Chapter 38

Rin lost track of her own time as she was caught up in the time that passed impeccably fast for Ia and Yuma. They spent every possible moment together and yet Rin was still was unable to piece together what on earth could've happened that had corrupted Yuma so. Ever since he'd met Ia he'd been a role model beyond compare. He treated her in ways that made nearby woman swoon with obvious envy and bolstering jealousy. Yuma was the perfect gentleman. He and Ia were the newest inseparable pair and though Ein still existed Rin hardly saw her anymore. Her presence came and went as a phantom and she faded just as eerily. Soon enough Ia indulged Yuma in her interests. She loved him despite him being demon-born and he loved her in return even if she was this generation's Arcane Seer. One moonlit night as Yuma snuck Ia away from her quarters she took his hand and beckoned him to follow: he who followed without hesitation.

They snuck away from the mansion grounds into the woods. Together they traversed it and Yuma was baffled how agile his fragile lover was. She easily scaled large rocks and effortlessly, with no thought to her recklessness leaped from ledges that would've given anyone a fright. When they did reach their destined destination Ia twirled and kicked off her shoes. They found themselves at a secluded spring that let in enough moonlight to burn the water like a flaming torch while the rest of the pool of water was surrounded by tall rock and closed them off from the world: trees surrounded them.

"Ia," Yuma began with question but she hushed him and pointed to a bed of wildflowers that Rin hadn't noticed till then. Ia kneeled next to them and Yuma joined her. When he was seated comfortably next to her she began to sing softly to the plants. It was subtle at first but soon enough, with the assistance of the moonlight, each flower began to pop open into a beautiful bloom with a tiny cloud of golden pollen. They took on a bluish-silver color as they bloomed and the boldest white laced their tips.

"I discovered this gift with my other skills," Ia commented softly. She spoke as if her voice would scare the flowers. She caressed one of the flowers petals softly. Her fingers barely touched the surface.

"This is amazing," Yuma said in quiet amazement. Ia grew more remarkable with each passing day. "Your purpose in life is beautiful just like you are." Ia only shook her head.

"Beauty is a lie Yuma, beauty is there to hide something," Ia replied dryly.

"What do you mean?" Yuma asked, even as he felt the truth in her words.

"Are you afraid of dying Yuma?" She whispered with the most sincerity Rin had ever heard in her voice. Yuma shook his head.

"No, death isn't something I fear. I'm immortal after all."

"Unless you die by my hand?" Ia corrected; Yuma nodded.

"Unless I die by your hand," he repeated. "Why do you ask? Are you afraid of dying?" But Ia didn't answer. "Ia?"

"I've always been in love with music and life," she finally replied. Ia turned to gaze out over the pond only a few inches in front of them. Rin noticed with certain dismay that there was a hint of sadness in her tone.

"And because of that reason I could marry you Ia. You're the part of me that makes me whole."

"Surely you do not wish to marry a woman who will age and die while you remain untouched by time," Ia warned but Yuma only frowned before caressing her cheek. He pulled her close in his arms.

"And surely you do not wish to perish before you are truly loved." Ia smirked.

"And who are you suggesting should love me?"

"I can make you immortal Ia if you're afraid of death. Then possibly...you and I could be together without worry." But Ia soured and removed herself from Yuma's embrace.

"If that is your solution, you are but a fool." Yuma jolted, his hands tensed.

"Ia, I-"

"I do not wish to be immortal Yuma. Accept this fact if you wish for us to ever be together."

"I cannot..." Yuma whispered, not wanting to sound pushy. He reached for Ia but she withdrew.

"I don't want to live forever, Yuma. Such a thing would be agony. It's a humans right to live, grow old and pass away. Death is a part of who we are. What pleasure is there to gain in knowing we'll be together forever? Such a life would diminish every second we spend together. We'll put things off. Even love each other less because we'll always be there knowing time does not constrain us."

"So you would condemn me to lose you?" Yuma asked. His eyes burned their intense pink as he gazed at her. He reached out again, this time with an unsteady hand. He managed to caress her cheek but lightly with only his fingertips. It was as if she would vanish if he were to press any harder. "To wander the plains of eternity alone?"

"Such is fate," Ia smiled faintly. "You know there be truth in my words."

"There is truth, but if I can't be with you, Ia…what aspiration shall I possess to live? I refuse to take one woman after another through my years. You are the only one I want."

"Placing your happiness in one thing ensures a life of pain. Especially if it's a person."

"Ia, Please be reasonable..."

"I am. If you forcibly make me immortal I'll never forgive you. Yuma VY2, this I promise you." Looking glum, Yuma wordlessly dropped the subject.

"Why?"

"Why what?" Ia repeated curiously.

"All those years ago, why did I no longer have the pleasure of hearing you sing?" Ia laughed. It was a bright and happy sound.

"I am a precious commodity Yuma. I was studying control and praying."

"Praying?" Yuma said in a curious tone.

"Yes, praying?" Ia confirmed.

Yuma raised an eyebrow in disbelief, "A prayer that requires almost two years?"

"My control wasn't the best and it took long because unlike Seer's before me I...asked questions." To this Yuma's expression became that of worry.

"What kind of questions? What were they teaching you Ia?"

"Ways to bring about your demise," she said firmly but not coldly.

"Oh."

"As I prayed the stewardess felt in my soul that I did not entirely trust you to be an entity of evil."

"But," Yuma wavered, "you hadn't even met me before."

"No?" Ia stared almost in question. "I've met you eons of times before Yuma."

"Because of your eyes..." he stroked her cheek.

"Because of who I am in total, Yuma," she corrected.

"So you don't believe I'm evil then? That I won't fulfill my purpose?"

"Purpose?" Ia remarked quizzically. She turned back to Yuma then and stared into his eyes with another intense gaze of firmness. "Do you want to kill me Yuma? Is ruling such a corrupt world something that appeals to you?"

"I only love you Ia."

"Then you will not."

"That's all?"

"Your conviction should guide you as it will," Ia huffed, allowing stray strands to blow away from her delicate face. Yuma sat dumbfounded and equally confused. He didn't know exactly what to say, much less to think. Rin felt it in his thoughts.

"You truly believe that?" he asked with only the slightest of trepidation.

"Believe this Yuma, you are not my enemy. Only other humans and I myself are. Who you are and what happens to you are two different things. Just as when you let go of what you are you become what you might be."

"I should hurry shouldn't I? If you only have a set amount of time-"

"Dammed as I may be," Ia interrupted, "I do not wish to rush my life."

"Why?" Ia stood then before offering her hand to Yuma. He took it and she pointed out at the clearing they were in.

"Nature does not hurry and yet, everything is accomplished," she said with a fond smile.

"What if I choose to go the way I am destined?"

"Do you wish to be with me?" Ia asked without turning.

Yuma set his hands on her shoulders and lightly began massaging them. "More than you know."

"I don't wish to live here anymore, Yuma. This villa is a cage."

"Then I'll take you away from here one day and we can be anything we want."

"Anything...," Ia allowed her voice to trail. "And if you choose to go the way you are destined?" It was then that Yuma wrapped his hands around her waist and whispered in her ear.

"Then rule the world with me, love." Ia only leaned back against him and gazed into those eyes of his. He placed a soft kiss on her neck and she laughed.

"Don't tempt a girl." And it was then that he kissed her.

The memory changed then, again revealing Yuma standing before his grandfather. He was receiving dreadful news that was even more dreadful for Rin to hear.

"You have to understand why I am so hard on you, Yuma," his grandfather began sternly. "You have a gift and a very important role to an even more important ancestry. I cannot allow you to abandon your duties as such and slander your talents in the process. Talents take time boy, and every last second of that time you possess needs to be spent on mastering every last one of those talents. Do you understand now how crucial your entire existence is? You my boy are the last descendant of one of the most powerful demons races by bloodline with the highest of them all himself. Thus, you will marry into one of second highest clans to keep our blood strong. I will have no protests. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, sir." Despite that even as Yuma had no choice but to accept his heart sank. He left his grandfather later that night and visited Ia. With lithe movements he easily slipped in her room. He slid into bed next to her and though she never stirred Ia spoke.

"Yuma?" Ia whispered softly.

"Where is your father?" he asked immediately.

"He went to the games of senseless slaughter that he so enjoys. How men can rejoice in victory and delight in the slaughter of other men, I do not understand. Nor do I wish to do so. What has you so distraught?" she asked as she turned over.

"My love, will we…will we be?" Ia rose then to caress Yuma's cheek. There was pain and dismay written evidently on his face. "Will we be?"

"Yuma, why is it that you ask me this question? Is something wrong?"

"Ia, everything is wrong except you," Yuma said with a slight tremor that ran through his body.

"How so?"

"Lying to you would be trivial as much as it is foolish."

"Yuma..." Ia searched his gaze, Rin couldn't tell if she found what she wanted.

"You already know do you not? Do not will me to vocalize my agony..." he said quietly.

". . . I do not . . . ," Yet, Ia hesitated.

"Why do you lie Ia? You've seen everything already," Yuma spoke almost harshly. Tears began to roll down Ia's soft cheeks.

"Because, I wish not to believe. I wish not to believe in many things I've seen but tis my fate to endure...I've lost you in endless lifetimes even if this be my first and last. I do not wish to believe you to wed another."

"And I shall not," Yuma declared.

"Then you shall die, and a merciless death it will be. I've seen it."

"Then I shall."

"Then I shall die of the pain from waiting for you."

"Then I shall and see you anyway Ia."

"My love for you is boundless Yuma, but I shall not accept to be a mistress on the side. Nor a slattern."

"You make this difficult Ia. What shall I do to please you?" he asked with a sad grimace.

"Fate is difficult, not I," she stated reluctantly.

"Then we shall run, together."

"And live in fear?"

"You will fear nothing, I will protect you."

"Do not make promises you cannot keep."

"Then...," Yuma reached out and took Ia's delicate hand in his. "Bear my child..."

"We are not wed."

"Then I shall marry you first if that is your custom."

"You cannot."

"I will anyway."

"You cannot!" Ia rose her voice but it was only a louder whisper. "Such an action is larceny to my parents...and it is illegal for mine and your races to elope."

"And yet we have embraced in those very fields," Yuma said with a sly smirk. Ia only blushed.

"Because of your stubborn nature," she contended.

"Regardless, I love you, I need you for you keep me going…"

"Yuma..."

"Even if our wedding is not legal we shall have it. And you my love shall be spoiled as it will be grand and sumptuous."

"Such a future sounds extravagant," Ia acknowledged.

"Yes, and it is true. That future will be ours with a child of our own," Yuma assured.

"Yuma, Can I name her now?"

"Of course, but what if our child is a boy?"

"She shall not be. What do you think about calling her...Rin?"

"That is the most beautiful name I've ever heard."

When the next memory came around Rin subconsciously reacted as bolstering heat singed her skin. Something exploded very close to her and if she hadn't been used to such a thing, Rin was sure she would've screamed. When she managed to see it, a house had gone up into destructive flames. She realized with a morbid realization that it wasn't just any random house; she knew the landscape all too well. It was the same house Yuma had lived in all his life. The same house that belonged to his grandfather.

Maybe it was because Rin was standing next to him or simply that Yuma had already learned to blend in so well that Rin didn't notice him until then. He said nothing but there was no missing the tears that streamed down his cheeks even if his face was not distorted. Ein's sword sheath was empty. Then as if knowing her thoughts, Ein materialized. She came running out of the flames toward Yuma, untouched and unburdened by them. She ran through the fire and Rin was momentarily baffled until she remembered that Ein was not truly human.

Yuma's gaze focused on her and though nothing was said Rin could well enough infer what Yuma had sent Ein in search for. Yuma's only remaining relative was dead and all Ein clutched to show for it was a single slip of paper. Yuma read it once, twice, and sickly enough a third time. It was then that he cried out and tore the paper to shreds as if the material had been the cause of this. Ein merely stood by and said not a word even when he was finished. Rin moved to stand next to Ein and she saw the look in Yuma's eyes. It wasn't on his face: not in the slightest. There was something cold under the surface for only the briefest moment before his emotions were sealed under a flat exterior.

"Where did they go, Ein?" Yuma asked suddenly and Rin froze at the glacial chill in his voice. Ein's features were straight despite Yuma's tone.

"Master Yuma, they aren't too far off from here."

"How many were there?" Yuma demanded.

"Master Yuma-"

"How many were there!" he shouted. Ein kept quiet for a minute more.

"Pardon?"

"How many humans were there, Ein? Who did this? Who would dare do this!"

"Master Yuma…"

"He was a good old man…Even if we didn't get along often…"

"Master Yuma, giving into your anger is damaging to your soul." Yuma glared sharply at her.

"Does it look like I care, Ein? I'll be dammed if I let this injustice go unpunished."

"Master Yuma, I'm simply cautioning you about the effects this will cause on your soul."

"Are you telling me I shouldn't do this, Ein? Is that what you're telling me?" Yuma snarled acidly. Suddenly he had Ein by her dainty throat in a hold that was not the least bit merciful. "Better question, what are you going to do to stop me, Ein?" Even as Yuma choked her, Ein's voice was not burdened.

"Nothing, master Yuma. I'm your weapon and I will help you if this is your choice. Please remember though, that violence, even well intentioned, always rebounds upon oneself."

Yuma released her then but Ein didn't jerk back from him. She didn't look at him like he was a monster either, in no way did she look down upon him. Yuma searched her face for it but he found none. He seemed so lost as he stepped forward and Ein did not cower. His fingertips brushed her cheek and that was the first time he ever hugged her.

"There were five," Ein answered loyally.

What came next was a brutal and bloody scene. Using Ein's help Yuma tracked down those who thought they'd escaped the conflagration they'd left him. With Ein in hand Yuma calmly captured all the men who had burned his home and killed his grandfather. He transferred them to the hidden bunker his family owned and shackled each of them up. Something inside him burned and flamed not just for the death of the men but the immense, excruciating suffering of them. He felt a thirst and had a deep, raving, clawing hunger inside him that he never knew had been within until now.

Rin watched in perturbed horror as he reveled and delighted in begs and pleads from the men. With Ein by his side he explored any kind of torture he could conjure up. He injected different kinds of poisons, acids and drugs into the men. He toyed with their minds, stripped them of their dignity, and tore holes in their sanity. There were deep depths inside of him that knew just how and exactly how to torture a person after he invaded their minds. Almost as if he'd been born with the knowledge. He switched the shoes of one man and with careful observation Rin noticed that there were small incisions in the new boots. A tube was fed into the holes and blasted boiling hot oil into his boots. It filled the room with a sickly sweet smell of forbidden cooking meat. Rin watched him become sick enough to feed the men thoughts of escape and allow them to even see the exit just a breath away before he had Ein ruthlessly drag them back screaming.

By the end of their torture all the men were so broken that they lay there virtually lifeless and completely suspended. However they weren't tired enough to not give off an atmosphere of terror. Their frail and unrecognizable bodies writhed in small jerks every once in a while. Being there Rin felt a sudden lurch and her legs bent from under her: she dropped lifelessly to the floor like a doll and couldn't move. An emptiness in her stomach deprived her off her strength and she shuddered at the sudden chill her skin had taken on. A second later the strange happenstance ended and Rin got up. She was still woozy though and she felt the change in her eyes.

It was then that she could see an atmosphere bleeding off the men. A thick welling aura of their pain and suffering clouded above them like thick, cloudy syrup. A stomach that was and yet wasn't quite Rin's grumbled inside her. She was even more worried when her mouth salivated and was ready to drink it in. Yuma of course beat her to it. Rin realized if she had wanted it, that it wasn't real as it was only a memory lived long ago. Still a pang of envy shot through her as she watched Yuma explore the cloud of negative emotions. He poked it and prodded it with his finger. Surprise was evident on his face as it shifted to his physical movements. He pinched a section and brought it up to his mouth where he sucked a bit in. The sound of satisfaction that he made when it filled him was unlike anything Rin had ever heard. It was if he'd just dined into the most delicious treat in his life and would eat for the rest of his life; never growing tired of it. He drank the rest in hastily and yet also with a speed that was savory. When he was done the shift of color in his eyes was the brightest neon pink she'd ever seen it and Rin quivered back. Her body tensed at the drastic, and sudden shift in Yuma's level of power. He flexed his fingers and straightened to look at Ein. Ein, who despite the entire display remained silent and emotionless. Course, it was only then that Yuma noticed of the men he had captured and spent so much time torturing…one was missing.

After that Rin lived through the days Yuma spent alone and reflecting upon those days. He kept up his duties at the villa but he never ran into Ia and it seemed that he did not want to face her. He had no doubts that she knew what he'd done. Rin felt it. Rin too felt a sense of shame at the thought of seeing Ia again despite this just being memories. He had Ein clean the bunker and rid it of any traces of what he'd done. Then he performed many decent deeds to subdue his…lesser side. He blamed the whole event on his lesser side and kept the rest of the matter quiet. He chastised himself and vowed that he wasn't like that. He repeated it until he truly believed it. It had been an outburst of anger from loss: nothing more.

Time passed accordingly until the family of his alleged fiancée came and found him. Even if his grandfather was deceased that didn't mean he could neglect his duties as family head. He was the only VY2 left standing in this bitter world. Rin admired the way he cleaned himself up and dressed sharply to attend the ceremonial ball for the first meeting of his fiancée. She felt the pang and intense loss in his gut from thoughts of Ia. He pushed them back though and thought nothing more of the event except the fact that he didn't like it.

To Rin's surprise, Yuma garbed Ein in a silken dress made of spun gold he purchased for quite a sum in the town market. She thanked him graciously and with quite a bit of startle and surprise. Rin swore that a smile finally graced her emotionless features as she admired the dress on her figure in the mirror as Yuma changed into his outfit. Yuma's own outfit consisted of a very flamboyant tailored suit and matching pants all in a light purple. When Ein stood next to him the color of her dress spanned out in a matching purple gradient of her own will.

"Is the dress to your fancy?" Yuma asked, his voice much deeper than it had been before. Ein blushed slightly which got a smile from Yuma. "That's good enough for me."

Rin did not get to see them depart for the ball but she did manage to see them inside of it. A grand ballroom in many shades of velvet reds, orange hues and black. There were all manners of tables engrossed in foods she'd never seen before and decadent desserts. There were so many parties of different demons that Rin shivered. Even as she knew them all by name. Where the knowledge exactly came from, she already knew. Still, most of them dared not risk dropping their human facades even in the company of other demons. Even though their eyes revealed otherwise and even the characteristics of some baffled her.

When she managed to rip her attention away from all the demons, it was easy to spot Yuma in the center of the ballroom floor. He was greeting a fair maiden and yet all at once Rin knew exactly who he was talking to and as such she made her way over. The female demon Yuma was speaking to was striking. Her hair was a midnight blue as her eyes were a fire-orange. Her hourglass figure was quite suiting for her as well as the dress she wore. The dress was a navy blue with silver embroidery along the bust and twirled down her sides. She was the perfect height for Yuma: not nearly as short as Ia. This girl's head would fit perfectly in the crook of Yuma's neck if he ever decided to pull her close. Her beauty was not even closely rivalled by anyone else in the ballroom. Whether this was by coincidence or on purpose, she shined. Yuma bent and placed a soft kiss on her hand.

"So you are the hell hole that my parents are courting me off to I see?" Yuma mentioned only loud enough so she could hear him.

"I would not put it that way, Yuma. My name however is, Zedalia." the girl chuckled. "You and I, we can do amazing things together you know? Raise a perfect family and continue your clan. Then we shall fulfill our purpose to wipe out anything that dare stand in our way. We'll do it together." Zedalia stared at him dreamily. "I've loved you ever since I first saw you. You were a marvel, a salacious treat to my eye. Soon you will be all mine." It was all too quickly that Zedalia's look soured. Rin saw her eyes for what they really were then, apart from beautiful. Deep in them rested the soul of someone who was cunning. It was a dry and chilly place in the depths of her soul and from that place she drew her strength and resolve. She was savage, merciless, inside and outside. "I'm not an idiot though Yuma."

Zedalia smiled sadistically then and moulded to him. Her posture was of utter surrender, his of command. With a glance around at the crowd of demons that watched them Yuma tried not to be obvious in his discomfort. His steps became broader and deeper. He piloted her with swings and twirls around the room in the most graceful moves Rin has ever seen. They danced a dance of fire; he occasionally dipped her as he swung her. Yet they both managed to keep up the facade as they spoke a devils conversation.

"I know that heart of yours doesn't belong to me," she declared bitterly before she smiled, "not yet anyway. I know of your little affair, Yuma. You're rooted obsession and profound love of our enemy the Seer. However, I also know that she is to cut your heart out. How so you ponder? Simply in the notion that you mean nothing to her: absolutely nothing. How do I know that? Well, I know...because she has a courting of her own. I don't intend to break that heart of yours like her." Yuma dipped her gracefully.

"What exactly do you mean? Ia said nothing of marrying another."

"But it is true," Zedalia confirmed. "What I spout is not lies." With what was once an empty hand of Zedalia's materialized a slip of paper-no an invitation-to a wedding. Ia's wedding specifically.

It didn't take long for Yuma to track down Ia. He found her in her own room sitting at the table.

"What is this!?" Yuma shouted as he seemingly turned up from her window. He slammed down the paper he had received at the ball earlier on her table. Ia stood.

"Yuma..." she began as she looked up at him. Yuma kept his eyes locked on the invite as he leaned over the desk, no longer looking at her.

"When?" he asked sternly. "When were you planning to tell me?"

"Yuma..." Ia strode over and placed a hand on his back but Yuma jerked away harshly as if he'd been burned to stand and look at her firmly.

"I trusted you...but it is your betrayal that guts me like a dull spoon. Your betrayal that I didn't not foresee."

"Let me explai-"

"Was it comical to hear me profess my love to you when you knew in your heart that you did not feel the same?" Yuma interrupted.

"No! I love you Yuma...I do, truly."

"Stop with your deception! Honestly, I should've known better..." Yuma's eyes began to tear up.

"Do you really wish us to end like this? Even I with my shortened lifespan?" Ia asked with simple directness.

"You lied to me Ia! Your life be dammed!" Yuma yelled.

"I withheld truth that would've killed you! Body, mind and soul!" Ia yelled back

"A thoughtful lie is still a lie!" he corrected.

"Fine then! Leave!" Ia shouted through tears. She lifted a sweet roll on the table and tossed it at him. "If I am the one you detest with all your being then desist! Disperse! Leave me to my troubles and be with your harlot! She'll destroy you anyway," Ia cried.

"Right now, she is a lot better than you, Ia," Yuma spat back. He didn't even cringe when pain crossed Ia's features.

"A demon shall always be a demon. Just as I am enslaved to my fate," Ia empathized.

"How could you...?" Yuma asked almost barely audible. The clear agony of Ia's betrayal was evident on his face. Ia gazed into his eyes for a moment with an emotion similar to guilt: he returned it. When she looked away and said nothing else it was like a match to gasoline. Yuma stalked forward, his steps were precise like a predator hunting his prey. The contrast in appearance between Ia and him were like stark white and ebony black. "A demon will always be a demon? So that's what you've always truly thought?" Yuma's face became devoid of emotion. "Right then, I'll be just that," Yuma growled.

The entire room shuddered and everything in the room suddenly imploded. Rich woods blew apart and sprayed their shavings all over Ia while glass littered the floor and made it dangerous terrain for even a single step. Fabrics ripped with sickening sounds and metals tore from their designed spaces. Ia's once perfect and harmonious room was no more and when Yuma was finished Ia hadn't even flinched.

She merely smiled politely, "Feel better now?" Yuma scoffed, sickened with her lack of reaction. He jumped through the remaining shards of what was once a window to land in soft grasses below. The grass died the second his feet hit it. The night chill was ice against his temper that rose all the more. For when he looked back at Ia's window it was as if he'd never been there. Blinded by his anger, Yuma stormed away. It was all too believable. If she could erase any physical damage like that in just a few seconds…it was an overwhelming thought of what she could do to the emotions in her heart. Least where he was concerned anyway.