Who am I? Who are you? Are you me? Do you Like Me?[closed]

"Rory!" Shen yelled suddenly, wrapping his arms around her and holding her close, "It's alright. Everything is fine. Your safe Miss Rory. Please, calm down. I'm here now. I can protect you. I will protect you. So please calm yourself..."

It's alright. Everything is fine. You're safe, Rory. Lao Tzu's words had changed in her ears and who she heard instead was her uncle. Her kind, cheery, brave uncle. The man who taught her that someday, she wanted to fight the Grimm too. For a moment, Rory relaxed as Lao Tzu held her. She still couldn't see the kitchen as a kitchen nor was she, in fact, oriented to anything. Her eyes were still wide, but she lowered her head and dropped her arms. Her voice ached form screaming but she managed to whisper one more thing to Lao Tzu.

"Uncle Zeph?"

"Uncle Zeph?" Lao Tzu murmured. Seeing that she calmed down, he loosened his grip on her and lifted one arm up to rub the back of his head comfortingly. "Miss Rory, it's me Shen. I'm here for you."

The image of Rory's uncle left her and for a moment and everything once again seemed to blaze alight with fire. The shadowy figure that replaced Lao Tzu in her mind stared at her, grinning with jagged mouth and red eyes. Rory felt a low growl form in the back of her throat. The Beowulf in front of her just taunting her. Cajoling her. Warning her. It was only then that she felt her arm sting and she came to scar of a bite mark on her arm. The bite that had supposedly come from that Beowulf.

Rory's eyes grew huge and she bared her fangs before pouncing on Lao Tzu to try to pin him down on the floor. Once she did that, she would try to claw at him and bite at his throat the way the Beowolf had bitten her.

Lao was caught off guard as Rory suddenly pushed him. He attempted to place a foot behind him to balance but he ended up stumbling until he back hit a wall. Rory pounced on him, swiping her hands like a beast but with his reflexes he caught her wrists and held them firmly.

"Rory, calm down!" Lao exclaimed as she started baring her teeth.

I must calm her down Lao Tzu thought in his mind. But I don't want to hurt her. What am I supposed to do? What even is this? How do I stave her...

Lao Tzu continued holding Rory in place, staring down at her as he held onto her wrists in the air, keeping a distance between them. Then in a flash of movement, Lao Tzu closed that distance, leaning down without warning, pressing his lips against Rory's.

As Rory was pulled into Lao Tzu's abrupt kiss, her tense muscles began to relax again and she closed her eyes. Her mind went blank and the chaos she thought had existed the past few minutes was entirely gone. As her lips parted, her arms and legs limped onto the ground and her head rolled to the side.

"Aeden..." she murmured.

When she opened her eyes again, she saw the tiled floor and a lot of mess. Rory tried to remember what happened and it was only then that she saw Lao Tzu, her eyes turning huge as she leapt away from him and shrieked.

"GAH!? WHAT HAPPENED!? WHAT'S GOING ON!?" she yelped. She clutched her head and before Lao Tzu could say anything, she briefly remembered the last thing and her face went completely red.

"OHOHO NOOO!" she said as she stared at Lao Tzu. "Did you-Did I--Did we--"

Her voice began to choke in complete panic, unable to say the last word she dreaded.

"So that one was accurate," Lao Tzu said as he took out a book from his sleeves, The Beast Within. "I see... so when one goes wild, the only remedy is to kiss them..."

Lao Tzu looked off to the side, his book raised to hide the lower half of his face. He glanced at Rory but then his eyes quickly averted to the side. It seemed Lao Tzu was a lot more awkward about the experience than he was letting on.

"You were... acting strange..." Lao Tzu murmured, "So I tried to recall a method from this book and... well it worked...."

Lao Tsu looked towards Rory. ".... Would you... like to talk about?"

Rory's previous nervousness left her when Lao Tzu said she had been acting strange. She hugged her knees and lowered her head, her face hidden by her orange hair and her wolf ears flat against her head.

"I thought I had it under control..." she muttered. "I guess not..."

Rory sighed for a bit. "There's something really wrong with me, Shen..." she started. "Sometimes...I kind of lose it and don't act like myself. Sometimes I...see things. Bad things. Bad memories. Things I don't want to remember. And each time, I do something, well, very bad. I act like a monster and go wild. I've hurt people before, too. I...I even killed someone."

Rory's shoulders began to tremble. "I forget sometimes that I'm not someone safe to be around with. I...I understand if you want to leave. I'm sorry about all this."

In a near instant, Lao Tzu was sitting next to Rory. Even though they were surrounded by broken plates and mess, a cleaver that was aimed at his own head lying on the ground only a few steps away, he did not seem to care. He looked right at Rory and wrapped his arm around her back.

"Do I appear to be in danger?" Lao Tzu questioned her. "Rory, you have shown me more kindness than any stranger could have deserved. You have invited me to your home and showed me hospitality as well as your friendship. I may not know much of this country but I do know people. I can tell if someone is a bad person. You miss Rory are not. As long as you are fine with having me, then I will stay by your side. I am here for you Rory. I will protect you from anything that harms you and will stand by you even if it is a risk to my very life."

Lao Tzu's hand gripped her shoulder firmly without hurting her to assure her that he was there.

"I am here for you Rory," Lao Tzu said, "After all, my gentleman's code will not allow me to abandon a young lady when she is in need."

Rory's head bowed low as small tears began to fall from her cheeks. Her own hands hugged Lao Tzu as she pressed him close to her like a child desperately in need of a parent.

"Th-thank you..." she said as her grip became tighter. "Thank you so much..."

Shen rubbed her back comfortingly, and was smiling for the first time since they met despite himself. He was truly amused. Despite how strong she acted or how free she seemed, she was still just a girl and curled up next to him like this, she seemed much more like a child. His past haunted him and everyday he could only regret the wrong that he had done. But if he can just do this one right thing and support this girl, then the weight of his sins may lessen.

"I do not need your thanks," Lao Tzu murmured, "I wanted to do this, to protect you like this. I am here for you Miss Rory..."