Strays: A Romantic Fantasy Adventure

Light filtered through the dark cloth, bathing the two sleeping girls in its morning warmth. Sakura was the first to wake. She lay there, watching Ivy still lost in dream, and slowly processed yesterday’s happenings. Her fingers grazed along her right shoulder, the onyx feather smooth under her skin, as she willed her breathing to slow to a trickle. She had had her first decent nights sleep for the first time in years, yet felt so exhausted. The fox wished to stay hidden under the fabric above her but knew that wishing was futile. Deeply, she inhaled and then forced all of her nerves from her with the exhale.

Cautiously, the woman exited the tent as not to wake the one still in slumber and stalked forward with a confident gait. She was ready to face the angel and handle his bothersome antics with an icy grace that she had convinced herself she could definitely manage.

Definitely.

Probably.

As she came to the still burning fire she noticed that only the devil was around. Ren was no where to be seen or heard but she knew it was only a matter of time before he came frolicking back. Sakura considered asking his whereabouts but quickly dismissed the thought, refusing to make herself look desperate.

Zero sat in the same spot but was no longer asleep. He paid no mind to the demon as she approached, choosing to focus his attention on wiping the blade of one of his katanas. He could sense her standing there, watching him, and he took his time before looking up at her.

“Good morning,” the boy greeted in an impassive but polite way, just as Ren had taught him to.

“Why are you here?” Sakura blurted, taking both of them off guard. Her ideal demeanor of icy grace had quickly flown out of the window, crashed to the ground, and exploded upon impact.

“This is where I wanted to sit. Why are you here?” Zero shot back in the same manner as someone simply asking for the time. He wasn’t very accustomed to having conversations outside of the angel and he hoped he was doing it properly.

She ground her teeth together, fighting to regain any semblance of composure. The man wasn’t even around and she was already losing it. “I’m sorry,” the fox chose to try to start fresh. “That was rude of me. Let me try again. Good morning.”

The devil nodded and resumed his chore. The woman sat on the ground and brought her knees to her chest. She laid her head sideways on top of her legs and peered at the tent. There was no movement, so she turned to look at Zero.

“Where’s Ren?” she asked absentmindedly. Internally, she wilted away, hating herself for the desperation she had pledged to avoid.

Zero shrugged, “Somewhere.”

Sakura studied him carefully and with an uncertain suspicion. He was definitely a devil, his red eyes confirmed that beyond a doubt. But he was unlike any devil that she had ever heard of.

Though devils were rarely seen, the devastation they created was well known and could still be seen in many areas they had ravaged. Entire villages and small towns completely decimated and their people along with it by a single devil. They were ruthless, merciless, and being in one’s presence meant certain death.

And yet, here she sat, only a few short meters away from one and he seemed like none of those things. Quite the opposite. He was quite, calm, and had been so gentle towards Ivy. The boy had spoken to her softly and with concern, something the demon could never imagine a devil doing.

“You’re a devil,” she began.

“Yes.”

“But you don’t act like a devil.”

Zero held the katana up, observed it as he twisted it, and sheathed it at his side. “How do devils act?” he asked, his voice monotone.

“Chaotic. Violent. They destroy everything in their path. They can’t help themselves,” Sakura explained, taking note of his lack of emotions. “But you don’t act like that.”

“How do I act?”

She thought for a moment, searching for the right word. “Boring,” she decided on. “You’re boring.”

Zero tilted his head and looked at her, his brow furrowing slightly. “Boring? What does that mean?”

“You don’t know what boring means?” Sakura spat, failing to comprehend the ignorance before her. Certainly, the boy was joking, but there was no humor or really much of anything in his eyes.

“No,” he stated honestly. “Is it a bad thing? Should I try not to be boring?”

“I’d appreciate it if you wouldn’t tease my sweet, little baby,” Ren’s voice piped up from behind Sakura, sending her heart into her throat violently. “He’s a tender soul.”

The fox whipped around. “Where have you been?” she snapped.

He revealed a skinned rabbit in each hand. “Breakfast,” he grinned, and set to roasting the unfortunate pair.

The woman was careful to look anywhere but the man. She had just barely rolled out of bed and was already stumbling all over herself. Her insecurity was excruciating and encouraging her to run, but she knew that it was useless at this point. Ren was sure to quickly capture her once again and the chase would only excite him even more.

“Oh look,” the angel pointed out. “She’s awake.”

Zero and Sakura looked towards the tent as Ivy muttered something and the tent transformed into a pink ribbon that floated down into her awaiting hand. She walked towards the group while tying the ribbon around her neck. Her uneven skirt swished around her knees and calves and ankles in time with her waist length, wavy, dark, amethyst hair, the fabric a wispy swirl of silvers, blues, purples, and pinks with a corset that laced up her stomach and chest. A gentle hum vibrated from her plump, rosy lips as they lifted into a perfect, effortless smile.

“Good morning,” she spoke sweetly, violet eyes bright and cheerful.

“Good morning, Little One,” Ren beamed. “That ribbon there. Did Maggie make that for you?”

“She did!” Ivy confirmed, fingering the silky fabric.

“Of course she did. She also made my bracelet. If you look closely,” he prattled on playfully and raised his wrist for the girl to examine. “You’ll see this little stone that masks my scent. That’s a new one. It's really been coming in handy lately.”

Sakura’s eyes bulged, “That’s why I haven’t been able to smell you. That fucking old hag!”

“Whoa now,” Ren raised his hands in defense. “You’re being harsh. She did warn me that it was a cheap trick and that she didn’t approve before sending me deep into the mountains to gather a bunch of different herbs and flowers. I almost died several times. Then when I got back, she fed the plants to her pigs,” he paused, clicking his tongue. “No, no, you’re right. She is a fucking hag. She’s truly a monster.” The angel sighed deeply and removed the rabbits from the heat before passing the meat to the other three.

The humble meal was finished without haste and the fire extinguished. Without a word, the fox took the lead and headed west as the group fell in line. After a few wordless miles, Ren chose to break the silence.

“So where are we going?” he asked.

Sakura sighed, agitated, “You’re serious about following me, aren’t you?”

“I’m always serious about you,” the angel leered at the demon, his lips curving up slightly.

The demon glared at him and quickly shook off his words of adoration. “I’ve been looking for Ivy’s home.”

Ren glanced over at the girl who gave him a knowing look. “What do you mean her home?” he implored.

“I found Ivy years ago but she wasn’t just abandoned,” Sakura explained. “She was hidden. She was sleeping under thorn bushes that had been hastily enchanted. It was obvious that it was a temporary set up so I stuck around because I was curious about who had left her. But no one ever came for her. After a fortnight I woke her myself because I knew at that point she was going to start wasting away. All she knew was her name and how old she was. Since then, we’ve been going from city to city scouring every library and talking to anyone we can for any clues.”

“Honestly,” Ren treaded carefully, “It sounds exactly like she was abandoned.”

Sakura spun around, looking up at the man solemnly. “I don’t expect you to understand, but you,” she turned and walked to Zero, standing before him menacingly despite the good half dozen inches he had on her. “You understand. Don’t you?”

The boy stared down at her. He opened then closed his mouth, unsure of what he was supposed to say.

“You can smell her, can’t you? Her blood?” the vixen accused, emeralds narrowing. “What does she smell like?”

The devil looked to Ren, searching for approval. The angel nodded the go ahead, curious as to the answer himself.

Zero cast his attention to the ground, unfamiliar with the sinking feeling in his stomach and the quiet dizziness that came along with it. He then hesitantly aimed his gaze at Ivy, taking note of the beet red color spreading up her neck and across her cheeks. His fingers craved the chance to brush against them, feeling the heat beneath. Suppressing the urge, he remembered the man’s words from the night before.

Slow

Slow

Slow

“She smells like water,” he stated, crimson eyes boring down on the girl unable to look away. “And sky. Like the soil and grass. Every flower I’ve ever smelled and everyone I haven’t. The trees. The wind. The rain. She smells like…” he trailed off, unsure of what it was.

“Life,” Sakura finished for him. “She smells of life. I’ve never smelled anything like it. Have you?”

Zero shook his head, “No.”

“No,” she repeated. “Because it’s not normal. Aren’t you curious why?”

The boy nodded. He was curious. He had wanted to know everything about the girl since the first moment he saw her.

Sakura grabbed the collar of his shirt and pulled him closer, forcing his attention on her. “I’ve heard that devils sometimes eat the flesh of other beings. Do you want to eat her, devil?” she whispered loud enough for only him to hear.

Zero stalled. He certainly had no intentions to cause pain, much less physically consume Ivy’s flesh in the way he had the rabbits’. The thought alone repulsed him and caused his heart great agony.

“No,” he said but it only felt half true. From the moment he met her, a flourishing desire had begun to engulf him, pushing and prodding and urging him to devour the innocent girl.

The demon studied the boy closely, scrutinizing every blink and twitch of his face. “I’m going to choose to trust you for now,” she decided. “Simply because you’ve been able to tolerate Ren without ripping his head off. That’s gotta count for something. But if you’re gonna scamper behind us then you’re going to make damn well sure that you protect Ivy at all costs. I don’t care if you die, you don’t allow any harm to come to her. You think you can handle that?”

“Yes,” he nodded, a mutual understanding crossing between them.

“Fantastic,” the woman released him and proceeded back to the trail. “And if you don’t I’ll just kill you. Problem solved.” She held her hands up and shrugged.

Zero raised an eyebrow at her back and looked over at Ren and Ivy. The sweet girl was absolutely horrified while the angel was struggling to not roll around on the ground laughing. The three of them went back to following behind the fox.

After some time, Ren was able to control his fit. “So,” he began. “Let’s say you figure all of this out; who Ivy is, where she came from, why she’s so much better smelling than the rest of us vagrants. Then what?” Ren fell into step next to the woman, a sly grin on his face. “Maybe go home, settle down, birth more children than we can handle?”

Sakura’s tail and ears bristled at the offer. She looked up at the man, her eyes burning with cruel determination. “I’m going to find that man,” venom dripping from her tongue. “And I’m going to gut him for killing Raz.”