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Mitsu didn't speak but only offered Yuki a soft smile of understanding, whether she really understood or not was a question left unanswered. When he told her to lead the way she nodded still keeping a hold of his hand so that she may in fact guide him.

'I want to leave.'

She could only imagine he meant leave the shop and they were on their way out weren't they. "All right." Mitsu said softly in agreement as she looked up at Yuki's towering form. She no doubt looked like a small child compared to him. "It was good to see you again," She directed this statement at the Count as she started to make her way to the door. First at the door she opened it up and smiled again softly as she waited for Yuki to exit. She was so unsure what to do or if she could even help him but she would try to be there if she could. If anything she would at least listen to maybe take some of the stress off of his mind.

As Yuki walked out the door Mitsu followed behind him quietly. She only glanced back at the Count shortly with a soft sad smile as the door closed behind them. In a sense, she didn't like to see anyone upset. It was tough for her to deal with when others were upset. Wasn't she the weak one? For the longest time they walked in silence. At least it felt that way. It could have very possibly been a few minutes but silence does that.

"Hey!"

Mitsu's ears perked up at the familiar voice as Neko and Vash came running up toward her.

"I thought you were right behind us, what happened?" Neko all but demanded as he towered over Mitsu.

"I was....waiting for Yuki. We are going to the store."

"Good, I could use a few things, which one are we going to?" Vash asked as he tried to map out a course in his mind.

"N...no no. we are going to the store." Mitsu tried to lay it out the best she could without being rude. She didn't want to send them away but she knew better than to keep Neko around while Yuki was upset.

"We huh?" Neko glanced up at Yuki narrowing his eyes a bit as he looked him over. His piercing blue eyes seemed to judge him, bore into him, as if looking for the simplest thing to pull him apart. "All right then." All right then? Mitsu was wide eyed looking at Neko as if stunned that it would be that easy. "See you at home." And without another word Neko turned on a dime and walked off.

"I uhh..." Vash fumbled with his words unsure as to what to say. "Can you pick me up some doughnuts?"

Mitsu nodded, "Sure....just....make sure that Neko actually goes home."

With that said Vash gave a nod and a quick salute before he was right behind Neko to trail him all the way home. Finally with those two gone, Mitsu looked toward Yuki with a soft understanding smile again. "Can you walk me to the supermarket?"

At first, Yuki had hoped that they would have been left alone. Now that they were out of the Count's obnoxiously knowing eye, perhaps they could get Mitsu's errands done, if there really were any, and then he could just go home and lock himself away like he'd become prone to doing within the previous few weeks. A month ago, it had been, and had Yuki had an inkling of what was going to come of this, would he have given a second thought?

His dreams told him no, clearly he'd done this once before, and knowingly at risk.

He felt himself going tense again when he felt Neko staring at him, though he occupied himself by examining the sidewalk instead of making eye contact. Typically, he would have given a rude remark or action in response to even this mild harassment, but not this time.

Yuki had stood in silence as the three conversed shortly, and what relief he felt when Vash and Neko walked off was not shown. Instead, he only looked down to Mitsu, and nodded lightly to her request. "Sure." He'd expected that, since she'd asked him to accompany her, after all.

But why? Was he about to get drilled with questions? It was this thought that made him actually frown, though he hadn't exactly looked very happy before. He opened his mouth to speak, but closed it again. Though, after a couple of seconds he decided to say it anyway.

"You... Can't tell Hitsu about this. Alright?" There wasn't much of a pause, before he clarified. "About what happened in the shop... With Blackie, and the Count... Or anything you heard me say." He looked down to her again as he walked, his expression pleading. "Even anything that we talk about... She doesn't need to know." Anything that they talked about? Perhaps he really did want to get a few things off his chest.

Or maybe he just wanted someone to tell him that he wasn't crazy.

Mitsu paused a moment as Yuki spoke asking her not to tell Hitsu. As an answer she nodded as he continued to explain what she was not supposed to tell Hitsu about. When they started to walk again Mitsu looked into his pleading gaze and smiled warmly. "I understand." Then he finished his sentence with something Mitsu didn't expect to hear. She had hoped he would open up and talk a little bit though she honestly expected to give him a little company before he walled himself back up in his room not to be seen for days. It worried her when her family was distressed.

"Don't worry, I won't tell anyone anything," Mitsu agreed. "You can trust me." She then thought about it for a moment. Considering how Yuki felt, or at least looked like he felt, his garbage was on the table for her to see. He was exposed, vulnerable, and that wasn't quite fair. "If you want," She finally began again. "I'll share a secret with you...and we can keep each other's secrets."

Mitsu than began to think, trying to find something good as far as secrets went that wouldn't need hours of explanation. Her memories were still very blurry as far as her past went but large chunks of them were coming back to her. Large scary chunks. Then that man came to mind, that frightening man with rectangular glasses and a wide sinister smile. "Just know...whatever I tell you may not make complete sense. I honestly....don't remember a lot of things. The time before I lived in that apartment by myself is still fuzzy to me. I remember chunks of memories, images, conversations, people. I know the emotions I felt but I can't link them to anything specific, but there is one thing I am almost certain of........... I killed Neko." She looked at Yuki sheepishly for a moment knowing that didn't make much sense with Neko still alive and well, but Mitsu wasn't sure if it was really him.

"I know it sounds strange and doesn't make much sense." Mitsu went on trying to piece the information together into something audible. "But my memory of that moment is as clear as day, I know its not a dream. And I....umm," Mitsu trailed off as she looked up at Yuki again. She was sharing a secret so there was no real reason for her to clarify but she felt the need to do so anyway. "Please don't tell Neko. I don't know the situation that led to that point and I know he would have questions....and I would have no answers."

He was relieved when she agreed not to speak of this elsewhere, though inwardly he knew that sooner or later the truth would be out. At least, when it came to Blackie. She knew where he lived, after all, and he had the suspicion that if she didn't show up to confront him, that raven would probably take it upon himself to do so. Whether that would be to inflict pain, or drag him to the spider, he had no idea... And he tried to stop thinking about that matter all together right now. The past was distressing enough, even with the gaps that still remained unknown. He wasn't sure if he wanted to remember those, at this rate.

Looking down to Mitsu curiously when she began to share disturbing memories of her own, he listened quietly. He could relate to the idea that anything spoken of his own past probably wouldn't make sense to her, but it probably wouldn't stop him from trying. It had all been kept unspoken for so long, and especially with everything happening now, it finally seemed necessary that someone else know what had and may again come to pass.

She might have expected shock, perhaps even for him to recoil at the thought that she'd killed someone who seemed to so clearly be alive and well in their company most of the time. Though, wasn't he in the same boat? Even more... Wouldn't he and Neko have something in common, even if Neko would never learn of it?

"I killed someone, too..." He murmured, and his expression softened a moment, as a portion of those memories replayed themselves in his mind. He'd seen this young woman, Kioko, murdered in so many brutal ways. Which of them had been real? It didn't matter, he knew, for one thing was certain; His father had killed her centuries ago and from there everything had been a downward spiral. "Not with my own hands... But... I may as well have."

He frowned, and he'd cast his gaze down to the sidewalk again. That feeling of guilt was coming back again, "My father told me not to get involved with the humans." He apparently found it needed to clarify again; "He wasn't the Dynast that you know, Mitsu... This man was colder, more intimidating... Cruel." So much could be packed within that final, single word. "I'm afraid of how this is... Changing me."

"If all of these memories of mine were missing... Does that mean that he didn't remember them, either?" Yuki looked to Mitsu, almost fearfully as though the thought had only now surfaced in his mind. "If he knew he had something over me, wouldn't he have used it by now?"

"What am I going to do... If I've messed up, and it causes him to turn into.... Him?" He shook his head, "I didn't really grasp what the Count tried to tell me all that time ago... How can you feel like you ARE someone... And not be?" He put a hand to his chest, "I am Yuki. But... I'm not really Yuki..." He was ranting now, he knew it and swiftly began to trail off. "I think..." No, he knew. "He's been dead for a long time... I just don't know if Hitsu knows that."

As Yuki started to open up Mitsu quickly began to realize where she thought her past made little sense Yuki's very well could have made none. It was hard to focus on what he was talking about there was so much information coming at her all at once. It was lucky she had agreed not to tell anyone, she wouldn't be able to remember all of this if she tried.

The last part of his confession was what really caught her attention though.

'How can you feel like you ARE someone... And not be?'

So maybe that was the evidence Mitsu needed. Yuki and Neko had come from the same shop, they....they were not people...not normal people. Of course, few in their group were normal people even those that didn't come from the shop. "So the real Yuki is gone and you are here in his place? Do you....do you think its the same for Neko?" She averted her gaze now. Up until this point she had passed her dream off as just that, a dream. True, it was clear in her mind and fresh as if it had happened yesterday but there was no proof. Especially with Neko still here. But if the real Yuki was dead and there was another Yuki here...."Do you think will will tell Hitsu some day? About umm...you...that's not you. Her....her brother that is you." Okay so that was a bit confusing.

He nodded to the first question, "Yeah, I am... A fabrication of her brother." Yuki nodded once more in response when she continued. "Probably. He doesn't know about it, does he?"

"I'm not sure if we're a special case, or what... The Count told me what I was while I was still at the shop." He shrugged, then sighed. "Hitsu's told me about a few of the things that happened before I got here... I'm amazed they were all still alive... Well, I take that back..." He grimaced, but didn't clarify. He was certain that descriptions of what state they'd found Vincent in would be better left unspoken, it didn't matter now anyway.

When asked if he would tell Hitsu that her real brother was dead, Yuki cast his eyes to the pavement again and shook his head. "No... Because I don't want to know what it would do to her."

"What frightens me even more than all of these nightmares is what the Count keeps talking about... I've been here to fill a need. So has my father. If I can't help her anymore, what happens to me?" He couldn't imagine what need she had for their father, that had never been explained to him, but Yuki knew that his own purpose was to protect her from Dynast. "I wasn't supposed to remember all of these things, because without them I had no reason to fear him."

Mitsu was silent for the longest time after Yuki had confirmed what she had feared. For a while she didn't nothing but listen until she finally realized he had stopped talking and allowed her thoughts to collide together. "But would you have taken you job of protecting Hitsu seriously if you did not understand the fear?" Okay, that was far more deep than even Mitsu had realized as she spoke it. It was like some other being had control of her mouth because honestly, she barely understood what she just said but it made sense.....didn't it?

"And...maybe Dynast isn't the only problem?" Though Mitsu also didn't know what she meant by that either. She was aiming toward maybe Dynast wasn't the only thing Hitsu needed protection from but it came out more vague and mysterious. Like she had taken lessons from the Count himself. But as she spoke something odd came to mind. It was random and yet very on topic. "Yuki, if you are not the original Yuki...who were you before you came to live with Hitsu? Did you live as someone else or have you always been...well.....Yuki?" And odd question maybe, and possibly one with no answer. But Mitsu was curious to know the answer if there was one for more than one reason.

"I had most of his memories." Yuki explained, "I didn't need to understand why she was afraid of him, really... All I knew was that she was afraid of him. As far as I'm concerned, facade or not, I am her brother. Keeping her safe, and happy, is all that's important to me." He actually smiled for a moment, "So, yes, I would have... To answer your question."

His smile faded, and he gave her a questioning glance upon suggestion that Dynast wasn't the only problem. "I'm... Not sure I follow." Was she trying to say that someone else could be causing her grief? No one that he knew of... As he was pondering this, she'd asked another question. To this, however, the answer seemed to come much easier. He shrugged lightly, "I don't remember anything, if I ever was with someone else." It was probably a good thing, this 'life' was confusing enough as it is.

Something about how he spoke for a moment brought a warm feeling to Mitsu's heart. It was that spark of hope that Yuki understood why he was there even if she didn't understand that. There was just that confidence behind his voice when he answered her question, his profound sense of purpose. "Hitsu is very lucky...to have a brother like you." Mitsu smiled as she looked up at Yuki. She was envious of Hitsu, she wished she had an older brother, especially one as caring as Yuki. It was a nice feeling to think about knowing there was someone that was worried about you and cared about what happened to you. "If I had an older brother I would want him to be like you." There was so much truth in her statement there was no room for doubt. It was spoken with clarity and no hesitation.

There was a silence as they walked for a while, at least on Mitsu's end. She was content to listen to whatever Yuki had to say if anything at all but random things popped into her head though she wondered if any were worth asking. Then...there was one question that kept nagging her but she put it off until they were actually in sight of the store. "Yuki?" She could tell even before she asked that she was treading on sensitive ground and yet on she strolled. "Who was she?"

Mitsu's words were flattering, to say the least. He smiled softly again, it apparently helped that the subject was drifting away from the more serious matter at hand. That, and it felt good for someone to believe that he was doing something right for once. He knew that his sister appreciated him, there had never been any doubt there, but everyone else... That was iffy most of the time. "You think so?" Obviously she had, and the words that followed further suggested that. "Thanks." He said softly, "It means a lot to me, Mitsu... For you to say that."

He was silent for a moment, then gave a short laugh. He draped an arm over her shoulders and tugged her toward him, hugging her with one arm. "Don't go all sappy on me, though. You know I'd look out for you, too, right?" He released her just as quickly, as not to bother her with the gesture if he hadn't managed to already. He looked ahead to see their destination not far off, and picked up his pace a little. At least the mood wasn't so gloomy anymore. "Yeah?" He'd replied when Mitsu had addressed him, glancing over his shoulder just briefly.

And then, she'd asked him. He didn't need any clarification to know what she was talking about, and whom she referred to unknowingly. The grief hit him again like a kick in the chest, and he came to a sudden halt. "I was talking about..." He hadn't looked toward her, instead he'd lowered his gaze to the ground again. There was a moment's hesitation, and the sadness in his voice only became more apparent when he murmured the last. "Kioko..." After a few seconds, he continued forward, though not as enthusiastically as he had been.

With work Mitsu had managed to raise Yuki's gloomy mood to something a little lighter, and in one swift blow threw that all away. Her curiosity to know had caused her to overlook the fact that it was a sensitive subject, but at the same time it was probably something Yuki needed to talk about. "Kioko?" Mitsu asked softly looking at Yuki's back as he walked ahead. She could tell she had hit a soft spot in his memories, something fragile. "She was someone important to you, wasn't she?" Mitsu asked as she tried to catch up, her shorter legs forcing her to jog a little.

She regretted her choice of questions a little. It was nice to have seen Yuki smile and the slight hug he had offered was welcomed since it was something Mitsu rarely experienced. But now he was like he had been back at the shop, the grief very plain on his face and the sadness in his eyes was heart breaking. Mitsu wished she could have taken it back but she knew too well that the world was full of sadness and you could only escape from it for so long before it would eat you up inside.

Yuki had wordlessly entered the small grocery store, snagged a cart and gave no response when she repeated Kioko's name. He didn't want to think about her, not right now. Yet, her mention made that impossible. Kioko had haunted his dreams, and while he still did not know exactly who she had been, how long he had known her, or how far into his past their interactions had been there was one thing that he knew without any fragment of a doubt. She had loved him, trusted him, and he had failed her in the worst way possible.

"She's dead, because of me." He said quietly, "And every time I close my eyes, I see it happening. Over and over again. It's not even the same each time..." He wasn't even sure which was real, or if somehow they all had been... But he was convinced that this girl had been human, mortal, so that had to have been impossible.

As much as it hurt him, he tried to think for a moment. Could he be dreaming of his own nightmares? They were memories, after all, vivid as they were... Nightmares seemed real at times, but... He knew that something horrible had really happened, what other reason would there be for this fear? Why did he know now that being close to someone was dangerous?

He pressed his fingertips to one of his temples and groaned softly, trying to make sense of it all made his head hurt. The gaps, the memories that he still lacked, made it difficult to make sense of it all. It made his head hurt to think about it for too long.

"I-I... I'm s-sorry..." He murmured, "I d-don't want to talk about this anymore." Was he shaking? He felt like he was. "It hurts too much." Aside from his head, there was a tightness in his chest that he couldn't seem to shake off, and he hoped that adverting his thoughts would help ease the discomfort.

Mitsu's ears drooped a little at the sides of her head as she looked up at Yuki. "I...I'm sorry," She said softly. "I thought talking...would help. I didn't mean for it to make matters worse." She kept her voice low as they started to enter the store. It was a rather small place but the produce had always been good which was the first place Mitsu headed.

"So do you honestly not remember?" The voice seemed to come out of no where which startled Mitsu as she whipped around and clung to Yuki's arm. Aisuru tilted her head as she looked at Yuki and the little girl beside him. She had seen her around the house, Mitsu she believed her name to be. Silver eyes moved from the small girl back to Yuki as she brushed some violet hair from her face. It was much longer now, he had let it grow out and it was becoming more of an annoyance than anything else.

"You.....You are Aisuru....right?" Mitsu asked softly still clinging to Yuki. She had seen her here and there but never talked to her. Hitsu was the one to tell her about her.

Instead of answering the little girl's question Aisuru focused more on Yuki. "Tell me Yuki......who was Kioko?" She was curious, it was hard to imagine that Yuki didn't know who his own wife was.

"I know, Mitsu..." He replied, trying to offer the girl a reassuring smile. "It's just confusing, when there are still pieces of everything missing." More than once, he'd just wished that everything would reveal itself to him, though in the same moment hoped that he would not have to experience it. Those memories buried deeper... Were they worse than what he was remembering? In this case, some might have been. Though, as far as not recalling the depth of his relationship with Kioko... Remembering her death was the most painful of the memories, but to remember what she meant to him would multiply that grief more than he could imagine.

When Aisuru spoke to them, Yuki gave a light jolt. In actuality, it was because Mitsu had taken hold of him. He had sensed Aisuru's presence before she had made herself known, and for a few seconds Yuki pretended not to acknowledge her at all. He took his time looking over one of the displays of produce with his back to her, though he picked nothing from it. "No. I don't remember." He finally said, his voice holding a hint of annoyance.

Then, he had turned to face her, ready to say something about how rude it was to sneak up on people. Though, just as soon as he opened his mouth, she had spoken again. That tone in her voice, it grated at him. Was she mocking him? She knew that he didn't remember, and yet she still pressed harder.

It hit him. Of everyone he knew, everyone he could recall in his memories... Aside from his sister, there was Aisuru. Aisuru... She was still here... And she was real.

"You..." He began, and as he continued he could feel that tightening in his chest again. "You know... Don't you?" He sounded far from desperate, he knew he was right. However, the fear in his eyes betrayed him. He wanted to know, but he was afraid of what that knowledge would cause.

The air was so thick now Mitsu for a moment thought she might choke. When Yuki turned on Aisuru she had let go of Yuki's arm only to take hold of his other one as he presented it to her. For some reason Aisuru made her uncomfortable, she wasn't sure what it was but it was the same feeling she got when Dynast was around.

Aisuru judged him for a moment as if trying to determine his answer even though one was not given. So he really didn't remember, were those events so horrible that he had suppressed them all? Though, she had often wondered what had happened. It had been years....YEARS since she had seen him last. "Of course I know." Aisuru finally said with a calm and steady voice but offered nothing beyond confirmation that Yuki was right. The events at the time, she wished had never happened. Maybe this was a way to start over. "But.." She looked hesitant for a moment as if fighting with herself. Slowly she drew her index finger up to her face as she softly spoke the words her brother was so known for saying. "That is a secret."

For a moment he had held his breath, actually convinced that he was going to learn the identity of the beautiful brunette from his dreams. Aisuru had been one he had confided to in the past, he could recall that much even if what little he could recall was still a little cloudy... She was family, in a manner, surely she'd help him fill in some of these blanks.

She was family, but so was Dynast, and with four little words she proved that his father was not the only one to take someone's weakness and twist it just for the sheer pleasure of seeing the response it gained.

Instantly, Yuki's face had contorted in anger. "Don't PLAY with me!" He shouted, loudly and without any sign that he cared. He lunged for Aisuru, in the process wrenching his arm from Mitsu's grasp as he reached out to take hold of the demon by whatever he could grasp. What he'd do if he got hold of her, he'd figure out once it happened. "Why!? Why would you say something like that, only to spit in my face!?"

As soon as Yuki wrenched free of her grasp Mitsu was in complete panic. Everything seemed to happen in a blink of an eye and she was uncertain of the outcome. "Y...Yuki...not here," She looked around as the people began to stare. The looks she got, she felt awkward, embarrassed. They were all staring and it horrified her even if all the surrounding people were more focused on the person yelling than her.

New beginning......not starting off so well, but Aisuru was never one to pick her words carefully. Often enough she strolled on dangerous ground and just like her brother became the hated enemy without trying. As soon as she had spoken those evil little words Yuki had reached out and snatched her wrist. Her eyes flew open as he approached her a fire lighting in her eyes. "It's for your own good!" She yelled back. "Sometimes things are better left behind and not remember. Remembering them now isn't going to change anything!"

She took a step closer tugging on her arm to pull it free of his grasp. "Do you think knowing what happened then will change anything? Will it make you stronger...smarter maybe? NO! It will only burden your mind with useless knowledge." Aisuru almost spat as she looked into Yuki's eyes.

"I don't care!" He bellowed, "Tell me!" He wanted to follow that up with a threat, but it was then that he felt all of those eyes upon him. Remembered where he was, and remembered that Mitsu was no more than a few feet away.

He did not look away from Aisuru, but the volume of his voice lowered to just above a whisper. "What do I have to do... To make you tell me?" There was emphasis on each word, he was obviously struggling not to continue shouting.

Every little fiber in her being tingled to hear Yuki utter those words. 'What do I have to do..' Before her mind could re wrap itself around the situation she was stepping closer to Yuki whispering so only his ears could hear. "What do you have to do?" She repeated his question softly looking into his soft teal eyes. He still held her wrist firmly but that didn't seem to bother her now as she eyed him curiously. "What do you think I want?" She was obviously being very sly now, avoiding the question and giving him no answers still. Like a game of cat and mouse.

Mitsu was frozen in place watching Aisuru and Yuki interact. She certainly hoped nothing bad would happen, there were already quite a few people getting phones out and talking to people. Whether it was just relaying to friends of the weird going ons at the market or something else Mitsu didn't know. "Y...Yuki maybe....we should go?" Her voice was soft and surely didn't reach anyone's ears as she looked around nervously.

Why? She may be the only one with the answers... And she dangles them just out of reach. His angry expression had softened, and Yuki stared at Aisuru pleadingly, as though just doing so would force her to drop her act and tell him what he wanted to know. "What have I done, Aisuru, for you to do this to me?"

He heard Mitsu, though barely a murmur, but offered no response.

"Mental Anguish," There was no hesitation in her answer, like she didn't even have to think about it. Stepping even closer still she whispered into his ear. "Complete with physical reminders." Yuki had never been the one to give her these scars but they had always been a painful reminder of what she had done and what she could never have. Like a life long torment, each scar seemed to laugh at her telling her that what she wanted would never happen.

Any more she was sure to cover up her arms with a long sleeve shirt, even if it was more than ninety degrees outside she would be dressed for winter. If not with a long sleeve shirt then she would put on arm warmers or something of that nature that went all the way up her arms. There wasn't much to see on her shoulders and there was nothing she could do to hide the scars on her face. As if to prove her point she pulled up her sleeve revealing the multiple scars that littered her arm. "This is why some things are better left forgotten." Aisuru said again. "I am plagued with a physical reminder to live with the rest of my life." She managed to keep the anger out of her tone, despite how much she wanted to blame Yuki for it she knew she couldn't.

"But if you really want some information," Aisuru continued a softer expression working onto her face. "I'm sure you could do something to earn it." Now that sounded a little on the naughty side, especially how her tone had switched, but she never clarified what she meant.

Mitsu had started to step closer to Yuki as the crowd seemed to gather. It was obvious more than a few people were waiting for a fight to break out, and a few others were waiting to apparently call the police as they held their phones at bay. "Yuki?" Mitsu said softly again looking around them in almost a fearful manner now. This was why she never went out alone. The people that stared at her and gave her odd looks frightened her but Vash or Neko were always there to comfort her or yell at people for staring. Quietly she reached out to take hold of the back of Yuki's shirt. "Y...Yuki?"

For a moment, Yuki looked at Aisuru with confusion. Mental anguish? He couldn't recall a time that would give her reason to say such a thing, but there were many things that he couldn't recall. She continued to speak, but he only shook his head. "I don’t reme-" He cut himself off abruptly, staring at the scars she had revealed, previously hidden beneath her sleeve.

"Wh... Who...?" He began, but even before he'd asked, somehow, he knew the answer. Images flashed in his memory, of a forest in the dead of night. Aisuru was there, standing in what little light escaped the widows of the small cottage that they were outside of.

That place, that moment in time, felt so familiar... And so painful to recall. Though, now, he remembered who had given her those scars. It was not him, it was his father... But why did it sound like she was trying to blame him for her pain, when it had been Dynast? Yuki grimaced, growling in frustration as his head began to ache again. Just as he released Aisuru's wrist to put a hand to his throbbing head, her voice rang vividly in his ears.

But it was nothing that she had said in the present.

"You've only brought this upon yourself."

"NO!" He cried, in a split second his eyes flew open and locked onto hers, furious. Yuki took hold of her again by the wrists, roughly as though he'd expected her to flee at any given moment. He advanced on her, in the process pulling himself free of Mitsu's grasp.

Then, both of them vanished without a trace.

-----

When Yuki rematerialized with Aisuru, they were far outside the borders of Durem, a vast area of little more than bare ground as far as the eye could see. No sooner had Yuki's feet touched ground, he pulled Aisuru close only to shove her roughly backward. "You're going to tell me what you know!" He shouted, though just how that was going to be accomplished should she refuse... He was only beginning to think about that.

One second, Mitsu had been pleading for them to leave, griping Yuki's shirt in a feverish manner. The next second, to her own horror, he had vanished. Her hand grasped around nothing as she stared at the spot he and Aisuru had been. "Y....Yuki?" Her voice wavered like she was on the edge of panic. Finally she realized....they weren't at home. They were in public. Just as soon as that realization hit her Mitsu looked up to see the patrons of the grocery store staring at her and the spot next to her in disbelief.

It had been a long time since she had been alone, and this feeling of dread that it left her with was something she wished she wouldn't have had to feel ever again. Slowly she made her way to the door. As quickly as possible she would leave and head home. There it was safe and she was out of prying eyes.

The door was so close...and yet so far. As she had approached it she had been swarmed. Not by angry people but people with questions, nagging questions she didn't have answers to. People from all walks of life stood around her and she suddenly felt very clostraphobic.

"What just happened?"

"Are we on tv, is this a magic show?"

"Was that a demon?"

"Can I ask you a few questions on the matter?"

The questions circled around her head so fast Mitsu wasn't able to answer a single one of them. Not even seconds into her interrogation the questions went from the subject of Yuki's sudden disappearance to her own....appearance.

"Look at these ears, deary me what are you?"

"She has a tail look at this thing. Is it even real?"

Frightened Mitsu cowered in place, eyes as round as saucers as she still remained silent. Tears began to p***k at her eyes as she wished beyond anything that she was somewhere else at that moment. Just about to let out a scream another, more familiar voice filtered through the air. Despite its familiarity it still managed to send chills up her spine and caused her to choke on her scream.

"Come, my dear," The tall man loomed over her offering her his hand, his eyes could not be seen past the spectacles he wore and that smile...there was something dreadful about it.

--

Aisuru could see the confusion in his eyes. Had he lost so many memories that he really didn't remember anything that had happened? Then there was his sudden outburst and just as Aisuru was about to question him he had snatched her and they both had left. They had reappeared in a place Aisuru was unfamiliar with, though most of gaia was a large question mark to her. She only had a second to look around to gather where she was before Yuki pulled her close and shoved her away.

Thrown off balance Aisuru stumbled and fell on her rear. She sat there a moment wiping the dirt off her hands, the coldest stare streaming from her eyes. Oh, her blood was boiling now but she was going to play this out. For some reason her mind nagged her to play a little game, and since she lacked a great deal of morals she proceeded. "I told you before," She began darkly as she started to stand to her feet. "You will have to earn your information. But I am in a giving mood."

She had asked Yuki before to beat her, hit her, show her no mercy.....and he had refused. It was her way of repentance and he had denied her that, but maybe this...new Yuki wouldn't know better. Kneeling down she reached into her left boot and produced a long sleek blade. Its handle was carved silver and letters in a foreign language were etched down the blade. In one gentle toss it landed tip down right at Yuki's feet. "If you can hit me my answers will be yours."

Firmly planting her feet in the ground Aisuru crouched down and in one firm lunge was air-born. She levitated in place looking down at Yuki with a coy smile as if inviting him to do his worse. "If there is no pain there is no gain. If you truly value the information I have....you will make me bleed." It was a sick game for sure, but Aisuru was ready to play. Either way she could not lose.

When she hit the ground, there was a hidden satisfaction that welled up inside him for just a moment. He only returned her glare, "How the hell do you expect me to earn it?" It was a question soon answered, and he looked down to the weapon without a word for several long seconds.

He knelt down to pick it up, slowly, as though a mere touch of the hilt would harm him in some way. Like the instructions she'd given him were too simple, that there had to be some trick to this. And there was, but nothing that he could have known, perhaps not even if he had recalled every moment of the past.

Now, at this moment, his desperation to know the truth and his anger at Aisuru for hiding it from him altered the thought process that typically would have made him refuse. She was taunting him, mocking him, promising to tell him what he wanted to know if he could only make her bleed.

And how hard could that be? It wasn't like he could kill her, even if he wanted to... Just make her bleed. "Sounds too easy," He said aloud, dwelling a moment longer on what the catch to this might be.

In a few seconds, he dismissed it. Leaping from the ground to add more force and speed to his ascent, Yuki drew the blade back and would attempt a swift swipe at her as soon as she was within striking range.

Aisuru almost smirked, Yuki was more predictable than she could have imagined. Always leap in head first, never think things through. But in a way, that's what she loved about him, because sometimes you had to take risks, thinking may not always be an option.

Eyes narrowed as she focused on Yuki. It was like the world had slowed down and he was moving toward her in a painfully slow pace. As soon as he was within range he made an attempt to swipe but Aisuru side stepped and aimed to grab the hand that held the blade. If she was able to grab hold of him she would use his own momentum against him and force him back toward the ground. "I never said I would just let you hit me." She said darkly eyes narrowed on Yuki's face.

He felt her grip, and initially gave no resistance to her attempt to move him. Levitation was a wonderful ability; He effectively slowed his fall and came at her again, though his method of attack was the same as the last. "Course not, did I say I believed you would?"

Though, in his free hand there formed a small dagger of ice, which he attempted to keep from being easily spotted. A trick he expected to fail, really, but if a second swipe with the sword gained the same reaction, he'd take his chances at a strike with the makeshift blade.

Aisuru smirked, predictable really, did Yuki ever cease to prove her right? As she had done before she moved to the side, but just as she had evaded one obstacle she was quickly faced with another. Coming up on her fast was Yuki's makeshift blade, something she had been too careless to pay attention to. It was so early into the fight tricks were out of the question.

With a growl Aisuru allowed herself to free fall but not before the ice dagger made contact with her cheek. Landing on her feet she pressed a hand to the side of her face feeling a warm wet sensation between her fingers. Drawing her hand back she stared at the liquid there, neither red nor black but a mix of the two. Giving a bit of a sneer she wiped at the offending wound to rid it of the evidence.

One small wound...may deserve one small answer. She could change the rules as she went, she was the one that made the game after all. "You knew Kioko for some time...you were very close." She had ended her sentence like she might go on with her information but instead tilted her head to the side looking at Yuki in an oddly inviting manner. "One small wound one small answer, the greater the damage the more information you will receive." She smiled enjoying this, why she enjoyed the pain it was hard to tell. It filled a void that she felt though it wasn't very satisfying but it was the only thing that came close.

"Now...why don't you put your purse down and try again," This time Aisuru stayed grounded her feet firmly planted ready for the worst to happen.

Such a simple tidbit of information, so simple that it felt as though she were cheating him. He knew that they were close, assumed that he had known her even if he had not known how long. Yuki clenched his teeth, and did not criticize her. If he did, for all he knew she would refuse to provide anything further. He dropped to the earth, landing lightly on his feet. She mocked him, no doubt trying to get him to use something stronger against her.

And it was working.

He tossed Aisuru's blade carelessly aside, there was no need for it, at least not for this attack. He outstretched one arm at his side, slowly moving it in an arch-like motion in front of him. Then, he'd made the gesture again in the opposite direction, swiftly, and half a dozen small rods of ice formed in the very air at his whim, immediately to be sent speeding toward the woman above him.

How ironic that he would use the same attack. The same attack his father had used against her all those years ago. Acting quickly she drew her arm in front of her fire escaping her fingertips. In one gentle swoop the ground became ablaze of heat roaring upward to form a wall in front of her. Most of the ice melted on contact but a couple made it through, one in which embedded deep in her arm.

She didn't give much reaction to it as the fire vanished as if easily snuffed out by the wind. Her eyes were focused on Yuki knowing he was awaiting an answer of some sort. Reaching up she took hold of the ice rod jutting out of her upper arm and slowly wrenched it free throwing it to the ground. Dark red began to freely run down her arm though it was hardly visible beyond her black sleeves.

"You lived together for a time, a decent walk from a nearby village. A small hole in the wall for the humans that lived there. You lived in a small cottage away from it all deep in the woods. When Kioko died it was spring time after the flowers were fully in bloom." She surprised herself at the small details she remembered. Though that memory was still so fresh in her mind. If asked she could have told him the kinds of trees that were nearby, the smell of the air, the temperature, even what he had been wearing. But that may have been too much information that would have let him know she was there.

Instead of continuing with her story she took to the air again. Her arm was damaged so it wouldn't be of much use, not that it mattered to her. This is what she wanted. To drown out the sorrow with pain, to fill the void she had with blood, and maybe...just maybe forget that she had wronged him. That's why she wasn't putting up much of a fight...she wanted his attacks to hit there mark but she wanted more than just these puny wounds. She had yet to reach true agonizing pain.

"Come on pretty boy," Aisuru mocked trying her best to put a smile on that Xelloss would be proud of.

His attack had worked, and this time he gained a little more information. Useful this time. As he had hoped, her words helped to bring into light a few more of the memories he could only vaguely recall.

He could remember the village, he could visualize it nestled there in the valley. He could see the landscape, the buildings... The people. The humans, they had all seemed so... Accepting. Smiling faces and kind words.

Yuki smiled lightly for a second, but it slowly faded a bit. As happy as he remembered those people, he knew in his gut that it hadn't lasted. "Did they accept me knowingly?" He questioned while looking up to Aisuru, momentarily forgetting just how rude she was being about all of this. He seemed to realize it as soon as he'd said it, and shifted his gaze to the ground.

Lost in his thoughts, he didn't act on Aisuru's mocking. "I... Remember them." He murmured, and even though it was truth he could still only recall the good times. He quietly wondered if there was a need to continue seeking answers... If they would destroy these peaceful, pleasant images, what would it do to him? After all, for a little while, what memories Aisuru had sparked to life had eased his mind... For now.

And there he was doing it again, denying her the only comfort she knew. A small chuckle arose from her throat when he asked if they openly accepted him knowing what he was. Seeing his mood had changed she levitated back to the ground and approached him to be sure that he heard the words she was about to speak clearly. "Those ignorant humans knew just about as much of you as Kioko did, which was nothing." She almost hissed.

"You want more information, I'll give you more. Your existence with her was a lie. If she would have know what you were she never would have excepted you. In the end, the villagers didn't. The moment they found out -" Aisuru almost choked remembering. She had been witness to some of the deeds the humans had done to Yuki and yet he hadn't fought back. Whether he had felt guilty or that it would be unfair to do so she wasn't sure, but she had been to afraid to approach him...to afraid...to help him.

He was trying to put order to the small collection of events in his mind. Interactions with these humans whose faces were so familiar to him. Their specific identities were still absent, but it really didn't matter right now. Certainly they would occur to him in time, right? Maybe he should leave it at this, and just think about the present for a little while.

Aisuru seemed to have other things in mind, however, and he frowned when she moved up close and spoke to him again. He had expected it, really, but did it have to be worded with such cruelty? Lucky for him, he didn't gain any flashbacks this time, or else he probably would have screamed... All in due time, all in due time.

'In the end, the villagers didn't.'

The words made him wonder... Had she? It was not a thought spoken aloud, for he figured that Aisuru would not know the answer, but even if she had he doubted he wanted to hear anything she wanted to say on the subject. "That's enough." He said firmly, looking to her when she'd cut herself off. There was something about Aisuru now, he couldn't put his finger on it... Was this really sadness he sensed from her? Certainly it couldn't be. He stared at her quietly, "Why would you do this?" There was no clarification, whether it was a question of why she was asking him to harm her, her not-so-willingness to refresh his missing memories, or something much simpler than that. Something just seemed... Different. Within his 'new' life, he'd never seen her this way.

When Yuki finished off her sentence telling her that was enough, she stared at him blankly for a moment wondering if he was going to continue with their little dance. But another blow never came, instead only a question. A simple little question that Aisuru didn't have the answer to.

'Why would you do this?'

Why would she? That was a good question. As soon as she began to think about it all the conflicting emotions that she had felt before washed over her. The rage, sadness, jealousy, hate....love. So many feelings she had hoped to forget. Those emotions welled up threatening to pour out in a breakdown but Aisuru forced them back down in one hard swallow. "I'm a demon....what other reason do I need?" She tried her best to look emotionless but it failed to some extent.

That wasn't..." He began, and trailed off quickly. Really, that wasn't what he had meant, but was there much use in expecting anything other than an answer given through twisting his words around into something that he hadn't intended? "Yeah, I guess you're right, Aisuru."

"You're all the same."

That little phrase that Yuki ended with, four little words of pure pain. If it had been an actual weapon Aisuru would have been down for the count unable to comprehend what had happened, though being upright and unable to comprehend wasn't much different. At first, there was that sadness again, an emotion that confused and also sickened Aisuru. It was more enjoyable when it was someone else's pain. Then there was white hot anger. Anger so powerful it made Aisuru clench her teeth in fear that she might explode.

"You're all the same?" Stepping closer still Aisuru made to pointedly jab Yuki in the chest with a finger as she got up in his face. "You speak as if you're any different than I am. Do you think you're better? A saint perhaps? No! You are a Mazoku, born of blood and sin!" She was a little to into this speech as she stared up at Yuki her eyes ablaze with fury. "There is blood on your hands just like the rest of us." She hissed her silver eyes scanning his features her anger overtaking her mind causing her not to think her words through clearly. Taking a step back again she lowered her gaze taking some of the intensity with them. "If only Kioko would have know the true you, OH, but that's right." Aisuru chuckled lightly as if there was a joke in there somewhere as she raised her hands up in a shrug. "She died before she got the chance. I guess she lucked out."

At first, Yuki didn't say anything. He only stood and stared back into her eyes. As she rambled on, he only succeeded to look more and more angry. He knew what he was, this was not news to him. Blood on his hands? She must have meant Kioko... He was supposed to protect her, and in failing to do so could she mean to suggest that he just as much had a hand in it? Well, he couldn't disagree, but having her shouting it at him didn't make it easy to say so.

But then she'd spoken of Kioko directly, and Yuki stared at her in shocked disbelief. That was even before she'd declared that the girl had been lucky, for that itself gained its own response; A strong strike at her jaw with the back of his hand.

After Yuki's hand made contact Aisuru's head whipped violently to the side. Her eyes were wide as if shocked but she knew full well she had egged him on. That's what she had been trying to do. Lowering her head a bit so her eyes were not visible passed her bangs, she turned back toward Yuki. She didn't want to let him see the tears in her eyes, she had to make him realize his fault in liking humans...even if he hated her in the end.

Head still lowered she placed a hand on her reddened cheek a wicked grin crossing her lips. "So...hearing about her is a touchy area I see." The word 'her' left Aisuru's lips as if she were talking about something vial. "That wretched little peasant girl. Perfect in every way except for being able to stay alive." Slowly Aisuru lowered her hand to her side, her focus still on the ground just above her feet. Every sentence that left her mouth, every word...was one more nail in the coffin. Why did she....have feelings for this pitiful soul? It would have been better.....if they had never known one another. Hurt him. "I don't know how you even tolerated her existence, that filthy mortal b***h."

There was a strange sense of deja vu when he'd stuck her, but he only pushed that thought aside. He didn't care, if he'd hit her in the past, it could have only been because she deserved it. She deserved it now. He stared at her, the anger plain on his face. She'd fallen silent, and maybe she'd stay that way. Realize what she had said was out of line, and not add anything more.

Fat chance.

For awhile, it was as though each word stunned him. He spoke no words of protest, only looking more hurt with each cruel jab. He tried to block it out, though when he'd shut his eyes he could only see the image of the woman that Aisuru was insulting. Tears prickled at the corners of his eyes, he shut them tighter to try and stop them, but it would be of no use. Somehow, the vision of Kioko saddened him just as much as Aisuru's horrible words about her.

They weren't true. Kioko had been strong, beautiful, innocent...

"That filthy mortal b***h."

Yuki's eyes shot open, and one of his hands found her neck quicker than he could realize what he was doing. Even then, though, it did not stop him. Fingers closed around her throat to silence her, though his grip was still just slack enough to allow her to breathe, and in result speak if not with some difficulty. At this point, however, he didn't want to hear anymore, and anything she tried to say would doubtlessly only result in him squeezing harder.

"I won't let you." He hissed, "I won't let you say those things about my Kioko." His Kioko? He hadn't even realized he had said it. The tears he'd tried to suppress brimmed in his eyes, a few making a pronounced trail down his cheeks. "You speak nothing but lies... You take them back..." A weak voice for such a serious demand, and he apparently realized this. He repeated himself, and this time he shouted, "Take them back!"

Having not been looking Aisuru was caught off guard as Yuki wrapped his hand around her slender neck. She let out a bit of a gasp but avoided turning her gaze up to meet his. Even without looking she could tell he was crying, she could feel the hot tears streaming down his cheeks even if they didn't touch her. You brought his upon yourself.

Taking hold of the wrist attached to the hand around her throat Aisuru bared her teeth like a cornered animal. "Why don't you make me," Aisuru hissed though her words were strained from the pressure on her vocal cords. Deciding not to stand idle any longer Aisuru brought up her other hand, the claws on each finger lengthening to some degree. Lashing out she attempted to swipe at his chest though her strike was shallow enough to do more damage to his shirt than to him. It was more a manner of threatening than anything else. She didn't want to hurt him physically....only emotional. Or...was that what she really wanted? Her thoughts were so confused at this point it only pissed her off all the more.

"Besides, didn't you want to know about your wench? The little human slu-" Aisuru choked as Yuki's grip tightened around her throat forcing her to be silent.

She lashed out, and he did not move. The material of Yuki's shirt ripped easily, thin as it was. He only grunted lightly as her nails raked over the skin beneath, minimal as the damage might have been, the small scratches left behind drew blood. Thick, black, inhuman blood that seeped slowly to the surface. He made an attempt to grab her wrist with his free hand, firmly to hopefully avoid a second attempt. "You can't hurt me, Aisuru." He said, "You know that."

As far as physical wounds were concerned, anyway.

He knew well enough that her harsh words would only continue, and his grip around her neck had tightened. "Your words are of no use to me." His gaze had become more serious now, "If you're not going to help me... Don't speak." As he uttered those final two words, the palm of his hand began to grow very, very cold against the front of her throat.

Now Aisuru was completely tied up. One hand had a firm hold of Yuki's wrist to try in any way to relieve the pressure around her neck and her other hand was held fast by his. As his grip around her throat tightened once again she let out a gasp feeling his touch turn as cold as ice. This seemed like an oddly similar scenario but it hadn't been Yuki...it had been Dynast. Was that who she was driving him to be like? Or end the end...was that who he truly was? "She was..." Aisuru croaked as her vocal cords began to constrict from the cold. Finally she turned her gaze upward the tears that had threatened to fall still lingering in her eyes. "Your wife." Her voice was barely a whisper as she had just managed to speak before being silenced.

There was something strangely satisfying about this. How he'd so easily overpowered her. How he'd so quickly become the one in control. Yuki wanted Aisuru to regret tormenting him, taking what weakness she had found and digging away at them like rubbing salt into an open wound.

Aisuru had tried to speak again, and he almost scowled at her. Convinced that she wished only to continue her slander, it threw him off a bit to see her on the brink of tears when she looked up at him. Confusion was etched on his face for a second or two, and he hadn't much time to think about it before she had added those final words. The identity of the woman in his dreams.

Kioko. His Kioko... His.. Wife.

Just as quickly as it had come, his hostility was gone. He blanched, his eyes growing wide. He seemed to stare at Aisuru, though once he'd gently released his grip on her he'd lowered his head a bit, that same distant stare on his face. He didn't look up to Aisuru again, nor did he say a word.

He took one, slow step backward, and vanished.

-----

A second later, he was home. In his own room, surrounded by silence, aside from what thoughts and memories were competing for attention within his head.

How? If Aisuru spoke the truth, how could he forget who Kioko had been to him? And why...?

Yuki moved to the side of his bed and sat, burying his face in his hands. He gave a muffled groan of frustration, rubbing at his eyes to wipe away the old tears and those threatening to flow now.

If he really had forgotten his own wife, what kind of horrible creature did that make him?