One Hundred Moments In Time [Part Nine]

24. Obsessed

Nobori didn't consider himself an obessive person, not by the general definition anyway. He didn't fret and panic whenever something was just a little out of balance, and asymmetry didn't really bother him all that much. If there was one thing that he obsessed over, it was that making sure that everything was as it should be, especially if it came to his work. His reputation was directly linked to the subway, and if the subway looked back, Nobori and Kudari looked bad. Nothing was supposed to fall out of place  or step out of line, even a little bit.  Supposed being the key word of that sentence, since it seemed that a single girl managed to completelt knock Nobori off balance: a young woman named White.

It wasn't like Nobori hadn't seen other girls her age who were just as enthusiastic about Pokemon. The Ace Trainer girl –Miku was it?-- showed the same amount of enthusiasm for battle than White did, and yet Miku didn't appeal to Nobori like White did. Something about her just interested him, something odd and unorthodox and fascinating. It frustrated him to no end, not being able to figure out why she attracted him so, but Nobori continued to watch her.  A part of him hated her for captivating him so, yet the other part loved her for it.

Love... there was a feeling he never thought he'd feel so intensely. Sure when he was young he had a childhood crush on Elesa, but what little boy didn't? At the time he had just been a shy, quiet little child just a few years off the boat from Germany. It was only natural he would latch onto someone who practically oozed confidence, even as a little girl. The feelings he felt for this mysterious girl, however, which much stronger than what he had felt with Elesa. Was it because he was matured since then, or did White simply appeal to him more? Both were equally possible reasons.

Nobori decided one day that he wanted to make White his. At the very least, he wanted her to notice him. Notice him as more than some black coat who ran the subway who she occasionally got to battle. He wanted her to know him as more than the man who, more often than not, beat her in battle. There was nothing wrong with that, it was natural for men to want the women they loved to be at their sides.  Nobori would just have to be a little more... forceful with White- change the usual tactics.  A girl like her... she was too good for the usual tactics men used to try and attract a woman.

She was too good for anyone else... Nobori only barely met the requirements of someone who deserved her. That in mind, he felt a little bad when he thought about the lengths he might go to in order to keep her. She would probably fear him, recoil away from him. But in a way, the thought of that perfect face pale in fear was appealing. The mental image of dear sweet little White putting on a brave face to mask her fear was a very appealing one.  Added to that, her resisting him would make the pursuit all the more enjoyable; a little cat and mouse game over her affections. Of course, in the end, he would win. When he did win, he would make sure that White never left his side; not ever.

There was an old saying that claimed that angels had to return to Heaven once their earthly duties had been completed. Surely this applied to White in some sense, she was the closest thing to an angel-turned-human Nobori had seen in his life. If it ever came to that... if Heaven decided it wanted its fallen angel back, or White deemed her earthly duty --whatever that may be-- to be sufficiently complete and decided to return to Heaven, Nobori wouldn't let her.  If it meant that White would live out the rest of her mortal life with him, then Nobori would gladly rip her wings apart with his bare hands. He would not let her fly away from him. Not so long as his heart continued to beat for her.

25. Fear

White was a brave girl, or at least that's the persona she put up. She stared down Team Plasma, fought its leader and beat the mastermind behind it without so much as blinking. There was no fear, no sense that she might be in danger; not when it came to Team Plasma. Who would be afriad of them? Their "King" was a socially awkward nerd who had no idea how to talk to people, and their ranks consisted of uniformly red-haired men and women, just barely out of their teens. The only one of their ranks that deserved to be feared was Ghetsis, if not for the fact that unlike his pawn, he had a very commanding presence. The fact that he had a Hydreigon that gladly ate humans also added to the fear factor somewhat, but in the end he was just another ranting and raving maniac.

That being said, why was it that White felt intimidated by Nobori of all people? Was it his expression? His demeanor? The fact that he towered over White in height and eclipsed her in width? That couldn't be it. Alder had been a mountain of a man, taller and wider than Ghetsis even, and he was about as intimidating as Purrloin kitten most of the time.  So then what made Nobori intmidating? What about him made all her mental alarms blare in her head? Why was it that, whenever he drew near, part of her mind was telling her to run?

She was in a rock and hard place, if that was the right term. On one hand, she was unconsciously afraid of Nobori. On the other, that same mysterious fear drew her to him, and he would always be waiting for her to come back to him with opens arms.  Of course White had tried to run away from him, put distance between herself and him in the hopes that this spontaneous attraction would fade over time. It never did. She always came back to him and allow herself to be pulled into his arms while he whispered loving words to her.

Was she a Masochist, or a sufferer of Stockholm Syndrome? For all White knew, she could be a little bit of both. Getting some sort of natural high from the fear Nobori instilled in her, and not being able to truly be apart from him. If not for her own sake, she leaned for towards the Masochist side, not wanting to fully believe that there was something wrong with her head that prevented her from leaving.  Whatever the case was, where was the harm in staying with Nobori? He treated her well, and was surprisingly gentle with her when they were alone- almost like he was afraid he would break her.  Any psysical harm instilled only came when they were both drunk with passion, and even then it was never anything serious. A cut here, a bite mark there.

Maybe White was just attracted to those who frightened her on a mental level. Maybe she was sick in the head. Whatever it was, she was happier than most women were in a relationship. Or at least she thought so.