Chapter 1197: Story |
Khan caressed Liiza's hair, knowing full well what she was asking him to do. Liiza couldn't realize how jealous she had to be until she heard Khan's story. She couldn't pay her part of the price until Khan told her what he had done in those ten years.
"Can't I be the only one to pay the price?" Khan asked, gazing at the quarters' ceiling. "I'll pay it double, ten, a hundred times to spare you the pain."
"I know you would," Liiza said, her hand reaching for Khan's chin, turning it to make him look down at her, "But no. If we have to be together, we do it as equals. We'll share the love and the pain."
Of course, Liiza was once again right. She had been the one to teach Khan that, and that was ten years ago. As unwilling as Khan was, he knew that was necessary. That was how a proper relationship was.
Khan took Liiza's hand on his chin, squeezing it as he brought his gaze to the ceiling again. A deep sigh escaped his mind as he sorted through his memories. That tale wouldn't be happy, and Liiza would have it worse than he did.
"After leaving Nitis," Khan announced, "After leaving you, I told the Army to throw me on the nearest battlefield. I just wanted to fight and not think or feel."
Liiza had just predicted that reaction, but hearing it hurt her anyway. That separation had been a dark time in her life, too, and echoes of that pain still existed in her mind, so Khan had to be in the same situation.
"It went well for a while," Khan continued before recalling something. "Well, it didn't, but I was keeping myself busy. That didn't last long."
Khan honestly didn't know how to say the next words. No matter how often he heard them in his mind, they always sounded like an excuse. Still, that was his truth, and he could only hope that Liiza would accept it.
Khan started to let go of Liiza's hand, but she promptly squeezed him back. Khan was feeling unworthy again, and she wouldn't leave him alone.
"I guess I wanted to stick to what you taught me," Khan commented. "I even thought about what you might have been doing on Nitis. Anyway, I did it."
"I understand," Liiza muttered. "Did it last long?"
"No," Khan responded. "I was called back to fight in a tournament. I won it and received a promotion and a job. They hired me as a teacher due to my battle experience, if you can believe it."
"I can easily believe it," Liiza uttered. "You have always been good at taking care of people. Your students were lucky to have you."
"Stop," Khan scoffed. "I'll jump on you and avoid telling my story otherwise."
"I'll be the one to jump on you," Liiza corrected, "After you finish your story."
Khan looked down, only to find Liiza's confident gaze on him. She knew he would do as told. No matter what Khan did, he never seemed able to win against Liiza.
"I found out Cora was in the camp I had been assigned to," Khan resumed his story. "Do you remember Cora? My first kiss?"
"You told me about her," Liiza nodded.
"Well, she still liked me," Khan described. "I was better after Delia, sort of, more stable, and Cora was truly good, so I gave it a try."
Khan sighed. Truth be told, he had truly mistreated Cora. She had been nothing but good, but Khan needed darkness in his life.
"She was too good for her own good," Khan explained. "Our relationship lasted longer than the previous one, but I just couldn't love her. She was great, even too great, but I still left her at the first chance to go on a mission."
"Couldn't she have come with you?" Liiza asked.
"She was no warrior," Khan declared.
"Didn't she have mana?" Liiza questioned, confused.
"She just didn't have what it took," Khan explained.
"What does it even mean?" Liiza wondered. "If she had mana, she could fight."
"I guess it's hard to explain to a Niqols," Khan admitted, realizing the differences between the two species. "Most humans accept mana just to gain access to specialized fields, but they have no real training."
"Humans are so strange," Liiza commented. "Even if I couldn't follow you, I would have frozen your junk and kept it with me. Though I would have given it back once you returned."
Khan had resumed looking at the ceiling but couldn't help but peek down, finding Liiza staring between his legs with newfound curiosity. He could fight gargantuan, ancient monsters without breaking a sweat, but fear managed to appear now.
"Let's keep you at my side all the time," Khan coughed, "Shall we?"
"If you insist," Liiza giggled, showing an empty smile, "Husband."
Khan replied with a similarly empty smile before looking at the ceiling again. After dating humans for so long, he had forgotten that the Niqols weren't all crazy sex and intense feelings. They were in many ways mental, and Liiza was their leader.
"This mission is hard to explain," Khan considered. "I met a Nele, Jenna, and Monica, my last girlfriend, there. Nothing ever happened with Jenna, sort of, but she is important in my story with Monica."
"Just tell me everything," Liiza uttered. "Though I read about the Nele just recently. Is what they say about their pheromones true?"
"Yes," Khan confirmed. "I've seen that happen. It's quite problematic, really. I was lucky they didn't work with me."
"Why didn't they work with you?" Liiza wondered. "Is there a technique?"
Khan suddenly realized he had walked into an embarrassing detail. Part of him wanted to be coy about it, but he was literally talking about all his exes. It felt stupid to hide that one good part.
"The Nele have this custom," Khan explained. "Due to their species' past, they only fall in love once, and it's true love. They call their partner The One, and their pheromones can't work on anyone who has found theirs."
Khan felt Liiza's tensing up before planting her hands on his chest to straighten herself. She sat on his torso, staring down at him with her most intense gaze yet. Understanding had dawned upon her, but disbelief still shone in her eyes.
"I only had Delia and Cora after you," Khan half-casually, half-helplessly explained. "Martha had also woken up by then, but none matched that. That left only one option."