Chapter Text
Gigi dashed back, her gauntlets tight, coiled into fists. The plates shifted just slightly as she surged forward and slammed the inky monster in front of her, it went spiraling back and into a large rock. Her right gauntlet twitched and seized and she grunted. "No no no.." She used her other hand to fix it, but her fingers were too big.
Another monster rushed her down and her tail slammed the ground behind her, sending her up into the air. She flipped and her tail latched onto the back of the monster's head and as she came down, slammed it into the dirt with a heavy thud.
She balanced on her tail as her left gauntlet rearranged and the plates moved up her arm, shrinking down to a much more normal sized hand and arm as she began working on the right gauntlet.
Her eyes widened as her tail bounced her to the ground away from the unconscious creature. "Come on..." There was a soft latch and then she yelped as the gauntlet and nearly her entire right arm fell to the ground with a heavy thunk.
"Fuck...no no no... not again..." She whispered in fear as her tail dropped her to the ground onto her knees. She grabbed it up, trying to haul it back to the socket where it latched in but couldn't quite get it, the gauntlet seized and twitched its heavy fingers. "Come on.."
"GIGI!" A heavy accented voice yelled. Gigi's head snapped up, seeing another creature lunging at her. She didn't have time to move.
"Oh." She said quietly as her left arm's machinery rearranged to become full size. She barely blocked the attack as it sent her tumbling back, rolling back over back. Her tail hit the ground and she jumped to her feet. She dug her clawed toes in and thrust her fist forward as the creature followed through with its attack.
Heavy metal met inky form and the creature crumpled as air burst around them and it went flying back, only to immediately be skewered by a massive lance as a green, white and gold dressed doll flew down from the sky, impaling the creature on her weapon to the ground. She held onto it from the side.
The creature writhed before going limp. Cecilia looked at it, before going to Gigi. Her eyes clicked as they widened. "Gigi.. Oh my God. Your arm!" She yelled in alarm, running at the smaller girl. "No-no- We need!" She was cut off.
"I'm- I'm fine! It's okay!" Gigi said tiredly, trying to hide her missing limb.
"I need - We'll call -- Liz!" Cecilia was fumbling with a pouch at her hip but Gigi's large hand grabbed both of hers.
"It's fine.." She said in a serious tone.
"Your ARM is MISSING." The accented automaton yelled. "But.. where's the blood...?"
"Well! There can't be any blood if it didn't have any to begin with..." Gigi muttered, letting her go, her tail clawed at the ground as she walked by the woman.
Cecilia's joints clicked as she turned to watch Gigi and then follow her. "Gigi..?"
Gigi walked back to her fallen gauntlet. Her eyes narrowed as she stared at it. "What happened?" Cecilia asked quietly, moving closer, bending down to pick up the gauntlet and arm.
"I-.." Gigi's voice was uncharacteristically quiet. "I'm not.. a whole.. person...In fact, I don't know what the hell I am..."
Her left arm rearranged and metal crawled under her jacket sleeve as it shrunk down back to a normal sized hand and arm. Her tail reached around, pulling the sleeve down to her wrist. She walked to Cecilia and pushed between the plates of the gauntlet and flicked something inside. Suddenly the gauntlet shrunk and rearranged into Gigi's right arm, normal sized now.
"So- Wait- Are you... an automaton...?" Cecilia said, with a hint of hope, that maybe she wasn't the only one.
"N..No." The girl said as looked at Cecilia. "I'm.." Her tail claw clutched tightly behind her. "I don't know. Something. I know.. I'm not human... Or, not completely. Maybe I was? Maybe I never was." Her voice fell.
Cecilia hugged the metal arm to her chest as she looked at the shorter girl. "How'd you.. lose them..?"
Gigi made a face, gritting her sharp teeth. Her brow furrowed tightly. "They just.. fell off."
She sucked in a breath. "As if they were clay..." She looked down at her one hand and clutched it closed into a fist.
"But I've seen you. I've seen your arms and .. It's flesh?" Cecilia said, looking down at the arm she held for a moment.
Gigi shook her head, dark hair swaying this and that. "It's just magic. Elizabeth gave me a crystal that lets me cast a spell to make my body look more natural.. Unfortunately It's been a few days since I cast it and I forgot before we left."
"Oh..Your body..? Is it more...?" Cecilia stepped closer and Gigi stepped back, her metal clawed toes digging in. The Automaton glanced at what she originally thought were just strange boots.. But now...
"Can I have my arm back? We have to finish this. I'd like to go home." Gigi said softly.
Cecilia frowned. "Ye..Yeah. Here.." She gave it back to Gigi slowly, gingerly. With a bit of awkward effort, the arm latched back into its place. Gigi flexed her right arm and hand, doing a range of movement to test everything until she was satisfied.
Gigi and Cecilia walked across a soft field of grass, the wind blowing slightly. Chunks of boulders of dark gray variety lay around them. "They can't be too far." Gigi said, rubbing at her right arm, making sure it would stay attached.
Cecilia held her lance in her right hand as she walked with her. "Do you feel that?" Cecilia asked softly.
"Yeah.." Gigi said quietly as her hair stood up on the back of her neck. That prickly feeling dancing down her spine. Her tail claws twitched and the eye shut tightly.
"Cecilia and Gigi entered the field, knowing full well it was a trap. Anxiety built up inside the small fake girl. The puppet knew it all too well. A familiar feeling." A voice on the wind echoed softly.
"Gigi twisted to Cecilia, her mechanical arms igniting and enlarging for combat. She felt threatened." The voice said. " ‘Careful, she's here!’ Gigi said in a panic tone!"
"Careful! She's here!" Gigi said with panic in her voice. "Back to back!"
" ‘Back to back!’ " Gigi called out to her companion. Their forms press tightly together, tensing. The automaton gripped her lance tightly. Her eyes clicked as they dashed left and right, scanning for danger. The voice lingered around them.
"Where is she?! Shiori!" Cecilia called out.
The voice mimicked what Cecilia said. "Neither of them could see The Narrator. They were in her trap, strung up like the little puppets they were. All she had to do was pull a string and they would dance."
"Gigi raised her right fist, ready to strike the ground in a quake but she trembled. Her metal shaking. Would her arm stay attached? She turned her attention to the right, a rock shifted. "There!" She called out."
"There!" Gigi lunged for the rock. Her fist connected with it and it burst into chunks.
"The shadow beneath Cecilia shifted, she was too distracted by her companions' outburst as The Narrator burst from ink and shoved her sword into the puppet."
Cecilia was too busy looking at Gigi when the shadow beneath her squirmed. Bright yellow eyes pierced out and ink bubbled under her. Suddenly Shiori lunged out of it, holding a singular white scissor blade. She shoved it through Cecilia's torso.
Shiori fully formed as they all three stood together. Shiori grinned as she spoke. "The trio stood in silence. Oil dropped off the tip of The Narrator's blade. Gears clicked and grinded inside, trying to work but couldn't. She ripped her blade from the puppet and she fell to the ground in a crumpled heap."
As the words left her mouth, Shiori ripped her blade free, slinging parts and oil across the grass as Cecilia's body buckled and she fell to her knees. "Don't... Listen...to her..."
She fell over and grabbed at the wound in her body, glaring at Shiori who stood over her with a sharp fanged smirk.
"No!!" Gigi roared and dropped down on all fours, sprinting at Shiori across the field. Shiori pulled another blade out and she jumped backwards.
"Enraged, The Chaser closed the distance! Tears brimmed at her eyes! The Narrator swung and swords met fist!"
They collided and metal fists and swords slammed together, sparking off of each other as Gigi glared up at Shiori. "Shut up! Shut the fuck up!"
"Their eyes locked together, The Narrator's glowing eyes brightened and she laughed out. "But don't you want to know how the story ends?"
Gigi broke them apart and raised her arms above her head. The plates shifted and from within an orange glow ignited. She slammed the ground, creating a shockwave that flew at Shiori.
Shiori flipped back into the air, hovering as the attack missed easily. "The Almost Girl couldn't control herself. Her emotions overran her logic. She knew in her heart, if she could even call it that... That her failure would be the death of the puppet she cared for."
"Her emotions enraged. Her heart beat rapidly. Her fists clenched until they ached. Gigi Murrin was losing control, bit by bit."
Gigi growled and bared her sharp teeth, her tail lashed, the eye opening, looking at Cecilia on the ground behind her. The doll wasn't moving. "Ceci..." Gigi whimpered and then glared at Shiori. "I'll kill you!"
Shiori landed and then danced back, swords and fists collided together with loud clangs. There was a whisper on the wind, but she ignored it.
"Come on! Fight fight!" Shiori cackled as she twirled and danced around Gigi's fists as they attacked and swung. Shiori jammed her scissors together and twirled them and snapped them shut, narrowly Gigi avoided getting her arm cut off.
Shiori broke the scissors apart and there was a scream, a yell behind them.
Gigi's tail twisted and looked around, it was Cecilia, she was trapped inside a growing pink crystal. "Gigi! Listen to me! It's not real!"
"The Chaser twisted back, trying to determine what was real, and what was the Story! With her distracted, the narrator struck!"
Gigi's tail flicked around, catching sight of Shiori as she dived forward with her black blade.
Gigi twisted and caught the blade as it impaled through her left hand. Sparks and metal erupted out as Gigi closed one of her eyes from the pain. She gripped the blade tightly and held on. Shiori 's eyes widened as the girl clenched her right fist, tears in her eyes. She thrust her right fist forward.
Crystal appeared, covering Shiori as the metal fist struck her. She flew backwards and slammed into the ground, rolling and tumbling as crystal broke off around her until she finally came to a stop on the ground, face down.
Gigi felt her rage and emotions subside as the prickly feeling faded from her. She breathed heavily and ran for Cecilia, she broke the crystal off of the doll, who shuddered and sighed. "Cecilia-"
"I'm fine. It wasn't real, but we got another problem. Bijou is here." Cecilia grabbed her lance up again, looking around.
"Yeah.. I know.. she was fueling my rage..." Gigi said, ripping the sword from her left hand. She clenched her fist closed and the mechanics still worked fine. "Have you seen her?"
"No, but I got an idea." Cecilia said as she crouched down and then leapt into the air high above them. She swept her lance outward, a staff of music lines appeared in a green glow, musical notes shined into existence and she swung her weapon out, sending the notes out into the field.
They impacted the different rocks and exploded with bright green magic, giving off a musical sound as they did.
She saw movement from behind one of the rocks and twisted and dived down.
Her lance pierced the ground and Bijou jumped back, her crystal wings fluttering slightly as she made a yelp. "Oh holy crap!"
"Come here Bijou! No more games!" Cecilia dashed at her, a hand outstretched for her.
Bijou produced a magic barrier in front of her that Cecilia began stabbing as they danced back across the field.
Suddenly Gigi appeared, rapidly moving from the side. She slid up to Bijou and hauled her heavy right arm back and surged it forward, slamming the crystal girl as hard as she could, shattering the front barrier and sending her barreling across the plains. Gigi dashed after her as Cecilia jumped high into the air again. "I got her!" Gigi yelled.
Gigi followed after Bijou, who bounced and righted herself, her crystal wings fluttering as the ground erupted around her, crystals flew out and covered her body in crystal armor as Gigi dropped onto all fours, dashing rapidly at her. Bijou twisted and threw her hands out, throwing crystal spikes from the ground at Gigi, who jumped and twirled over them, dashing left and right to dodge.
"You could just let us go!" Bijou called out as Gigi disappeared and suddenly reappeared next to the crystal girl. She put her arms up and Gigi slammed her, cracking the armor.
"Not! After! What you! Just! Did! RAGH!" She punched with every word and as the crystal broke off, Bijou became faster. The girl flew rapidly away twirling, leaving a trail of pink and purple before she slid on the ground. A long crystal blade formed out of the ground, and she held it back at her hip.
"We don't have to do this!"
"Yes! We do!" Gigi dropped down on all fours again, sprinting like an animal at her.
Bijou slid her crystal feet and drew the sword, slashing once. Gigi's eyes widened as she felt the shift in the air around her. Slashes and slices formed around her. She came to a skidding halt as the ground became carved up, the rocks nearby diced and she put her fists up, blocking air slashes and slices. Her clothing and pig-tail getting slashed as she growled in pain. She reared her right hand back and slammed the ground, breaking a chunk of earth up and then punching it towards Bijou.
Bijou focused on the large hunk of earth and slashed her sword again, cutting it in half and as she did, Gigi came flying through it. She slammed Bijou again with her fist, followed up after her and grabbed her with her large hand, pinning her and dragging her into the ground until they came to stop. A scar deep in the ground behind them. Gigi punched and punched and punched, the ground cracking beneath them as her metal hand dented and cracked. Gigi roared, baring her sharp teeth.
When her rage finally subsided, she was breathing heavily, drooling even, her tail twitched as the metal of her hands trembled. She stared down at the broken form of Bijou, broken into a thousand shards. The crystal in her chest was fine, glowing a deep bloody red, a red that reflected in Gigi's eyes. She grit her teeth and roared, raising her hands up above her head.
A large crystal shard erupted out of the ground and hit her in the torso, sending her flying off across the field and into a large boulder where she cratered into it.
The broken form of Bijou twitched and slowly slammed itself back together, repairing the broken damage, though she had a noticeable crack running down her face. "Ow..." She hovered into the air, frowning.
"Shiori...?"
Shiori had awoken just in time when Cecilia broke off from Gigi. The girl looked roughed up but still in the fight. She was missing one of her blades as she shook her head. "Knocked down but not out the--"
"Shut up!" Cecilia said, slinging her lance as green music notes shot out towards the bright eyed girl. Shiori jumped back and twirled to avoid them, slinging her free hand out as words of ink formed in the air and shot out to meet the notes.
Cecilia produced a row of musical strings and swiped notes out from them as Shiori wrote lines of words to match, the ink and magic meeting in the middle, mixing and popping or just melting to the ground between them.
Shiori cackled out. "Evenly matched, the Musician and The Narrator wrote their song and story! Canceling one another out! How long could they keep this act up! Who would fail in their creation first!"
"You're really! Annoying! With your! Narration! Schtick!" Cecilia said as she swiped her lance and hand across the notes, producing a long line of music that when shot sounded like someone gliding their hand down a line of keys on a piano.
Shiori grinned and her sword melted into ink and she grabbed her hands together and then pulled them apart, producing an inky web and threw it out in front of her, catching the assault of notes in the ink, fizzling them out. "Haha, well! You know! Everyone's got to have a hobby!"
Shiori's head snapped up as Cecilia took to the air again with her lance, diving over the web of ink and directly towards her. Shiori growled and produced her blade again. She gripped it with both hands and blocked Cecilia's lance as she dived down onto her. She went down onto one knee and grunted as the ground sank beneath them, green and yellow sparks shooting off their weapons.
"Yield and I won't kill you!" Cecilia threatened as she pushed down on her lance from above. Shiori grinned a sharp grin.
"Oh, not very Justice of you to kill your opponent.." She laughed.
"We both know you're too dangerous!" Cecilia grunted.
"You're goddamn right I am." Shiori said, twisting her blade and side stepping. The lance hit the ground in front of her and she swung her blade upward, sparking up the lance. Cecilia's eyes widened as the blade came up to her and cleaved her left arm off.
She grunted and fell to the ground with her limb. She grabbed at the cleaved stub as parts and cogs hung from it and fell out. She began crawling back on the ground. Shiori sauntered up to her slowly, swinging her scissor blade. "Now then. Puppet. Time to cut your string."
"No-No-" Cecilia said as she stopped crawling, partially sat up as Shiori raised her blade above her to stab downward.
Cecilia swung her hand out, producing a large musical note between them that flew right up to Shiori's face. Her golden eyes widened and she simply said. "... Oh."
Green magic exploded between them and Shiori went tumbling back as Cecilia was pushed and rolled backwards onto her front in the tall grass. Dirt and debris went flying everywhere as Bijou flew across the field towards the magical dust cloud. "Shiori!"
The smaller girl swept around in a twirl, blasting the cloud back and finding Shiori crawling across the ground on her side, grunting. She was burned with green magic and damaged heavily. Across her eyes were scorched magic marks, both of them closed. She breathed heavily. "Bi..Bijou...Gr...agh..I can't.. I can't see..."
"I'm coming!" Bijou hit the ground, her crystal feet thunking quietly as she ran over and gathered her up awkwardly in her arms. "Sorry-sorry! Come on! I got you!" Her crystal wings behind her fluttered softly as she carried the girl into the air with her.
Cecilia grunted on her side, watching the pair get away. She too was covered in dust and dirt and a few scorch marks. She pushed herself up and sighed. "Gigi?" She asked quietly, looking around.
"Hey! Gigi!" She frowned, standing up with a slight limp. "Hey where are you!?"
The automaton stumbled as she ran through the field, looking at the ruins and scars from battle. "Gigi!" She called out. She heard a low groan from a nearby boulder that had been broken and caved in. She ran up to it and hopped up to see the crater inside, with Gigi laying in it.
"Uhg..." She said quietly. She slowly sat up and sighed. "Ow.." Metal clicked and groaned before there was a snapping as she sat up. Both of her mechanical arms stretched and peeled off, wires and metal breaking and then hitting the ground with a pair of thunks. Gigi frowned to herself as she looked at them. "Oh.." She looked up at Cecilia, frowning. "What happened to your arm?"
Cecilia shook her head. "I lost it, whatever. You're the one that needs help." She eyed the crumpled metal fists as they laid around Gigi, who used her tail to push herself up to stand. “What happened?”
"What happened? I got hit by Bijou.. I.. I almost killed her..." She frowned. "She made me so angry and I lost control and.." She said quietly as she looked at the battered warped knuckles of her fists on the ground. She grit her sharp teeth.
"Well, for what it's worth, you didn't kill her." Cecilia said, awkwardly stepping closer to Gigi, laying a hand on her shoulder. "She got away with Shiori, but I made sure to blind that vile creature in human skin..."
"Great.." Gigi slumped her shoulders and sighed. The armless girl looked around her and used her tail to pick up one of the massive broken arms, curling around it and clutching it tightly with her tail claws. "I guess we'll have to come back for the other."
"Mmm..." Cecilia said as she leaned down and hooked the other broken arm under her right arm, hauling it up with a slight grunt as she held it against her side. "Okay, let's go."
"But your arm..." Gigi frowned.
"Mine are much easier replaced. I have lots of spares." She smiled.
The pair got back to the field and glanced around. "Man, I hate this." Gigi said quietly. "How do you do it?"
"Do what?" Cecilia looked back, her joints clicking tiredly.
"Just, lose a piece of yourself..." Gigi said, making a show of motioning with the stubs of her arms under her clothing. "Even with my arms, I know they're not mine. They're not real. I'm never whole, but without them like this I just feel so.." She sighed and shrugged.
"I guess it's hard to say. I've probably replaced every aspect of my body over time. I think the only thing that's left over from my original is my brain and heart. Well, and my left eye." She chuckled awkwardly. "I've never, ironically, had much attachment to my self, because I am ever changing." Cecilia walked up to Gigi and smiled down at her.
"I think, all that matters, is that you're whole here." Without a free hand, she motioned her head to Gigi's chest, at her heart. "And here." She bonked her forehead against Gigi's with a soft knock.
"Hey oowww...." She said slightly louder, laughing. She pressed her forehead back to Cecilia and smiled slightly. "Thanks, Ceci."
"Yeh. Just make sure it gets through that thick skull of yours." She smirked and stood up straight.
"Bah. The better to headbutt with!" Gigi grinned and walked alongside her.
"Yah well, you're all headbutts right now..."
"Hardy har har."