Lia woke with a start, her body shaking as she tried to control her ragged breathing. The images of her nightmare clung to her mind like shadows, dark and suffocating.

"L-Lia?" Izumo's voice broke through the silence, sharp but concerned. She quickly got out of her bed and crouched beside the futon, her sharp eyes scanning Lia's pale face. "What happened? You're shaking."

"I dreamed about a dark room…" Lia whispered, her voice barely steady. "It was… it was where Mephisto locked me. I was crying, bleeding… and Yukio was there. He was holding me and telling me everything would be all right."

Izumo froze for a brief moment, her face unreadable, before she sighed and sat back. "That's strange," she muttered.

Lia looked up at her. "What's strange?"

Izumo hesitated. "That you'd remember something like that… but not Rin."

Lia frowned. "What does that mean?"

Izumo shrugged, trying to sound casual. "In that room, you always said something. You told me, 'I'll never regret it, no matter what Mephisto does to me.'"

Lia blinked, her brow furrowing. Something about the words felt familiar, as if she'd spoken them a thousand times before. "I… I think I remember saying that," she murmured. "But I don't know what I meant. Why would I say that?"

Izumo didn't respond. Instead, she studied Lia quietly, her usual sharpness softening for just a moment.

After a long silence, Lia spoke again, this time more hesitant. "Izumo… why hasn't Yukio come to see me? Did I do something wrong?"

Izumo's expression tightened. "It's not that. Yukio doesn't want to… complicate things."

"What do you mean?" Lia pressed.

"Yukio and Rin don't get along," Izumo finally said. "It's always been that way. They're both stubborn, and they just… clash."

Lia's chest ached. "So… being friends with Rin means I'll lose Yukio?"

Izumo shook her head. "No. Yukio doesn't hate Rin, not really. But he doesn't trust him either."

Lia looked down, her fingers gripping the blanket. Before Izumo could say more, Lia's heart lurched as something else occurred to her.

"Wait… where's Rin?"

Izumo's face darkened slightly. "Mephisto summoned him this morning."

Lia's blood ran cold. She stared at Izumo for a moment before whispering, "Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

"Lia—wait!" Izumo called, but Lia was already out the door, running.

XXX

Lia's feet pounded against the ground as she sprinted toward Mephisto's mansion. The sky was overcast, heavy clouds looming like a warning. Her head spun with fear and confusion, but one thought rang clear above all else: I have to get Rin out of there.

She burst through the gates and pounded on the heavy doors until they swung open. Neuhaus stood in the entryway, his cold, detached expression making her freeze for a moment.

"Mephisto will not see you," Neuhaus said flatly, his voice as hollow as always.

"I have to see Rin!" Lia shouted. "This is because of you! You people took my memories, and I don't remember why, but I know he's important to me! Please, I just need to see him!"

Before Neuhaus could respond, the echo of Mephisto's laughter drifted through the hall.

"Oh, how delightful," Mephisto's sing-song voice called as he appeared at the top of the grand staircase, a smirk plastered on his face. "The little horse has come to save her friend."

Lia's gaze darted past him, and her breath caught. Rin was slumped on the floor behind Mephisto, bruised and bleeding but alive. His hands were clenched, his face turned toward the ground as if trying to gather strength.

"Rin!" Lia cried, trying to move forward, but Neuhaus grabbed her arm and held her back.

Mephisto tilted his head, his smile sharp and cruel. "Isn't it tragic? Rin has finally learned what it means to love… and now you don't love him back."

Rin's head shot up, his eyes wild with desperation. "Leave her alone!" he shouted, his voice hoarse. "This has nothing to do with her! I'll do whatever you want—just let her go!"

Mephisto chuckled, clearly pleased by Rin's outburst. "Oh, Rin. You finally understand, don't you? Love is such a fragile thing. And what a cruel joke it is… to love someone who no longer remembers you."

"Please!" Rin's voice broke as he stared at Mephisto. "Let her be with me! I'll prove it—I'll defeat Satan. I swear I will! Just… let her go back to the way she was."

Mephisto's eyes glinted with amusement. He leaned forward, his tone mocking but dangerous. "Very well, Rin. I'll grant you a deal."

Rin looked up, his breath hitching.

Mephisto's grin widened. "I'll leave you both alone. But on one condition: you are not allowed to touch Lia until you defeat Satan."

Rin's body stiffened as the words sank in. "What…?"

"You heard me," Mephisto said, his tone light, as if this were all a game. "Touch her, and it's over."

Neuhaus dragged Rin to his feet and led him toward another room to tend to his wounds. Lia was left standing there, shaken and unable to move.

XXX

Later, Neuhaus bandaged Rin's injuries in silence, though the wounds began healing almost immediately. Lia sat nearby, her eyes narrowing with suspicion as she watched the bruises fade before her eyes.

"How…" Lia started, her voice hesitant. "How are you already healing?"

Rin flinched slightly, turning his face away. "It's nothing," he muttered.

Lia's chest ached with worry. "Rin, please tell me what's going on. Why do I feel like there's so much I'm forgetting?"

Rin clenched his fists, his heart pounding. He wanted to tell her the truth—that he was a demon, the son of Satan. But the thought of her looking at him with fear or disgust was unbearable.

"I can't…" he whispered.

"Why not?" Lia cried, stepping closer. "Rin, you're hiding something from me, and I—"

He snapped. Before he could think, he grabbed her by the shoulders and pulled her into a kiss.

The world seemed to stop. Lia's eyes widened as Rin's lips met hers, soft but desperate, as if he were pouring every unspoken word and emotion into that single moment. A blinding flash of light erupted in her mind, and suddenly the memories began to flood back—his laughter, his stubbornness, the way he used to hold her hand when they were kids, his anger and his gentleness, the dark room, the words "I'll never regret it."

Tears spilled down her cheeks as the memories overwhelmed her. She tried to hold on to the kiss, to the warmth of him, but her knees buckled, and the world went black.

Rin caught her before she hit the ground, holding her tightly in his arms.

XXX

Neuhaus gave Rin a rare nod as he examined Lia later. "You found the trigger."

Rin looked at Lia, who was now resting peacefully. "She'll be okay?" he asked softly.

"She'll be fine," Neuhaus said. "Take her back to Izumo's place. Let her recover her memories at her own pace. Be prepared, Rin… some of them might hurt."

Rin nodded, brushing a strand of hair from Lia's face. "I'll protect her," he whispered. No matter what it takes.