Strays: A Romantic Fantasy Adventure

Zero had never known such peace.

He had spent most of his life in the darkness with only fleeting moments of light that were accompanied by pain. When he was finally pulled from it and freed from the loneliness of his prison, peace was still so far from reach. Though his life with Ren was infinitely better, it wasn’t exactly peaceful. The man may have been calm and careful in his interactions with everything and everyone around him, but beneath the surface bubbled a need for devastation. And in his constant search for mayhem, if he couldn’t find it, he’d make it.

And that always involved Zero.

But Ren had promised that things would change once they found Sakura. That everything would be different.

And he was right.

It was even more turbulent.

Although the angel no longer demanded the devil perform for his distraction and enjoyment as much as he once had, Zero wasn’t by any means better off for it. Instead of being pushed into situations he’d prefer not be in, but were ultimately temporary, now he had to tolerate a constant barrage of squabbling, sparring, and destruction. Wherever the woman went, chaos went along with her, whether or not she was even the one creating it. It wasn’t clear to the boy if she sought it out like the man did, or if it just followed her like a shadow.

Either way, he figured it was best to not dwell on any of it and to just leave it be.

But it wasn’t like that now.

Not when it was just him and Ivy.

They had been alone together before, but this time was different. There was no urgency, no rush, no immediate concerns. The girl wasn’t a mess of panic as she had been in the blizzard in the mountains. She was cheerful and bubbly, her smile bright as they parted ways with Akiko and returned to the house to prepare supper, eat, and clean up. It had been easy with just the two of them. And now, with the house encased under the veil of night, everything hushed besides the lovely melody that spilled from ruby lips, the boy felt the peace he’d always longed for.

Finally.

Zero always liked listening to Ivy’s voice. The way she sang and hummed as she fluttered about, her petite, lithe body bending and twisting as she completed whatever task at hand, graceful and airy. The tiny squeaks and moans that escaped as she slept. The low tone of her anger. The high pitch of her excitement. The rises and falls of her laughter. The way she called his name.

“Zero?”

He blinked, realizing that the girl’s song had ended. He looked down as she gazed up at him, her violet eyes shining with concern.

“Are you okay?”

He glanced at the wet bowl in his hand. How long had he been holding it? “Yes.”

She scrunched her lips to the side, not quite believing him, and took the dish, drying and stacking it with the others. “Are you tired? You didn’t sleep as long as you normally do, and then Akiko had you running all over.”

He really wasn’t tired at all.

But if he said that he was then she would lay with him.

“Maybe I am.”

Her fingers touched his arm, delicate, electrifying. “Go ahead. I’ll finish cleaning up.”

That wasn’t what he wanted. For her to go her way, and him to go his.

Separated.

He just wanted to be with her.

He should tell her that.

The girl turned away to continue with her chores but didn’t get far before the devil captured her, arms binding her back to his chest, preventing her from leaving. He nestled his face against her neck, breathing her in.

The scent of life.

Of everything.

The words were there. Just on the tip of his tongue.

But he couldn’t say them.

He could only feel them.

Please stay with me.

Ivy tilted her head towards him, smiling when he pulled away and their gazes connected. “You should have just said so. Let’s go to sleep.”

He let her escape as he followed after her, watching the sway of her hips, the swish of her hair, an enchanting spell he’d follow anywhere. From the moment he met her, the pull had drawn him closer, tangling around him, and holding him captive. As if he had been possessed, and he had willingly given himself unto it.

And he wasn’t the only one at its mercy.

So was she.

With every look, every touch, every smile, she opened herself further to welcome him in without a second thought. Naturally. Taking from herself to give to him what he needed exactly when he needed it.

And he would do the same.

For her.

Anything for her.

The two changed in silence before Ivy went to the futon and slipped under the covers. Arms opened wide, inviting him the way they always did, and he accepted without hesitation. Entwining himself around her, he rested his head on her chest as his eyes drifted closed, feeling the rise and fall of her breathing while listening to the rhythm of her heart.

Exactly the same as his.

It was a dance, a ritual that they performed every night ever since the first time they laid in each other’s arms in the mountains. He hadn’t known it then, and by the time he had realized, it had already completely consumed him, becoming a part of both of them. It started slow and unsteady, an exploration of an unfamiliar force, but had become more graceful and effortless with every passing day, growing in strength and influence.

Becoming more.

All.

Her fingers brushed through his hair, his face, his shoulders. Over and over. Delicate and comforting. She sang to him. The sound serene, enchanting. A song meant for only him.

He felt the steady swirling, the ebbing and flowing inside of him. The warmth, the light that pushed away from him only to claim hers and pull. They tangled and melded together, a symphony of two spirits.

More and more.

Closer and closer.

To becoming one.

That piece of him that had always been there but was just out of reach, taunting and teasing him. Calling out. Beckoning.

She had reached in, finding it, attracting it towards herself.

He had accepted, letting it take hold before letting it sink, deeper and deeper.

How long had they waited?

Seconds?

Years?

Eons?

Time meaning nothing in the moment they were finally in.

He wanted it all.

For it to be complete.

Whole.

At long last.

His hand descended to her knee, ducking under her nightgown as it carefully climbed up the soft flesh of her thigh.

Over the rise of her hip.

Past the curve of her waist.

Settling on her ribs, fingers gently prodding into smooth skin, trying to bring it closer.

To take it as his own.

To give back all within him.

But it wasn’t her body.

Or his.

He couldn’t force it.

Or physically attain it.

It was the warmth, the light that they shared.

Within them both.

He would have to wait.

A little at a time.

She spoke.

He listened.

She listened.

He spoke.

Without words from their lips.

Only their souls.

They pushed and pulled.

They gave and took.

There in the darkness, bodies still.

Only her song, the warmth, the light moved.

It spoke of everything.

It listened to everything.

It understood.

The song faded as she drifted away.

Waiting for him.

In a place meant for only them.

His eyes opened once more, twin flames glowing against the dark of night.

She was his.

He was hers.

Now.

Then.

Forever.

He closed his eyes to join her, holding her tighter, refusing to let go.

Because without her…

There would be no him.