Let the Rain Fall
DISCLAIMER: I don't own Riviera, as we all well know. This oneshot is for Rexnos, the 75th reviewer of The Tainted. Thanks for all your support in making that fic the most-reviewed story in the Riviera section!
Let's go back, back to the beginning…Ein gritted his teeth, shifted his pack on his shoulder, and headed deeper into the forest.
It was really only times like this that he wished he'd never left Elendia.
The girls hadn't understood when he'd said he had to leave. They'd all been upset, tried to bargain with him, and he didn't think that any of them, especially Fia, would forgive him for it even after he felt he was ready to go back. But—he'd had no choice but to go. It was all too sudden, shifting from the life-and-death battle he'd fought against Hector to a life that was so normal, so mundane.
He didn't think he was ready for peace.
No—he didn't think he deserved it.
After all—Ein wasn't a Sprite, but a Grim Angel. A destroyer. So long as he stayed in Elendia, in Riviera, demons and battle would be drawn to him. He would only endanger the girls. And… it was because of him that Ledah and Ursula were dead. That wasn't something Ein could just forgive himself for.
And so, he'd left, telling Rose to take care of Elendia in his stead, to wander in solitude through Riviera's verdant countryside. What exactly he was looking for and what he was going to do once he found it, he didn't know. Maybe go back to Elendia, if enough time had passed that he'd feel comfortable there. Or maybe back to Asgard. Someone had to tell the other Magi what was going on, after all—did they know about Hector's betrayal, or were they still planning retribution for Riviera?
The angels needed to be informed, surely.
Still—Ein couldn't return to Asgard just yet. Celina and the other Magi would want him to stay, to set his Diviner aside and return to a peaceful life. It would be as bad as Elendia, or worse.
There was still… something out here he had to find. Something that would set him on the road to his redemption.
---
It was past dark when Ein finally decided that he had to slow down and make camp. Thunder was pealing off in the distance; that and the sharp, wet scent to the air told him rain was on its way. That was absolutely all he needed—a good soaking to set off another aimless day.
Well, he needed to find a clear spot to set up his tarp before anything else—
Ein's train of thought trailed off in confusion as he caught sight of something pale in the nearby bushes, then derailed completely as he drew closer.
It was a girl.
A naked girl.
A naked girl he would recognize anywhere.
"Malice…?" Ein whispered, frowning and hesitantly walking towards her.
She was out cold, and she lay curled up at the base of a clump of wild berry shrubs, her big black wings flopped over the greenery and around her body. Her legs were neatly folded and positioned in such a way that Ein couldn't see anything indecent, and one arm was laid protectively over her chest. Her crisply cut blonde hair was tossed wildly around her shoulders.
Ein didn't know how in the world she'd gotten there or why she was even still alive, but he knew that in the coming rain she was going to freeze with nothing on. He also knew that since no one else was likely to wander this way, it was up to him to make sure she was taken care of.
It made him a little nervous—Malice had, after all, been his enemy before—but after what Hector had done to her, he couldn't do anything but try to help.
Besides… this would make as good a spot as any to camp, Ein supposed.
Shaking his head at himself, Ein removed the rolled-up blanket and tarp from where they'd been hooked beneath his pack and draped the soft fleece over Malice's body before busying himself setting up his gear.
It might be a while before she woke and was able to explain things to him, and until then, Ein intended to keep himself occupied. Otherwise, it was going to be a long, long night.
---
Ein was poking his low fire with a stick to keep it going and absently wondering if he ought to move the tarp a little so as to create a smoke outlet and build the flames a bit more when there was a rustle in Malice's direction.
"Mmn…"
"Ah…" Ein turned towards her. "Malice, are you up? What happened? How'd you get—" As she opened her eyes and stared at him, sleepy and confused, he stopped dead.
Her eyes.
They were the clear, perfect blue of a summer sky.
That can't be right, Ein thought, baffled. After she'd lost her parents, Malice's eyes had gone from light blue to nearly black. He knew that as well as anyone; after all, there was a time when she'd been one of his dearest friends. But—they'd changed back, unless he was seeing things.
What in the world did this mean?
"Who—are you?" Malice asked slowly, sitting up and clutching the blanket at her chest. "Do I know you?"
Ein's gut clenched hard.
"You don't remember me?" She shook her head, giving him a confused and wary look. "Do you remember how you got here or what happened before that?" Or the fact that you're supposed to be dead right now?
"…No…" Malice shook her head again. "I… don't remember… anything like that."
"What do you remember?"
She looked at him, the directness of her shockingly pale gaze mesmerizing. "My name is Malice Ructor and I'm twenty years old." She shrugged. "…That's all."
"Oh, man," Ein said softly. "Amnesia. It has to be."
His insides were churning with disbelief and amazement. Ursula. It had to have been Ursula. This scenario was just too familiar not to have been the doing of Riviera's guardian—it couldn't be a coincidence. Not when Ein had been on the other end of this very situation scant months past. It had to be Ursula. So instead of just saving Ein's Sprite companions, she'd saved Malice as well… and deposited her here before passing on to the next world, in hopes that Ein or the girls or some other Sprite or demon with a kind heart would come across her and give her the second chance she so badly needed, after having been manipulated and discarded by Hector.
"You… you know me, don't you?" Malice asked him, jolting him back to reality. "What's going on? Who am I?"
Ein hesitated. Sometimes he wasn't the best at interacting with people, but this much he knew—he had to do this right, or Malice might panic or revert to her murderous ways. "You and I were… childhood friends. A lot of things have happened, and you were… someone very cruel used you to do terrible things. But it looks like… the forces of good in that battle have decided to give you a second chance. That must be why I found you here. It has to be the work of fate."
"Fate…" Malice repeated, staring at the fire with a frown.
"Well… who knows? Your memories might start coming back in time, and they might not." Ein shrugged, trying to force lightheartedness into his voice as his heart began to pound with painful hope. "Either way, if you've been given another shot, all you can really do is make use of it. I can help you get along in this world, if you'd like, and you can start over."
"…………" Malice looked at him consideringly. "…Alright, um…"
"Ein." He nodded to her and smiled. "I'm Ein."
Malice stared at him a moment longer before giving him a small smile of her own. "…Alright, Ein."
This is it. This must be… Ursula's way to redeem us both. Either that, or it's the will of the gods.
"Well, until we find a village or something, we'll see if some of my clothes will fit you," Ein said with an embarrassed laugh, scratching his head. "After all, it's not like you can wander around Riviera in just a blanket, can you?"
Malice gave him a half-wary, half-disdainful look. "I hope not. If you've got spares, it would be nice if you'd lend them to me. But—it's raining out there, so I'm not leaving to change. Turn around, and don't you dare try to sneak a peek. I'll throttle you if you do."
Ein winced and laughed as he reached for his pack.
She's already sounding like herself again… memories or no, she's the same old Malice.
I'm… going to make this work.
Let the rain fall—I'm coming…:For Rexnos. Thank you, thank you, thank you! I would love to have your continued support.:
Owari.