(One Week Later)
Kazume closed her eyes as the wind gently blew through her hair and kissed her skin. She was standing on a ferry that had left the dock just before sunset. Belldandy had suggested she enjoy the boat ride and view to help keep her mind of her present troubles. It had been a week since her date with Arimon and she was doing everything she could to avoid him. When Arimon had cornered her a few days earlier and asked why she wasn't speaking to him, she reassured him it wasn't anything he had done. But she couldn't tell him the real reason why whenever she was near him, she wasn't able to look him in the eyes without her face turning bright red and why her knees turned to jelly whenever he stood too close.
Her behaviour around Arimon was terrifying her. She could think of no logical explanation why she was acting this way around him. Megumi had insisted it was because she was in love, but Kazume didn't want to think that was true. She was aware she had strong feelings for Arimon, but she wasn't sure if it was love yet. Luckily for her though, Belldandy had sensed the stress Kazume was feeling, so she had suggested the ferry ride to give her some alone time. And Kazume couldn't be more grateful to her friend; this was just what she needed.
Kazume breathed in heavily and let out a long sigh. What was she going to do? She couldn't keep avoiding Arimon; she cared about him too much. And she could see her forced silence was starting to affect his mood. He too was keeping his distance, seemingly aware of Kazume's need for personal space. But she noticed he seemed depressed since she had pushed him away. She sighed again. She was hurting him… that much was obvious. What she needed to do was sit him down and talk things out properly. But all she wanted to do now, was to escape her own complicated reality and enjoy some quality time by herself.
Arimon paced back and forth impatiently in Kazume and Megumi's living room. The latter sat on a couch, staring as the anxious man wore a hole in their carpet. She let out an exasperated sigh at the situation they were in. Several hours ago Kazume had left the house to go who knows where and spend some alone time thinking everything through. About an hour later, Arimon had appeared on their doorstep demanding to speak to her roommate. After explaining where she was, he had insisted he wait inside their home until she returned, even if it meant waiting all night. So now Megumi watched in bemusement as he now strolled around the room. She had to hand to him he had remarkable patience; she would've given up hours ago. 'He must really love the girl.' She thought to herself.
"Damn it…it's getting dark, Where is she?"
Megumi smiled at his protectiveness. "Relax, Kazume's a big girl I'm sure she can look after herself. Plus I doubt anyone can catch her on that motorbike of hers."
Arimon sighed. "I know all that. But even so I can't help but worry."
Megumi grinned. "You poor, helpless, love sick fool."
Arimon glared at her. "Shut up."
"Hey Megumi! I'm home!"
Both perked up at the sound of Kazume's voice and Megumi called out. "In here Kaz!"
Kazume walked in to greet her best friend properly but stopped dead in her tracks when she saw an unexpected guest.
'A…Arimon."
Arimon hesitantly stepped towards her but stopped when she backed away. "Kazume…please I can't take this any longer. I'm begging you; please tell me what's wrong. I thought we were friends."
Kazume looked away. "I…I can't."
Arimon stared at her. "You don't want to be friends anymore?"
Kazume looked back at him with disbelief. "Of course I still want to be friends! Our friendship means the world to me! It's also why I can't be around you right now! It's too hard!"
Arimon gazed at her. "I…I don't understand."
Kazume sighed and turned to Megumi. "Can you give us a minute?"
Her best friend smiled and nodded. "Sure, take your time." Giving the two a glance, she walked out of the room and left them alone.
Kazume turned back to Arimon. "I'm sorry Arimon, I wish I could explain. But I'm not sure myself what's bothering me."
Arimon sighed. "But is it worth avoiding me and jeopardizing our friendship?"
Kazume looked horrified. "Of course not! I…" She sighed. "I'm so confused."
Arimon walked up to her and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Listen, I'm not going to push you to tell me what's bothering you. But you need to know that no matter what I'll always be here. I care too much about you Kazume."
Kazume's eyes filled with tears. Even though she had hurt him, he had been the friend he had promised he would be. But somewhere inside her heart, she knew she felt something for him in a whole new way. Pushing that aside for now, she rushed forward to give him a friendly hug, wrapping her arms around his shoulders.
Arimon laughed and hugged her back, happy that everything was okay between them again. He held her for a minute to soak in her warmth, but was startled when he heard her sniffling. He pulled her back to arms length and was horrified to see a couple of tears falling down her face.
"Kazume…are you alright? Did I say something wrong?"
Kazume choked out a laugh. "No…you didn't. I'm just happy…that's all. In all my years I've never had friends has wonderful has you and Megumi. The both of you mean the world to me."
Arimon smiled and placed a hand comfortingly on her head. "Well we're not going anywhere. Whether it's myself or Megumi, you'll always have someone beside you."
Kazume smiled at him through watery eyes. What an idiot she had been. Why would avoiding Arimon improve any problem she had? No matter what she felt for him, she knew she could always rely on him for support and comfort.
An idea suddenly sprung in her mind and she grinned at Arimon. "Say I know something fun we can do!"
Arimon raised his eyebrows. Well she got over that fast. "What's that?"
He grew nervous when her grin widened. "Let's all go to the amusement park!"
He froze. "Uh…what?"
Kazume looked at him with her eyes practically sparkling with excitement. "Oh pleeeaaassee? I've never been! I've always wanted to go to one!"
Arimon chuckled. "Well I definitely don't have a problem with it. Is it just going to be us?"
Kazume cheered. "Yaaaay! And of course not! I'm going to see if Megumi, Keii and Belldandy want to come too!"
Arimon smiled. "Great, but what about Urd and Skuld?"
Kazume's eyes widened. "Oh crap! I forgot about them! Yes! Absolutely! They can come too!"
Arimon chuckled. "So when are we going."
Kazume mulled it over. "How about this weekend? Just because I know Keiichi is busy with his courses and assignments during the week."
Arimon nodded. "Sounds good. Anyway I should let you go so you can tell Megumi about the fun weekend."
Kazume grinned. "Okay, thanks for coming around. I'm glad we could have this talk."
Arimon smiled. "Yeah me too." He walked past her and towards the front door. He turned to her again as she started to follow him.
"You go talk to Megumi. I'll help myself out."
Kazume tilted her head at him. "Are you sure? I always come out and say good night to you."
He grinned and held his arms open. "Well come here and give us a hug then."
She giggled and ran into his hug. She clung onto him for several seconds, breathing in his scent. Oh gosh what was this man doing to her? She pulled away and smiled up at him.
"Have a good night."
Arimon smiled back at her. "You too, sweet dreams Kazume."
She kept her gaze on him as he walked out and flew into the night sky. She raised her right hand and placed it on her chest. From the moment she first saw Arimon standing in their living room, her heart had been beating so hard and fast it felt like it was going to explode. Kazume had never felt like this about anybody before, and she was scared of what it meant.
That she may be falling deeply in love with Arimon.
(That following weekend)
Kazume bounced on the balls of her feet in anticipation as she stood in a very long line. Right now she was with her friends waiting at the entrance of an enormous amusement park. Next to her, Arimon smiled in amusement at how excited she looked. She was acting just like a little kid.
He thought back to a few days ago when he had received an unexpected call from her. He had listened in adoration as she ranted on about how she had spoken to all her friends and everyone had agreed to the fun weekend they had planned. And her hyper ness hadn't died down since, in fact it only seemed to increase the closer the day came. Now here she was, practically jumping up and down like a five year old. Most people would find this immature, but Arimon found this side of her rather endearing. Finally after a half hour wait they had each paid their entrance fees and now entered the massive grounds.
Having also never been himself, Arimon took the time to take in his surroundings. He saw different varieties of activities such as fun games to win large toys, or huge thrilling roller coasters where he could clearly hear the screams from those riding them. He cringed when the long train sped upside down into a loop, that didn't look too appealing to him. But unfortunately for him, Kazume had other plans.
He stumbled slightly when she yanked on his sleeve and pulled him towards the very same roller coaster he was dreading. 'Oh hell, please tell me she doesn't want to go on that hell ride.'
"Hey Arimon let's go on that one! It looks hell fun!"
He directed his gaze to where she was pointing and felt all his blood drain from his face. She wanted to go on the very ride he was planning on avoiding, but he loved the girl too much to refuse so he let her drag him towards the line. The wait was too short for Arimon's tastes and he soon found himself strapped in a small carriage next to Kazume. He glanced at the girl beside him who was bouncing anxiously in her seat. Well he was glad one of them was enjoying themselves. The ride suddenly jerked forward to slowly move around the corner before stopping again, giving them a scarily full view of just how big the whole ride really was.
"Five, Four, Three, Two, One..."
Arimon had barely registered the count down when without warning their train took off at breaking speed. He reflexively reached forward and held on desperately to the thick metal bar keeping him inside. A shriek sounded beside him and he turned his head to see Kazume holding her arms above her head and letting out deafening excited screams. After what was really only around five minutes, but had felt like a long gruelling hour for Arimon, the two finally jumped out of the train. Kazume walked around as if she had just won the lottery and Arimon wondered why she still had energy after screaming for almost the entire ride.
A few minutes later, they ran into Keiichi and Belldandy who had just been casually strolling around the park with their hands entwined. Arimon couldn't help but feel a little envious of them. The two pairs approached and when Keiichi took one look at the overly hyper Kazume and a traumatized Arimon, he couldn't help wondering what might have happened.
"Well aren't you two a sight for sore eyes? Where've you guys been?"
Kazume pointed to the towering roller coaster with a maniacal grin. "We just came from that! Was so awesome!"
Belldandy gave a pitiful look to her cousin. "You don't look like you agree with her."
Arimon smiled. "It's fine. She had fun, that's all that matters to me."
Keiichi could've sworn he saw Kazume look at Arimon with a rather soft expression, but quicker than he had blinked she went right back to being hyper again. Not paying it any mind, he asked. "So what was it like?"
Kazume smiled. "Exhilarating! You only have a short count down warning before you shoot off like a rocket! And there are these sharp turns when your whole body is facing completely sideways! And those loops are huge! Felt like I was upside down for ages! And the best part about it is that the whole time you're going so fast everything around you is just a blur! I'm totally going on it again later!"
Keiichi watched as Arimon's face went white as a sheet, but luckily for him Kazume seemed to notice and take pity on him.
"It's okay Arimon, you don't have to come if you don't want to. I can see how much you hated it."
Arimon let out a visible sigh of relief. "Wow…thanks. I don't know if I can handle that a second time."
She grinned at him. "Think you can stomach some bumper cars?"
He stuck his tongue out at her. "I'm not that much of a wimp."
Kazume laughed at him then turned to the other couple. "Hey, where are Urd and Skuld? I thought they were with you guys."
Keiichi shrugged. "They ran off as soon as we came in, just like you guys did."
Kazume raised an eyebrow. "So in other words, you have no clue where they are."
Keiichi sighed while his girlfriend giggled. "Yeah…no idea."
Kazume grinned. "Well we still have hours before this place closes; I'm going to go see what other fun stuff this place has!"
Before anyone could respond she grabbed Arimons' sleeve and pulled him in another random direction. Keiichi watched until they disappeared into the crowd then turned to his girlfriend.
"Hey Belldandy, did you see Kazume's expression a minute ago?"
The goddess nodded, her eyes still gazing in the direction the other pair left. "I did...you don't suppose she's…"
Keiichi smiled. "You never know, maybe some good will finally come to those two. Goodness knows they both deserve it."
Several hours later, the split group of friends met up again at the main entrance in the early evening. Most were still fairly energetic apart from Kazume who needed to be half carried by Arimon just to keep her on her feet.
Megumi raised an eyebrow when she spotted her half dead best friend. "Gee Arimon how many times have I seen you carry her back looking so out of it?"
He grinned sheepishly. "Well she was having such a great time; I didn't have the heart to stop her."
Megumi sighed. "What am I gonna do with you boy?"
Arimon smiled. "Listen Megumi, why don't you take Kazume's bike? I'll carry her home."
Megumi looked at him. "Are you sure? It's a fairly long walk."
He smiled mysteriously. "I'll manage; she's not all that heavy."
She shrugged. "Whatever… just make sure she gets home safely."
After he promised he would, Megumi bore farewell to everyone and headed over to Kazume's motorcycle. After she had left, Arimon turned to all the others.
"I'll see you at the temple a little later Bell."
His cousin smiled. "Yes, take care of yourself Arimon."
He smiled and nodded to Keiichi and the other goddesses. He then swiftly walked out of the gates and moved to a spot where no one could see. Looking around again and making sure no one was looking, he carefully scooped up the sleepy girl in his arms and took off into the night sky. Only a few minutes into the journey did he notice that Kazume had finally fallen asleep. At one point she had shuffled around to make herself more comfortable in his embrace. Arimon tightened his arms around her to make sure she stayed warm. When they were a few minutes away from the apartment, Kazume stirred from her sleep and blinked sleepily.
"Where am i?"
Arimon smiled at her. "Hey there sleepy head, you're nearly home."
Kazume glanced downwards and stared wide-eyed at the far away ground. "Holy crap Arimon, you need to warn me when you're going to fly me home."
He chuckled. "Sorry about that, you were pretty out of it so I figured I'd get you home as soon as possible."
She sighed and relaxed into him more. "I guess that's alright then." She smiled at him. "Thank you."
He smiled softly at her. "Not a problem."
When her apartment finally came into view, Arimon descended and landed gently in front of her front door. Kazume glanced into the small car park where she could see her motorbike had already been secured which confirmed that Megumi had long since arrived home.
Arimon was about to put her down when she stopped him with a hand on his arm. "Could you take me to my room?"
He smiled. "Of course I will."
Kazume hung on tight while he used a hand to open the front door. He used his shoulder to nudge the door open then closed it again with his foot, all the while keeping a tight hold on the sleepy redhead. He carried her down the hall towards her bedroom. Once they were at her door, Kazume reached out and slid it open. Arimon stepped inside and walked over to her bed then carefully he kneeled down and placed her on her soft futon. He then grabbed her blankets and pulled them over her form, gently tucking her in.
"Are you all comfortable now?"
Kazume smiled sleepily up at him and, to Arimons' surprise, lifted her hand and rested it gently on his cheek, her eyes glowing affectionately at him.
"Yes I'm okay, thanks again."
Arimon smiled tenderly at her. "You have a good sleep alright?"
She nodded, pulled her hand back and rested it beside her. "You too. Good night."
"Good night."
He watched as she gave him one last smile before she closed her eyes and fell into a peaceful sleep. Arimon stayed there at her side for several more minutes just simply gazing at her. His heart warmed as he stared at her, thinking to himself how much he had come to love her. He promised to himself that he would tell her his feelings someday soon. He didn't care whether or not she felt the same way; all he wanted was for her to know how he felt about her. With that thought, he leaned down to gently kiss her forehead before rising to his feet and slowly backing out of her room. His gaze remained fixated on her until he slid the door shut. Sighing deeply, he walked down the hall and out of their apartment.
He walked silently down the sidewalk with his mind clouded with thoughts. He was so caught up in himself that he didn't notice several dark figures following him in the shadows. Just as he passed a dark alleyway, mysterious hands whipped out and pulled him back in the darkness, leaving no trace in their wake.
"Kazume! Kazume! Wake up!"
Kazume's eyes snapped open to see her best friend desperately shaking her body. "Megumi…what's going on? What are you doing?"
Megumi grabbed her blankets and threw them off her. "It's Arimon! Something's happened."
Kazume bolted upright and stared wide eyed at her roommate. "Arimon? What about him? What happened?"
Megumi sounded scared. "Belldandy rang just now. Apparently he never came home last night; no one's seen him since he left the amusement park to take you home."
Kazume scrambled to her feet and dashed out of her room and headed for the kitchen. She then made a beeline straight for the phone. She picked up the receiver and dialled an all too familiar number. Several ring tones later she heard the voice, not of Belldandy, but her older dark skinned sister.
"Hello?"
"Urd, thank goodness. Listen Megumi's just told me that Arimon is missing. Is this true?"
A long sigh sounded from the other side of the line. "Yes it is. We even tried back tracking his steps from your apartment, but there's no trace of him. It's like he's completely vanished."
Kazume placed a hand over her chest. He was gone, Arimon had disappeared and no one had any clue where he was. An overwhelming fear rose inside her at the thought of never seeing him again. No…she wasn't going to let this happen, she couldn't imagine her life without him anymore. A thought then flashed in her mind and she felt her blood boil. Hild. That was the only explanation. Only she was capable of abducting someone and leaving no evidence behind. She also remembered how a little while ago Arimon had told her that the Demon Ruler was very angry with his new found bond with her. This would be a perfect motive for her to snatch him up and take him back to Demon Realm.
With renewed determination she spoke back into the phone. "Urd, I've just had an idea."
"What is it?"
"What if it was Hild that took him? It's the only logical explanation as to why he would disappear so suddenly. No one else can take someone as powerful as Arimon so suddenly unless they just as strong as he is."
There was silence for a few moments. "It does make sense, it could very well be the case. But Kazume, what do you plan to do? Confronting my mother is too risky, she's a very dangerous person when she wants to be."
Kazume growled. "I don't care! That wench took him against his will! I am going to do whatever it takes to bring Arimon back!"
She heard Urd chuckle. "Wow Kazume, you're going to really extreme lengths to rescue my cousin. Do you really care about him that much?"
OF COURSE I DO! I LOVE HIM!"
After her outburst the room turned so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Kazume stared blankly ahead of her as she registered what she has just admitted.
"I…I love him." 'Oh my gosh' she thought to herself. 'I'm in love with Arimon, when and how did that happen?'
Urd's voice brought her attention back to the phone. "Well it's about time you admitted it, the rest of us were beginning to wonder."
Kazume furrowed her eyebrows. "You knew?"
Urd laughed. "Oh you dear girl, everyone knew. You and Arimon were the only ones who were oblivious. Speaking of which, are you going to tell him anytime soon?"
Kazume smiled. "Of course, but I have to get him back first."
"And how do you plan on doing that exactly?"
Kazume grinned. "Actually Urd I wonder if you could do me a favour."
"Oh boy, what is it?"
Well I want to confront Hild from a safe distance. So if I come over later today would you help me get in contact with the Demon Realm through the phone line?"
She yanked the phone from her ear as Urd shrieked. "ARE YOU INSANE? My mother will KILL ME!"
Kazume growled. "No offense Urd but I don't give a crap! All I care about right now is Arimon."
Urd sighed. "Guess there's no convincing you otherwise. Alright if you can be here in an hour or two I'll help you get through."
Kazume smiled. "Thank you, I owe you big time."
"No problem. Don't you worry Kazume, we'll get your man back."
Kazume blushed. "I'll see you soon then."
She hung up the phone and turned around to head back to her room but stopped when she saw Megumi gawking open mouthed at her. She raised an eyebrow at her friends gobsmacked expression.
"What?"
The brunette grinned. "Did you just say what I think you said?"
Kazume stared at her. "What did I say?"
Megumi's grin widened. "That you're in love with Arimon!"
Kazume smiled slightly. "Oh that… yeah I said it. What's your point?"
Megumi stared incredulously at her. "My POINT? Are you kidding me? Do you know how long I've been trying to get you to admit how you feel about him?"
Kazume smiled, unfazed by her outburst. "And I'm grateful Megumi, without your persistence it probably would've taken me a lot longer to realize how I felt about him."
Megumi grinned. "Well you know it's the best friends' job to make it happen."
Kazume stepped forward and hugged her friend tightly. "What would I do without you Megumi?"
Megumi chuckled and returned her hug. "You'd be so screwed."
Kazume laughed and released her. "Thanks. Listen I'm heading out in a little while, I need you to stay here."
Megumi raised an eyebrow. "Why? What's going on?"
Kazume averted her gaze sideways. "I'm going out to look for Arimon. I need someone to be here in case he comes back." Kazume felt bad lying to her best friend. She knew without a doubt there was no chance of Arimon coming back to their apartment, but she needed to make sure Megumi couldn't discover the truth about the gods and goddesses. She had given Belldandy her word that she wouldn't tell a soul of their secret.
But Megumi was none the wiser to her friends' guilt and agreed to stay home and wait. After quickly refreshing herself and dressing in clean clothes, Kazume left the house and walked towards her bike to head out to the temple. She rode down the road with nothing but thoughts of Arimon racing through her mind. He had only been missing for a number of hours and she was already missing him terribly. With this thought, she turned the bike handle to increase her speed. She sped quickly through the roads and didn't stop until she pulled into the familiar driveway of the temple. 'Probably got flashed a few times,' she thought without really caring much. She parked her bike and jumped off it, yanking off her helmet. She practically sprinted to the door and burst through it without knocking, yelling.
"URD!"
The sound of a yelp and glass shattering sounded from somewhere down the hall. Kazume's head whipped in that direction to see an annoyed Urd appear from inside her room. She glared at the confused redhead.
"Great, look what you did! You scared the living daylights out of me and made me drop an experiment I spent forever working on."
Kazume rubbed the back of her head sheepishly. "Sorry about that Urd, I've been in a desperate mood all morning."
The older woman's expression turned sympathetic. "I know Kazume, and I'll do my best to help you. Let's go over to the phone then shall we?"
Kazume smiled and nodded than followed her back towards the door to where their landline phone was resting on a small side table. The girls stood side by side and stared at the device for several seconds until Urd picked up the receiver. She turned and looked at Kazume who nodded for her to keep going. Urd turned back and began dialling a series of numbers that Kazume couldn't keep up with. When she was finished, she held it up to her ear and waited
Several ring tones later, a deep voice rung out. "You've reached the Demonic Realm."
Urd took a deep breath. "This is Urd, half demon and half goddess, daughter to the ruler of all demons. Security number is six, nine, three, and eight."
"You have been confirmed, what matter of business are you stating?"
"I demand to speak to Queen Hild."
"Please hold."
Urd waited patiently as the usual routine followed through. Her request would pass over to Hild and she would decide whether or not it would be accepted. She mentally scoffed, she was confident her mother wouldn't hesitate to speak with her only daughter.
Her thoughts were confirmed when she heard an irritatingly familiar voice chirp through the phone.
"My dear daughter, I have so touched you went to so much trouble to reach me. To what do I owe the unexpected but pleasant surprise?"
Urd rolled her eyes. "Actually I didn't want to talk to you at all. My good friend Kazume here has something she would like to speak to you about. I just lent her a hand in getting through to the Demon Realm."
"Oh I see…" Urd smirked when she noticed Hild sounded somewhat disappointed. "Well I may as well humour her then since she went to such lengths just to speak with me. Put her on for me then would you Urd, dear?"
Urd cringed at the term of endearment but didn't reply. Instead she turned to Kazume, who had been quiet the whole time, and handed the receiver over to her.
"All yours Kaz, but be careful alright? She can easily put words in your mouth. Don't let her take control. Tell her exactly what is on your mind; show her how strong I know you are." She grinned. "After all, you're fighting for the sake of love."
Kazume nodded and took the phone with a determined expression. She held it up to her ear and took a deep breath.
"This is Kazume."
"So this is the lovely Kazume. It's an honour to finally speak to the girl who my nephew is so fond of."
Shivers shot through her spine when she heard the devious voice of the Demon Queen, but she wasn't going to let this woman get the better of her.
"Let's cut to the chase Hild, I know you have Arimon. And I demand you let him go this instant."
She heard Hild laugh. "That's quite the accusation! What in the world makes you think I have him?"
All fear Kazume may have felt to begin with vanished and was replaced with white, hot anger. "Because Arimon is a powerful being, it would take an extremely strong person to be able to kidnap him without leaving any trace! This kind of despicable behaviour isn't anything I'd expect from Gods or Goddesses, only you Demons would stoop to this level!"
"Well aren't you a smart cookie? I see there is no deceiving you. Alright then, I will admit I ordered Arimons' capture, but it was for his own good. I am his legal guardian and seeing him become a worthless human lover was eating away at me. So I was forced to take action, since the stubborn boy refused to return to this world willingly."
Kazume growled. "Why would he return to that dreadful place when he has people here that actually love and care about him?"
Hilds' voice instantly turned from casual to ice. "He has demon blood in him! This is where he belongs! Do you not realize that before he met you, he was a cold-blooded monster that wouldn't have cared if the human race rotted away?"
Kazume snipped back at her. "Are you also forgetting that he has God blood as well? I have seen the good inside him and I know that's who he truly is! I am demanding you let him go!"
"Don't be foolish child, why would I take orders from a worthless human? Arimon will be remaining here in the Demon Realm with me, and there is nothing you, those pitiful goddesses or even my own daughter can do anything about it. Just accept the inevitable little girl; you will never see Arimon again."
Before she could even reply, Hild had hung up and cut off their connection. Kazume pulled the phone away and sadly stared at it. She was barely aware of Urd staring at her in bewilderment. She placed the receiver back onto its rightful resting place, but kept her hand there; Hilds' final words to her swirling inside her mind
'You will never see Arimon again.'
"NOOOO!"
Kazume's resolve finally broke as she fell onto her knees and sobbed. Her cry of anguish had startled Urd who was instantly on the floor to help comfort her. Kazume turned and collapsed onto her friend with tears streaming down her face. Urd put her arms around her and patted her head.
"Kazume, talk to me. What did she say to you?"
The broken hearted girl pulled back a little but kept her gaze on the ground. "Sh…She has him, Hild admitted she had Arimon captured and brought back to the Demon Realm."
Urd continued to pat her head encouragingly. "Did she say why?"
Kazume nodded. "She hated how fond he grew of humans in such a short space of time. So she captured him and she has no intention of releasing him."
She lifted her head and Urd felt for the young girl. Her eyes were filled with sadness and heart-break while never ending tears flowed down her cheeks. "Urd…I'm never going to see him again. I'll never get the chance to tell him I love him."
'No, it can't end like this.' Urd thought, 'There has to be a loophole somewhere. Knowing my mother, she's probably crossed some deeply, hidden lines to pull of this stunt. Looks like I'll need to do some digging.'
She smiled comfortingly at Kazume. "Listen to me Kazume, why don't you go and rest somewhere? You must be exhausted after speaking to that demon."
Kazume shook her head. "I can't just sit around and do nothing!"
Urd patted her shoulder. "You don't have to worry. I'll take care of this. I promise that by the time I'm finished, you'll be able to see Arimon again."
Kazume stared warily at her. "What are you planning Urd?"
The goddess grinned. "All will be revealed. Now you go lie down, feel free to borrow one of our rooms. No one else is home anyway."
Kazume sighed and gave in. "Alright, I trust you to bring him home." She gave her a small smile and walked past her towards the bedrooms. Urd smiled when she coincidentally happened to choose Arimons' room. 'Don't you worry Kaz, you'll see him soon. And you Arimon, I promise I'll get you out of that hell hole and back to the girl who loves you.'
With the promise locked in her mind, Urd cracked her fingers and headed to her younger sisters room. She grinned when she spotted the large computer in the corner.
'It's show time.'
End of Chapter