KINTSUkuroi
[Chapter XIV] - Unexplored Selves

Preposterous! Ciel's indignation was written all over her face. How could Nicolas possibly suggest that Giants would betray their own kin and plot to murder their own leader? She would've normally dismissed the idea completely, perhaps even doubting his sanity, but somehow, this actually bothered her. It wasn't just the fact that her boyfriend was entertaining such a proposition; what worried her was that it was him who came up with that theory. In the six months they had spent together twenty years ago, Ciel had come to know Nicolas plenty. She dared say she probably knew him better than he did himself. The ability to tell a person's values, fears, flaws and virtues just by staring into their eyes was a trait of hers that had only become even more developed over time, and so she knew for a fact that Nicolas was someone who was always thinking two steps ahead of everyone else, if not more. She admired that about him; his awe-inspiring understanding of the world as far as logic was concerned.

That's why she knew, even if he had made it sound like it was an unlikely theory, that the possibility of Giants being responsible for her mother's assassination was very real.

After all, it made no sense. Savan was a fully-fledged leader, and one the world in general and the Giants in particular could be very proud of. Her appreciation for Humans didn't entail she would be naïve enough to not notice a murder attempt against her, and even if she had failed to acknowledge that scenario, it would have been very challenging for Humans to be able to cause her any damage given the size difference between them and the Regent of the Giants, let alone kill her.

The more she considered the scenario, the more inclined she felt to agree with Nicolas.

"S-Sorry... I-I shouldn't have said-" the short male tried to apologise only to see his girlfriend shaking her head.

"No, Nic. There's no reason for you to be sorry. I asked you to be honest with me and you were, and for that I thank you. Speaking frankly, I don't want to consider your theory, but I know how your mind operates, and the more I think about it, the less able I am to explain how mom could have possibly been murdered just with the efforts of beings that wouldn't even reach her big toe." the Giantess commented.

"M-Much like S-Savan's decision to end the war between G-Giants and Humans earned her m-many admirers here, I-I can imagine she m-must have made a number of enemies, or at least opposers, back at your home. D-Despite how much we may dislike it, war is one of the most p-profitable businesses in the planet. I-I can't imagine some people n-not being unhappy about their commercial enterprise being ruined so abruptly. B-But still, I'm sure y-your mother was aware of this when she made that decision." the curly-haired man further elaborated.

"What am I going to do now? No matter how I look at it, I am unprepared to take over as Regent, especially in a context such as this one." Ciel looked down.

It was quite shocking for Nicolas to see the tall female showcase her own insecurities. She was always so assertive, so confident. It was always her who helped him get over his own uncertainty.

'Ciel... How long have you been harbouring these doubts?' the male pondered, knowing for a fact that this issue must have been weighing on his beloved's mind for a very long time.

Seeing her like that was a call to action for the timid male. Leaning forward, he stretched his arms around her torso and hugged her. This time, he didn't care about the fact that in doing this his face landed squarely on her bosom. The only thought in his mind was that Ciel desperately needed that hug.

Everything else was irrelevant.

A small gasp escaped the tall woman's lips as she felt her lover's arms embrace her body, pulling it closer to his own. The amusement she felt from seeing his face buried on her chest aside, she was surprised to see the shy guy making an advance for once. She certainly wasn't used to it, but it was a change of pace she greatly welcomed. She was proud of him, and with just that gesture her gloomy expression morphed into a radiant smile.

"Just be yourself, love. Savan became the great leader that she was through many years of experience. In the process she must have made mistakes, just like all of us do. You need not compare yourself to her in any way. I'm absolutely certain that you will be a wonderful ruler, just like your mother was, and I'll be there with you to support you all the way." the male spoke assertively, not stuttering even once.

"You surely put a lot of faith in me, dear." the Giantess hummed, gently stroking his hair, careful not to undo those black curls of his she found so charming.

"Of course I do! You brought me out of my shell in just a few months after I had lost my parents; you were able to replace me after two decades just based on a dream that you had, a dream you uncoincidentally dreamed the same day I was cheated on by Setsuna; you prevented me from ending my own life AND brought me out of my shell again. I dare say with full confidence that I very much doubt there's anything you cannot do at all." Nicolas offered her his warmest and most reassuring smile. The fact that he had not stuttered even once again had a very powerful impact on Ciel, who couldn't restrain the tears of joy in her eyes any further.

The stark contrast between the usual Nicolas and this new side of him did throw the buxom female off, but she couldn't have been any happier about it. She loved her shy, timid, submissive little man to pieces, but the fact that he could speak with such confidence on the very rare occasions when it really counted made her heart flutter in a different way than it usually did when she was with him.

Pulling him into a passionate kiss, the taller woman took command of the situation once again, something her lover was more than happy with and so he kissed her back, always making sure that it was her who called the shots. After about half a minute the need for air made Ciel pull away from him, panting heavily as she lovingly stared into his dark brown eyes.

"Thank you so much, Nic. You don't know how precious those words are to me. Not just your words, either. You are my greatest treasure. All of you. Your body, your words, your gestures, your shyness and your assertiveness. I really get the best of both worlds with you. I'm so fortunate to have found such a gem of a man in you." she affectionately caressed his cheeks.

The male's cheeks were as red as her eyes, now that he was back to his usual timid self. He tried to replace the words to respond in kind to her barrage of compliments, but all he could do was let out a soft-spoken 'thanks' as he turned his face sideways in embarrassment, earning a melodious giggle from Ciel.

She wouldn't have it any other way.

Desperate, Siule gripped the metallic edges of the stretcher in the hopes that doing so would somehow alleviate the indescribable pain she was experiencing. Organic-level overgrowth could only be described as the pinnacle of pain and suffering. There were no words that could even remotely describe the ordeal it entailed. The tawny-haired woman could feel everything inside her grow in size: her heart swelling and stretching outwards; her lungs inflating and overlapping with each other; her bones becoming larger, clashing as though they were blades in a fencing duel; her teeth and tongue outgrowing her lips; her stomach poking outwards and sideways as though it wished to escape the confines of her torso.

In short, the inside of her body grew at a faster pace than the outside did.

Seething heavily as the stench of blood invaded her palates and the unsightly, viscous, gory pool of red assaulted her eyes, she managed to utter a phrase in between her agonising screams of pain.

"AHHHHH!!! It won't... UNGH!!! End... ARGH!!! Like this...! GRRRHHHH!!! I will... GAH!!! I WILL PROTECT HIM!!!"

Many experts in medicine, biology and anthropology believe that the human body as a system has the ability to react to the person's desires to some degree. This theory has been used a number of times in the past to explain scenarios where a patient's death was pretty much guaranteed, yet they somehow managed to survive. Siule's body seemed to follow this principle, yet in doing so it pushed the boundaries of what was thought to be biologically possible as her body began to grow more rapidly, and as it did, the inside of her body slowly but surely started to rearrange itself in the desired way. Siule sighed with relief as she felt the immense pain slowly begin to subside. Still panting, a satisfied smile escaped her lips...

She had survived a successful Macrosia gene transplantation.