Hi hi!

Before we start, I had a guest ask a question. As far as I know, I made up the idea of elemental demons, and if you choose to use the idea, I'm more then okay with that. All I really request is that I get a link to this fanfiction, I'm interested!

Now, with that out of the way, let's get on with it!

Kuro:...Zzz...

Me:...Kuro? That was your cue.

Kuro: Hmm? Wa?

Me: Say the line!

Kuro:...Crayola...

Me: Wrong one

Kuro:...Bush did-

Me: Don't even finish that, I'll just do it, my Gawd.

ONWARDS!

The last thing that she wanted to deal with was another arrogant hot-headed demon.

"What happened to you!?"

So, of course with her luck, the first person to greet her upon arriving was the Crow himself.

Upon walking into through the castle's entrance, Vanth not too far behind, Corvus had been there in the ballroom, speaking with someone that looked of a high standard.

That just made it that much sweeter when he stepped around this official completely, ignoring him as he walked over.

"What is all of this?" He repeated his question, grabbing her arm to look over the thin scars that ran up and down her flesh.

"Went with Vanth to go and do a bit of shopping." Kuro shrugged, in a way blocking Vanth as she made her getaway to where ever she had to go, "Somethings she needed was in the Rift. You can tell the rest of the story from there."

"Please, do explain in greater detail."

Kuro shrugged it off, "We got jumped."

"Do you think I'm a fool?"

Kuro cringed a bit at his tone, his eyes dead cold and narrowed, "Depends, what kind?"

"If you had been jumped, there is no way that you'd be able to naturally make cuts like that scars in the timeframe you were out." Corvus said, giving her a look, "What really happened out there?"

"So, you're saying that I'm wrong?" Kuro asked, a bit perplexed. Not many people could see through her weaved lies, even less having the balls to call her out on them, "I'm sorry, but unless you've been stalking me, you know nothing."

"It's not hard to tell that you're lying," Corvus said, his volume raising, "The question is why you've chosen to lie?"

"Why does it matter to you?" Kuro asked, backing up a bit. The looking on Corvus' eye looked damn livid, "I left, and I came back, not to mention that I was with Vanth. There's not much I could have done."

Kuro was ready to leave, only to have Corvus grab her arm, "Let go of me!"

He ignored her, before licking her arm. Before she could hit him, something, he let go, giving her a look, "Your skin taste of alcohol and something...odd."

"It's a medicine from the Rift," Kuro shrugged, telling half the truth. Thanks to Vale's connections to a certain illegal medication dealer, they had a whole lot of miracle workers in a bottle, "Amarix?"

"And where did you get that?" Corvus went on, grilling her.

"Like any other normal person, I bought it!" Kuro groaned, slowly growing more irritated and angrier with this guy.

Before she could walk off, Corvus grabbed her hoodie by the shoulder and did the unforgivable.

He ripped the hoodie from the shoulder down to the side, nearly taking off the sleeve.

"Hey!" Was all Kuro could muster, holding her arm. All she had was a tank top underneath, and honestly, she felt a bit too naked in front of the guy who basically eye fucks her.

"You have ice burns on your back, trailing down the back of your shoulder." Corvus said, ignoring what she said while also keeping a hand on her, keeping her from escaping, "Who were you attacked by?"

"Why does it matter!?" Kuro shouted, finally ripping her arm away. She was far over the cliff of anger at this point, as she used her hand to try and hold her hoodie together.

"Why does it matter!?" Corvus said, holding a hand over his face, "Maybe it's because I decided to give you a lot of freedom and you repay me by doing something behind my back!"
"I'm so sorry that I decided to get attacked by a random gang of ice elementals without you!" Kuro shouted right back, knowing that they had eyes on them, even if the ballroom looked empty, "Next time, I'll be sure to drag myself over, bloody and all, just to invite your royal ass! But no, maybe I'll even ask them to make it a bit flashier for you!"

She gave herself a bit of time to indulge herself in the pure surprise Corvus had on his face, before dashing off. She ran down multiple hallways, not knowing where she was, not that she cared much.

She just wanted to get as far away as possible.

Finally stopping near some random window, she took a moment to breath in the fresh air, or as fresh as hell air could get. Sighing, she gingerly took off her hoodie, looking it over.

Right next to her ring, this jacket was her most prized possession. She'd had this just as long as the ruby ring, not to mention that it just felt so casual and comfortable.

It hit something to see it all tattered and ripped.

Growling, she gripped the window, before shouting out through the window, "FUCK!"

"I take it your talk with Corvus didn't go well?"

Kuro jumped, spinning around, scared that it was some other nobility or a body that she'd have to hide later, only to sigh, "Arc, you scared me there."

"My apologies." He sighed, before holding his hand out, "May I?"

Kuro gave him a look for a second, before nodding, "Yeah, sure."

She handed it over, watching as Arc looked it over, before looking at her with what she thought was the blankest expression of empathy she's ever seen, "My brother did this?"

"Yeah." Kuro sighed, about to shove her hands into her pocket, only to remember that her hoodie was still in the hands of Arc, "I'm going to have a hell of a time putting it back together."

Arc looked as if he was in deep thought for a second, only to ask, "Come with me?"

The way he phrased it was similar to a borderline command, but Kuro had a bit of empathy and understanding for him. The difference between Corvus and Arc was that at least Arc was trying to understand and change his way of speech, "Where to?"

"It's a…surprise." Arc murmured, before holding an arm out to her, "Don't worry, it's within the main castle."

Kuro gave him a sort of teasing look, "Are you asking me out?"

"...Technically, I'm asking you in." Arc said, his expression never changing.

"It wouldn't hurt to crack a smile every now and then." Kuro teased, before taking his hand, it was a bit too cold, but she wasn't about to complain.

Arc had what she thought was a smile on his face, before leading her down the hallways, one hand holding her own while the other held her hoodie tightly.

Kuro couldn't help but watch his hair, it was just such an odd hairstyle. It looked like eternal bed head, just messy, but a sort of good kind of messy-

Whoa, hold it right there, awkward thoughts.

None of that.

Finally, Arc came to a stop, before turning to her, "I need you to close your eyes."

Kuro gave him a look, "Hell no!"

"...Pardon?"

"I'm not an idiot, I don't feel like being locked in a strange room with a strange guy." Kuro said, half-jokingly.

She had to keep it together when he blatantly stated, "I thought that women liked these types of surprises."

Kuro had a good few seconds, before throwing her head back, laughing, "What the fuck is romance!?"

Arc sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose, "I promise it's nothing sexual."

"But you just said it was romantic!"

"You just said that you don't know what romance is."

"True." Kuro sighed, wiping away the laughing tears, before holding a hand over her eyes, "If you try anything, I will fuck your ass up."

"Duly noted." Kuro heard the door open, the familiar feeling of hellish sunlight on her skin, before being pulled forward.

"You heard what went down at that last meet up?"

"Don't you mean massacre?" Another spoke up, taking a hit from the cigar, before throwing down another card, "Winter didn't think it out."

"Which is why Winter isn't here anymore." A third murmured, before sighing, "What to do now?"

"No leaders, no rules." The first replied, throwing down another card, his other hand playing with frozen snowflakes he'd create.

"No income either." The third sighed, looking around the hideout for the once proud group of ice elementals, "Most of them either left or died in front of that bar."

"All thanks to that damn group." The second one murmured, before looking around, "Which one should we target?" He asked, not noticing the newcomer who walked in with a trench coat and top hat, hiding his face.

"I'd go for the girl." The first cackled, rubbing his wrists, "Heard that Winter got a few good hits in on her before he kicked the pail."

"Not to mention she looked to be a sort of bystander." The second went on, taking another hit, "Heard from the others that they decided to use her against us like some sort of reverse hostage."

"I heard that it was just an ordinary girl that just got caught in the middle of it all," The third sneered, "Not that I'd care either way; none of the information is spot on when everyone who went is done."

"I heard that she was the one chosen one for the prince this year," The second sighed, breathing smoke out, "Word's spread, once it becomes official, Rifters will be out for blood."

"Such a shame," The first grinned, tracing out ice designs on the table, "Heard she wasn't half bad to look at. Leather boots are enough for most demons here."

"It's enough for you." The third groaned, "Any normal slut is good for you."

"Pardon me." Said the newcomer, taking the free fourth seat.

"Pardon me?" The third asked, "Someone sounds too formal."

"And all three of you sound completely vile." The newcomer shot right back, voice slowly but surely rising, catching the attention of others around them, "To think you'd speak of a lady in such a way. Demons such as you are pure filth."

"Those are fightin' words, bucko." The first one scowled, the air growing colder, "Besides, what sort of control over us to you have to tell us what to do?"

"I have more then you'll ever dream of."

The second one scowled, before standing up, "And just who do you think you are?" He scowled, ripping the hat off, only to be shocked by the deep red eyes of the most recent popular prince.

"I'm the demon that has chosen this 'normal slut' as my one and only." He said, a small smile on his face, as the rest of the ice demons behind him rose, "Surely you know that I cannot allow such an act against her to go on uncorrected."

"And just what do you plan to do about it?" The third one scoffed, eyes narrowed, "You've got no power and no help out here."

Grinning, Corvus cracked his knuckles, "Come now, who said that I needed anything like that?"

Once Kuro was able to open her eyes, she almost didn't process the greenery of this place.

Arc had taken her to a garden.

It looked as if it resided in the center of the castle, as if it was hollow to allow space for all the green, as well as other colors.

"But...how?" Kuro asked, almost in a daze as she walked through what looked to be a sort of rose maze, "Plants can't grow down here."

"Ever since we've had Cresil join us, he's had many side projects to push the limit between mortal and demon." Arc said, picking a black rose, "This had been one of the first, his smallest project."

Being how the area was bigger than the bar, she couldn't imagine what a bigger project looked like, "It's beautiful." Kuro murmured, accepting the rose Arc held out to her.

It was just as she remembered roses from the surface, with soft beautiful petals and a thorn-covered stem, "I take it you've seen these before?"

"I've seen flowers while on contract, yes." Kuro murmured, walking through the tall bushes, Arc not too far behind, "But even then, this looks much better."

"How so?"

"The last time I was up there, I was working a contract with a human by the name of Adolf Hitler." Kuro sighed, shaking her head, "Didn't have much greenery while I was up there, but at least a learned a bit of German."

"Interesting." Arc murmured, before taking her hand, "Come on, there is a shaded bench this way."

He led her down a different path through the maze, pulling her along, before they arrived. It was a pale white gazebo-like building, with a nice marble bench, "Wow this is a lot nicer then Germany! If course, I was there during a war…" Kuro murmured, before taking a seat.

Arc sat down next to her, before opening his coat pocket, pulling out a needle and thread. It took all of Kuro's determination and grit not to laugh out loud.

That, of course, didn't last too long.

"What is it now?" Arc sighed, setting the items down on his lap, his face looking almost accusing.

"I've never seen a male demon sewing!" Kuro threw her head back, laughing, "What, do you do macramé as well?"

"No, that's childish." Arc sighed, pushing his glasses up, "I knit."

Within the silence of the garden, the only thing to make a sound was Kuro, her laugh echoing off of the dark brick walls, "Oh jeez, I can see it!" Kuro grinned, slapping her knee, "You, sitting on a plastic chair, knitting some sort of white shawl with a bird on your shoulder!"

"I don't see what is so funny about it." Arc scoffed, getting back to Kuro's hoodie, threading the red thread through the needle, "It's a skill that is not as known and used down here."

"Who taught you to knit?" Kuro grinned, nudging his shoulder, nearly making him stab himself with the needle, "I don't see daddy Satan sitting baby prince Arc down to teach him some pussy skills."

"I learned from my mother."

His words worked like a silent slap to the face, rendering her silent. She didn't know much about the whole "Queen of Hell" thing, but even then, this felt like taboo territory, "...Who's your mother? We never get much lime light on her."

"My mother was...complicated." Arc mumbled, "Every few thousand, ten thousand, years there is a…swap, if I am able to call it that. She stuck around for a few other thousand years after I was born before she was...replaced."

"...Oh." Kuro murmured, trying to be the listening ear. It was already nice to know that Arc was willing to say something without being provoked by Corvus.

"There is one true queen, but many other women get picked so that there are many heirs to the throne. I was one of those 'many heirs'."

"...I'm sorry to hear that." Kuro said, trying to sound consoling. She barely knew how to help Vanth, how could she even begin to understand Corvus?

"I take no offense to what you stated." Arc sighed, going back to sewing the hoodie back together, "From what I know, she was just like every other woman who got chosen for the part; she was more of a mistress then a mother, but she still made an effort to make time for me as a child. At least, that's what I'm told."

"...Can I ask a question?" Kuro asked, trying to gauge his reaction.

"Of course."

"What about Corvus? Who's his mother?"

"Corvus is a pure royal." Arc murmured, "Our queen isn't the most...fortunate when it comes to bearing children. In fact, I believe that the very issue is the reason for the tradition of choosing other women, for both our king and his princes."

"No wonder he acts like the world should be lucky to have him." Kuro said, trying to lighten the mood, "He's pure Pride."

"In more ways than one." Arc sighed, before Kuro yawned, "Is it safe for me to assume that you're a follower of Sloth?"

"What gave it away?" Kuro grinned, before nudging him, "You?"

"Due to my...mixed origin, I am Pride and a little of something else." Arc admitted.

Kuro's jaw dropped, "You're a dual?"

A dual was a very rare thing, or more so secretive. If you're a dual, that meant that two demons of two different sins came together to make you, and within the nobility, that was a very disgraced thing.

Even if the Rift, there weren't many known dual sinners.

"Yes, I am." Arc said, almost sounding...no, he couldn't be embarrassed, "It's not something I'm too fondly proud of, if I'm honest."

Kuro gave him a look of disbelief, "Dude, are you kidding?"

"Not in any shape, way, or form."

"But being a dual is awesome!" Kuro said, nearly making Arc jump back when she shot up, "You know how cool that would be!?"

"To be dismissed from society?" Arc asked blankly.

"What? No! Stop being such a downer!" Kuro said, playfully punching his shoulder, "It would be so awesome, in my opinion, to be seen as more than just a lazy cat!"

"You are more than a lazy cat." Arc deadpanned.

Kuro gave him a look, "But what I'm trying to say is that I'd like to be labelled as more than just lazy! To know that you can come from more than one basic trait, that's so many options to who you want to be, not something to be dissed for!"

"...I don't understand." Arc sighed, holding his head. Her and her odd ideology was giving him a headache.

"Okay...Try to see it like this." Kuro said, trying her best to connect to the prince, "Don't see it as a sign of being damned by those nobility shits around you."

"Hard to do that." Arc muttered, only to duck when Kuro reached out to slap him.

"Le shush and listen; instead of seeing it as being different in a bad way, use this as a way to find yourself. Not many demons are born with the options and choices you have. Honestly, you should be honored."

Kuro finally calmed down after a bit of deep breathing, laughing in between, "Damn, you got me all worked up...This is the most I've worked in a while, and that says something…"

"...I deeply apologize."

"No, don't apologize!" Kuro sighed, half tired and yet still grinning, "Really, just...jeez, you're too formal."

"And you're too casual." Arc shot right back.

Kuro couldn't help but grin, "Finally, you're using comebacks!"

"I have always known and used comebacks." Arc deadpanned.

"Let me just pretend I taught you something, so I can enjoy the moment." Kuro sighed, before tiredly leaning on him.

She didn't notice how he stiffened up just a tiny bit, Kuro growing sleepy instead. He was honestly very comfortable, especially since he didn't constantly try to interject speech in calm moments of silence.

Like how Kuro did a lot.

She could ramble on and on about the first thing that came to mind, and Arc would just sit there with her and take it like a champ.

Finally, Arc shoved something into Kuro's face, "I hope that it's too your liking."

Kuro grinned, sitting up to pull it on, "It's great, thanks my dude." Kuro grinned, shoving her hands into the pockets, "You've got to teach me to fix up stuff like this. You have no idea how many jackets I've lost to rips and crap."

"...I will make you a deal." Arc sighed, looking around, "I'll teach you to sew and repair if you're willing to do something for me."

"Name it." Kuro beamed.

"Take me into the Rift."

"...Huh?"

"You say that the Rift is better than here," Arc said, a flash of challenge in his eyes, "Prove it."

"Can the prince really handle it out there?" Kuro questioned, "I don't think that that princey pants can take it."

"If you can prove that the Rift is, 'all that', as you put it, then I can prove that I'm enough to...survive." Arc put as eloquent as possible.

"A done deal." Kuro grinned, grabbing his hand to shake it, before looking up to the slowly darkening sky, not that it still wasn't bright, but it was dimming down ever so slightly, "Till then...Wanna grab a bite to eat?"

"I don't see why not, I'm sure that the chefs won't mind." Arc said, rising from the bench, before offering her a hand.

Kuro gave him a look, playfully slapping his hand away, "None of that." She said, grinning, before attempting to throw an arm over his shoulders, "But, I'll promote you to my main buddy?"

"...It is better than nothing." Arc sighed, walking her to the kitchen as she continuously tried to throw her hand over his shoulder, giggling like a child all the way.

After dinner, Kuro had slowly but surely made her way up to her bedroom, grinning. Dinner had been nice, even if the only thing to fill the silence was her own voice. Arc didn't seem to mind, nodding and even sometimes adding in his own opinion once in a blue moon.

It had been the first casual dinner since she'd first arrived here, whereas every other meal would feel rather odd with Corvus constantly watching and complimenting her.

When she pushed the door open, her eyes were weary and a bit droopy from the rather filling dinner.

Of course, that was all ignored upon seeing a shirtless Corvus at the bed. But it wasn't the fact that she could see his naked back that made her feel sick. It was what littered his body.

"What is all that from?"

Corvus turned to her, looking a bit surprised, "I didn't notice you come in."

"You're not answering my question." Kuro mumbled right back, more concerned with the condition of his back then what he had to say. The red marks on his back looked almost angry, with a few scattered...hold up, where those ice burns?

"I made it VERY clear that you were not to be harmed." He said, the pride and arrogance gone, replaced by a rather soft tone.

"You also made it very clear that you could be harmed." Kuro said, almost teasing, "Not much good for your public image." She was going to go on, only to stop. She was sounding a bit too much like an asshole at the moment.

"That doesn't matter to me, especially in the Rift." Corvus groaned, rolling his shoulder, only to wince.

He mumbled something, to which Kuro leaned a bit closer, "Huh?"

"I never want to see you hurt that badly ever again."

Kuro was at a loss of words, a bit baffled to say the least. From what she understood, he had gone off of what Kuro had said, during her angered state, and went out to finish the job, "What the hell is wrong with you?" Was all she managed, before watching him turn around, only to wince a bit.

He had a rather nasty cut that looked like it just now began to close, going from under his right eye to the bottom of the left side of his neck. He reached out for her hands, his own shaking a bit. At first, she flinched away, only to finally give her hands over, he just looked so battered, "I know that you do not like me much, and now much less because of how brash I can be at times, I really do, but know that you are still the one I choose to live by till the end of time."

He squeezed her hands, offering her a tired smile, to which Kuro couldn't help but smile back. At least he was big enough to admit it. She then stood up, slowly pulling her hands away, "Where are you off to Kitten?" He asked, sounding almost defeated.

"I know how to deal with crap like that." Kuro muttered, tilting his head back a bit to see the cut, "It doesn't look like it was deep enough to scar. I can make an ointment for the ice burns."

"You don't need to." Corvus groaned, lying back slowly on the bed.

"It's the least I can do." Kuro murmured, "...Corvus?"

"Yes?"

"...Thank you." Kuro murmured, rubbing her shoulder, "For...Doing all of that. This is the least I can do to make it up to you."

"It is no problem." Corvus insisted, before looking around, "But...if it's not too much to ask, my I ask you one more favor? I promise it won't be too strenuous."

Kuro was ready to decline, only to sigh. It was in that moment that Kuro decided to put her morals above her own rather selfish wants, after all, it really was the least she could do, "Whatever you want." She said, promising to get him whatever he wanted.

"I'd like to take you out tomorrow."

In that moment, Kuro wanted nothing more than to punt her morals and promises, but unfortunately, those were her last redeeming qualities, "It's a date." She said, trying to sound confident as she walked into the bathroom. She had all night to get ready for whatever the Crow Prince had planned for her.

As she did so, she went blind to the wide grin Corvus wore.

I feel like I haven't given poor Claude- I mean Arc enough attention.

As for the idea of the whole "more then one side chick" thing, I kinda got it from Danganronpa. Apparently, Togami says something in the first game where he says that the head of the family will get with more then one women and out of all the children he has, they all have to fight to become the heir.

Also, since it's pre-Black butler, I know that Hitler didn't rise to power till after that. But, you know what, my story, if I want to break the rules of time, I will break the rules of time!

But yeah, that's all I have to say. This was the Arc chapter, next will be for Corvus.

I hope you guys enjoyed, can't wait to see you guys next time!

Till next time, bai bai!