spun around, ears laid back in fury and her tail fluffed up. Aizawa sighed. This was not going to be easy, but a confrontation had been brewing since he took over.
"Go away," she hissed, unconsciously echoing the statement that had caused her such grief.
"No."
"Damn it!" She flattened herself on the ground, growling, and crawled around the corner of the couch.
Aizawa really did understand cats. He backed up to one side to avoid her pounce and spoke in a mild tone. "Attacking me won't do any good. I'm only here to help you."
Elly hissed at him again and he saw she was inarticulate with rage. He was the only one she could be angry at without consequences and the one who had started this. He would be her target until they had worked things out. Unfortunately, this seemed to mean a fight. His powers didn't work on demons, but his hair swept upright and his eyes glowed red as he prepared for her attack.
"I don't want to fight you," he told her sincerely as they paced off against each other. "I'm here to protect you from harmful situations. Not create them."
She spat, her fangs showing.
"I mean that, little one," he said quietly. "I tried to talk him out of it. He was adamant about you needing better protection."
This wrenched her out of feral mode enough to scream. "<i>The bastard doesn't want me! No one does!</i>"
"That's it," he nodded. "All right." His hair fell among his shoulders once more as the fire in his eyes died. He stared sympathetically at her and walked forward.
"Go away!"
"No. I'm not going anywhere right now." He bent down, bracing himself for a swipe of claws or, at worst, a nasty bite. She stiffened when he lifted her into his arms but he didn't move. He held her very tight without speaking until she started to shake violently.
"He said he wouldn't leave me," she said at last in a very small voice.
"I can't help what happened or bring him back," he told her firmly. "I can, however, promise you that if I feel like it's time for me to leave, I'll let you know and we can discuss it first."
"Not going to promise me you'll stay?"
"No." He walked back to the couch and sat, placing her on his lap facing him so he could look directly into her eyes. "Things happen. I may get hurt, or I might decide it's time to step down like he did, eventually."
Her ears fell. "I know. No one stays. It's my personal hell."
Aizawa shook his head. "I <i>can</i> promise that if I need to step down I can stay beside you." He hesitated, then looked away, rubbing the back of his neck with one hand. "If you wish it, that is."
Elly pulled back, wiping tears from her eyes and confused. No one had ever offered anything like that to her before. "Are you sure? I - I mean, I'm having problems believing anyone right now. If you leave, why won't it be like Zoro?" Her voice cracked when she spoke his name.
"I'm being honest with my feelings. I don't want to be away from you."
"But - but doesn't that mean he <i>wants</i> to stay away from me? Why doesn't he want to see me? He must have gotten so disgusted with my needs and, I don't know... I am a demon. I'm not very lovable, I guess. It could happen to you, too."
"No." He took a chance and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into an even tighter embrace. "Some people have problems with their emotions. Or other issues. You shouldn't think it's always your fault; that's simply illogical."
"Let me go."
"If you wish." He dropped his arms at once and she stood, looking even more confused.
"I don't know what to think."
"I'm offering - up front -- to become more than he was to you. If you want, or need that."
She swallowed hard and stared at him. "What?"
"You need a lot of care. I want to provide it."
"Oooh, interesting." Neuro stuck his head out of the floor nearby. "Do go on, sir. I've been watching this whole time and you are a fascinating new arrival."
"Bird!" Elly snapped in warning, making as if to punt his head. He dissolved, leaving behind his ghostly chuckle. They waited, and sure enough, he reappeared behind her with a toothy grin.
"What is it you want?" Aizawa asked flatly.
"Oh, ah..." He checked a clipboard he slipped out of his clothing. "Since I set up the little meet and greet with the new security head - namely, you -- there's a few publications that would like to discuss things with you both."
"A few?" She frowned suspiciously.
"Yes. Rumors have been floating around and some folks think that, well... ahem. Change is bad." He towered over Elly, cocking his head.
"Yeah, yeah, I get it." She waved him off. "So set this up."
"Right away!"
No comments:
Post a Comment