~Rebirth~
Chapter Six
The Fall of A Womanizer
The dank, musty smell of the cell had begun to bother Chiro's sensitive nose. Breathing through her mouth made her thirsty, and she swore she could taste the rotting bodies in the cells surrounding hers. "Fwa-fwa-fwa-fwatchoo!!!"
"Take care."
Chiro's ears twitched. "Nyo? Who's there? And how did Chiro not notice you before now?" eek
"Chiro-chan...? Is that you?"
"...KidTijid?"
FZZZT!!
The Masque swallowed audibly. "S-Slix...are you sure this is an Easter Bunny?"
An evil cackle escaped LIam's lips. "Ohh yes. This, my fair-haired friend, is my greatest creation to date! Say hello, Easter Bunny!!"
The Easter Bunny dropped its enormous carrot to the ground. It opened like a suitcase, revealing a very large hunting rifle. "Hero season."
And he let loos a thunderous torrent of bullets. A tree hiding Slix was torn apart, while The Masque dropped to his knees and covered himself in his cape. Both were protected from the spray.
FZZZT!!
The Masque took his chance when the Easter Bunny dropped his rifle. The Masque got to his feet quickly, and in the same motion drew two Masque-arangs. Just as the Easter Bunny turned and faced The Masque, it caught the two Masque-arangs in his upper abdomen. They bounced off without making so much as a scratch. "What!?"
Liam laughed again. "Don't bother! Easter Bunny's exoskeleton is made of a nearly indestructable combination of weapons-grade metal! It'll take a lot more than a few ill-placed Masque-arangs to stop this tyrant!"
Slix came out from behind what was left of the tree. "What the hell Liam!? It's a rabbit!!!"
Liam's left eye twitched. "What?"
"Couldn't you have picked a more frightening animal?" Slix sighed. "Honestly, I was more afraid of Evil Author!!"
The Masque backed closer to Slix. "You're really not afraid of the Easter Bunny?"
"Are you kidding!?" Slix replied quietly. "I'm scared out of my wits!!"
The comments Slix made had Liam livid. "Rabbit or not, this guy will be the last thing you see! Easter Bunny! Bunny Hop of Death!!"
"Let's go to the hop...!!" Droned the Bunny in it's cold, mechanical voice. It squatted down and sprung forward, nearly landing on top of Slix and The Masque.
"BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!! BWAHAHAHAHA!!!"
"Since when was Liam insane!?" Slix shouted, just narrowly missing being crushed.
"I've never met him before now," The Masque replied, seconds before the Easter Bunny's foot came inches away from killing him.
"I hope you're good at hiding eggs...!" The Easter Bunny began. "Or else you'll never be able to hide from me!"
Slix groaned and ducked behind a bush. "Is this ever going to end?!"
"KidTijid!! We thought you'd died or something!"
A grombie with a green kilt and a mink around his waist sat in a particularly disgusting corner of hi, subconsciously petting the Grunny atop his head. "May has well. Damean's been keeping me here for what he calls "research." It's really more like torture. He wants to know how my Grunny is able to poison me like it does. He wants to use the venom in its tongue to achieve some sort of domination through creating an army of Grombies, or something like that."
Chiro scooted closer to the bars separating the two cells. "But why didn't you break out?"
"I can't. Something in the water, I think. He's sapping my strength. You honestly think that I'd still be here if I could break out?" Kid chuckled weakly.
"Kid..." Chiro pouted and reached through the bars to pet the back of the Grunny that rested atop Kid's head. It closed its big red eyes and made a sort of trilling sound, indicating it's joy at being pet. "It's a nice Grunny...!!" heart
"Part of the drugs Damean's been feeding us. The little guy's never been so placid before." Kid said slowly. "Normally, he'd probably hiss and scratch..."
"You can come too!!"
"What?"
Chiro smiled happily. "You can come with me when Slix-sama comes to save me!" heart
Kid laughed. It was a harsh, wheeze of a laugh. "No one can stop Damean. He's got secrets. Secrets that can kill. If Slix makes it this far, Damean will kill your precious hero himself."
"Hmph!!" Chiro got to her feet and stomped down hard. "It seems like being stuck here so long has got you all stupid!! Slix is coming to save me, and so no one can stop him!!"
Kid glared up at Chiro with hazy red eyes. "A quest of love? Heh. You're pathetic."
"I have faith in my Slix!!!" Chiro shouted.
"Children, children, please!! All this noise! I can't think straight!" Damean entered slowly, fingers in his ears. "Ah, Chiro! I see you've found your old friend. Well, it doesn't matter. You'll both die here." He shrugged. "Oh, Chiro-chan, I should let you know that Slix isn't alone. Your precious Gino Gambino is with him. Oh, but I'm sure that The Masque is dead now. I sent Liam out with his Easter Bunny." Damean laughed and approached the door to Chiro's cell. "You're so precious, Chiro-chan, when you're crying."
"Gino-sama?!" The name bubbled out of Chiro's throat and came out as a scream. "Damean, please!! Please don't let Liam kill Gino-sama!!" Tears poured from Chiro's wide yellow eyes. "Chiro-chan is begging you!! Chiro-chan will do anything!!"
Damean's ears twitched. "Anything?" He reached into Chiro's cell and grabbed her chin. "Anything I want, and Gino lives?"
"Yes, anything!!"
Damean pulled Chiro's face closer to the bars and moved closer himself. He closed his red eyes and flicked his tongue out, running it across Chiro's bottom lip. "I don't think anything a girl like you can give me will ever be enough to let that annoying b*****d live." He turned and started to leave.
"Damean!! Damean, please!!" Chiro's screams echoed throughout the room of cells, shaking dust from the walls and cieling, but they went unheard by Damean.
The Easter Bunny dealt The Masque a powerful roundhouse kick to the head, instantly knocking the hero unconscious.
"GINO!!!" Blood began to slowly stain The Masque's blonde hair red, and Slix quickly ran to him. "Gino!! Gino!!" The blood came from a small gash on the back of The Masque's head. Also, a bit trickled from his nose and from between his lips. He was breathing, so Slix concluded that for the moment he would be okay.
From his crouching position on the ground, Slix glared hatefully up at the Easter Bunny. "You...!!" He slowly reached under The Masque's cloak and pulled his rapier from his belt. "You'll pay for this!! And then I'll take you out, Liam!!"
Liam glared back. "Just try!"
Slix jumped to his feet and jabbed the rapier into the Easter Bunny to the hilt.
"Im-impossible!!! How did you find his one weak spot?!" Liam cried.
FZZZT!!!
The Easter Bunny began emitting sparks from the puncture as Slix withdrew the sword. "I followed the sound coming from his chest. I heard a sound like a short circuit. I wasn't sure, but it seems like I was right to hit him there."
The Bunny collapsed in a twitching, crackling, whirring mess. "Let'S gO to tHE hOP... !?" His voice slowed until he shut down completely.
"NOOOOO!! My Easter Bunny!! Oh, God, Damean is going to kill me!!" He dropped to his knees and crawled toward Slix. "P-please, have mercy!! Just let me kill The Masqu, and--" Slix kicked Liam to the ground. "AHH!!"
"Go." Slix ordered. "Run back to Aekea where you belong, or I'll kill you here!"
Liam nodded and began to crawl away, when suddenly he vanished into thin air, leaving poor Slix rather surprised.
Liam reappeared moments later on the floor in front of Damean's throne. "Nn..Wh-KYAAA!! D-Damean-sama!!" He stood and bowed deeply, shaking from head to toe.
Damean clicked his tongue. "You know, I'm very, very disappointed in you, Liam. I ask one favor of you--ONE FAVOR!!" Liam flinched. "And you can't manage." He got to his feet and approached a quivering, whimpering Liam.
"P-please, master! I tried! I never thought anyone could find such a small spot! P-p-please, don't k-kill me, M-master!!" Liam begged.
"I'm sorry, Liam," Damean said, cracking the knuckles of his right hand. "But I promised I'd kill you if you failed me, and you did. Goodnight, Liam." Damean reached out with his right hand and touched the middle of Liam's chest. The ice gauntlet on his hand began to glow, and Liam became encased in ice. "Poor pitiful b*****d." Damean kicked swiftly, shattering Liam into a million tiny pieces.
"Massster...Let me have a crack at thossse pathetic boysss..." An echoing, ethereal voice hissed through the darkness. What looked like a man, but couldn't have been, emerged from the shadows.
Damean grinned wickedly. "Do you think you can kill The Masque?"
"Yesss, Massster...."
Two beautiful maroon eyes fluttered open slowly. A set of perfect pink lips spread and let out a groan of pain. "Wha...?"
"Gi--Masque? How do you feel?" Slix asked. He'd carried The Masque to a nearby creek. A torn of piece of fabric had been soaked and pressed to The Masque's forehead.
"I don't feel anything, really. Am I dead?"
"I hope not. Chiro would have a fit. She loves you a lot, Gino."
The Masque almost choked. "How did you know that I'm....?!"
Slix smiled. "Everyone does. It's really obvious. Besides, I had to remove your hat and masque."
Gino sighed. "I suppose it is obvious. This hair, my eyes..." He blushed. "These damnable eyebrows..."
"Ahahaha!! They're signature, aren't they?"
"So...Chiro-san knows?" Gino asked.
"Yeah. She's still crazy about you. 'The Masque' may have made her even more in love."
Gino sat up slowly, grunting as he did so. "I assumed she was with you."
Slix shook his head. "Naw. She's just a dear friend. I... Five years ago, I lost the only woman I'll ever love." His big blue eyes shone with sadness.
"To Damean?"
"Well, no. Tiana killed her, but Damean kidnapped her." Slix explained.
Gino removed the tie from his hair, and the voluptuous blonde curls cascaded beautifully over his narrow, feminine shoulders. "What was her name?"
Slix found himself momentarily mesmerized by Gino Gambino's beauty. "Huh? Err... Delphina. Delphina LeCroix."
Gino shook out his hair. It was caked in blood. He got closer to the creek and dipped his hair in. "Beautiful name. What was she like?"
"She was kind, loyal, and she loved me very much. Delphi... because of her, my sky was always blue. Every day seemed worthwhile. But now that she's gone..." He sighed.
Gino pulled his hair, now heavy with water, up out of the creek. He began to wring it out. The blood was gone. "She sounds wonderful. You're very lucky to have found someone like that."
"Well, you have Sasha, don't you?"
"Ha! Do I? Sasha loves Ian. Everyone knows that. I don't think I ever stood a chance against him."
Slix chuckled. "You can do better, anyway. You realize that Sasha's not too bright, don't you?"
Gino laughed. "You're right. She is pretty slow, isn't she?"
"Atchoo!!!"
Ruby glanced down at Sasha, who sat in the warm sand. "You okay, puddin'?"
"Like, yeah. I, like, just thought someone was like... talkin' about me or somethin'..." eek
X=Chiro~Chan=X Community Member 
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