Strays: A Romantic Fantasy Adventure

“Let me kill you.”

Zero was used to Sakura wanting to kill him. The woman was always thirsting for a fight, and it had become a normal occurrence since the den that he didn’t really think much of. Anytime there was a lull in activity, the fox would get antsy and start poking around him, asking, then begging, and then harassing him into getting what she wanted. He didn’t mind it for the most part and would often give in to her requests to veer away from the road where no one other than the angel and fae could witness the devil’s inevitable downfall to the demon despite his best attempts. But there were other times he just wanted to be left alone and not a victim to her insatiable lust for violence. She was relentless, but wise enough to know when the boy had had enough of her antics for the time being, to which she would retreat temporarily, a pout on her lips as she plotted her next attempt.

After all, no one can make a devil do anything they don’t want.

Sakura’s pleading was normal.

Ren on the other hand…

The boy looked up at the man as he sat on the ground, his breakfast stalled halfway to his mouth, eyes slightly wide with surprise. “What?”

The man nudged the devil’s leg with the toe of his boot, a wide, toothy grin on his face. “Come on, let me kill you. It’ll be fun.”

“Why?” Zero was confused. The angel did plenty of strange things, made plenty of outlandish claims, put him in more undesirable predicaments than he could count. The man loved using the boy for his entertainment and had no problem sending him out to kill a pest or spar with some random passerby. But never had he wanted to kill the devil. On the contrary, he was always adamant that it was the last thing that he ever wanted to do, and his overly affectionate behavior proved those words true. Sure, he had accidentally killed Zero once before, and the three other times were probably his fault as well. But never had he wanted to intentionally harm him.

And yet, here they were.

How the tables had turned.

Ren walked behind Zero and knelt down, placing his hands over his shoulder blades, massaging the skin hidden under the devil’s shirt and jacket. “I want to see your wings again,” his voice full of wonder. “All these years you’ve kept them hidden. That’s not very nice. After all I’ve done for you, boy, and you’ve been holding out on me this entire time.”

“I didn’t know they were there.”

“Well, you know about them now. So, bring them out. Let me play with them. There’s no need to be so shy. Papa loves you no matter what.”

The devil wasn’t nearly as eager. “No.”

That wasn’t the answer the man wanted. “What?! Why not?”

“I don’t like it. It’s painful,” he confessed meekly. It wasn’t like when his horns sprouted where the pain was contained to two, small, general areas in his head. The wings had made him feel as if his entire body was being splintered open; the bones, muscles, nerves, tendons, blood vessels, skin. Everything. Everything being warped and taken from in order to create the wings that ripped from his shoulders and hung from him.

And for what?

Nothing but empty, useless bones in the form of something that should be grand.

Had they been like Ren’s or Ivy’s, it might be worth the trouble. But as is, they were only a disappointment.

“Life is pain,” the angel argued. “You should be used to it by now. Shit, I’ve had to puzzle piece you back together after that tunneler got you. It can’t be any worse than that. Just take this one for the team.”

“It is worse, and I don’t want to.”

Ren stood and walked around the boy, crouching in front of him. “Come on, you’re exaggerating. Don’t be like that. Do this for me. When do I ever ask for anything from you?”

Crimson eyes were not impressed. “You never stop asking.”

The man shrugged. That may very well be true, but that wasn’t going to stop him. “Just this once. Then I’ll never ask again… probably.”

“Just leave him alone,” Sakura told the man as she finished what was left of his meal, as if she had never made similar, constant demands of the devil. “He doesn’t want to, and we need to get going.”

“Hush, woman!” Ren snapped, displeased with her interference. “You’ve been coddling him ever since he woke up, spoiling and treating him like a helpless baby rather than the beautiful monstrosity that he is. The boy tore a devil into minced meat, he doesn’t need you to defend him, he can handle himself. Besides, this has nothing to do with you, and even if it did, you definitely have no room to talk. You’re always harassing him, wasting everyone’s time on a daily basis. Don’t start acting so virtuous now.”

“That’s for him,” she argued back. “Someone has to actually teach him how to fight instead of just throwing him to the wolves and laughing while he gets shredded apart. You’re not doing him any favors by killing him so you can see those wings again. You’re just being selfish and doing what you want,” said the pot calling the kettle black.

He waved her off, tired of the meaningless argument that was quickly going nowhere. “A being who doesn’t even have wings wouldn’t understand. Isn’t that right, Little One?”

“I think you should leave him alone. He already said he doesn’t want to,” Ivy’s voice a gentle suggestion. She smiled at the boy as he looked at her. “It’s your choice, but don’t let Ren talk you into doing something you don’t want.”

Ren grumbled at the ally lost. “You wouldn’t understand either. You’re fae. Not an angel like us. Look at me, boy. Not her.”

Zero complied but continued to reject the man. “I’m not going to do it.”

The angel examined the boy, realizing that things weren’t going to go as smoothly as they had in the past, and considered his new options. Out of all of them, he chose the easiest route. “Alright, I’m going to cut to the chase. This is gonna happen one way or another. You can either suck it up and get it over with now or I can make your life miserable. No matter what it takes, I will dedicate my life to irritating the ever-living shit out of you until I’ve driven you to actual madness. I’ll do it today. Tomorrow. All week. Months. Years. However long it takes until you give me what I want. Or you can play nice and get it all over with now. It’s your choice. But I suggest you choose wisely for your sake, because, whether it’s now or later, you will grace me with those wings, and you know it.”

The devil stared back at the man, attempting to stand his ground as neither wanted to back down. However, Zero knew that Ren was a man of his word. If he said he’d torment him all day, every day, until the end of time, then that was exactly what he would do. It was up to the boy to decide how much he was going to choose to tolerate.

No one can make a devil do anything they don’t want.

Except Ren.

A rush of air expelled from Zero’s lungs as he chose the path of least resistance. “Fine. We’ll do it now.”

“That’s the spirit!” The angel smacked his back and popped back up to standing and began sauntering off in high spirits. “Come on, little buddy! Let’s get you dead!”

The boy got up and followed, hoping it wouldn’t take too much time.

He had better things to do.

Like not die.

The man turned towards him and held out his hand, the boy unsheathing one of his katanas and handing it over.

“Alright!” Ren’s smile was bright and cheerful, deep blue eyes exuberant. “You ready? Any special requests?”

“Just get it over with.”

The two of them stood there, staring at each other. The devil’s emotionless expression stayed consistent as the angel’s quickly went through a wide range of changes.

Excitement.

Hesitance.

Second guessing.

Realization.

Uneasiness.

Horror.

Dismay.

“Sakura!” the man called out despairingly, looking past the boy and at the woman. “I can’t do it. I can’t hurt my sweet, baby boy! I need you!”

Sakura stopped throwing dirt on the dying campfire and sighed, already exhausted despite it only being morning. She took her time in going to the devil before unsheathing his remaining katana and swiftly plunging it in and out of his heart while glaring with disgust at the spineless man. She sheathed the blade and walked off without a word.

“Thank you! Love you!” Ren waved as she continued to ignore him, watching Zero and brimming with anticipation. He was almost giddy as the horns pushed through the skin and began to grow.

And grow.

Before coming to an anticlimactic stop, only a little longer than they normally were.

“Keep going!” he demanded.

The boy shrugged. “I guess this is all I’ve got.”

“Bullshit! No, it’s not! Where are the bone wings?!”

Zero shrugged again as he stepped up to the angel and reclaimed his weapon, walking back to the women as he returned it to his hip. That had been easier than he thought. He was glad he chose to just get it done and over with. His day could have been much worse had he chosen differently.

“Bullshit!” The man followed after, unwilling to let him get away so easily. “You get your ass back here and show me your wings! You just gotta try harder. Let Sakura stab you a few more times. We all know they’re in there. Stop hiding them!”

Ivy came springing up to the boy, cloak wrapped around her shoulders and clutching their bags. She dropped them and took hold of his face, pulling it towards her and pressing her lips against his, the horns receding back into his skull.

Ren froze. This was not in the realm of normal for the man. Of course, he had looked forward to seeing in which ways the young devil would surprise him, but this went well beyond his expectations. He thought for certain that he would have more time to prepare for this day, when Zero and Ivy’s budding relationship would progress into something less innocent. When his little boy would take another step closer to becoming a man. But here it was, and he was not ready for it. He looked over at Sakura, the woman not nearly as surprised as he. “What the fuck is this?” he griped at her. “When did this shit start?! How long have you known about it?”

Her expression changed to that of a child caught with their hands in the candy jar. The vixen knew exactly what he was complaining about, and didn’t want to stick around to listen to more. There would be plenty of time to listen to his whining, and she was going to avoid it for as long as she could. She quickly spun on her heels and stalked off. “Come on, you two,” she beckoned with a snapping of her fingers. “We’re heading north.”

Ivy released Zero and grabbed their bags, handing him his and intertwining their fingers. She pulled him along while looking back at the angel with a small, vindictive sneer. “I told you to leave him alone,” her voice sweet as sugar.

The boastful look was not lost on Ren, and he accepted that he probably deserved as much. He had played with the devil and lost. But what’s past is past and it’s best to continue moving forward. He grabbed his bag that still lay on the ground and followed after the group, already calculating on how to turn this failure around to his benefit.