The town is alight with joyous fires. People are out in the streets in force, celebrating whatever they please. Aromas of food flow through the air, teasing unprepared nostrils. Drink pours steadily to those who want it. Guards patrol the roads, but they merely watch. There’s no need for them to disrupt the fun.

“Ahhhh, I love it out here.” Scarlet jolts forward before taking a deep breath. “Freedom!”

Gai takes in the scenery. “I feel the same damn way.”

“Now then, what did you have in mind?” Scarlet turns to Gai. Her eyes shine expectantly.

Gai stumbles. “Well, um, I didn’t exactly have a plan. I usually go bar hopping til the sun comes up.”

“Sounds good. Thanks for paying.”

“I didn’t say I would—”

“Let’s go!” Scarlet retreats off into the distance with her fist thrust excitedly into the air.

“At least let me pick the first place!” Gai calls after her. He sprints to catch up.

•

Gai ends up dragging Scarlet to a reserved hole-in-the-wall tavern he likes near the center of town. It’s a simple site where workers for the nobles get a drink before heading home. The prices tend to be cheap, yet there’s still a classy vibe due to its location.

“L-Let’s go somewhere else,” says Scarlet nervously. Her eyes are slightly narrowed as she avoids contact with people.

“Nah, this place is great. You been here before?”

Gai drags Scarlet along by her hand. She tries to resist, but Gai merely pulls her through the dirt. Trim lines in the ground follow behind them from her struggles.

“M-Maybe once…”

They enter through the doors.

“Welcome, welcome!” calls the tavern owner. He stands behind the bar. A mug sits in his hands. He drains ale from a tap before handing the frothy liquid to a customer. “Take a seat anywhere you’d like.”

“Gladly,” Gai acknowledges.

The place is at around seventy-percent capacity. It’s busy, but there are still some odd tables available.

“How about this one?” Gai asks as he drags Scarlet about. He turns to her and notices a worried look on her face. “What’s wrong?”

Scarlet’s eyes dart around randomly. “It’s nothing,” she replies weakly. Still, she searches.

“Doesn’t look like nothing.” Gai leans forward. “You’ve been here more than once, haven’t you?”

Scarlet nods. ‘M-Maybe twice?”

“Do you not like it here or something?”

“That’s not it.”

“Then you’ll be fine.” Gai sits at a nearby table. Scarlet begrudgingly joins him as she slides into the booth opposite him. “I’ll get us a waitress. Service?!”

A female voice shouts, “Coming!”

Scarlet slouches into the booth.

The waitress comes over to the table. She’s a bubbly blonde girl. Long legs with a flat frame, but her bottom half is very curvy. She wears her attire well, a dress with an apron. A warm grin encompasses her lips. “What can I get for yo—”

Scarlet slouches further into her seat. “Oh Gods,” she mutters.

“Ah! Scarlet!” the waitress exclaims. She claps her hands together. “You’re back!” She pushes herself beside Scarlet. “I was wondering when you would come back to see me.”

Gai raises an eyebrow. “Oh?”

The waitress leans forward and kisses Scarlet lightly on the cheek. Scarlet kind of winces, but she responds back with tinted, red cheeks. They break away. The waitress smiles. Scarlet offers one back, but it is a more nervous gesture.

“Ohhhhhh!”

Scarlet frowns at Gai. “Shut up.”

Gai merely smirks.

Scarlet sighs. “How are you doing, Fana? It’s been a while. Life’s gotten pretty busy.”

Fana waves her off. “No need for explanations. Your engagement debacle is the topic of the town. Everyone’s talking about it.”

Scarlet groans.

Gai points between the two of them. “You guys in love or something?”

“No,” the girls say in unison.

“She likes to kiss me when she’s drunk.” Fana laughs as she leans into Scarlet’s shoulder. “The prodigy herself fancies me. How about that?”

“And you do it regardless of the liquor,” moans Scarlet.

“Cause you’re so cute.” Fana nuzzles into Scarlet’s neck. It elicits a slight tinge of red on Scarlet’s cheeks as she does her best to ignore the girl. “Too fun to tease.” She lightly nips the side of Scarlet’s neck causing her to jolt.

“How can I get involved in this?” requests Gai as he points between the two women.

Scarlet narrows her eyes viciously. Her nose flares a bit.

“You’d probably have to keep feeding her drinks if I’m being honest,” murmurs Fana upon reflection. “Who are you anyway?”

“I’m her fiancé.”

“Maybe,” corrects Scarlet.

“Really?” Fana sounds surprised. “He’s one of the men dueling for your heart? That’s so romantic!”

“Isn’t it? What can I say? I’m a romantic guy.” Gai sarcastically gestures his hand outwards as if flipping a card.

“He’s not romantic,” says Scarlet. “Just a perverted ass.”

“Have you seen the thing she wears on her chest?” Gai asks Fana.

Fana’s eyebrows knit together. “What thing?”

Gai gestures at the redhead’s chest. “She binds her boobs down so they don’t move.”

“You try running with massive tits,” mutters Scarlet angrily to herself.

Gai raises an intrigued eyebrow. “Massive?”

“Shut up.”

“Bullshit. Let me see.”

“Fuck off,” curses Scarlet. She sinks further into her seat.

Fana giggles. “You two are funny!”

“And we’ll get even funnier with some drinks. How about it? Want to slosh around with us?” Gai suggests to the waitress.

“She’s probably busy,” says Scarlet.

“No, it’ll be fine,” states Fana. “I’ll bring a pitcher this way—on the house.”

Fana walks away.

“You should fuck the help more often. Especially if it gives us free shit,” Gai says.

“I don’t do that.”

“Do what? Fuck?”

“Yes.”

“Liar! That girl was all over you!” Gai points an accusing finger at Scarlet. “If you were my friend, I’d be proud.”

Scarlet rolls her eyes. “Are we not friends yet?”

“It’s different. You’re a woman. I can’t be friends with women. Speaking from experience, it never works out.”

“You should learn to keep things to yourself.”

“What’s the point? Filters are boring. It’s better to say and do what you want. Then you have no regrets,” says Gai. He stretches his arms out across the booth, yawning as he does.

“Not everyone can be like that.”

“Why?”

“Cause the world would fall apart.”

“Fuck the world.”

Scarlet merely stares.

“Ah! Here come our drinks!”

•

The night begins to blur into a distortion of colors and drinks at the night drones on for hours and hours until the pair arrive at their last stop for the night.

At a tavern near the edge of town, closer to the main road, Gai and Scarlet party. The two have grown close over the night. Not in a romantic way, but closer to friends, even if Gai doesn’t believe he can be friends with women.

“Hey, want to leave this place?” slurs a man into Scarlet’s ear.

Gai watches as a huge farmer grabs Scarlet by the shoulder. Gai’s been drinking. His cheeks are rosy red, and there’s a glassiness to his eyes.

“No, thank you. I’m with a friend, but I appreciate the offer!” Scarlet says through her own slurs. She gestures over to Gai with the empty glass hanging loosely between her finger.

“Leave him behind. Come fuck a real man!” boasts the farmer. He’s not entirely ugly. His frame is massive from long, hard days toiling in the fields. Still, there’s a poverty-stricken nature to his demeanor that makes him appear almost lesser, for lack of a better word.

“And where might he be?” Scarlet feigns, looking around.

“Ha! Funny!” Gai chortles from across the room as a lovely woman whispers sweet things into his ear.

The farmer frowns. He grabs Scarlet’s wrist and jerks it up. “Let’s go!”

Gai scowls. “Damn. Better go do some—”

Scarlet twirls the man’s arm, bending it away. His grip loosens, much to his surprise. Using her free hand, Scarlet pushes the back of the farmer’s elbow in opposition to its natural alignment.

There’s a snap.

“GAAAAAH!” screams the farmer as he crumbles to the floor.

If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

Still, Scarlet holds on to the broken limb. She slaps it on the table in a swift motion. Her free hand slides to a nearby butter knife. She drives it quickly into the hand. It spikes through with so much force that it pins the injured farmer’s palm directly to the table. Blood seeps through the wood, pooling both on top and on the floor.

The festivities halt.

Everyone stares.

“Thought I was being pretty clear you needed to back off,” snorts Scarlet as the man cries in agony before her. “Bitch.”

“That was awesome!” Gai suddenly cries. He breaks away from the woman speaking to him to stand by Scarlet. “When did you learn how to fight!?”

“Fuck you, I’ve explained it twice already,” Scarlet slurs. She goes to finish her mug by dipping it over her head, but nothing comes out. She stares at it angrily. With an exasperated grunt, she tosses it onto the table with the screaming farmer’s hand. “I was trained at the castle!”

“Oh yeah?! I guess I just didn’t believe you!”

“You literally saw it!”

Gai picks Scarlet up.

“Ehhh?!”

“GET THAT BITCH!” screams the pinned, injured farmer. “KILL HER! FUCKING KILL HER!”

“I’d say this is not the best environment for you right now,” Gai pronounces firmly. Still, a playful smile remains on his lips. He charges towards the door, slamming it open on the way out.

The tavern owner calls after them, “You forgot to pay!”

“Sorry!” Scarlet shouts back bluntly.

An armada of people soon comes charging after them. The tavern owner. The farmer’s friends. The woman Gai rejected and her friends.

“That’s a lot of people,” verifies Scarlet.

“Guess we had a fun night!” booms Gai.

“I suppose we did! Hahahaha!”

Gai ducks down an alleyway. As he does, he flicks on his ability.

When holding someone or something, that object also turns invisible. If it didn’t, Gai would have to get naked every time he wanted to go invisible, as his clothes would show to the outer world. To those under the ability, they don’t see themselves as invisible. It’d make walking, running, or picking things up near impossible, especially in delicate situations. The only cue the gift has activated, besides Gai using his gift muscle, is a visual pulse. For a brief moment, reality condenses and expands. The same thing happens in reverse when the ability is dropped. Both last a mere second before the user, or someone touching them, returns to normal sight.

Scarlet does not notice. How would she? The strain of using the gift is not felt by her. She’s drunk. A man is carrying her. The recognition of invisibility is not in her wheelhouse at the moment.

As soon as Gai emerges from the alley, he cuts left. His body reclines against the nearest wall.

“Eh? Where are we?” demands Scarlet.

“They went down there! They had to!” a voice screeches.

Scarlet’s eyes widen in recognition. “Shit! Put me down. I can run. Damn, this is a terrible hiding place.” She smacks Gai on the chest. “Hey, let me—”

Gai cuts off Scarlet’s lips with his own.

Scarlet’s eyes widen. She does not kiss him back.

Bodies shuffle by them. Scarlet watches as the people from the tavern pass them, missing where she and Gai have stopped. They eventually disappear down the street out of view.

Gai releases his kiss. At the same time, his ability rescinds. He gently puts Scarlet to the ground. “There. We’re good.”

“S-Sure,” stutters Scarlet. She looks away for a moment as if in thought. “We should head home.”

“Hmm? I like the sound of that,” slurs Gai.

“I’m sure you do,” Scarlet pats Gai’s chest. “but that’s not what I meant.”

“What do you mean? We had a good night. We kissed. Everybody knows what happens next.”

“No, they don’t.”

They jeer back and forth until the two of them are out of town. Soon, they’re back on the main road heading towards Castle Grey.

“I’m just saying, we’ve had some chemistry tonight. Drinking. Fighting. We’re kindred spirits,” asserts Gai as he paces behind Scarlet.

“That doesn’t matter. I am not going to do…whatever it is that you want to do.”

“I think we both know what I want to do.” Gai gets closer to Scarlet. He places a hand on the small of her back.

“I think you’ll be fine.” Scarlet increases her speed, creating distance between Gai and herself.

“How will I be fine if we don't have sex? We had fun and it's easy to be around you. What do I have to do, Scarlet?”

“Nothing! We never will no matter how hard you try!”

“Then why in the hell would I marry you?!”

“Don’t! Like I give a fuck!”

“Hey, hey, hey, wait up!” Gai jogs a bit until he catches up to Scarlet. He grabs her arm. “The hell is wrong with you right now?”

“Nothing!” Scarlet's face is bright red. She struggles to maintain eye contact.

Gai frowns.

Scarlet stares ahead as if in thought. Her nervousness disappears as she looks away from Gai. “I can't believe I let myself get drawn in like this without thinking this through. Idiot...” She stares straight at Gai. “My intuition kept telling me to steer clear of you, and I ignored it until...a few minutes ago. In all likelihood, you’re just a perverted asshole trying to take advantage of my situation so you can screw me.”

“That’s not true. I promise you, I’m not that complicated,” says Gai with a bit of laughter.

“No, when I actually think about it and dismiss all the shitty, stupid fucking reasons you’ve given for being here, it makes perfect sense.” Scarlet grimaces. “Let’s...I’m gonna head back. You don’t have to follow.”

Gai grimaces.

Scarlet marches off without another word.

•

They grow closer to the castle. Its walls are within view.

The silence between the two of them has been apparent for a while. A fun night wasted near the end. Gai cannot stand it. Things were going well until this last period. Now, it’s ruined.

“Why doesn't she believe me anymore? It was the sex comment. It had to be. I mean, I would have sex with her in a heartbeat if she offered. Hell, it's all I can think about right now. The mood was right, we had fun, we kissed...that should be it, right? I've done this dozens of times, and it's always ended the same way. Why not this time?”

Gai rethinks the night so far.

“Yeah, it all started going wrong when I brought up sex. Does that really embarrass her that much?” ponders Gai. “Or maybe she's one of those reserved types that prefers for it happen naturally instead of talking about it?” He allows that thought to mull within his head for a bit. “She wasn't unreceptive to the kiss. It was stopping it that made everything go down hill. Okay! Impulsive and romantic! Be spontaneous! That's what I did last time, so it should work again.”

The man moves forward. He grabs Scarlet’s shoulders and whips her around.

“Wh—”

He kisses her.

Scarlet pushes her hands into his chest to budge him—to no avail.

Gai moves the two of them into the forest. They slam into the nearest tree. Scarlet jolts slightly. Gai continues his assault upon her lips.

They eventually part.

Scarlet stares up at Gai. Her eyes are flickered with signs of horror.

Gai’s eyes knit together. “What’s with that look?”

“D-Don’t do this,” Scarlet speaks firmly. Still, her voice is laced with nervousness and her face looks weak like she’s holding back vomit.

“Kiss you? Damn, is it that bad?”

“Force…me…”

Gai notices a light. He peers down in confusion.

Scarlet’s arms radiate with an immense amount of energy. The bones beneath her skin seem to light up. Out of the corner of his eyes, Gai spots two pointed tendrils aiming themselves at his neck.

Gai blinks rapidly. “Oh.” He pauses as he realizes what Scarlet is implying. “Oh, hell no! I’m not going to do that! What the fuck is wrong with you?!”

Scarlet’s eyes widen. Her tendrils fade as the lights in her arms recede. “The fuck is wrong with you?! What else was I supposed to think?! You suddenly grabbed me, kissed me, then pushed me into this dark forest against my will with nobody around!”

“I, uh…wow. Okay. I see where you’re coming from. I, uh, I didn’t mean for you to think…that.”

“Then what were you expecting?!”

“That you wanted some kind of big romantic gesture,” Gai explains meekly. “To show you…I was…impulsively romantic…”

“And then I’d sleep with you?! Is that what you thought?!”

“Kind of, yeah.”

“How’s that turning out for you?”

“Not…well.”

“Let go of me.”

“Come on,” complains Gai. “I don’t want you to think I’m a bad guy. I’m just kind of an asshole. I wouldn’t do anything to you unless you wanted it. It’s no fun otherwise.”

“Well, you are right. You’re kind of an asshole!”

“One more kiss will change your mind about me. Promise.”

“I’m warning you. Do not touch me like that again.”

Gai smiles. He reaches forward to sarcastically tap Scarlet on her lips with his finger.

Scarlet immediately reacts to the tiniest hint of movement towards her and kicks Gai between the legs.

Time seems to freeze.

Gai falls backward. He rolls to the side. A wave of nauseous pain ruptures through his body. Gifts can do a lot to repair the body, but they don’t mitigate pain. He vomits onto the grass before blacking out.

•

Gai awakens the following day, startled. Breathing heavily, he looks around the room.

“The hell happened?” the man wonders absent-mindedly.

Then the pain hits.

First in his head.

Then in his groin.

Gai winces. “Right, shit, she kicked me in the balls.” His face mushes together in pain. “Ugh, I must have deserved it.”

The remnants of drink obscure Gai's ability to think or remember properly.

“Sorry...I'm sorry...gotta...apologize or something.” Gai pulls himself out of bed. He still wears the clothes he did the night before.

Gai moves through the halls. He vaguely remembers how to get to Scarlet’s room. It’s still early. Morning has not yet begun, though the rays of light illuminating from the sun are starting to crest over the horizon.

Eventually, Gai arrives at a familiar door. He goes to knock. On one hit, the door opens.

“Damn, that was loud. Oh? It opened. Scarlet?” Gai calls meekly. “You up?”

Still groggy and with a hazy mind, Gai moves into the room.

“I’m sorry...I think I made you feel bad. It's not you, it's me. Is it me? It was probably me.” Gai chuckles painfully. When no one responds, he becomes confused. “Scarlet?” Gai looks about. His gaze lands on her bed. “Oh.”

Scarlet sleeps soundly in her room. A single sheet slides over her nude body. She breathes peacefully into her pillow without a care in the world.

Gai cannot help but stare. Her chest is barely covered by the sheet. “Gods above, you made a masterpiece. Holy shit.”

The sun breaks through the nearest window. It illuminates the room. The rays hit Scarlet’s hair. It seems to alight like fire.

The wind whips through the room via the window. It chills the air.

Gai breathes in recognition. Exhaustion wrecks him as his shoulders sag.

Still, Gai feels compelled to move forward. He stands over the side of the bed as he looks upon Scarlet's sleeping face.

“We’re kind of the same. She hates this life like I did. The only difference is she’s stuck while I left it the first chance I got. She needs someone to save her since she can’t save herself. Kind of like…my sister.”

Gai smiles warmly at the girl laying in bed as he finally pulls his reasoning for the challenge out of the far reaches of his mind.

“All we have to do is get married? Easy. We’ll leave this place behind. It might actually be nice to travel with someone for a while. It’ll be cute watching her gush over all the new things she’ll see. Ha! That settles it. I’ll make my lies into reality. Why not? What are husbands for?” Gai can feel his face soften as he stares at Scarlet’s sleeping form. A dopey, drunken smile stretches across his lips. “Good people deserve a savior. If she needs me, I’ll be that for her. It’s not like I had anything else planned. Plus, it’ll piss off my parents again. Worth it.”

Scarlet suddenly snores. She grips the sheet tighter to her chest as if trying to hide her body.

“I’d better go back to bed,” Gai thinks as he shuffles awkwardly away from Scarlet. “We can talk in the morning.”

•

“Lady Scarlet?” a voice calls coldly.

“Hmm?” Scarlet croaks.

Gai opens his eyes. His vision is hazy. A warmth surges under his skin from fleshy contact. He looks down. Scarlet remains nuzzled sleepily into his chest.

“What the fuck?" thinks Gai.

“Lady Scarlet, wake up,” urges the voice a second time.

Gai glances up.

His soul freezes

Standing above them is an older gentleman Gai has never seen before.

Regardless, he carries a sword and exudes an imposing aura. He looks down at the two of them.

“This is where I die,” believes Gai. The thought reaches the very depths of his soul.

Scarlet turns away from Gai, groaning. She gets up slowly and rubs her eyes. She turns to see Master Talbert standing beside her. Scarlet freezes. Her hands hold up her sheet over her chest in an attempt to hide her body. “Good morning, sir.”

“Good morning. So sorry to wake you,” Master Talbert greets with closed eyes. There’s a darkness to his actions that causes both Scarlet and Gai to shiver. “I was worried you had overslept for today’s lesson. That is unlike you, so I came to see if you were weakened by illness.” His eyes open. They linger evilly on Gai. “I see why your regimen has faltered.”

Confused, Scarlet slowly turns. Realization hits her that another body other than her own is in her bed.

Scarlet meets Gai’s gaze. Her body stiffens as she realizes the closeness, the touching of skin, and what it might mean.

Gai beams. “Morning!” he says as cheerfully as possible, but his heart is racing.

Scarlet looks down at herself, then at Gai. She turns back to Master Talbert, herself, then Gai again.

“Hrrrk!” Scarlet leans over the side of the bed as bile exits her throat onto an annoyed pair of shoes.