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Seth was already regretting their choices up to this point.
The past few lamplights had been hectic, to say the least, and the task of taking care of Flowery had taken just as much a toll on them as everyone else. By all means, they should’ve been out like a light by now.
Yet here they were, sitting by his bedside in their pajamas, keeping careful watch over him as the others all slept soundly.
It scared them, even if they didn’t want to admit it. But Blue and Yellow both seemed so tired of being the ones in charge of his care, and, well… they liked the idea of taking over, even just for a little bit. It made them feel more mature, more responsible.
Besides, they spent so much time watching over Aqua already; surely this couldn’t be any more stressful, could it?
As it turns out, it was much, much worse.
As much of a handful as Aqua was, Seth was savvy enough to her antics that they could at least somewhat rein her in. But Flowery had just… snapped all of a sudden. They still had no clue what had caused him to go berserk, or whether he’d do something like that again. Even if he seemed better, for all they knew that could change at any moment. And it certainly didn’t help that they couldn’t understand half of the words he said, either.
At least for now, he had stopped sobbing. Thank the Angel for small mercies, they guessed.
However brief, the peace and quiet meant they could get some reading time in. Not many of their books had survived the garden’s destruction, but they did manage to salvage one on a favorite subject of theirs: the courtship rituals of various avian species. If nothing else, it would help put their mind at ease for a little while.
Just as they were about to dive into a particularly juicy chapter on birds of paradise, though, Flowery began to stir again.
“Seth…?”
They hid their exasperation as best they could. “Yes, Flowery, I’m here… Are you alright? Do you need something?”
“なぜ誰も何も教えてくれないんだ?” He muttered.
Seth didn’t know what to make of that, so they tried offering him a few options. “Can I get you some water? Or maybe read you a story? I… I could tell you some bird facts if you want…”
“ただ何があったのか知りたいだけなんだ。” He whined, tears beginning to form again. “お願い、教えてくれ。誰も何も教えてくれず、怖いです。”
Still unable to comprehend his words, they went with the third option. “Um… Here’s a neat one: Did you know there’s a type of bird of paradise with feathers so dark, they absorb more than 99% of natural light?” They awkwardly recited from their book. “That makes their colored feathers appear much brighter, and when a male performs his mating dance, the light–”
“Do you hate me…?”
Seth was taken aback. They had to take a moment to process the question.
“What…?”
He tearfully reiterated. “Whatever I did… Do you hate me for it…?”
“Flowery, I…” They had to be very careful with their words, so as not to fully set him off again. “None of us could ever hate you, OK? We’re just… we’re just worried.”
“Then why won’t you just… tell me…?”
“Blue says… Blue says that would make things worse. Reopen old wounds, or something. We all just… want to move on from it.” Setting their book aside, they climbed over his bedside and made eye contact, to ensure he took their next words to heart. “But you’re not some kind of monster to us, I promise. We love you, Flowery. All of us do. You mean the world to us, and nothing could change that. Alright?”
That seemed to be a satisfactory enough answer for now. His expression shifted to a weak smile. “私もみんな大好きだよ。もう二度と傷つけないようにするよ。 ”
Returning his smile, Seth slid back off the bed and returned to their seat. “I’m gonna try and get some sleep now. You should probably do the same. Just wake me if you need anything else, OK?” They settled into the chair and closed their eyes. “Good night, Flowery.”
“Seth… ありがとうございます。” Flowery responded. Wanting to return their kindness, he sat up from his bed, reaching an arm around to embrace them. “さあ、私のお気に入りの戦術家におやすみのハグを。”
His hand grazed Seth’s back.
And everything fell apart.
With one little touch, they were there again.
The moment when all hell broke loose.
They’d just entered the garden together, leaving Blue and Yellow at the door. Green lingered behind to watch the two lovebirds, while they, Aqua, and Orange spoke with Flowery.
They couldn’t remember the exact words. Something about “talking things out”. What they remembered, though, was that he’d looked… odd.
His eyes were frighteningly wide, wider than they’d ever seen them before. And such an odd color, too; bright red and neon green, like some kind of poisonous frog warning them to stay far away. And below, a deranged, toothy grin spread way too far across his face. On top of all that, his voice sounded… different. Distorted. Distinctly wrong.
Much more clearly, they remembered what happened after.
The vines.
Out of nowhere, a thorny vine shot across the room toward the door.
THUNK.
The sound of flesh being pierced, a few pained grunts, and then nothing.
The three flowers turned their attention to the sound. The vine had lodged itself into Green’s back, right between their shoulder blades.
“Green!” Orange yelped, sprinting to make sure her friend was okay. The other two approached cautiously, Seth taking Aqua’s hand to keep her close.
Green was still standing, but something was clearly wrong. Their posture straightened as they shuffled in front of the door, blocking it. As Orange approached, they snapped around and snatched her off the ground, holding her far too tightly.
“Ngh! Green…!” She protested, writhing in their grasp as they faced her away from Flowery. “What’s your deal, huh? Why are you being such a–”
Before she could finish her sentence, another vine. This time, the other two had a clear view. It sailed across the room and found its place in Orange’s back, burying itself deep inside.
THUNK.
“EEEEEEEK!!” She squealed, before going limp in Green’s hands.
“Flowery, stop!” cried Aqua. “I don’t like this game! It’s scary!”
“R-run!” Seth picked a direction and booked it as fast as they could, dragging Aqua behind them.
But there was nowhere to go. All they could do was run in circles, from one wall to another, crying for help that would not come.
And before long, the vines caught up.
THUNK.
Aqua screamed as yet another vine took root, yanking her out of Seth’s hand as they tried to keep running. The sudden change in weight sent them careening forward and tumbling to the ground.
“WAAAUGH!”
Scrambling to their hands and knees, they scoped out the nearest corner. Maybe if they pressed their back into there, the tendrils couldn’t reach it.
They’d never find out. Another vine, one of many draped across the floor, had snagged around their ankle.
“No…!” They desperately tried to tug themself free. “C’mon, C’MON!”
But it wouldn’t budge. The vine snaked further up their leg, tightening around it and rendering them immobile.
Behind them, Aqua and Orange slowly approached, stumbling like a pair of zombies as their vines dragged behind them. Sticky, golden sap dribbled from their mouths, which stayed frozen in twisted grins.
“Uuu, here they are!” Aqua cheered, her voice taking on the same distortion as Flowery’s. “I found them, Flowery!”
“Ha! Good work, Aqua! Now… let’s reintroduce them to the family, shall we?”
And with that, one last vine plunged its way into Seth’s back.
THUNK.
The pain was unbearable as its roots dug deeper and deeper into their skin.
But as much as it hurt, they did everything in their power to ignore it.
From what they’d seen, they could guess the tendrils took over the minds of whoever they attached to. So if they focused their every thought on staying themself… maybe they could power through it?
It was worth a shot.
“Ngh… C’mon, Seth…” They groaned. “Just… stay focused…”
Give in, Purple.
The words echoed through their head, spoken by a voice that sounded eerily like both Flowery and themself.
“Wh… what…?”
Give in. Give in and join your family Purple. We’re all waiting for you Purple and we all love you and we miss you so so so so so so much.
That name… Why was it calling them that? That wasn’t them. That hadn’t been them since they first gained consciousness.
“S-stop… I… I’m not…”
The voice grew more aggressive.
You aren’t “Seth” You’re Purple You always were Purple You’re the perfect purple flower to complete our perfect happy little bouquet Stop pretending you’re someone else You’re Purple You’re Purple You’re Purple
The roots drilled themselves even deeper, sending them doubling over in pain.
“N-no…! Get out! Get out of my head!”
They felt their mouth beginning to fill with sap, which dripped onto the floor below them as they cried out. The voice escalated to a shout.
Why are you being so defiant You’ve always been so defiant Thinking you can boss us around Thinking you can pick your own name Thinking you can leave the rest of us behind I should’ve pruned you into shape long ago JUST GIVE IN PURPLE GIVE IN GIVE IN GIVE IN
“STOP…! STOP CALLING ME THAT!” They screamed, clutching their head as the voice continued to grow in volume. “I’M NOT ‘PURPLE’! I’M SETH! I’M SEEEEEEETH!”
The voice devolved into an utter cacophony, the name “Purple” repeating again and again and again, pounding against their skull louder and louder and louder, until it was all they could think.
“I’m… Seth… I…”
And without another word, they were a prisoner of their own body. Just like the others.
They were “Purple”.
“I’m not ‘Purple’… I’m Seth… I’m Seth…”
Flowery could only watch in horror as Seth utterly broke down in front of him.
This is what just his touch did to them. Curled up on the ground. Hyperventilating. Eyes wide. Tears streaming down their face. Desperately assuring themself of their own identity.
After all that talk about loving him no matter what, about how he wasn’t a monster… just being touched by him did this.
He really was a monster, wasn’t he?
“I… I’m sorryyyyy…”
The sobbing started again.