The sound of intense laughter sounded from a large apartment building. Inside, two girls were sitting at their kitchen table. The brunette and younger of the two had her face buried in her hands, an icepack placed on her head, while the redhead sitting across from her was howling with laughter, almost falling out of her chair. Megumi glared at her best friends non-stop giggling, it really wasn't all that funny. It was common knowledge that Kazume was the early riser out of the two friends. It was on very rare occasion where Megumi was up first, for example the morning Kazume woke up to her shouting match with Keiichi…that was a nice wake up call.
But this morning was a regular one; Kazume had woken bright and early at the crack of dawn while her roommate slept in for several more hours. But Kazume was startled when Megumi stumbled into the lounge room, her head lolled down and her eyes still closed; she was sleep walking. Kazume watched with interest as her best friend bumped into a few things, mumbling a few incoherent words. But what made her day was when Megumi staggered backwards, bashed her head on the side of the door, stumbling forwards again, tripping on the edge of their rug before falling flat on her face. A now bleary, but awake, Megumi groaned and lifted her head from the floor to see Kazume rolling on the ground in a fit of giggles…and she hadn't stopped laughing since.
She had made sure to grab some ice for her friends now throbbing head, but she was still giggling hysterically. Megumi just glared at her.
"I honestly don't see what the hell is so funny! So I fell over! Big deal!"
This just made things worse. Kazume fell off her chair and collapsed onto the floor, gasping for air. Megumi sighed in defeat. There was a sudden knock on the door, an interruption the brunette was grateful for. Ignoring the convulsing redhead, she opened the door to see Arimon. She reached out and pulled him inside, startling the tall man. She closed the door behind him, grabbed his arm and dragged him into the kitchen and pointed to Kazume.
"Will you please calm her down? This is getting ridiculous!"
Arimon followed the direction she was pointing to see the other roommate on the floor shaking, giggling uncontrollably, with tears streaming down her face. He raised an eyebrow.
"How long has she been like this?"
Megumi sighed. "About half an hour. She won't stop."
He looked at her. "What happened?"
So she told him about her little sleepwalking incident earlier that morning. The story had Arimon chuckling slightly, but he was nowhere near the bad state Kazume was in.
He walked over to Kazume and grinned down at her.
"Having fun?
The redhead stopped laughing (but was still sniggering somewhat) and smiled brightly when she saw him. " Hi Arimon!"
He smiled. "Hey there, need help getting up?"
She now realized she was still lying on the ground and grinned sheepishly. "Yes please."
He held out his hand for her, which she took, and pulled her up onto her feet. Kazume wasn't laughing anymore, much to Megumi's relief, but she still wore a mischievous smirk. The brunette rolled her eyes at her friends' immaturity before walking out of the kitchen leaving them alone
Kazume smiled at Arimon. "So this is a surprise, what brings you here?"
He shrugged. "It's boring at the temple, unless you want to watch Keii and Bell acting all lovey dovey all day."
She sniggered. "Yeah I can understand that. I imagine it would become rather nauseating."
He outwardly agreed with her, but in reality the reason Arimon couldn't stay around his cousin was because deep down he secretly wished for what they had. And whenever he thought about settling down, Kazume's face would appear in his mind, making him question his feelings for the perky girl.
But the redhead was none the wiser to the boy's growing affection for her. As far as he could tell, her feelings for him were purely platonic. But that was perfectly fine with him…for now, being her friend was enough.
"Hey Arimon!"
He jumped at her loud tone. "What?"
She grinned. "Let's go out somewhere! Megumi wanted to go see Belldandy for something so…"
He smiled. "Sure, why not? Where did you have in mind?"
She shrugged. "Don't know don't care! I have this heap of spare money and I want to spend it on random stuff."
Arimon chuckled. "Sounds like fun to me."
Kazume clapped her hands. "YAY!"
He laughed. "Well should we get going? How're we getting into town?"
She smiled. "We'll take my bike, but do you think you could drive?"
He stared at her. "Why do you want me to drive?"
Kazume smiled innocently. "Well…it would look kinda strange the other way around wouldn't it?"
Arimon pictured in his mind, Kazume riding on her bike, with him sitting awkwardly behind her, wondering where to hang onto without feeling embarrassed. He sweat dropped at the image.
"Yeah…I-I agree… I'll drive."
Kazume giggled at his stuttering, but he doubted she knew what he was really thinking about. She reached into her pocket and handed him the key for the bike. "You go ahead, I'm going to go grab a spare helmet."
He nodded and took the key from her hand. While she wandered off down the house, he made his way outside towards the parking area to her motorcycle. He picked up the helmet, which was hanging on the handles, but when he tried putting it on he found it too small too fit on his head. He heard someone giggling and turned his head to see Kazume grinning wildly at him and holding a larger helmet up with her fingers.
"The spare helmet is for you, silly. My one was made especially for me because I'm smaller than most motorbike riders."
Arimon grinned sheepishly. "Right…I knew that."
She chuckled. "Sure ya did. Now come on, let's get going."
He took the helmet from her and placed it on, Kazume doing the same with hers. He swung his leg over the seat and mounted. He felt a small weight as his companion jumped on behind him. He gulped slightly when she slid her arms around his waist and linked her fingers together before resting them on his stomach. Doing his best to ignore the butterflies in his stomach, he switched the ignition on and drove out of the driveway and down the road, the object of his affection holding him tightly.
Although in reality the ride hadn't been more than around twenty minutes, for Arimon it felt like several hours. He had eventually adjusted to the close proximity of the girl behind him, but his brain came to a complete halt when she pressed herself flat against him and rested her head on his back. He was happy to know she was this comfortable with him, but if only she knew the kind of effect she was having on him.
At last they pulled next to the curb outside a line of several shops. Kazume immediately leapt off the bike in excitement, gazing in wonder over where to go first. Arimon barely had time to hop off the bike himself when he felt himself being roughly dragged in a random direction.
'This was going to be a long day."
Several gruelling hours later, the pair finally walked back to the bike. Kazume had several bags hanging off her arms, still walking lightly like she had all the energy in the world. Behind her, her redhead male companion was practically dragging his feet. 'How in the hell can she still be so energetic? I may be a God but I'm not indestructible, seriously what is the deal with girls and shopping?'
He sighed heavily. "Can we go home now?"
The hyper girl raised an eyebrow. "What's with that tone? I thought you were having fun."
He groaned. "Sure…but we've been walking non-stop for most of the day, I can only take so much of it."
She giggled. "Oh alright then, why don't we grab something to eat and then we'll head back."
"Yes! Thank you!"
Kazume grabbed his wrist and once again began pulling, this time back to the motorbike. Again Arimon put on the helmet and mounted the front while his companion took a moment to strap her new belongings on the back before joining him as well.
A sense of de ja vu washed over Arimon as he rode them back home sometime later. Kazume's arms were again locked around his middle, with her head resting gently against him. He wondered why she was leaning on him more closely than usual, but he heard an intake of a deep breath and realized she must've fallen asleep. He smiled bemusedly at her; guess their shopping trip wore her out more than she thought. He felt her shiver slightly from the cold wind. Slowing the bike down to a stop, he shook off his jacket and wrapped it snugly around her shoulders. Kazume relaxed into the welcoming warmth, falling forward and landing on Arimon's chest. He started for a moment but smiled and wrapped his arms protectively around her.
He looked hopelessly at the long road. "This is useless, I can't drive like this. Guess it's a good thing I'm a god with powers."
Careful not to wake the sleeping girl in his arms, he slowly got off the bike. Lifting his hand he sent the vehicle a quiet command, a soft white glow emanating from his palm. 'Go back to your resting place, your mistress is safe with me."
As if the bike had heard him, it purred to life and took off by itself down the road. He watched, as it gradually became a small dot in the distance. Looking down, he smiled at the girl he was holding. She was fast asleep, completely unaware of what was happening and that the man holding her had just performed magic on her motorcycle. Double-checking to make sure she was fully unconscious, he lifted them off the ground and took flight, never letting go of the redhead in his arms.
Coincidentally, Arimon managed to make it back to Kazume's apartment just as her bike was parking itself. Nevertheless, he was grateful for the precise timing, it would save any questioning from a certain brunette. As you would have it, that same roommate burst through the front door, having heard the bike's engine. She stopped short when she saw her best friend fast asleep, Arimon's long coat draped over her body, his arms wrapped protectively around her small frame.
Megumi smiled at him. "You guys seem to have had fun, you've gone and worn her out."
He stared incredulously at her. "Me? She was the one dragging me to all sorts of weird girly places! That girl is too…eccentric for her own good. Where does she get all that energy?"
She just laughed. "Kazume always tends to over-exert herself." Megumi's face then turned serious. "I imagine her past has a part to play in it. She didn't have many friends, let alone childhood or teenage years to enjoy. So I don't blame her for being enthusiastic over something as small as shopping."
Arimon looked down at the sleeping girl. He had completely forgotten how rough her life had been growing up. In the short time he had known her, he had only come to know her as nothing but the fun, loving and compassionate girl he now knew he deeply cared for.
He raised his head to look at the other girl. "Can I leave her with you then? I think she's had enough for one day."
She smiled. "Why don't you take her to her room? I'll take over from there."
He nodded and walked past her inside the house. Megumi stared at his retreating figure. There was something about the way he has been looking at her best friend. There was such tenderness in his eyes, the way he carried her as if she was the most precious person to him in the world. Her own eye widened at a sudden revelation… was Arimon in love with Kazume?
The same man was at that moment lowering the redhead onto her futon. He gently lay her down then covered her with her blankets, being sure that she was comfortable. He smiled when she pulled them closer to herself and curled into a tight ball. Deciding to leave her be, he quietly left her room.
Kazume woke a couple of hours later. She sat up in her bed, blinking in confusion at her surroundings. How and when did she end up in her room? The last thing she remembered was sitting on the back of her own motorbike, staring contently at the street lights as they passed by her in a blur of colours, her arms wrapped tightly around the man sitting in front of her. This was the last image her eyes had seen before she drifted off into a peaceful sleep. She reached up and sleepily rubbed her eyes. Her hand paused as a possibility came to mind; did Arimon put her here? He was the last person she remembered being with, so he must've played some part. She promised herself she would ask him later.
The door slid open then and her best friend walked in, smiling when she saw Kazume was awake.
"Hey there, have a good sleep?"
Kazume stretched her arms. "Yeah I guess… what time is it?"
Megumi grinned. "It's nearly six, you've only been out for a couple of hours."
Kazume slumped back down. "Wow…I was really konked out wasn't I?"
Her friend grinned. "Arimon did tell me you went a tad bit overboard today. You really need to watch yourself girl"
She chuckled sheepishly. "Haha, sorry about that, I must've been on something. I just had heaps of energy."
Megumi shook her head. "Poor guy was probably more exhausted than you were."
Kazume then remembered her previous thoughts; she turned to her best friend. "Megumi…how did I end up in my room? The last thing I remember is falling asleep while Arimon drove us home."
Her friend smiled. "Which is what he did, he brought you home. He carried you inside and tucked you in bed, not to mention he had you all nicely wrapped up in that coat of his." She left out the part with Arimon's love struck expression; she didn't think Kazume was ready to hear that yet.
Kazume's eyes widened. "A…Arimon…did all that?
Megumi nodded. "Yeah…he really cares about you, ya know? You've gotten yourself quite the amazing friend there."
The redhead nodded, distracted by her friends words. She had noticed that Arimon has been treating her especially nice lately, especially with his hugs. Whenever she was angry or upset about something, he wouldn't hesitate to pull her close and hold her, not letting go until she had calmed down. He would lean down and whisper comforting words to her, telling her that he was there, and always would be. A warm fluttering sensation rose in her chest, but vanished so quickly Kazume wasn't sure what she had just felt. She mentally shook her head, paying no more attention to it.
Speaking of Arimon, she needed to talk to him. She turned once again to her best friend who was staring quizzically at her. She stared back.
"What?"
Megumi raised an eyebrow. "Are you ok?"
"I'm fine…why?"
"You seemed really lost in thought for a minute there."
Kazume grinned. "Sorry, guess I fazed out. Hey how was your visit with Belldandy?"
The brunette sighed. "Not so good. I was hoping to find out more on why marrying Keiichi was such a bad idea, but she was really stubborn, which is unusual for her. Belldandy is usually so open about her feelings, it's strange to see her so clamped up."
Kazume reached over and grasped her best friends hand. "Don't worry so much ok? It'll all work itself out. It has to… those two belong together. It's weird but they just…fit. Ya know what I mean?"
Megumi nodded in agreement. "That's exactly what I mean! They're perfect for each other! So it's breaking my heart that's there's something I don't know about, something that will eventually rip them apart!"
Kazume sighed. "I know, listen I'll talk to Arimon again. He definitely knows something, he even said so himself when I spoke to him a while back. I feel considerably close with him now, so maybe I can convince him to tell me what's going on."
Her friend smiled. "Thanks Kazume, what would I do without you?"
The redhead laughed. "Probably best I don't answer that. Well I'll go call him, and see if I can meet up with him. I'll probably be back later tonight."
Megumi nodded. "Alright, I'll see you later then."
Kazume was positive she could somehow get Arimon to spill the beans. But when she had met up with him again and practically begged for him to say something, he was very set on keeping his mouth shut.
"I'm sorry Kazume, but I can't say anything."
She growled in frustration. "Why not? What is so big that I, a close friend of Belldandy's, and Megumi, Keiichi's sister, are not allowed to know?"
He frowned slightly; keeping this from her was killing him. "It isn't my decision to make…I'm sworn to secrecy."
She sighed. "I just…I feel like that whatever this is, it's the one thing that's holding the gap between our friendship. You keeping something this big from me, I feel like there's something about, not just Belldandy, but you as well that you're not telling me. The fact that you're hiding something makes me feel as if you don't fully trust me, even after I've told you everything about my life."
Her words hit Arimon like a punch to the gut. She was right. She had opened her heart and confessed everything about herself to him. And here he was, hiding the one truth about himself he was most terrified to tell her. It wasn't because he didn't trust her, but because he was scared…scared that she would see nothing but the demon inside him…scared that he would frighten her. But wasn't that what trusting her was all about? Having faith that she would accept him for who he was, and not be afraid of the two half's inside of himself that were constantly fighting for dominance
He stared at her, her brown eyes pleading him to let her in. And that was when he caved in. He couldn't lie to her any longer. She had found a way to reach in and touch a place in his heart that no one had ever before seen even a glimpse of. With his constant growing feelings for her, and her kindness towards him, he saw no reason why she didn't deserve to know the truth.
So with a final sigh, he nodded. "Alright, I'll tell you everything. But you need to brace yourself, it may be hard to believe."
Kazume, who was surprised but pleased at his sudden allowance to open up to her, tilted her head curiously. "Why wouldn't I believe you?"
'Here goes.' He thought with a deep breath. "Because, Belldandy, Urd, Skuld and myself…we are not from this world."
It took a few moments for Kazume to register his words. When her brain clicked, she looked more confused than ever. "What do you mean, not from this world? Are you aliens or something?"
He chuckled. "Not quite…we're gods and goddesses."
Kazume's jaw dropped. "Say what?"
He quickly put up his hand. "Now before you say anything, allow me to show you some proof. Here, you might want to take a few steps back."
After making sure she was a safe distance from him, he closed his eyes and concentrated. He called to the demons with his mind, feeling that familiar surge of power as it poured through his body. Magic surrounded him, the bright red glow of his aura swirling from his head to his feet. Suddenly, two magnificent red-feathered wings sprung from his back, spreading out and reaching far above them.
Kazume could only gawk open-mouthed as the man before her transformed into, what she could only describe as, a very powerful being. The power around him was incredible; she could feel the force of his magic pushing into her very soul. She knew he must be extremely powerful. But her breath was suddenly taken away when his wings appeared. She was hypnotised at what a beautiful shade of red they were, they gave a big contrast compared to the soft green of the grass and trees around them. But as all this happened, Arimon's eyes remained closed and his face completely focused. Gradually, everything started to fade away. The waves of deep red surges seemed to be consumed by his hands as they eventually vanished. His massive wings folded inwards, fading along with everything else. And then she was looking once again at Arimon, standing there as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened. He had opened his eyes and was now staring at her, waiting for her to say something.
Kazume was at a loss for words. Seeing that overwhelming display was all the proof she needed, only beings like gods and goddesses possessed power like that. But it wasn't the magic that had shocked her; it was the fact that she now realized what exactly Arimon was. He was a God…and a very powerful one too. Oh hell, what had she gotten into?
Arimon was starting to become worried. Did she believe him? She seemed to be in shock but beyond that he couldn't figure out what she was thinking.
He took a tentative step towards her. "Kazume…are you alright?"
His voice snapped her out of her thoughts and she looked at him. "…Wow…" Was all she said, her brain still incapable of forming any words to describe what she just saw.
He reached a hand out to her. "You…do believe me, right?"
She managed a small smile. "It's hard not to after seeing that. So…you're a god?"
Arimon sighed. "Well, actually I'm half god, half demon." He closed his eyes, fully expecting her to be disgusted. That's how anyone else would've reacted.
"Oh a demon too? That's pretty cool."
His eyes snapped back open in surprise. "What?"
She smiled at him. "What were you expecting? For me to run away scared or something?"
He couldn't believe what he was hearing. "So…you don't mind that part of me is demonic?"
She shook her head. "I wouldn't have cared if you were a full demon. You're still my friend Arimon, and I care about you. That's all that matters to me. Besides, for someone who has demon blood inside him, you turned out to be quite a nice guy."
Unable to hold himself back any longer, Arimon reached forward and crushed her into a hug. "Thank you."
Startled by his sudden show of affection, she placed her arms around him comfortingly. "For what?"
He buried his head into her shoulder. "For accepting me, you're the first person to ever say those words to me." He stepped back to look at her. "You see I was born in the Demon Realm, my mother being a demon herself. But I never knew my parents, or even found out what happened to them. My Aunt Hild, my mothers' sister raised me; who also happens to be the ruler of all Demon Kind. She brought me up in the strictest ways you can think of. She showed me the ropes on how to be a full-fledged demon, teaching me how to create misery amongst the humans. For years I watched the people here on earth, learning of their ways of living. But to me, they weren't anything important. With no friends, and a pushy demon queen as my only family, I only came to care about myself. But it was after I met you I realized what a fool I was. Half of me may be demonic, but I am also half god. That side of myself saw the wrong I was doing, and helped me realized how much I had hurt you that day. After an entire lifetime of hating myself, and everyone around me, my godlike side finally came forward to give me the best thing I could've asked for; friendship."
Kazume listened intently to his story, realizing just how similar their lives were. They had both been completely alone growing up, with no one else to turn to. 'But', she thought, 'he's had it worse than me. I came here and found an immediate friend in Megumi, and before that I at least had my racing to take my mind off things. He never had that chance; he's been trapped in such a dark place for so long. It's no wonder he was as bitter as he was when I first met him.'
Feeling nothing but compassion for him, she pulled him back down again to wrap him in a tight hug. "I'm so sorry, if only I knew back then."
He returned her hug. He knew exactly what she meant. "You shouldn't be the one apologizing. It was my fault; I treated you horribly and unfairly. My pride as a demon overtook me, and it only ended with me hurting you in the long run. "He tightened his hold on her. "I'm so sorry."
They remained tightly locked in their embrace, all their feelings rushing to the surface after months of suppressing them. Overwhelmed with emotion, tears fell down Kazume's cheeks. She felt so much closer to him now. He knew all her secrets and now she knew his. She didn't see him as just her friend anymore, he was now so much more than that. Arimon could feel her soft tears as they soaked his shirt. He felt an emotional lump in his throat as she cried into his shoulder. Now at a loss of words, he just tightened his hold on her, tears gathering in his own eyes.
After several minutes they finally calmed themselves down. Kazume pulled out of the hug first, looked up at him with teary eyes and giggled. Her laughter was contagious and he joined in, both feeling a heavy burden lift off their shoulders. She then stared at him curiously. "I have one more question for you." When he raised an eyebrow she reached up and pressed a thumb to the mark on his forehead. "What's up with these weird things? Is it supposed to symbolise something?"
Arimon laughed. "Those represent our status as gods and demons. Generally the gods have blue marks, while the demons have red ones."
Kazume gazed at his markings curiously. "But yours are white. What does that mean?"
He shrugged. "I guess it's because I'm both."
She let out a small 'ahh' and left it at that. Well that's one more mystery solved and yet Kazume wasn't anywhere near done talking with him, but this new discovery helped her realize a startling truth. She looked at him with wide eyes. "That's it!"
He stared back at her. "What?"
She grinned widely. "That's why Belldandy says she can't marry Keiichi! Because she's a goddess! Which means at some point she'll have to leave and return to heaven…I'm assuming that's where all the gods live right?"
He smiled proudly at her, impressed by how fast she catches on. "Yes that's precisely why. Belldandy is a First Class Goddess, one of most highest and respected callings one could have in heaven. Part of her duty is to fulfil wishes, which is how her and Keiichi met in the first place."
Kazume looked at him questioningly. "How exactly did they meet with wish fulfilling?"
Arimon chuckled. "There's a special phone line that can connect you to both heaven and hell. Keiichi had accidentally dialled through to the Goddess Help Line. And of course it was Belldandy who answered the phone. And since Keiichi had then officially become her client, she had come down to earth to grant him a wish. Hah, then again it's because of that wish that she's still here."
Kazume's eyes sparkled with interest. "Oh! What wish did he make?"
He grinned at her excitement. "Basically, he asked her to stay by his side forever."
Kazume's jaw dropped. "Whoa…that's full on…I bet that was the last thing Belldandy expected."
Arimon nodded. "She did tell me that the wish surprised her. But when she called heaven, they told her that it was valid. So, she stayed on Earth with Keiichi. And as you can see, they fell in love with each other along the way, which unfortunately made everything that much more complicated for them, now that Keiichi wants to propose."
Kazume sighed. "Wow…I can see why you were hesitant to tell me, that's a lot to take in."
He nodded. "Yeah…Bell's probably gonna chew me out for telling you.
She sniggered. "Good luck with that. But knowing Belldandy, I think she'll understand. You had your own personal reasons for telling me."
He smiled gratefully. "Thanks, that actually made me feel better."
She smiled back. "Anything for a friend."
The two continued to talk for several more hours. It wasn't until Kazume let out a massive yawn did they realize it was getting late.
Arimon placed a hand on her shoulder. "Come on, I'll walk you home."
She pouted. "Why can't we just fly? You can fly can't you?"
He sighed. "Well…yeah I can but it's not that far to your apartment."
She groaned. "But I'm tiirreeedd! I can barely see straight."
Arimon noticed that she was indeed walking in zigzags as she stumbled across the park. He chuckled and walked over to stop her with a hand on her shoulder. "Whoa, easy there you might run into a tree." Ignoring her glare, he stood in front of her and crouched down.
"Here, jump on my back. I'll give you a piggy ride home."
She stared at him for a moment then shrugged and jumped on, locking her arms around his neck. "Fine, whatever, as long as I don't have to walk."
Once he was sure she was secure, he stood up again and began walking in the direction of her house. He couldn't help the chuckle that escaped his throat. "You know Kazume, this is the second time I've had to carry you home."
He was met with a silent reply. He glanced to the side to see she had fallen asleep on him again. Her tight hold had loosened and her head was resting comfortable on his shoulder. He smiled at her peaceful expression. 'Boy, does she fall asleep easily.'
Arimon continued to glance at her every now and then as he walked, occasionally sending the sleeping girl a tender smile. He really didn't mind carrying her, she was light as a feather and this just gave him an excuse to be close to her.
Since this time they had arrived home much later, Arimon didn't want to disturb the other roommate. So using a quick spell to unlock the door, he let himself in and walked down the all too familiar path to Kazume's room. Just as he opened her door, he felt her starting to stir awake. He smiled at her as her eyes fluttered open.
"Hey there sleepy head. Just in time."
A barely alive Kazume blinked at her surroundings. "Arewe…inmyroom…alrdy?"
He grinned at her incoherent sentence. "Yes, this is your room. Come on let's get you into bed."
He helped her as she slid off his back before helping her under her covers for the second time that day. She snuggled under the covers then looked back at him with a tired smile. "Thanks for carrying me home."
He smiled back. "You're welcome, I'll gladly do it again."
Her eyes drooped close as she muttered, "G'night" before falling asleep once again.
He gazed softly at her. "Good night, Kazume."
And for the first time, he bent down and gently kissed her forehead.
End Of Chapter