Here is the sixth chapter to my Oz x Gil fan fiction, called A Bond of Light. WARNING: There is mature content in this chapter (mild yaoi).
In the months that followed, life continued to be relatively relaxed. Ada had graduated from Latowidge and didn't have further academic ambitions, so she stayed in the Bezarius house. As for Pandora, I pleaded for a break; thanks to Oscar's persuasive skills (although I hadn't realized that he possessed any), Pandora gave me minimal work. I could spend most of my time with Oz, growing closer to him every day. I loved his voice, his way of moving, his appearance, and most of all his persistent, optimistic personality. When we kissed intensely or snuggled, I always reacted in several delightful ways: my body would feel lighter than air, my heart would beat quickly and ache mildly, my face would feel hot (Oz told me that I was blushing), my senses became hyper-alert to him, and I would forget about everything else.
One November morning, I woke up with Oz in my arms. It had become a routine to take off our shirts before going to sleep, so I knew that the seal on his chest was almost completely reversed. His breathing was slow and calm as he slept. I had an incredibly powerful urge to kiss him, but I let him sleep, admiring his peaceful face. Soon, his eyes opened and he looked at me drowsily. I brought him closer, burning with the desire that I had repressed before. My lips eagerly explored his. His hands ran through my hair while I traced my fingers down his spine. Breaking away from the kiss, he shivered and snuggled closer.
"It's cold," Oz remarked. I pulled the covers up to his chin, then wrapped my arms around him, relaxing. This feeling of his body melting into mine was so familiar, yet I could never get enough of it. I often wondered what it would feel like naked. That morning, knowing that Oz would want me to speak my mind, I worked up the nerve to ask him if he wanted to try.
"I've been wondering for a while what it would be like to do this with no clothes on," I said to him. He looked longingly at me. My boldness left me; I worried about his uncharacteristic eagerness to do something so rash, so I asked, "Why do you seem so enthusiastic? I expected you to be more apprehensive."
He replied bashfully, "I've been fantasizing about it, even in my dreams. I suppose it isn't like me to be so ready for something like that, but, Gil, we've known each other for such a long time..."
"As long as you're okay with it, why don't we try?" I said, glad that he had thought about it beforehand and this wasn't just a moment's decision. My heart fluttered excitedly. I got out of bed to completely undress. Oz sat up and took off his clothes. I was dizzy with nervousness as I climbed back into bed. Lying down, bare skin on skin, we held each other closely. Oz's smile filled me with joy, my heart aching. I brushed his neck with my lips. He brought his lips to mine in an open-mouth kiss as our legs intertwined. My heart raced and my body tingled from the feeling of his skinny, boyish shape. We explored each other's bodies, touching, holding, and kissing.
"This is the most wonderful experience of my entire life," Oz said sincerely.
"Same for me," I said, admiring his joyful expression. Suddenly, he curled forward in pain, clutching the seal on his chest. Although I knew he would be fine, concern overwhelmed me. I held him, hoping it would comfort him. He took his hand off the seal. It was completely reversed! My heart pounded quickly.
"Oz— the seal— it's undone." Bewildered tears ran across my cheeks. I felt dazed, as if I was in a dream.
"Undone," he echoed, relief flooding his face. "Gil, you— we— did it. I can stay with you forever. I won't get dragged into the Abyss!" He laughed exuberantly and the seal started to fade.
"The seal's fading," I said, worried that we would lose Alice.
He said, "We can't lose Alice." I didn't show it most of the time, but I cared about Alice, too. I would be devastated if she was trapped in the Abyss. I searched frantically for our clothing, putting on any that was mine and handing Oz's to him to put on. Once we were decent, Oz grabbed my hand and ran to the living room. The peaceful midday sun shone through the window. Alice was sprawled on the couch, unconscious. Ada was leaning over her, but she straightened up when she noticed me and Oz.
"Alice and I were talking, then she suddenly became unconscious," Ada explained. "I doesn't seem like she's asleep." She looked at us quizzically. Oz rushed to Alice and took her hand, looking guilty. Distressed, I took a step towards him. He reached his hand out to me, so I walked over and embraced him. Oz and I stared at Alice (Ada looked confused).
After a suspenseful moment, a hole opened up underneath Alice, the couch disappearing. I pulled Oz away, frightened for him. Alice was surrounded by a glowing, purple aura. Ada, who was unfamiliar with people being dragged into the Abyss, panicked and ran out of the room. Oz's horrified expression pierced my heart.
"Alice!" he yelled desperately. He struggled, trying to get out of my arms to reach her. My need to protect him above all else gave me strength to restrain him.
He pleaded, "I thought we had agreed to support each other, Gil. I need your help now. Won't you believe in me?" Loath as I was to let him risk himself like that, he had a point. His determined nature was one of my favorite things about him. I released him, tears blurring my vision. My heart crumbled into pieces and my chest curled inward. I was sure that he would be dragged into the Abyss.
"NO!!!" I shouted, pulling him back. "This is sacrifice. You know it wouldn't do any good. Supporting you doesn't mean I have to let you go like that. We need to figure out what would actually help. I know we can do it together." A year ago, I would've sacrificed Alice in order to save my beloved Oz, but now I wasn't about to give up. Oz's own strong will had influenced me to try harder. Filled with hope, I smiled at him through my tears. I called for Raven's powers. Oz gasped as the Chain appeared.
"Get Alice," I told it. Alice was sinking into the hole more slowly than most Chains who were dragged into the Abyss; perhaps her connection to this world through her past, human self was resisting. As Raven entered the aura around Alice, my nerves screamed in agony. My breath came in ragged gasps and the room spun. I dropped to the floor, feeling weak. Oz held me, and concentrating on that, I managed to bear the pain. Raven's presence in the aura brought Alice back to consciousness. She used the power of her B-rabbit form to leap out of the aura. Raven, however, started to sink into the Abyss. Its claws grabbed onto me, dragging me into the purple aura.
"Gil!" said Oz, his voice full of despair. "How could I let you sacrifice yourself? I love you more than anything else. I need you. Stay with me always." Reaching into the aura, he clung to my arm as I sank. I held onto him, refusing to go into the Abyss; I needed to stay with Oz.
I said, "Yes! Always! I won't hurt myself for you! That's what we promised each other, right?" I gripped Oz's arms and dragged myself towards him. He leaned backwards, tugging on me, and Raven let go. I tumbled out of the aura, knocking Oz over. The hole swallowed Raven, then the living room returned to normal. I breathed deeply, relieved from the pain I had felt since Raven entered the aura. I felt giddy and weightless. Oz was lying on the ground since I had knocked him over. Glad that neither of us were in the Abyss, I knelt beside him and he sat up. I brought my lips to his, wrapping my arms around his shoulders. He kissed back urgently, licking my tongue and pressing his lips on mine. We stopped kissing to stand up, holding hands, and he smiled at me.
Alice stamped her foot and waved her arms angrily. "What was that all about?! I nearly got dragged into the Abyss for no apparent reason and then you just sit there kissing each other."
Oz, ignoring this last part, explained, "When Gil and I were in our bedroom, the seal reversed completely, then started to fade. That meant that you were no longer connected to this world through a contract. We worried that you would have to go to the Abyss, so we came in here and found that you were unconscious. Then this purple aura appeared and you started sinking into a hole that appeared over there." He pointed towards the couch.
"You came to consciousness when I called Raven and it tried to get you back," I continued. "Then you saw the rest."
"Did your contract with Raven break? And why is Alice still tied to this world? Is it because she used to be human?" Oz speculated. He seemed calmer than I would expect after such an ordeal.
"I guess so," I replied.
Alice said, "You guys keep acting like I'm not here. Fine. Do what you like without me 'cause I'm going to eat lunch." She stomped off. Despite being nearly dragged into the Abyss, she was her usual stubborn self. Lunch didn't sound like a bad idea, though. I took Oz's hand and followed her into the dining room. We found that Ada had left a note on the table saying she was in her room. After gobbling down a sandwich, my thoughts were clearer because I wasn't so hungry. I wondered where Oscar was; I hadn't seen him all day.
"Do either of you know where Oscar is?" I asked.
"He went to the market before you got up," Alice said. "We're almost out of food." I wanted to talk to Oz alone, so I excused myself, looking purposefully at him. When we left the table, Alice protested, "Hey! Don't you care about me at all? Or am I just a piece of furniture?"
Oz sighed. "Why don't you play a card game with Ada or something?" She scowled at us. Knowing that she would be fine without us, we left Alice and went to our room. I undressed and got into bed, Oz following suit. His eyes looked lovingly into mine and I took his hands in mine.
"I'm so sorry for endangering myself. I can't live without you, Oz. I'll never do anything that could separate us ever again," I said. He leaned towards me. Our lips touched. The blissfulness of his kiss drove all other thoughts out of my mind.
He stopped kissing to say, "I know, Gil. I trust you. You love me too much to hurt me like that. I'll stay strong for you, too." Unbelievably bright, golden light seemed to fill the world. I felt like my body had turned into air. I laughed, aching with absolute joy. My love for Oz was infinitely wonderful, and painful in its very beauty. He looked like an angel as he smiled sweetly at me. He joined my laughter, delighted. I kissed him eagerly and our bodies melted together.
"We'll always be together. I am nobody without you," I murmured softly, looking at him longingly.
Oz whispered, "Forever." Then he traced his fingers along my face, my neck, my shoulder, my back, resting on my hip. I wrapped my arms around his shoulders and kissed him again. Forever didn't sound long enough.
