Guilty x Creatures Ch. 64+Epilogue

Chapter 32 : Late Afternoon

Bursting through the portal and into the backyard at top speed, Mica frantically tried to gain her footing. But hitting the ground at a run proved to be too difficult for her, and before she could even manage a few steps, she began to tumble and fall. Landing on her shoulder, she rolled to the side as she and the mantis came to a crashing halt. Behind them the portal winked out of existence.

Lying on her back now, the kiochi began to laugh manically in between taking in one heaving breath after another.

"We, made it!" she cried as she raised her fists in triumph "We, fucking, made it!"

Glancing back to where the portal had just been. The kiochi couldn't help but to smile. Her plan had been a spur of the moment thing and would have easily failed had it not been for Anton and the dark elves all stepping in to aid her.

"...Thanks, guys." whispered Mica as she closed her eyes, plopped her head against the ground and smiled broadly.

After taking a quick moment to rest and catch her breath, Mica turned her head to the side and glanced at the mantis.

Lying in a heap on her side, and with her back facing the kiochi, the still unconscious mantis looked all but lifeless, save for the gentle rise and fall of her chest which signaled that she was indeed still breathing.

Rolling over onto her hands and knees, Mica made her way over to the mantis and tentatively maneuvered her onto her back before looking her over and confirming that she hadn't been too banged up by her fall.

"H-hey..." she coaxed softly as she gave the mantis' shoulders a gentle shake "Hey, wake up. I need to know your okay real quick... Then you can sleep more..."

Unable to get any response out of the mantis, Mica began to panic a bit. Lifting the mantis up into a sitting position, she started shouting at her while shaking her more fervently. Finally, her desperation at its limit, she gave the mantis a slap across the face and cried out in excitement when the two large eyes on either side of her head suddenly shifted themselves forward and focused their tiny black dots on her.

"Yes! You're alive!" cried Mica as the mantis drowsily shook her head.

Blinking open her main eyes and looking up at Mica's smiling face now only inches away from her own, the mantis panicked a bit and shoved the kiochi before scrabbling back and away from her.

"Hey! Hey! It's okay! You're okay! You're safe now!" exclaimed Mica while she put her hands and tail up in the air as she tried to placate the mantis "We made it out! You're safe!...I promise! You're safe!"

Staring at the kiochi for a moment while her antennae waved around wildly and her large eyes seemed to be frantically scanning the area around them, the mantis blinked as she took on a look of confusion.

"It's okay... This is where we live..." explained Mica as she indicated the house "It's safe here..."

Turning to the house and giving it a quick look over, the mantis brought her eyes back to Mica and gave her a questioning look.

"I, well, no, we... We got you out of there." said Mica as she slowly lowered her hands and tail and came to rest on her folded legs "They... They were gonna kill you. So we got you out..."

Blinking, the mantis eased forward a bit as she watched the kiochi's face twist in anguish.

"I'm sorry!" growled Mica through her clenched teeth as she fought to hold back her tears "I'm sorry... For everything... For everything that they did to you... And for everything that happened... I swear, they'll pay for what they did to you! I'm... I'm really sorry..."

Watching the kiochi turn to the side as she wiped away her tears, the mantis eased forward even more and mimicked Mica by coming to rest on her folded knees. Without a sound, she reached out and tentatively laid her hand on Mica's shoulder before giving her a soft pat.

"...Heh....Thanks." said Mica as she smiled softly at the gesture and gave the now sitting up mantis another look over "So, anyway, how are you doing? You had a pretty bad fall... Does everything feel okay?"

Pulling her hand back, the mantis blinked before looking down at herself. Lifting her four arms, she started moving them up and down as she spread her wings back out and began to lightly buzz them.

"...Looks like everything's still working." mused Mica as she nodded her head "That's good news."

Still staring down at herself, the mantis bent in one of her middle arms and tentatively poked at the metal belt that was still wrapped around her waist. When nothing seemed to be happening, she carefully grabbed hold of the belt with all four of her hands. Her eyes went wide as she pulled on the belt and its lock immediately popped open and allowed it to fall away from her.

"Oh, huh. I guess when I destroyed that remote control thing, this part stopped working too." mumbled Mica "That's pretty convenient. Now you won't have to worry about cutting that thing off of you."

Holding the belt up in her now trembling hands, the mantis stared at it for a moment before looking back up at Mica and gesturing with the belt.

"Yeah, it's like I said. You're safe now." said Mica as she looked from the belt up to the mantis' eyes "And I guess you're free now too."

Dropping the belt, the mantis suddenly shot forward and frantically wrapped all four of her arms around the kiochi before pulling her into a tight hug.

Stunned by the unexpected embrace, Mica went rigid to the point that her tail even stood straight up into the air. Blinking, she relaxed a bit as she reached around the mantis and tentatively patted her on the back.

"Uh... Yeah. You're welcome..." she said around a thin smile.

The mantis responded by tightening her hold and beginning to lightly shake.

Mica's eyes went wide as from over her shoulder she heard a faint, barely audible sob ring out before being followed by a grateful sounding whimper. Going still for a moment, the kiochi's chest swelled with emotion as she dropped all her inhibitions and wrapped her own arms around the mantis' thin frame before hugging her back as tightly as she could.

"You're safe now..." whispered Mica as heavy tears rolled down her cheeks "I promise... I promise you're safe now..."

Unknown to the oblivious duo, it was at this moment that another portal opened up behind them.

As Anton, Fiona and Kianna all stepped through, they immediately stopped short as they each caught sight of the now embracing, former adversaries.

"...Huh....Okay?" mumbled Fiona as she shook her head "Sure as Hell wasn't expecting this..."

"No." said Anton as he shook his heads as well "Can't say that I was either..."

"Aw! You were right!" cooed Kianna as she clasped her hands together "They really are friends now!"

"Yeah, apparently." chuckled Anton as he folded his arms over his chest and smiled softly.

Everything stayed quiet and still for a moment before Anton nodded to the dark elves and stepped forward. Approaching the still hugging pair, he dropped down in front of Mica and rested on his haunches as he gazed at her.

Staring back at him, the kiochi's expression hardened as she quickly looped her tail around herself and the mantis in a protective manner and pointed her spade right at Anton's head.

"She's safe now!" growled Mica as she tightened her hold on the mantis "I promised her that she would be safe now! I promised her!...Okay!?"

Looking from the spade down to the kiochi's clearly determined eyes, Anton nodded his head.

"I understand." he said softly "She is safe here. You have my word."

Mica remained still for a moment before lowering her spade and blinking the hardness from her eyes.

"Is she injured at all?" asked Anton.

"...No, I don't think so?" answered Mica.

"Good, that's good." nodded Anton as he looked over what he could see of the mantis "Has she spoken to you?"

"...No. Not yet." said Mica as a light grimace formed on her face "I don't know if she even can?"

Anton nodded again before returning his gaze to Mica's eyes.

"May I sit with you?" he asked in such a way that it was clear he was technically asking them both.

"...Yeah, that's fine. I guess." said Mica as the mantis shifted her head slightly to the side and looked back at Anton with one of her large, insectoid eyes.

"Thank you." said Anton as he smiled softly and dropped down to sit cross-legged just to the side of Mica and the mantis.

With Mica's arms still around her, the mantis shuffled to the side a bit until she could fully turn her head around and gaze at Anton.

"Hello there, I don't think we've formally met yet. My name is Anton, Anton Faustus North." said Anton as he inclined his head to the mantis "It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss...?"

The mantis remained silent as she merely stared back at him.

"...Oh, yeah. Uh, hey? What is your name anyway?" asked Mica.

Looking back at her, the mantis tightened her eyes before dropping them to the ground.

"...Wait? Do you not have a name?" questioned Mica as her eyes tightened in sympathy.

Still staring at the ground, the mantis slowly shook her head as she lightly shrugged her shoulders.

"Hm. Well that's alright. For the moment there's more important things for us to focus on." said Anton "Such as making sure that you're okay. You're not hurt anywhere, are you?"

Turning back to him, the mantis shook her head.

"That's good." nodded Anton "So, can you speak at all?"

The mantis merely remained silent.

"...Hm. Alright then." hummed Anton as after a moment of stillness he grinned at Mica "Well, so what's next, Mica?"

"...Uh? What do you mean?" questioned Mica.

"Well..." chuckled Anton "What's the next step you want to take here? Or, more to the point, what is it that you're planning to do, with your new friend?"

"Oh, um... I don't know?" mumbled Mica as she looked at the mantis "...I guess I just want to make sure she's going be okay?...Maybe take her back to wherever she belongs?"

"Alright. We can certainly do that." nodded Anton as he turned back to the mantis "So long as you can tell us where it is you come from, of course?"

The mantis still remained silent but tilted her head slightly in a questioning manner.

"...He means, where do you live. Like where is your home?" explained Mica "...You look like you came from a tropical place. Like a jungle or something? Do you know which jungle your kind comes from?"

The mantis went still as her eyes seemed to become thoughtful.

"...If you can tell us where you come from, then I would be more than happy to help you get home." said Anton.

After another moment of stillness, the mantis lowered her eyes back to the ground and slowly shook her head.

"Damn. I don't think she even knows..." mumbled Mica as she creased her brow in thought "...Maybe if we look up mantises, we can figure out what kind she is and-."

The kiochi stopped short as she was interrupted by a loud, deep groan that came echoing out of the mantis' torso.

Easing herself away from the kiochi, the mantis had a pained grimace on her face as she clutched at her stomach with the hands on her middle arms.

"Mm, poor thing." said Anton as he gave the mantis a sympathetic look.

"Wait? What's wrong with her!?" cried Mica as she held onto the mantis' shoulders and tried to look into her eyes "Is she hurt!?"

"No, she's not hurt. She's probably just hungry, starving even." said Anton "I don't know if you've ever seen a weremantis before, but if you have then I'm sure you've noticed how thin they usually are. Even with that being the case though... This poor girl has been terribly malnourished. Honestly, even for her kind, she's all but emaciated. Poor things to the point where she's nothing but skin and bones..."

Blinking, Mica quickly looked the mantis up and down as she fully took stock of her condition.

"...Skin and bones." she repeated softly as her eyes went wide "Crap! Okay, hold on!"

Scrambling up to her feet, Mica went to bolt to the house but stopped short before turning back to the mantis.

"Stay! Okay!? Stay right here!" exclaimed the kiochi as she stood over the mantis and held out her open palms "I'll be right back, okay!?...So just stay right here!...Stay!"

The mantis stared up at her for a moment before folding both pairs of her hands in her lap and going still.

"Good girl!" said Mica as she backed away while keeping her open palms facing the mantis "Okay! Stay right there!"

Hesitating for one last second, the kiochi whirled around and quickly ran towards the kitchen door.

"Don't let Molly out!" called Anton "Keep her inside for now!"

Still running, Mica nodded and disappeared a moment before reaching the house as she teleported her way inside.

For her part, the mantis remained completely motionless as she stared at the spot where Mica had disappeared.

Unnerved by the eerily still creature, Fiona grimaced as she pointed her ears straight back.

"Uh, hey!" she called as she crossed her arms over her chest "Do you really think it's a good idea to just leave that blitzing monster loose like this?"

"Oh, I don't think there's a problem. She seems to be pretty well behaved in my opinion." chuckled Anton as he looked back at the dark elf "Why do you ask though? Does she make you nervous?"

"...I mean, I wouldn't say nervous." grumbled Fiona as she narrowed her eyes at the mantis "At the same time I wouldn't mind seeing her go back into her box though..."

"Honestly, I doubt that box would even be able to hold her now." said Anton as he smiled at the dark elf "Of course, if you feel like you're brave enough to test that theory by trying to shove her back into it yourself... Then by all means, go for it."

Although the mantis herself continued to sit still and stare directly at where Mica had disappeared into the house with the eyes on her face, one of the large insectoid eyes on the side of her head slowly shifted over until the black dot within it became focused right on Fiona.

"...Yeah, no, fuck that." mumbled Fiona as she shook her head "She's behaving herself, and if she's just gonna sit there then I guess it's fine..."

"Glad you think so." chuckled Anton as he shook his head and turned back to the mantis.

Watching her for a moment, he sighed as he nodded his head.

"I'd like to take this moment to thank you..." he said as he followed her gaze to the house "For sparing Mica..."

The mantis' face remained unchanged as her antennae lightly twitched in acknowledgment.

"...She's something else, isn't she?" said Anton as he grinned fondly "She's young. And stubborn. And there have been plenty of times now that she's done things without thinking... She's made a lot of mistakes lately... But you know, I don't believe that helping you was one of them... I think she did the right thing there..."

Though the eyes on her face remained fixated on where Mica had disappeared, the mantis' large insectoid eyes shifted over and became focused on Anton.

"She has good qualities. And character. And a lot of strength. Both physically, and in spirit... There's quite a bit of potential there... Sadly, I have to admit. When I first met her, I was blinded by my own preconceived notions of her kind, and I didn't see that potential right away." said Anton as he shifted his gaze back to the mantis "...But I think that maybe you did."

The mantis remained silent as she merely stared back at him.

"She has a long way to go. And a lot of work ahead of her... And she'll need help..." said Anton as he looked back at the house "But with enough time, and guidance... With the right people, giving her the directions she needs... I think she could become something great... And I'm not going to lie, more and more now, I'd like to see that happen..."

The mantis was still for several seconds before her large eyes silently followed his gaze back to the house.

A moment later, Mica suddenly reappeared with a large covered bowl and several water bottles cradled in her arms. Racing back to Anton and the mantis, she dropped down to her knees in front of them.

"Sorry! That took longer than it should have." she said as she maneuvered the bowl onto her lap "I was waiting on the microwave and I got caught up with looking up mantises on my phone. Did you know that there's more than 2000 different kinds of them!? And that means we're going to have to go through all of them to figure out which kind she is..."

As she spoke, Mica let the water bottles tumble onto the ground next to her before snatching one back up and quickly opening it.

"That's assuming she's even a type of mantis that's been documented already." said Anton "She could very well be a species that hasn't even been officially described yet."

"Oh that would just be perfect..." mumbled Mica as she went to hand the opened water bottle to the mantis "Here ya go. Figured you'd probably be pretty thirsty by now."

The mantis leaned back a bit as she stared down at the water bottle with all of her eyes.

"...Uh? Wait, do you not drink water?" questioned Mica as she blinked at the mantis and then turned to Anton "Do mantises drink water?"

"They do." nodded Anton "She may not realize that you're giving her water though. I'm pretty sure she's feral, Mica. Or at least she was before ending up in whatever predicament that your Father found her in. So she may not know what a water bottle is."

"Feral? Wait, what?...But she can talk? Or, kind of? She's knows what we're saying at least." said Mica as she splashed a little water out into her palm.

"We assume she knows what we're saying." said Anton "Who knows how much she really understands though. Also, most feral people can still speak. It's just that more often than not they choose not to."

"Yeah, cause they're usually freaks..." mumbled Mica as she held her hand out to the mantis "Here, see. It's water, it's good."

Narrowing her eyes, the mantis flicked her antennae forward and dipped their tips in close to Mica's offered hand. After apparently determining that the water, was water, and that it "smelled" right, the mantis immediately grabbed the bottle that Mica was still holding out to her and began to dump the water onto her own palm before frantically slurping it up.

"Wait! No, no, no! Not like that!" exclaimed Mica as she grabbed another water bottle "Look, like this."

The mantis watched intently as the kiochi took a slow swig, before trying to emulate her. It took a few tries before she was finally able to take a drink without spilling any on herself, but once she got the hang of it, she quickly gulped down her entire bottle, which did lead to a bit of awkward coughing.

"Dammit. You need to slow down." grumbled Mica as she opened another bottle for the blank-faced yet still clearly enthusiastic mantis "You're gonna make yourself choke."

Seemingly heeding her words, the mantis made an obvious effort to slow her pace as she finished the second bottle.

"Hm, nice to see she knows how to listen to advice." said Anton as he looked over at the dark elves and grinned "I wish more people were like that."

"Ha, ha, ha. I wonder who you could possibly be talking about..." mumbled Fiona as she and Kianna both moved closer and stood behind Anton.

"Who indeed." smiled Anton.

Pulling the lid off the bowl in her lap, Mica was forced backwards as the mantis suddenly leaned in close and began to wave her antennae around wildly as she tried to figure out what was in the bowl.

"Will you chill." said Mica as she planted her hand on the inquisitive mantis' chest and gently pushed her back "You can have all of these, but you need to go slow when you eat them."

Picking up a piece of the leftover grilled chicken on the bone, Mica held it up so the mantis' probing antennae could quiver around it. The mantis' alien-like eyes went wide as she "smelled" the chicken.