A.T.: This chapter is short, too, but it's complete. I wrote the entire chapter down in three sittings, and it took up twenty pages of my book, and I'm very happy with it, considering the loops I had to jump through to get it to come together.

Thank you for your reviews - Guest, TheEnglishMuffin and Skye! My replies to reviews I'll be putting it at the end of the chapter, so do make sure to check it out!

The fourth part of this chapter I wrote to Shakira's 'Can't remember to forget you' ft Rihanna, playing on repeat. It wasn't the perfect song, but it got my mood going. If you feel it accurate, play the song from when you start reading that part until you finish, or play it when you get to the part when Natalya surprises you (ehehehehe). Anyways, that's one special mention I wanted to make.

People, leave reviews! They make me happy!

Enjoy.

Moda - - Mind, Conscious

Da - Rus - Yes

Práklon - Bel - Dammit

Net - Bel - No

Chapter 19

Natalya swung over the ledge, and got her footing. With a grunt, she pushed herself up, and walked till she reached the other edge of the roof. She sat down, watched the sun setting before her, beyond the vast expanse of green and brown landscape.

She pulled her knees up, wrapping her arms around her legs. And burying her head in between her legs, she began to cry

"So, what exactly are you saying, Matthew asked. Next to him sat Alfred, but Alfred had lost all capacity to talk; all he seemed to be able to do now was listen.

Ivan sighed, and looked at Shree. "It would be a lot easier to explain if she was here" -

"Leave it, Ivan," Shree said irritatedly. "I might not be as involved in this as she is, but this is upsetting, to say the least."

"I agree," Ivan said, and turned to Matt. "Comrade, your father made a contract with your demon friend. For your brother's sake, I shall call him Tony. When your father died, Natalya discovered the demon's contract seal on your father's back. There are some conditions to be fulfilled before the demon can be released. But because all those conditions weren't fulfilled, Tony resides bound to your father's moda. And this is what found its way into your brother's body, and" -

Matt held up a hand. "You're telling me what I know," Matt said.

"What I saw now on will not make sense to you, unless I remind you of all this. Patience, comrade," Ivan said soothingly. "This happening - a demon bound to a moda - is in itself a first ever occurance. Theoretically it is possible, but this is the first time it has been successful practically. And since time has passed since your father's death, his moda grows weaker within your brother. Therefore, the demon binds its free self to the only other moda available - your brother's. And the markings on his back are the proof of this binding. It also tells us the extend to which the demon is bound to your brother, and how much time we have before the demon binds completely to your brother."

"We need to stop this, then," Matt inferred.

"Da. If the binding is complete, then the only way to be able to remove the demon from your brother's body will be to exorcise him. If we were to do that...it would kill both of them."

An ominous silence descended within the room, and all Matt could hear was the sound of his own heartbeat. The silence seemed to suffocate him, his heartbeat deafened him. Abruptly, he got up, and moved to leave the room.

"Does Natalya know?"

Matt stopped and turned to Alfred, who had finally opened his mouth after nearly an hour and half of silence. He was looking at Ivan, his eyes searching for the answer on Ivan's face.

"Da. She knows."

Matt, without waiting for another second, left the room. Alfred continued to stare at his hands, and Shree, after looking at Ivan and Alfred helplessly, got up and left behind Matt.

"How much time do I have left?" Alfred asked tersely.

"Another...nearly a year," Ivan said.

"Is there nothing we can do, Priest Ivan?" Eliza asked.

"There is," Ivan said.

"Can you remove Tony from me and let him go back home?" Alfred asked, his eyes searching for some solace in his hands.

"I cannot."

"So, you have a plan?"

"I do, but it isn't a very concrete plan. It will take some time to get the details right."

"I thought we did not have any time."

Ivan looked at Alfred. Honestly, it was this indestructible calm of the man that was more frightening than his human or even demonic rage. "It takes less time to execute a well made plan than to rush into the battle field without any direction."

"How much time?" Gilbert asked.

"Two days," Ivan said. "I need two day."

Alfred got up, and the three people remaining in the room watched him rise. "What can I do?"

"Talk to your demon friend. Find out more about this demon contract."

Alfred nodded, and walked out of the room. "See you in two days."

Ivan sighed, feeling older, way older than his age. He ran a hand over his weary face, and when he looked up, Eliza and Gilbert were looking at him.

"What is it?" he asked.

"We...we want to help," Eliza said slowly.

"Why?" Ivan said, getting up. He had much more work to do than he had imagined.

"Because it's the awesome thing to do," Gilbert said, and Eliza didn't hit him this time, like she always did.

Ivan looked from one to the other, and a thought formulated in his head. He bent down over his desk, and pulled out a sheet of paper. Grabbing a pen, he scribbled down names and directions, filling out the entire page. He straightened, and handed Eliza the page. "Ask for Dmitri, and show him the sheet. He will take you to the library of this temple, as well as libraries of the surrounding temples. I've written down which books you will find and which library. Go to the library of this temple; within an hour's time I will have sent to you letters of your introductions, as well as letter which will arrange your overnight accomedation at one of those temples, in case the need arises. When you rent to books, do so in my name, or let Dmitri handle it."

Eliza and Gilbert, who were going through the extensive list of books, looked up and nodded.

"Now, excuse me," Ivan said, mustering up as much of a smile his tired self could manage, and left the room. All he wanted to do was to sleep, and be dead to the world.

And then, he'd wake up and plan.

"I know you're there, Shree."

Seemingly from out of nowhere, Shree appeared at the doorway, and was greeting by the sight of Matt's bare back. "Do you want me to come in?" she asked tentatively.

"Of course," he said, without turning around, but she could sense the smile on his face.

Shree walked into the room almost cautiously, and sat down next to Matt. "Are you alright?" she whispered, not sure whether she wanted to ask.

Matt shook his head, his loose curls swishing around his face slowly, and sighed. "I'm tired, Shree. Can you blame me?"

"No, Matt, no," she whispered back. "You have been so very brave. More than anyone could ever expect of you."

"Really?" he asked tiredly. "I don't feel brave, Shree. I feel...exhausted."

Shree didn't say anything. Eventually, Matt began to talk again.

"First, my mum. Then, my dad. Now, my bro" -

"Matt, I" -

"No, Shree. Every single time. When my mum died...One minute, I'm hiding in the pillow fort, waiting for Alfred..." he whispered, smiling, "and the next minute, a man is standing above me, telling me he's my father and that mum's...dead. Then, Alfred's taken away from me, because he killed an entire village's population, and I had to sneak around to see my brother. Then I have Natalya knocking on my door to tell me my father's dead, and that he was hosting a demon inside...and now..." he looked up at Shree, and the anguish in his eyes tore Shree's hearts to shreds. "Shree, Alfred is my brother. He's the only family I have got. I can't lose him. But...the more I think about..." he whispered, a smile of complete sorrow tugging at his lips, "...the more I realise that there's nothing I can do. I can't remove this demon from him. I can't even help him with figuring things out, like you can. All I can do...is what I'm doing now. Sit here, twiddle my thumbs, and feel useless."

Shree's hand found Matt's, and he clutched onto it for his dear life, trying to draw in as much strength as he could. He clasped her hand in both of his, and drew it to his forehead, bending his head over her hand.

Shree got up, and kneeled before Matt. She slid her other hand over his cheek, her fingertips nestling in the soft hair on the side of his head, and lifted it until she saw his tear filled eyes.

"Matt, you can help. You know things about your father's life that nobody else would know. If you and Alfred sit together, and piece your father's life from what the two of you know, we can find out why Tony was summoned, and how he can be sent back to his home. And, my darling, Alfred loves you. He needs you. And there is no one he depends on more than he does on you. You are not useless, Matt. You can never be."

Matt's tears reduced in volume, and he gave Shree a watery smile. "You're an amazing person, Shree."

Shree blushed, and got up. Matt let go of her hand, as if reluctantly, and rose as well. "I'll start writing down whatever I remember of Dad's life, whatever might be relevant. No, I'll write down everything I can remember. And..."

He continued to talk, and Shree watched as he excitedly moved around, grabbing things to write on. And, suddenly, he appeared before Shree, grabbed her face, and kissed her on her forehead.

Shree's face went a bright pink as she looked at Matt's face. "Thank you," he said, grinning at her, and she found herself thinking that angels probably gave an arm and a leg to have a smile like his. "I know why Alfred calls you 'doll'. You're an absolutely amazing person, Shree."

And all Shree could do was stagger out in an absolute pink shock, her brains frying part by part as she thought about it.

He kissed her.

She had the biggest possible crush on Matt, and he kissed her.

Kissed her.

Holy cow.

Now all she had to do before she died in utter happiness was to bury her head in her pillow and scream.

"Where are you running off to, Priestess?"

Nat froze, and almost immediately calmed down. She wiped at her wet cheeks, and pulled up the walls around her mind before tuning around. "None of your business."

"Really? You're going to be unfriendly to me, but best friends with people you just met?"

Nat's eyes flashed with anger at the tone of his voice. "Watch your words" -

"Or what? What will you do?" Alfred said, his voice soft, mocking. He pushed himself off the doorframe, and walked languidly towards Nat, like a panther playing with its food. He kicked the door shut with the back of his foot, and looked at her, a cruel look in his eyes.

"You didn't break every bone in his body after what he did. You didn't even so much as hit him. I have a feeling, Priestess, that all your threats are empty. They don't mean a thing. Just like your actions" -

"What is your problem?" Nat growled at him, not risking a yell. She could feel her throat constricting, and tears rising back to the surface. Práklon - she hadn't had enough time to get it all out of her system. "If you have come here to be difficult, leave."

He stopped right before her, and she could clearly see the rage in her eyes, masked by a facade of cruelty. "I don't plan to leave, Priestess. And difficult? I'm not the one being difficult. You, on the other hand" - he raised his hand, and ran his fingers down her cheek - "are the one being difficult."

Nat grabbed his hand, but before she could twist it behind him, it turned his hand within her grasp, grabbed it and pushed her to the wall, pinning it above her head.

"Alfred" -

"Oh, so now you know my name," he said, bending over her, his face as close as he could get it while staring pointedly into her eyes. "Wasn't I Jones or the demon or just" -

"I've never called you a demon," Nat whispered furiously.

"But since your boyfriend is here and calling me that" -

"What boyfriend?"

"Oh, don't give me that" -

"Are you talking about Ivan?" she squeaked.

"Who else do you have on the side?" Alfred growled.

"Alfred, Ivan isn't my boyfriend. He's my elder brother."

"Don't bullshit me, Natalya" -

"No, seriously. He's Katyusha's younger brother, by blood" -

"But not yours."

"...Net, not by blood" -

Alfred's look stopped her. What the hell was he talking about? He gritted his teeth, and narrowed his eyes. "So, let me just put this out there, for both our sakes. I'm attracted to you."

Of all the reactions he had imagined, Alfred did not expect a blush and widened eyes. "Really? That surprises you?" he asked, exasperated.

Nat shook her head quickly, and Alfred couldn't believe how adorable she was, and how he could feel that even through his frustration.

"N-N-Net...but...I didn't expect you to..."

"Be that honest with you? Well, some of us can be," Alfred said, and let go of her hand. "I'm attracted to you, Nat. And it pisses me off to see some other guy - that perverted priest, of all people possible - getting his hands and mouth all over you. But, if that surprises you..." he sighed tiredly, and closed his eyes. He honestly felt exhausted. He'd had a restless sleep, dreaming about his dead father's life, and when he'd tried to talk to Tony, he got no answer - just like in the beginning, when he'd started on this wild goose chase. And if that wasn't enough, every time he closed his eyes, he could see that white haired bastard kissing Natalya, and every time the memory morphed into something more weird and more provocative than the last.

But if he was who she wanted...Alfred eased off and moved back, giving her her space. He'd have to deal with it. Somehow.

He looked up to see her looking at him, her confusion unmasked and full in her face, without her trying to hide it. Her eyes...she failed to realise it, but her eyes always told the full story, only if one knew how to look. And that mouth...he wanted to kiss her until she couldn't see straight - hell, until neither of them could see straight. But he didn't - or wouldn't, if she honestly had feelings for that lecher...

"Do what you want," he said wearily, and turned away from her. "I'm sorry I wasted your time."

Nat didn't know what the hell was going on - things were moving too damn fast for her to comprehend one thing before the next two arrived. But as she watched Alfred's receeding back, an urgent thought screamed in her head -

If she didn't stop him...it would be her fault.

She had no idea what the hell that even meant. She had no idea what she was stopping him from, or why she had to stop him. But she just did. She just had to.

"Alfred."

He stopped, and looked at her. Now what? For some reason, his eyes mesmerised her. Their brilliant colour, the look of utter and total sadness...and the look of confusion when she stared for too long.

"What, priestess?" His voice. He sounded so tired. But his voice was amazing - when he wasn't being annoying. It was like liquid butter sliding over her lips and dripping slowly, into her open mouth. Even when he was tired, it felt like honey over her skin.

Why the hell was she noticing these things in him? Why now? She realised she had to say something, but before she could think, her body acted on her behalf.

"Don't go."

"And do what? Watch you looking at me like..."

He paused as she came to him from across the room, and before he knew it, her mouth was on his.

It was funny, how he'd notice how tiny she was only when he held her in his arms. She was beautiful. She was perfection.

He bent down, grabbed the side of her face, and tilted it to the side. His lips ravaged hers, his tongue darted in and out of her mouth, hitting against her tongue, his teeth holding her lips in between, teasing, biting. She moaned, he growled low in his throat. She was exquisite.

His hand roamed her body, and her hands couldn't get enough of him. She gripped at his vest, tried to push it away. He raised his hungry mouth from hers, removed his vest and threw it across the room. He stalked her, this time with the grace of a tiger walking before his mate in all his glory. Nat moved backwards, unable to look away from the look of utter lust in his eyes, a fire that blazed in those brilliant blues, a fire that raged all over her.

Nat fell back in bed and crawled backwards, followed by Alfred, who pushed her onto her back.

Nat looked at him, and ran her fingers from the top of his forehead, downwards. Mesmerized, she ran her fingers over his eyelids, watched him close his eyes to allow her to run her fingers over his eyes. Her fingers skimmed the ridges of his nose, crooked from one too many fights. And when her fingers reached his lips, he let all pass but one, and trapped it in between his teeth.

"Oh," she gasped softly, surprised both by the gesture and the amount of heat it seemed to ignite in her. She could feel the wet feeling between her legs, the laxness that came with the wetness counteracting the tightness that came with that kind of heat.

He grinned at her surprise, his relaxed smile at complete odds with the burning desire in his eyes. His hair was a complete mess, falling over his forehead, but somehow...

How the hell did that annoying loudmouth turn so hot?

"Natalya?" he murmured. "You look gorgeous."

The way he whispered that, or just the look on his face when he said that, sent the heat flowing thickly in her blood shooting to the stars, and she whimpered in response, a complete foreigner to this side of her. "Alfred..."

Her soft moans sent thrills through his body, thrills that made him feel alive like nothing else could. "Yeah, baby?"

"Kiss me."

Alfred chuckled and diver towards her, picking her up and rolling them both until she was lying down on top of him. "No, Priestess. You. Kiss. Me."

She leaned down and kissed him, with all the previous fury, and them some. Teeth, tongue, lips - neither of them knew what was happening, but they knew exactly what they wanted.

His head roamed on her back; her hair fell over his ear; his hand found her ample bottom, and squeezed. She raised her mouth from his and moaned; he set his mouth on the sensitive skin of her neck, and started nibbling.

Slowly, he turned her around as his teased her neck, until he was towering over her again, his elbows and knees on either side of her writhing, hot body. One hand worked on the buttons of her shirt, the other roamed her body, his fingertips igniting heat wherever they went. His mouth moved lower, his tongue lapping up the taste of her skin, his teeth teasing to the point of pleasurable pain, and his lips soothing and sucking. His mouth moved lower still, until the swell of her breasts was under his mouth.

"Alfred..."

Something in that tone made him look up. Gods, she was sexy. Her hair was all messed up, and her lips were red and throbbing. Her eyes were clouded over, and her neck and chest were marked with red, wherever his teeth had played with her skin. She looked like a feast before him, and he was hungry enough to eat her whole. But...

The thought of a 'but' cut through the haze of desire around his sense, and reminded him of where they were. He straightened, and looked at her.

Fucking hell, but he was going to hate himself for it.

"Alfred?" Nat asked, confusion inching into those lovely, peculiar blue eyes of hers.

"What we're doing...I don't want it to happen like this, Nat. Not like this," he said, sitting back on his haunches. "And definitely not in that pervert's temple." Nat giggled, and he grinned. He leaned forward, took her face in his hands, and dragged her in for a long, slow kiss, one that set the beat of his heart to a steady thrum, pushing his blood through his veins like hot, sticky honey.

He lifted his head his lips curving into a smile when Nat raised her head for another kiss. With one final bite on her lower lip, Alfred straightened and looked at her. "I want to do this properly. Not a place like this, not at a time like this. I want it to be special. Do you understand?"

Nat nodded, eyes half drawn, and raised her hand to his cheek. A wave of tenderness sweeped over him - he took her hand in his, and placed a kiss in the middle of her palm. "And as much as I'll kick myself for doing this later, I'm going to go now." He gave her one last kiss on her forehead, and got off the bed. He was stiff and bulging, and it was excruciatingly uncomfortable. All he needed now was a long, cold shower -

"Alfred?"

"Hmm?" he hummed, turning around.

"I have a question...I've never done this before, so..."

Concern creeped into his mind. "What is it?"

"Why is it sticky and wet between my legs?"

Alfred grabbed the nearest chair to keep himself from falling, and couldn't hold in his groan of frustration as his member twitched against the cloth of his underwear.

He really needed that long, cold shower, and if he didn't drag her in with him to 'help' her clean away that 'wet stickiness'...

Never before had a cold shower looked so good.

A.T.: Well, that didn't go quite as I'd planned it, but when I look back at it, it went...better. Ehehehehe. I'm the pervert here, not Ivan.

I'm kinda out of touch with writing the last-scene's kind of thing, so bear with me until I get practice.

I finished it on Saturday in the third sitting, and kept typing it out until Sunday morning. And then, something stalled me...a word of advice. Don't befriend your ex. If you're a conflict hater and a harmony lover like me, then you'll think it's the better thing to do, because the other person's got you all figured out...don't, unless you're the one who's been setting the rules. But don't. I don't get to tell you this, but I also do, because there is one person who follows the rules, and the other person who breaks them. And there will always be one person who has feelings for you. If you're the second type, dude, there's a reason they're your ex. Don't forget that.

Is R. K. Iris having problems with her ex? No. But she will in the near future.

Relationship-rant over.

But if you are the rule-setter and you know what you want, then you'll have a beautiful friendship.

Okay, now the rant is truly over.

Also, if you have a dream where you're kissing your best friend, then don't tell them about it. Don't ruin what you have.

Did R. K. Iris tell her best friend that she was kissing him senseless in her dream? No. Because she doesn't want to ruin what she has.

I just realised I'm talking about myself in the third person, and that's kinda...stupid. Just kinda.

Also, cold showers work. Mostly. But not if you're a girl. None of that stuff works if you're a girl. Just read a lot of erotica and eat loads of chocolate, and wait for the feeling to wear off in another week. If you're not single, then...rock your partner's world.

Yes, R. K. Iris is single, which is why she knows those things.

Wow, extremely long A.T. I guess I am opening up.

Well, I hope I didn't creep you out. Review answer section next!

Love,

R. K. Iris.

Review answer section:

Guest: Thank you so much for your review! Any kind of review makes me happy, although I do have a weakness towards long ones (ehehehe). I'm so glad you don't feel any of this stuff is OOC, because that is my honest fear sometimes. Your review means a lot to me...thank you so very much!

-O-

TheEnglishMuffin:

Hiiiii! Hey, I'm happy we're both satisfied at the end of the day ;)

Well, you'll get to know more about Ivan's abilities in the upcoming chapters, where it'll positively blow your blown mind to bits, because just thinking about it gives me the heebie-jeebies. And aneurysms over Ivan are good any day.

Well, it's not a secret - I just write the story the way I see it. I've said this before while writing 'My Friend Natalia' (go check that out - it's a completely different universe and a completely different kind of story, but I think you'll like that, too) - I see the scene happening before me, and it happens in between the paper/screen that I'm using to write on, and my eyes. And I have this narrative running in my head, describing how I feel when I'm in a certain characters shoes, and whatever I see from that character's POV, I write. And the best words to use are the simplest - it's not easy to evoke an image entirely through words, but using certain synonyms of a word can invoke a certain thought in the reader's head. If that thought is closest to what you are imagining, use it. That's how it works. You need to keep reading up and actively creating an image in your head every time you read, and then remember to use it when you're writing. Read Classics, if you want to brush up on image-evoking words, because nothing gets my imagination flowing like Classics do.

Well, Alfred was fucked from the moment he stepped into the limelight...it just gets worse before it gets better, as most things do.

I hope this chapter lives up to your expectations (*fingers crossed in all possible ways*)

If you leave more than one review, I honestly don't think my heart could take it...I love your reviews, and I totally look forward to reading them first thing the day after my chapter comes out. But still, I'd pass out happy, so...ehehehehe.

Love you loads, darling...and my friend knows what I catch I am ;) Certain choices in my life have shown me that I as a person value friendships more than romantic relationships, so I'm just writing off my momentary feelings as a one-off thing which I don't have to tell him...but still, thank you so much, darling!

Have a wonderful week!

-O-

Skye:

Heyyy! Welcome back! Well, it did hurt, and the person it hurt most was Natalya, thus the first scene in this chapter, along with the rest of the realisations that she had, which Ivan explains to Matt and Alfred later on in the chapter. She knows what's going on before any of them do, and she reacts to it the only way she can out of sheer exhaustion, which all of them are feeling uniformly.

Well, who says there isn't going to be one of those infamous triangles? ;) There is going to be a triangle, but not with the dynamics that you're expecting to see - that's my food for thought for you. You're not going to believe the one other explanation that your mind will cook out, but listen to your mind. Anyways, I'll leave you to think about it.

Thanks for your review, darling, and keep coming back to read!