Bonds
The sky was clear, the wind was still. Two families stood on opposite sides, their children of age and to be married in front of the altar. Both were sexless, the choice to be made after the first part of the vows. First was the body, then the soul.
Two jewel like coins sat in plush cushions, waiting for their decision. Both bride and groom were naked and untouched. The roles were undecided. There was no discussion. A hand snapped out grabbing the male coin. That left the female coin.
They were escorted to the room of change, where they would then join their bodies. Tomorrow they would exchange the pact of the soul and become eternal soulmates.
But when the sun rose after a night of debauchery, there was only one.
His 'friends' were teasing again. Masaomi had a girlfriend and although there was something off about her, his best friend was always bragging.
Izaya was either asexual or just not interested, since he hadn't known his friend to so much look at a woman or man. Izaya was a bit of an asshole and referred to humans as if superior to them or if they were an experiment.
"I have a girlfriend!" Mikado snapped stabbing at his milkshake.
Although Masaomi and Izaya weren't on the best terms, they still managed to be in sync when teasing him. "Riiight." Masaomi drawled. "You finally asked Sonohara-chan out?"
Mikado frowned. "Sonohara-chan is my friend. Anyway I don't have a girlfriend, I have a fiancée." Masaomi laughed but he ignored him. "I was hoping you two would be at the wedding."
Izaya was the first to realise he wasn't joking. "An arranged marriage?"
"No. She was a customer and we just clicked."
The two shared a glance. "Too suspicious." Masaomi declared. "I want to meet her."
Mikado opened his mouth to argue but he knew his friends wouldn't relent. "Fine. But on her terms. She doesn't do well with new people. I'm not giving you her name either. No background checks or stalking."
She'd already met the parents. Next was the friends. Shizuo took deep cleansing breaths trying to calm her nerves. Izaya Orihara. Masaomi Kida. Mikado had told her about them and now she was sitting in her favourite bakery waiting to meet them. Her fingers tapped nervously on the table top.
The door jangled and her head shot up seeing her fiancée and his two friends step in. She stood with a grin, careful not to catch her dress on the table.
"Mikado." She breathed kissing his cheek.
"Shizuo." Her fiancée murmured taking her hand. "These are my friends, Izaya and Masaomi."
Shizuo was going to force a smile but Masaomi was looking at her like he'd seen a ghost and Izaya looked at her with hatred. Well shit. "Nice to meet you." She said. Might as well be polite. "Mikado has told me about you both."
"Wish we could say the same." Izaya retorted. This was going to go well. Not. "How old are you, Shizu-chan?"
"Thirty five. Thirty six next January."
"Where were you born?"
"Ikebukuro." Shizuo smiled. "This is my hometown. I went away for a while, built a business. I came back to see a business partner and bumped into Mikado."
"What do you do?" Izaya asked.
Shizuo looked to her fiancée. "You were right. He does ask a lot of questions." Turning her attention back to Izaya she answered. "I run a matchmaking business and I'm also a silent partner in an event planning business. We started after high school. We're actually-
The door jangled. Shizuo looked up and beamed as Kadota Kyohei bustled in holding a small pile of Manila folders under his arm. "Kyo!" She called with a wave. He smiled back at her and came over to join them.
The smile faded as he caught sight of Mikado's two friends. His eyes flashed and an expression of hatred flickered across his features. "Kyo, these are Mikado's friends, Izaya Orihara and Masaomi Kida."
"…Right. Sorry to disturb you. You need to come back to the office. It's an emergency."
Shizuo frowned. "Something that you can't handle?" That was surprising. The only thing Kadota couldn't handle was…"Ah."
"Erika got bored. She's started offering fun time weddings. There's a bouncy castle and a ton of glitter." Kadota's eyes were puppy dog pleading.
Shizuo sighed feeling a headache coming on. "Sorry Mikado, looks like I'm needed. Another time." She kissed his lips and stood. She hoped she never saw his friends again.
"No worries. Sounds important. I'll see you tonight?"
"Doubtful." Kadota answered for her.
Mikado watched as his fiancée left with her partner. Kadota tolerated him but didn't agree with them getting married.
"You can't marry her!" Masaomi blurted out.
Mikado frowned. He'd thought his friends would like her. "What?"
"You can't marry her." Izaya parroted. "She's one of us."
Mikado rolled his eyes. "Square root of three. I've seen her bleed. It's red. I've helped her with period cramps and taken care of her when she caught a cold. She's human and my fiancée." Mikado glared at his friends before leaving the table and going home.
Shizuo left the apartment slipping out the back door and avoiding her bodyguards. Bodyguards. Kadota was being ridiculous but she'd relented with the ultimatum. Bodyguards or house arrest. She'd been good for a week but now was a time for freedom.
Shizuo grinned walking around the back of the building and onto the Main Street. She could finally go and see her fiancé. Humming happily, she adjusted her bag and checked her phone, already texting Mikado she was on her way.
She was walking past an alley in the next block, when someone grabbed her, a gloved hand over her mouth. They slammed her against the wall, her back hitting brick. Her attacker wore a school uniform but had a hood to cover his face. Shizuo couldn't see the colour of his eyes.
She could however see the blade he held to her throat. Shizuo trembled keeping her head straight. Her heart was pounding and she was pretty sure she was going to wet herself. "P-please don't." She murmured. "Y-you can have my bag and phone."
Her attacker was silent, just watching her. She winced feeling the smooth of the blade trailing to her breasts. She hissed, crying out as the knife was slashed across her chest, skimming the top of her breasts, tearing her dress. Blood soaked her dress. Red droplets flowing down her belly. She was going to die. She was going to die, she was going to die.
Tears streamed down her cheeks, urine running down her leg. Her attacker cut away her bra strap and her dress slipped down, the scar over her heart visible where she'd had surgery. It was an ugly jagged mess that even Mikado hadn't seen.
The attacker slammed her head into the wall, snatched her bag and ran leaving her to slide down the wall in humiliation feeling violated.
Mikado was in a foul mood. Shizuo was ignoring his calls and the bodyguards wouldn't let him into the building. "What did I do wrong?" He grumbled to his friends. "We were fine." His lips drew into a sneer. "I bet it was Kadota. She was always Kyo-san Kyo-san." He mimicked falsetto. "Stupid guards wouldn't even pass on a message."
Masaomi set another drink in front of him. He was a little tipsy and pissed off. "I said you couldn't marry her:"
Mikado snorted. "Yeah, looks like I dodged a bullet there. Fuck her." He grumbled. "Stupid frigid bitch. Who'd want to marry that? Don't need her!"
"Glad to hear it." A cold voice spoke right at his ear. Mikado flinched too slow to react and knocked his drink over. "I didn't want to waste time killing you." A clawed finger scraped down his cheek a bead of blood ran down his cheek.
Neither Izaya or Masaomi had moved. They were staring over his shoulder at whatever was behind him. His friends had silver blood. Something told him the thing behind him didn't. "She's off limits." The voice spoke and then it was gone. Mikado had pissed himself.
"Wha-"
"That was a black blood." Izaya said slowly.
Mikado blinked. "A what?"
Shizuo had her demons. She had scars and she had a shadow at her shoulder. It chose to be male and only appeared occasionally. He hadn't known about Mikado. Tears streamed down her cheeks as the demon recounted what her fiancée had said word for word. Ex fiancée.
She stood naked in front of the full length mirror. Her face looked gaunt, she hadn't slept since the attack. She hadn't eaten either. Her attacker had left a mark and she hated it. The scar over her heart and breast was discoloured, as if someone had reached inside her and ripped her heart out.
"This feeling…you can make it go away, right? The attack, Mikado…you can make it all go away?"
A clawed hand smoothed over her shoulder. "Ask me."
"Make it go away." Shizuo sobbed. "I don't want to remember."
Her demon smiled. "You never do. It'll cost you."
Shizuo stared back at her hideous reflection. "Anything."
"Everything."
Mikado winced seeing Shizuo sitting calmly in her usual bakery cafe. She wore jeans, different from the usual dresses. His friends were with him and he'd hoped they'd want to leave straight away. It would seem not.
Shizuo was wearing a thin strap, low cut vest showing off a large scar over her heart and over her shoulder. There was also a thin cut scabbed over. Her hair was loose and she looked predatory.
The door jangled as Izaya ordered their drinks. Kadota. Mikado glared at the two of them. Kadota walked over calmly with folders under his arm. The man froze and Mikado watched him pale and swallow. "My lord."
Shizuo tilted her head and gave him a cruel smile he'd never seen before. "Kyo-chan. Remind me what your responsibilities were."
Kadota looked stricken. Mikado felt Shizuo turn towards him. Quickly he looked away. Turning from the counter he ran and didn't stop.
"You're beautiful." The demon told her, smoothing her hair over her shoulder. It had looked better when she'd taken care of it. "So very beautiful."
The demon smoothed a hand over her shoulder and down her arm. Just touching. That's all he ever did. "Tell me what you need. Tell me your desires." He whispered lips to her neck.
"I-I want…someone to love me. I want someone that will never leave me. I want to be someone's obsession." Shizuo whispered, a tear rolling down her cheek.
The demon kissed her. "Shhh. None of that. Give me a name."
"…third time." Shizuo sobbed in realisation.
"Yes." The demon replied. "A name."
"Aoba Yuki Ren Kuronuma." Shizuo spoke the words, closing her eyes. She felt pain pierce her as he reached into her chest and tore what she wanted gone from her heart.
"For fuck sake." Masaomi snapped leaning against the balcony rail. "What does the black blood want?"
Mikado looked down to the dance floor, watching Shizuo throw her arms up high and dance like no one else was watching. It wasn't her though. She'd given her soul over to a black blood. A demon. Izaya had said she was gone. A vessel.
"Stay out of its way." Izaya advised.
But Mikado had already had enough, stomping down the metal stairs and into the throng. He paused seeing the black pattern all over Shizuo's chest and arm. "What do you want?" He demanded.
Shizuo stopped dancing and stared at him wide eyed. "Um, are you talking to me? Look I don't know what I did but I'm just dancing."
Mikado frowned. "Shizuo?"
His ex took a step back. "…yes, that's my name. Who are you?"
"You don't know me?" He demanded.
Shizuo took another step back. "Uh, I'm just gonna go."
Shizuo flinched as the strange man reached for her. Seeing only a small opening she ran back and around, up the stairs to the quieter balcony area. She was walking to one of the upper rooms when two more men stepped in her way.
"Going somewhere, Shizu-chan?"
Shizuo scowled. "Look I don't know who you are or what your game is, but if you and your friends can fuck off and leave me alone, it would be appreciated."
"What the fuck?" The blond guy snapped.
The red eyed guy was much calmer. "If you don't know who we are, then why are you here?"
Shizuo glared at them. "That's none of your business." She brushed past them. "What is with the weirdos today?" She grumbled heading over the VIP area. The bodyguard handed her an envelope. That was what she'd come for.
"Boss doesn't want to see you again." The guard grunted.
"The feeling is mutual." Shizuo shrugged, heading back down the steps, through the dance floor and out the door.
"You need to back off."
Izaya blinked slowly. "Dotachin, finally stopping by to say hi?"
Kadota glared at him. Mikado and Masaomi were off stalking Shizuo. "You need to back off."
"So you said. Care to expand?"
Kadota sighed. "Shizuo. Leave the situation alone. You're going to get her killed."
Izaya raised a brow. "I have nothing to do with the black blood."
"The black blood isn't a problem." Kadota scowled. "Her mother is. You know, the one you left during the bonding ceremony?"
Izaya stiffened, feeling the weight of the jewelled coin around his neck. "Shizu-chan had a child?"
Kadota snorted. "Let me put it this way. If Shizuo gets the attention of her mother, she won't be lectured, because her mother doesn't give a fuck. It would just be easier to kill her. So back off and let the black blood do what he needs to, at least then your daughter might stay alive."
"Shizu-chan wouldn't do that. They-
"You ditched her after a physical bond. It left her craving the soul bond and then with a kid on the way…she lost it Izaya. I'm doing everything I can to keep Shizuo under the radar but you and your friends are really fucking it up."
"Or you're lying."
Kadota cursed, hitting the table as he stood. "Ask your daughter about her childhood."
Some warnings came a little too late.
The blue eyed man was bothering her again. Shizuo glared at him. "Look, I don't know-
The one with red eyes walked in, but didn't say anything. He was staring at her but said nothing to her or the other two giving her a hard time.
"Please, you're making a scene, I don't want attention." She pleaded.
"A bit late for that given how your little spat is going viral." Shizuo froze feeling herself hollow out. That voice she had never forgotten. The cold indifference of her mother.
"…Shizuo-sama." She mumbled. God forbid she call her mother mother. "I-
"Kadota assured me he would keep you out of my sight."
Shizuo looked up daring to raise her gaze to cold steel. Her mother's sword. The sword that had ended her twin brother's life after he'd been born with black hair and red eyes. She'd tried to be good. But it looked like it was her turn now.
"The girl is mine, Silver blood." Aoba.
"Black blood. Explain."
"The girl has used up her three favours. Her soul belongs to me. She is no longer your concern."
Her mother's heartless words washed over her. "She never was. Very well. She is your problem now."
The room was significantly warmer from her mother's absence. Shizuo dropped to her knees terrified. Panic set in, tears streaming down her face.
"Hey, Breathe." Aoba said on his knees cupping her cheeks. "It's alright now. Breathe. Slowly. In and out. That's it. Shizuo fell into him and let the darkness take her.
"What's going on?" Mikado asked confused. "Shizuo is bleeding! Who are you?"
"Aoba Kuronuma. She'll be fine. Although I'll have to change her identity." The man sighed lifting his ex into a bridal carry. "There are some memories that even I can't take."
"So you did-
"Mikado-kun." Izaya spoke low. He shut up immediately.
Aoba snorted. "There was another. A boy in the spitting image of his father. Shizuo ran him through with that very same sword on the day of his naming."
Mikado frowned but Izaya had stepped forward staring down at his ex. "Take her as far as you can get." His mouth dropped open.
"I intend to."
Their reunion was long overdue. He'd thought Shizuo had used the black blood to make herself human. The truth was so much worse. His Shizu-chan had turned cruel and cold. Their daughter treated like nothing, their son murdered for looking like him.
A black blood was the worst and yet, one held the key to his daughter having any semblance of happiness. Call it trust, greed, commitment issues, he'd still left. Had still taken away the ability to be interchangeable. Shizuo had been stuck as a woman, her mind and heart rotting thanks to his actions.
He should've known. The child was always given the name of which parent they looked like. If not they were given a mixed name. His dead son would've been called Izaya.
It was time to end things. On his terms. Izaya walked into the room they'd left all those millennia ago. He looked down at the drugged woman chained to the bed.
"Hello, Shizu-chan." Izaya murmured flicking open his knife and slicing down the ceremonial gown he'd put her in. "Time to finish what we started."
She didn't respond as he spread her legs and fucked into her. The joining of the body always came before the joining of the mind. He finished quickly, hoping his seed wouldn't prevail. The last thing he wanted was an unwanted child on his hands. He already had one to protect.
Izaya took the coin off from around his neck. Clasping both of their hands together he pressed his forehead against Shizuo's. "Bound by body, bound by soul." He intoned, kissing his bonded deeply and feeling the same hatred reflected back at him. But that was for them to deal with and no one was going to be caught in the crossfire.
Her groom smiled as they recited their vows to each other. It was a small wedding to celebrate their soul bond. Aoba had made her hair the colour of cherry blossoms and her name was now Aiko Kuronuma. A new beginning.
Three favours were offered by black bloods. Not that she could remember. But she'd asked and he'd told her.
The first to be human to be able to get far away from her mother.
The second to forget an ex-fiancée that had broken her heart. She never wanted to turn into her mother.
The third to be loved. Unconditionally, obsessively, possessively. Always.
Her heart swelled with happiness ready to burst, her arms thrown around her husband and his around hers as they kissed.
Smiling out the crowd, she paused seeing the man with red eyes and black hair. She'd never seen her twin but she knew his name had been Izaya and according to their customs...
The man walked towards them. She stiffened and Aoba got defensive. Instead the man gave them a present. An envelope that felt ridiculously thick. "Your mother will not bother you any longer. The soul bond is complete and as intended it will remain between the two of us. You've grown beautifully."
Unable to say a thing she merely nodded and watched as he vanished from the venue. Her father. She let out a surprised yelp as Aoba swept her up and then anything bad was forgotten and her happy ever after began.
End