The view was beautiful; yet she was not enjoying it.

Ayako was standing above a tall cliff, glaring at the dense forest that surrounded her. Her icy eyes were fixed, firm and thoughtful.

It was too quiet. The birds should be singing, for the sun was shining. She should hear the sound of the lively forest, how the animals roamed. However… she could hear nothing. There was no sound around her, nothing past the cliff where she stood tall. There were no signs of life below around the clearing. She could see the birds soar in the distance, and how they were avoiding the area where Alexis lived. They were not singing, not even chirping, they were all dead silent. And it should not be that way.

What do the birds fear?

She had roamed these woods a lot in the past, and the birds had never feared to fly nearby. But these days, as she camped near Alexis’ cave, the animals suddenly didn’t dare to show themselves.

She felt watched.

Her hand twitched subtly. Her crossbow was at hand, always tied on her back. Her blue eyes looked at every shadow, they paid mind to every space between the tall trees. Yet she could see nothing.

Why do I feel-?

She heard steps.

The hunter looked slowly to her left, and then down, to the small path that led to the top of the cliff and towards the lake, between the trees. A smile grew on her lips, when she saw that jagged blond hair, that cape that always dangled behind.

There he is.

Alexis was walking back towards his clearing without hurry, with a net thrown over his shoulder and a bag in his hand. Ayako grinned and licked her lips, because she knew what he carried in that sack. She laughed silently and picked her own rucksack from the ground, to then dash.

It was time for lunch.

As the hunter hurried to climb down the cliff, Alexis pondered while he walked down the path. He had been tolerating her presence these days. Ayako did not pay him visits anymore, because she was always around now.

Can I even do something about it?

No. She was the most stubborn being that he would ever meet. She was more stubborn than Uriel, and that was saying something.

She was just… around. She was always nearby, roaming in the woods. She usually minded her own business, hunting or searching for herbs; but she always came back to the clearing, especially at particular hours. What was more, she always demanded to see his scars, to try to heal them, to try to make them fade away. She did not manage of course, but she did make them feel better sometimes.

That troubled him. And even then, he did not tell her to leave or be quiet anymore. He would never admit it, but he wished to forget and let go of his misery. He wished he could, but it was not easy to do so. He still flinched every time Ayako neared on him, every time she had one of those cheerful and hyperactive outbursts. He could not avoid feeling a deep sense of rage when he heard her laugh.

Why do I have to feel like this?

There was no trace of the hunter that took him down. But it was there, hidden deep inside her. It was buried in her consciousness, blocked in her mind by a painful spell and her own kindness.

He stopped thinking about his sorrows, because he had already buried them inside before. He did again, when he turned around the side of the cliff and saw the clearing. He was not surprised at all when he saw something move at the top of the waterfall. Of course, it was not the water; it was something far more fast and noisy, something that was climbing down stubbornly.

Instead of walking around the cliff, Ayako had supposed that climbing down was a better idea. Her feet and hands latched easily on the rocky ledges of the wall, allowing her to descend quickly and carefully, with precise sidesteps from ledge to ledge.

Alexis decided to ignore all that however, like if it was a normal occurrence; her antics could not shock him anymore. He just sat near his fire in the center of the clearing, while she reached the end of her silly showoff with one last small jump.

“I swear, sometimes I wonder if you are human.”

Ayako beamed and outstretched her arms up at her sides, clearly celebrating that she had landed below successfully. She did not waste her chance to boast and stick her tongue out at him.

“I am, I assure you! As much as you are! I know it’s hard to believe; my poise is a sight to behold! I won’t judge you if you feel envious! Want some lessons?”

He snorted silently and refused to look at her. He saved his thoughts to himself; he just focused on the warmth of the fire in front of him. He decided to think of what would soon be his lunch: two fishes that he got out of his bag. His amber eyes did not show anxiety when she skipped and sat on the ground at his side.

After a while, Ayako ended up giving Alexis a baffled glance, a look he did not return. She was worried, because he was cooking fish, again.

“Don’t you ever tire of it?”

That got his attention. Not much, but enough for him to speak a little, without looking up.

“…Of what?”

She nodded down a little with an eyebrow raised. She now knew for sure that he was obsessed with seafood.

“You are going to get sick if you keep eating fish, and more fish, and again, and over again. Every day, fish!”

He pouted as he grabbed a knife to cut the fish for the fire.

“I like it. Besides, I also eat clams. And fruit, and vegetables. And if I had some, milk.”

“Pfff, no wonder you’re so thin, with that excuse of a diet.” She mocked him. “It’s because you don’t have any idea of how to hunt, huh?”

An awkward silence fell. Alexis did not get grumpy like he always did when she taunted him. Instead, he was sweating and smiling nervously. His hands began to cut more quickly the fish, and he was not looking up from the task. His eyebrows twitched when he laughed to answer her.

“Yes, you are totally right! No, I have no idea about hunting. So, yes, I just stick to this!”

The less he told her about himself, the better. He did not want to get her thinking, and that was something very easy to accomplish.

Why do I have to walk on eggshells?

Ayako was making that face. She was looking up with a little sheepish smile, while she bit her lip slightly. Alexis let out a tired sigh, because he knew what was coming. He saw her reach for her bag to take out something: a small cloth, which covered a piece of salted meat.

He thought fast, needing an excuse to refuse it. His hands began to toy with the only thing he could hold to calm his anxiousness, now that the fishes were on the fire: his bracelets.

“Suit yourself, Aya; I can’t eat as much as you do. I would explode. And besides, I can’t let the fish go to waste.”

He said it so quickly, that she had to lower her hand as soon as she raised it to offer him the meat. She stared at him for a minute.

“Are you calling me fat?”

“Nah…” He kept on fumbling with his bracelets, with a little smile. “But you could eat a bison, and then ask for dessert.”

Something swatted at him. He sat there, with a blank stare, taken aback by the sudden move and touch. Ayako had swatted at him, faintly, with her long cowl.

Ayako’s hand had frozen midair; her eyes widened as she realized what she just did. It had been an impulse; she had not even been thinking when she smirked and prodded him, like if she had known him for a long time. It was an innocent and friendly swat to his shoulder to answer his mockery. Like if she had done it before, like if she really knew him. It simply happened.

She was fast to exclaim her guilt, shame and worry, because he was just sitting there, blinking.

“S-sorry, sometimes I don’t know what goes on in my head! I’m stupid. I keep on forgetting how you hate-”

Ayako sprung a little, because a fishbone hit her cheek suddenly, to then land onto her lap. She blinked for a few seconds, staring at her hand and cowl. When she dared to look up, she saw that he was laughing quietly at her, even if with a serious expression. He was laughing, something he didn’t do often.

“Hey, I should be the one to call you names, don’t you think?”

He was smiling, and albeit if not entirely cheerful, his eyes were trying to show it was alright. Ayako relaxed a little. She gave him a long stare, because she could not understand his attitude.

He kept on trying to show that he was not angry. He kept on acting like if it did not matter; because if there was something that he hated more than her being oblivious, it was her being sad.

Ayako smiled faintly and took her own food; both stayed silent. They just focused on eating, somewhat awkwardly.

It was quiet, but her thoughts wandered. They always did when she could not focus on something around her. She had finished her food, which left her sitting empty handed. And so, she pondered, without anything that could keep her wonder or questions away.

Alexis’ eyebrows went up when he heard her ask him a question, somewhat doubtfully.

“Were you locked away?”

Alexis slowly, so slowly, followed her gaze. Her icy blue eyes held that calculated seriousness, again. Both looked at his black bracelets, which could seem the shackles of a prisoner.

Perhaps he had been one. He couldn’t decide. So he gave her a vague answer, short and unemotional.

“Maybe.”

A pause, a tentative look before she dared to ask again.

“Do you want to…?”

He saw her hand move to her belt, where she pushed her robes to display one of her daggers. She always had them with her, and he honestly did not mind now. He frowned, not because of her weapons, but because he had not thought much about those bracelets.

Ayako felt confused when he began to look around him subtly; he opened his mouth, but kept quiet for a minute. He ended up saying nothing, seeming to come to a conclusion. He grasped a bracelet, and then brushed his fingers against a faint mark on it. He opened it easily, parting it to allow his wrist to move freely. After that, he nodded down at them calmly, to show her that there was no need to break them. They really did not seem like they could be opened, so he took his time to let her know they could. He understood why she offered.

“They are a reminder, Ayako. I will keep them.”

He was grateful, because she did not ask more questions. She had only suggested that out of care, hoping she could help. She was trying to not ask anything pointless or hurtful.

While he set the bracelet back on his wrist, her mind pondered the fact that he had answered her, that he had trusted her, even if he had not said much. He was opening up to her.

Still, something did not feel right. She felt tense, as she looked at the distance, silently.

Both felt watched.

————————————

 

He observed silently. His eyes were fixed on her. She was laying on her bedroll, awake for hours near Alexis’ garden. She was in the perfect spot for him to be able to see her from the shadows. He was hiding between tall branches and dense leafs, in the dark.

Her blue eyes were trailing the blackness around her; she could feel that he was there. But she did not realize it truly yet, only part of her did.

He really did not want to be seen. He did not want to be there either. He was so close to them… and yet, he could not reach them. He just wanted to fade from their lives, and he couldn’t. He just couldn’t stand the fear, it was unbearable. Alexis could have died under sharp claws; none of his armors could stop any demon adamant enough. He didn’t care about breaking his word about staying far away, not if it meant he was safe. Both of them.

He had Alexis’ sword in his claws. It was a desperate option, which he always had in mind. But it was not the only one; he had a last resort, one that he did not need to get close to commit to. However, it was not really a possibility, not yet. He would gladly do it, but Alexis did not want that. The angel would be in the right to despise him enough to wish that, but he didn’t.

Such actions would be unnecessary. There was nothing threatening them now.

Uriel smiled sadly when he saw her eyes close. He saw how she slumped… and then succumbed to her tiredness.

No. He was not needed. They were fine, for now. He had done enough harm. Alexis was forgiving her, if he had not done so already. And she… seemed happy.

Yet her tears still fell.

The demon looked away in shame when he saw her frame shudder. Her breathing began to come out short, and a grimace grew on her beautiful face. Sleep always brought her most deep and painful memories. His heart twisted when she let out a silent sob. Her dreams were crystal clear but dark, tainted by what he made her be. She would wake, and she would not remember why she was crying. It would be yet another strange nightmare, one she could not recall.

It pained him. It hurt the three of them.

Uriel cowered and crouched more in the shadows, because the drapes of the cave parted subtly all of the sudden. His violet eyes narrowed with apprehension when he saw the angel peek worriedly from inside. The blond stood there, like if he dreaded taking a single step out.

The demon held his breath painfully, because he saw his angel near the human slowly, with dead silent steps. Once close, Alexis stopped and stared down at her, with no emotion in his eyes.

He had his cape in his hold, untied from his shoulders. After a silent breath, he crouched and covered her with it, gently and carefully. He did not stop looking at her while he did so, fearful that she could wake up. Her tears did not end, but her hands did grasp and hold onto the cape blindly as he let go.

What was once given to the angel to ease his pain was now surrendered to the one who caused it.

Uriel saw how the cape covered her, how it rested gently over her dark colored robes. It gave her warmth, while those golden ornaments lied over her chest. Her cries faded, and her grimace disappeared. A sad but peaceful expression soon adorned her face.

The angel stood again, and allowed himself to mourn seeing her like this. He had thought he would feel contentment if he saw her cry… but he felt nothing.

Alexis finally averted his gaze from her, and then took a step back. Uriel had already jumped out of sight when his amber eyes looked to where he had been. The demon moved away into darker areas of the forest, unable to do anything to soothe her sorrow. At the same time, the angel wondered, with a contemplative glance to the distance.

Alexis asked himself if armors could climb… At the very least, he was sure that it had to be nearby; he could swear he had seen one of those violet glints.

He could not call Uriel. He could not search or chase, not if she was there. So he could only go back into his cave, unable to stop her tears. He approached his bed again, even if he doubted he would manage to rest.

Once he neared it, he halted dead on his tracks. His eyes opened a little more, because he saw something. Abiel was hiding; he was curled on himself, behind some bags. He could see his pointy ears, and how they were shaking furiously. He approached a little and called his rabbit worriedly.

“Abiel?”

He knelled at his side and pushed away a bag to get a closer look. His eyes widened, because indeed, the rabbit was there, curled on himself and against the wall, hiding as much as possible. He was almost a literal ball of fur, were not for the wooden stilts he had made, which could not curl or bend. Abiel was shivering, too much; his small black eyes were wide open and alert, his fur was more puffed than normal. He had also let out a silent scared growl when he exposed him.

Alexis’ hand stayed midair, reflecting quite well his confusion. He had never seen the animal so scared, not even when he was trapped below that broken tree.

“Abby…?”

He nudged him a little, gently, with his fingers. He hissed, because he received a strong bite. He sat there, shocked, staring while Abiel whimpered and growled, begging to be left alone.

Alexis could only narrow his eyes, and then look slowly to the dark outside. He could see nothing out there. There was no violet glow, no trace of red eyes. He couldn’t pinpoint why he felt wrong, or why Abiel acted like this. He did not like any of it. Not one bit.

But, I can’t really tell anybody about it, can I?

He hoped… that it was only that armor, that it was scaring his small friend because it had been absent. It had to be that. Nothing else should scare Abiel this much.

Uriel had to be the one roaming outside.