LAPIS :Chapter 21:

Marcus is to me as HERA is to Maggie. This guy beats me to the very fringes of what I can handle, before he pulls back. I feel like the mouse being played with by a large, unstoppable feline, trying as hard as I can to fight back, but to no avail.

Although Kasami put it in my contract with Marcus that I'm required to see Maggie for at least three hours a day, it's been removed from his mindset. I haven't seen her for a good five days. Last I recall seeing her, she was wearing her hair shorter than normal, cut to a length which the ends hit the tiniest part of her waist. She had just completed her basic weapons training, and had been excited to be restarting with Hanete the following day. She was happy-

"AGAIN!"

The roar jolts me from my hazed thoughts. I'm lying flat on the stiff matted floor of Marcus' training room. As of last count, this was the 68th time he's had me try to take him by surprise, and I've failed. My limbs feel numb, but my hands are burning, raw from trying to grip at some part of his body. Yet, I still push past the somewhat severe set-backs, and with effort, pull myself back up to a crouching position. My breath is raged, sweat dripping in small streams down my face and chest. I'm perspiring so much that even my hair is damp, causing it to stick randomly to my forehead. Without much thought, I run a hand through it, easily placing it out of the way, but with the negative backlash of the sweat stinging my worked skin.

I look up to see Marcus standing in front of me, his large arms crossed in disapproval as they always are. And that's about it.

Sadly, the last impact has caused my vision to become blurry, so anything else that could be of interest that I could possibly point out is nearly impossible to make out.

Before long, I hear an agitated sigh. I blink a few times, trying to fend off the handicap and sweat. Marcus' face comes into focus, his frown pronounced. In response, I do as best I can to stand up, but it's not long before we both discover that the last hit also took out my coordination and balance. Obviously straightening too fast, I instantly feel dizzy upon standing, so I try to stabilize myself. Instead, I trip over my own feet, met with the side of one of the metal frames in seconds.

I can't see Marcus' reaction, but I can tell you that the pain is something you'd only feel if tackled by a man dressed in steel. My mind shakes in my skull as it bounces off the hard surface, but that's nothing compared to my shoulder. On impact, my right shoulder makes a sharp cracking noise that I never wish to hear again, accompanied by an instant rush of agony through my arm. “ACK!” I grunt out in surprised agony, crumbling against the surface.

"God damn man!" Marcus yells, annoyed, "No one even touched you, and yet, you still manage to shatter your shoulder again!"

Yep, this isn't the first time this has happened to me during training. In fact, this will make a total of eight shattered shoulders. I've also experienced ten shattered tibias, five broken femurs, one fractured humerus, twelve fractured or broken ribs, a broken wrist, and a large amount of bloody noses. Now you're probably asking how the hell I'm still in one god damn piece.

He has me healed after every session.

Honestly, I’m a bit split on how I feel about them doing that. Sure, I appreciate that they heal me so I’m not in pain and can get back to training, but at the same time, I feel like a test dummy. Not to mention, the fact that I’ve had to be healed SO MANY times means that my progress is slow at best. I’m not growing.

"Hannah, he's done," Marcus calls out to a girl on the other side of the room, "Go tell PEARL I need her to heal him."

I grit my teeth in annoyance as I look up at him, still grasping my shoulder in pain as I carefully pull myself up to a somewhat standing position. Marcus looks perplexed by my action for only a split second, before his normal attitude returns. He turns slightly to stare at me straight on, his arms still folded as they always are. "What do you think you're doing, Kid?" Marcus asks, looking annoyed still, but now partly amused.

"What does it look like?" I ask in between breaths, my voice rough, "I'm going again, like you said."

"Kid, you can't fight me with a shattered shoulder. One pull, and I will have you wailing on the floor," he points out, "Besides, I already called quits on you for today-"

"Let's keep going after I'm healed by Beth-" I start.

"PEARL to you, got it?" Marcus instructs, "And no, you're not worth any more of my time today."

"Why not?" I breathe, "I follow all your instructions."

Marcus stops, his eyes widening ever so slightly, before he looks over at Hannah, or as a human would call her, DIAMOND 024. She's one of the most generic types of Jeweloid, so I've been told, but from I've taken so far, she's actually a very nice girl. Though, that doesn't matter at the moment, since Marcus' simple action has caused her to freeze in fright.

Without warning, he lets out an eruption of laughter, holding his gut as he leans. My brow furrows in confusion, unsure how anything I said was comical. "What's so funny?" I question.

Still laughing to himself, Marcus straightens back up, his eyes focused on the ground like he's thinking over whatever it is he finds humorous. Then, he clears his throat, leaving the room in silence for a moment when he stops.

I don't know what happens next.

The next time I open my eyes, I'm staring up at the ceiling, but it's not the training room. It's a medical unit. I shift my gaze around the space as I sit up, finding that it's the room I'm always brought to by Hannah to be healed by Beth, or PEARL. Upon the realization, I touch my shoulder. It's perfectly healed, though sore and bandaged up. My hands are also wrapped up, but as I make simple fists, I find no pain in the movements. I find myself staring at my hands for a bit longer, frustration building with each second that passes. Before long, I can't hold it in. I grunt/yell in aggravation, throwing a punch into the wall the bed is pushed up against. Of course, it's a metal wall, so impact causes a sharp crunch through my fist. I probably just shattered a good part of my hand. Freaking great.

"God dammit! I can't do shit with that guy!" I grunt to myself, "I'd be paralyzed by now if it wasn't for Sally."

I hold in the pain that my hand emanates as I fall back on the bedding. The day's events run through my mind in what feels like an endless stream, each failure weighing even heavier on my conscience. Personally, I'm not sure what he was even expecting me to do to pass that stupid exercise. By now, he should be able to tell I'm not that great with instant strategizing. It's also pretty obvious that I'm not well versed in fighting Jeweloids. So what, did he think I'd suddenly have the ability to flash or something? I don't understand what he thinks this is going to do to actually teach me anything.

If he's even actually trying to teach me anything.

The thought causes all my other wanderings to vanish as I come to the speculation. Could it be possible that he isn't even trying to teach me? Could he be doing this just for his own sick enjoyment? Tension starts to build in me as I continue to question Marcus' true reasons, and thus, my own work.

"How much more can he beat me like this?" I ask myself, starting to run my hand through my hair, but I feel something foreign. It doesn't take me long to access that it's bandages, but it's strange. I don't recall getting hit in the head or anything. Why is it wrapped?

"Just getting up?"

I'm surprised, jolting a bit as I turn, shocked by the sight of Sammy. She wears something similar to warm-ups, though it's tight fitting to her body, following every curve as she leans against the door frame. She wears a warm grin on her face, differing greatly from my current emotional state. As much as I want to put on a smile, I can't seem to make my face crack the current annoyed frown that's set. At the sight, Sammy's countenance cools some, looking a bit concerned. "Well then, isn't that a nice face," Sammy says, "I even brought you a surprise."

My brow furrows in confusion. "Surprise?" I question.

Before I can get a hint, Sammy sighs, looking back as if she's reaching for something. Though, I get my answer soon enough, as Sammy whips her arm around to throw Cent into the room, his face about as shocked as mine. He stumbles a bit, before catching himself on the bed. The action causes a grin to break through on my face, and a short laugh.

Cent smiles as he straightens up. "Glad my pain can bring a smile to your face, Goro," he chuckles.

"You're not hurt, don't whine," Sammy comments with a joking smirk.

Cent grins, looking back at her with pure happiness in his expression. "Would you rather be the one thrown?" he asks jokingly.

Sammy chuckles, the two of them fully engrossed in each other, "I didn't think you were the type to man-handle a lady."

"If it's a bet I will, in good spirits," Cent replies with a widening smile.

"How is a push ever "in good spirits"?" Sammy laughs.

"It depends on the situation-" Cent starts.

"I'm gonna push both of you out if you keep going," I interrupt, slightly annoyed by their obvious flirting. As soon as I pipe in, both of them instantly back off from the other, noticing just how close they had gotten during their cheesy banter. The sight of their faces causes me to crack into laughter as quietly as I can, my mind free of any thoughts that had trapped my conscience only moments earlier. My reaction catches Cent's ear, and his eyes quickly lock on mine with a look instructing me to stop, irritated, but embarrassed. Instead, I burst into laughter, enjoying his dismay.

"Shut it."

I'm silenced by a strong, but odd hit to my nose, catching me off guard as I grasp it. Cent brakes into laughter, amused by the turn in events. I blink a few times, looking up to see Sammy standing in front of me with, one hand on her hip, the other right in front of my face. I guess she's the one that got my nose. I roll my eyes jokingly, causing her to chuckle.

After a moment of light laughter, Cent clears his throat, and sits on the end of my bed. "So, you're still getting the shit beaten out of ya?" he questions.

"Yeah, basically," I chuckle.

Cent sighs, his grin cooling a bit, "Dude, the amount of times I've seen you in a bed like this is unhealthy."

"Then maybe you should stop coming to see me," I comment with a grin.

"I may do it one day, watch me," Cent says, slapping my leg in retaliation.

"So, wanna know what happened?" Sammy chimes in, stepping closer.

The conversation pauses for a moment, all three of us realizing the change in conversation is not one of any happy tones. After it seems we've all braced for it, I respond, "Yes, if you know."

"Well, from what Marcus told me, you apparently said something along the lines of "What's so funny?" and thus, he used flash and gotcha right in the head. Apparently sent you flying a good thirty feet, but you were out as soon as his hand impacted your head, so you probably don't even remember seeing him move to hit you. . . ." she trails, before she finally makes eye contact with me, "Is that correct?"

After a moment, I sigh, and nod, "Yeah, I don't remember anything."

"Ah. . . ." Sammy replies.

"QUARTZ!"

The three of us are surprised as another Jeweloid suddenly barges into the room, making a beeline straight for Sammy. Sammy looks away as soon as she sees her, but her diverting eyes doesn't stop the woman from hastily grabbing her arm and pulling her toward the door. "What makes you think you can suddenly disappear from your duties to abduct human soldiers?!" the woman yells, making it known that Sammy hadn't been given permission to come here.

"Abducted?" I question, looking to Cent.

He looks unhappy, but still stunned at the sudden turn. He sighs, "She came into my sector downstairs and pulled me out. She said that she had heard where you were and said she'd bring me to you as a surprise."

"Didn't you tell the Captain?" I ask.

Sammy shakes her head, "No, I took him out when he wasn't looking."

"If you keep this up, GOLD will have no choice but to put you in the Detention Sector with the rest of the idiots!" the woman yells again, before turning her attention to us, bowing, "I'm sorry for this Jeweloid's behavior. She has forgotten her place."

Cent and I watch in silent anguish as the woman pulls Sammy down with her, having her bow to us as well. ". . . Forgive me for my reckless actions. I beg of your mercy-" Sammy says almost mechanically.

"Stop. I'm not worth bowing to," Cent interrupts, taking Sammy and the woman by surprise, "She did nothing wrong by me, she brought me to see my injured friend who I haven't seen in some time. I'm glad she did it."

Sammy sneaks a grin in reply, which Cent acknowledges with a look I know well. It's brief, so much so that if one was to blink they'd probably miss it, but if one was to catch it, they'd recognize it as one of the most arrogant, but warm flickers of the eyes that anyone would see. Happily, she did in fact catch it, her countenance calming as the woman straightens her, and turns to direct her out the door. I watch as the two keep eyes locked until the last possible moment, when Sammy breaks the gaze as she quickly follows the other Jeweloid. It's at that moment that Cent grins, and turns back to look at me. I grin.

Then suddenly, a look of shock comes over his expression, surprising me.

"What is it?" I question.

His eyes lock on mine, "It's my birthday."

Just as his had, my eyes widen as the realization reaches my ears, "Is it really the twenty-ninth already?"

Cent seems lost in thought, turning slightly and walking over to the small sink station opposite my bed, leaning on the counter. After a few moments, he finally responds with a nod, "Yeah . . . it's the twenty-ninth of Clarus. . . . God damn, it's my birthday."

In a haze, he slowly slides down the front of the station, leaning against the built-in cabinet as he sits on the floor. He runs his hands through his curled hair, before taking hold of the back of his neck, massaging it in a way. I watch him for a bit longer, before I sigh, getting out of bed and walking over to stand in front of him. He doesn't even look up at me. My brow furrows, and I lower myself so that I'm at eye level with him, balancing myself strangely on my heels. Still, he doesn't move his gaze from the floor.

"Cent?" I say.

He blinks, finally looking up to meet my stare, surprised to see me so close. After a second, he sighs, looking away. "I don't know what to think right now," he says.

"What do you mean?" I reply, my heart rate picking up a bit as my concern rises.

He looks back at me, "I didn't remember my own birthday, Goro." I'm unsure how to answer him, prompting him to continue. "That . . . has never happened before. I always, always remember my birthday. But now, shit, I can't think straight. It's like the more I think, the more I feel I'm forgetting about life beyond this hell hole."

"It's alright Cent-"

"No it's not!" he shouts, "Goro, this place isn't right. You don't understand just how messed up it is."

"You'd be surprised-"

"No, no, listen to me," he cuts me off again, "The people here are nothing like those we knew at Liber. These guys have a way of thinking I don't even know how to describe. They're arrogant, pushy, in your face even. Everyone I've met makes me feel like if I don't think as they do, I'm in the wrong."

"How so?"

"T-Take Sammy for example. A couple days ago, a few others and I had to go through the Jeweloid Sector to get to one of the electricity suppliers, just to run a simple test run on the back-up system. While walking through, I happened to pass her. I, of course without being seen, gestured hello to her, and she . . . made a pretty smile, and she let out this giggle that is probably one of the most adorable things I've ever-"

"You're getting off track," I interrupt.

"Oh, sorry," Cent replies, before clearing his throat, "Well, after that happened, and we got to the supplier, the other guys started talking about her, and how disgusted they were that she broke a straight face. One of the guys said she was attractive, which I thought would turn the conversation in a positive way, but instead, they . . . they started saying all this grotesque shit they'd do to her."

My brow furrows. "What do you mean by grotesque?" I question.

Cent takes a moment to meet my stare, his face pale as he answers me in a pained tone, "Rape, Goro . . . awful, gross . . . fucked up rape!"

His temper gives then as he stand rapidly, slamming his fist on the counter. I follow quickly, trying to keep him from going berserk, but it seems I'm still weakened from my injuries. Against my wishes, Cent is able to escape my hold and starts to pace back and forth. For the average person, I suppose the action is a normal one, but in Cent's case, pacing is the third step of five toward going out of control. Luckily, that has only happened once, but I tell the truth when I say that I would rather lose a limb than have to see that again.

"Cent. Cent, calm down-" I start.

"WHY?!" he yells, whipping around to stare me down, his normal demeanor evaporated by his growing fury.

"Cent, please-"

"You don't know how badly I wanted to yell, SCREAM at them!" he barks, "How can a man talk about a woman like that, without knowing her or anything! How can they talk about the woman-"

Abrupt silence comes over him, his eyes becoming large as he suddenly falls to his knees, revealing an out of breath . . . shaking Maggie. Her appearance has me as stunned as Cent's outburst, though it only becomes worse as I watch her walk into the room, and slowly kneel beside him. My eyes trace her, finding small differences in her appearance. Her hair has grown out to fall in loose curls around her hips, but her bangs have been pulled back for the first time, allowing full view of her worried expression as she watches Cent. He's so far gone that he doesn't even flinch as she rests a hand on his shoulder, causing my concern to heighten even more so. And that's saying something, considering that my heart rate is probably well into the high one-hundreds.

"Just relax . . . " Maggie whispers, her tone jittery as she gestures to me, "Please, Isugoro is right here . . . nothing has happened."

I kneel down in front of him just like I had last time, looking from him to Maggie. She looks over to me as if she can feel my gaze, her eyes fiery, yet controlled. She makes an instructive face, signaling me to say something to Cent. I sigh, but cautiously I take firm grasp of his arms, which finally gets his attention. He lifts his eyes to meet mine, and I smile bitter-sweetly. "The fact that you wanted to do all that means you haven't lost your mind, Cent. They never knew any of them. They never met anyone like her on their first day," I say calmly, "Don't let what they say turn you into this. Use their words to fuel your strength, and use it to protect you . . . and her."

His eyes widen, tears beginning to form in the ducts of his eyes. " . . . I'm not a strong man, Goro," he whispers, "I'm not a soldier."

"Then you need to become strong," I say, my spirit racing a bit as I pause, "Because if you don't . . . then the only wall standing between her and them . . . is gone."

Cent watches me for what feels like ages, before ironically, he chuckles. The act catches Maggie and I so off guard that we share a stare of absolute confusion. Though, we're cut off as Cent clears his throat. "I take that's my birthday present," Cent comments, "A verbal kick in the ass."

My brow furrows as I hear his voice cracking, my sympathy growing as I watch a single, silent tear fall down from his blood-shot eyes despite the grin he's making out.

He isn't strong. Cent has never been good with direct pressure like this. Unlike me, he crumbles, contrary to the confident mask he always wear around others, specifically Sammy. Hell, he wouldn't have allowed himself to be this open if it had just been Maggie here, although I'm sure he trusts that she wouldn't say a word about it to anyone. I feel guilty for not being able to be with him. I'm guilty for abandoning him.

I've forgotten my strength, my pride as the man I'm supposed to be as I pull Cent into a hug, a genuine embrace that I can only muster to comfort the last brother I have left. I cry no tears, but I can feel Cent shuttering.

For his twenty-first birthday, instead of doing anything stupid, we just sat there in that room, Maggie our only witness as Cent built himself back up, and I resolved to get stronger for both of us.