Disclaimer: I do not own Ookami Shoujo to Kuro Ouji (Wolf Girl and Black Prince) or any of the characters
"I thought I told you never to try to travel to the gate again. Then again, you never listened to me like you should have. It was only a matter of time before I found you but I have to thank you for showing me your location. It's time to go home, son. But first there's something I need to take care of."
Erika gulped when she felt something rest on her shoulder. The king placed the flat edge of his sword on her shoulder and slowly moved it towards her neck. She felt its tip against her neck but he didn't kill her immediately like she thought he would. There was something cold in his eyes that stopped her from moving as he pressed the sword against her skin only enough to draw a little blood.
"I let you live before because my son protected you. I thought he loved you but it seems that you're only a tool to open the gate to him. I won't allow that gate to be open but I'll let you live long enough to tell me how you came to the Demon Realm and what your lord has planned." Erika bit her lower lip in fear but the king took it as a sign of defiance. "Speak or die!"
"I won't allow you to kill her." Kyouya glared at his father as he gripped his sword. He pushed it away from Erika's neck and she looked at him worried when saw that his grip was strong enough to draw blood. Testing his resolve, the king turned the sword in Kyouya's hand. He winced in pain but he didn't let go of the sword. "I'm sick of this darkness. I want to see that sun again."
"You don't know anything!" His father yelled and Kyouya let go of the sword before it could take off his fingers. He had only seen his father angry on a few occasions but there was no mistaking the hatred in his father's red eyes. There was no doubt that he would kill her without hesitation but he could barely summon the strength to protect her.
His father knew that neither had the strength to fight him either so withdraw his sword. There was no point in him wasting his breath when they had no choice but to obey him. No matter how stubborn and determine Kyouya was, he wasn't stupid enough to go against him. "Step away from her, Kyouya. I'll deal with you after I'm finished with her."
Erika felt ice run through her at the thought. She didn't know how any father could hurt his own son but under the king's icy gaze, she believed he would. Fear made her stomach heavy but she forced herself to move between Kyouya and his father. He tried to stop her but she stood stubbornly in front of him. Her body shook but her eyes didn't. "I won't let you hurt him."
"Are you an idiot?" Kyouya screamed while his father laughed. There was something bitter in his eyes as he laughed though. They knew that she couldn't fly away since the king would only use his power to stop them again. Erika herself didn't know how she could defeat the king but her mind raced thinking of a way. They were so close to the gate and she didn't want their journey to end in such a way.
"I'll tell you what you want but please don't hurt Kyouya!" Erika relented. She knew that the most she could do for now was buy them as much time as she could. He sighed and reluctantly agreed. She stepped back from him when the king reached out to take her arm. "I'm not leaving Kyouya's side to make sure you keep your promise!"
The king obviously thought he secured their cooperation so ordered his knights to leave him alone with his son. Kyouya watched them leave, waiting for an opportunity to attack his father. Even without the knights, he knew that it would be difficult. He knew his father would only keep his promise until he had no use for her anymore.
"Let me see your hand, Kyouya." Erika took his hand gently and healed the cut his father caused. Guilt settled in her stomach and the only thing that eased her conscious was the knowledge that she would save him. Her hands held his firmly but the warmth that healed him reminded him of her stubborn kindness. Even when she was in danger, she only thought of him.
His father snorted at the sight of them and she threw back a glare at him. "I'm healing him! Kyouya's your son so why do you treat him like this?"
Kyouya pulled Erika into his protective hold when his father would've strike her. He didn't know why she was able to face his father when many would be scared. Erika had been scared herself but now she was determined to save Kyouya so she couldn't allow herself to become afraid. She looked over her shoulder to see that the king wasn't paying them much attention.
"Kyouya, how quickly can you perform the spell to open the gate?" She asked him quietly but couldn't hear her own voice over her beating heart. She was afraid that his father would overhear them so tried to keep her voice low. "If I teleport us to the gate and you do the spell right away, will you be able to open the gate before your father can stop us?"
"I should be able to create a key quick enough but I'll be cutting it close. I don't know what will happen once the gates are opened so I can't promise that I'll be able protect you when my father catches us." Kyouya told her honestly but she still smiled with relief at his words. That smile vanished when she looked back to his father before leaning closer to him and whispering.
"I don't have enough magic to use a teleportation spell unless I use the rest of the magic in my locket. So when you perform the spell, you need to use my magic to create the key." She quickly covered his mouth when he would've argued. "I want you to open that gate and keep your promise to protect my family. Then everyone I care about will be safe and happy."
"That's the most stupid, self sacrificing plan I've ever heard. I'll think of a way out of this but I don't want you to tell my father anything. He'll kill you once he has the information he wants." Kyouya shook her since he knew that she was stupid enough to go through with the plan. He didn't know if he would be able to save them but anything would be better than her death.
She didn't look convinced and he could understand why she thought her plan was the best solution since there didn't seem to be another way to escape his father. Even though his father was allowing her to heal him, he didn't know how long they would be able to speak privately. "You do understand that if I use you to make the key, you'll die."
Erika nodded somberly. No matter how kind she was, he couldn't understand why she was willing to sacrifice so much for the Dark Prince and her parents. Even after his hand was healed, she kept her hands around his and he could feel them shake. He could tell that she wanted to say something more and he hoped that she would change her mind.
"I don't know what you think of me and I don't fully understand what I feel for you but I don't want to see you hurt. I know your father will hurt you if we go along with him. If we open the gate, you'll at least have the sun that you love." Erika told him in a soft voice. "This was your plan from the beginning so why are you hesitating now?"
"Because you're important to me now! I'm not going to throw away your life and you're not a tool to me." Kyouya found himself telling her before he realized he had spoken the words. The words poured from his heart and frustration that she was willing to do something so foolish for him. Her eyes widened and he froze as well.
"So you were telling the truth when you said that you love her. You're as foolish as your mother." The King heard Kyouya and didn't know if he should laugh or not. No matter what information the angel had, he couldn't allow her to influence Kyouya more than she already had. "An angel doesn't belong in our world, Kyouya, so let's get this over with."
Before the king reached for his sword, Erika reacted. Thinking that he was going to hurt Kyouya, she wrapped her arms around Kyouya's waist and cast the spell. The forest rushed around them. She knew that the gate wasn't far but using the spell beyond her capabilities made her disorientated. Even though her eyes were closed, she could recognize a bright behind them when they stopped.
"Erika! I said that I'll think of a plan so why did you cast the spell?" She only opened her eyes when she heard Kyouya call her name. He looked angry but worried at the same time. She buried her face into his chest to hide from his anger. She didn't want him to make her regret her decision so tried to convince him that it was for the best.
"It's done. Just create the key and be happy. We don't have much time before your father finds us again." She took his hand and forced herself to look into his eyes. "When our worlds merge, please be the Dark Prince I came to know- a man that's kind yet stern and does what's best for his people. I'm sure that no matter what happened, you'll be a good king."
"I don't want to be the king. I just wanted to see sun."
"You'll definitely have the support of your people so you'll become the king. So don't forget your promise to help my parents." Erika went on as if he hadn't spoken. "With you as king and the sun back, I'm sure everyone will be happy. I don't know what will happen with my lord but I'm sure you'll think of a something."
She touched her now useless locket and placed it in his hands. "I'm glad that I went on this journey with you. So please use the spell so I know this entire journey wasn't useless. I can't live in the Demon Realm without the magic in the locket and it's gone now. Your father is coming so this could be your last chance to open the gate!"
He wished that she hadn't been so impulsive and cast the teleportation spell since now he was forced to make a decision. But she had done so to protect him. In the past he would've given anything to see the sun again but her light became as important to him as that of the sun and he couldn't kill her.
No matter what he decided to do she would die, either by his hand or by the darkness of his world.
"I'm sorry Erika." He gathered her in his arms. Kyouya knew that she would be angry with his decision. He buried his face into her hair and breathed deeply to gather enough courage. He held her at arm's length and looked into her eyes. "Can I see your wings one last time?"
Erika nodded even though she knew that its light would draw the king's attention. She found that couldn't say no to him when he looked so sad. She revealed her wings and wrapped them around Kyouya when he came closer to her. He leaned his forehead against hers and began to cast a curse. To her surprise, she didn't feel any pain but her wings did begin to burn.
"I'm sorry Erika." He said again and brushed his lips against her forehead for the briefest moment. Her eyes widened and she looked up at him in shock. A small ball of light grew in his hand as her wings began to wither further. He kept her in his arms as he moved toward the gate. She closed her eyes and she was glad that her end wasn't painful.
He placed both of his hands against the gate, caging her between his arms. Against her back, she felt the gate shake and begin to crumble. Kyouya closed his eyes against the light beginning to pour through the gate. He knew the curse by hurt from countless times he practices but each word pained him now. She must've sensed his pain for she placed her hand on his cheek and that strengthened his resolve.
Kyouya opened his eyes and stared down at her feathers littering the ground around them. The gate opened enough for a person to fit through and he placed his hands on her shoulder. Refusing to look into her eyes, he pushed her through. Erika stumbled but the clouds softened her fall. One last time, he apologized. "I'm sorry but I won't let you do that for me."
"Wait, Kyouya!" Erika rushed to the gate that was slowly closing. She couldn't run back into the Demon Realm but she could reach out her hands to Kyouya. The sunlight that slipped past the opening allowed her to see the tears that Kyouya refused to shed. She couldn't understand what was happening but her first instinct was to brush the tears from his face.
Kyouya didn't know how much longer he could feel her hand before the gate closed completely so allowed himself to press his face against her palm. "You belong with the sun, Erika. My father won't be able to hurt you now."
"Then come with me! We can hide in the Angel Realm together. I don't have much power here but I'm sure we can-" Erika began to argue but she knew that a demon couldn't survive in the Angel Realm similar to how angels couldn't live in the Demon Realm. "I don't want to leave you like this. You made a promise and you can't break it."
"I promise to give your parents protection from your lord and I will. My… my mother lives in the Angel Realm and she should be able to protect you. Tell her that even a part of her still considers a demon like me her son, she'll protect the woman I love." Kyouya's words were bitter and her heart broke. At the same time, her heart began to race.
"How can you tell me you love me now?" She demanded.
"I doubt you'll return my feelings since I destroyed your wings." He reached past her to where her wings should've been and she finally realized that she couldn't feel her wings anymore. "I used the light in your wings to open the gate. They only had enough magic to open it temporarily. You won't be able to fly now but at least you'll be able to live."
"But-" She began to argue but he stopped her with a simple kiss. Ignoring any other argument she would've made, he stepped away from the gate. Once again, he watched the gate closed and smother out the light that he loved. His eyes adjusted to the darkness quickly and he stared up at the gate, wondering if he would ever have another chance to open it.
Erika called out to Kyouya as she slammed her fist against the gate until her throat became raw. Even when she felt hopeless and crumbled onto the clouds, she leaned her forehead against the gate, trying to think of a way to open it.
Find my mother, his instruction echoed in her mind but she couldn't bring herself to leave the spot in front of the gate. Emotions made her chest tight and she knew that it wouldn't lessen until she could see Kyouya again. She loved him but never considered that they would ever be apart even if he didn't return her feelings. He made a promise after all.
But he did return her feelings and broke the promise.
"I'm not going to give up." She vowed to herself and took a deep breath to calm herself. While she couldn't see past the gate, she knew that Kyouya would be confronting his father. There wasn't a doubt in her mind that he would be punished by his father for trying to open the gate. "I'm going to open this gate and protect you, Kyouya. I never got to tell you that I love you."
"How does an angel like you know who Kyouya is?" A voice asked her and Erika looked over her shoulder to see a woman watching her cautiously. She wondered how long the older woman had watched her but the phasing of her question caught Erika's attention.
"Because I fell in love with him." Erika explained quickly, hoping that the woman was who she hoped she was. "Please help me open the gate so I can see him again."
Kyouya stared out the window of his cabin as he ate alone. It was a chore he did to survive since he could barely taste his food. Like many other nights, he found himself alone but he didn't feel like entertaining company. After being able to be himself with Erika, he couldn't bring himself to pretend to be the kind prince naturally any more.
He took the locket she had given and wondered how she was getting by without her wings. At least she was safe from his father who would've killed her. His own father had strike him when he returned from the gate but that was a week ago.
In that time, he busied himself with his duties as a prince and saw to the well being of his people. He knew that his father wouldn't do so and Erika expected it of him. Neither was his true reason since he wanted to keep his mind from thinking of Erika. But keeping her from his mind during the lonely nights was much more difficult.
God, he missed her.
Someone knocked on his door and he sighed, wondering who would visit him at such an early hour. Takeru was busy helping Sanda with the cases of the falsely convicted demons so it couldn't be him. He promised his father he wouldn't return to the gate again if he allowed the demons from the hotel to be under his protection.
"I'm opening the door so stop knocking already!" Kyouya pushed himself away from the table and made his way to the door. He threw it open and he expected to confront his father who would be the only other person he could think of that would visit him. So he was surprised when he found a woman standing on the other side of the door. His surprise was reflected on hers.
"Kyouya?" She started hesitantly and Kyouya stared at her with distrust since he didn't recognize. She stumbled over words but someone else spoke over her.
"Respect your mother, Kyouya." Kyouya's back straightened when his father walked to her side. They looked at each other with tired eyes before entering his cabin. Since Kyouya couldn't bring himself to move, his mother closed the door for him and his father pushed him into a chair. "Get that stupid look off your face and listen to what we have to say."
"Why should I listen to anything the two of you have to say? You left me when I was a kid." He threw his mother an accusing look and gave another one to his father. "And you took away the only thing I ever loved. The only reason I haven't left is because I can't leave these people in your care."
"If you really believe that you can be a better king than me, why don't you give it a try?" Kyouya didn't know if his father was mocking him or not. "I'm getting tired and older but I couldn't hand over the entire Demon Realm to you. Your mother doesn't share the same opinion as me though. She's of the opinion we open the gates and have you rule over both of the world."
"I think it's a lot of responsibility for you since you're still young but she insisted that you're the only person who can rule both the Demon Realm and the Angel Realm." His mother sighed.
"Erika?" Kyouya could easily guess who his mother was referring to. He didn't wait before asking her, "How is she? Without her wings… Is she adapting well?"
His mother smiled as she watched her son pull himself back with a blush. "She kept begging me to open the gate. It's obvious that she loves you so don't break her heart and try to understand her feelings. She convinced me to speak to your father about making our two world one again. Erika has also been speaking with the other angels."
"She'll never convince the lord though." Kyouya didn't know why she was trying so hard for him when advocating for a demon would only make her an outcast. "I know Erika can be persistent but why did you go along with her?"
"Knowing your mother, she did it because she felt guilty for abandoning you." His father answered for her. It was strange hearing him speak so casually when there was a tension in the air. "Angels and their martyr complex are unpredictable. She probably also fancied herself with the idea of you and that little angel of yours."
"She does love Kyouya-"
"And I loved you but that didn't do us any good. It's just too difficult for angels and demons to be together. Your father knew it too and that's why we created the gate to begin with. If anyone knew the truth about us, Kyouya life would've been in danger." For the first time in Kyouya's life, he thought his father looked regretful. "What's done is done."
"I'll talk to my father! Kyouya has the blood of an angel too so he has a right to the Angel Realm. I won't let Kyouya give up on love like we did." His mother argued and Kyouya ignored them as he looked out the window. It should've been a shock that his mother was an angel but a part of him had always known.
"Will you two shut up?" Kyouya didn't care if he was being disrespectful since it was obvious his parents weren't going to come to an agreement. No matter how much he argued with Erika, it wasn't a useless cycle like theirs was. "I'm going to the heaven."
"The Dark Prince saved me from the wolves with nothing but his bare hands." Erika told her story to the children who listened to her intently. While their parents wouldn't approve of her telling them about Kyouya, she wanted them to know the truth about Kyouya. But with the protection of Kyouya's mother, they didn't harass her.
"I'll tell more later but now it's time for you to go home." She urged the children home when she realized how late it had gotten. She had become so accustomed to the moon telling her when it was night so she found herself losing track of time more than usual. Thinking of the moon, made her miss Kyouya and she walked to the gate.
Staring up at the tall bars, she imagined the Demon Realm beyond the gate. Was Kyouya safe? His mother had left to speak with his father and she wished she could've gone to. The only comfort she had was that she could busy herself with trying to convince her lord that Kyouya would be a great ruler.
Tired, she sat with her back against the gate. Erika wondered if everything she was doing was pointless. Maybe he had already forgotten about her. She pulled her legs to her chest and pressed her forehead to her knees. With the gate at her back, she felt as if she was a million miles away from him.
Suddenly, she couldn't feel the gate on her back anymore. A warm hand gently patted her and she looked up to see Kyouya standing over her. "Of course I'll find you waiting here for me like an actual Cerberus."
"Kyouya!" She rushed to her feet and threw her arms around him. He caught her easily and let her cry against his shoulder so he could feel her body against his again. Neither of them could understand the words that fell from her lips. "How were you able to open the gate? How are you here? God, I don't care because I'm not letting you go now."
"You sure are a needy person." Kyouya laughed since he realized that he actually missed her numerous quirks. He lifted her face so he could look into her eyes. Brushing the tears from her face, he explained. "I just met my grandfather that I never knew I had after I watched my parents argue like angst filled teenagers. It was a miracle I got anything productive done."
Erika chuckled since his condescending tone hadn't changed. She didn't comment so he could continue his explanation. "I spoke with the lord to convince him to open the gate. He called me as idealistic as my mother but I told him that I wouldn't give up until angels and demons could walk together as equal. I wouldn't give up until I was able to see the angel I love again."
"And he actually let us be together?" Erika asked hopefully.
"I didn't give him a choice. It was either we work together or I destroy the gate. Thankfully he was able to see logic and we agreed on an arrangement. The forest in front of the gate will become a capital between the Demon Realm and Angel Realm where angels and demons can live together. If demons and angels can be together peacefully, he'll destroy the gate."
"That's great, Kyouya!" Erika congratulated him. "I'll do whatever I can to help. I know a couple of families that might agree to live there. Isn't this great, Kyouya. You'll be able to have the sun now."
"I haven't even asked you to be with me yet you're already saying yes." Kyouya laughed and brought her hands to his lips. "I love you, Erika. You're my sun now and I'm not going to let you go ever again. A relationship between a demon and an angel will be difficult but if you promise to spend the rest of your life with me, I won't let you regret it."
Without a word, Erika embraced Kyouya. She had thought that she would never meet him again yet here he was promising her forever. Her Dark Prince.
This was supposed to be eight chapters but I lost inspiration to write this so I squeezed two chapters into one XD But I do have another concept planned for OSTKO