Dragon Knights Fan Fiction ❯ Counseling Sessions ❯ Social Phobia ( Chapter 4 )

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Disclaimer: I should know by now that I can never have Rath :sobs dramatically: Not only cuz Mineko Ohkami owns all rights to him, but because Cesia's alter ego will take over and TOTALLY SLAUGHTER me with Kharl backing her up for once! CAN'T A GIRL EVER GET A BREAK?(T_T).
 
Title: Counseling Sessions
 
Summary: In which Thatz attempts to get Rune therapy for his often lapses of temper. In which his plan backfires and all DK members are forced to do the same. In which Kharl is the shrink. In which complete chaos occurs.
 
Ch.4. In Which Tetheus Is Profusely Stubborn About Making Conversation, Kitchel Pops Up Yet Again, And Kharl Daydreams About A Certain Dark-haired Dragon Knight.
 
"O.K., how about this one? What do demons have on a holiday? A DEVIL of a time! HAHA…hahaha…he…hehe…all right, so that was kind of corny. Sorry."
 
Kharl coughed and sweatdropped as the person in front of him kept up his act of a stoic-faced statue and intense silence. The Yokai had to admit truthfully, that this was his hardest session so far, and the most scary. Yes, the others might have been a little chaotic, full of screaming and near death experiences, but this one…after half an hour of complete silence with someone staring at you expressionless was downright terrifying!
 
Nevertheless, the therapist continued on his quest to make his present client talk, even if his method was bit odd, "What do you call a demon who slurps his food? A GOBLIN! HEHEHE…heh..he…O.K., that one was horrible too."
 
Silence.
 
Silence.
 
Silence.
 
Silence.
 
By this time, the alchemist's head was drenched in sweat, and Garfakcy was pleased and happy for once.
 
Serves Master right, he thought with vindictive glee, All the therapy he's been giving to these people is whacko. Now he's finally gotten a person who won't be intimidated by his false counseling. Let's see how you deal with this case, ha!
 
Meanwhile, Kharl was ready to bang his head against the wall in frustration. Since the time the Black Dragon Officer had stepped foot in this room, the only person who had uttered a sound was the alchemist. And in all honestly, he was quite fed up.
 
"You know what, Tetheus," the Yokai finally said, tossing his notepad over his shoulder, which was filled with various jokes(not to mention scribbles of a certain Dragon Knight), "Let's cut down to the real fact here. The real reason you hardly talk."
 
Silence.
 
Tetheus stared expressionless, Kharl sweatdropped even more immensely, and Garfakcy leaned forward intrugingly.
 
Was his master actually onto something real for once?
 
"Yes, well," the therapist said, clearing his throat, "Here is the true explanation behind the speech impediment you've been having. Tetheus," and here he paused dramatically, fixing his eyes on the Officer with a serious gaze, "You have…Social Phobia!"
 
Silence.
 
Stare(Tetheus).
 
Blink(Garfakcy).
 
Sweatdrop(Kharl).
 
"Right," the Yokai stated, wishing suddenly for any other person to counsel than this one, including the teddy-bear obsessed man, "I can only assume you are in denial, which most cases are. Would you care to affirm or refute this claim?"
 
Silence.
 
Stare.
 
Silence.
 
"Let me read what the symptoms are," Kharl smiled nervously, his head growing sweatdrops by the minute, "Ahem, marked and persistent fear that person will act in a way which is humiliating and embarrassing. So, in order to avoid this, dear Tetheus, you shrink from social interactions, and say and do nothing when you are around people, because, in fact, you fear them!"
 
And the alchemist waited for a reaction.
 
Silence.
 
Stare.
 
Silence.
 
"GAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!!!" the Yokai screamed and did a very un-Kharlish dance of exasperation, "WOULD YOU JUST SAY SOMETHING PLEASE? I HAVE TO GIVE FULL REPORTS OF EVERY SESSIONS TO YOUR INSUFFERABLE LEADER, THE MAN WHO KILLED MY MASTER!!! THE LEAST YOU CAN DO IS BE POLITE AND GIVE ME A HINT THAT I'M ON THE RIGHT PATH!!!"
 
Silence.
 
Stare.
 
Silence.
 
And though Tetheus was being quite stubborn about speaking, fortunately, there was another who was more than happy to help the alchemist with his job.
 
"OOH!!! LET ME HELP, PLEASE!!!!" screamed Kitchel, popping up beside Kharl out of nowhere, waving her hand.
 
"Where did you come from?" the Yokai asked, his eyebrows rising up in surprise.
 
"YOU!" Garfakcy cried in horror, "THE PINK-HAIRED FREAK!!!"
 
In an instant, Kitchel had grabbed a chair and had raised in high over her head threateningly, "WANNA RUN THAT BY ME AGAIN, YOU CREEPY LITTLE CRETIN?"
 
Needless to say, Garfakcy shut up rather quickly.
 
"My dear girl," Kharl began rather apologetic, "I can only assume your intentions are honorable, but regretably, since you have already have had your counseling session, I can not allow you to-"
 
The Yokai was cut off abruptly by the girl exclaiming enthusiastic, "Don't be silly! I'm not here for more therapy! I'm here to aid you with your client!"
 
"HEY, THAT'S MY JOB!" Garfakcy protested angrily.
 
"WHO SAID YOU HAD PERMISSION TO SPEAK, YOU DITHERING, DISMAL, DUMB-HEADED DWARF?" screamed Kitchel and the next instant, Garfakcy found himself flying through the air into the wall by a well-aimed, hard-packed high kick.
 
Damn, she sure uses colorful alliteration, was the servant's last coherent thought before he blacked out.
 
"Since your apprentice here is unavailable at the moment, I offer my services to you! How can I help?" Kitchel said, beaming at the alchemist widely.
 
Kharl decided that unless he wanted to end up like his servant, it would be healthier for him to accept the girl's proposition.
 
"Well, you see," the Yokai started, explaining the issue, "Tetheus here is being most uncooperative in admitting his fault, and letting me find a solution that will help guide a clear path of escape from his trouble and onto a new route of self-discovery."
 
"I…see," Kitchel said slowly, her left eye twitching in confusion, "Ya know, ya sorta lost me there with all the path and route junk, but…you're saying you want help in making Mr. Tall-and-Silent here confess his problem?"
 
"Mr. Tall-and-Silent is exactly right!" Kharl breathed heavily, "I can't get him to say one single sentence, much less a word!"
 
"Oooh," the pink-haired girl said, getting it, "Well, then, all we have to do…is force him into speech."
 
And Kitchel turned around to Tetheus and grinned wickedly.
 
Silence.
 
Stare.
 
Sweatdrop.
 
Kharl suddenly felt pity towards the Black Dragon Officer. Whatever the girl had up her sleeve couldn't be good.
 
He couldn't have made a more clear diagnosis in all his days of counseling sessions.
 
"I'm sure Tetheus-sama will talk if we make him comfortable enough," Kitchel chuckled fiendishly, "LIKE THIS!"
 
And the girl flung herself forward and launched herself into the Dragon Officer's lap.
 
Kharl gaped, Kitchel giggled, and Garfakcy, who had just regained consciousness, grimaced at the sight.
 
"Oh, why won't you talk, Tetheus-sama?" the girl gushed, throwing her arms around the man's neck, "Don't you realize you're making things very difficult for Mr. Kharl?"
 
Garfakcy was thinking she was making things difficult for the Dragon Officer, who was bright pink in the face, but he kept quiet. It seemed every time he voiced his opinion about things around the pink-haired freak, he ended up unconscious.
 
"Ooh, you know what this reminds me of?" Kitchel exclaimed, swinging her legs back and forth, "That time when I was stuck in the cave in Arinas! Only this time, I'm not transparent and can actually touch you! Don't you think this is so much better?" she laughed, fixing the man's collar.
 
Tetheus's face changed from a bright pink to deep red in one second. Several sweatdrops appeared to join the one he already had on his head.
 
"Heehee!" the girl tittered, continuing in her reminiscing, "And those muscles! So strong and firm!" she stated, taking the man's left arm and squeezing his biceps, "Why I bet you could lift all of my weight with just one arm! Why don't we try that?"
 
Several strands of hair sprang out from the Dragon Officer's well-combed hair and a small vein popped out from his forehead, yet still, the man kept his silence.
 
"Oh, come on, Tetheus-sama," Kitchel persisted, "If you won't talk, then show off those tendons of steel! Here, get your arm out of this uniform," and the girl began to tug at the man's outfit.
 
Finally, the Black Dragon Officer's reserve broke, and he stood up abruptly, letting Kitchel tumble head-over-heels out of his lap.
 
"Stop," the man said in a deep monotone voice, his face still a deep red color.
 
"AHA!" Kharl shrieked in triumph, pointing a finger at him, "SO IT SPEAKS AFTER ALL!"
 
"See," Kitchel beamed from her position on the floor, "I told you I could help!"
 
Garfakcy was under the impression, however, that the girl had done it for herself and had enjoyed the job immensely.
 
The alchemist was too busy rubbing his hands together in glee to give any thanks, "SO!" he crowed delightly, "IT'S TRUE! YOU DO HAVE SOCIAL PHOBIA! THE LAST SCENE JUST PROVED IT!"
 
"Uh, master," Garfakcy spoke a bit hesitantly, "I think any person would be uncomfortable with her in their lap."
 
The servant was fortunate enough to have Kitchel busy eyeing Tetheus to hear him, and Kharl was far too busy being happy about his client's breakthrough to listen.
 
"THIS IS PERFECT!" the Yokai cried excitedly, "A CHANCE FOR YOU TO BREAK FREE FROM THIS FEAR OF PEOPLE!"
 
"OOH, AND I GET TO HELP AGAIN, RIGHT?" Kitchel inquired, feeling just as elated as the therapist.
 
"RIGHT!" Kharl affirmed stoutly, "AND NO ONE WILL LEAVE THIS ROOM UNTIL WE HAVE TETHEUS COMPLETELY UNABLE TO SHRINK FROM PEOPLE'S PRESENCE!!!"
 
The Black Dragon Officer, meanwhile, was trying to shrink his way out of the room right at that moment.
 
"OH, NO YOU DON'T!" the alchemist shouted, flinging a handful of ash in the man's direction and pulling him back into his chair, "THIS IS FOR YOUR OWN GOOD! AND THE SOONER YOU DO AS WE SAY, THE SOONER WE CAN ALL RELAX!"
 
Everyone glanced at the Yokai, whose poofy-white hair was drooping slightly in humidity from all the sweatdrops on his head. Several veins and a red face to match Tetheus's, was the rest of his outfit. All in all, it looked like Kharl was at the end of his rope and did need to relax.
 
Seeing that he had an audience, Kharl coughed and composed himself quickly, "Alright, this what we're going to do: we're going to act out a skit in which you, Tetheus have to interact socially, and judging from how well you do, then I'll decide whether you can leave or not. O.K., Garfakcy, you go stand over by the table, Kitchel, you stand in the middle of the room, and Tetheus, you stand by that chair over there."
 
The alchemist waited until everyone had taken their places(even if some were a bit reluctant to do it), then he began to tell them their parts, "All right, Garfakcy go over to Kitchel."
 
The servant eyed the pink-haired girl warily who gave him a glare that if looks could kill, he'd be dead.
 
"Uh, master, do I have to?" Garfakcy asked nervous.
 
"Scared, shrimp?" Kitchel taunted with a smirk.
 
"NO!!!" the servant shot back and stomped over to her, feeling nauseous at the thought.
 
When he was finally beside her, Kharl dropped the bomb, "Now…feel her up."
 
"WHAT?" Garfakcy screamed in fear and dread.
 
"WHAT?" Kitchel screeched in horror and disgust.
 
Seeing he was on thin ice, the alchemist soothed hastily, "My dears, it's all for the good of this session!"
 
"HEY, IF I DO HAVE TO GET FEELED UP, WHY CAN'T TETHEUS-SAMA DO IT?" the pink-haired girl raged.
 
The Black Dragon Officer's red face turned a prune color.
 
"Tetheus's part comes in later," Kharl explained, "Now, Garfakcy, please get on with it. You're holding up the whole play!"
 
The servant swallowed a giant lump in his throat, and slowly reached out a hand to lay on Kitchel, making a mental note to himself to never go into one of his master's therapy classes ever again.
 
His hand landed on the girl's hip.
 
"Now, Kitchel, you-" began the Yokai, but the girl was way ahead of him.
 
"HIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII-YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA AAHHH!!!" she shouted, shooting out her leg to kick him in the stomach.
 
Garfakcy went down gasping for air.
 
"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!" Kitchel shrieked, landing powerful punching blows to both side of the servant's head.
 
"YAAAAAH! YAAAAAAAAH! YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!" she bellowed, continuing on her quest for vengeance as she elbowed him in the jaw, stomped on his legs, and finally knocking the wind out of him by sitting on his back.
 
"TAKE THAT, YOU PUTRID PANSY OF A PERVERT!!!" the girl yelled as she gripped her arms tightly around his neck in a headlock.
 
"NO!NO!NO!NO!NO!NO!NO!" Kharl yelled, waving his arms frantically at her to stop.
 
Reluctantly, Kitchel released the servant from her death-grip. Garfakcy brought his head up, wheezing.
 
"Kitchel," the alchemist said exasperatedly, "You're supposed to call for help!"
 
"But I totally had him down!" the girl protested, feeling cheated, "Besides, who really needs someone to rescue them?"
 
"Lots of people!" the Yokai exclaimed, a daydream filling his senses.
 
-Dream sequence-
 
A dark-haired young man with a lock of white hair was held in the vile clutches of a purple-haired man with an evil sneer.
 
"Nadil, despicable monster," Kharl shouted, brandishing a sword, "Relinquish him at once!"
 
"Kharl-sama," the dark-haired young man whispered softly, "You came…"
 
A small, crystaline tear made its way down his cheek.
 
"BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!" the purple-haired man laughed sinisterly, "YOU WILL NEVER DEFEAT ME, RENKIN WIZARD!!! I AM INVINCEABLE! BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!"
 
Kharl glared at the man, took out his pouch of ash and flung its contents at the tyrannical maniac, who immediately began to dissolve.
 
"Damn, didn't see that one coming," Nadil swore, "AH! I'M MELTING! MELTING! MELTING!"
 
Soon there was nothing left but a steaming robe.
 
The dark-haired man stood in front of the alchemist, stars-truck in awe, "You dared to venture into Nadil's castle and past his henchman just for me?"
 
"Yes," Kharl breathed, "I love you!"
 
The two embraced passionately.
 
"Everything's going to be all right," Kharl promised, running his hand through the young man's dark hair and fingering his white lock.
 
"Oh, Kharl-sama, I 'm so happy!" the young man exclaimed, "Lets' never part!"
 
(A/N: HE'S DELUDED-_-;;)
 
-End Dream sequence-
 
"Uh, Mr. Kharl-san?" came a voice through the mists of his vision and the Yokai blinked to see that unfortunately he was back in the room, grinning like a mindless idiot at nothing, while everyone stared at him.
 
Kharl coughed and inquired, "So sorry about that. Where were we?"
 
"I was just telling you I ain't gonna play some dumb damsel-in-distress," Kitchel stated loftily.
 
"Then Tetheus, I'm afraid, will not be able to come to your aid," the therapist stated sadly.
 
Kitchel blinked, looked over to where the Dragon Officer was standing, then abruptly broke out into screaming, "OH, HELP ME!!! SOMEBODY PLEEEEEEEEEEEEEASE! OH, WOE IS ME!!!" the girl wailed, clapping a hand to her head over-dramatically, "HELP! MURDER! RAPE! POLICE! OH, SAVE ME! SAVE ME! Hey! I'm pretty good at this, doncha think!" she exclaimed as everybody sweatdropped.
 
"All right, Tetheus," Kharl smiled, giving the man the go-ahead.
 
The Black Dragon Officer made his way across the room to Kitchel.
 
"Now, save her from Garfakcy," the Yokai gave the order.
 
Tetheus looked down at the fallen servant who took one glance at the man and immediately played dead. The Dragon Officer stood there for a minute, then turned to Kharl not knowing what else to do.
 
"Now Kitchel expresses her gratitude," the alchemist directed.
 
"OH, I HAVE BEEN SAVED BY THE HANDSOMEST MAN IN DUSIS!" Kitchel declared, clasping her hands to her chest, eyes filled with stars, "THANK YOU, KIND, NOBLE, GORGEOUS SAVIOR!!! FORGIVE ME, FOR I BELIEVE ALL THE RECENT TURMOIL HAS GONE TO MY HEAD! I FEEL LIGHT-HEADED!" then the girl proceeded to swoon, falling face-forward towards the black-haired man.
 
Tetheus watched as she plowed face-first into the floor.
 
"HEY!" Kitchel shouted, springing up, a large bump on her forehead, "YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO CATCH ME!!!"
 
"Tetheus, you're not making this any easier on yourself to get out earlier," Kharl stated warningly, "Now try and make conversation with her."
 
The Black Dragon Officer stared at Kitchel who was looking at him expectantly.
 
Silence.
 
Stare.
 
Silence.
 
"Tetheus, you're Social Phobia is kicking in again," the alchemist explained, "Fight it, man!"
 
At last Tetheus opened his mouth and said in his deep monotone voice, "Are you hurt?"
 
"OH, TETHEUS-SAMA!" Kitchel screamed, her eyes watering, "YOU DO CARE ABOUT ME!!!"
 
The man's face, which was just returning to its normal white color, flared red once more.
 
"Go on, talk some more," the Yokai urged.
 
"I express my most sincerest relief that you are not harmed. I must go now," Tetheus made his way towards the door.
 
"WAIT!" Kharl yelled, halting him, "THIS IS JUST TERRIBLE! YOU THINK YOU ARE CURED? FAR FROM IT!!! I CAN NOT ALLOW YOU TO GO OUT INTO THAT CRUEL, HARSH WORLD UNLESS YOU GIVE ME SOME SORT OF SIGN THAT SOCIAL PHOBIA DOES NOT DICTATE YOUR LIFE!!!"
 
And the Black Dragon Officer who had had quite enough of the alchemist's "therapy", marched over to where he was seated, drew out his sword and leveled it under the other's nose threateningly.
 
"I have you know that I ensure the security of the Dragon Castle and the occupants within it. Simply because I am often on trips alone or do not speak much gives me no cause to fear people. If I indeed possessed this trait, I would hang up my sword and job. A Dragon Officer must interact with people on a daily basis, and nothing must get in the way of the schedule. I speak only when necessary to cut down on mindless chatter, which distracts people from the true task at hand. So, kindly cease this talk about "Social Phobia", open the door, and let a man get on with his long-delayed duty."
 
There was silence in the room as everyone stared wide-eyed at the Dragon Officer for several seconds, before Kitchel squealed, "WOW! SUCH AN ELOQUENT SPEECH! YOUR VOICE IS SO SULTRY!"
 
Tetheus ignored the girl as she rushed up to walk beside him as he went to the door and reached for the handle.
 
Before he could even turn the knob, the door flew open on its hinges, and several Dragon Fighters toppled in.
 
"CAPTAIN TETHEUS!!!" they exclaimed in relief, as they got their feet, "YOU'RE SAFE!!!"
 
"Safe?" questioned the Black Dragon Officer, raising his eyebrows inquiringly.
 
"YEAH!!!" a spiked, yellow-haired Dragon Fighter said, "Alfeegi told us horror-stories of people losing their minds in here and being possessed by 'psycho-maniac' Yokai, just to entertain him whenever he was bored!"
 
"Really? Well, that's not far from the truth," Tetheus stated and the Dragon Fighters peered into the room, gulping visibly when their eyes landed on the 'psycho-maniac' Yokai who 'possessed' people.
 
Then their gaze rested on Kitchel who stood calmly beside the Black Dragon Officer, viewing them with mild interest.
 
"CAPTAIN!!!" they cried, clutching each other in terror, "ISN'T SHE THAT SLAVE DRIVER FROM THE CAVE?"
 
Kitchel blinked, then looked closer at the Dragon Fighters and laughed, "Oh yeah! You're the guys who helped take out all those demons! I only remembered Tetheus-sama here!" And she latched onto the man's arm.
 
"TETHEUS-SAMA?" the Dragon Fighters shouted confusedly, their faces reflecting worry, "WHY'S SHE CALLING YOU THAT, CAPTAIN? WHY IS SHE WITH YOU ANYWAY?"
 
"Oh, hasn't he told you, yet?" the girl tittered, "I'm Tetheus's girlfriend, so I guess you could say, I'm your new mistress! Teehee!"
 
Tetheus's face was the color of fire, sweatdrops and veins both aligned his head, and strands of hair were sticking up in all directions.
 
The Dragon Fighters looked ready to cry.
 
"CAPTAIN, WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?" they wailed in horror, "PLEASE DON'T TELL US IT'S TRUE!!!"
 
"It's not. She's joking," the Black Dragon Officer stated, trying to loosen the girl's grip on his arm.
 
"OH, DARLING, WHY MUST YOU BETRAY OUR LOVE IN THIS ATROCIOUS MANNER?" Kitchel sobbed brokenly, still managing to cling firmly to the man's arm, "I THOUGHT YOU WOULD BE PROUD TO TELL EVERYONE ABOUT US!!! I SEE NOW IT WAS JUST A GAME TO YOU!!! GO! GO! GET OUT OF MY SIGHT! I NEVER WANT TO SEE YOU AGAIN!!BOO-HOO-HOO!!!"
 
Kitchel finally relinquished her iron-grip on Tetheus's arm, and blew her nose loudly.
 
The Dragon Fighters seized their chance, grabbed their captain, and dragged him speechless out of the room, their voices still to be heard in the hallway.
 
"Alfeegi was right! The Yokai does possess people in his counseling sessions!"
 
"Don't worry, Captain, will get you free from this love-spell!"
 
"But," came a deep monotone voce, "I'm sure she was joking. At least, I hope she was."
 
Finally, their voices faded into the distance, and Kitchel twirled around to face the alchemist smiling broadly, "Hehe, doncha just love psyching people out? Ya know, I think I might just take this whole acting gig to the stage! I'm rally good at it!"
 
Then the pink-haired girl pranced her way out of the room, humming off-key.
 
Kharl looked over to where Garfakcy was getting off the floor, sporting numerous bruises and one heck of a black eye.
 
"Well, I think this counseling session was a success," the Yokai stated, "Did you hear all those sentences Tetheus said at the end?"
 
And Kharl began to fantasize another daydream about a certain dark-haired Dragon Fighter.
 
TO BE CONTINUED…
 
A/N: YOWZA!!! Sorry it took so long, but after Alfeegi and Ruwalk, I took a week's break, and then this last week, my mind was filled of images of Jonny Depp and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory(LOL, I LURVE THAT MOVIE!!!). Then I had to literally beat people over the head to a copy of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, then read it. All I have to say about it is OMG!(@_@) and I KNEW IT!!!! So anyway, here's the long overdue chapter. I have to say, I enjoyed writing this chappie better than the last one. By the way, yes, Social Phobia IS a real disorder. Again, I'll give you the website at the end of the fic.
 
OK, next chappie: 1)Nadil or 2)Bierrez, Sabel & Fedelta? VOTE!!!
 
REMEMBER, SCHNICKLEDOOGER LIKES HEARING WHICH PART OF THE CHAPPIE WAS YOUR FAVORITE!!! SO TELL!!! AND REVIEW!!!