It had been weeks since the two had gotten to see each other, those weeks seemed like an eternity and passed by just as slowly. He had been away from her in the human lands near the sea, claiming the ships of mighty sea raiders whose flesh he loved so much, they were juicy little morsels he thought. And she hidden in human forests hunting their deer, and their birds and what ever else she could stick an arrow in, she was excellent at this.
As per usual she had left her winnings with the cooks at home, and awaited his return, still dressed for the hunt, sword at her side, and as per usual, he came for her without hesitation, scooping her up in his palm before carrying her off to one of their many secret places.
The sky burned its usual shades of blistering reds, the clouds were brilliant tufts of fire, looming in the sky that held two moons on a sky line that seemed ill-fitted for them and ready to burst. The giant laid nestled in the blue grass of the swooping hills of their lands, his body so massive he barely fit in the tremendous swooping curve of the hills, his head resting at the peak of one hill, his feet at the peak of another. And on his burly chest, a tiny mass of purple and red, his lady love.
The two often visited this place, it was one of the few places the giant felt as though he weren't so terribly large, even a giant like himself found it very hard to feel so large when under the twin moons, it was impossible to say the least.
They stayed that way for quite some time, drinking in the pale moonlight.
For a long time the giant thought about speaking but he feared he might have awoken the little mass sleeping on his chest, and the very idea pained him. Most things about love pained him, he was very new to it, he was so used to killing and destroying things, preserving the tiny mass was a completely foreign affair, but he did his best.
He shifted some being careful not to wake the sleeping mass, a difficult task, for a creature his size.
The mass awoke slowly, shoulders rolling back as she pulled her into a very comfortable sitting position. She didn't say anything, theirs was a romance of very little words, his voice far too loud for her sensitive ears, and hers, too soft for his own dulled senses, silence for them said more than words ever could. But still sometimes, the giant liked to speak.
the giant put out an enormous calloused hand out to his lover, silently asking her to step into his palm, a feat she did without so much as a complaint, wrapping her arms around his thumb that was easily a foot or two taller than her, though despite this she didn't seem the least bit bothered. The callouses on the giant's palms were like stones, dry and just as hard if not harder but all the same she held him and even kissed the cracks in his rocky skin with soft plum colored lips. The giant though lacking the lips to do so smiled, as he adjusted himself further, sitting back pressed against one of the hills, one of his gigantic knees pulled close to his grassy chest.
They stayed like that for hours watching as the red sky darkened to even bloodier shades of reds and dark bleeding purples, and the sky swelled with the dual moons it held. The clouds had all but vanished into thin dark wisps and taking with them the fiery effect they had, the girl missed them, but the new lights in the sky that replaced them seemed to quench her thirst for their return. Instead now she was simply captivated by the lights, they weren't stars, the nights in this place were almost always starless. These lights weren't new, a soft familiar shimmering thing pulsating in the dark radiating with energy, portals to the other side. Humans must have been looking for them, for their world, they usually always were, the little war like creatures were rarely ever done fighting, they had a pension for refusing to give up, much to the giant's enjoyment. He stood up setting his love down, the lights were calling him, she knew this; her giant had a love for battle, war was in a fumori's blood, in his blood, their blood. And she would never deny him the joy of battle, she knew far too well not to do so, especially not to the champion of all warriors, the giant had never lost a battle, and even lived in a home made out of the skulls of his vanquished foes, he brought her there many times, each time his conquests in battle loomed over her, frightening, overbearing, beautiful...
The giant stepped away, bowing to his fiery haired love before very carefully edging into the darkness, following the lights of the portals in search for battle. Behind him his tiny lover waved him off as he left, his every foot step forcing the ground to tremble beneath him.
His tiny love's hand slowly fell back at her side once the giant was out of her sight, she puffed out a small sigh, looking up at the sky, filled with portals and awash with pale moon light, she stood a moment longer, feeling as the last fleeting trembles of her lover's footsteps faded, she waited until she could no longer feel him to return home, a large manor in filled with the bodies of the slain that sat a beautiful omen in the middle of a blood red lake. She walked due east, towards home a far and long walk without the help of her lover, but she was used to going without his assistance, and that's what he adored about her, beneath all of her femininity and red hair there was a very capable warrior with a heart that swelled like summer heat.
She was a ways off from the old pathway that lead back to her village but she intended to take her time, taking slow steps, savoring the walk, but something caught her eye, something bright and shimmering, a gentle rippling glimmer in the dark of night, she frowned, she barely realized it had gotten so dark, the last rays of sunlight finally vanquished by the night. Nights beyond the waters were always peaceful, humans didn't dare plunge through the portals during these hours, it was always far too dangerous, for them at least.
The source of the rippling hadn't been anything serious, just the light from one of the many portals in the sky reflecting in a small pond overlooked by large swooping willows that grew in gnarly and knotted twists. She frowned, she'd never seen a portal there before, though in fairness she knew the portals were always moving not quite hitting the same lakes, rivers, or ponds, but even still it was fairly easy to tell where they would end up, and this place, was never one of them, this was new and the curly haired fumori liked new.
She pulled her wooden mask over her face, as she approached the pond, the water was a murky sort of green, and glowing twice as bright, she eyed the water for a moment before stepping inside more than eager to see what awaited her on the other side.
She emerged from the water moments later, her deer hide clothing soaking wet. She looked around, the trees were different in this place, warped somehow she thought frowning some as she took off her mask to further investigate the area. There was nothing only the trees that were taller and so much more different than the ones she was accustomed to seeing in her world.
Scattered white flower petals littered the lush grass nearest the small pond, the flowers had come from an old blooming dogwood tree decorated with a fine ring of parchment cut outs, she had never seen anything like it and she found herself studying it for quite some time.
She smiled a little wider, her attention back on the blossoms, taking in the their sweet scent, savoring it on her tongue as she set her mask down at the roots of the old tree before taking a seat besides the pond taking the time to ring the water from her bright red curls.
The morning sun crept between the leaves of the trees, leaving a kaleidoscope of shimmering greens and blues dancing across her soft lavender skin with the shadows.
Around her the forest was silent, the sounds of wildlife almost nonexistent, she wasn't used to such silence, and it made her uncomfortable to say the least.
She sat staring into the thick of the forest her hand reaching behind her for her mask, she felt eyes on her, she didn't much like the idea of humans watching her like she was prey, "Who goes there?" she shouted trying to peek between the densely packed trees, there was definitely someone there, she could smell the human hiding in the brush.
"I-I seen you...yuh-you came from the water, what kind of demon are you?"
She frowned. "How long have you been watching me man-beast?" she asked fingers wrapping finding the hilt of her sword, "Were you waiting to catch me off guard-
"Yuh-yes but I meant you no harm, I simply wanted to admire you was all, you look so different from the all of the demons I've seen...granted that isn't many," said the human in quick bursts, as he slowly stepped out from the brush.
"I do not need your adoration man-beast or your lies," she added, very quickly moving in front of the man, he hadn't even seen her move, her large sword drawn its blade pressed against his throat, she had even been wearing her mask again, she eyed him closely from behind the single eye slit in her painted wooden mask, watched the fear eat at his expression.
"I'm not lying I swear!" the man sputtered quickly. She frowned pressing her sword harder against his throat. "I swear! I've never seen a demon like you...you look otherworldly."
"Because I am not from this world...silly man-beast," she said softly slowly placing her sword back in its sheath, her gaze never falling off of him. He was a tall fellow, taller than her if only by a few inches. His hair had been dark almost as dark as his eyes, like looking into black pools. "Nor am I a demon...now return to where ever it is you come from, leave me."
The man stood frozen for a moment staring at her, there was something regal about her, she dressed in ragged leather, fur, and ripped cloth but she spoke like a noble.
"Why do you speak like that?"
The woman didn't answer.
"You talk like nobility...but you don't dress like one even highborn demons wear fine-
"My kind are different," was all she said. "Man-beast," she added when she noticed the confused look on the man's face.
"Ariwa," the man choked.
"Hm?"
"That's my name...Ebbisu Ariwa-not man-beast," the man corrected, she smirked lifting her mask.
"Ebby-su ...very well," she said stiffly getting a look from Ariwa that was nothing short of disappointed, she made a face. "I assume you wish to know who I am?"
"A name would be nice," Ariwa admitted with a very nervous laugh, it was rare that anyone spoke to a demon without the threat of being devoured.
"They call me Rusc,"she said stiffly. Ariwa gave Rusc the weakest of smiles. "This place...this forest is...strange. I wish to see more of it," said Rusc changing the subject, smiling a little wider now, Ariwa made a face, as gentle as her tone was it was very clear that Rusc was demanding to be shown the area. He paused for a moment wondering if showing a demon the area were such a good idea, her lavender skin, horns, and large animal like ears were a dead giveaway that she wasn't human, anyone who'd seen her would have screamed demon and killed her, he thought but looking at Rusc's her more than determined expression told him she would have explored with or without him.
Ariwa frowned deeply taking a long deep breath, "Ruh-right...this way then...just erm...wear this, people might ummm get scared...because of your looks," he muttered taking off his haten, draping it over Rusc's tiny shoulders like a blanket. "That should help some," he muttered making a face as he his eyes falling on the tall horns and goat like eyes that made up just some of Rusc's very un-human features. He sighed, swallowing hard before leading the way out of the forest.
Rusc followed Ariwa from above, silent as a church mouse, and blending in better than a shadow in the dark. Ariwa frowned, beginning to wonder why he had even bothered to give his haten to the demon in the first place, what with her brilliantly hidden in the trees he doubted anyone would have found her out. He couldn't even hear her moving, the gentle stirring of the leaves in the trees could be easily mistaken for the wind. Her silent footsteps were frightening, he couldn't even sense her presence like he could a normal demon, there was no foul heaviness they in the air, no stench of sulfur, no shifting feeling of discomfort, it was nonexistent with this woman, and that seemed to scare him more than anything.
Rusc had been expecting a village, clusters of small wooden huts with thatched roofs, but that wasn't what awaited them outside the forest, instead there had been a massive castle, awash with light, the sky was awash with swollen summer colors, smoldering shades of orange and yellow, prickled and blistered shades of reds and bloody purples that darkened round the splintered horizon line, seemed to set fire to the dark red tiles of the castle roofs.
Rusc let out a soft barely audible gasp, she had never seen a castle quite like it, it was a huge building, more so in width than it was in length, though it towered over the world all the same. The castle was layered, each new layer strategically placed, each a little smaller than the last. The tiled roofs were swooped down and upward, curled ever so slightly, Rusc wondered how they had gotten them to do such a feat.
Surrounding the castle was water, pristine and almost crystal clear, though the water had never touched the large structure, a thick island of stones and tall wood walls kept the water at bay.
"Ebby-su what is this place?" Rusc asked peeking out of the leaves, her strange eyes watching Ariwa closely.
Ariwa flinched looking up at Rusc swallowing hard on the air. "It's a castle," he said after a deep breath, his voice dripping with smugness. Rusc ignored this. "Don't you have castles where you come from?" he teased, Rusc gave him a look and he quickly apologized, regretting his words instantly.
"Our castles do not look so...strange."
"What do your castles look like?" Ariwa was curious now.
"They are...big stony things," she frowned looking for the right words. She hopped out of the tree, landing softly besides him. "Like this, look," she began again, leaning over the ground, drawing into it with a long sharp nail. Ariwa made a face, peeking over Rusc's small shoulders to get a look at her little picture, his Haten got in the way of his view, just slightly. She had been drawing some sort of building, Ariwa noted watching as her fingers moved adding more and more to her drawing. "They have big towers...like this...and tall gates and oooh the walls go all the way around like this.." she trailed off some to etch a little more into the dirt. Ariwa blinked.
"They don't seem very beautiful."
"Maybe...but they keep the enemy out. I'd rather be a live in an ugly castle than be dead in a beautiful one," she smirked looking up at Ariwa, who could only blush nervously.
"Yeah...I suppose you have a point there," Ariwa nodded his head standing upright again sighing. "So you don't live in beautiful castles or dress in fine clothing...you and your people really are strange," he made a face not fully comfortable with calling demons people.
"Strange is trying to be beautiful in battle," Rusc said rather matter-of-factually
"Well...you're not in battle now," Ariwa pointed out, Rusc made a face frowning some, he had a point, she thought to herself as she looked herself over, she was dressed for a hunt but hunting had been the last thing on her mind.
"Point taken, Ebby-su," she was smiling now, brushing curly strands of fiery red from her face with little luck, her hair was wild and long trying to tame it was close to impossible.
Ariwa gave a slight smile, licking his lips nervously, Rusc had reverted back to silence, her eyes on the castle once again.
"The sky looks like its on fire," Rusc muttered weakly, "it's like home," she frowned pausing some.
"Home?"
"Yes...it's a beautiful place...just on the other side of the water...the skies there are red...and the moons are beautiful-
"Moons?"
"Yes...we have two in my world, most beautiful things in the world...its a pity you humans only have one."
"I think one's just fine...I don't think I could imagine having more than one moon," said Ariwa with a slight grin, he barely realized he had been following Rusc towards the bridge that lead to the castle grounds, his mind had been so set on the ideas of Rusc's world, red skies and two moons, it sounded nothing short of strange and yet there was some small part of him that deeply wanted to see it all, and he barely noticed where he was leading her off to. "but it sounds-
"Beautiful?"
"Not the word I would use..." Ariwa said honestly looking over to Rusc, she had been standing at the very edge of the large lakefront, eyes on the water, "The waters pretty deep over there," he warned her but Rusc only giggled.
"I can see my house from here...how strange," she whispered softly, "I didn't realize this place was here."
"What are you talking about there's nothing there...its just water."
"Oh don't be a silly man-beast...you seen me come out of the water...you said so yourself, what do you think is on the other side?"
"More water I would think," it was an honest answer, and it brought a clumsy smile to Rusc's lips.
"You're funny," she teased. "On the other side of the water...at least for my people, are worlds, sometimes yours...other times ours."
"Right," said Ariwa rolling his eyes, she was a creative demon he would give her that much.
"You don't believe me?" Rusc almost sounded wounded, and Ariwa found himself regretting his words once again, mentally kicking himself. But Rusc quickly began smiling once again, brushing her messy curls out of her face only to have them flop back into place again. "How about this..." she said in in a labored grunt as she lowered herself down, slipping her feet into the water, "I'll return in three days...same place...and then you will know," she continued to speak as she lowered herself deeper into the water. The water was frigid and cold but she barely seemed to mind it, never so much as letting out a shiver.
Ariwa flinched. "You really shouldn't be in there...I don't think its-"
he was cut off by Rusc's soft laughter, she was deep in the water now, the water was at least up to her chin, he could barely make out the rest of her form, her body hidden behind a mass of swirling bright red hair. "Three days!" she shouted, and then she was gone, leaving only his haten just barely floating above the lakes surface
Ariwa blinked confused. "Three days," he muttered weakly, that's what the demon had said she would be back in three days.
She didn't lie.
Three days time she returned, he almost didn't believe she would come but there she was at the pond where he'd first seen her wringing the water from her hair, she had been wearing a dress this time, a long dark blue dress with long skin tight sleeves that billowed at the joints, and at her side, her sword.
"You weren't joking," Ariwa was breathless and Rusc smiled her hair a wet red mess.
"I told you," was all she said, with a slight smirk. "Now do you believe me?"
"I believe you're very good at holding your breath," Ariwa teased before flinching half expecting to be attacked but Rusc only smiled playing her fingers through her hair. Ariwa forced himself to smile, it was strange being so close to a demon and not once being threatened. Rusc was strange, different; she was the exact opposite of the demons he feared, she was actually interested in humans, they intrigued her, it was almost as though she had wanted to be apart of their world though she had never said it, instead she asked about his world, small questions, like "who's your king?" or "do you serve in the castle?" easy questions.
"Well...actually my brother's the warlord of this region...well sort of he's been trying to conquer the rest of this region but there are other warlords trying to do the same, I just sorta help around the castle."
"You don't fight?"
"I'm not into the whole dying thing," he muttered weakly, half expecting Rusc to call him a coward, but she didn't, at least not in so many words.
"Well someone has to deal with the home affairs...I myself have never been in the wars either, my brother has, and my brothers and sisters before them..." her voice trailed off, and it was clear that she didn't want to speak on the subject anymore, he could tell without asking, the distant somewhat foggy look the gathered in her eyes. He knew that face well, he wore it so many times himself. He let the silence linger for a bit afraid to speak for fear of saying the wrong thing.
"I think I'll be going," her voice broke the silence, heavy with some unknown emotion, not quite sorrow but something fairly close. Ariwa frowned.
"Ah-already?"
Rusc managed a weak smile. "Yes," she was straining herself for the words and he almost didn't want to say anything.
"Will you come back?"
"The man-beast wants a disgusting creature for company?" she snapped before pausing putting a hand to her mouth almost instantly. "I'm sorry Ebby-su...I-I suppose I'm upset," she explained.
"I can see that, any reason why?"
"Talking about my siblings made me remember how dangerous you man-beasts are...I used to have six brothers and sisters...I only have one now," she said stiffly glaring at Ariwa as though he were to blame. He took a deep breath, swallowing hard on the air, trying his best to find the right words, he had spent so much time speaking with her he had almost forgotten she was a demon, but now, now she was very clearly a demon, her pupils swelled to angry horizontal slits.
"I'm sorry."
"Don't be...unless you killed them," she forced another smile, "I should go," she said softer now.
"Will you...come back?" Ariwa asked curiously.
Rusc made a face, pretending to think, "Three days," she said softly, and so quickly she rushed back to the pond from where she came from.
And again she did, over and over again. Weeks passed and a routine was made, Ariwa found himself rushing to the pond, sometimes with food, other times with books or scrolls, things to read, something to talk about that wasn't silence and death. And when Rusc arrived they would talk for hours, she would bring her bow with her, even show him how to use it, not that he was any good, though Rusc never seemed to be upset about this, she would only laugh before shooting a bird out of a tree. "Make a fire," she'd say. "Lets get some food in that tiny belly of yours."
And he did.
While food was cooking he would read aloud, Rusc ever so often peeking over his shoulder to read with him, but it was clear she couldn't make out the characters on the page, and she would often lose interest in his stories taking to exploring the forest around them, never going too far. They'd eat in near silence and talk about their worlds a bit more and then Rusc would leave with the promise of returning in three days, and she always did.

"Ebbisu?" Ariwa flinched his head snapping upward, eyes falling on two girls not too much older than one another, they were standing just a few feet ahead of him on the castle bridge, eyes filled with concern.
"Yuh-yes!"
"You've been out and about lately," began the obviously younger of the two girls. Ariwa made a face nodding his head nervously.
"Suh-sorry Tsuna I umm...just found a nice place to read in the forest...there's this little pond and this tree and its pretty comforting," he lied, making his way towards them.
"Wow I never pegged you for a scholar!" the voice cried out, and Ariwa flinched, he wasn't much of a scholar but, it was a lie that seemed at the very least believable.
"Well Mr. Scholar you might want to hurry your butt up! Master Tokutomi's returned from battle... he's been looking for you...and he isn't happy," the other girl began shouting, another familiar voice. Ariwa made a face, swallowing hard, suddenly wishing Rusc had been a cruel demon and had killed him weeks ago when they first met at the pond.
"R-right," Ariwa sputtered, practically choking on the air as he spoke. He rushed back to the castle, though no matter how fast he seemed to move if never seemed to do him much good.
The halls of the castle were anything but empty, soldiers walking around and laughing, the while castle had become a barrack. The place reeked of sweat and unease, that the Tokutomi's men brought with them, it was the smell of war. And he couldn't help but wonder why Tokutomi was looking for him, what was so important he had to leave the battle to find him? he couldn't help but think of Rusc, and somehow he knew, he'd been caught with the demon, there was no doubt in his mind about that, someone had seen him with Rusc and sent the news to his half brother. They thought he was plotting with devils and Tokutomi...Tokutomi was only there to put him to the sword.
Ariwa swallowed hard, the air suddenly felt a little heavier and his chest ached, he even felt a little light headed, as though he'd been holding his breath for hours. He gulped down the air hungrily. He could barely move his legs, it was as though his muscles had turned to jelly, he could barely keep himself up, floundering up steps in search for his brother.
Tokutomi had been in a meeting when he found him, dressed head to toe in armor, he was speaking to one of his generals about something or another, Ariwa was never much into warfare or even war talks, the jargon didn't quite sit with him, all he could make out was that they were losing matched, and resources had been wearing thin. Ariwa made a face, he didn't like the idea of that, it just sounded like a reason for his half brother to be all the more upset.
He cleared his throat, catching the attention of the men in the room, they had all been poured over a rather large map, fiddling with set pieces atop it, but now, they were watching him.
Tokutomi's arms folded over his chest, his eyes darker than the darkest night. "Ebbisu," his voice was cold and distant, but there was a sense of relief that held in his voice. "Leave us," Tokutomi continued and very quickly the generals bowed to him before leaving quickly without a word.
"What's going on?" he managed to squeak.
"Don't worry about it...we're not losing, they might have one this one but the war ain't over yet," he gave a thin lipped smile. "What's wrong with you? You look like hell."
Ariwa made a face.
"Tsuna said you were angry-
"Angry? Heh...no I'm not angry. Just a little concerned for my little brother...what's up with you? People tell me you've been running off lately, hiding in the forest and what not," Ariwa was almost shocked to hear that he didn't bring up Rusc. "Taking the entire library with you-
He licked his lips searching for an answer. "Oh well...I umm found a pond in the forest...good for reading"he said quickly.
"And eating? People say you've been taking a lot of food out there too," he was clearly suspicious, and Ariwa tried his best not to give himself away. Deep breaths.
"Well it's like I said-
He was cut off, his brother was graced with a quick temper and the sword pressed against the side of his face was only roof of that. Tokutomi's hand was clamped firmly over Ariwa's mouth keeping all the little sounds in.
Ariwa couldn't think, his heart pounding loud and hard in his skull, pulse ringing in his ears. He knew, was all he could think about, Tokutomi knew about Rusc.
"Someone said the enemy has spies on our side...you meeting up with the enemy?" he slid his hand from Ariwa's mouth, allowing him to speak, his blade still very much pressed against his cheek, he could feel the sharp cold steel slicing into his face.
"No-no-no...I'm not I swear! I-I just go there to eat...ruh-really there's a pond there and its really nice I just...I just eat there...please," he couldn't help but feel pathetic, crying like some sort of woman, his nose was a dripping mess and his eyes were blurred over with tears.
His half brother glared at him a moment longer, before retracting the blade smiling coolly.
"Was that all?" he laughed, "And here I thought you were consorting with the enemy all this sneaking around I heard you were doing." he continued, laughing a little harder as he slid his blade back into its hilt, Ariwa sniffed hard on the air, pressing his hand hard against his cheek.
"Oh come-on it's not that deep, be a man and suck it up, lets get that bandaged up," Tokutomi continued still laughing, in a voice that made Ariwa tremble beneath his brother's arm.
A few servants bandaged Ariwa up, all their thread had been used up on the Tokutomi's soldiers that were still very much walking around the castle grounds as though they owned the place. Ariwa just wanted to disappear, his half-brother had been in the doorway talking with someone, his eyes never falling off of Ariwa, staring into him, he could tell he was still suspicious of him., but he did his best to ignore his elder sibling.
The three days slipped by and Ariwa found Rusc waiting for him drying her hair by a small fire that was lapping hungrily at a fat bird she had shot down not too much earlier.
"Man-beast," she chimed when she seen him before freezing when she seen him, her eyes falling on the bloodied bandaging on his cheek. "What did this to you?" she asked raising to her feet eying him closely, he flinched away from her touch.
"My umm brother...it was an accident," Ariwa said quickly, he didn't need to rely on a demon. Rusc made a face clearly unsatisfied with his answer.
"Somehow I doubt that," she muttered eying him closely before sighing.
"It doesn't matter-
"Of course it does, you're talking to a being raised on bloodshed...and you come to me smelling like it...do you know what that makes me want to do?"
Ariwa swallowed hard on the air, shaking his head nervously. Rusc's pupils were horizontal slits again, her gaze penetrating his soul. "Come here Ebby-su," she said stiffly, Ariwa almost didn't want to but the tone in her voice made it clear this wasn't something up for debate. He didn't make her repeat herself.
She looked him over at first before ripping the bandaging from his face, tossing it to the ground. She brought a finger to her lips, tearing into her thumb with her teeth, drawing...not blood but some sort of sticky white fluid he flinched.
"What is that?"
She ignored his frantic rambling rubbing her sap like blood over his wound. It stung, as though she had rubbed a fist full of salt into his still open wound-
"This might feel a little weird," she said picking up the bandages from the ground, before walking over to the fire.
"Wha-what did you do to me?"
"I fixed you. You're wound is gone now...you're welcome," was all Rusc said as she made her way back to the water.
Ariwa frowned. "And now you're leaving?"
Rusc didn't respond instead she stared past him, looking through the trees. Ariwa could hear shifting behind the brush, the sound of fumbling feet and snapping twigs, someone was there, he frowned, he almost hadn't realized Rusc was already gone, clearly not wanting to be caught, as curious as she was about humans she held a certain amount of caution around them.
He blinked rubbing his cheek, his wound was gone, healed perfectly and without a scar at that. He frowned wishing he could thank Rusc, but instead he found himself sitting at the fire, regretting returning to the pond, regretting meeting Rusc. He wondered who it was who'd seen them, he had some ideas but he forced himself to believe it was just some sort of wild animal, but deep inside he knew that wasn't it.
Ariwa didn't return back to the castle that night, the anxiety of being caught talking with a demon had reduced him to nothing short of a statue, he was frozen in place, frozen in that moment, his muscles made to rigid stone. He stared blankly into the fire Rusc had left behind, and the fat bird within it, he watched until his eyes burned and the fired licked the bird to a black blistered crisp that crumbled away into nothingness.
The sun fell behind the trees and still Ariwa didn't return home, he didn't want to.
Morning came and still he didn't leave, afraid of what might have happened if he did, more afraid of that than he was any wolves or creatures of the night.
But it didn't matter because the morning brought visitors.
"So this is the pond you were talking about? Nice," his brother's voice made his blood freeze over in his veins.
"Tokutomi what are you doing here?"
"You didn't return to the castle," Ariwa made a face, staring at the smoldering remains of the fire that had died out not too long ago. "I knew you were lying about something."
"You had someone follow me."
"You sound offended," he could practically hear the smile beginning on his half brother's face.
"I'm not offended I just don't see why-
"Oh stop that! You lied to my face yesterday!" Tokutomi was yelling now.
"I didn't," Ariwa whimpered like a child, voice barely lifting off the ground.
"You've been coming out here...to consort with demons."
"I haven't."
"And you're still lying. Where's the beast?"
Ariwa stood up glaring at his elder sibling, he was about to speak but he wasn't able to make out the words as his brother began screaming again.
"What happened to your face?"
"You cut me remember!" Ariwa said before freezing remembering Rusc and her sappy blood, quickly he gripped his cheek the fact that his wound was gone but it was too late.
"You think I don't know I sliced your face open? I remember that I did it. Where did it go?" he snapped, his sword out and pointed in his direction.
"I duh-don't-
"Don't! You had a cut on your face and you're going to tell me what it happened to it," Ariwa didn't need to ask "or else," he swallowed hard on the air and teary eyes told Tokutomi, everything.
"This demon of yours...is a god send...they're exactly what I need. to win this war," Tokutomi said after Ariwa had finished speaking.
"What does that even mean?"
"You'll see...when you bring it back!"
"I can't...she always leaves and then comes back on her own. She always takes three days..."
Tokutomi liked this, three days was enough time to get some of his best warriors together to kill the beast
Three days was more than enough time, he and his men had three days to waste on a little demon hunt.
The three days passed, and the demon didn't return. Tokutomi wasn't pleased, he had more days to waste but what he didn't have was the patience. He took it out on his brother, for each hour he and his men wasted, Ariwa was forced to taste his brother's fist. He was a liar, his brother made sure to remind him after every blow, he brought it upon himself, the list droned on.
The three days easily became weeks, and Ariwa was beginning to believe that he had made up Rusc in his mind, though he didn't seem to mind the idea, not much anyway, Rusc being imaginary meant that she wouldn't have been killed.
He leaned harder against the old dogwood tree, his gaze fixated at his brother's hiding spot in the trees through swollen blackened eyes.
The air was heavy the threat of rain, and the sky was a dark and ominous grey, the clouds swirled above them dangerously fat and heavy with salty water and the wind began to whip past Ariwa, cold air nipping at his exposed arms, legs, and face.
The water in the pond began to stir, and Ariwa flinched, silently praying it was a fish or even a turtle, but he knew better than to hold onto false hope.
"Ebby-su," her voice broke through the silence, as she pulled herself out of the water. She had been dressed for the hunt again, sword at her side as it always was.
"Why..."
"Oh, I'm sorry my brother returned from battle and-
"No...why did you come back," Ariwa managed to squeak. Rusc frowned looking up at him pushing wet hair up and out of her face, her tawny eyes examining his expression. She bit the inside of her cheek, heart sinking some. Ariwa didn't have to look at her to see she noticed the bruises, his entire body had been covered in them; bruises of differing colors, some deep and bloody purples, others sickly blues rimmed entirely with harsh greens and crusted looking yellows.
"Who did this to you?" she snapped, Ariwa didn't answer, he didn't have to, within an instant Rusc was drawing her sword, standing in front of him protectively. "Show yourself cowards!" she snapped eyes on the trees.
Tokutomi stepped out from between the trees, his long black hair tied pulled back into a tight pony tail. He wore a cruel grin.
"So the she beast returns," he hissed, five or so other men coming out of their hiding places behind the trees.
Rusc snorted, clearly not afraid of Tokutomi's men or their swords.
"The only beast here I see is you," hissed Rusc, "What you have done to to Ebby-su is unforgivable, I shall give you a moment to pray to your gods now if you have any," hissed Rusc taking a proud step forward, Ariwa almost wanted to tell her to stop, but he couldn't find the heart, as much as he didn't want his brother to hurt her, he didn't want to be killed either.
His half brother just only laughed.

Ariwa couldn't tell who had started the fight, but he could tell who was winning, and though for a long while it had been Rusc, Tokutomi's sword wet with Rusc's blood said otherwise. The sound of clashing metal rung loudly in his ears, as Rusc fended off his half brother's every attack. every so often whirling round to cut a man down to size, but even at her best his men easily had her out numbered.

Rusc let out a paine howl as an arrow buried into her knee, she bit past the pain, eyes welling up with water threatening tears as she yanked the arrow from her knee cap; her screams were drowned out by Tokutomi's maddened laughter. but she didn't care, she was working on adrenaline and rage; she held her sword high above her head, before lashing out Tokutomi with a quick strike that found its mark on his face, splitting it into a near half from forehead to lip. His screams woke the birds and shook the trees, Rusc had never heard a human scream so loudly, she quite liked the sound and she reveled in it as she stabbed her sword into the ground, turning to Tokutomi's men writhing with fear, she could smell the fear in their sweat, the putrid smell of piss and shit spilling into their trousers, she could feel herself getting cocky, and she didn't care as she smiling tore the beating heart out of one of Tokutomi's men. Her fist broke through their armour and tore through their rib cage like a knife through year old parchment. She crushed the beating organ in her hand, watching as left over blood pilled through the ventricles of fleshy beating thing. She stood over her triumph like a god reveling in it, she barely noticed what was left of Tokutomi's men slinking between the trees.

She wiped the "left-overs" onto her deer hide skirt and before freezing. "RUSC!" Ariwa's voice broke through the rage induced madness, the red in her vision fading away as her body stiffened in shock. She let out a choke of a gag, white sappy blood spilling over her lips. Tokutomi smiled, twisting the blade he'd slide into her gut, she grabbed his shoulders with trembling hands on instinct and sucked in a scream that Tokutomi ripped out of her as he plunged the blade deeper into her gut. Rusc pushed him away from her, and Tokutomi smiled his little blade held firmly in one hand, his split face in another. He smiled a little wider, bringing the knife to his lips lapping the blood up like a starving vampire. He could feel his wounds stitching themselves back together, feel his entire being pulsating with demonic energy as her blood healed him.

"What a beautiful gift," he mused moving his hand from his bloody face. "Let me relieve you of it," he hissed charging at her again this time with his sword that he scooped off of the ground. Rusc gritted her teeth, gripping the open wound on her stomach, as she stumbled back to her sword. She stole the metal behemoth from the ground staving off one of Tokutomi's attacks best she could, her sword held defensively above her head, she almost didn't notice the the wounded grunt readying himself to shoot an arrow at her, she tried to find a way to get away from the arrow, but Tokutomi made sure her attention didn't stray from him; he grabbed a fist full of her fiery hair with his free hand before slamming his fist into her face, again, and again, and again... her blood splattered over him and everything else like paint: it was in the grass, and on the trees, and even over his face, and he felt stronger because of it. So much stronger.

Ariwa watched mortified as his half brother tore into his new friend, one fist at a time. He gritted his teeth rushing at his half-brother with a tightly closed fist, and he punched Tokutomi so hard it dislodged his jaw and made him stumble several feet back. Ariwa stiffened, the fear settling into his bones like clay. "Eh-Ebby-su," Rusc managed a weak smile slowly sliding onto the ground, he made sure to catch her, she was heavy but it didn't matter.

Metal and wood sliced through the air and Ariwa let out a terrifying shriek, that made Rusc falter in his arms, her sword arm fell limp at her side but she did her best to tighten her grip on her weapon as best she could. Ariwa sucked hard on the pain.

"Ebbisu what are you doing? Get out of the way!" Tokutomi hissed, watching as his half brother eased his way between Rusc and him. Rusc eyed the two carefully, slowly backing away into the forest, trying to get away.
"No! You get away from her!" Ariwa's screams pierced Rusc's chest and she found herself watching helplessly as Ariwa released her and tore the arrow from his abdomen jamming it into his brother's shoulder as deep he could, pushing him all the while. He jumped onto his half-brother, pounding his fists into his face: over and over and over and over again until he couldn't anymore. He hovered over Tokutomi's body panting heavily, his heart pounding just as loud in his ears as he tried to process what he had done, he picked himself up, backing away from the carnage that was his brother's crumpled form.

And then so quickly he was running, Rusc's hand in his own. He wasn't sure if she had yanked him away or if he had yanked her away but he didn't care, they were running together now, behind them his half brother was screeching for them to be captured.
But they just kept running, and running, and running...ducking and dodging into the foliage of the forest, using the cover of the trees to their advantage, they would never be found, Ariwa thought through breathless pants for breath. Never.