Lair

Chapter 1

Family Divided

Disclaimer: This story's contents deals with mental illness, suicide, violence, and abuse. If this is not something you are comfortable with please don't read. This is a strong warning. Reader's discretion is advised.

Author's Note

Hey, fairly new to the scene and trying to get a footing here. I'm the Mermaid Reaper nice to meet all of you. Yeah, so… I've been sitting on this story for a while. I wasn't thinking about posting it but what the hell. It is a strong AU as the warning above suggests read with caution.

It all started one day when I was still a young boy. I remember that day clearly and not fondly. I was nine and my mom came and picked me up from karate class. It was raining and had been since last night. Sometimes it came down so hard the streets would flood in areas. We didn't live far from the dojo and the rain had let up enough that we decided to walk home instead of waiting for Dad to pick us up in the car.

Mom kept her hand in mine as we walked down the soaked sidewalk. Like most kids I was having fun playing in the puddles as we went along. I had on my rain boots so I knew it wasn't a bad thing to do as long as I didn't get Mom wet.

We started to walk across the ridge of the river levee. The river was muddy and very swollen. I remember the sound of the raging water as it rushed by. As we neared the bridge I saw something beneath it on the opposite side. I pointed it out to Mom but she didn't seem interested so I decided to leave the matter alone. I shouldn't have done that. God, I should have drawn more attention to the shadow under the bridge.

We started across as always. The water beneath feet made the bridge sway ever so slightly. The wind was starting to blow harder and so we picked up our feet, fearing another band of rain. We stepped off the bridge and continued on for only a few steps. I heard something under the bridge and my curiosity got the best of me. I broke my hold on Mom's hand like a fool to investigate. I remember a man suddenly crawled out from under the bridge and grabbing me. I screamed for help as he started to pull me under the bridge so he could run away with me.

Mom grabbed me and the two ended up having a tug of war with me in the middle. She screamed for anyone to come help us. He finally gave a hard enough tug that Mom slipped and rolled down the embankment, almost landing into the river. I managed to knock him off and I ran towards her. She barely sat up when he grabbed me again. She went to put her hands on him only for him to drive a large knife into her stomach about 5 times before she fell on top me. She was heavy and I couldn't keep her up.

There was a cry from the top of the levee. People started to gather but they arrived too late. He took off as several other men tried to give chase. An ambulance and the police were called in shortly after. They never caught the man as he wore a strange white mask. I remember that mask two and it was like white demon.

By the time Mom was put into the ambulance she was already declared dead. The police questioned me about what happened. I retold them that I had seen someone under the bridge prior but didn't act on it. Then I stupidly let go of her hand only to have him try to kidnap me. I explained Mom tried to fight him to protect me. He must have panicked and pulled the knife on her.

Dad arrived not long after. He asked what happened and the police told him. He broke down and just collapsed onto the wet grass, covering his face with his hands. I wanted it to be a lie and that this hadn't happen. About three days later we had the wake. All manner of people came by to pay their respects and the following day Mom was cremated. Dad put her to rest at a small grave in the city cemetery.

The months following her death I picked up a nasty habit of lying to avoid things like chores and homework. I pinned some of my wrong doings on my little sisters or cause small disturbances in class. For some reason this was my strange way of grieving and also to get attention. After Mom was put to rest I noticed Dad wasn't himself. Even at nine I fully understood how my dad felt as I was going through it myself. Loss hurt and it can do strange things to people. One of those things just happened to be that Dad wouldn't really pay me much attention. He would dote on my little sisters but he nearly ignored me. So to get attention I started acting out.

I never would have guessed that those tantrums would lead to something so much worse. A couple years went by and I was in middle school. I wasn't lying or acting up as much. I was growing out of that, despite that, Dad still wasn't treating me correctly. I heard him talking to my cousins once when he thought I was in my room. I finally learned why I was treated like garbage. He blamed me for what happened to Mom but he made me the villain. He blamed me for not being attentive to what was lurking under the bridge. Not to mention the fact that I let go of her hand to satisfy my own curiosity and that I didn't do more to stop him. It didn't matter that I was only 9 and I never meant for any of it to happen. Sadly the spinner on the blame game was pointing at me and was stuck there.

Despite acting more mature I still had my moments when I didn't want to take the heat for things. Some things were so minor that it really was nothing like forgetting one assignment for a class. Some things were just super petty like not wanting to eat at a certain time. If I didn't eat then I didn't eat at all.

At school people started to pick on me. They sensed a weakness in me and dug in their claws. Classmates and schoolmates started to try to get me to fight them instinctively knowing that I was venerable. I tried to blow them off most days and just leave them be. One day however, one of the boys had somehow heard about my mother. I once again tried to walk away from it but he persisted this time more than usual. Finally, he yelled out "mother killer." I lost it then. I jumped on him quicker than he could blink. I just started to pound his face as hard as I could. His friends had to pull me off him. I had cut my knuckles open from hitting him so hard. I could tell I broke his nose and took out a front tooth.

The teachers came running to see what had happened. The boys quickly told their side of the story. It was also 4 against 1. I tried to explain my side but the odds were not in my favor. That ass went to the hospital and I was put in the office to await my father. When he finally showed up he was highly irate and grabbed me by the front of my uniform. He jerked me from my seat before forcing me hard to the ground all the while cussing me out. It startled the principal enough that he ended up having to break up the fight between us. Dad got chewed out for "setting a bad example" and the principal placed me in in-school suspension for a solid month. He almost expelled me and I wished he would have.

My home life was miserable. Now it was my sisters' turn to start blaming me only because father was. Monkey see, monkey do. Karin the oldest of the pair was the worst. She would set me up to fail and I would catch hell for things I didn't do. After all I was a liar and a miscreant. See where this came back to hurt me? Even if I said the sky was blue on a sunny day I was still a liar. She set things in my room and claimed that I stole them. If I was doing chores she lay out more trash for me to pick up.

Yuzu was I guess you could say was passive aggressive. She was good at playing the guilt card to get me to do things for her. She had a knack for acting helpless and by the end of day I would have ended up doing her chores. She was also good at making me do her homework for her. Even when I knew I was being played I continued on. If I stopped or told her no she would say that I wasn't good for anything and that I didn't love her. It had gotten close to that point that I really didn't. If push came to shove she'd pull the same thing that Karin did to have Dad punish me for things I didn't do.

I practically lived in my room. Even if I wasn't grounded I just stayed in there, letting them pretend that I didn't exist. My room was pretty much bare save for a few posters from my younger years and couple of models planes I built when I got them for birthday from my cousins. Dad eventually told them to stop giving me things that I would only destroy them. They did as instructed and I got nothing. Hell, not even a card.

I had a limited wardrobe; 3 pants, 2 pairs of shoes, one coat, and 10 shirts. Most of which I had started to grow out of or they were just too worn. I actually had one pair of jeans and 4 shirts in middle school. I wasn't to be doted on. My sisters got new clothes all the time and their rooms were lined with toys, posters, and other nick-knacks. Dad broke down and got them a large stereo for their 8th birthday. I never even got a happy birthday or a go fuck yourself.

Back at school I was labeled as violent even though it was an isolated event and most knew the boy had it coming. My class and schoolmates started to avoid me. Teachers were wary of me and the principal watched me like a hawk for a few months after. I had become alone even at school. What few friends I had left me and a couple even started picking at me, hoping to start a fight. The bully I beat down came back a couple weeks later still looking a little worse for wear. He had to get a false tooth put in and his nose was still mildly swollen and black and blue.

Now that the gang was fully restored, they jumped me on the way home. I did what any person would do in that situation. I fought back and tried to run. They kept calling me "mother killer" over and over again, hoping I would lash out again. I finally broke free from them and made it home. I know I looked a mess. My clothes were bloodied and torn. My hair was disheveled and my skin marred from the hits I received.

I tried to sneak upstairs before anyone saw me. Karin caught me on the landing and quickly yelled out that I beat someone up again. I made it to my room and locked the door. I could hear the thundering steps of my father charge for the door. He tried the handle but found it locked. He pounded on the door and yelled at me to open the door. I was just too scared to do. I was still coming off being attacked and now I was about to get the stuffing knocked out of me for a fight I never even started or wanted to be a part of.

Finally Dad worked the lock open and he stormed in. I stupidly cornered myself in an already barren closet. I'm 12 at this time and I remember my father yelling at me to take off my pants and he held up his belt. I'm not sure how many times he actually struck me but I just knew I was screaming by the time he had finished. I even ended up with a couple cuts.

He stormed back out with my sisters staring at me. Karin was trying her hardest to not laugh out loud and Yuzu was giving me a shameful look. I knew better than to ask for dinner and that I had to stay in my room. I just retreated back to the shadows of my closet and out of the eyes of my family.

The next day in school I could barely sit still as I was in so much pain. The teachers was getting annoyed with me and threatened to send me to the office. I gritted my teeth and put up with the pain. When I arrived home I discovered the door to my room had been removed along with the doors to my closet. I should have known this was going to happen. I just set my stuff down and just broke out my textbooks. I started my homework when heard my dad stop at the door. He told me I wouldn't have a door for a month. I just gave a solid "yes, sir" and he left. That whole month I had no privacy as my sisters would casually come in and out as they pleased.

One night towards the end of my final year in middle school I remember waking up totally startled. I was in a cold sweat and my heart was pounding hard. I was so shaken I started to actually search my room for anything that shouldn't be. I had that feeling that one gets when they know they are not alone. I walked out the door to the bathroom. I needed some water to put on my face and try to calm down. I distinctly remember turning off the water and drying my face. I looked up in the mirror and I was locked in place. I saw a figure sitting on the side of the tub just looking at me. Stranger still, the figure looked just like me but solid white. He was even in my tank and boxers. They were also just a white as he was. His eyes, however, were burning gold and stood out against the charcoal color behind them.

I was fixated on him as he just stared back at me. He said nothing but just grinned at me. I felt my fear return as he got to his feet and walked out of view of the mirror. I finally built up the courage to whip around. There was nothing there. I was all alone in the bathroom but I felt like I wasn't.

I left the bathroom and walked back into my room, shaking. I did one last check before crawling back into bed. I told myself I must still have been half asleep. However, I couldn't get that image out of my head. I never really fell back to sleep for the rest of the night. Of course I didn't say anything. It was a dream after all.

I got into one more really bad fight a month before middle school ended. I had several groups of bullies by this time. This time some of them had grouped up on me. It had gotten to the point that I didn't care anymore. If I got my ass handed to me I'd just walked it off once it was over. However, this particular fight wasn't like the others. I was beaten severely and even if I wanted to fight back I physically couldn't.

I remember looking up and seeing a teacher just staring at the sight before her. They didn't even see her standing just on the other side of the street as they continued to pummel me into the ground. She wasn't even raising her voice to catch their attention. I think she was too scared to jump in with so many boys out for blood. She just turned and hurried away from us. It wasn't long after they just split hearing distant sirens coming our way. I should have stayed to talk to them but I was bloodied mess and I didn't have the energy to go through questioning. I hobbled off just before they arrived. I heard one of them call for a search as they didn't find any of my attackers on the scene or me.

I made it home and stood at my front door. I didn't want to walk in fearing the worse. I would get blamed for something I didn't do. After all I'm just a liar to them and nothing I said was to be believed. I just stood there dripping blood from my nose and mouth. I made the wise choice of going to the local hospital for help.

The woman at the front desk got one look at me and I was quickly ushered to the back. They asked me the usual questions. How did I get hurt, who hurt me, why did they hurt me, and did they use weapons? I explained my side of the story and they were inclined to believe me given the state I was in. I had a concussion, a small break in my nose, a busted lip, cuts on the inside of my mouth, a torn ear, and two black eyes. I also had one broken finger and a sprained wrist. Of course I had all manner of cuts, bruises, and scraps from head to foot. Some required stitches to close. My ear was actually glued back together. The police were called and they were happy to know my location and that I was receiving help. They drilled me with questions about what happened. I told them what I could remember in chaos of it all.

My father arrived well after the police had left. It was nearly dark by then. He was ready to chew me out. I could hear him fussing at a nurse in the hall. She just clicked her tongue and pushed back the curtain. The monitor on my heart started to beep a little faster as he walked in. There wasn't even a shred of sympathy on his face. The first words from his mouth were, "what did you do this time?" Instantly blaming me without even understanding the situation. The nurse clapped back at him for treating me in such a way. He told her that I "most likely deserved what I got." Yes, Dad, I deserved 14 schoolmates ambushing me and beating me senseless.

The doctor said it was best I stay for 3 or 4 days to monitor my concussion and wounds. Dad reluctantly agreed and signed the paperwork. I was moved upstairs a few hours later where I could rest. It was well past dark by that time and I was starting to dose off with the TV playing softly in the background. I looked over at the window and nearly jumped out of bed. It was that same figure again. Still staring at me and also dressed in a hospital gown. He was still giving me that creepy grin. I shivered as he stood up and vanished into a wall.

I didn't dare open my mouth as to what I just saw. The whole time I was in the hospital my family only showed up once and only stayed like 10 minutes. They didn't have much of anything to say to me. What little they did say was negative. Once again I was blamed for the state that I was in. I stayed 4 days and I hate to say it but I enjoyed being away from school and my family.

I had a couple of doctors ask me about my home life. Given how my dad acted when he first arrived in the ER the staff became worried. I was scared of the repercussions of blabbing. Every time I did I got punished somehow. I couldn't say anything. At the back of their minds I think they knew but because I wasn't forthcoming they never perused it.

The last night I was there I saw the figure again, sitting at the foot of my bed. I sat up and nearly screamed. He just put a finger over his lips and said, "shhh." I clamped my hands over my mouth as he got back to his feet and walked up to the side of my bed. He bend over the rail so his face was even with mine. I was shaking something terrible as he just continued to grin.

"Ha! Poor, poor, you," he cooed in my ear. "You had your chance to say something today but you didn't. You sad little fool… You're down right laughable! No wonder you're trampled upon."

I was shaking badly and he inched a little closer to my face. Suddenly he stood up straight and just stared down at me again for a good half a minute. He then turned and disappeared into a wall. Was he really there I questioned myself. I knew I was alone but I wasn't. Still I knew better than to mention it. If I did no doubt I would have been locked in a mental ward.

The morning I was to go home I was surprised to see my cousin Kaien. I figured he was there for a visit but I quickly learned he was my ride home. Just as well I didn't want to ride in the car with Dad. Anything that would delay me from having to face Dad and my sisters was godsend.

I was wheeled down to his car and I got in. We hardly said anything to each other. He was 14 years older than me so there wasn't much we had in common and I hadn't really talked to him in years. Dad came up with some BS story and my cousins just—left. I just put my head against the car glass and closed my eyes. I knew in like 10 minutes I would be back home. I would get a tongue lashing and blamed for something else no doubt. I was already in trouble for being at the hospital and "wasting money."

I wanted to just barricade myself in my room and pretended I didn't exist again. I suddenly felt the car take an unexpected turn and slow down. I opened my eyes and found that we had pulled into a parking lot. I looked out the windshield and saw we were at a pretty good restaurant. We only came to eat here it was for birthdays, holidays, or rewards for my sisters, which was quite often. Sadly about half the time I wasn't even invited. I usually just kept my mouth shut and ordered one of the cheap items. We pulled into a spot and he put the car in park. I wasn't saying anything I just stared at the car's floor mat.

"Are you getting out?" he asked. "This is a pretty good place."

I didn't say anything and opened the door. We walked up to the entrance and he held the door open for me. A hostess set us up in a booth at one of the windows and gave us the menu. He opened his up and started going through it. I just picked at some dried food that was stuck to the cover.

"Hey, Ichigo? Aren't you hungry?" he asked as he peered over the menu at me.

I was as the breakfast they gave me wasn't much of anything. I really was hungry but I wasn't use to this. The waitress walked over with a smile. We had her serve us several times before. Dad preferred her over some of the other wait staff. She got the orders right and was very friendly.

She gave me a grin recognizing me but it didn't take her long to notice I wasn't in the best of shape. She quickly asked me if I was okay. I could tell Kaien felt something was wrong. I wasn't saying a word and hadn't this whole time. I didn't even give him a greeting. She pulled out a pen and her pad of paper.

"So do you want your usual drink and meal?" she asked as she waited for my answer.

I just nodded and she wrote it down. She turned to Kaien and took his order. She went to grab our menus when Kaien asked her to leave one to look at the desserts later. She walked off and the space between us became deathly silent. I looked out the window and saw my white clone through the window's reflection. He was sitting right next to me in the booth.

"Is something wrong?" he had asked but I just shook my head.

The figure leaned in close to me and tutted in my ear as if I was guilty of something.

"Don't look a gift horse in the mouth on this. You have a chance to get something better than what that bastard allows. He's willing to buy you an actual meal and you're too scared to ask for what you want," he whispered in my ear. "At least get a dessert for yourself when the time comes. You deserve it. You did nothing wrong and your father isn't here to dictate your life. Don't squander a good opportunity like you did yesterday with the social worker."

I tried to ignore the vision and the voice that went with it. I knew how I was to act and I didn't need some white double to tell me what to do. That's what I had I told myself. Everything always got back to my father.

"What's your usual?" Kaien asked and pushed the menu to me.

I just opened it and pointed at the item. I remember he had a very concerned look on his face. I always got the smallest appetizers they had. I wasn't allowed after all to have the better meals. After all I spend too much money Dad would tell me.

"Why just this? This isn't anything," he said, turning the menu to face him. "This is like the smallest thing here."

"That's all I ever want," I replied as he tried to wrap his mind around it.

"This is nothing. I mean… Why just this?" he questioned me. "This is a snack at best."

I just turned to see the white figure leaning over me as if reading the menu. I tried to ignore it.

"Hey, idiot, how about this one?" he pointed at something and tried to ignore him. "Someone else is fitting the bill. Get what you want for a change! I'm telling you, don't squander this."

"Hey, Ichigo? Don't you like anything else here?" my cousin asked.

I felt the words catch in my throat. This was all I ever got. I never ate fancy foods. I never was allowed and even not being around my main family I still couldn't break their hold on me. I wanted something new and that I could actually consider a meal but I just didn't feel that I should.

"Tch! Don't be a fool," the figure spat at me. "He's not here. Get something to eat that you'll actually enjoy! I know you want to. Just grab the menu and have a look. C'mon, I know you want to. I know a lot of things you want so just look at it! Cheat a little! Hahaha…"

"I-I've… Never had… Any… Thing… Else…" my voice had just faded off to a barely whisper.

"What?! Why not?!" Kaien questioned with surprise but I didn't open my mouth. "There is a giant menu here. Why just pick this tiny little appetizer?"

"Why don't you tell him about his not so wonderful Uncle Isshin. How he forces you to get such meager items because he doesn't want to pay for you," the white thing hummed in my ear. "You need to open your mouth and say something. Stop acting the fool! He's not here!"

I wanted to say something just like this white copy of me was saying. I wanted to just yell it out but I was scared of what might follow so I just kept the words locked in my throat.

"What's wrong with you? Are you hurting?" Kaien asked and leaned over to table to study me.

I didn't even realize I had started to quietly cry. I didn't know what to do. I was pulled between what was beaten into me and the freedom I wanted so badly. At that moment I was actually scared. A 14 year old boy was sitting in a restaurant quietly crying. I knew I was worrying the hell out of my cousin. I was just sitting there crying and wasn't giving him an explanation why.

"Here are your drinks," I heard the waitress stop and out table and set the glass down. "Oh, dear, what's wrong here?"

"I'm not sure. He just got out of the hospital," Kaien told her.

"Aw, I hate to hear you really got hurt this time," she sighed, pulled out some extra napkins from his apron.

"This time?" I can hear him ask her a concern and suspicious tone was heavy in his voice.

The figure was low-key laughing at me. I believed he wanted me to get into trouble. That was what it felt like at that time.

"He comes in here looking a little haggard at times," she said as she handed me the napkins. "He's quiet, too. You don't speak much, huh?"

I wanted to tell her to keep her mouth shut. I didn't want Kaien involved in this. It was my issue and not his. That's what I told myself. I knew I should have said something, just straight out say it. But there was no courage I could drudge up from my soul.

Kaien turned back to me and I saw him staring at me through the window's reflection. He had a worried look on his face. A look I wasn't really used to. I always got pseudo-worry and pity from Yuzu. I hear him let out a frustrated sigh and shake his head.

"I'm going to have a talk with your dad—"

"Don't!" I snapped and put a hand over my mouth.

I had said it out of reflex not thinking. The waitress and Kaien just stared at me in shock. My white doppelganger was laughing his ass off. This was not helping things.

"Don't what?" it took no time for Kaien to wake from his stupor. "What don't you want me to tell him?"

"I-I… Just… Don't…" was all could mumble out.

"Ichigo, what's going on?" Kaien asked and just avoided looking at him.

"I'm going to let you two work this out," she said before she walked away.

"Ichigo, hey, look at me when I'm talking to you," Kaien snapped and reached over the table to poke my shoulder.

"Just… Leave it," I muttered.

"Uh, no, I'm not. Is something happening to you?"

I just shook my head wildly. My made very swimmy head and a place my head on table and closed my eyes. It was making me sick to my stomach. The figure clicked his tongue in disgust at me.

"Say something! He's wide open," he bit into my ear. "Tell him how your family treats you."

"No… I'm fine, really… It's just my meds…"

"You are so damn stupid! Stop making excuses for those people! They're monsters, really, not people."

"Come on. Tell me the truth, I won't tell anyone else."

"I'm a liar…"

"Excuse me? Ichigo, what the hell is wrong with you?"

"Can we leave it alone, please?! It's nothing... It's just my meds… They're messing with my head…"

"I would just—"

"Please. Leave it alone…"

Kaien huffed at me and crossed his arms. The figure did the same. Clearly both were mad at me at that point. That was nothing new. Everyone was angry at me and they stayed that way, too.

We fell silent after that. The waitress returned and set out our food. Kaien had a full plate of food and I was handed a little red basket full of a small number of finger food. I sat my head up and just pulled the basket close to me. I picked through the hot food just lightly nibbled. I noticed Kaien hadn't started eating and he was drumming his fingers on table in fustration. I just ignored him as he sat quietly across from me. I would much prefer to eat in peace anyway.

It wasn't long before that little bit in the basket vanished. I was still quite hungry and I knew I had made my doppelganger angry. I had some good opportunities just handed to me in less than an hour and I wasn't taking them. I got called a "fool" multiple times for it. I really was acting the fool. I could have had a real meal at a restaurant and could have told someone about how I was living. It was like a carrot in my face but I wasn't biting. To me at that time the carrot was poisoned and I dared not take a bite no matter how much I wanted it.

"You won't tell me anything?" Kaien asked me again and I just shook my head lightly that time. "How about this… I'll leave you alone if you actually pick out a real meal?"

He pushed the menu back over to me. I just stared at it still not sure about ordering something.

"Pick it up and look at it. Take something from this! You're still hungry, I know you are."

"Well? You either order from this or I talk to Uncle Isshin," Kaien patted the menu in front of me.

I just stared blankly at the menu. I would much rather take a plate of food than feel my father's wrath. I carefully reached for menu and flipped over the cover. It felt weird for me to be gazing through the menu. I don't normally do this and I felt guilty doing it. I knew I shouldn't be as this was forbidden. I took my time as he ate his lunch. I didn't know what I wanted. I was just use to eating eat only 3 items and I was a little scared to try anything new. If I didn't like it I would have felt bad. I finally settled on a seafood item. It was super rare I got anything like this.

When the waitress came back I pointed at the item and she jotted it down. It was an odd feeling. I really was lost. I was happy to have some real food at a restaurant but at the time I was going behind my father's back. It wasn't long before my plate was handed to me. It was a fairly large portion, well to me it was, even though it normal to others.

"Well, give it a try," Kaien said, waiting for me to take the first bite.

"Do it! Do it! Do it! Do it! Do it!"

I finally gave in and finally took a bite of my meal. I remember just staring at my food as I lightly chewed my first bite. I know I had this dazed look on my face. I wasn't used to this. Yuzu would fix some really good meals but I usually got the bottom of the barrel so to speak. Heaven forbid I not come down for dinner. I got nothing.

"Well, how is it?" Kaien asked and looked at him.

"It's… It's good…" was all I could mutter out.

He pouted at me as I just slowly ate my plate.

"It's going to be cold well before you finish."

"I'm sorry…"

"Don't be sorry for a damn thing. I'll wait for you to finish it. It'll make a little extra room for dessert."

"Well, you heard the man. Eat up! You really don't want that to turn cold, do ya?"

I didn't say much when I was eating. I wasn't use to talking at a meal. This whole thing was alien to me and this was all I could do. When I finished my plate Kaien asked if I wanted a dessert. I hummed and hawed a little. He ended up getting one of the desserts to share to simplify things. I remembered when we left it was the first time a felt full in a long, long time.

Author's Note

Yeah, it's a wordy one. Really wordy… I've sat on this for a long, long time and the words just kept coming out in droves. I hope this was good. I have another story in the work for Devil May Cry if you wanna check it out. It's not so depressing. Thank you and leave a comment if you'd like.