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Content Warnings for Part 3
This work features mature content and should not be viewed by anyone under the age of 18.
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For Writing
Sexual content
Violence
For images
Nudity with the suggestion of sex, but no genitals are shown
“Glad to hear that, Garma.”
There was a frozen silence between the man and the two men who were sexually entangled on the bed.
Suddenly, Tony shouted.
“W-what the hell? Huh? What?”
Tony stared intently, alternating between the photo in the newspaper under the bed, the face of the intruder in front of him, and Lady who was pinned down on the bed.
“Eh? What’s going on? What the hell?”
Perhaps Tony Willie’s mind grasped the situation and put his thoughts together faster than any other time in his twenty-eight years of life.
“This is great! Looks like my luck is turning around too, eh, Lady?”
After getting up off of Lady, Tony picked up the newspaper on the floor, compared it with the man once more to confirm, and then shouted with glee.
“I can’t believe it!”
The slicked back platinum blond hair, the well-proportioned features, the scar on the forehead, he was just as they said.
“Tony Wille. I’m grateful to you.”
“Heh, that’s more like it!”
Tony, looking as if he was about to dance, excitedly put back on his scattered clothes and studied the man in black, Char Aznable, from top to bottom. Convinced by the dignified aura of the man in front of him, Tony had no doubt he was the real thing. But above all, Lady…
“Tony Willie. First off, I suppose you’ll let me have him back, won’t you?”
“Heh heh heh… Well, by all means, it depends on how strongly you feel.”
In Tony’s mind, he already had planned to exchange Lady for money. Even though he had an attachment to that body, youth and beauty are not eternal. But money will serve Tony forever. If it’s Char Aznable, who was said to be the most powerful person in the world today, he’ll have as much as he wishes.
“Tony, I’m not going with that man.”
However, on the bed with sheets pulled up to cover his naked body, Lady, or rather, Garma Zabi, flatly refused.
“Lady, what are you talking about?”
No way, Tony panicked, but Garma (Lady) said it once more.
“I’m telling you, I am not going to go with that man.”
“Don’t be silly. His Excellency Char Aznable came all this way to pick you up. I didn’t know who you were, so I forced you into this business, but if you’re feeling a little, you know, shame or something, I’m sorry. So hey, don’t say those things. C’mon, Lady…”
The exaggerated, remorseful-looking Tony repeatedly tried to persuade Garma that this was also for his own sake, but Garma’s stubborn attitude did not change.
“Garma, I have a general idea of what kind of life you’ve been living.”
Next, Garma Zabi fixed his gaze on Char Aznable as he spoke. His deep-sea eyes stared coldly at him.
“I am grateful to you, Char. You have given me a lot of experience, because I did not know the world outside of the Zabi family. By the way, let me ask you something. How did you know I was alive?”
“It’s just a coincidence.”
Char replied casually.
“Someone from the Earth Federation Forces upper echelon who was entrusted with my escort in New York City unexpectedly contacted me. If I remember correctly, it was Colonel Milva Sarifam…”
As expected, Colonel Milva had noticed.
“You may have intended to run away, but if I was serious about it, you would have been easy enough to track down.”
“So did you, Char Aznable, specifically come all this way to finish me off?”
“Don’t get me wrong. I’m here to help you, Garma.”
“Help me…?”
Garma, formerly known as Lady, twisted his lips in a mocking smile as he got off the bed, sheets still wrapped around him, gathering up the clothes scattered on the floor.
“That’s right. Garma Zabi, who has been seduced by a bad man and forced to work as a male prostitute.”
Tony Willie tried to say something in response to Char’s words, but Garma shouted before he could.
“You insult me?!”
His slender, delicately shaped, bare shoulders trembled with anger.
“Insult? No, I’d rather worship you now.”
So Char Aznable said impudently. Garma, putting his pride on the line, raised his hand, and struck.
Char was slapped on the cheek, and he immediately grabbed Garma’s right wrist and twisted it behind his back, containing his anger.
“Ah-!”
Garma’s arm twisted, causing the sheets to slip off. Char Aznable’s eyes narrowed at the sight of Garma’s naked body.
“…what a wonderful body, hehe…”
Char Aznable chuckled and continued.
“You, who have been defiled, became even more beautiful than before.”
“Shut up!”
Garma, appearing as if captured, was pulled closer to Char as though about to be embraced. His shape was reflected in Char’s blue eyes. Those eyes filled with only a clear coldness, like he had no emotion at all.
Garma remembered the deep blue of his eyes.
Previously…he had been ignorant. Believing in Char, loving him, and never doubting he was there for him, how he relied on that clever blue.
But not now.
Garma already understood the coldness of this man’s heart, under the guise of a refreshing blueness.
He already knew.
The true identity of the man named Char Aznable…
Garma turned away to escape Char’s gaze.
“I didn’t want to be rough with you.”
Suddenly, he felt the slight pain of a needle pricking his neck.
“Char…”
Char spoke to him, his own face reflected in Garma’s wide eyes.
“It’s okay. It’ll just be for a little while.”
Garma gently collapsed into Char’s chest as he whispered this to him. Char’s chest was wide and warm.
Here Garma’s memory ceased.
A thunderstorm was scheduled in Vasquez that afternoon. However, because Char Aznable, who had gone to Earth to attend a memorial service for the war dead, had to return at short notice, the Weather Management Bureau announced an unexpected change.
Suddenly, Char had come back, a week ahead of his scheduled two-week visit. Only a few close associates knew the reason, and no one had seen many mementos of the fallen soldiers brought back to Zeon, nor had they seen Char Aznable himself.
And no one noticed when, about half a day later, cloaked in the darkness of the night, a large black electric car passed through the gates of Char Aznable’s mansion.
“Wow…”
The first comment out of Tony Willie’s mouth when he was shown around Char Aznable’s mansion was “wow,” and his mind immediately began to appraise the furniture and furnishings.
Before long, he was led to a room that Char would use for personal guests or when he needed to have secret talks out of the public eye. The high ceiling, huge and luxurious chandelier, oriental tapestries decorating the walls, and portraits of Char Aznable himself made Tony Willie excited while imagining their value.
“There really are such treasures in this world…”
Just as he was mindlessly talking to himself, the door behind him opened and Colonel Milva Sarifam entered.
“Colonel Milva.”
Seeing Tony stand up in surprise, Colonel Milva laughed with a twisted smile.
“You damn hyena. You’re here already.”
Colonel Milva said in a teasing tone to Tony and sat down on the sofa opposite him.
“Hehe…”
Tony returned a servile, filthy chuckle, then sat back down and stared at Colonel Milva expectantly.
“I’ll be in your debt, Colonel.”
“Hm, I guess you didn’t even realize…”
“No need to say such things, Colonel. However, I have the right.”
“What right?”
Tony Willie clicked his tongue.
“The right to own Lady, you know.”
“You didn’t even know what he was worth.”
“Well, no need to say it out loud.”
They both knew that there was no point in arguing with each other here, and they had no intention of seriously fighting. If one were to ask why, it was a reverse expression of the obvious joy that came from the anticipation of the endless blessings that would be bestowed upon them from Zeon, from that Char Aznable.
Garma Zabi, dressed in a gown, was brought before the two of them, supported by a tall, gloomy-looking man. He had been drugged for several days on his journey from Earth and was still unsteady on his feet, but the blank stare of his dark green eyes clearly reflected the people of Earth (moles) in front of him.
“Yo, you alright?”
In place of Lady (Garma), who couldn’t respond to Tony’s call, Thomas Machiavelli, the tall butler of Char Aznable’s mansion who had brought him in, answered.
“He is conscious. He is only physically incapacitated, but that is nothing to worry about. We will take perfect care of him.”
“Oh, uh, alright.”
Tony nodded awkwardly.
Machiavelli gently sat Garma down in a legless chair and accepted a red drink from the hand of a man who had followed behind him. Assuming he was still unable to hold the glass on his own, Machiavelli held Garma’s slender and well-shaped chin with his finger and opened his lips to give him a drink. Slowly and patiently, the glass was tipped.
“…ah…”
After drinking half of it, Garma tried to tell him he didn’t want any more, but the words were not audible. However, Machiavelli noticed and returned the glass to the man behind him.
“Sorry to keep you waiting.”
Upon saying so, Char Aznable opened the door on the wall and entered, looked around at everyone, then finally stopped his gaze at Garma.
“Still unable to move, I suppose.”
Char said, looking at Garma, who was gradually coming to his senses. His gaze swiveled toward Tony Willie and Colonel Milva Sarifam.
“I am grateful to you. You’ve taken care of Garma until now. Therefore, I would like to thank you.”
It was the cold, clear voice of Char Aznable. Only Garma noticed what that coldness concealed.
Garma’s strained voice leaked out, and Char turned around with a faint smile.
“Ch…ar…”
Garma knew what Char was thinking.
“Char, you…”
Perhaps the liquid medicine he had just been given worked, and he was finally able to speak.
“Sto…p, Char…”
“Why? Do you have any attachment to these men you’ve been with?”
Cold eyes were fixed on Garma.
Eyes that made him shudder.
Eyes that saw through everything and wanted to be obeyed.
“I don’t want…anyone else…to die.”
“Human nature, it seems, remains the same, even if a person has lost his pride.”
Char Aznable said coldly, turning his gaze away from Garma and toward the two men from Earth, who looked nervous about what was happening.
“Let me thank you all for taking care of Garma.”
In an instant, there was a flash of light, Colonel Milva’s upper body lurched, and he fell motionless on the floor.
“W-what? Whaaaat?!”
He couldn’t comprehend what had just happened, but with the gun pointed at him, Tony Willie then realized Char Aznable’s true intentions.
“Damn it. You tricked me.”
“Here’s my thanks. Please accept it.”
“Char-!”
As soon as the trigger was pulled, Garma tried to leap at Char. However, his uncooperative body simply left the chair and fell over.
“Aaah!”
Without the strength to protect himself, Garma’s body hit the floor hard.
With a pained expression, he looked up and saw Tony’s corpse lying in front of him. His pale, muscat-candy eyes were wide in astonishment and fear, but Tony Willie was dead.
“Tony…”
However, Garma was unable to close Tony’s eyes, much less get up himself, and had to remain awkwardly on the floor. His body still wouldn’t move as it should.
“Get rid of the bodies.”
Char said to his butler Machiavelli as he looked at Garma lying on the floor.
“What’s the matter, Garma? Is that your hobby?”
Char Aznable said to his wounded best friend, knowing that he could not get up. Garma bit his lip and did not respond. Underneath the disheveled gown was bare skin. The coldness of the floor transferred to his body.
“Shall I help you up?”
Char said, still playing around with Garma. The cold floor drew heat from Garma’s body.
“If you ask me to, it’s not like I won’t help you up…”
“Who would ask for that?”
“If you’re stubborn, won’t that make things difficult for you later?”
Garma didn’t answer Char’s words. Char laughed.
“Well, if you prefer to crawl on the floor, you can do so for a while.”
He said coldly, turned on his heel and walked away.
Garma, still left lying on the floor, closed his eyes. He heard the sound of crossing footsteps, the footsteps of the men carrying out the bodies of Tony and Colonel Milva.
And then, the distant, fading footsteps of Char Aznable. Garma immediately recognized the distinctive crisp sound of Char’s shoes.
“Nostalgia, hate, the man who betrayed and killed me…”
Garma remembered the moment of betrayal that day. The smell of charred flesh lingered in his memory.
“I’m tired of your stubbornness.”
Sitting on the side of the bed, Char said to Garma who opened his eyes. He had collapsed on the floor, but refused Char’s help and apparently lost consciousness.
“Feel free to use this room. If there is anything you need, I will provide it.”
After being told this, Garma looked around the room as far as he could see from the bed. Char followed Garma’s gaze to the elderly man standing behind him, and quickly introduced him.
“This is Dr. Ruffell, who will be your attending physician.”
After greeting him, the white-haired doctor examined the scar on the right side of Garma’s face and nodded at Char.
The two of them soon left the room, but Garma lay on the bed for a while. His body had recovered enough to move about, but he had no energy to get up. After his mind had been kept foggy by the drugs for so long, this newfound clarity on the other hand made Garma feel anxiety, fear, and frustration, as if he were being dragged into a dark place.
An encounter like this with Char Aznable. Garma had never wanted to set foot in the land of Zeon again. Moreover, he wanted to shout that there should be no reason for him to exist anymore, that his role was already over.
He wanted to be someone else, not the Garma Zabi fated to be betrayed by the man he believed to be his best friend, even if that meant a life chasing the days, passed around among men, and selling his body for a living.
However, Char had forced Lady back into Garma Zabi. Heir to the Zabi family, his father’s enemies. Again Garma was reminded, even after all this time, that he could not live anywhere but Zeon.
Zeon’s controlled atmosphere and climate helped Garma’s sick body recover at a speed that surprised even himself.
As if waiting for Garma’s recovery, Char Aznable stood before him with new ambitions in his cold eyes.
End of part 3