"How are the girls? Got any sixes?"
"They're doing well. Go fish."
It was the usual routine for them. The journey to this stage of their association could only be labeled as ambiguous at best.
What could their relationship be classified as anyway? It was almost impossible to define.
They weren't friends, a thought that somewhat wistfully occurred through the visitor's mind every time he dropped by to see the other in Death's Domain. Nor were they rivals, a fact that also dwelled in the visitor's mind. Hell, the visitor couldn't even classify his relationship with the other as a bitter rivalry or enmity.
So…what were they? The visitor always felt an aching pain through his entire body every time he visited the other. The pain never derived from the lost and twisted souls of the Realm of the Shinigami. The souls roamed around him and the other as they dealt cards. It was an internal pain, something that the visitor always held back when checking on the other.
The visitor always reminded himself that he could never forget what he had done to the man in front of him. At the time, he was what his wife and supposed 'wife-guard' teasingly referred to him as: a foolish young man. He honestly felt that he had done the right thing when he took the life of the man sitting opposite to him. At the time, he was just so angry. But the rage he held against the other had faded away so long ago.
"How is Ravel? Is she doing all right?" The other asked quietly, selecting another card from the deck placed in front of him.
The image of Ravel Phenex passed through the visitor's mind, prompting his heart to beat harshly against his chest. The guilt was almost piercing, occasionally giving him grief the longer he looked at the man in front of him. He hated feeling this way sometimes. It was a feeling that he didn't want to experience at times, but he would welcome it fully at every chance he got.
"…She's good. Do you have any fours?"
The visitor looked up from his deck with a mask of impassiveness. His eyes warmed into a soft look at the mention of the youngest sibling of the Phenex Clan. Aside from the rest of the other's peerage, Ravel Phenex was a constant reminder of the boiling guilt that the visitor often felt. The guilt of taking the life of someone who was heavily important to her.
He had dedicated himself to look after and take care of the other's peerage. The reason was because Death had told the visitor that the act was the other's wish. After encountering the other for the first time in the Shinigami's realm, along with the act of somewhat coming to terms with each other, the visitor didn't hesitate to accept the wish. It was the least the visitor could do.
After all, he had taken the other's life.
The other was silent as he picked out a card from his hand, and placed in front of the visitor. The visitor looked down at his deck, and frowned slightly.
From the day he had made that promise, the visitor hadn't visited the other in Death's Domain for a long while. With the rise of Rizevim Lucifer and Yoru, the visitor had too many battles and encounters to do anything else. To this day, he was still in shock that the other had come to help him in his battle with Yoru and Crom Cruach. He had come to save him. The thing that confused the visitor so much, was that the other had absolutely no reason to battle alongside him. He could've stayed safe in the Shinigami's realm, undaunted by the events that occurred during the battle with Rizevim.
The visitor's mind suddenly conjured up a memory. The memory of him rushing to shield the other from Crom Cruach's sphere of fire. He couldn't remember anything else at the time, as Ophis and Great Red had transported him to the Dimensional Gap. The other had been sent back to Death's Domain, just in time for him to recover.
"Hey." The visitor said.
The other looked up, his dark blue eyes giving off a questionable yet curious air about them.
"...I know I've already said this. And I know it's selfish of me, but I feel like I need to say it again."
The other was quiet as he stared at the visitor.
"I regret it, you know. Some say I shouldn't, and yet a part of me feels the opposite. I didn't enjoy it. What I did to you."
The man sitting opposite to him looked down as he set his lips to a flat line. The visitor tightened his hands, almost bending the cards he held. He made an effort to keep his teeth from gritting in frustration and inability to swallow his guilt down.
"When you came to my aid during my battle with Yoru and Crom Cruach, I honestly didn't expect it. You didn't have to do it. I myself know that I didn't deserve your help, especially for…"
The visitor held the rest of his words back as the other looked up at him. The man gave what the visitor assumed to be a nod and sighed inwardly.
"You tried to save your cousin," The other began, "Do you think that if something were to happen to Ravel, that I would not do the same thing you did?"
The visitor didn't offer a reply, as though the other's attempt at justification was jarring to hear. As he looked towards the other, his voice was soft as he spoke.
"They miss you, you know. Dearly. Even though they look like they accept me, there's not a day that they don't think about you. Ravel more so than the others."
The other pursed his lips at the mention of his younger sister.
"…Do you ever want to come back to the world of the living?" The visitor asked, "Shinigami-san says she offered you many times to come back. But for every offer, you turn them down. Why?"
The man was silent as he placed his cards down, folding his hands in his lap. His expression was solemn as he gazed at the visitor. His stare wasn't angry, nor accusing or threatening. It was a serious look that prompted the visitor to fully understand what he was about to say.
"The very same reason you come down here to visit me, Issei Hyoudou."
The Solar God's eyes focused intently on the man as he sat perfectly still.
"And what reason is that, Riser?" He replied quietly.
"…Because like you, I'm still not ready to forgive myself."
The silence then swallowed the air of Death's Domain around the two, bringing their session to a close. As he lowered his eyes, Issei gathered the sets of cards in his hands, and stood up from his spot on the ground. Watching Riser rise up from his spot on the ground, Issei placed the cards in his pocket and inwardly sighed.
They weren't friends. Perhaps it was almost impossible if they could be at all. Their relationship wasn't the same with Issei's close friendship with Genshirou Saji, or rivalry with Vali Lucifer. They were not rivals, nor enemies. Neither of them knew how to define their connection.
"I'll come visit again." Issei said with a strong air of assurance.
"…And I'll be waiting." The Phenex Devil replied.
U-um…hello again. God, I…
Just…guys! There are not enough apologies I could shout from my body for not being on Fanfiction for a while. I know it's already said on my Fanfiction profile, but the truth really is that college and family life has been an ongoing struggle for me. It's been rough for me, and the longer it goes I drift away from Fanfiction ever so slowly. I never want that to happen. Never.
So this is my attempt to hopefully get back on track with Fanfiction. It's just that so much has been going on I barely have time anymore. It's so damn (pardon my language) frustrating to me.
On a slightly positive note (which has actually cheered me up), Rise of the Solar God has made it to over a thousand favorites and followers! That genuinely made me ecstatic! I never thought the story would reach so far! I'm glad that people are reading that story and the rest of my stories, so thank you guys who have still been following.
Please understand that I am not gone. I am still here! I won't give up on Fanfiction!
*takes a while to breathe…*
Ok. So this story was set up to help me get in tune with Fanfiction again. So hopefully it'll go through. Haven't said this for a while, but hey who's counting?
Hope you guys like the story, and read and review if you please. Hope to see you guys again.
With humble regards,
-WarriorMan199456.