Riri: So, just a short message before you read. I have not died! Nor have I forgotten about you all! I've been incredibly and ridiculously swamped in my work. My life took a very sudden turn and life threw me a curve ball. Details omitted I have come out and I'm back stronger than ever to finish this glorious story we've started. Thank you to my readers that had stuck with me so long, that still come to read this story even after my abrupt leave. In order to prevent this from happening in the future feel free to stalk my twitter Ririkutai or hit me up on Quotev at Ririkuto

This way we can always have contact but updates are back as of now!

Chapter 47

Despite how much Rin wanted to approach Ted about what he'd done to her, she didn't. She kept up her façade of unhappiness and did her best to shield her thoughts. She wore the dresses assigned to her and continued to roam the agency. She should've known better than to assume Ted had betrayed her. Ted was one of the few on her side forever. He'd even told her so. He'd suffered being the head of the science department all because he chose to protect her.

Rin stared at her hands. She didn't feel different but she'd changed drastically on the inside. Ted had injected her with her mothers blood. A large pure dose of it. The blood of a Seer destroyed the tainted blood of a demon, which was why she'd been in such agony. The blood Ted had injected her with had coursed through her and replaced some of Yuma's blood; matching blood vessel to blood vessel. The balanced content of her mother's blood and her father's blood had been disrupted by Ted. The only thing Rin was afraid of were the consequences of Ted's actions. She remembered the price Seers were due to pay and with more of her mother's blood in her than Yuma's, she was this ages Seer.

For that reason, she avoided Yuma though he never sought an audience with her. She also avoided Luki because every glance at him gave her chills that were both pleasant and unnerving. As she wandered a few others things began to be clear as well. Why she'd been able to easily navigate an escape when the route was always changing and Ted's reason for doing what he'd done. She'd been able to escape because she could always see ahead. Though, she didn't remember, she assumed that's how she'd escaped. Maybe she'd be able to feel which way was the right one out.

Ted was preparing her for escape; their escape. She was the only solid way out. However she didn't know for how long.

"You're avoiding me," A voice declared firmly behind Rin. She kept walking as if she hadn't heard him because she knew Luki hated her and she really couldn't deal with him. It didn't help that when she was in his company her head started to tingle and her mind filled with a pleasurable fog. When she stood in Luki's company she felt intimidated; like she would spill everything she wasn't supposed to say.

She kept walking forward but she slammed into something solid and when she looked up her eyes met his; she jerked away sharply. Rin hadn't even noticed when he'd gotten in front of her, hadn't heard him traverse the distance between them. His facial features were as stony as they always were but the look in his eyes was pensive.

"I don't want to talk to you," Rin said as she looked away.

"You're avoiding me," Luki repeated, his tone far colder this time around. Rin looked up at him saw his emotions flicker through his eyes until he settled on anger. Rin made a motion to move around him but he blocked her. "Where are you going?"

"Away," Rin answered curtly. She began to run despite knowing full well that Luki was giving chase.

She ran through the agency grounds in an effort to escape his suffocating company. The grass stained her slippers as she ran through the garden. A minor infraction on her otherwise flawless outfit. She was too nimble on her feet to trip and fall when she hit the forest though she paid no mind to the branches of evergreens and pine that scratched at her delicate skin. They bit in easily as if she were fresh fruit. She felt the brambles tumble into her hair. Yet when she made a full circle into the courtyard and caught sight of her reflection in the fountain not one blemish for her turmoil showed. She looked exactly as she had when she'd gotten ready this morning. No stains, no marks, and no cuts. She was beautiful.

It was all that caused her to stop and she could still feel Luki's eyes upon her like those of a hawk.

"Why do you keep following me?" Rin whispered in an effort for Luki not to hear her.

"Are you done acting childish now?" His voice rebuked no concern no remorse for his ceaseless stalking. She turned around to face him and he sat casually up on the roof. He was lounged rather comfortably and Rin realized he hadn't given chase, but merely watched her. Goosebumps formed on her skin. And she eyed the courtyard for something sharp.

"Why do you keep following me?" Rin repeated. Where most people would've let out a sigh, Luki simple stared and Rin felt her blood freeze. Even from so far away his eyes had such an effect on her. Ever if she wasn't looking at him she could feel when he was near or when he looked at her. His eyes a liquid pool of amber locked behind a chilly impassable mass of ice. A gaze that said replied for him and yet let so much unanswered. The nostalgia hit her shortly after the cold only to vanish like he had.

Rin stumbled back as Luki leaned closer to her until she lost her footing. His grip was secure in a manner that was both deadly firm and sunk heat into her stomach. Her let her go easily once the discomfort of his touch registered. He knew something about her was different. He'd discovered the very thing she'd attempted to hide in a matter of one glance. How could she possibly think to hide from Yuma if Luki read her like she'd had the fact plastered on her face. Her hand touched a rock and she hoisted it up.

"C-Come any closer and I'll-"

"What?" Rin struck her wrist with the sharpest edge. She didn't miss the horror that flashed across his face. For the first time Rin watched her skin bleed and keep bleeding. The cut did not close itself. She fell silent to staring sightlessly as blood leaked in generous waves down her arm.

"You've gone and done it now," Luki swore. Rin recoiled away from him and cradled her arm as his expression darkened.

When he touched her arm and some of her blood dripped onto his finger he winced. Though for all the pain it caused him she should've pinched him. He turned her arm over with a tenderness that didn't suit him. Then she was hoisted up as if she weighed nothing, Luki's arms securely around her. Then he was running and Rin screamed. Her arms flew around him in an effort not to fall and within seconds they were back at his cobblestone tower.

Rin was again awed by the sights but the throb of her wound cut that short. Luki gently set her into the settee she remembered by the fire and the warmth of it was enough to slacken her. The fire cast a welcoming glow over the room and made light of her situation, though she never entirely forgot it. If his desk had been disturbed the last time she'd been here, she didn't see the evidence. Luki vanished into the kitchen and was back quickly with some things to dress her cut before she'd truly registered he'd been gone. How quickly he moved was really starting to disorient her. That or all the loss of blood was playing devil's advocate with her vision.

As he examined her hand once more Rin watched him in silence. His gaze was scrutinizing as if he could see through her skin and read the parts she'd damaged like a set of blueprints. The glow from the fire cast his face partly into shadow but it did nothing to diminish from his features. The light hit his pink hair and dyed it a fierce otherworldly amber that fascinated her. She'd seen it silver in the moonlight, but now it was amber as if to defy its one true color. The firelight highlighted his elegant cheekbones and gave a lightness to his eyes that she didn't notice at first glance. Eyes that gave life to an otherwise expressionless face full of knowledge.

"Why go so far, it'll just heal," Rin asked, though her tongue felt thick in her mouth.

"Self inflicted injuries don't heal the same," Luki replied remotely.

"But Ted and Teto-" Her voice broke off as she winced. He'd applied some thick salve to her skin that chilled her nerves.

"Aren't dolls," he finished for her. Rin frowned and watched as Luki slide a cloth up and down her arm to clean the blood and salve away. Though her arm was cool and covered in unwelcome goosebumps, she felt every press and brush of Luki's fingers. Every second of skin to skin contact in a sort of heightened amplification. She shivered.

"Why are you doing this, Luki," Rin prompted. The salve he'd smoothed over her wound had stopped the bleeding and now her arm just looked pale. He then began bandaging it up.

"You finally said my name again." Luki's comment was unexpected and Rin blushed. His name now feeling oddly scandalous.

"I thought you hated me, so why do you keep..." Rin's voice trailed off when Luki's gaze met hers. She saw a war of emotions roar through him and her heart throbbed painfully in her chest. Recognition bled through for a moment before it was halted.

"Hated you?" He repeated seeming oddly breathless for the first time.

"You've been nothing but treat me with ill-manner since the moment I showed up." He tied off the end of her bandage flawlessly then rose with far more grace than someone in so cramped a position should've been able.

"It's better if you just come with me."

Rin followed in tentative unsure steps after him to the spiralling staircase in the corner. Luki bent down and opened a latch that blended seamlessly into the floor. The latch he lifted from the floor had several layers on it that created a hefty block of wood Rin was sure would prove challenging to any regular mortal.

"What's that for?" Rin asked.

"Gets rid of the hollow sound when you step on this side," he said easily. Then he leapt in and was gone from sight. Rin jumped in a moment later. Truthfully, if she could discover anything more about herself she wasn't too worried about where he was taking her. That didn't stop her heart from pounding against her ribs and the chill of the cellar on her skin. The creaking of the latch above her was her only warning that it was swinging shut after her. She immediately skittered down the stairs after Luki who wasn't very far ahead. There was a pale glow over his skin. She noticed the fire in his palm as if conjured up out of thin air a second later.

"Luki?"

"It won't burn you," he said flatly as he turned and began to walk. The darkness fell behind him with each step and plunged her further into darkness. His legs were longer than hers and she called out for him. For a moment he regarded her as if remembering she wasn't as adept a doll as she used to be.

"Want me to hold your hand?" Rin blushed with embarrassment and tucked her hands behind her back.

"I don't appreciate your sarcastic humor," she huffed. Luki didn't laugh, nor did her smile as Len would have. There was nothing in his features or his gaze that portrayed even a tinge of mirth. His lack of facial expression was still unnerving to her. What on earth had happened to him?

"I don't make jokes," he said flatly. So instead she took his hand and let him guide her down the hall, not trusting herself to speak.

They walked for what seemed forever and despite Luki's glacial exterior, his hand was oddly warm while he cupped the fire in his other. She couldn't place what else was inexplicably off about Luki. It proved an annoyance because she had that feeling as if it were on the tip of her tongue, yet she couldn't place it. So instead she directed her attention to the cobblestone walls. They walked for what seemed like hours until they came into a room filled with white and black drapery. There were several chairs leading up to an elevated arch and platform decorated with flowers and vast embroidering. Flowers of black twined exotically with white flowers of all kinds. Neither shade overcame the other and Rin couldn't speak as she realized what this room was.

It was an enormous wedding hall, still brightly lit with balls of light suspended behind the drapery. Rin knew her mouth hung open. There was a dryness to her mouth that was a remembrance of memories as they flooded into her. The scent of lilac emanated from her skin and she saw herself in a brilliant white dress. Her hair was far longer than she ever known and braided to perfection. Two tendrils of hair hung in flawless ringlets by, as a crown of branches weaved together with dark flowers hung on her head. They were drained of life but the man who stood across from her made nothing of it. He smiled happily and was startling handsome in his own white tux, the shirt he was wearing underneath the tux a velvet-black. Her mind was accosted with a ceremony but only in brief flashes. The memory ended abruptly with the two of them leaving the basement and leaving the tower. When they got to the agency employees threw rice, it was beautiful despite the jerky mechanical motions of their throws.

When the memory ended Rin found herself steadied by Luki's arms. The heat of his skin against hers seared her flesh and assaulted her nerves. She felt feverish and her entire body trembled. This time when he looked at her, her heart lurched in her chest. His gaze broke her down as if he was staring at her very essence. He stared at her as if she had every part of her written on her face, inscribed on her skin; in her eyes. Rin gasped at the sudden dizziness that coursed through her. When she managed to collect herself she could see the concern in Luki's eyes despite his impassive facial features.

"Do you understand now? No more why's" he spoke softly and pulled her closer. Breathing her scent in. Rin couldn't get her pulse to slow. There was a certain horror in the abrupt ruin of her obliviousness where Luki was concerned.

"We were-" But she didn't finished as she registered the look he was giving her. As if she were his reason for living. Like she was the necessity that gave him life.

"Married," he finished for her. "Yes, we were." Rin took a tentative step back out of Luki's arms. She felt as if her were crushing her.

"Married?" She repeated. "That can't be right." Her fingers were barren of any ring. She had no ceremonial markings. She had absolutely nothing that tied her to him. How could this be? The air suddenly felt thick but her unsteady legs did not permit her to run.

"I have nothing that ties me to you. I don't have a ring." Luki's eyebrows lowered but it did little to change his facial expression. Though he seemed confused. Then he said her name with thick intensity.

"Rin." Her heart throbbed hard in her chest. Her hand shot to the source of the pain. "That is not the way things are done by us."

"Then how are things done?" Rin begged. "I'm tired of taking everything on blind faith, Luki. I want answers. I need answers." He shook his head.

"It's too much for you to take right now."

"And this isn't?" she laughed.

"This has always been," Luki spoke tenderly.

"Yeah, except I don't remember any of it," Rin snapped and immediately wished she'd said something else. A silent pain entered Luki's gaze but at least she understood now. That before she'd left she'd been involved with Luki. That she belonged to someone else. Then with a weariness sagged into her limbs as she realized she no longer was the person who had loved Luki, but a new girl who loved Len. Silence radiated between them.

"You and that mortal cannot be," Luki stated as if he knew the direction of her thoughts. "You will outlive him and he will die. Such a thing will cause you undue pain. That I cannot allow nor tolerate."

"But I don't remember any of this, Luki." Rin shouted. She was about to inquire further but his lips pressed against hers and he opened her mouth, his kisses taking possession as if he owned her. Her body liquified and molded to his subconsciously while her heart pulsed painfully quickly. Kissing Luki felt as if she were being pleasantly drugged. Her body hummed with a high and filled her with cravings that were unwanted but undeniable. Luki flooded through her memory, his kisses crashing wave after wave of him into her mind. He was the one who broke away frist despite initiating the kiss. Rin felt oddly sullied.

Luki looked for worse for wear, as if he were leashing something tightly inside him. He seemed a mixture of excitement and mirth.

"Why are you shivering?" His voice was low and thick. Rin hadn't even noticed her own chill. A wash of cold coursed up her spine before brandishing downwards in a heat.

"This is wrong," Rin squeaked. "This is immoral."

"I am your husband," he stated with soundless conviction. "The only immoral thing taking place is your infatuation with that mortal who took you in." Rin closed her eyes to keep from looking at Luki. "Is infidelity not immoral?" She choked down a laugh at that.

"Is this agency not the breeding ground of deceit?"

"That holds very little ground in an argument about our relationship," Luki said acidically.

"You're trying to keep me here!"

"For your own safety."

"I don't even remember you!"

"You did just then." Rin's face flushed and she focused hard on the floor. Odd as it seemed, when Luki took a step back she missed him.

"Perhaps if you'd aid me in getting my memories back then things would be different."

"Am I so detestable that I don't deserve the love of my wife?" Luki said with quiet amazement. He slumped against one of the chair and for the first time it seemed as if the fight had gone out of him. He still had a feline grace to his movements that made all gestures fascinating but he just looked especially tired. The black drapery in the room seemed to pull towards him though Rin assumed it was her imagination. Rin knew the words would bring bad blood but she had to know.

"What exactly happened that night, Luki?"

"Other than you willfully choosing to forget me and purposely abandoning me?" He spoke sounding brittle. Rin didn't know what to say.

"I'm sorry," Rin whispered. If Luki had heard her, he said nothing.

"You're different," he remarked to kill the silence settling over them.

"What?"

"Less of his blood is in you." Rin didn't breathe even when Luki decided to focus on her again. "Did you really think I wouldn't notice? After your blood burned me?" Rin didn't comment.

"I hope Ted knows what he's doing. Your entire existence is a precarious thing." Luki's voice was rich with venom as he added onto his sentence. "He'll suffer if anything happens to you."

"Don't you think he's had enough?"

"There is always more suffering to go through, Rin." Luki interjected, gesturing for her to follow him up. "Even if you believe you can take no more." He said it in the way only someone with experience could. Rin didn't ask him to elaborate.

"Then Yuma will kill Ted if we escape," Rin finally voiced her concerns. Luki kept walking till she grabbed hold of his arm. "Luki, I need to know if Ted will be safe. There are things I need to make right."

His voice was bland as he answered, "They won't kill him. Yuma would never kill Ted. He's too precious an asset to lose."

Rin felt immediately reassured as they exited the house. It was well into the evening now and she swore the air smelled of coppery blood. Luki seemed unaffected by the wind and the cold. Rin herself felt no more than the slight chill up her arms. She hadn't noticed before but there was something about Luki's stature and the way he carried himself that made him seem as if he were the loneliest man in the world. He walked her all the way back to her room and as usual the agency seemed devoid of life despite the liveness and beauty of the outside. Rin vaguely remembered Teto's harsh words about it.

"I'll try to remember," Rin said as she stepped inside her room and the slight crack of the door was all that separated her from Luki. The rise of his shoulders was subtle but she noticed nonetheless. He seemed as if he were going to say something, and Rin herself was tempted to add something else, be she refrained.

"Even if you don't remember," Luki smiled faintly but the mirth remained out of his gaze. "I'll always be willing to teach you over and over how intimately we are connected, body, heart, and soul." The anxiousness that rocketed through her nearly knocked her off her feet. "Because you belong with me."

Then he vanished as if he'd never walked with her in the first place.