Strays: A Romantic Fantasy Adventure

“Normally my grandson does this when he visits but he’s been busy lately.”

Ren stared at the heaping pile of logs next to a tiny stack of split wood. “You don’t say.”

“Some of my neighbors bring some of what they cut every time they go out,” Hwan informed. “It seems to keep piling up higher every time I come home. It’s very kind of them.”

“It sure is.” He looked down at the old man. “Since you refuse my coin, I could cut this for you instead.”

Hwan gave him a questioning look. “Do angels know how to cut wood?”

The angel chuckled. It was a fair question. “Probably not, but I think I can figure it out.”

He nodded, willing to take the risk. “I would appreciate it. The axes should be somewhere behind the pile. I’ll be back this evening.” With one last quick glance between the pile and Ren, the old man began making his way towards the town center.

“Well, have fun with that.” Sakura turned to follow Hwan. “We’ll go to the center and see what we can find out. Come on, you two.”

But before they could get their first step in, the angel grabbed the top of the devil’s head and pulled him back. “Where do you think you’re going, boy?”

Zero already knew where this was going, and he didn’t want to go there. “With Ivy.”

“No, you’re not. You’re staying here. There’s barely enough room for two people in there so you can help me.”

Zero turned to the angel, an ever so slight gleam of defiance flashing through his eyes while his voice remained unruffled. “I would like to go with Ivy.”

Ren raised a brow, a smirk starting on his lips. “Getting mouthy now, aren’t ya? Want what you want but you’re not gonna get it. You’re cutting wood today.”

“Sakura could cut wood and I could go with Ivy.” The boy figured it was a good plan. He could get what he wanted and stay with Ivy, while Ren got what he wanted, the opportunity to ogle and jabber at the woman while she did all the work.

A thunderous bellow erupted without warning from the man. It took him a minute to compose himself, but when he did, he was deathly serious. “No. She can’t. She doesn’t cut wood. She obliterates it. That woman has no idea how to pull her swings. You’ve seen what she does to pests. This entire pile will be nothing but sawdust when she’s finished with it.”

“You’re exaggerating,” the demon grumbled, refusing to make eye contact.

A dark brow raised skeptically. “Alright.” He walked around the pile and returned with two axes, chopping one into a large log and setting another up on its end, before holding out the remaining axe to the woman. “Go ahead. Prove me wrong. But let me go inside with Ivy first. I’m not getting filled with splinters again.” He glanced at Zero. “You can stay. You’ll have a great time.”

Sakura’s face scrunched in agitation as she debated whether it was better to concede or prove the angel right the hard way. By no means did she want to give in and allow Ren to win, but how much more annoying would he be if she fought him on it, only to prove what they both already knew? “Fine! You’re right!” She chose to concede, the lesser of two evils. “I can’t do it!”

Zero stared at the man, smug in his easy victory over the woman, and considered the best way to get out of the situation he was being forced into. Cutting firewood was not the way he wanted to spend his day, and voicing his desires wasn’t getting him anywhere this time. He’d have to try something else. “I have to go with Ivy,” he insisted simply. “There’s humans here.”

The angel’s eyes brightened despite the scowl on his lips. It wasn’t like the devil to argue, and yet here he was, giving it his all. He was impressed, but not so much as to give in. “There are humans everywhere. Get used to it. Besides, it’s a small town, she doesn’t need you. She survived all those years without you holding her hand, and you’ll both survive today. Worst that’s gonna happen is some guy gets his ass handed to him by Sakura. Who cares? Same shit, different day. Grab your axe and get to chopping.”

Zero wasn’t sure where to go from here. Ren was much better and quicker with his responses, and the boy would never beat him at that game. However, walking away and ignoring him was still a viable option, and the one he would have chosen if not for a pair of arms wrapping around his waist and violet eyes gazing up at him sweetly.

“It’s okay,” Ivy chirped. “We won’t be too long, and I’ll wear my cloak if I need to. I’m sure Hwan would appreciate the help, and the two of you can get it done much quicker than one.”

The devil gazed down at the girl, his lips slightly upturned, eyes soft, and nodded. It wasn’t what he wanted, but how could he say no when the girl looked at him like that? She smiled brightly before releasing him and followed after the old man, the boy watching her go, his expression unchanged.

“Well, look at you.” The fox demon patted his cheek roughly and grinned. “That’s so much better,” she told him as she took off after the girl.

“Oh shit!” Ren exclaimed, giddy with excitement as he grabbed the boy’s shoulders and shook him. “You’re smiling! When did this happen? Why don’t you ever look at me that way?”

Zero’s smile fell and his eyes lost their luster. Without a word, he pulled away from the angel, grabbing the axe from his hand, and began chopping wood, ignoring the man’s whining for special attention.

Ivy and Sakura caught up with Hwan before he made it to the town center. The man continued forward as the two girls fell into step on either side of him.

“Your devil, he doesn’t talk much, does he?” Hwan said. All morning, he had listened to the discussions of three of the companions all while the devil stayed mostly silent, only responding when directly spoken to in a voice that the old man could barely hear.

Ivy smiled, thinking of the boy. “No, he’s more on the quiet side. He only really says what he needs to.”

The man nodded as they came to the small building. He pulled a key from his pocket, unlocking the door. “If you’d like, you can bring the book and those chairs to my desk. I can try to help you find what you’re looking for.”

“Sounds good.” The woman walked past him as he opened the door and went into the backroom, grabbing the book and chairs and bringing them to the desk.

Hwan took the book and opened it. “What exactly are you looking for?”

“Well… umm…” Sakura tried. It was difficult to tell the man what she was looking for without actually telling him. She didn’t like telling people about Ivy’s situation with men, but how else could she explain it? “You’re still off the record, right?”

“Yes.”

“And you won’t talk to anyone about it?”

The old man smiled. “I’m close to 110-years-old. I’m a human who had an interest in learning about devils long before one killed my wife and child, and that need to know more only grew afterwards. No one listens to me, much less believes most of what I say. Even my children think I’ve lost it, and that may be true. I did invite a devil into my home, after all.”

Sakura looked at the man, surprised he was that young, and considered what he said. There was a chance he’d talk. But if he did, how much harm would there really be in it? “Ivy here has a problem with men, but it’s only an issue in cities with a lot of human men around. It’s like they become obsessed and lose their minds and swarm around her. They grab at her and try to pull her off, profess their love for her and whatnot. However, it’s only within a certain radius, and once she’s not around, they go back to normal like nothing ever happened. I don’t even know if they remember doing it. It seems they don’t, but I’ve never actually asked any of them.”

Hwan observed the girl. “You certainly are the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen. I’m sure you hear that a lot. But still, beautiful or not, that’s not normal behavior for anyone.”

Ivy looked down, unsure of what to say. It was such an uncomfortable conversation; one she didn’t want to be a part of.

Sakura patted the girl’s head, smoothing down her hair. “It’s been like this since she was young. She wore an enchanted cloak that worked well to hide her. Then we met Zero, and she doesn’t need the cloak as long as he’s near. I’m trying to figure out why. Are there devils that attract certain people, like she does? Or some that have some type of magical property where they can… I don’t know, hinder someone else’s magic?”

The old man sat with the information, pondering it carefully. “Devils are abnormally strong and fast compared to other beings, but I’ve never heard of one being able to use magic. I wouldn’t say it’s impossible, just unheard of. And it’s not something they’d likely be born with like, say, a siren or a mage. They would have to learn it somewhere. Which would also be a problem considering devils don’t do well in groups. They’re solitary beings, which makes Zero so interesting. How long have you been with him?”

“For a while now, but Ren has been with him the longest.”

“And he’s never had an issue?”

Sakura thought about how Zero was immortal and how death made him into an actual devil. How he had taken Ivy. “No.” She shifted uncomfortably in her seat, hoping he wouldn’t notice.

Hwan nodded. “It’s very confusing. He’s not the same as other devils. Perhaps that’s the angel in him? But even that is a surprise. Devils are well known for killing angels, they take to it naturally. Never have I heard of any other being birthing a devil, let alone an angel.”

Ivy stared down nervously at her hands. “You said that devils were solitary. Do they get together to create children?”

The old man shook his head. “No. Whether it be the man to the woman or the woman to the man, they force themselves on the other. The mother will then raise the child alone until the child leaves on their own or the mother kills them.”

Ivy looked up at the man, confused. “Their fathers don’t raise them?”

“No. The men are much more aggressive than the women. They will, without a doubt, kill the child. Even though devils cause a lot of destruction and death when they come around, there really aren’t a lot of them. They don’t often have children, and when they do, it’s an uphill battle for the child to survive. Only the strongest ones make it out into the world on their own.”

“But Zero was raised by his father.”

Hwan gawked at the girl, his head slowly shaking in disbelief before he began flipping through the book, scanning the pages. “Men will kill the woman and the child if given the opportunity. They’re competition, especially a male child. Who was his father?”

The two girls looked at each other, hoping the other had the answer.

“I don’t know,” Sakura admitted. “I just know that his father kidnapped his mother and held her captive. I’m not sure for how long, but Zero knew both of them.”

“There has never been a reported case of a devil taking anyone captive,” Hwan told them, still scouring the pages for something he may have missed or forgotten. “They only take enough time to kill before moving on, they don’t take anyone with them. Especially not an angel. Devils will kill angels each and every chance they get, no exceptions, and in some of the most horrendous ways. When Ren mentioned that Zero was half angel, I assumed that she had been violated and left for dead but had managed to survive. Devils don’t take captives. They don’t take partners. And the men don’t raise children. And even if they did, they would never do so with an angel.”

Sakura sighed, everything they were being told going against what they knew as the truth. “Then why did he keep her?”