Disclaimer: I do not own Ookami Shoujo to Kuro Ouji (Wolf Girl and Black Prince) or any of the characters
Erika was careful not to draw attention to herself as she walked into the village again. She waited until the next morning to visit the village again since she worried that Kyouya's father would still be in the village. She didn't know what would happen if they met again. When she woke, Kyouya was already gone so she didn't have him to defend her.
Thinking of their meeting, Erika's steps slowed. The King killed his own knights without a hint of emotion and barely showed kindness to his own son. Kyouya told his father that they were in love to protect her and a part of her didn't want to know what he would do to her if Kyouya hadn't protected her. How can a father say such cold words to his own son?
She couldn't allow the people of the Demon Realm to continue under his dark rule. Even if Kyouya acted cold to her, Erika knew that he cared about his subjects. If she helped him open the gates, she would be able protect her family. Despite the war that led the gates closing, she reasoned that angels and demons could live together despite their differences.
Shaking any doubt that could make her change her mind, Erika continued down the road. Kyouya was already gone when she woke but she thought she would be able to navigate herself well enough. She wanted to visit the boy before she left. She remembered the path to his home and hoped that he hadn't left like Kyouya ordered him yet.
Just as she was about to turn the corner, Erika heard two voices from Lime's garden. Keeping herself hidden, Erika looked around the corner and saw Kyouya sitting next to Lime. She thought he had returned to his castle and wondered why he was speaking with the boy now. From the stubborn frown on their faces, Erika doubted that they were merely trading greetings.
"Takeru told me that you haven't visited him to find a job yet. I thought I told you to go to him for protection. My father will come back if he knows that you're not under protection and kill you for associating with an angel. I let you do what you want in the past and helped you be independent but I'm not going put up with your stubbornness anymore."
"Just because you have that royal blood running through your veins, it doesn't mean that you can tell me what to do. You know nothing about me so you don't know what's best for me!" The boy shot back but Kyouya didn't react to his words. Erika wanted to step forward to defend Kyouya but knew that she would only make the situation worse.
"Do you think you're the first child that said that to me?" Kyouya actually laughed bitterly after a moment. He touched one of the plants and it shivered under his dark powers. Throughout his life, he was reminded of who he was and knew that words, encouraging or hurtful, had no meaning. "If you're going to insult me, do better. I'm the Dark Prince so nothing anyone says can hurt me."
"They said your mother was a whore and left the king for another man." The child muttered and Kyouya raised his hand in reaction. Erika ran forward to stop him from striking the boy but stopped when he lowered his fist slowly.
"No one knows that story better than me so you don't need to repeat it." Kyouya knew that the boy was trying to anger him and force him to leave in anger. "She just took my sister and left with another man the first moment she could. You say I know nothing about you but I do know what it's like to be alone in this dark world. Right now you can't do anything to change this world like I can."
"Just because I'm not a prince?"
"Because you're weak. You can't defend yourself- you don't even have something to protect or fight for." The boy lowered his face at Kyouya's words. "But I was like that once too until I found something I wanted to fight for. You can continue to be weak or you can ask for help. Takeru is a good teacher and he'll train you so you'll be able to fight when you find something special too."
The boy took out the note Kyouya gave him the previous day and Erika's heart went out to the boy. He lost his parents at a young age and learned to be independent early in life. She wondered if anyone had offered to help him before Kyouya.
"I don't have any more time to spare on you so do whatever you want. Takeru's too kind to deny you help no matter how long you make him wait so go to him whenever you want." Kyouya stood and pulled his hood over his head. With Erika's agreement, he had no reason to postpone the journey to the gate. Even if he worried about the boy, he knew that he had to prioritize his people.
Kyouya walked back into the village to collect some staples he needed for the journey. The gate stood on the border of the Demon Realm but he couldn't use the carriage to travel since it would spark his father's suspicion. They would have travel by feet and the path was dangerous. He took that path once when he was young and remembered peering past the gates.
Ignoring the stares of the villagers, Kyouya paid for the supplies he bought. Sensing someone following, Kyouya looked over his shoulder to see Erika running towards him with a grin. He thought she was waiting for him in the cottage. She stopped in front of her and he waited for her to catch her breath. "Lime went to Takeru! I followed him after you left."
"So the kid's not stupid after all." Kyouya's lack of reaction made Erika tilt her head curiously. She thought he would be more excited that the boy followed his advice. Even after she waited for him to speak more on the issue, he only walked away. "Why did you leave the cottage? You should know that it's dangerous for you to leave the cottage."
"I just wanted to make sure that he was okay before we left. It's because of me that he was in danger," Erika told him and he realized that she had overheard his conversation with him. As if Erika could read his thoughts, she nodded. "I don't understand you sometimes."
"You should understand more than anyone that I'm the Dark Prince," Kyouya told her but she still looked conflicted at the title.
"I think that you were kind to that boy. That kindness wasn't an act like the one you put on for me or the villagers. He told me that a dog has been delivering him seeds for years now. That was you, wasn't it? You didn't have to and you didn't take credit for it."
"You're reading too much into my actions." Kyouya turned away from her and walked faster so he wouldn't be forced to look into her eyes. It was true that he helped the boy and others but Kyouya wouldn't say that he did much. "If you think that someone who simple gives a boy food is kind, then you don't understand the Demon Realm."
"You can say what you want but I believe that your actions were kind. You protected me as well," Erika thought back to the previous day. Kyouya grunted and stopped in front of her. Lightly, he flicked her forehead. While making her trust him would help him, he needed her to remember that she couldn't trust the demons of the Demon Realm. "Ow, what was that for?"
"You talk too much about pointless things. You're to act as my Cerberus so you can't speak so casually to me. We're going on a long journey so go get some supplies. This should keep you from bothering me for a while." Kyouya ordered and she was flabbergasted at the list he handed her. While he gave her money to pay for the items, she didn't know where to buy them.
"Wait," She tried to stop him but he already disappeared into the shadows. Huffing, Erika read over the list again. They were simple items but she wasn't familiar with the village yet. She looked at the sky, wondering if Kyouya already returned to the cottage. Erika knew that she couldn't stand and complain so went off to buy the items.
Entering a random shop, Erika browsed the items. It took some time but she was able to find most of the items Kyouya listed. She hoped that she could find the rest of items in the next shop.
A broach caught her eye since it had a simple sun motif unlike the other broaches covered in jewels. She didn't sense any magic in the jewellery but thought that it created with care and love. A part of her wanted to purchase it but another part of her knew that she couldn't since Kyouya gave her a limited amount of money.
"Are you interested in that broach?" The elderly shopkeeper approached her and Erika quickly placed it on the stand again. She couldn't be selfish with Kyouya's money so shook her head. "Not many young people take interest in that broach. I made it thinking of the sun that we had before the war. I was just a girl at the time, your age actually, when I last saw it."
"It is a beautiful broach but I don't have the money to buy it. I have to go buy supplies actually." Erika took out the list Kyouya gave her and hoped the friendly shopkeeper would help her find the right shop to buy them. While she liked the village, she didn't want to stay long and be forced to walk through the forest in the night. "Do you know where I can these?"
"There is a store down the street where you can find the rest of the items." The woman told her and Erika thanked her quickly. Erika glanced at the broach again before she started to leave. The elderly woman held out the broach to her. "Give this to your master. From that collar, I know that you're a Cerberus. This broach should be able to protect you and your master."
"Thank you but I can't take this!" Erika said quickly but the woman waved away her worry and pushed her out of the shop. Confused for a moment, Erika looked down at the broach. It was beautiful and the sun made her think of Kyouya. She couldn't sense magic within the broach but the woman said it would protect them. She began to walk down the street as she thought about what she should do with it.
"Did you get tricked into buying that?" She turned when she heard someone behind her. His brows were furrowed and she quickly placed the broach into her pocket. She knew that he already saw it when he sighed and snapped his fingers. The broach left her pocket and appeared in his hand. "This thing is worth less than the dirt beneath my feet. How much did you buy for it?"
"The woman was kind and gave it to me when she saw that I liked it. She said that it would protect me." Erika told him honestly and wondered what he would say. She understood that he would be angry that she spent him money but his brows were still furrowed despite how she told him that it was a gift. "I already brought many of the items you listed. I just need two more."
Kyouya sighed and took the bags from her hands. When he took back the coin he gave her, he realized that it was considerably lighter than it should. A part of him wondered how many of the previous shopkeepers cheated her out of his coin by setting a higher price. It was already done and Kyouya knew that she was too innocent to even be aware that she was being taken advantage of.
"Don't assume that every shopkeeper is nice," Kyouya handed the broach back to her. The disdain he showed towards the broach made her heart heavy and she couldn't explain the reaction. The shopkeeper told her to give it to him but she had no reason to be disappointed that he didn't like it. "You were taking a while so I came back. My horse's nearby so c'mon."
"Okay! Thank you for carrying the bags for me," Erika thanked him as she matched her steps to his. They bought the rest of the items before he exited the village and Kyouya tied the bags onto his waiting horse. He held out a hand to her and helped her onto the horse before he jumped on behind her. As he urged his horse forward, she asked. "Are we going back to the cottage now?"
"No, we're going to start the journey before my father comes back from collecting taxes." Kyouya told her. It was the one time he was glad that collecting money was the only thing his father did personally. His father would be away for the week and by the time he returned, Kyouya hoped that they would be far enough so he couldn't stop him from opening the gates.
"We have everything we need and I want to open the gates as soon as possible." Erika could hear the determination in his voice. She looked down at the broach and its similar design to her locket reminded her that her original mission was to kill his father. Even now she couldn't understand the events that led her to helping the Dark Prince.
It was clear in his voice that he was obsessed with the sun and she wondered what it meant for him beside light and a source of energy. She grew up with the sun above her head and realized how much she took it for granted. "You really like the sun but I think that the moon is beautiful as well. I never saw it before I came to the Demon Realm."
"The most that moon do is keep the ocean from drowning us," Kyouya pointed out. Erika knew that the Angel Realm was built on the clouds because their land had been taken over by the water. Their two worlds were different and she wondered what would happen when they became one again. Kyouya wondered the same as he stared up at the moon.
"We'll stop here for the night." Kyouya stopped once they reached an abandoned farm. He decided to take the same route he did when he was younger and was glad to see that the farmhouse hadn't changed. It was old but enough to keep out the cold.
"Are you sure it's okay for us to stay here?" Erika asked as she slid off his horse and he told her that no one owned the barn. Because of the lack of sunlight, most farms were abandoned or only nurture farm animals. She looked into the barn cautiously and saw that there was no sign of life. As Kyouya started to make a fire, Erika brought in his horse.
"You'll be warm in here," Erika rubbed the horse's neck. Kyouya wasn't surprise that she was taking care of the horse before she took care of herself. She struggled to remove his saddle and Kyouya laughed to himself since she looked endearingly silly.
Endearingly silly? Kyouya shook himself when he realized he described her in such a way. Erika didn't notice him watching her and grinned to herself when she finally succeeded. He needed to remind himself that she was another took and concentrate on opening the gate. She took hay and placed it in front of the horse. "Here you are. What does Kyouya call you?"
"You do realize he can't speak, right? Shouldn't you take care of yourself before you take care of an animal? He doesn't have a name and don't go naming him. I don't understand what women get out of naming animals." Kyouya sighed. The other noble women he knew would've looked after their own comfort long before they asked for its name.
"I'll name you Allister. It means bravery and you must be a strong horse to stay by the Dark Prince's side all these years. I've only started to pretend to be his Cerberus for a few days now but he has me doing his shopping." Erika spoke to the horse casually and Kyouya didn't know if he should laugh or reprimand her. "But he's really kind even if won't admit it."
"You must really want to be punished if you're calling your master cruel and kind on the same sentence." Kyouya's breath brushed her ear and she realized that he was standing much closer than she thought he was. She turned sharply and tried to step away from him but found herself cornered by him. He whistled and the horse moved around her until it was able to nudge her with its head.
"Since you've taken such a liking to my horse, you can take care of it tonight. You shouldn't go around naming other people's animals. Takeru already named him Midnight and it baffles me that you gave him a more refined name than him." Kyouya told her.
"So you're named Midnight? What a wonderful name you have! I'm going to take good care of you tonight." Erika beamed and Kyouya didn't understand how she could smile so brightly at an animal. He turned from her to look outside. It was bright enough for him to hunt despite it being the night and he told her that he would bring back food. "Do you want me to come with you?"
"It'll be better for both of us if I go alone." Kyouya answered and Erika watched him leave.
Kyouya's small feet ached and he nursed several bruises but he barely felt the pain as he forced himself forward. His throat was raw and the only thing that allowed him to move was sheer will. Travelling to the gate was a difficult task for any demon, let alone a demon of only ten years.
Yet the gates towered in front of him in the moment. Knowing that his journey was finally over, he collapsed against the bars. He couldn't see beyond the bars since the Angel Realm was casted in shadows to him. Summoning the last of his strength, Kyouya stood and looked for a way through. The gates seemed to stretch to infinity and he couldn't find the door.
Just as he started to lose hope and doubted that he could find a way past the gates, he heard someone familiar singing softly. His father created a law to keep demons from the gates so it could only be an angel singing. Following the voice, he found a tear in the shadows between the bars. Light streamed through but it wasn't like the moonlight he grew up with.
Despite the limited knowledge he had of magic, he tried to control the shadows around the tear so he could look into the Angel Realm. He was already tired but this was the only chance he had of breaking past the gates. His father created the gates and Kyouya carried that magic in his blood. He gritted his teethes and screamed. "Let me through!"
The shadows opened further and the singing stopped abruptly. The light that streamed through was so brought that Kyouya winced even though it was followed by soft warmth. Opening his eyes, he realized that he made a gap large enough to peer into. A small girl was staring back at him curiously. He could tell that she was a young angel but she didn't seem to be scared by his blood red eyes.
"Hey, help me in." Kyouya reached his arm though and ordered her. She tilted her head to the side and Kyouya wanted to scream at her to understand. Her hand was small and couldn't possibly pull him through but Kyouya was determined to enter the fabled Angel Realm long enough to find the person he searched for.
Kyouya was finally able to force the gap wider and he fell through. He crashed into sift cotton that was so unlike the dirt and grass he was used to that he wondered if he truly reached the gates or was currently dreaming. Kyouya rose to his knees and the first thing he saw when he looked up was the sun bordered by the clear blue sky.
The vibrant colours took Kyouya's breath away and he knew that he never seen the colours before. Even as he thought that, he knew that it was a lie. He had seen the colours briefly in his young life before the war. Memories of warm days and cool nights rushed back to him.
"Kyouya?" He turned to the voice that called his name. It was the same voice singing and he realized the reason she sounded so familiar was because he had almost killed himself traveling to the gates to find her. She looked as she did in the portraits lining the castle wall.
"Mother! Poppa told me that you left with a man and I came to save you!" The young Kyouya ran to her but she only stared down at him in shock and horror. Kyouya couldn't understand her reaction until she took his arm and led him back to the gates. "Mom?"
"Go back to the Demon Realm and never try to find me again, Kyouya! I love you but you need to stay with your father." She pushed him through the gates again.
For a moment, he couldn't react since he was pushed through the gates so quickly. He looked up to the gates again but the light had stopped streaming through the bars, shadows once again masking it. She couldn't be anyone but his mother so why did she push him away. Any sadness and rejection he felt turned to anger and he slammed his small fist against the bars.
"It's no use, Kyouya." He only stopped when a hand fell onto his shoulder and he looked up to see his father standing above him. "I was following you to make sure you came here safely. Actually, I was hoping that you would give up before you had to meet her. Accept that she left you and forget about her."
His father lifted Kyouya since he knew that Kyouya was too tired to walk. As they walked away, Kyouya found himself staring back at the gates. Even if meeting his mother wasn't like what he expected, he found something else. He knew he wouldn't forget that one moment he was able to look up and see the sun.
"I want that sun."
"I'm sorry son but that gate is going to stay close. Forget this day." His father ordered but Kyouya knew he would never follow that order.
"Kyouya?" He opened his eyes to a soft light but a much duller light than the one in his dream. Kyouya found Erika leaning over him with the broach in her hands. Looking around the barn, he knew that it was late into the night and he was surprised that she was still awake despite how he ordered her to stay guard.
"Is it my turn to keep watch?" Kyouya sat up but Erika shook her head. She held out the broach to him and he was confused for a moment. He looked at it carefully but it was the same as when he examined it that morning. "What do you want me to do with this?"
"Well, you gave me this collar so I wanted to give you something that would protect you. It's not much but I want it to be a truce. We'll be working together now, after all." Erika offered him the broach again. She looked at him expectantly and he found himself taking the broach from her.
"I don't know how this will repay me but thank you." Kyouya placed it in his breast pocket and she smiled even if he hadn't worn it. Usually he wouldn't accept gifts from women but he found himself accepting hers. He would assume that they wanted something in return but he knew trusted Erika's words that she gave it to him for protection.
"It'll be a busy morning so go to sleep, I'll keep watch now." Kyouya passed her his blankets and petted her head as he would a dog. The action made Erika's heart beat faster but he already moved away from her. She was glad he accepted the broach even if she didn't know what made her give it to him.
Midnight and I wish you all a great new year ^-^