Fix My Mechanical Heart

[IceQueen]

Kiora smiled and laughed. "Let's not only focus on that." she said.

 

[grey987]

"Then what else do you want focus on?" Mark asked as he turned in a random direction, leaping onto another nearby rooftop.

 

[IceQueen]

Kiora smiled and leapt after him. "Anything, probably improving our skills."

 

[grey987]

Mark grinned behind Hunter's headpiece as he slowed his pace a bit, jumping onto another building before planting his feet and sliding a bit across the rooftop beneath him as he turned around. "Alright then," he said before leaping towards Kiora, lifting an arm to try and clothesline her.

 

[IceQueen]

Kiora smiled and ducked, aiming at his underbelly.

 

[grey987]

Mark spluttered as Kiora impacted his body, spinning backwards in the air at least twice before hitting the rooftop beneath him hard. Giving a low groan as he looked at his health status, he could see that much of the bar had already dropped. It turned out that Kiora did in fact have a right to be concerned; his body was still much weaker than he originally perceived.

 

[IceQueen]

Kiora looked at him. "See? You aren't doing that well." she said to him, offering a hand.

 

[grey987]

"No, I'm... I'm fine," Mark insisted, waving his hand in dismissal before getting back up on his feet with an almost noticeable amount of effort. He then boosted back and away from Kiora and said, "Come at me. I need the practice."

 

[IceQueen]

Kiora looked up at his mech. "Mark, I don't want to hurt you. It would be payback for almost crushing my neck, but I don't think it would be a problem.

 

[grey987]

"Just do it," Mark growled, deciding to make the first move to try and force Kiora's hand, boosting forward and aiming a punch to the side of her head. He felt so much anger and frustration towards himself, and he wanted it to go away. This was the only way he knew how to make it go away.

 

[IceQueen]

Kiora ducked and aimed at his legs, going for a tackle. She wasn't sure she could handle the impact though.

 

[grey987]

A noise induced by Mark's surprise emitted from his throat as he was almost immediately launched head-first into the rooftop, crying out as the impact sent a shock all throughout his body. Letting out a weak and defeated groan, he found himself practically unable to stand up. His health bar had dropped to the point where it was near-empty, his body having been damaged again. While he was nowhere close to the point of admitting it, it was a good thing that he hadn't encountered Crookes; he would have been killed if that were the case.

 

[IceQueen]

Kiora stood up, sighing. "See?" She said to him.

 

[grey987]

Lying still on the rooftop for a moment longer, Hunter could suddenly be seen shaking lightly and a sort of shaky wheeze could be heard. Mark was crying.


"Damn it," he sobbed quietly, raising his right fist and dropping it back onto the rooftop. "Damn it all, this... This isn't me... I'm not weak, I don't..." He started sobbing a bit more, a mess of the man he once was.


"I'm not weak... I don't want to be weak..."


His spirit had been completely broken.

 

[IceQueen]

Kiora leaned down and opened up the front of her mech. "Mark." She said softly, pressing a soft palm to the side of his face mask before opening it softly, looking at him.

 

[grey987]

Mark's head remained shielded by his arms, sniffling once as he tried to calm himself down. "I don't want to be weak," he mumbled. "I want to be strong. I want to be able to fight. I can't protect anyone when I'm weak." This was exactly what happened after he thought Shirley died; day after day of cursing himself for not being strong. For not being able to put up a fight and protect the person closest to him at the time.

 

[IceQueen]

Kiora sighed softly and pushed his mech arms aside softly, pressing a soft hand to his cheek. "Mark." She said soothingly, brushing away a few of tears. "Come on Mark, please don't hate on yourself."

 

[grey987]

Mark let out a shaky breath, pressing his palms into the rooftop and grunting as he slowly propped himself up on one knee. His body screamed at him to stop moving, but he protested against the weakness and the pain, eventually standing back up on his feet as his breaths became steady. "I'm not going to let Crookes win just because my body can't take what I'm putting it through right now," he said under his breath, looking out at the city and seeing the arena nearby. "I'm going to take him down."

 

[IceQueen]

Kiora hopped back in her mech quickly to hold onto Hunter's arm. "Mark, you can't fight right now, you'll kill yourself." She said to him.

 

[grey987]

"If I don't fight now, it's not going to make me any better," Mark insisted, reactivating his headpiece. "If I die trying, then it's worth the try." He didn't realize that he was becoming selfish, that he was putting himself before Kiora.

 

[IceQueen]

Kiora was about ready to cry, holding onto Mark's arms tightly. "Mark please! You can't do this to me!" She said to him, a few tears beginning to fall from her face.

 

[grey987]

Seeing Kiora the way she was now... it made Mark finally come back to his senses, sighing as he stepped towards her and slowly wrapped his arms around Hollow's torso. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "I'm sorry."

 

[IceQueen]

Kiora wrapped her arms tightly around him, sniffling as more tears fell an stained her face. Hollow's arms where pressed tightly against Hunter. "Please." She whispered.

 

[grey987]

"I won't leave," Mark murmured, reminding himself of what he told Kiora as he lifted a hand to the side of Hollow's headpiece so he could open it. "I won't leave." Since he couldn't step away to exit his mech, he used Hunter's thumb to brush away the tears staining Kiora's cheeks.

 

[IceQueen]

Kiora blinked at the light, until a soft piece of metal brushed her cheeks, to which she placed her hands on them, leaning into his touch. "Thanks." She mumbled quietly, closing her eyes.