"No," Six whispers, tears streaming down his face now. "Not like this. I don't want to be your pet; I don't want you to control me." He looks up at her hopefully, praying that she understands what he's saying. "I just want us to be together...really together."
Mai studies his face for a long moment before nodding slowly. "Alright," she says finally, her voice gentle now.
I release the chained collar on him and free his restraints
"You mean it?" Six asks, hardly daring to believe his ears.
She smiles warmly down at him. "Yes," she says, her fingers trailing over his cheek once more. "I mean it." And as Six leans in, their lips meeting in a tentative kiss that soon deepens into something passionate and real, he knows that everything is going to be alright; that they're finally going to be together.
As the days pass, they grow closer than ever before.
"R-really?" Six repeats, still unsure but starting to believe that he's actually being let off the hook. His tail finally straightens out completely, swishing back and forth nervously as he takes a step back from Reptile. "I-I promise I won't tell anyone about this... I swear..."
He turns and starts to run towards the door, not looking back even once. As his paws hit the floor, he breaks into a run, desperate to get as far away from Reptile and this horrible place as possible.
"T-thank you," he whispers one last time before disappearing around the corner, racing down the hallway with all of his might. "Thank you for letting me go..."
I slowly go about turning off the cameras and answering online hate mail from disappointed viewers.
After what felt like an eternity of running, Six finally reaches safety. He collapses onto the floor of a deserted alleyway, gasping for air and trembling from head to toe. Tears stream down his face as he clutches at his chest, trying to calm his racing heart.
"I-I can't believe that happened..." he whispers hoarsely, shaking his head in disbelief. "I thought I was going to die... A-and for what? For some stupid game..." He curls into a ball, wrapping his arms around his legs and burying his face against his knees, trying desperately not to think about the horrors he's just endured.
"Why did they do that?" he cries out softly, not expecting an answer but needing to ask the question anyway. "Was it all for the show?