tampered | [ completed ] guy & meg - ring in something new

Current Mood: restless

[ completed ] guy & meg - ring in something new

When; New Year's Eve
Rating; G?
Characters; Guy Cecil [

roseblooms]
Summary; Twelve dozen roses, a new answer, and just general sweetness and confessions?

Log;

The days seemed to have dragged out a bit after that last time they'd actually had their discussion, and she'd wondered why on earth they hadn't had it sooner. The memory of it still remained fresh in her mind, and she found herself distracted even while working. It was easier still to not think about it but there was no point in denying what had happened. Guy had actually made the effort to touch her hands-- a feat of will, when one thought about his condition, and she felt her cheeks warm up as she thought of it.

It didn't feel like it was too soon anymore, but there was still so much she felt that Guy now perhaps needed to know-- things that, she realized, could harm her image in his eyes, but, if he was taking this step to fight his own fear, she had to fight her own and allow herself to be judged.

It was a New Year that was approaching. And she sighed to herself, thinking back on all the years she'd spent here, without once going home. It was frightening to think of a life built here, that should have been developed in her own world... and she glanced down at her hands once more as she shook her head. No, tonight she'd tell him everything-- and she'd hear his story too. Even Axl would want her to choose what made her happy without him, though it was sill difficult to acknowledge that she was moving on at all. Could this even work, with them being from the worlds that they were?

She just hoped she wasn't making a big mistake.

Now, after sending out a message for him to meet her up at the rooftop of their shared building, she just waited-- it was the only place she could think of them having some privacy, and it wasn't like they were nearly always surrounded by people. A smile lit her features at the thought, and she ran a hand through her hair to ease them back.

"...heh, this almost feels like sneaking out for a date." She murmured to herself.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

When Guy received that message, he felt as if the heavens were falling down around him. Sure, he had put on a brave face for Megumi but he was actually really worried. If she said no, how would they continue? Would they still be friends or what? The swordsman was not in his area of expertise and it showed greatly at times.

Grabbing a scarf, he slowly headed up the stairs as if he was walking to his doom. Finally, he made it to the top and he opened the door. He spied Megumi not to far away so he put a smile on his face and waved.

"Megumi! Hey."

She was a nervous-- correction, absolutely fearful at telling him anything where it came to herself. It didn't help that her self-esteem had hit rock-bottom ever since her time in Delilah, and the fact that Guy had involved himself with her not knowing any of that still settled as a matter of guilt for her.

But he could be the judge of that now, and she inhaled softly as she heard his voice, and steeling herself, she slowly turned to face him.

Always a smile on his face, but if she didn't know any better, she'd have believed it to be real. She gave him the benefit of the doubt for now, and gave him a small smile in return that didn't quite reach her eyes, but it would do.

"Guy! Just in time. The clouds just parted." She grinned a bit, pointing to the sky. "We'll be able to see the fireworks clearly from here!"

There came that bad habit of hers, rambling when she was nervous. She mentally kicked herself and stood up straight, watching him. "Heh... sorry. I'm glad you could make it, even if that's not the reason I called you."

Uh-oh. She was nervous too. That was bad, right? He couldn't help but drop to the worst case scenario. He peered up at the sky and looked at the clouds opened up.

Walking over to Megumi, he finally made it to her side before he could work up the nerve to speak up again.

"I'm glad I could make it too. Watching these fireworks with you is all I could wish for right now."

Those words made her feel even more sheepish, though more in a flattered way than a negative one. Guy always seemed to have words that made someone feel directly involved with him, and while it didn't limit itself to her-- nor did she feel jealous about the fact, she wished she could offer him the same without feeling too silly about it.

That thought made her pause, and she fell silent for a moment, before she turned to look at the sky again.

"You say the sweetest things, Guy." She murmured, smiling to herself, before she glanced over at him. Watching him for a bit, she sighed, then looked back out at the City again, stepping forward to the wall's edge, settling her arms over it.

"I wonder if I deserve any of it, sometimes. And..." She held up a hand to her side, as though to stop him from interrupting. "I want to. I want to be deserving. That's what I called you here for. And it's because..."

Lowering her hand, she inhaled softly, feeling the cold air enter her lungs. What came next wasn't an expression of never ending feelings, but something she knew she could say and mean with all her heart.

"I don't want to lose you as well, Guy."

He was about to interrupt her sentence with his usual 'I'm only saying what's true', before he was cut off by her arm. He stopped and listened closely to her words.

His breath was instantly sucked out of him by her last words. Something about them touched him deep down. Inhaling deeply, he looked at Megumi with a warm look that wasn't shadowed by nervousness.

"As if you would. You deserve anything you want from me. And if you need something, I'm always right here."

Those words made her smile more than she wanted to, and she could feel the blood rushing to her cheeks in the same sort of excitement she recalled having when she'd had her first kiss, many years ago. When someone special had told her he accepted everything about her and loved her. This wasn't the same, but the sentiment was similar.

With the difference of Guy not knowing what to accept yet.

"I don't want anything but your understanding, Guy." A weak laugh left her, and she still didn't face him, but she left the space next to her open if he wanted to come up and stand there. Finally, in what was a rather clear display of vulnerability, she chanced the words that had been difficult for her to bring up.

"I'm a little scared of what we're doing. I haven't had a relationship since I was younger... and even now I can't tell you how it ended because I never felt it did."

The smile faded from her lips, and she sighed to herself.

"We're from different worlds, too. And there are things I've..." She paused, unsure of how to word this. "There are things I've done that I'm not proud of. Here, in the City. And since this is the only place it seems you and I can have any semblance of a relationship, I feel as though you have a right to know."

Her voice grew softer, shoulders drooping somewhat.

"I don't want you to forgive me, but I want you to be able to decide if you think I'm worth pursuing after this. I don't want my hopes raised again, Guy. I don't think I could take losing someone I care for another time."

Tossing aside what he had on his heart, he listened closely. This was something Guy could handle and something he knew he could help with. He was used listening to other people and fishing through their problems.

He turned around and leapt up, sitting down on the ledge. He could easily look back and down and see the ground, quite a ways away. In fact, he did so before looking back up to Megumi.

"We've all done our fair share of things we hated. Believe me. Can you believe that at a time, I seriously entertained thoughts of killing Luke his family? It's something that-"

He paused, giving it a little more thought.

"Those kind of things were important for us, no matter how much we regret them. They help define who we are today and help us make the right decisions for ourselves in the future."

Guy gave a nod, as if affirming what he meant.

"I'll listen to what you have to say but even so, I've already judged you for who you are now. By judging you now, I've already made my decision on your past and you already know how I feel."

Her eyes widened when he jumped up on the ledge, so easily. The ground was indeed quite far below, and for a moment her heart lurched when it looked like he was being careless-- she wasn't afraid of heights herself, but she worried for others where it came to them, since they couldn't exactly use magic to keep them afloat. Most of the time. She knew she'd be in quite a bit of mess if she couldn't concentrate and save herself if she fell.

But when he spoke, she looked mildly shocked. The former Guy had been her friend, and a good one in fact, but to know this was...

"You did...?"

She looked thoughtful as she moved her arms back over the ledge, and looked down at the City beneath.

"Goodness. I did find it strange to know that you worked for his family after his father attacked... but I suppose I misunderstood the circumstances. I'm sorry..."

She continued to listen to him, not meeting his gaze. However, she sighed and smiled wryly to herself.

"Fair is fair, I suppose..." She sighed softly, then began to speak. "When I returned to this City... I met a man. Alexis Hargreaves, who at the time... I liked having the company of. He's Cain's father." She felt sick almost instantly, speaking of him, but she continued.

"He rescued me here, and I was grateful for his assistance. But it turned out that he had a different reason for helping me. You see, Guy..." She looked up at him. "A witch is a weak creature without her magic. He knew this. I don't know how, but I suppose our lore extends to his world. He knew how to control me."

That part made her voice grow softer, and she lowered her gaze again, absently touching her hair. "He used the power of my hair. Taken by the root, it can become a thread to control my actions. My grandmother would keep me imprisoned at home with it, when I was a child. I'd wait for some way for the hair to snap so I could escape... my mouse, Minnie, heh. She'd find it and chew the stolen strands through, to break the enchantment. My gran never did figure out how it'd happen..." She chuckled weakly to herself. "But I hated it. Axl was the person who found me in that state and helped me escape. He was my best friend, and later on my lover, back in our world. I still consider him the person who knows me best." A blush touched her cheeks. "But when he disappeared one day, my grandmother found me, and tried to bring me back again... And to know that Alexis was using me for whatever reason in the same way she used to... it was... humiliating."

She tried not to recall the sick fear she'd felt on realizing that. "I was too trusting of Alexis, but I managed to break the enchantment once more. He wasn't what he showed himself to be, and I kept myself away from him in the City-- I didn't want any trouble. He had other ideas though..."

A shaky breath escaped her, and she folded her arms over the railing, looking to a side.

"It was then that Axl returned temporarily to the City. I couldn't have been happier, but Alexis Hargreaves found out. And he..." She closed her eyes. "He did something to him. Something he said he'd only remove if I obeyed him again, and I agreed, as long as Axl was safe. But I never saw Axl again, after that. He must have been able to leave the City and Alexis took full advantage of that. For the longest time, I thought I was protecting Axl and it wasn't at all..."

Lowering her head, she moved a hand into her hair over the crown of her head and rest her chin on an arm over the railing.

"It was my darkest time in the City. As a member of Alexis' organization, doing everything and anything he asked of me. I managed to tell Cain of my situation and he assisted me as best as he could-- one slip and we all would be in danger. And to keep up my facade, I had to... obey Alexis."

She knew it would be more than obvious what sort of dirty work that might imply. The guilt was there in her tone, she wasn't going to elaborate. "I hated myself the most, then. And sometimes it became a matter of my own punishment. Axl had gone, I had no one I could trust. In that state of mind, part of me... did his work willingly."

Edited 2008-12-31 09:19 (UTC)

She released a dry laugh at that, feeling her eyes burn.

"I met you again, during this time. I think... it was having friends, having Vivio to protect... having Cain's revenge, that made me pull out of it, but for whatever reason, I aided Alexis Hargreaves as his Empress. And I feel like I've done something irreversible, Guy. I always wondered if my punishment was losing Axl again, without a word. Because of the terrible person I'd become beneath this mask of smiles, doing all these things he wanted, simply in his quest for power and destruction."

Her eyes felt heavier as she closed them, lifting her head at last.

"My last act of subservience to him was right after the City was poisoned when I made up my mind to leave. And for that, I agreed to bait him to capture him." She re-opened her eyes, quickly moving her thumb under them before any tears spilled. "It took all I could not to kill him, because it wasn't my revenge, my place. It was Cain's." She said that last bit bitterly, and composed herself as quickly as possible.

"After all this... I'm finally coming back to myself, but those sins will remain with me. Especially if Alexis Hargreaves returns... and he'll do anything for revenge. And even now I wish I'd killed him, Guy."

She spoke the last words softly.

"Just like I had a hand in killing my grandmother when she tried to silence me for the last time."

It was all out, now. Now, as the silence grew, she felt her own breath shiver, and not because of the cold.

"I regret it all. But I do not expect forgiveness. This is the person I am, Guy. This is all I've done... and I didn't want you to find this out from anyone else but me."

Guy ended up looking down at his feet, which were slowly kicking the edge of the ledge with it's heels. It sounded tough for her. He understood her feelings completely. After all, he went through nearly the same thing.

He kept his voice low when speaking to her.

"There's nothing wrong with what you did. When it comes to yourself and those you care for, they should always be first. I know you knew that because of what you did."

He picked up his head and looked her in the eye. He had his own story he wanted to be sure she heard.

"When I became a servant in the Fabre Manor, I only signed up to do it so I could kill them. Pere and Van both didn't mind helping out. Pere joined as a gardener and Van, well, his story is obvious.

At that point, I couldn't stand Luke. Every time I saw him playing with his family, something I didn't have, it made me absolutely sick. I was worried when he got kidnapped because he was supposed to be my responsibility. I was only worried because I might lose my position, not worried for Luke."

Guy sighed and scratched his head. It was felt odd telling this story but also cleansing.

"When they found Luke and brought him back, he was a completely different person. I didn't know it but he really was. Everyone just chalked it up to amnesia. After he had resettled himself, Luke looked at me differently. He completely trusted me, like a baby would with their mother. He was closer to me than anyone else and there's something about that..."

He couldn't help but chuckle a little, in spite of himself.

"...there's something about that innocent look that made me change my mind. I still carried my revenge around but I didn't want it anymore. Not if it was going to hurt the one person closest to me. I can completely understand why you did what you did, Megumi. I want you to know that you're not alone."

She composed herself well enough once she was done, and moving her arms over the edge of the railing, she waited for what Guy had to say. However, when he spoke of nothing being wrong with what she did, she felt her heart skip a few beats. She'd been fearful for nothing... Guy didn't hate her for it, and she couldn't have been happier at that moment to have a friend who actually wasn't judging her negatively for something she found absolutely loathsome in her character. Of course, she was keeping out what exactly she'd become in her anger and sadness when Axl left her, but now was not the right time to bring it up. The important part was letting him know what he should know, what she'd done, more than what she was.

That would come in its own time.

She raised her gaze back to Guy when he began to speak again, and she nodded quietly-- knowing most of the background to Van's involvement and so on, but as he continued to talk, she found herself realizing that there were parts of their personality that really weren't different at all.

And when he was done, she fell silent, letting all the words sink in and finally, when she'd gathered herself, she turned to look over at him.

"That explains everything..."

It was certainly cathartic to have been able to tell him what she had, even though there were certain memories she chose not to touch upon and she's certain he might have his own, but... in the end, wasn't this because she wanted to ease her own selfish guilt, as well as letting the one person she could possibly mean something more than just a friend to, know her as her closest friends did?

But what she was even more grateful for, was Guy being able to tell her what he did, and she found herself chuckling softly as she looked down at her joined hands over the ledge. They'd been through quite a bit in their own places, hadn't they?

"You really are kind, Guy. I envy that... " She said finally, turning her gaze back to him. Watching him for a while, she then said, "Heh, you keep telling me I shouldn't do so much alone. But it's frightening to involve people when they're at so much risk no matter what you're doing, you know...?" She fell silent for a bit, feeling the city breeze flow past them as she slid a hand over the back of her neck and turned, so that her back was leaning against the ledge and she tilted her head back so she could watch him.

"Heh. Only Cain and Integra know all this about me. And D.S, a bit... but you're the first person I've told willingly." A small smile settled on her lips as she looked away, toward the back of the building.

"I'm glad you told me what you did. I think I understand your actions a little bit more now, too." She fell silent once more, not looking at him as she spoke.

"...heh. You're just not going to give me any reason to hesitate about liking you, are you?"

Edited 2008-12-31 20:07 (UTC)

Even if they were being serious, she really didn't pull any punches, did she? The last words out of her mouth were more than enough for him. He ended up twiddling with his scarf, trying to distract himself from the growing heat on his own face. No matter how amazing he thought he was, she was always just too much for him.

"I guess that you're own opinion but...I'd like to think that you wouldn't have any reason to hesitate."

Jerking himself up, he hopped back down to the roof of the building and plopped himself to Megumi's side.

"Where are my manners? You've done so much for me already in the past few minutes and here I am being rude."

Straightening himself, he buffed up his own soul in preparation.

"If you're still not comfortable, that's okay but I want you to know that after this, I'm feeling much more closer to you. Maybe something clicked for us but I like it."

She smiled at his reaction, as tired and small as it was-- but without a question of doubt, he had been the reason she had been able to smile at all these days, and she owed him some gratitude from that.

At the mention of being closer though, she couldn't help the hint of warmth that crept up into her cheeks and shyly glancing away for a moment, she shook her head, but didn't say any more for a moment-- and then, moving her hands behind her back to grab the ledge, she hoisted herself up onto it, but facing the rooftop instead of the City so she could look at him.

"Don't worry so much about being rude, Guy. Respect in it's own place, but... don't be afraid to be direct." She tilted her head to a side to watch him, before chuckling quietly and then, hesitating a touch, she spoke in a soft voice.

"I trust you more than I trust myself right now. And I can say without a shadow of doubt that I want to be with you... in whatever way we can be. I want us both to be happy."

Her gaze remained on his, quiet and searching, before she whispered,

"Think we'll be okay?" It was such a simple question, almost playful, but she was still shy in asking it. It was scary, taking this step, but... as she said, she trusted him, and it was kind of exciting to have this chance.

Don't be afraid of being direct, huh? To answer her final question he decided to be as direct as he could be at the moment. Of course, he couldn't kiss her or do anything of that sort yet but for him, it was just as symbolic.

He reached out his own hand and grabbed hers and gave her a nod.

"I think we'll be okay."

It had the effect he probably wanted, because she knew just how hard he had been trying to overcome his fear. She stilled in surprise, still trying to get used to the fact that it was Guy holding her hand, and gently closing her own fingers around his.

They'd be okay, huh? She watched their joined hands for a moment, before smiling quietly to herself and looking up at him with a small nod. There would be enough time for her to go and ponder over what they'd just told each other, but for now-- she was fine believing that this young man from a completely different world and who had no reason but his own will to stay with her, was actually staying here for her.

She smiled quietly to herself then, before nodding to him-- though not before pausing as she heard a little commotion in the streets below, and she turned where she was seated to look down. They could see the Square clearly from here, and it seemed as though everyone was getting ready to party.

Her gaze softened as she turned to look back at him.

"New Year's..." She reminded him, petting the side beside her. "I hope you don't have any plans to be anywhere else tonight."

As much as she loved the family they had around them, just for tonight-- she wanted Guy to herself. And if this was the only way they could enjoy something together, like hell would she ignore the chance.

Guy let go and shook his head.

"Sorry, I do have other plans."

Okay, so it was a small joke. He walked around to the opposite side of Megumi and hopped up. He couldn't resist himself, even if his jokes were pretty bad.

"I planned on being here tonight."

She made a face at him, ready to argue that he wasn't permitted to leave, but then he came around anyway and she pouted, shaking her head at him. Honestly, she thought to herself, still being a big baby. Of course there was the fact that she may or may not be taking some things seriously before it sinks in that they're jokes, but...

Once she saw that he'd settled himself beside her, she looked ahead of her, swaying her legs just slightly as she watched the City ahead.

"You know, I'm feeling quite bad. You can't have your amazing romance with Luke after all, now that I know how you feel for him!"

She was teasing to let him know that things between them were okay, probably better than they started off with. Tilting her head to a side, she smiled wryly at him.

"Goodness, I imagine a lot of jealousy from your lady fans. Do stay by my side to ward them off, won't you?" She winked. Her hand remained settled to her side, just next to his, and she chuckled and looked ahead.

"It's a nice night, huh?"

Guy laughed. He really didn't have much of any way to respond to teasing about Luke but...

"Now, now. I said he was cute and innocent but that was years ago. He grew up and just isn't the same anymore. And lady fans? I think you might be overestimating me."

Finally sighing out the rest of his breath, he inhaled and continued.

"It's a great night. I really couldn't ask for better."

"Neither could I." And that, at least, was a truth she had no hesitation in giving.

"Happy New Year..." She spoke softly, and continued to look ahead, taken by the scene before them. The fireworks were soon to begin, but right now, up here by themselves, it was celebratory enough for her to be this close to Guy at all. Just them above the world they now knew.

And that was when she promised she'd protect him with all her strength too. It was all she could do, and she'd do it without question.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ completed ] guy & meg - ring in something new

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

1/2

TLDR AAAAGH

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject