The mansion was cold and silent, not that any of that was new to the young Incubus.
"Mom?"
No one answered him expect for the slight sigh of the servant next to him. The shake of his head audible in the silence.
He had heard it all before and yet…
"…Dad?"
"Young master, as I told you before they are… busy…"
His answer to everything when he asked about his parents whenever they were not around.
From time to time his mother would came home.
She was a beautiful woman really with the look of Lilith the Grandmother of all his family about her.
But she just ignored him whenever he tried to talk to her, painted its like a straight gagged like as she swept away from him, the skirts of her dress not so gently brushing against him as she quickly locked herself in her room.
Once or twice he had tried to grab at her skirts in an effort to at least be noticed by her but she just easily pulled away muttering about dirt.
~…~
A child with golden eyes gazed around the interior of his room it was filled with so much.
But… it all felt so hollow to him.
He needed to find something that at least made him feel a little bit whole.
~…~
"Are you telling me that the young master, is missing!?" Went the frantic cry of a servant ringing through the silence of the house.
"I went to check on him and his room is empty!"
"Well go and find him!"
Far away shouting he could hear but he didn't care, he just couldn't stay in that mansion a second longer.
The first son of the Fuser family. Urieganov Fuser ran from his house. It was unpulsive, he knew. But when an idea formed in his mind he acted it out.
He ran into a nearby forest he had always seen in books and gasped at the beauty of it all.
Even at his young age he held an adoration for pretty things, including the tiny winged creatures he saw flying around near the flowers. What were they called again?
Oh that's right.
"Butterflies. Such beautiful creatures…"
He stretched out his hand and quickly captured one in his hand. When he opened his palm to look at it his eyes widened at its crushed and broken state.
Butterflies he figures just like what he had been told about humans were indeed very fragile.
He would have to be more careful next time.
He went back the next day, his quickly developing powers making it easier and easier for him to escape.
Believe it or not that's where he meant him.
…Well that wasn't entirely true.
He had first seen the Arlond son hosted by the Devil King Maxxis, when Glax Arlond who was one of the six great noble families of the devil world had showed off his son to the king as if in gloating achievement.
It had been barely a glance at that time but his image had stayed in his mind.
He almost wanted to laugh at the state the dignified looking boy found himself in now.
Young aquamarine green eyes looked out at him through the bush he had looking shocked then angered at being caught in such a ridicules situation fallen out of a tree into a prickly and sticking bush.
"Couldn't you have just hovered and have landed away from the bushes?"
The young boy didn't answer his question, eyes moving a bit to the left avoiding his golden gaze.
"Ohh… Are you too young for your powers to grow? Then what are you doing out so alone?"
Part of him wanted to chuckle at the situation but he felt all together obliged to help him.
"Here, I'll help you up." He said as he held out his hand to him. Hesitating slightly he took his hand and he was pulled out of the bush
"Thank you. But… I absolutely didn't need your help."
"Oh… really?" Golden eyes sparkled with impish amusement. "Because it looked like you were going to become a griffins dinner if I hand't come along."
"That only happen to humans!" He proclaimed.
Well what were you doing out here anyway since yours powers haven't formed yet?
"That's none of your business. Besides my family is busy deciding on an heir anyway. What are you doing out here in the first place?"
"My parents are never around… and I'm… bored What's your name?" he quickly added trying to change the subject.
"…Rem Arlond."
"I'm Urieganov Fuser… Tell you what Rem… If we can find a Mandrake leaf together I won't tell anyone about what happened to you in the forest."
Rem's young body stiffened.
"…Deal."
The two of them searched and searched but in the end they could not find one despite coming near to catching it, reluctantly they agreed to never tell a devil.
"Promise me you won't tell anyone?"
He almost looked like he was going to cry.
"Don't worry I promise. If I tell I'll find and kiss a angel on the lips!"
Both of them grimaced in disgust.
The next day they met up in the woods again and the next day as well. Each scrap of free time they had they would meet in the forest or a different kind of forest.
"I want a Griffin claw.."
"Oh well… I want one to!" He proclaimed.
"No I want it!"
He could tell that there was something hidden inside both of their young hearts.
I/I will absolutely not lose to this guy!
And for a time he was happy.
But even that did not last.
A day came when Rem was quiet, more quiet than usual.
Urie knew something was up but he didn't ask.
Part of him didn't even want to know the reason behind it anyway. Deep down he didn't want to be told that all their time together would soon be coming to an eternal end.
They searched and searched the forest in silence but found nothing. eventually the sun set and the wind whipped past the two of them as if in a gale as they trudged on trying to find a way out right until they came to a clearing where a lake circled the middle of it reveling a beautiful sunset. A sunset that took the young incubus' breath away.
The next day Rem simply did not show up.
He quickly leaned that Rem was being trained to become the next Heir of Arlond. No doubt his father had told him to stop coming to see him since it was considered childish for devils to go around a forest like human children.
He couldn't bring himself to hate him.
As the years went by he went to the human world finding the woman there breathtakingly beautiful, surrounding himself with many butterflies before he found the one and only one that made him feel whole.
Despite all that time between them separate… he still remembered that one glorious sunset the two of them had seen.
"And I doubt I ever will forget it."
Ritsuka looked up at him as he finished his tale not knowing what to say. After a moment she gently took his hand holding it firmly against her own.
"Perhaps… You should ask him? I think something like that he'll remember it" she began gently.
He didn't doubt her words. Rem appeared different now thanks to her.