#yeah demons and devils are just shadow kitties. what about it

[altblock-tm]

OC Fact #30

oh my god how are we at thirty.

Demons and devils are capable of purring! It's very, very rare to hear it, though. They only purr around people that they trust without reservation, which is a HIGH honor.

The Outlander has never purred around anyone. Ichor hasn't either, though their old friend used to purr around them.

[o-pandora-o]

Brothers in the Human Realm

No one was a demon to begin with (maybe luci though but-). You meet the brothers as human in the human realm. How would you meet them?

Lucifer:

Apparently some schoolmate of yours have done some violations in the school grounds and they used your name

You were sent to the Principal's office where you were questioned by Principal Diavolo about your wrong doings

You were trying to defend your innocence, but it was no avail

Coincidentally Lucifer was just dropping paperwork to Diavolo

Lucifer is your strict and scary and handsome college professor

He overheard the conversation and he defended you since he knew that you weren't lying

"Mr. Diavolo I must say, MC is one of my exceptional students, they would not do something as idiotic as that, and I clearly observe the behavior of my students"

Your H E R O

The next day, someone gave Principal Diavolo evidence of those who did wrong

Your name was cleared

Apparently you saw Lucifer giving those schoolmates detention, threat, and punishment. You may or may not seen a hint of killing intent in his eyes

You decided to thank Lucifer

"No worries, I just clearly observe the actions of what is mine"

H O L D U P

"Wha-" you replied

"Ah MC I have to go to my next class, take care"

Mammon:

Is a famous model, often the cover and centerfold of the monthly Majolish

For you Mammon was okay? I mean he is famous and many people likes his face

You were going to buy a limited edition  sunglasses that have hint of yellow and orange

You went to a sunglass store and asked the attendant if they they still have it but apparently the one on the display is their only stock

You decided to buy it

Apparently, Mammon also came to that specific sunglasses store looking for sunglasses that is the same as the one you bought

"I'm sorry sir, but apparently it was already bought and we have no stock" the attendant said

"Who bought it?"

"They did, sir" the attendant said as they point to you

"Oi! Can I buy the sunglasses from you? I'll pay double, no one can refuse the great Mammon"

"I'm sorry but I have to refuse. I really wanted it." you said

"Don't you know who I am? I'm-"

"The Great MAMMON, who is a famous model and often seen on Majolish magazine" you cut him off. "R-right! Now can i buy-"

"Nope sorry" you replied as you rushed to the exit

"Oi! What's your name? And contact details" he asked

"the name is MC, thats all you can get from me" you said as you rushed to the crowd

He was swarmed by the number of fans who saw him

He managed to find you and he chats you "Can I buy the sunglasses now?"

In the end it wasn't just sunglasses you talked about, you also talked about his struggle of being a model and your life

Leviathan:

Your username DestructoSheep is well known in the realms of Obey them

You always rank 2nd in pop quizzes

However no matter what you try, you can never beat your enemy, L3v1

Today, you got a letter from obey them, acknowledging the top players and giving them limited edition items

Ofc you have to go (there are limited items after all)

So you arrived early at the meetup place, no one was there yet so you played some obey them

A purple haired male entered the room, he looked fidgety, nervous, and he was mumbling something about normies

Cue giving of merch

The purple haired male tripped on the tiles and he dropped his phone in front of you

You helped him up and picked up his phone only to see his player name is L3v1.

"You.... You are L3v1." you sai

"Y-Yeah?W-Why?" he said as he was going to grab his phone away from you

"Waaaah! I'm DestructoSheep nice to meet you, oh but you can call me MC" you said as you reached his hand for a handshake

"I-uhhh I'm sorry I'm not used to touching, thats very normie-ish" he said as he averted his eyes

"My name is Leviathan, levi for short"

"I've always thought that the top player is always prideful and such but here he is being shy" you said as you chuckled

"H-hey! I'm still the best one in obey them mind you! I got every event cards at lvl 150 and skill lvl 10 and-"

"Yeah yeah I know" you said

After both of you received the merch, you both talked nonstop about obey them, other games, and anime

It was more like Levi bragging the amount of games and anime he played and watched

It was almost dusk till both of you notice the time

"Ah i got to go early, need to cook dinner. Chat me sometime!!!" you said as you gave him your contact details

Expect no sleep cuz both of you kept chatting till dawn

Satan:

He saw a kitty in a box in an alleyway near his apartment

Everyday, he often stops by to give the kitty enough food for the day

Is often disgusted by the fact that most people dump their pets in trash because they don't have anything to feed it

Saw you going to the alleyway

He suspected the worst and he thought that you were gonna harm the kitty he was feeding

"Hey don't harm-" he stopped

He saw you feeding the kitty

"Ah I assume you thought that I was gonna harm it?" you asked

"Well I thought the worst, humans are naturally scum anyways, but even so I do apologize"

"Ah it's alright, it's not a big deal anyways" you replied

"You come here often? I mean to feed the kitten that is" he asked

"You can say that, but not as often as you do" you said

"How did you know?did you perhaps-"

"Ah I happened to saw you feeding the kitten, I was just shy to approach you" you said

"Well I come to believe that people who are close to cats are not necessarily bad"

"I have to say I have to agree" you replied

"Ah I have to go, let's chat here again next time" you added

The alleyway became your meeting place to chitchat about cats

Asmodeus:

The famous M.A.D. Company released a new and limited edition Devil Set makeup and you were dying to get a hold of one

You spent a day looking at different stores but it was either unavailable or sold out. However, you were lucky to find another store that has one last stock.

You didn't notice someone else was also going to get it and so both of you grabbed the last set

"Uh... I'm sorry I have been looking this for the whole day, may I have it?" you politely asked

"Awww sweetie, I have been doing the same thing! Can you be a dear and let go of it?" the male with champagne-colored hair replied

Cue 1 hour of both of you saying "let go" or "it's mine"

"I have an idea! Let's just buy the set and divide it" you said

"Ohh! Good thinking! I will take the lippies, Devil shadow palette and the foundation!"

"That's literally EVERYTHING IN THE SET"

Cue two more hours of bickering.

Both of you didn't notice someone took it while the two of you are bickering

You noticed that it was gone

"Um... Someone already bought it while you two were... fighting" the saleslady explained

Both of you left the store empty handed and sad and you decided to break the atmosphere

"Pffft I'm sorry for fighting because of a Makeup set, btw my name is MC" you said

"I'm also sorry dear, although I wanted it I still didn't get it. I even missed my appointment to the salon!"

"And my name is Asmodeus, perfect name for a perfect being!" Asmo added

"Alright Mr 'Perfect' " you rolled your eyes

Let's just say that both of you talked about makeups on your way home.

Beelzebub:

Beel is your classmate during Physical Education class at college

Is a famous football player in your campus and he is also known for his handsomeness

His practice hours were often morning to late lunch and late lunch til dusk

During late lunch you saw him in the cashier by the cafeteria, asking if they still have cheeseburger available

But to his dismay, the cashier said "I'm sorry you already bought the last cheeseburger, and that's the last quota for the day"

He seemed sad and still hungry

You still have a cheeseburger to eat, but when you saw the time you knew you weren't gonna make it on your next class

When no one was looking, you decided to approach Beel and gave him your cheeseburger

"Are you giving this to me?"

"Yeah, I was going to eat it but I don't have much time for my next class" you replied

"Thanks, I owe you one"

You saw how happy he was when he got the cheeseburger

You were shocked how fast he ate it

Did he like inhale it or something

After your class, you noticed that he texted you saying "Thanks for the cheeseburger, I'll repay you next time you get hungry"

Let's just say you both got closer after that

Belphie:

It's your first day of online class, and your first subject has a 4 hour lecture

You forgot to disconnect your meeting link and you didn't notice until you were about to do homework

As you were about to disconnect, you saw that you weren't alone and you're classmate is still connected

You didnt want to leave him so you tried your best for your classmate to notice you. You tried spamming and saying " hello"

After 1234 attempts he finally noticed you

"Ah I'm sorry I slept during the boring lecture, thanks for waking me up"

"Ah it's no problem" you replied

"My name is Belphegor as you can see, but you can call me Belphie"

"My name is MC" you replied

"Say... How are you still here after hours after the lecture?"

"I forgot to disconnect" you replied

"Uh idk if this is too much of a favor to ask, can you wake me up again next time? After lecture that is, I don't want to be late for other classes"

"Sure, I don't mind I guess" you replied

After that, both of you got to know each other and you forgot to do your homework and you became a personal alarm clock

[alighieri-sparda]

I’m keeping your promise | Vergil x Reader

Summary: Vergil promised he would see you soon. But you got tired of waiting for him.

Kindly requested by @blackenedskykai�� ♡ | Masterlist | Rules | Read on AO3! 

Hello, Kai! I missed writing your requests, my dear. They are always so nice to write down the first ideas and complete it, so thanks a lot! Hope to see you here again. ♡ This prompt didn’t exist on the original list, but I wrote it anyway because your idea is amazing (and very cute!).  And... I’m sorry for the delay, again. xD 

By the way, I made some changes to my posting pattern. Let me know if you liked it or if you have any suggestions.

- - - - - - 

These warm sheets were no longer effective in keeping you comfortable. You tried to relax your body and mind once you decided to rest your back in some pillows and read a book, but it was all in vain. Your mind quickly diverted your attention out from those old written words in your book, of which you couldn’t understand any of the meaning they were trying to convey, no mattered how many times you read the same sentences.

To make that situation even worse, your kitty Shadow suddenly showed up, crawling her little claws on the mattress and meowing to get your attention. That little black cat was probably wanting something from you.

You sighed, taking that chance to finally give up on your attempt to read that book. Shadow kept her constant meow until you got that little feline body in your hands, gently carrying her in your arms to pet her in the bed.

“You’ve been so noisy those days, Shadow.” You softly baby-talked to her. Your heart melted in love when Shadow started to purr, slowly blinking that little green eyes to enjoy your coziness. “What do you want, hm? Tell me.”

But she suddenly started to gradually shake her body in your arms in a silent ask to break free from your touch. You frowned in confusion, but you quickly understood what was going on with her once you noticed what she did when she left your arms.

She arranged herself on Vergil’s side of your shared bed, resting her little body on his pillow.

“Oh… Yeah, Shadow, I miss him too.” You murmured, petting her head again.

This situation made you remember the promise Vergil made to you before he went to his office two days ago: “Don’t worry, I’ll see you again soon.” Having Vergil with you every day, living and sleeping together at the same apartment became part of your routine already; so, you were pretty used to see Vergil constantly busy. But you never got accustomed to dealing with the lack of his presence when he needed to go to his office at Devil May Cry.

It all started because of research that Vergil needed to do for a job that Dante recently accepted. You held back your complaints when you first heard Dante asking for his brother’s help, but Vergil knew that you were bothered about that. Therefore, before he left, he kissed your forehead and promised those words in a soft tone.

But you got tired of waiting for him.

Before doing anything, you checked the time. It was still early at night — it wouldn’t be awkward if you showed up at the shop at six, right? — and Dante wasn’t accepting any customers after 5 PM anyway. The shop wasn’t that far from your house though, so it wouldn’t take you more than ten minutes to be there safely.

And once you were sure that you wouldn’t bother anyone going there now and that the time was safe enough for you to walk the streets alone, you quickly got out of your bed and started looking for some clothes to deal with the cold outside.

Shadow seemed to guess that you were about to see Vergil and went behind you, following your steps with her little fleet-footed paws. She was meowing again, but this time, she sounded almost happy to you.

“Don’t worry, little one.” You smiled at the kitty right behind your feet as she meowed back. “I’ll let him know that you miss him too.”

 […]

 Just like you expected, you arrived at Devil May Cry in ten minutes. Along the way, you became more and more anxious as you were getting closer to the shop; and once you knocked twice on the front door, your heart raced at full speed. You knew that Vergil wouldn’t answer the door, and it made you feel even more impatient to see him.

You felt your body even colder than before, and an intense shiver ran down your spine to remember your condition. Not only because you were feeling anxious, but also due to the cold weather. Although you were wearing a comfortable coat and jeans, a scarf, gloves, and boots, they didn’t seem to be enough to keep you warm.

“We’re closed!” You heard Dante’s voice shouting from inside the shop.

“It’s me, Dante!” You answered his warning in a happy tone. When you finished your sentence, you immediately heard quick footsteps coming from the inside and getting closer to the door.

“[Name]?” He asked when he opened one of the doors, only wearing sweatpants — you knew Dante didn’t feel cold due to his demonic blood, but you couldn’t help being surprised. He clearly wasn’t expecting anyone to visit him. You also noticed Dante was happy to see you but seemed sort of confused as well. “Good evening, pretty human. Lost your way back home?” He grinned at you, resting his weight on the door.

You laughed back. “Good evening, Dante. I… came here to see someone, actually. Hope you don’t mind me.”

“Nah, don’t worry. It’s always good to see you here.” Dante moved aside, silently asking you to enter the shop. “Come inside. You’ll freeze out there.”

You stepped inside the main hall and took a deep breath when you felt a sudden warmth embrace your cold body. The room was quite dark, the only intense light was coming from Vergil’s office, passing through the door openings. Dante closed the front door behind you and started making his way back to his bedroom.

“His office is unlocked; I just spoke to him.” Dante yawned, lazily stretching his body. “That nerd is damn focused on his books so take care not to scare him.”

He winked at you before locking himself in his room again. “Or maybe not.”

And then Dante closed his bedroom door, leaving you alone in the hall.

Spending no more time, you took some quiet steps towards Vergil’s office door. You even raised your hand to knock on the door once you got in front of it and announce that you were about to join him, but you abruptly prevented yourself from knocking on it.

It would be way more fun if you just surprise him, right?

To be sure you wouldn’t get caught before the right time, you gently held the door handle and moved it down as carefully as you could, pressing the door with your weight to open it gradually. When your gaze caught the sight of Vergil, you realized that Dante couldn’t be more certain about what he said: Vergil he was standing in front of a bookshelf, his back to the door, clearly interested in what he was reading.

You closed the door behind you with your feet as your body quietly slid into the room. When you noticed that Vergil didn’t move anything but his fingers to go to the next page of his book, a content smile crossed your face. He was probably going to be sort of annoyed because you went there alone, but you needed to keep the promise he made to you.

After some steps, you were finally close enough to Vergil. You thought of hugging him from beside and try to support your head on his shoulder at first — and you were going to need to stand on tiptoe to do so —, but you were just a few steps from his face. And when you realized that, a better idea crossed your mind.

This time, you didn’t even worry about not making any noise. You placed a hand over his arm, and before he could react to it, you finally faced him, cupping his face with your other hand and finally kissing his lips. You needed to stand on tiptoe anyway since Vergil usually curves his body a bit to kiss you, but you didn’t mind it at all.  

Although you could feel a little surprised gasp coming from him, Vergil just replaced the book back on the shelf whilst he joined your kiss properly, holding his arms around your waist to bring you closer to him. The cold sensation of anxiety started to leave your body, relaxing your muscles as you enjoyed the taste of Vergil’s lips again.

It was only an extended peck, but the sensation of his soft and warm lips over yours was pleasant enough for a ‘hello’ kiss.

Vergil was the one who separated the kiss. He looked at you with a soft smile on his lips, yet he frowned his eyebrows.

“What are you doing here, [Name]?” He asked softly, brushing his fingers through your hair.

“I’m keeping your promise, Vergil.” You touched his lips with yours again, but quickly this time.

“Excuse me?” He seemed genuinely confused.

“You promised me you’d see me soon, but I got a little impatient and decided to keep this for you.”

He chuckled.

“I see. I was expecting to finish the research tomorrow morning, but I think I’m finishing it tonight… With your help, of course.” Vergil winked at you, and couldn’t help but giggle when you grumbled at his words.

He left your hair and started to caress your cheek with his thumb, knitting a brow as he felt your skin colder than normal compared to the temperature of the place.

“Why are you that cold? Are you sure you were wearing this scarf since you left home?” His tone was concerned, even though it sounded almost like a complaint.

“I took ten minutes to get here, and it’s really cold outside. But it wouldn’t stop me from seeing you.” You sighed. A sudden wave of desire sprawled through your body, and you couldn’t help hugging the man in front of you, missing his embrace. He quickly realized that and held you tightly. His lovely warmth comforting your body made you sigh cheerfully. “I missed you.”

“I’m sorry to keep you waiting, love.” He kissed your head, leaving his lips barely over your hair. “But don’t expose yourself like that again, okay? I wouldn’t like to see you in danger just because I took too long to come back home.”

This sentence of his proved that you were right about his discomfort about you going there all alone, but you didn’t expect him talking about that in a so gentle tone.

“I will always keep that promise to you, [Name]. No matter how long it takes, I will always come back. Don’t worry.” His whisper sounded like he was speaking from the bottom of his heart. He spoke to you sincerely a few times during your relationship, and you could tell that was another one of them.

You stepped back only to kiss him again. You knew that you were going to read a lot of old books to help him with his research, so you wanted to enjoy that moment as much as you could. This kiss wasn’t different from the previous one, but this time, Vergil held you even closer, with one hand holding your waist and the other touching the backside of your neck.

You took a bit longer to separate this kiss. Both you and Vergil could stay like that for hours, but he still had some work to be finished.

“Guess it’s time to read some books.” You giggled.

“Precisely.” Vergil grinned at you, finally breaking the embrace completely to go back to the book he was reading. “I’m not far from finishing it though, so I think we’re coming back home in one hour.”

“I hope so, because Shadow is missing you as much as I was.” You quickly checked out the content of his book by looking at its cover and then started to look for some similar ones. “She has been such a noisy kitten since you left. Probably calling for you.”

You heard a heartened hum coming from Vergil. That little black kitty was a weak spot of Vergil as much as you were, and you knew that pretty well.

“Dante needs some help with old demonic rituals. Better check that another bookshelf, because I want to see Shadow tonight.” He explained, pointing to the shelf beside which he was standing.

While you were searching for the right books on the shelf Vergil pointed, you couldn’t stop thinking about what Vergil said to you. Well, now you were sure that he would keep his promise at any cost.

You smiled unconsciously. Although you couldn’t see it, Vergil was doing the same.

[zer0pm]

Imagine V telling you the truth of his origins and after, you, his s/o, revealed to him that you are pregnant.

A/N: This is a V x Fem!Reader fic based on these asks:

Hope you like it anon and @krazy06 ^^ Thank you always for your love and support.

.

.

.

You could not believe what you were hearing.

You: “Is...Is this a joke, V?”

He shakes his head.

V: “I wish it were so. But it is true. Urizen is my devil half. We are two parts of a whole, ripped apart in our original persona’s pursuit of power. All of the death and loss you have suffered was wrought by the hands of my former self. By my hands.”

This was too much to take in, it gripped your heart.

You: “And this whole time, you have been fighting to return yourself to this...Vergil.”

He nods.

V: “It is difficult to grasp, I understand.”

You: “...And what happens if you don’t merge back wth Urizen?”

He exemplifies your already growing worry with a long grimace and gently takes a hold of your shaky hand. V squeezes carefully and caresses the skin of the back of your hand in smooth strokes. You know he does this to comfort you. Any other moment, it would do exactly that. Not this time.

V: “If I do not revive back into Vergil... this form you see before you will crumble and fade into dust.”

You were shocked at these words, you tried to wrench your hand away but V tightens his hold. There is a look of unmistakable pain and fear in his usually collected eyes and you knew that yours reflected the same dismay.

You: “Are you saying that you’re going to die, V?”

He sighs, a sound of a soul with a heavy weight upon it. It felt like he was burdened with this fate for quite some time and that alone made you angrier and sadder.

V: “My love...”

He pauses thoughtfully, stealing this dismal moment to grasp your cheek, his thumb lightly padding along the corner of your lips. You can feel the inner turmoil he suffered in his shaky hold.

V: “I am already dying. I have been since the day I was ripped from Vergil. These markings...”

He offers one of his arms to you and you instinctively reach out to skin your fingertips across the patterns on his smooth skin. You remember admiring these tattoos closely. Intimately. Back then V took notice of your fixated gaze and seized the opportunity to play on your attraction to him as he himself was quite drawn to you as well. It worked. V proved to be as charming, as seductive, as confident as you imagined him to be. A perfect gentleman with an almost domineering side that made you ache with need throughout the night. That night...

V: “These markings are the source of what little demonic power I have left. The nightmares Vergil wished to expel along with his humanity. You know them as my companions.”

You could never forget the three creatures that come at V’s beck and call. They are nightmares? The demon bird Griffon may have a mouth but he along with Shadow and Nightmare seemed devoted and loyal to V. And by extension, you. It felt like just yesterday that you were lying with Shadow curled up around you, nudging you to use him as your headrest. Or when Nightmare would allow you to ride on its back whilst you were walking around the city. Or when Griffon decided to perch himself on your shoulder because he felt you were entertaining to have a conversation with compared to his master. V, blatantly ignoring Griffon’s off-handed commentary, pointed out that his familiars have never acted so comfortably with anyone else other than himself and admitted to feel a great ease that they act as so with you. For some reason when he told you this, it made your heart skip a beat as it felt like it drew you closer to V.

You: “So this...they...are what’s been keeping you alive all this time?”

He nods.

V: “And I them. But our strength is fading. I can feel it. I do not have much longer...”

You: “So then...”

You felt angry tears begin to prick at the corners of your eyes.

You: “Why are you telling me this now?”

V looks down at the ground. His expression suggests that he anticipated this question, his hooded eyes cloaking the heartache he disparages his answers would evoke. His hand that still held you gently squeezes you once more.

V: “Because these may very well be our last moments together.”

He brings your hand to his chest where you can feel the rhythm of his beating heart. It is rapid yet his face looks painfully calm. Yet you could tell by his glistening green eyes and the heaviness in his silken voice that he was in despair and it struck a cord inside you.

V: “My heart is yours, do not doubt this. But I have a duty to defeat Urizen and restore Vergil. He alone has the power to close the portal that welcomed the hellspawn to this world. Only by his return will you know peace.”

V: “Once I become one once again, I will be a different man. And because of that I...”

He looks deep into your eyes.

V: “I do not know if he will act upon my fondness for you should you two meet. He is rather...stubborn that way.”

You: “Guess that part of his personality came from you.”

The man chuckles, though it came out half-heartedly. The tension between you two was growing ever more heavy as the realization of the inevitable sinks in.

You: “So what you’re saying is... you’re leaving me.”

V: “Not because I wish it. I do not. Given the choice, I would remain by your side forever.”

You: “Telling me that doesn’t make it better, V! Isn’t there any other way? Maybe Dante or Trish knows what we could-”

V: “It does not work like that, Little Wanderer...”

You were grasping, you both know it and that’s why V shushed you quietly, cradling your face in his hands. It was all so overwhelming that tears began to pool from your eyes. The man you love pulls you into his arms immediately at the sight, rocking you in his embrace. You feel his soft lips kissing away the sadness pouring down your cheeks.

If only he knew how much this truly affected you, it wasn’t just the pain of losing the man you have grown to love and care for deeply but...

You: “You can’t leave us, V.”

V: “I’ve already told you that I must. You and I, I will never forget us. It was the best dream I have ever had.”

As much as his words moved you as they always had, you knew you could not let him go on without knowing what you truly meant.

You: “Not “us” as in just “you and I”, V.”

This piqued the tattooed man’s curiosity. He tilts his head. To clarify, you summoned the courage that was weighing heavily at your heart and took his hand, guiding him to your stomach.

You: “I’m pregnant, V.“

It felt as if your heart stopped beating completely at the look of shock and realization settled on his face in an instant. His eyes were zooming back and forth between your face and your stomach which you made him touch. A long, excruciating silence passes between you two. Before long, you took in a gulp of air, not realizing that you had stopped breathing when you told him this news and that seemed to snap him back into reality. He quickly withdraws his hand from your stomach, the action making your heart drop completely.

V: “That...That’s not possible.”

You: “Don’t you fucking say that. Please, don’t do this. Not now. It’s true, V. And it’s yours. I’m having our baby!”

You knew you were pleading now, angry and desperate, and all V did was just stand there in front of you, his mouth set to a thin line, his eyes furrowed harshly. There is an unreadable expression on his face and you did not like it one instant. Finally, he tears his eyes away from your glare, looking down upon the ground between you two before turning his body until his back was towards you.

V: “I...”

He stops before he can say more and does what you had dreaded he would do.

V walked away.

With his long legs, he took great, determined strides away from you. And you, in your heartache and shock, were frozen in place. You wanted to follow him, to scream and call him a coward, but you couldn’t find the voice to do exactly that. When the weight of it all came crashing down on you, you fell to your knees and sobbed. Your cries carried across the air around you and even as he walked further and further away, V could hear it as clear as if he were next to you still and it shattered his heart to pieces.

Once out of sight, Griffon appeared from V’s tattoos.

Griffon: “V, what the hell, man?! Are you just going to leave her like that?!”

V: “...If Vergil returns, she and the baby would have a better chance at a peaceful life. To start anew.”

Griffon: “Huh? That’s what’s bugging you? Then why don’t you just tell her that! She’ll be mad as all hell but she’d understand.”

V: “No, my friend. You do not understand.”

Griffon: “Huh?”

The demon bird looks at his master as he flies next to him, picking up the serious glare in V’s green eyes.

V: “I...do not want to return to Vergil. Urizen and I, we may be two halves of one man. But that child, that life that my Wanderer carries with her right now...”

V clutches at his chest, feeling the pounding heart within.

V: “...is mine. Born from our shared love. For once in my life, there is something that I wish to protect and love. Now I have two. That duty falls to no one else but me. Not Vergil.”

His heart. It was practically beating to his newfound resolve.

Griffon: “Are you listening to yourself?! If we don’t get you back into Vergil, your skinny ass is gonna die. Dust to the wind. POOF! And on top of this, me, the kitty, and the rock monster? Yeah, we’d disappear with ya!”

The man shakes his head.

V: “There must be another way.”

Griffon: “You just told your lady that there is no other way!”

V: “That was before I thought I had no other option. But the child, my child, made me realize something.”

Griffon: “What the hell is your crazy ass going on about?!”

V: “That boy, Nero. Much of his demonic strength was born from the Yamato. He who has demon blood running in his veins yet is undoubtedly human. If he was able to gain his power from the blade...”

The two stop at an overlook, where V’s devil senses have guided him.

V: “Then there should be no reason for me to draw power from the Devil Sword Sparda.”

Griffon: “You don’t mean-”

He points his cane towards the familiar who almost flinched at the swift movement. V’s stare intense with fiery determination.

V: “I do. I sense Sparda. And I want you to investigate. Pinpoint its location. That is an order.”

Without hesitation, Griffon flies off in the distance at his command. V lowers his cane, following his familiar’s path, but his thoughts took him elsewhere.

To you. And the baby. With how he left, he knew you would be angry with him. Hate him, even. He wouldn’t blame you. But V is driven by the hope of this new life you two have created. To hell with Urizen. To hell with Vergil. He would set things right, but he would do it as himself as he is now. He would do it as V. And he would rise as V.

V: “Wait for me, Little Wanderer. I shall return home soon.”

[salted-barbed-wire]

The Devil May Care

Chapter Nine

Summary: “Here come my demons Out of the shadows All cloaked and daggers And poison arrows Hell bent with weapons Of self destruction Whispering kisses Serpentine seduction” Word Count: 2217

Prelude       Chapter One.      Chapter Two.      Chapter Three.       Chapter Four. Chapter Five.     Chapter Six.      Chapter Seven    Chapter Eight

I opened my eyes to shadows dancing around my room. I sat up, feeling a little dizzy, before realizing that I was surrounded by a dozen or more candles lit.

“You’re awake, finally.” I turned to see Aleister leaning against the wall in front of my bed. “And you got all dressed up for me.

My eyes went to my body. Gone were my cupcake and hello kitty pajama and in their place, was a silk and lace slip. “How-?”

Before I could finish the question, Aleister was on top of me, his mouth devoured mine. A small voice in the back of my head begged me to pull away, but I couldn’t. I pulled him down to the bed with me, our lips tasting each other. I inhaled a familiar scent. His hand slid up the end of my nighty. Fingers finding their way to my heat. I only broke the kiss to gasp at the sensation of his touch. Alesiter kissed and nipped along my neck, biting hard on my shoulder before moving farther down my body. His thumb rubbed circular motions over my clit, making my hips buck against his hand. I closed my eyes as his tongue drug across my perked nipple.

“So eager,” he whispered against my flesh. “I didn’t realize I left you with so much want, princess.”

My eyes snapped open, “What?”

Aleister has never used that pet name for me. It’s always ‘snojepe, this’ or ‘little snojepethat’. Princess? Finn called me Princess…

I looked down to see black eyes staring up at me with a mocking smile.

“Smart little girl.” Finn laughed.

I screamed, but he covered my mouth, forcing me back down onto the bed. “Ah, ah, ah, princess. You were the one that invited me up here, remember?”

I felt tears stinging at my eyes. He has control.

“I do,” Finn responded to my thoughts. “You said it yourself after we made our little deal, you’re mine.” I whimpered, squirming under his body. “Now, now, I may be evil, but I want you to want it.” He whispered in my ear. “It will be so much more thrilling to hear you beg for it.”

He uncovered my mouth to finally let me speak. “I will never-“ I began.

“Never say never,” Balor laughed. “You wanted it when I was wearing the Devil’s mask. Perhaps you’d let me ease some of that tension if I put it back on?”

He morphed back into Aleister before my eyes. His eyes were still Balor’s black color, but the rest of him was the spitting image of Aleister completely naked.

“It doesn’t matter what mask you wear, Balor, I will not give myself to you physically.” I spit in his face.

Balor chuckled, “So fiery. No wonder he gets a hard on thinking about you. If I were him, I’d jump at the chance of tying you down, giving you a good blindfold and ball gag before having my way with you.” His words in Aleister’s voice gave me chills. My cunt was still wet and was only aching more from the thought of what the Devil could do to me. “Tell me, princess, have you tempted the Devil? Have you tried to have him in your bed yet? He’d be so jealous if he could see us now.”

I refused to look at him, thinking about Aleister and I shamelessly flirting with each other not hours before.

“Oh?” Balor smirked. “You have! Did he deny you?” Balor freed me, moving between my legs. “Did he leave you wanting?” Balor’s arms hooked under my thighs, bring his words close my core. I looked down, only seeing Aleister’s face. No more black eyes, just Aleister’s staring at me, locked on mine. “This is your dream, love. Would you like me to indulge your fantasies?”

I whimpered. The warmth of his breath rocked me. Fuck.“No, please.”

“No?” He sat up. “You’re lucky, princess. We still require permission to possess or enter mortals like you. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have had a chance to protest.”

I scooted my body out of reach from him, “You didn’t just come here to mess with me, did you?”

“Aye, you’re right.” Balor turned back into himself, sitting cross-legged on my bed, “We need to plot and plan.”

My eyes rolled. “Can I maybe change for this?”

His gaze wandered my frame. “There’s nothing wrong with what you’re wearing, princess.”

I furrowed my eyebrows together and glared at him before wrapping the blankets around me to cover my exposed skin.

Finn laughed heartily. “Oh, Jackie. It’s your dream. You can control most of it.”

“Great, time to wake up.”

“Ah, ah, ah,” He wiggled a finger at me. “I said most of it. I control when you wake up and my astral form will follow you wherever you go.”

I sighed, “Fine. So, how do I-“

Finn shrugged, leaning back against one of my bed posts. “You could always just strip down for me.”

I glared at him before remembering how Aleister conjured matter from thin air. Taking a deep breath, I closed my eyes and snapped my fingers. When I opened my eyes, I was in jeans and a hoodie. Safe.

“Too safe. Wearing anything in under that hoodie? What kind of panties you wearing under those jeans?”

“Would you shut up?” I growled and he wiggled his eyebrows at me. “Come on, Balor. Let’s walk and hear this plan of yours.”

He hopped off the bed after me. “Oh, we’re going for a walk in your dream land. I can’t wait to see what’s inside this pretty little head.”

We walked out of my apartment. It felt strangely empty not seeing Felix around. I would think he’d be in my dream. Making our way down the familiar street we started walking along the empty side walk of the normally busy city. I noticed all the signs on the businesses and streets were blank. Finn had been walking behind me, looking around, smirking the whole time.

“Alesiter said we had to trap you on Halloween. He told me the story, about what happened…”

Finn scoffed, “He told you HIS version of what happened, princess. Not mine.”

“So, Aleister didn’t smuggle a guy in to impregnate your daughter then kill her after he smuggled your grandson away to have him plot to seal your powers away for a millennium only then dragging Lugh down to hell to have him ripped apart by Lucifer himself?”

Finn was silent for a beat. “I should’ve taken ol’ Lucy up on the offer to dethrone him. Red-eyes wouldn’t have stood a chance against me back then. I would’ve destroyed him.”

“But now?”

“Now, it might be more difficult.”

I looked down at my feet walking steadily. “Oh?”

“The throne gives him leverage. Not to mention he gains power from drawing up contracts, stealing souls. As long as hell is open, he has his powers.”

I stopped in my tracks, “So, what are you going to do?”

“Close the gates.”

“You make it sound so easy.”

His lips pressed in a fine line. “It’s not. It requires a lot of skill and precision. The sigils will have to be in place and hidden so he can’t see them. Not to mention the incantations are not for beginners. You’ll have to do some practicing for those.”

My jaw nearly hit the floor. “Me?”

“Well, yeah, princess. Who else did you think was going to do it?”

“I don’t know! Maybe you?”

Finn smiled softly. “No can do, Jackie. This has to be done by a soul with a foot in each plane. Meaning someone half way to hell, maybe someone who has sold their soul for a selfless reason?” His eyes were intense and pouring into me. “Someone who has the devil’s attention that can trap him, draw energy from him to close the gates until someone as powerful as yours truly can reopen them.”

I put my hand on my hip, “I thought you said you didn’t have the full extent of your powers?”

“Ah, true,” Balor nodded, “However, should we shut the entrance to hell, that wank-stain’s previous enchantment on me would fade and I would be able to defeat him in contest.”

“This is crazy!” I exclaimed, throwing my arms in the air. I turned around to start walking away from him. “Your ‘plan’ is terrible, and I should have never agreed to this.”

The demon appeared in front of me, stopping me in my tracks. “Oh, princess,” he feigned a gasp and put his hand on his chest, “you wound me. This will work.”

“I’d agree with you but then we’d both be wrong.” I glared, dodging him to keep moving down the sidewalk. “Even IF I were to even learn these spells and be able to perform witchcraft, which sounds crazier out loud, I don’t even know the full extent of Aleister’s plans. Which means, in case you aren’t aware, I have no idea how to ‘secretly prepare’ all of this nonsense.”

Balor matched my pace, walking next to me in the street. “I know it seems complex, but we have a practice space. Despite what you think, it doesn’t take a witch to conjure magic. Just an abled mind and a good teacher.”

“You’re going to teach me?”

“I can try.”

I stopped and turned to him, “I thought you said the incantations were tricky. Won’t something bad happen if I- WE get them wrong?”

Finn shrugged, “So you die if you get them wrong. Like that’s the worst thing that could happen.”

I snapped my fingers. Suddenly, lights to a garbage truck appeared as it zoomed down the street and smacked into his wide spread eyes, knocking him back a few feet. I heard him mutter something in Gaelic as he lay in the middle of the road but turned to keep walking.

In a blink, he was blocking my path again, “If I didn’t know any better, princess, I’d say you’re flirting with me.” He leaned into me, grinning from ear to ear. “Not every day a girl’s beautiful mind hits me like a truck.”

“You’re crazy.”

“Aye, Jackie, but you made a deal with crazy.”

“I also made a deal with the devil.”

“True, but if he really did tell you about our history, surely you noticed a pattern?”

I was starting to get impatient with him, “Enlighten me.”

“The Devil tosses aside anyone that helps him like yesterday’s garbage.” He tucked a strand of my hair behind my ear. “Who says he won’t do you the same courtesy?”

My only response was silence. My mind was racing, Aleister said he wouldn’t betray me, but his track record would say otherwise. Finally, I sighed. “Fine. Where is this safe space exactly? How are you going to teach me all of this?”

Balor extended his arms and looked around.

“Here?” I asked.

“Can’t get hurt in here, Jackie. The little spell I stole from Aleister puts a protective barrier around your mind. I can come and go as I please, but the magic we practice, the spells we will cast, will have no effect inside or outside of your dream world. It’s a neutral zone.”

I looked around, “How DID you steal this spell from Aleister? And what about the other nonsense you casted earlier?”

Balor shrugged, “It was a secret silencing spell. You can’t tell anyone about our little deal until I break it.” He clapped his hands together and as he pulled them apart a thick, leather bound book appeared in his hands. “This is Aleister’s family’s grimoire. Something Lucifer rewarded him with when he took the throne. He’s kept it hidden in this world so his little soliders down below don’t get their claws on it. My vessel followed him to it once, unknowingly so I knew exactly where to snatch it from and replaced it with a fake.”

“He doesn’t know?” I asked. “He said he was going to be checking on a spell to keep you out of my dreams.”

“I swapped it with another one disguised as his. It has most of the same spells, not all, and will keep him from suspecting anything.”

Balor handed me the book. “It’s so heavy,” I said, weighing it in my hands.

“Aye,” he agreed before taking it back. “It’s generations of knowledge and power. Probably the best one I’ve ever seen complied together.”

There was quake that came from our feet. The world around us shook violently. “What’s going on?” I asked him.

“Time to wake up, princess.” Balor wrapped an arm around me tight. “How about a kiss goodbye for your new boss?”

I pushed my way out of his arms, “In your dreams.”

“No, princess, in YOURS” He winked and disappeared.

~~

I shot straight up in bed. Felix was sitting calmly on my lap staring up at me.

“Strange dreams,” I said before giving him a scratch on the head.

His green eyes narrowed at me before hopping off towards his food bowl.

Who’d have thought I’d have to lie to my cat?

Swinging my legs over the side of my bed, I stretched my arms up towards the ceiling. I could hear my phone buzz on my nightstand with a new text message.

Whoever it is can wait until I’ve had my shower, coffee, and pop-tart.

~~~

Chapter Ten -> 

Tag List: @fangirls-gotta-fangirl @xladyxfatex @xbreezymeadowsx @rndm-fngrl-blg @nicolewoo @itsicantbelievethis666

[etlunainmorte]

💛 I See My Future Before Me 💛

***

“Winter, spring, summer, or fall,

You know all you have to do is call,

And I’ll be there, yeah!

You’ve got a friiieeennnddd!”

“Where did you learn that song, anyway?”

Griffon glanced at you, a strange glint of mischief in his yellow eyes. “Ye really wanna know, huh, sweet pea?” He asked in a low and mysterious kind of tone that made you sweat nervously.

“Yes.” You managed to say, turning away from the demonic bird and focusing on your way instead.

You have just escaped Nero and made your way to the opposite side of the Dreadnought. You were so sure that you were getting close to your goal because the voice that was calling you for the past few hours was actually getting louder. But, somehow, you felt like it wasn’t a good sign, at all. You chose not to mention it to Griffon and, instead, made him sing that one song again.

The bird cleared his throat and spoke in a narrative kind of way. “You see, in one of our travels to America, there was this old lady who kept blasting that song near our tent in endless loops. The next day, V developed an incurable LSS of Carole King. And he passed it on to me.”

You gulped, feeling the blood leave your face. The mere mention of the poet’s name sent you back to your tensed state that you suddenly felt stressed and depressed all over again.

And yet, hearing that he could easily be affected by Last Song Syndrome just like any other normal person,…

… your heart simply ached just thinking about it.

“I shouldn’t have asked that.” You regretfully answered.

“WELL, YA FUCKIN’ ASKED FOR IT!”

All of a sudden, you felt a strange movement on the ground beneath your feet. At first, it was only some kind of a light tremor but, seconds later, it gradually became something that was similar to an earthquake.

You struggled to stay on your feet, waiting for the violent tremors to subside when you heard a cracking noise.

It happened too fast: the ground cracking and splitting, showing the ground beneath the Dreadnought, itself, and letting the strong wind enter the demonic mechanism.

And in utter horror, you saw, and realized, that ShiShi had actually took off, bringing you thousands of miles off the ground, away from the city and from the rest of the commissioned Devil Hunters who were still fighting the massive horde below.

“Oh, no,…” you muttered, feeling sick due to the height.

“Watch out!” Griffon shrieked as he took hold of your arm to keep yourself from plummeting to the ground. He pulled you with enough force and made you stumble backwards, safe and away from the edge.

“Thanks.” You said, eyes wide with shock and disbelief.

“Look over there!” The bird gestured at the other end of the room with his wing, pointing at an indistinguishable dark mass that suddenly appeared from a corner.

“Another Demon?” You questioned as you carefully stood.

“I don’t want to find out.” The bird answered in both dismay and fatigue, still feeling the stress of his battle against the shape shifter half an hour earlier.

The dark mass stayed there across the room for a brief moment, until it slowly gained height, trembling and glowing with strange blue and crimson lights as it did so.

“What’s happening?” You uttered nervously as you drew your rapier in response to its erratic movement.

Griffon narrowed his eyes at it, realizing in an instant the nature of the enemy you two were going to deal with. “I have a hunch.”

“What is it?”

“Ah,… (Y/N)?”

“Yes?” You replied, turning to the bird with furrowed eyebrows.

“If I die here, promise me you’ll run away from here as fast as you can.”

Your eyes widened and your heart felt like it abruptly stopped beating. You fully turned towards the familiar, feeling confusion, worry, and fear for him.

“What are you talking about? We’re partners! We’re gonna get through this!”

“No! YOU’RE gonna get through this! Not me!”

“Stop saying that! You can’t even die! You just turn into an orb thing!”

“Not this time, (Y/N).”

That sounded really bad. Griffon was calling you by your name and not by the nickname he gave you.

He was dead serious.

You looked back at the mass as it slowly morphed into a kind of creature that resembled a human figure, then back at the demonic bird.

“Please, stop making jokes.” You pleaded, wishing and praying for some kind of miracle to save Griffon from whatever he was talking about.

“STOP BEING SO STUBBORN, WOMAN! Look, I’ am not the only one who gained additional abilities during our travels with V. Shadow did, too!”

“Shadow?” You stammered, unable to believe what you just heard. You glanced back at the dark mass and noticed, in total fear, how it successfully morphed into a beautiful human girl with different colored - eyes: the right one blue and the left one crimson.

And she was looking at you with those empty eyes, like she felt nothing for you, at all,…

“Yeah, and she’s out to kill us,…” the bird calmly said as he flew, positioning himself between you and the other familiar. “Play your cards well, (Y/N). I’ll buy you enough time to escape.”

“I JUST CAN’T LEAVE YOU HERE! I WON’T ALLOW YOU TO MURDER EACH OTHER!”

“FUCK! STOB BEING ANNOYING FOR ONCE, WILL YA?! AND GROW THE FUCK UP!”

“GRIFFON, DON’T DO THIS! PLEASE!”

“SHUT THE FUCK UP!” Griffon screamed as he hastily grabbed your shoulders with his talons and threw you away from the room just in time when Shadow closed the distance between her and him with horrifying speed, simultaneously morphing into a mass of black liquid that engulfed the bird.

You looked behind you and saw the two clashing against each other - Shadow trying to dominate and imprison Griffon, and Griffon releasing powerful electric currents that sometimes freezes Shadow.

You winced in pain at the sight of the two, thinking of the times they were still the best of pals - partners of V who protected him at all costs.

But, Griffon made his choice, and that was to protect you against Shadow and the poet, himself. He broke his contract with V and followed you despite knowing that he’ll pay with his life for his actions.

Despite everything, Griffon, the demonic bird, chose to follow his instincts in the face of great danger and remained loyal to them.

You stood up, still hearing the painful battle near you and took a step forward,…

“HOW ABOUT BEATING SOME SENSE INTO SHAKESPEARE INSTEAD, HUH, YOU OVERSIZED KITTEN?!” Griffon quipped as he dodged another set of arrows that Shadow threw at him. “BECAUSE KILLING THAT ANNOYING CHICK DOESN’T MAKE ANY SENSE, AT ALL!”

Shadow morphed back into a human girl and hissed angrily at him.

“Eurgh, still can’t speak, eh?” Griffon insulted as he prepared for another attack. He released a streak of blinding electricity that landed on the ground in the shape of a V.

Shadow, still in the form of a little girl, went down on all fours, charged forward, and dodged the moving currents, successfully evading them. She was about to scratch Griffon with her long and deadly claws when she suddenly stopped. Her shoulders slumped, and she slightly opened her mouth in total bewilderment.

Then, it came: a veil of white light that crawled on the ground and took hold of Shadow’s feet. Another wave of this veil - like light rapidly crawled on the ground and made her scream, covering her ears as if something was shattering her eardrums.

Like that one time with the Electric Furies when they became deaf due to an unknown force.

“What in the - ?” Griffon muttered as he turned to the left and saw you standing before them. “YOU STUPID - I TOLD YOU TO ESCAPE!”

“I can’t let my friends die like this.” You declared, shaking your head in defiance. “Not today.”

You held up your shield and pressed a button on the neck, making a long steel spike protrude out of its endpin. The steel spike extended and reached the ground, piercing the moist, fleshy soil.

“You’ve been a very bad kitty.” You told Shadow as she noticed you. She charged towards you, animal instincts and all, with the pure intention of fatally wounding you.

You knew she would do it, she was just so predictable. With an ounce of both courage and guilt, you drew your rapier and practically slammed it against the four steel strings of the shield, making the it vibrate. A form of electricity ran through the steel spike down to the ground where it connected, sending the same veil of light towards Shadow and making her howl in pain.

Griffon, who can’t hear the awful sound coming from the shield, at all, flew to where you were and witnessed how Shadow started writhing in unbelievable pain.

“Stay with me.” You instructed the bird as you held the rapier up once more, instantly ending Shadow’s torture. She noticed this and made another effort to charge at you.

However, you were much faster as you slammed the rapier against the strings again but, this time, you did it twice. The veil of light that crawled towards V’s familiar became bigger, engulfing the creature, imprisoning it, and making it writhe even more in pain.

“I’m sorry, girl,…” You whispered, feeling the ache in your heart for the cat as you raised the rapier for the third time. “Chickee, get behind me!”

“AYE!” Griffon obeyed as he took hold of your shoulders tightly.

Seeing that the bird was safe, you brought down the rapier against the strings for the last time, swiped it across like a real bow to a violin, and waved the weapon. Electric currents ran all over the shield, and a second later, it radiated a blinding kind of light that engulfed the whole, dismal room. After that, a strong form of hot light blasted from the shield and made its way towards Shadow, making her human form collapse.

But, she was very steadfast. She made one last effort to attack you, reaching out a murderous claw until she finally stopped, her body morphing back to her feline form but, only smaller.

When the blinding light subsided, you pressed the button on the neck of the shield, retracting the steel spike. You took hold of your weapons with one hand as you strode towards Shadow, who was reduced to the form of a tiny, helpless kitten.

“Aww, ain’t ya the cutest?!” Griffon squeaked at the sight of the mewling and trembling familiar.

You grabbed the familiar by her nape with your free hand and looked straight into her blue and crimson eyes.

“Yeah. The cutest troublemaker.” You answered as you carried her close to your stomach to make her warm.

“I can’t believe it! We defeated Shadow’s lethal form!” Griffon screeched in delight. “Eh, (Y/N)?”

“Hmm?”

“Why did ya stay? You could’ve escaped like what Shakespeare and I always do.”

You chuckled at what he just confessed. “You, running away from the enemy? I thought you’re better than that.”

“You see, it’s always better to run away! Shakespeare and I like to exist, you know. So, we escaped a lot of trouble and refused to die like heroes!”

“Oh but, you chose to be heroic earlier.”

If demonic birds could even become flustered, you were sure that Griffon would be so red in the face at that moment.

“W - we, I mean, I CHANGED! Got a problem with that?!”

“And what changed you?”

All of a sudden, the entity’s words went back to Griffon like it was only yesterday.

And to be perfectly honest, he held onto those words and owned it like a personal mantra of some sort.

It helped him see through the lies of that Fleminger person.

And it made him realize who he really was without the help of V.

“Don’t ask!” The bird grumpily lied. “And don’t think it’s because of you!”

You chuckled in response, making the bird squawk in annoyance.

“I stayed because that’s what friends do.” You answered, making the bird stop being loud. “They got each other’s backs and protect each other.”

There was silence for a brief moment, and when the avian familiar spoke once more, you were absolutely sure that you just heard tears from his voice.

“V never told me I’m his friend.” He confessed quietly.

“Eh? I thought you sang You’ve Got A Friend together?”

“Duh, that’s just an empty song.”

“And you clearly don’t know what it means.”

You cleared your throat as you cradled Shadow closer to your chest. And without shame and hesitation, you sang,

“You just call out my name,

And you know wherever I’ am,

I’ll come running to see you again.”

Griffon took this as a cue and sang along with you with the only lines he actually knew.

“Winter, spring, summer, or fall

All you have to do is call,

And I’ll be there, yes I will,

‘Cause you’ve got a friend.”

“Wow, you don’t sound like a cat in heat anymore. But, you still sound awful!”

“I tried,…”

“Friends, it is.” The bird bashfully informed you as he proudly spread his wings.

“Huh? I thought we’re friends already!”

“No, we’re not. I don’t have annoying friends.”

“Pff,…”

As you were about to make your way to another section of the Dreadnought in search for that voice, you felt something crawl beneath your feet. You turned around just in time when a dark spike rose from the ground.

“(Y/N)!” Griffon shrieked as he shielded you from the spike,…

… only for his heart to be pierced by it.

Your eyes wide with fear and your jaw dropped in shock and disbelief, you helplessly watched as the black sentient spike split into two and practically ripped Griffon’s body apart, splattering his guts and demonic blood on your face and on the ground.

“G - g -grif,…” you stuttered as the spike then took hold of the defenseless bird’s limp talons.

But, despite all that pain, you noticed that he, your friend, was still alive,…

“A - ah,… I - i,…”

“T - this,…” Griffon wheezed, the life and vitality from his once gloriously gorgeous golden eyes slowly vanishing. “… is what f - friends are f - for,…”

With an unbelievable force, the pair of spikes threw Griffon to the edge of the room towards the gaping hole that was made earlier due to the sudden quake. You watched in horror as the lifeless body of the once majestic demon bird fall from the Dreadnought, never to be seen again.

Still incapable of speech, you collapsed on the ground, feeling weak in the knees and sick in the stomach. That’s when Shadow the kitten turned into a little volley of spikes on your arms without warning, wounding you. She, then, jumped away from you and merged with the pair of spikes that retreated back to the ground.

You saw the ground pulsate with its movements, and when you caught sight of it once more as it rose from the ground just over the gaping hole, your eyes widened in fear as the spikes merged with the same human form of the Shadow you faced earlier.

But, this time, the familiar took a more menacing and intimidating look - a dark female knight that stood almost seven feet - tall, the same height as your entity of light.

And, just behind her, was the man himself,…

“Such a waste of great power.” You heard the man as he emerged from the shadows, joining his familiar and tauntingly slamming his cane against his left hand. “Death is a fitting punishment for traitors such as that.”

And he spoke of the loyal familiar as if he was nothing to him!

Griffon - who saved him multiple times and stayed with him before all this happened!

You really wanted to speak out, to lash out at the man who Griffon considered to be a real partner, perhaps a friend, even. But then, your heart just couldn’t take it. Your breathing became even more labored, making you struggle with the air you inhale. You actually started to panic as soon as you realized that the man commanded Shadow to morph into a bridge for him so that he could make his way towards you.

“I’m so glad that my,… little wanderer,… answered my call.” V told you in his seductively silken and low voice as he carefully started to walk. Playing with his metal cane and twirling it, he successfully managed to cross the dark bridge that Shadow made and stopped right in front of you. “Now, if memory serves me right, you promised to protect me at all cost.”

Stop,…

“And that you will always be there when I,… need you.”

Enough,…

“Oh, and, you,… liked me,… yes?”

Please,…

“Now,…” V drawled lazily, tilting his head to the side and showing you his grin. “… I actually want you. No. I need you. Right now.”

You looked up at him with such fury in your eyes.

That’s when you saw,…

… his face, his skin,…

… he’s,…

… falling apart.

V,… was dying.

“What do you say?” The words just rolled out of the poet’s lips like nothing happened.

Like he didn’t hurt you, at all.

Like he didn’t even murder Griffon.

“…”

“Pardon me, for I cannot hear you.” V taunted as he slammed his metal cane on the ground. “You must speak. Louder.”

“NO!” You screamed as you swiftly brought your shield down to the ground, making it radiate with the same blinding light like the one from earlier.

V shielded his eyes from the sudden onslaught, and when the light subsided, he noticed that you were already gone.

The poet chuckled.

“You know you can’t escape me.” He insidiously called out to you at the top of his lungs.

You were fortunate that V didn’t see you as you made your way outside the room, running at full speed towards who knew where. You felt a strange kind of pain on your right arm, and when you looked at it, you noticed that Griffon’s contract markings were slowly disappearing, leaving behind some ugly black traces like an age - old scar.

You looked away from your arm, letting your tears fall.

He’s only in stalemate state, right?! You helplessly thought as you aimlessly ran. He’s not really dead, right? He’ll come back to me, right?

The thoughts of your true friend and the sheer denial for what just happened to him made you awfully sick in both mind and body.

You knew deep within your heart that Griffon would no longer return, and that you were fast approaching the moment of your own demise.

All of a sudden, the visions of the white haired man came back to you, of you having a picnic with him, of him playing the violin for you,…

… of you two building a family together.

Lies! They were all,…

… just huge, fucking lies!

You covered your mouth as you sobbed uncontrollably, finding it difficult to believe that the entity inside you, which you have trusted for so long, has given you false dreams of a perfect life and family and actually led you to this very moment of complete darkness and hopelessness,…

***

XXIII

***

Dante watched the Executioner as it fell on the ground, its incredible mass making the ground tremble.

As soon as he realized that the enemy could no longer breathe, the Legendary Devil Hunter allowed himself to collapse on the ground, fatigue, thirst, and hunger all taking a toll on his body.

With heavy breaths, he held up his broken right arm. It got injured a while ago as the Executioner slammed his massive weapon made of wood against it, making Dante fly across the room and breaking said arm in the process.

The man, then, clicked his tongue in annoyance, wincing in pain at the same time as he felt the awful sensation in his heavily wounded legs.

“Oh, man!” Dante exclaimed helplessly.

And who could blame him? The enemies inside Shinano Musashi were just too strong. In fact, stronger than the enemies he faced in the past. It was like the demonic mechanism was giving them power and amplifying them, giving them strange mutations and making them even more dangerous.

He can’t do it like this. He must destroy the Dreadnought, itself. This endless demonic onslaught would never end unless,…

Dante stopped musing for a while as one random thought came to him.

He took out his Rebellion, or what’s left of it after Urizen knocked him out that day, and took a good long look at it.

“If the Yamato could separate man from Demon,…” he asked himself as he glanced at the intricate carvings of the sword. “Then, what about the Rebellion?”

At the sound of his voice, some more Demons that were bigger and more dangerous than the Executioner came forward, all blood lust and violence, longing to end him.

“You never give me a break, do you?!” The man quipped as he hastily stood up, already feeling his injuries heal.

He had to kill them all and get to you as fast as he could.

He came forward, holding the sword up and pointing it at his mid - section.

Now, if his deductions were right regarding the Yamato and the Rebellion, then,…

***

💛💛💛

***

[thedyingmoon]

🖤 I See My Future Before Me 🖤

***

XXIII

***

"Winter, spring, summer, or fall,

You know all you have to do is call,

And I'll be there, yeah!

You've got a friiieeennnddd!"

"Where did you learn that song, anyway?"

Griffon glanced at you, a strange glint of mischief in his yellow eyes. "Ye really wanna know, huh, sweet pea?" He asked in a low and mysterious kind of tone that made you sweat nervously.

"Yes." You managed to say, turning away from the demonic bird and focusing on your way instead.

You have just escaped Nero and made your way to the opposite side of the Dreadnought. You were so sure that you were getting close to your goal because the voice that was calling you for the past few hours was actually getting louder. But, somehow, you felt like it wasn't a good sign, at all. You chose not to mention it to Griffon and, instead, made him sing that one song again.

The bird cleared his throat and spoke in a narrative kind of way. "You see, in one of our travels to America, there was this old lady who kept blasting that song near our tent in endless loops. The next day, V developed an incurable LSS of Carole King. And he passed it on to me."

You gulped, feeling the blood leave your face. The mere mention of the poet's name sent you back to your tensed state that you suddenly felt stressed and depressed all over again.

And yet, hearing that he could easily be affected by Last Song Syndrome just like any other normal person,...

... your heart simply ached just thinking about it.

"I shouldn't have asked that." You regretfully answered.

"WELL, YA FUCKIN' ASKED FOR IT!"

All of a sudden, you felt a strange movement on the ground beneath your feet. At first, it was only some kind of a light tremor but, seconds later, it gradually became something that was similar to an earthquake.

You struggled to stay on your feet, waiting for the violent tremors to subside when you heard a cracking noise.

It happened too fast: the ground cracking and splitting, showing the ground beneath the Dreadnought, itself, and letting the strong wind enter the demonic mechanism.

And in utter horror, you saw, and realized, that ShiShi had actually took off, bringing you thousands of miles off the ground, away from the city and from the rest of the commissioned Devil Hunters who were still fighting the massive horde below.

"Oh, no,..." you muttered, feeling sick due to the height.

"Watch out!" Griffon shrieked as he took hold of your arm to keep yourself from plummeting to the ground. He pulled you with enough force and made you stumble backwards, safe and away from the edge.

"Thanks." You said, eyes wide with shock and disbelief.

"Look over there!" The bird gestured at the other end of the room with his wing, pointing at an indistinguishable dark mass that suddenly appeared from a corner.

"Another Demon?" You questioned as you carefully stood.

"I don't want to find out." The bird answered in both dismay and fatigue, still feeling the stress of his battle against the shapeshifter half an hour earlier.

The dark mass stayed there across the room for a brief moment, until it slowly gained height, trembling and glowing with strange blue and crimson lights as it did so.

"What's happening?" You uttered nervously as you drew your rapier in response to its erratic movement.

Griffon narrowed his eyes at it, realizing in an instant the nature of the enemy you two were going to deal with. "I have a hunch."

"What is it?"

"Ah,... (Y/N)?"

"Yes?" You replied, turning to the bird with furrowed eyebrows.

"If I die here, promise me you'll run away from here as fast as you can."

Your eyes widened and your heart felt like it abruptly stopped beating. You fully turned towards the familiar, feeling confusion, worry, and fear for him.

"What are you talking about? We're partners! We're gonna get through this!"

"No! YOU'RE gonna get through this! Not me!"

"Stop saying that! You can't even die! You just turn into an orb thing!"

"Not this time, (Y/N)."

That sounded really bad. Griffon was calling you by your name and not by the nickname he gave you.

He was dead serious.

You looked back at the mass as it slowly morphed into a kind of creature that resembled a human figure, then back at the demonic bird.

"Please, stop making jokes." You pleaded, wishing and praying for some kind of miracle to save Griffon from whatever he was talking about.

"STOP BEING SO STUBBORN, WOMAN! Look, I' am not the only one who gained additional abilities during our travels with V. Shadow did, too!"

"Shadow?" You stammered, unable to believe what you just heard. You glanced back at the dark mass and noticed, in total fear, how it succesfully morphed into a beautiful human girl with different colored - eyes: the right one blue and the left one crimson.

And she was looking at you with those empty eyes, like she felt nothing for you, at all,...

"Yeah, and she's out to kill us,..." the bird calmy said as he flew, positioning himself between you and the other familiar. "Play your cards well, (Y/N). I'll buy you enough time to escape."

"I JUST CAN'T LEAVE YOU HERE! I WON'T ALLOW YOU TO MURDER EACH OTHER!"

"FUCK! STOB BEING ANNOYING FOR ONCE, WILL YA?! AND GROW THE FUCK UP!"

"GRIFFON, DON'T DO THIS! PLEASE!"

"SHUT THE FUCK UP!" Griffon screamed as he hastily grabbed your shoulders with his talons and threw you away from the room just in time when Shadow closed the distance between her and him with horrifying speed, simultaneously morphing into a mass of black liquid that engulfed the bird.

You looked behind you and saw the two clashing against each other - Shadow trying to dominate and imprison Griffon, and Griffon releasing powerful electric currents that sometimes freezes Shadow.

You winced in pain at the sight of the two, thinking of the times they were still the best of pals - partners of V who protected him at all costs.

But, Griffon made his choice, and that was to protect you against Shadow and the poet, himself. He broke his contract with V and followed you despite knowing that he'll pay with his life for his actions.

Despite everything, Griffon, the demonic bird, chose to follow his instincts in the face of great danger and remained loyal to them.

You stood up, still hearing the painful battle near you and took a step forward,...

"HOW ABOUT BEATING SOME SENSE INTO SHAKESPEARE INSTEAD, HUH, YOU OVERSIZED KITTEN?!" Griffon quiped as he dodged another set of arrows that Shadow threw at him. "BECAUSE KILLING THAT ANNOYING CHICK DOESN'T MAKE ANY SENSE, AT ALL!"

Shadow morphed back into a human girl and hissed angrily at him.

"Eurgh, still can't speak, eh?" Griffon insulted as he prepared for another attack. He released a streak of blinding electricity that landed on the ground in the shape of a V.

Shadow, still in the form of a little girl, went down on all fours, charged forward, and dodged the moving currents, succesfully evading them. She was about to scratch Griffon with her long and deadly claws when she suddenly stopped. Her shoulders slumped, and she slightly opened her mouth in total bewilderment.

Then, it came: a veil of white light that crawled on the ground and took hold of Shadow's feet. Another wave of this veil - like light rapidly crawled on the ground and made her scream, covering her ears as if something was shattering her eardrums.

Like that one time with the Electric Furies when they became deaf due to an unknown force.

"What in the - ?" Griffon muttered as he turned to the left and saw you standing before them. "YOU STUPID - I TOLD YOU TO ESCAPE!"

"I can't let my friends die like this." You declared, shaking your head in defiance. "Not today."

You held up your shield and pressed a button on the neck, making a long steel spike protrude out of its endpin. The steel spike extended and reached the ground, piercing the moist, fleshy soil.

"You've been a very bad kitty." You told Shadow as she noticed you. She charged towards you, animal instincts and all, with the pure intention of fatally wounding you.

You knew she would do it, she was just so predictable. With an ounce of both courage and guilt, you drew your rapier and practically slammed it against the four steel strings of the shield, making the it vibrate. A form of electricity ran through the steel spike down to the ground where it connected, sending the same veil of light towards Shadow and making her howl in pain.

Griffon, who can't hear the awful sound coming from the shield, at all, flew to where you were and witnessed how Shadow started writhing in unbelievable pain.

"Stay with me." You instructed the bird as you held the rapier up once more, instantly ending Shadow's torture. She noticed this and made another effort to charge at you.

However, you were much faster as you slammed the rapier against the strings again but, this time, you did it twice. The veil of light that crawled towards V's familiar became bigger, engulfing the creature, inprisoning it, and making it writhe even more in pain.

"I'm sorry, girl,..." You whispered, feeling the ache in your heart for the cat as you raised the rapier for the third time. "Chickee, get behind me!"

"AYE!" Griffon obeyed as he took hold of your shoulders tightly.

Seeing that the bird was safe, you brought down the rapier against the strings for the last time, swiped it across like a real bow to a violin, and waved the weapon. Electric currents ran all over the shield, and a second later, it radiated a blinding kind of light that engulfed the whole, dismal room. After that, a strong form of hot light blasted from the shield and made its way towards Shadow, making her human form collapse.

But, she was very steadfast. She made one last effort to attack you, reaching out a murderous claw until she finally stopped, her body morphing back to her feline form but, only smaller.

When the blinding light subsided, you pressed the button on the neck of the shield, retracting the steel spike. You took hold of your weapons with one hand as you strode towards Shadow, who was reduced to the form of a tiny, helpless kitten.

"Aww, ain't ya the cutest?!" Griffon squeeked at the sight of the mewling and trembling familiar.

You grabbed the familiar by her nape with your free hand and looked straight into her blue and crimson eyes.

"Yeah. The cutest troublemaker." You answered as you carried her close to your stomach to make her warm.

"I can't believe it! We defeated Shadow's lethal form!" Griffon screeched in delight. "Eh, (Y/N)?"

"Hmm?"

"Why did ya stay? You could've escaped like what Shakespeare and I always do."

You chuckled at what he just confessed. "You, running away from the enemy? I thought you're better than that."

"You see, it's always better to run away! Shakespeare and I like to exist, you know. So, we escaped a lot of trouble and refused to die like heroes!"

"Oh but, you chose to be heroic earlier."

If demonic birds could even become flustered, you were sure that Griffon would be so red in the face at that moment.

"W - we, I mean, I CHANGED! Got a problem with that?!"

"And what changed you?"

All of a sudden, the entity's words went back to Griffon like it was only yesterday.

And to be perfectly honest, he held onto those words and owned it like a personal mantra of some sort.

It helped him see through the lies of that Fleminger person.

And it made him realize who he really was without the help of V.

"Don't ask!" The bird grumpily lied. "And don't think it's because of you!"

You chuckled in response, making the bird squawk in annoyance.

"I stayed because that's what friends do." You answered, making the bird stop being loud. "They got each other's backs and protect each other."

There was silence for a brief moment, and when the avian familiar spoke once more, you were absolutely sure that you just heard tears from his voice.

"V never told me I'm his friend." He confessed quietly.

"Eh? I thought you sang You've Got A Friend together?"

"Duh, that's just an empty song."

"And you clearly don't know what it means."

You cleared your throat as you cradled Shadow closer to your chest. And without shame and hesitation, you sang,

"You just call out my name,

And you know wherever I' am,

I'll come running to see you again."

Griffon took this as a cue and sang along with you with the only lines he actually knew.

"Winter, spring, summer, or fall

All you have to do is call,

And I'll be there, yes I will,

'Cause you've got a friend."

"Wow, you don't sound like a cat in heat anymore. But, you still sound awful!"

"I tried,..."

"Friends, it is." The bird bashfully informed you as he proudly spread his wings.

"Huh? I thought we're friends already!"

"No, we're not. I don't have annoying friends."

"Pff,..."

As you were about to make your way to another section of the Dreadnought in search for that voice, you felt something crawl beneath your feet. You turned around just in time when a dark spike rose from the ground.

"(Y/N)!" Griffon shrieked as he shielded you from the spike,...

... only for his heart to be pierced by it.

Your eyes wide with fear and your jaw dropped in shock and disbelief, you helplessly watched as the black sentient spike split into two and practically ripped Griffon's body apart, splattering his guts and demonic blood on your face and on the ground.

"G - g -grif,..." you stuttered as the spike then took hold of the defenseless bird's limp talons.

But, despite all that pain, you noticed that he, your friend, was still alive,...

"A - ah,... I - i,..."

"T - this,..." Griffon wheezed, the life and vitality from his once gloriously gorgeous golden eyes slowly vanishing. "... is what f - friends are f - for,..."

With an unbelievable force, the pair of spikes threw Griffon to the edge of the room towards the gaping hole that was made earlier due to the sudden quake. You watched in horror as the lifeless body of the once majestic demon bird fall from the Dreadnought, never to be seen again.

Still incapable of speech, you collapsed on the ground, feeling weak in the knees and sick in the stomach. That's when Shadow the kitten turned into a little volley of spikes on your arms without warning, wounding you. She, then, jumped away from you and merged with the pair of spikes that retreated back to the ground.

You saw the ground pulsate with its movements, and when you caught sight of it once more as it rose from the ground just over the gaping hole, your eyes widened in fear as the spikes merged with the same human form of the Shadow you faced earlier.

But, this time, the familiar took a more menacing and intimidating look - a dark female knight that stood almost seven feet - tall, the same height as your entity of light.

And, just behind her, was the man himself,...

"Such a waste of great power." You heard the man as he emerged from the shadows, joining his familiar and tauntingly slamming his cane against his left hand. "Death is a fitting punishment for traitors such as that."

And he spoke of the loyal familiar as if he was nothing to him!

Griffon - who saved him mulitiple times and stayed with him before all this happened!

You really wanted to speak out, to lash out at the man who Griffon considered to be a real partner, perhaps a friend, even. But then, your heart just couldn't take it. Your breathing became even more labored, making you struggle with the air you inhale. You actually started to panic as soon as you realized that the man commanded Shadow to morph into a bridge for him so that he could make his way towards you.

"I'm so glad that my,... little wanderer,... answered my call." V told you in his seductively silken and low voice as he carefully started to walk. Playing with his metal cane and twirling it, he succesfully managed to cross the dark bridge that Shadow made and stopped right in front of you. "Now, if memory serves me right, you promised to protect me at all cost."

Stop,...

"And that you will always be there when I,... need you."

Enough,...

"Oh, and, you,... liked me,... yes?"

Please,...

"Now,..." V drawled lazily, tilting his head to the side and showing you his grin. "... I actually want you. No. I need you. Right now."

You looked up at him with such fury in your eyes.

That's when you saw,...

... his face, his skin,...

... he's,...

... falling apart.

V,... was dying.

"What do you say?" The words just rolled out of the poet's lips like nothing happened.

Like he didn't hurt you, at all.

Like he didn't even murder Griffon.

"..."

"Pardon me, for I cannot hear you." V taunted as he slammed his metal cane on the ground. "You must speak. Louder."

"NO!" You screamed as you swiflty brought your shield down to the ground, making it radiate with the same blinding light like the one from earlier.

V shielded his eyes from the sudden onslaught, and when the light subsided, he noticed that you were already gone.

The poet chuckled.

"You know you can't escape me." He insidiously called out to you at the top of his lungs.

You were fortunate that V didn't see you as you made your way outside the room, running at full speed towards who knew where. You felt a strange kind of pain on your right arm, and when you looked at it, you noticed that Griffon's contract markings were slowly disappearing, leaving behind some ugly black traces like an age - old scar.

You looked away from your arm, letting your tears fall.

He's only in stalemate state, right?! You helplessly thought as you aimlessly ran. He's not really dead, right? He'll come back to me, right?

The thoughts of your true friend and the sheer denial for what just happened to him made you awfully sick in both mind and body.

You knew deep within your heart that Griffon would no longer return, and that you were fast approaching the moment of your own demise.

All of a sudden, the visions of the white haired man came back to you, of you having a picnic with him, of him playing the violin for you,...

... of you two building a family together.

Lies! They were all,...

... just huge, fucking lies!

You covered your mouth as you sobbed uncontrollably, finding it difficult to believe that the entity inside you, which you have trusted for so long, has given you false dreams of a perfect life and family and actually led you to this very moment of complete darkness and hopelessness,...

***

~ @heaven-on-a-landslide , @krazy06 , @micaelagua , @sofia-micaela , @yepps , @lessy86 , @gxthghoulfriend , @ehrzeth , @boundbysoul , @diabeticsugarush , @simmy-ships , and @ceruleanworld . 🖤

***

Dante watched the Executioner as it fell on the ground, its incredible mass making the ground tremble.

As soon as he realized that the enemy could no longer breathe, the Legendary Devil Hunter allowed himself to collapse on the ground, fatigue, thirst, and hunger all taking a toll on his body.

With heavy breaths, he held up his broken right arm. It got injured a while ago as the Executioner slammed his massive weapon made of wood against it, making Dante fly across the room and breaking said arm in the process.

The man, then, clicked his tongue in annoyance, wincing in pain at the same time as he felt the awful sensation in his heavily wounded legs.

"Oh, man!" Dante exclaimed helplessly.

And who could blame him? The enemies inside Shinano Musashi were just too strong. In fact, stronger than the enemies he faced in the past. It was like the demonic mechanism was giving them power and amplifying them, giving them strange mutations and making them even more dangerous.

He can't do it like this. He must destroy the Dreadnought, itself. This endless demonic onslaught would never end unless,...

Dante stopped musing for a while as one random thought came to him.

He took out his Rebellion, or what's left of it after Urizen knocked him out that day, and took a good long look at it.

"If the Yamato could separate man from Demon,..." he asked himself as he glanced at the intricate carvings of the sword. "Then, what about the Rebellion?"

At the sound of his voice, some more Demons that were bigger and more dangerous than the Executioner came forward, all blood lust and violence, longing to end him.

"You never give me a break, do you?!" The man quipped as he hastily stood up, already feeling his injuries heal.

He had to kill them all and get to you as fast as he could.

He came forward, holding the sword up and pointing it at his mid - section.

Now, if his deductions were right regarding the Yamato and the Rebellion, then,...

***

🖤🖤🖤

***

~ 14 ~

***

[mayowriter]

Chapter 2 the duo's mission

Throwback Thursday. Something I wrote about 15 years ago.

Chapter 2

The Duo’s Mission

    The smell of sulfur was strong in the air, mixed with the scent of the myriad gasses that created the shadowy haze of Wardrells. Drake walked along the black stone streets eying the others of his kind as he passed them by.

    As a general rule, demons were supposed to be cordial to each other in public. Also, as a general rule however, was the fact that demons hated to follow rules. He knew that most of the others he passed were only living out their lives. Immortals living almost as mortals, day to day. Those ones meant little to him. It was the others like himself that he feared most. Demons that still carried on the war, demons that still fought for dominance between mortals and immortals, angels and demons. Those who chose sides and remained fighting.

It had been three ages since the war between the gods. The time when Tain tried to take dominance over all that his brother had controlled. After those three ages, the demons and angels under Tain’s power still walked uneasily around each other. That had been the reason for the splitting, the time when Wardrells became two. Deliar for the demons and Silivat for the angels. Two miniature realms contained side by side in the vastness of Wardrells’ shifting shadows. Both continually ruled over by the Demon-lord Sher-Tar. The immortal said to be second to none in power, with the exception of Tain and his bride Nasmar.

Time passed faster for beings in Wardrells than those in the mortal realm. Two days would go by before the next time Drace lay down for bed, and the portal was open once more. Four days before Fayrenir, when the Living would be revealed.

Drake stopped walking as he came up to the gate that connected Deliar and Silivat. The guards on both sides eyed each other with looks that made one think they would already be killing each other if not for bars separating them. The gate itself was brilliantly wrought from obsidian and ivory each twisting through the other to form the shape of a frozen flame. Atop the flame was positioned a brilliant golden dragon.

“Where is that blasted mutt?” Drake and Grace were an oddity in Wardrells a demon and an angel who were best friends, though they kept any connection between them secret for protection. When Drake’s patience was almost up, Grace finally appeared strolling casually toward the other side of the gate.

“Been waiting long kitty?” Grace smiled when Drake’s features twisted in disgust.

“You were supposed to be here at mid-day, it’s half after.” He motioned for the guards to open the gate, and the pair proceeded into one of the large rooms making up the guard shacks along the portal wall. Inside they each picked a chair and sat down with the table between them.

“Is everything ready?” Grace was the first to finally speak. His white cloak wrapped around him seemed to push back the drifting shadows.

“We just need to pick up the supplies, meet me here at mid-day tomorrow, if the prophesy fulfils itself, we should be able to get out of here two days after.” In direct contrast to his companion, the shadows seemed to envelop Drake merging with his being.

“What about Drymier? Isn’t he going to cause trouble for us?”

“Of course, I wouldn’t expect anything less of the cursed pit viper. If he does try anything though we’ll just have to handle him when we get to it. If we get rid of him now Sher-Tar might decide to pay a visit himself, and neither of us can take him alone.” He leaned back in his chair with a sigh.

“So we just have to hope the kid doesn’t get himself into trouble for the next day and a half then. Just bloody great.” The pair each took separate exits from the guardhouse. The guards themselves had already learned not to ask any questions of either of them, it brought consequences.

Drake once again walked the black stone streets by himself. He had until mid-day tomorrow now to wait, and he needed something to occupy his mind until then. Instinctively, his feet lead him toward the dying grounds. He could always pick up a few bets for a fight there, and he could win, usually.

The dying grounds, aptly named for their fights that usually ended in death, were on the southern end of the town next to the Shertheth docks. The roars of crowds and fighting could easily be heard miles before reaching the pit, that noise always provided moral for the downtrodden in the city. Drake had been here many times, he had almost grown up here if not for the trips into the mortal realm, and on business he had to attend to.

Chennet, a demon resembling a gorilla, was sitting out front taking bets for the next fights of the day.

“Well, well, well, if it isn’t Drake. Come to cheat a few of the local devils out of their hard earned money have ya.” His voice sounded deeper than the gouge itself, and gave one the feeling of a small quake.

“I don’t call it cheating when their arms leave their body before the money does. I call it their own fault.” He removed a few coins of Wardrells black-gold from his pouch and set them on the betting book. “Who do you have for me?”

“I’m not really sure, some fella by the name of Libra. He just showed up in town today.” The Larger individual began to idly count the coins into another pouch.

“Libra? The name sounds familiar. Do you know him from anywhere?”

“I can’t say as I have, he seems like a loner though.” Chennet took the money and placed it inside his podium.

“You know what he is? I don’t want to fight no pansy rat demon now.”

“Nobody is certain, the guy says he’s strong enough and that’s all that matters. He’s done a good job of backing it up so far too, hasn’t left a single opponent alive to second round.” The podium dissolved as a large door opened behind the massive bookie.

“Sounds like I might have a challenge, it’s no fun to finish a person before the transformation round though. The guy has no sense of sporting. Course then again it’s not very sporting when you beat a person with their own claws is it.” Drake looked up at his companion with a smirk on his face.

“Yeah, I remember that guy, took almost a week before the Wychlings had enough scraps to resurrect him. Who knew a palace guard would be that much of a wimp.” That deep voice sounded odd when letting out a light chuckle.

Drake was lead through the halls of weapons and “training” rooms. When finally they emerged into the open again, the pit was littered with the morning’s “losers”. The seating around the dying grounds was almost completely packed.

“Looks like this guy can draw a crowd at least.” Drake removed his cloak, and loosened the tight areas in his clothing to help with movement.

“Anyone who wins a lot draws a crowd. You would too if you didn’t always leave after one fight.” Chennet shoved Drake over the ledge into the pit. “Good luck, see ya if you get back out.”

Drake stepped up to the wall next to him and chose an ornate long sword with a curving single edged blade. Turning to the center of the ring, he could see his opponent standing on the starting block across from his.

The guy was about half a foot taller than he was, which was big considering Drake’s height compared to most other demons who were not specialists. He stood with a confidence that showed he was at least trained well enough to hold his own in the pit. He had long red hair tied back with a cord, and dark reddish brown skin covered in tattoos.

Stepping up to his starting block, Drake prepared himself for the fight. The rules were simple, you had two rounds to beat your opponent into any type of submission you wished. The first round was fought in humanesque form and the second round was when the fighters were allowed to transform. At no time during the fight, were either of the fighters allowed to use any power except physical ability. The spirit gong, an object that when hit released a wail like that of a thousand trapped souls, signaled the changing of rounds. The fight ended when one fighter gave up.

The rules for the dying grounds were among the very few rules ever followed to the letter by demons, the reason being that if anyone broke the rules, the fight turned into a free for all with everyone in the stands becoming involved. This wasn’t really an unpleasant prospect, but it usually merited retribution from Chennet, or Sher-Tar himself in worse scenarios.

The two faced off from stone blocks about five feet apart and suspended ten in the air. When the gong sounded, they both were in the air toward their opponent. Colliding mid-air, Drake twisted around to land on his feet and saw his opponent land hard but still on his feet.

“Good, he’s heavy on his feet. At least I have the agility advantage.”

He didn’t think for very long as a sword thrust toward his head with speed greater than he thought this fighter was capable of. He barely had time to duck and punch him in the stomach, for a small opening.

“Man, this guy is hard as a rock.”

Both men up to their prime now, the fighters danced around each other. Flowing from strike to defend and back in a ballet of death. Blades glinted in the torchlight from around the arena as each fighter tried to get the upper hand in the battle of steel.

“You’re much better than most of the others I’ve fought today.” The demon’s voice was reptilian in tone. “Many of the others were dead by now.”

“Just quit talking and fight, This round is only a warm-up.” Drake’s tone was calm despite the situation.

“A warm-up then? Well in that case I’ll be done with mine.” The larger fighter pressed his attack forcing Drake purely onto the defensive side of the fight. For almost a minute, it was all he could do to block the other’s blows, and sometimes not.

“He’s definitely stronger than me, that’s for sure.”

Regaining his footing by the blocks, Drake launched himself toward his opponent. The sound of the crowd’s roar at his hit was drowned out by the sound of the spirit gong wailing over the racket.

Both fighters stepped back. Drake was bleeding from a gash in his chest and another across his left arm. Libra seemed to pay no attention to the sword sticking in his right thigh. Neither fighter had time to think though, the gong was an instant switch to the transformation round.

Drake quickly changed to his hybrid form, and then let out a low curse as he saw what was now standing before him. Libra was there towering close to eleven feet tall, his form an amalgam of human and dragon physicality. He flexed his large arms menacingly, and then extended the two long claws that came from each forearm and went a foot past the hand.

Drake let out a low curse as he finally realized why the name had sounded familiar. “Shen-Libra, Sher-Tar’s oldest son and the next Lord, why did I have to get into this?”

Drake barely had time to sidestep the claws that went where his chest used to be, but not far enough. As the gigantic hand connected with his chest, he could feel the ribs crack. Landing forty feet away, he coughed up blood when he tried to stand. All he could do was roll over to see the last “loser” lying dead next to him, sword still clenched in hand.

“Hi ya Kendell, didn’t win either I see.”

When his vision cleared up enough to make out the arena, he could see Libra rushing toward him claws outward.

“I only have one chance to keep from dying here.”

As Libra’s enormous form bared down on Drake, he waited until the last instant to react. Rolling across the dead body, he raked his claws on it’s chest and then wrenched the sword from his locked fingers. The blood sprayed into Libra’s eyes, and then all the crowd could see was a dust cloud.

“Stop.” One lone voice rose above the crowd, louder than all the other cries combined. The masses parted as Sher-Tar walked through the stands to the ring, his black armor glistening from the firelight. He was about the same height as Drake, and completely dark, not physically looking, he just let off that appearance.

When the dust cleared, Drake and Libra were standing just as they had stopped. Libra’s claws were pressed to Drake’s chest, while Drake had the sword at his throat. Each had just enough pressure for a single drop of blood. The two immediately changed to humanesque form and went to one knee.

“I see this is what you like to do when Drymier isn’t around to give you your lessons Libra. Now both of you get up.” His voice wasn’t angry, just determined and set.

Both of them slowly rose to their feet. Drake’s expression was unreadable, but Libra’s was one of pure shame.

“I’m sorry father; I know you told me not to fight in the pit. I just had to test my abilities against others besides your own men.” Even though he had the height advantage, he appeared to cower in the line of his father’s glare.

“I told you not to fight for your safety as well as the well being of the family. You are my only son and if you die I will have to name a new successor.” Saving a look for Drake, he continued. “From what I’ve seen here, I might as well pick him.”

“But father, I would have defeated him. Isn’t that good enough for you?” Libra’s voice had just enough strength to sound like a son who was upset and slightly angered by his father’s words.

“You only think you would have beaten him. Just because your claws would have went through his chest doesn’t mean a thing. His blade would still have made it’s mark as he fell. You must learn that strength isn’t the only thing you need to win a fight. Drake here saw that you outmatched him, so he improvised to even the battlefield.” The demon lord picked up the sword that Drake had dropped and handed it to him. “Consider this a present. You may have taught my son a more valuable lesson than Drymier ever has.

Drake inclined his head to both of them before speaking. “Thank you, my Lord, but I only did what I had to.”

“Nonsense, you have a talent. I have heard tales of you before Drake Angelsbane, it’s nice to see that at least some of those tales are true. You are the only Demon who was ever created in the form of a protector, a form strictly reserved to angels. I’m not sure how it happened, neither is anyone else I have discussed the matter with, but it seems to fit you well.” He put his arm around the shoulders of both Drake, and his son. “Come, you shall join me at the feast tonight.”

****

The halls of the great palace were large and filled with marvelous tapestries as well as ornate statues of all shapes and size. Drake followed the crenling who lead him toward the Great Feast Hall, dipping and bowing to an honored guest as they went. He sniffed, annoyed at the fact that he had to follow a low demon. Generats were the most powerful beings in Wardrells, at least as far as demons went; he could have ended the sniveling servant’s life with one finger.

Fires burned in the thirteen obsidian hearths that surrounded the room he was lead to. The largest table he had ever seen was sitting directly in the middle of the hall. The table was built to Sher-Tar’s specifications. Three hundred guests could sit on each of the longest sides, while thirty-three fit comfortably on the two smaller ends.

At the head of the table, Sher-Tar’s throne sat in front of the largest hearth, directly in the middle of that end of the table. To each side were seats for his son, Shen-Libra, and his daughter, Shem-Sansay. Your importance as a guest was measured in how close you sat to those three chairs, with the least important person sitting in the middle seat on the other end of the table. That guest was usually a person Sher-Tar intended to have executed in a manner of hours.

Upon entering the room, Drake choked back an oath. Not because he was the last guest to arrive, not even because his seat was saved next to Sansay, but because next to Libra sat Grace.

“What in the Three Pits is that idiot doing here.” Drake quietly took his seat and tried not to cause too much of a commotion. Even had he been on one of the long sides of the table this was an almost impossible task. Sher-Tar stood at his entrance, in turn causing the rest of the guests to stand.

“Nice of you to finally join us Drake. I was beginning to think you wouldn’t make it.” The Lord looked over his assembled guests, and then beckoned Drake to come take his seat. “You are one of the honored tonight.”

The entertainers in the corner resumed playing their music as Drake sat, an eerie mix of Angelic melody and Demonic beats. Sher-Tar was after all the lord of all of Wardrells; it was not uncommon for him to have those from either side of the divide in his presence.

Almost as soon as Drake sat down, Sher-Tar began to introduce each guest at the table. At the center of the other end sat a member of the Underdead known as Crevec. His face had a resigned look of terror; one never knew if the least honored guest would die before the night was done. He had almost been saved, if Drake hadn’t made it. When a guest was absent, it was customary for the next in line to fill in his place so on and so forth.

In a breach of procedure, Sher-Tar introduced his son and daughter first before moving on to Drake and Grace. When all was said, the guests numbered six hundred and sixty five with the sixty-sixth being the Demon Lord himself.

When finally it was Drake’s turn, he was surprised when he and Grace were both asked to stand at once.

“My honored guests, I present to you the two biggest enigmas in our realm. Before you stands Drake Angelsbane, and Grace Demontongue. These two, above all principle and power, are somehow special among their kind.” He turned his head and met Drake eye to eye.

“As the last to arrive, you will be first.” His tone was casual as if stating a natural law that none could dispute.

“As many of you know, protectors are the most powerful of angels, besides those of my own line. Beings who were created to be guards for the Gods and their highest followers, though there has been no sighting of one since the divine war. Drake here is the first demon who has ever been gifted with the power of a protector though he seems to earn it somehow.” Sher-Tar’s gaze shifted to Grace. Almost as an accent to the motion, the hearth crackled loudly behind him.

“Grace is the exact opposite of Drake. To those who are not educated, he seems to have the form of a werewolf. To those who know more, it is apparent that he takes the power of a slayer. Slayers were the exact opposite of protectors, and just as their counterparts, they have also disappeared.” He turned to face the guests once again.

“I am not sure how these two came about, but it is apparent that they are linked and very powerful. I am unaware if you two have met each other before, but I would be honored if the two of you would join my royal guard.”

The  hall erupted in cheers from angels and demons alike, a noise that brought even the players to a freezing standstill. When sufficient time had passed, Sher-Tar motioned for silence and acknowledged the two again.

“What is your answer?” His voice didn’t seem anxious, though neither did it seem relaxed. It seemed that he was waiting for the answer that would come as it may, in it’s own time.

Drake’s mind spun around the events that had just happened, trying to decide if this could be a good thing with the coming turmoil. Finally, his mind rested on a solution and he motioned to Grace. The duo went to their knees together, and Drake’s voice was heard along with Grace’s above any murmur that the guests dared make.

“We would be honored to serve you Lord Sher-Tar.” They both stopped themselves before adding the usual ‘to the end and beyond’, but it didn’t seem that anyone noticed.

“Very well then.” His voice sounded pleased, or was it amused. The other guests, including Sansay and Libra, were respectfully informed that the feast was over. As the guests departed, a long wail could be heard ending suddenly with the sickening sound of a body coming to rest on the ground far below the hall’s windows. Sparing a quick glance, Drake smirked when ho noticed that Crevec was nowhere to be seen.

Just as the last guest was leaving, Sher-Tar sat back down in his throne. The table disappeared in a wisp of smoke, leaving only two gilded chairs in it’s place.

“Come, have a seat. We have matters to discuss.” The black armor of the Demon Lord Line suddenly shone around his person; a signal that all festivities had indeed ended, and it was now time for serious matters. The duo did as they were instructed, each in turn being surrounded by their own armor. Drake sat in black worked leather with silver highlights, while Grace’s chain glinted golden to cover the robes flowing underneath. Each had on a cloak to match.

“Now that we are able to discuss in private, I can be frank with you. I have called you two here because I would like your help with a little problem that is brewing in the mortal realm.” His eyes searched over the two, both sitting attentively listening to what was said.

“It seems that a new Walker is rising…. but judging from your lack of reaction, I would assume that you already have at least guessed towards as much. It is well known that Drymier is my favored assassin in dealing with such matters, but he seems to be having a few problems.”

“What kind of problems, my Lord?” Grace was cool as ice, purely business and nothing else.

“He has yet to report back to me. You see, I sent him out about nineteen years ago, to kill Senise, the mother of the Walker. But he has not returned. I do not believe him dead, but it would appear that he has had some troubles in his duties. By this time the child will have grown and he must turn toward that objective instead.” The Demon lord leaned back in his chair and took a sip of the wine that formed to fill the goblet floating above his hand.

“What is it you would like us to do, my Lord?” Drake took the goblet offered to him by the same crenling who had directed him to the hall. He sipped the wine carefully, it wouldn’t be against the lord to try and poison them while they thought themselves friends.

“Specifically, I would like you two to go and find Drymier. Once you do, I would like you to help him finish his mission, if need be. Then return here to report what has happened.”

Grace wasn’t as apprehensive about the whole ordeal as his cohort next to him. “Why don’t you send some of your other lackeys to go do it then? It seems like overkill sending a generat and an asalil to help another generat. Don’t you think?”

“Yes actually that has crossed my mind, and it’s exactly what I’m hoping for.” He held out the goblet in his hand to be refilled by the crenling. Drake finally relaxed when he noticed they were the same pitcher.

“Whatever has been interrupting Drymier’s mission must be extremely powerful. This unknown thing has to be strong enough to thwart a generat and the Draylacks with him. That means that I want as much power out there to help as I can send, and you two are the most powerful beings that I do not have on an assignment at the moment.”

The crenling was finally waved away and the three were in complete private. “I will also be sending my son with the two of you, just in case. Once you meet Drymier, the four of you should be able to handle anything that gets thrown at you. Short of the unlikely event that I face you myself that is.”

“When do you want us to leave, my Lord?” Drake finished off the wine in his goblet and let it disappear in a puff of smoke to match the goblet of Sher-Tar.

“You will be leaving here tomorrow, most of the arrangements have already been made for your journey to the gouge. Gather what other supplies you deem necessary, and then depart as soon as possible. I expect that you will be gone by mid afternoon, will you not?” His tone was more of a command than a question. A command with consequences if not followed.

“Of course we will, my Lord. We will depart at mid day tomorrow.” Grace and Drake both stood as their chairs disappeared, leaving only the royal throne, and Sher-Tar standing before it.

“Very good, there are rooms prepared for you tonight. My son will meet you in the morning. You may retire now.” He didn’t even wait for an answer before he turned and walked out the back of the hall toward the royal apartments.

A fleegans cry finally broke the silence as Grace and Drake looked at each other in surprise.

“What in the Three Pits are you doing here? I thought I told you to stay out of trouble until tomorrow.” Drake turned on his companion who shared the same look he received.

“What about you, going to the dying grounds and accepting a match against Libra. Are you insane?” Neither seemed to admit that any of the present situation was their fault as much as the others.

“I’m a demon, remember. It’s natural for me to go to the dying ground… wait a minute. Who told you I was there?” For the first time since Sher-Tar had left, Grace looked slightly cornered.

“Did you forget that there is a seating section for angels, and not just demons? I was there to relax.” Grace finally smirked at the look he received from Drake.

“I did manage to win ten black-gold though.”

“You bet against me?” Drake’s tone was as surprised as it was hurt.

“Don’t tell me you knew it was Libra before I fought.

“Actually, I’m the one who convinced him to go. I ran into him out at the fort, and he seemed kind of bored. So I gave him some friendly advi…” His sentence would have been finished, if not for the fist that abruptly connected with  his jaw, knocking him to the floor.

“I lost money on that fight. You flying faerie. Besides he could have killed me.”

“But he didn’t, and I won back more than the three you lost anyway. Here.” Grace handed Drake a small sack and then rubbed his jaw lightly, with a smile.

“Anyway, you hit like a Spelchen. I’m surprised you lasted that long against Libra.”

“Ok, very funny. Let’s just get some rest before tomorrow.” The two turned and walked to the main doors. Waiting for them was the Crenling who was ready to lead them to their rooms.

Drops of rain began to fall as they followed the crenling to their rooms. Small at first, but rapidly gaining in size and intensity. A peal of thunder and a flash of lightning split the night, illuminating a dark winged shape in the shadowed sky. The beast let out a long cry, which was immediately answered by three more in the clouds overhead.

“Well, it looks like the zortetch are out hunting. I wonder whose wandering the streets at this time.” Drake’s voice took on an amused tone and he smirked as he let that comment slip.

“They may just be feeding on Crevec. I’m pretty sure they never cleaned him off the paving stones.” Grace’s tone was less amused and more strait to business.

“You always sap the fun out of these things.” He smiled again, and the lightning added a glint to his eye as he turned to Grace again. “You could always ask them for the table scraps, maybe a bone or two.”

“Just remember what dogs love to chase, kitty kitty.” They both broke into laughter as they were finally pointed to two doors opposite each other across a long hall with a blue carpet resembling breaking waves.

Once the Crenling had finally left, they made their way into the room set aside for Grace and barred the door.

“So what are we supposed to do now? Libra will be watching us like a hawk, and Drymier knows that they at least can’t trust me. Besides, now we have to make the trip to the gouge before we enter the mortal realm. That’s a ten day journey if we’re lucky, and by that time the kid will be able to sustain us indefinitely.” Drake’s tone was slightly worried, but more annoyed.

“Calm down. We can go along with Libra until we get to Drymier. We already know he’ll be in Bucks town, so when we get there just tell Libra you have some business to take care of in the city. I can go with him to meet Drymier and see what I can find out. Then when it’s safe, I’ll sneak out to meet you.”

“That still doesn’t solve the problem of making a trip to the portal at the gouge. Remember? Sher-tar is the only one who is supposed to be able to open a portal anywhere else but there. What would Libra do if he saw us open one when the kid went to sleep?” Drake tossed his jacket on one of the heavy gilded chairs in the  meeting room of his apartments, and sat down on the floor on one side of the doorway, his sword resting on his knees.

“Don’t worry about that. So what if we give Libra some surprises here and there. He’ll just be more worried about how powerful we really are, which means he’ll be more careful around us.” Grace sat down opposite Drake.

“Fine, we’ll go with your plan for now. Let’s just hope we get to the kid before Drymier and Libra do. There’s no telling what those two would do to him.” They both sat quietly, guarding the door. Neither would sleep much tonight, but that really was trivial to their kind.

[bryanclaesch]

Hey, everyone.

Continuing with my series of Top 10 Reasons Why (this-character) Should Be Your Favorite, this time, we'll be looking at everyone's favorite emo kitty-cat Batman, Blake Belladonna. I'd also like to thank my friend Michaela Roan and RWBY Wonderland admin Blake Belladonna for their help in making this list.

And if you guys want to make sure you don't miss the next Top 10 RWBY post, subscribe to my RWBY mailing list: http://eepurl.com/cWX8Fj. And if you really want to show me the love, support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.con/bryanclaesch.

Let's get to it!

"Blake..."

So, Blake... so... Blake-y. I'll be honest, before I started writing the Novelization and before Volume 4, I really didn't like Blake. I didn't get the hype. She felt more like a stock character than the other members of RWBY and it still feels like she has the least characterization of them all. So it can be difficult for me to get into that Blake-mindset, but I'll do my best to explain why people like her so much.

1. "And what about you, Blake?! You seem to carry yourself with a sense of purpose."

"There's too much wrong in this world to just stand by and do nothing. Inequality. Corruption. Someone has to stop it."

Perhaps Blake's strongest asset is her strong sense of justice. Having lived through injustice and even committing unjust acts, Blake knows how far the crimes of others reach and how deeply ingrained they are in the world. Desiring real equality through real change, Blake left the White Fang and became a huntress all for the sake of rooting out the corruption. And even though she isn't quite clear on how to go about it, she's still fighting which is more than most people can say.

2. "There's no such thing as pure evil!"

This one confuses me a little, especially because I do believe in pure evil. (His name is Satan.) I got this from Michaela, so if it confuses you too, blame her.

Anyway, the argument here is that since Blake has been from both the right side and wrong side of the tracks, she can see the motivations behind every action and doesn't actually see people as necessarily evil. At the worst, they're just misguided. Who knows? Perhaps one of the reasons why Blake left the White Fang is because she pitied the White Fang and Adam. Blinded by their prejudices, she sees them not as evil, but handicapped, and so they can't objectively see the harm they're doing.

3. Psychomachia

I'm sure that's a new word for a lot of ya! But I bet Blake knows its meaning.

Anyway, psychomachia is a fancy word for the phenomenon of the angel and devil that sit on either of your shoulders and tell you what to do. Nearly all of Blake's existence has been tied to a battle between good and evil. She is that battle, and she constantly struggles with how to live a normal, virtuous life when her life has been darkened by everything she's done. We even get to see this battle play out as she struggles with the decision to just kill Torchwick or let him live in No Brakes. Her sense of morality and the struggle she faces reflects how others also struggle with the fight between good and evil.

Luckily though, Blake has her own sun who'll never stop brightening her world just like how morning always follows night.

Suck on that Bumblebee shippers! Blake's light is a sun, not a firecracker.

4. Redemptive

Blake fell in with a very bad crowd. She stole, she hurt, and quite possibly maimed or even murdered. (We don't know.) But Blake had the perspective to see what she was doing and what she was becoming, and she was repulsed by it. So, she left and got back on the right path. And as her father points out, she faced the White Fang, her demons, again and again, and she always came out on top rather than running away or changing her stripes for the sake of survival. Her story is one of redemption, and the audience always loves a good redemption story.

"I should have left the White Fang with you and Mom."

 5. "I've heard students visiting from Vacuo will be arriving by ship today. And as a representative of Beacon, I feel as though it is my solemn duty to welcome them to this fine kingdom."

"She wants to spy on them so she'll have the upper hand in the tournament."

Not much gets past Blake. Is it the Faunus eyes? The life of a criminal? Or is she just naturally sharp? (Ow! I cut myself!)

Whatever it is, Blake can see through the BS whatever the situation, whether it be Weiss' feigned diplomacy, the goodwill gift of Menagerie, or that there's no good reason for the White Fang to be working with Torchwick. Blake's got the eyes of a hawk.

6. "General Lagoon was inexperienced and made the mistake of trying to ambush the Faunus in their sleep. His massive army was outmatched, and the general was captured. Perhaps if he had paid attention in class, he wouldn't have been remembered as such a failure."

Besides being perceptive, Blake studies. The girl knows her history, and although it's easy to assume she would've known that since she's a Faunus, we must also remember that in Volume 2 when she becomes obsessed with finding Torchwick and the White Fang, one of her problems that Weiss mentions is that her grades started to slip meaning she had grades that could slip. (I can't even claim that! But I don't go to school anymore.) And! The way Blake went searching for the White Fang and Torchwick suggests a studious, researcher mentality what with checking out books and searching the web. Blake's not your stereotypical cat-furry--she's got brains.

7. "Plus she likes books!"

If you were asked to name two things that Blake likes, what would you say? Adam? No! Yang? Maybe. Sun? Depends on the situation. But two things that you'll never go wrong with are books and tea. This may sound a little strange, but for those of us who like books and tea, it's great to see a character with these traits. Especially tea--there's too much coffee in the world! And books and tea go together perfectly. What's the perfect drink to have when you're reading? Tea! What's the best thing to do while drinking a cup of tea? Reading! See? It works splendidly.

8. Mmm, mmm. Yeah, yeah.

Have you guys ever been on YouTube and seen those RWBY Crack videos? Most of them suck, but some are genius. One I saw played that crappy song "Mmm mmm yeah yeah" by Austin Mahone over the footage of Blake walking away from Ruby after helping her with Weiss, and for the first time ever, I had to recognize the fact that Blake has a great booty. It's shallow, I know. But I mentioned Ruby being cute and guess what I'm going to say about Yang. That's right. Steel yourselves. But my point here is that while Blake is overshadowed by Yang, she's no slouch herself in terms of physical beauty. And I think all our hearts melted when we saw her in her prom dress.

9. "Now that's a katana!"

The Gambol Shroud is an interesting weapon. It's a sword, it's a gun, it's sheathe is a sword, and it's got a ribbon and can be thrown like a kunai. While I never would've thought of this as a viable weapon design because there's too much going on and there are better gunblade designs, Blake's weapon is effective and adaptable. In fact, there are times when it's more of a tool than a weapon. And if the Samurai or Ninja could've gotten their hands on the Gambol Shroud, they would have definitely used it. It's a pretty cool katana. (But admittedly Jetsteam Sam's is cooler.)

His sword is also a gun!

Can Blake's sword do that?

Hmm... not bad, actually.

 10. "Here. This should help you."

On the surface, Blake's shadow clones don't seem to be anything special. She dodges and leaves a copy of herself to take the hit--what's so great about that? Well, Blake's semblance has a few extra advantages. For instance, she doesn't just dodge, she can use the clones to change the direction of her movement on a dime. She can go from flying right at Torchwick to the train car floor a safe distance away. Or, she can be flying through the air and then use her shadow clones to move her into attack position to take on a giant Nevermore.

Add dust charges to her Gambol Shroud and she can show you a whole range of new tricks from freezing an enemy's weapon in place to blowing them up. And if Weiss' semblance can evolve, I wonder what will happen when Blake's also evolves. Because lets face it, no one predicted Weiss being able to summon her fallen foes or how dust could help Blake. Just goes to show that Miles and Kerry still have a few tricks up their sleeves, and that we still don't know everything there is to know about Blake. How exciting.

And there you have it. The Top 10 Reasons why Blake should be your favorite character.

Ugh!

If you guys think I missed any, go ahead and put them in the comments below.

Keep writing, my friends.

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[zer0pm]

Diverging Jealousy: You x V

A/N: It’s here! Long post and the final part of the Diverging Jealousy series from V’s perspective. I have received an ask about a possible side-story which actually has me thinking of doing considerably, but for now I want to thank everyone that has followed this fic series from the bottom of my heart. Y’all are the best.

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V: “....”

You: “....”

V: “.....Is he-”

You: “No.”

V: “...But he’s-”

You: “I’m aware. This is normal.”

V: “I see... Pray I never get on your bad side, then.”

You: “You say that like you’re not there already.”

You can feel his muscles tense under your hands and clicked your tongue at him scoldingly.

You: “I told you not to move, have a bit more to go.”

The man forces himself to relax at your words, allowing you to continue stitching the wound on his shoulder. The cut was deep and he lost a lot of blood, but surprisingly V proved himself to be rather resilient. Despite the grievous wound, he has managed to remain standing and lucid. You could not say much for your devil-hunting partner Dante who was still out cold from the punch you landed on his poor jaw. The three of you were holed up in one of the remaining nicer apartments of the ruined city. Luckily enough, you were also away from the demons who seem to have not bothered much with the area at all.

You feel V’s eyes on you as you work. The two of you have been physically close like this before, not too long ago when you all were fighting demons. And you were touching his skin. At the time, you touched him out of camaraderie and...out of attraction. His skin was smooth under your touch and you were extremely tempted to run your fingertips along the pattern of his beautiful tattoos, but Dante’s voice pulled you back before you could get lost in your thoughts.

Dante...

Your best friend, your partner in the devil-hunting business, entrusted you with said business, your livelihoods, as well as, dare you say, his heart. It placed a lot on your mind causing you to snap at the man. How did you feel about him? How did you feel about V?

You cared about Dante, no question. But did you care the same way? What about your attraction to V? It felt terrible to feel so conflicted between them but you did.

V: “My deepest apologies for placing so much pressure on you.”

You: “What do you mean?”

V: “You know quite well. You’ve only been avoiding the topic since we’ve reunited.”

Curse him for his insight!

You: “It’s just sudden. Dante, I’m used to his flirting but for him to actually mean it is something else entirely. And you...”

You stopped yourself, but it was already too late, already feeling the intensity of his piqued interest burning into you.

V: “Me...?”

You: “I...don’t know how to feel about you, V. It’s been like that for me since we’ve met.”

V: “I see... Perhaps that sort of uncertainty is a sign.”

You snip the thread of the stitching and carefully clean the wound. It wasn’t the prettiest of jobs as you had to make due with what you could carry, but it was sterile and should allow V to move as usual without causing too much strain. You get up to set your medical equipment aside to be cleaned.

You: “A good or bad sign?”

V: “A necessary sign. The purpose of my employing Dante in the first place was for him to defeat Urizen. I lost sight of that the more I was in your company.”

You: “You’re calling me a distraction.”

He shakes his head and stands to approach you. Crossing the room towards you. Without his leather duster, he appeared quite slender. Not in a sickly sort of way either as he had enough muscle mass to accentuate the tattoos all around his lanky form. To be honest, V was quite the attractive man.

V: “I am saying that our attachment to you is dangerous. Especially for me. It is unwise for me to become emotionally invested in anything or anyone else but this cause.”

You don’t know why but the way he said that hurt...

You: “It is unwise?”

He is in front of you now, it is only the two of you in the bathroom with Dante still unconscious in the main bedroom. V takes advantage of the privacy of this moment to place both of his hands on either side of you, pinning you in place against the countertop.

V: “Yes. Do you not understand? My feelings for you have gone too far to turn my heart to stone now.”

You place your hand against his chest and he waits for you to push him away. Only that you do not, finding yourself frozen in place. V can see the conflict in your eyes and body language, he grabs your hand gently.

V: “Do not worry. Dante has advised me not to evoke your emotions with our affection for you. But I at least wanted you to know where I stand.”

You’re doing a terrible job, V. Looking at me like that... Saying those words...

You: “But...why? We’ve only known each other for a month.”

V: “And yet I’ve grown a fondness for you still.”

He squeezes your hand slightly before dropping it to return to your side. It is quiet between you two for a moment, then you notice something within V’s eyes akin to that of a resolve, piercing through you with determined intent.

V: “There is something else I must tell you. I-”

???: “Holy hell! Where did I blackout this time?!”

You both visibly tense at the loud voice that seemed to echo throughout the entire apartment. Dante was awake and as soon as those words left his lips, the sound of pained groans filled your ears.

Dante: “Fuck! That’s going to bruise.”

You roll your eyes and look at V.

You: “I should go check on him.”

Instead of answering, V nods, distancing himself from you and stepping aside to let you pass. You couldn’t help but notice the flash of slight disappointment as you walked past him. You wondered what he was going to say but was thankful for the distraction. Being that close to V...sent your senses reeling.

Entering the main room, you see Dante sitting atop the king-size bed, nursing his jaw. With a huff, you take a seat on the spot next to him. He smiles at you or at least tries to and winces. You couldn’t help but smile in both pity and humor.

You: “How was your nap?”

Dante: “Hell. Was already sleeping for a mont- Ow! Damn, it hurts to talk.”

You shake your head, although your smile was still there and went to grab his haw carefully.

You: “Alright, alright. Keep still.”

Dante stopped moving as soon as you touched him, his complete attention towards you. You ignored the look he was giving you to inspect your damage on him. It was definitely dislocated, you’ll have to reset it. Your hands move to do exactly that but the stubborn man flinches at the painful feeling.

Dante: “Ow, easy!”

You: “Stop crying, son of Sparda! I only punched you!”

Dante: “Yeah, and you knocked me off of my ass! I was out cold!”

V: “Admittedly, I thought he was dead for a moment.”

You shot V an annoyed look, one he picked up upon immediately and shut his mouth to a thin line. You saw that he had his signature coat on, book and cane in each hand and you eyed him curiously.

V: “I am going to step outside and have Griffon check the area. We cannot be too careful with the spawns of hell.”

And just as surely as he said this, the demon bird rises from the ink, taking form and perching on V’s outstretched arm.

Griffon: “Ugh, so high-maintenanced!”

You: “That wound isn’t completely healed with just a few stitches, V. You should be staying inside and resting.”

Despite your annoyed expression, the avian familiar cackles humorously.

Griffon: “Now, don’t worry that pretty little head of yours. V may be a wimp but I got plenty of bite to keep his skinny ass from harm. Plus the big bad kitty’s got our backs.”

And of course when Griffon says this, Shadow also reanimates from V’s tattoos, a soft growl purring from its throat signifying that it agrees with earnest. V nods at them both before looking back at you for a moment, then turning his back.

V: “We shall return shortly.”

Before you can protest, the man leaves with his familiars in tow and you can hear the click of the front door locking in place. You were about to get up and chase after him when you feel a gloved hand around your wrist.

Dante: “Let him go. He’ll be fine, V’s a big boy.”

You: “Should I remind you how he got hurt in the first place?”

The legendary devil hunter scoffs.

Dante: “Yeah, well it’s different now.”

You: “Different how? It hasn’t even been a day.”

Dante: “It’s because we- AHH! Fuck, that hurts like a bitch!”

With a huff and a roll of your eyes, you grab a hold of Dante’s face once more.

You: “Gonna reset it now. On three?”

Dante: “Yeah, I’ll count. One-”

CRACK!!

Dante: “AHH! FUCK!”

Dante: “What happened to three?!?”

You: “You good? You good. Now I’m gonna go and check on the guy that’s actually hurt.”

Dante: “Wait, partner.”

His voice stops you, the man rubbing his jaw. He moves his mouth but no words come out, he is making sure that everything was in order.

Dante: “Call me crazy, but I think he wants us to talk it out.”

You: “Talk what out?”

Now it was Dante’s turn to roll his eyes. He lifts his hand to grasp yours but decided against it, disguising the movement as a reach to scratch the back of his head.

Dante: “The demon in the room. Us.”

You: “Dante, this isn’t the time-”

Dante: “Partner, we’re running out of time.”

Running out of time...

You’ve heard V repeat those same words before, usually when you see him standing off by himself, looking out pensively. At the time, it felt like the man simply had a sense of urgency to rid the world of evil, but the more time you spent with him the more you learned that everything V says, there’s always more to it.

Dante: “You’re thinking about V right now, aren’t ya?”

You didn’t answer right away, not wanting to admit to anything that even you were unsure of and it made your heart feel heavy when you see Dante sigh. You expected him to feel sad or something of the sort, but he had nothing like that on his face.

Dante: “Before you found us, me and him talked about it. Our feelings for ya. And I know dropping all that stuff on ya wasn’t fair, but I’m telling ya now, I don’t regret saying any of it.”

This time, Dante reaches out for you, taking your hands with a gentleness you didn’t think possible for him. And he’s looking at you, with such sheer determination, it nearly made you fall over. V had that exact same look. He wanted to tell you something too, but he never finished.

“There is something else I must tell you. I-”

Dante: “I love you.”

Your eyes widened like saucers for the umpteenth time that day. Your heart quickening so fast, you thought it would burst from your chest. But it wasn’t the same excitement as you had with V earlier. This feeling nearly frightens you. Dante, you idiot. You actually said it!

You: “Dante-”

Dante: “I know, I know. But listen...”

He’s so serious. As stubborn and unrelenting as ever, nothing at all like the patience and grace that V has.

Dante: “The next time I fight Urizen, I might not be so lucky next time. You might not find me in a ditch somewhere, hell you might not find me at all. And if that’s the case, I wanna fight that douchebag knowing that I said this to ya. ‘Cause, well, might not get another chance.”

You know why he’s doing this. It’s the same reason why he’s not pressing you with questions of whether or not you want him the same way. It’s the same reason V spoke to you so intimately before. This is the only time that they can be vulnerable to you. And if you felt the same or not at all, this is the only time you can tell them. Once the three of you leave this building, it’s back to work. And it would be unfair to string them along, let the question loom over all of you. So it’s now or never, devil hunter. What do you want?

You get up from your seat on the bed, Dante follows suit. He is tense, bracing himself for what you had to say.

You: “Dante, I...”

You look at him, meeting his blue eyes.

You: “I love you too.”

He has an indescribable expression on his face, his arms raise to wrap around you-

You: “But not the way that you love me.”

The man tenses and you suddenly feel your heart constructing.

You: “Please...Please, don’t hate me. It’s not you, Dante. I just...I don’t feel the same way. I would die for you any day of the week, but I can’t...my heart-”

His arms surround you, pulling you in and pressing you against him in a tight embrace. His hand is on the back of your head and your ear is pressed against his chest. You can hear his heart beating, it is surprisingly calm.

Dante: “Easy there, partner. It’s okay.”

He pulls away from you slightly so that you can look at him, the legendary devil hunter is smiling at you. There’s no sadness on his face. In fact, Dante looks rather relieved. He raises his hand to tap at your chest where your heart is.

Dante: “Don’t ever feel bad about this. This thing here, that’s yours. If you give that up, you better be sure about who you’re leaving it to.”

“Do with me what you wish.”

Like a song on repeat, V’s voice echoes in your mind. Then it all came to you like a crashing wave. He trusted you with his more than just his life.

“One would say that your company would be desired greatly.”

All this time, you thought he was merely acting out of attraction. Capitalizing on your flirtatious banter. But V has been leaving you hints of more.

“It is unwise for me to become emotionally invested in anything or anyone else but this cause.”

“My feelings for you have gone too far to turn my heart to stone now.”

He was struggling? Trying hard not to care for you, but failing miserably to do so. So instead of trying to hide it away, he embraced it in the only way he knew how. By telling you and not forcing it upon you.

“Do you not understand?”

I do now, V...

You: “The most sublime act is to set another before you.”

As soon as these words left your lips, you made your way to the door. You stop suddenly, looking back at Dante who had his arms crossed and was already smiling at you knowingly.

Dante: “Do the elevators in this place work?”

You: “No.”

He chuckles and waves you off.

Dante: “Better start running, then. I don’t wanna hear any sappy stuff while I’m napping.”

With that, the man plops himself back on the bed, making himself comfortable. The action made you laugh and your heart warm. Thanks, Dante...

You dash out of the apartment faster than you have ever ran before. With Griffon scouting, you suspect that V was up on the roof and sincerely hoped that you didn’t miss them with the staircase you’ve chosen. You weren’t sure how long your climbing those seemingly endless steps, but eventually you found your hands pushing open the door sitting at the very top with great force causing it to swing wide open. With a huff, you find yourself where you wanted to be. Looking all around, you didn’t see V anywhere. Where did he go? Did I miss him?

After another thorough glance around, you confirmed that the man was nowhere in sight and made your way back to the exit. Perhaps if you’re quick, you’ll catch him before he-

???: “What are you doing here?”

His voice and the familiar sound of flapping wings pick up in your ears and you turn to see V softly landing atop the roof with Griffon carrying him down. He had a look of piqued confusion on his face.

You: “V, I- ...Wait, did you leave the building?!”

V: “I did tell you that I was having Griffon scout the area.”

You: “Yeah, Griffon! Not you!”

He shrugs.

V: “He thought to have spotted some demons further down. Since he himself is unable to eradicate them, I went with him to further investigate and resolve the possible issue. Turns out, there was nothing.”

V gives a pointed look to his familiar in which the bird tilts his head, almost looking like he’s shrugging.

Griffon: “Hey, don’t give me that look. You wanted to make sure that the place was safe for Little Wanderer.”

Little Wanderer... V called you that. Once. You didn’t give it much thought, but now thinking back on it, it was taken from one of the poems he’s read. The poems he’s so fond of.

“And yet I’ve grown a fondness for you still.”

Everything he’s said, there’s always a deeper meaning. V...

You: “If there are demons around, Dante and I can deal with them. You need to recover.”

V: “Rest assured, I am fine. Speaking of Dante, how is he?”

You: “Stubborn as always.”

V: “That sounds about right.”

You: “Opened his heart to me again. Left it open for me.”

V: “I see. I gather the responses this time were favorable.”

You take a deep breath. It’s now or never.

You: “I told him that I loved him too.”

V: “...I am gla-”

You: “But I didn’t give him my heart. I didn’t take his either.”

V: “....Pardon?”

You look up at him, you can feel the weight of his green eyes on you. He looked...vulnerable, frightened, unsure, full of hope.

You: “My heart wasn’t his to take. I didn’t give it to Dante because... I think someone else already has it.“

Griffon: “Uhh, I’m gonna take this as my cue to leave. Don’t leave out any juicy bits when you call me next, V.”

The demon bird quickly dissipates back into ink, completing V’s markings. You chuckled at his words and you see V shaking his head. For a moment, you thought he looked rather embarrassed but his green eyes meet your gaze intently. With the way they glistened paired with the bated expression on his face, he appeared almost desperate for your next words.

V: “Dare I ask who has absconded with something so precious?”

Your smile widens when he says this, you found that you loved the way he spoke with you. There was a tender playfulness to it, the pleased look on his face at your grin proving to you that this sort of exchange was reserved only for you two and it made your heart quicken.

You: “Someone yay high. He has great taste in books, has a voice to die for.”

As you are listing these things, he is inching himself closer to you, an intense gleam in his eyes.

V: “Go on.”

You: “His tattoos are wicked cool.”

You raise your hand to touch his chest, lighting tracing the patterns of his markings with your fingertips. The feel of his skin sent shivers down your spine the bolder you were with your touch. Quite unexpectedly, you feel a tug at the pocket of your jeans and glance down to see two of V’s long digits have snuck in and forcibly pulling the fabric along with you, causing you to inch closer to him. The action nearly made you stumble, but you caught yourself with one hand on his shoulder and the other that was playing with his tattoos flat against the exposed part of his chest.

V: “Wicked, you say?”

You: “Yeah. If there was a downside, I’d say he had an interesting sense of fashion.”

You laugh at the almost insulted grimace he wore and the way that he looked down at his own attire. Before you can tell him you were kidding, he grabs a hold of your hand and guided you to the laces of his vest.

V: “You would have to remedy this immediately before he burns your eyes with his fashion sense entirely.”

At this, your laughter filled the air loudly mixed with his own. The feeling uplifted the previous unease in your heart and replaced it with a genuine warmth. This, this is why you are attracted to this man. When he’s not mysterious, when he’s not serious - V is a good man. He has a personality that is enthralling, that makes you want to be near him. You were attracted to him, that much is obvious, but this part of him was what you wanted.

You: “I think I’ll do just that.”

Your fingers begin to unlace his vest. As you reach to undo the end, he grasps your hands tightly, causing you to look up at him. V wasn’t wearing a smile anymore.

V: “I wanted to tell you earlier. I’m not who you think I am.”

You: “...That’s okay.”

His brows furrow.

V: “It is not as simple as an okay. There’s so much more that you do not know.”

You: “When you’re ready, you’ll tell me.”

V: “I will.”

His hand is cradling your face now.

V: “But I don’t think you will be ready to hear it.”

You: “When a thing loves, it is infinite.”

He tenses at your words. You nuzzle against his palm. With one final tug, you undo his vest completely, using both of your hands to slide against the exposed skin before running up slowly to his pecs. You were careful with the side of his bad shoulder as you slowly pushed his coat off to fall off of his shoulders in a black heap around him. Desire was in his eyes and you knew it reflected in yours as well, but he was refraining, leaving it to you.

You: “This is new to me, V. But know that no matter what happens, I’m here. To love and protect you.”

It was such a cliche thing to say, but they were the truest feelings of your heart. They seemed to have triggered something within V as he suddenly pressed his lips fervently against yours, ensnaring you with a kiss that set your senses wild. It was soft, but impatient; passionate, but gentle as if he was struggling to cherish this moment or claim it entirely in fevered abandon. He was losing himself in you and you in him. And neither of you cared. This, this feeling, is all that matters.

After a moment, he pulls away, not far, but enough to allow you both to breathe. The feel of his lips lightly brushing against yours. This closeness feels familiar.

V: “Say it again.”

You: “I’m here.”

V: “After that.”

You: “I’m here to love and protect you, V.”

He pressed another kiss, a chaste one before he presses his forehead against yours, filling you with adoration that emanated from his body to yours and vice versa.

V: “That’s it.”

V: “You... That’s all I’ve ever wanted.”