The Demon and the Human Prophecy

I fought hard to suck in many quick, needed breaths. The pain began to ease into numbness and the scalding red haze retreated. Worry and even pain laced Rage's expression as his warm arms supported me. Just his expression alone made me want to wrap him in an embrace and console him. His expression was surely twisted be cause of me. I didn't want it to be... I wanted to move my lips and tell him that nothing had happened, but my lips would not move. It was only one voice that broke my thoughts.

"How interesting... She survived." I didn't dare move my eyes, seized with fear, from Rage's pitch black orbs. A low growl began in his chest as Rage glared up at his brother. "The girl is still as dainty as porcelain, but her spirit seems to be strong. Good..." His ramblings barely reached me.

My mind and vision swayed. I felt tired, exhaustion brought on by the current numbness in my body. My eyelids drooped, but I couldn't shake it off. My head was much too heavy to even lift it. "How sad... The child can barely move." The woman, Mirane, muttered. Her tone was about as insincere as a smile from Righge.

"She is a mere human after all," Gageis sighed. Their condescending conversation was really started to make me feel self-conscious. I was almost tempted to glare in their direction, but I knew I was too tired and that I couldn't chance it. "And then there's this annoyance..." I knew instantly who he was speaking of... Rage.

No! He couldn't be hurt because of me. Not because I was some ridiculous demon prophecy child... Not because he was here for me... Holding me...

"I'll take care of him." Mirane's chiming sneer wafted this way.

"No." Gageis said very abruptly, "I am much more precise than you are. I am not chancing further injury to the child."

Her pealing laugh bellowed out, "Precise? Who was it that inflicted her current injuries?" There was something in the way that they argued. What was their relationship? Were they like siblings? No... They nag each other much too often for that... Or was there some sort of romance between the two of them? That might explain it... Or do demons think that they feel love? Who knows...

"Mirane, shut up, and do as I say." I could only picture the glare on her face now. Her golden irises darkly glowering in his direction.. A look wishing death upon the other...

"Sorry. I don't follow your orders." A light tapping of feet advanced rapidly in our direction.

I squeezed my eyes shut, and Rage's position shifted ever so slightly. I waited for the blood to begin to pour, but it never came. When my eyes fluttered open, I was not expecting the sight waiting above me. No part of Mirane that could possibly harm him had and sort of contact with him at all. Instead, it was him who was gripping her. His long, handsome fingers were wrapped around her wrist rigidly. The shock on her face was evident as she stared at him in disbelief.

"Maybe you should listen to my brother if your hubris is going to allow such an opening." Rage growled darkly. His onyx orbs had lightened to almost a burgundy red as he glared up at her. His expression frightened me a bit...

Then with a mere flick of his hand, she flew across the tiny clearing and mowed down a tree. She didn't seem like she was getting back up... Gageis seemed as though he were expecting it.

"I knew that that idiot wouldn't listen to me." He muttered under his breath irritably, "I needed to test your defenses anyway. It seems as though you're slipping Rage." In fact, the second he started speaking, Rage doubled over, gripping the ground roughly. His hand bracing my back twitched as he held me against his chest firmly. I could feel his erratic breathing and heartbeat.

Rage... I couldn't help the feelings of worry and sympathy that whirled around my tired mind. His face was clenched in frustration as his eyes stayed clamped shut. I hesitantly reached up and touched his face. There was now a male voice that reached me.

Just allow me to take care of your nuisance, The voice cooed gruffly. The girl will be safe... It seemed to coax.

What was this!? Did all demon's suffer from that nagging inner spirit?

No matter what shock hit me at that moment, I couldn't remove my hand from his face. My arm was frozen and my heartbeat softened, but as I stared into his face the feeling of his change was evident. He seemed as though he was struggling against a force that seemed as though it was attacking him mentally. The only sound that seemed to suck me into reality was the low chuckle in front of us.

"Oh my... You really are slipping Rage." The soft clunking of boots slowly came our way. "If you can't keep yourself under better control, you just might hurt yourself or her."

I saw Rage's face form a twisted smirk as he bellowed an odd chuckle. A jolt of fear shot through my fingers, instantly making them recoil. My heart lurched as my eyes fixed themselves on his face. Rage didn't feel like himself anymore. It almost felt as though I were being held by a completely different person. Not the demon boy that I'd come to have fallen for... No, it was merely a dark shell of himself. That laugh wasn't his, hell, Rage almost never laughs yet alone chuckle. Even Gageis seemed to stop in his tracks.

"What is it brother?" His voice was the same, but the tone had an unnerving undertone of twisted darkness. It took a minute to realize that he had moved and was now looking up at his brother. Part of me wondered if he remembered I was here, but every cell in my body told me to stay silent and don't remind him.

There was a dark aura surround the two of us. Not one that could be seen but felt. Every hair on the back of my neck stood on end as I stared into his face. His distorted smirk left no remnants of the Rage I knew. But that wasn't worst part... I no longer felt safe in his arms. There weren't many times that Rage's arms were wrapped around me, but I remember them all in great clarity. Every time I was encircled in his arms, I felt warmth and safety. Even when he and I didn't quite get along in the beginning. It was one of the things that seemed to sway my decision to let him close.

Then there were his eyes... They didn't even resemble the onyx orbs that were normally dominant. They were a deep shade of burgundy with crimson flecks and bursts surrounding the pupil. The glint of madness that shined within them was enough to disturb anyone who could recognize it. They seemed to bear a striking resemblance to the inner spirit of my own that I'd encountered. Was this Rage's inner darkness?

"What's with the look..." He slightly tilted his head to the side, almost as if to seem apathetic. "You aren't known to be halted this easily, brother. Are you afraid?"

Even Gageis seemed to waver under the intense scrutiny of the maroon eyes holding his cautious eyes. He seemed to pick his words cautiously as he spoke again, "Afraid? No. I am merely cautious as I know what you are capable of." His eye flickered to mine for a fraction of a second, almost as though he were debating something. That second was all it took before his crimson gaze was on me.

The shiver that rolled down my spine was involuntary, but I'm sure he felt it, "There is no need to be afraid, child. You are safe." The warmth in his voice was warped in a way that I couldn't explain. It didn't give off the warmth that should have been present having left Rage's mouth.

"Rage..." The female voice was easy to recognize. His eyes darted in her direction and his smirk faded into a disappointed grimace. Her onyx eyes tightened as she stared into his crimson spheres. They slowly traveled to me, slipped into a slight panic, and then hardened back over. She then turned on Gageis, "Leave now." She ordered.

"I don't think so..." Rage growled menacingly, "You see, brother and I haven't had a proper round in quite sometime—" He sighed, adjusting ever so slightly so that I was sitting on the ground. A surge of panic jolted through me as he rose to his feet. "I've been wanting a chance to eliminate him for quite a while now, and I won't allow anyone to ruin that for me. Not even you mother..."

"Eliminate me?" His brother's tone had grown dissenting as he now glowered at Rage, all caution had waned. "Perhaps you really do need a lesson in humility after all, little brother."

Every alarm within me sounded at this remark, sending a jolt of terror to my stomach. Rage's returning smirk made my heart quiver in unease as I restrained my shaking hands from reaching out in an attempt to stop them. I shifted myself in an attempt to stand, but my stitches sent a twinge of pain that forced me to coil around them. Of course, the whimper that escaped my lips was plenty audible for anyone to hear.

I heard Rage sigh, "Mother, why don't you come and remove her from the line of fire. We wouldn't want such a frail child to be to near when this begins."

A pair of pale, elegant arms scooped me up off the ground swiftly. I looked at her, my head floating with panic. She shook her head at the pleading in my eyes. Why wouldn't she stop this!? Why would she allow them to fight!? Did she not understand the danger in this? I stared at Rage, my heart quivering as a burgundy eye caught mine. The drumming in my chest tripled in volume. Pounding rang through my ears as his eye held mine for a few moments before Gageis spoke.

"I would suggest that you take the child to a safe environment, mother. This isn't going to be something she will want to see." His voice had a hardened edge that drilled a sense of foreboding that turned my stomach into lead.

"I am fully aware of the impending fight between the two of you," Any softness in her velvety smooth voice was absent, instead filled with cold resentment. "I would keep it toned down if I were you. You wouldn't want to draw any attention to yourselves." There was an underlying threat in her voice that rattled through my brain, but that was soon muddled as she turned from them, me in her arms.

Panic raked my brain, the pounding in my temple getting harder. "Wai-n-hold-please–" The words slammed into each other before my mind could make sense of my protest.

"Trust me, Aiurea," She muttered into my ear softly. Her tone was the soothing motherly tone that was often used to console a crying child, "You don't want to be around when they start this, there is no stopping it." I was barely aware of the soft motion around me, so when I glanced around again, I was staring out at the forest surrounding the rift.

"Go home." Her voice rang with the motherly authority as she stood me on my feet. She spoke again after making sure that I was steady, almost as though she was oblivious to my pounding heart. "Rage will be alright. His only concern would be to keep you out of it." Her warm lips pressed to my forehead before turning away, her ebony hair flowing behind her.

The bottom of my stomach fell out, leaving a numb feeling to radiate through my body. When she disappeared into the rift of purple and black, it felt as though she took a part of me with her. I stumbled forward, gripping a tree for support. What would be left of Rage when I saw him next? When would I see him again? My head began to spin as my breathing shook, my heart rate accelerating roughly. My stitches protested as I slid down the tree into a sitting position. Oh god... My head lightened and the back of my eyelids were the last thing I saw.

Everything was numb; me, my body, and even my mind. I didn't every part of me was exhausted, feeling as though I hadn't slept in ages. Maybe it had been the persistent nightmares that haunted my dream world for the past several nights. Or maybe it was all of the events that had just happened that left me feeling so washed out.

As much as I wanted too, I couldn't drift into even a temporary world of dreams. Every time I tried, a nagging feeling that I was in danger would tug on my mind, yanking me into numb nothingness. I could feel everything around me, but the cold veil over me kept it out and fended it off. Part of me knew I wasn't ready to rejoin reality. I needed the rest I hadn't been given before...

Maybe this wasn't even reality at all. When I opened my eyes, I would be lying in my bed, I would be yanked out of this world and into the real one. My mother would still be miffed, so I would still be on lock down... No, she might actually release me. If so, I would still find Rage in the park, but he would have that cool composure. He wouldn't mention a thing about his mother, and I wouldn't have ever seen the rift to his world. I wouldn't have met the willowy demonic beauty he named his mother, nor would I have met the moonlight haired spirit in the world of nothingness. I wouldn't have heard the nagging inner spirit that belonged to Rage. I would never have seen its eyes gaze down upon me with twisted warmth, never heard it speak to me like a child, never seen it competitive nature that seized its muscles in preparation to attack.

Rage... He was still in his odd world of twilight. Fighting his brother... Oh crap!

My eyes instantly popped open, and the forest that surrounded me invaded my vision. The numbness that once fell over my body morphed into unease and discomfort. I struggled to stand, attempting to ignore the protesting of my stitches. I sucked in a deep breath, and let it out only gasp as a tall, lanky form stumbled out of the rift. He cursed under his breath, an amused sort of smirk on his face. His head lifted, and I was met with a pair of maroon eyes.

His smirk faded into a firm line as his eyes scrutinized me. "My mother wasn't very thorough when she got you to safety was she..." There was a bitter undercurrent beneath his monotonous words. "Though I can understand her rush to make sure her children didn't kill each other. That is any mothers worry–" He barked out a twisted laugh, standing up straight.

This simple action showed a deep would in his thigh and three claw marks on his right shoulder, both were bleeding lightly. My stomach flipped as my legs rushed forward without my command. They were even worse up close as my shaky hands hesitantly hovered over his skin. My lips were parted to help the flow of air to my lungs, and my knees weakened, making it very hard to grip onto him for support.

"I think it is time for you the go home." his large, slightly dirty and blood stained hands wrapped around mine, making my heart jump with a start. I shook my head defiantly, partly trying to clear it before panic could set in. "Aiurea…" This purr that touched my name was off, it sent shivers down my spine. I still shook my head, this wasn't the Rage that I knew and loved. "Aiurea." His purr was much more blunt, but parts of my mind were muddled by his softened tone. I still shook my head, even though my heart fluttered painfully. "Aiurea." He muttered a little more forcefully. His patience was running thin, and I could tell.

His eyes caught mine, and I tried my best to mask the worry and near panic. They weren't his, they would never be his. I kept waiting to find the onyx eyes that I could feel warmth from, even when they were closed and cold. The crimson orbs that held mine now dropped ice into the pits of my stomach. He placed his hands on my shoulders and gently pushed me backward.

That brief moment of contact allowed me to hear a familiar voice, "Damn it. Let me–"

"You won't have the strength to push her away–" The Rage I knew growled and I could no longer hear anything before even my vision went black. I pulled away, removing contact with his hands out of painful panic.

My vision returned and instant relief flowed over me. I glanced up at him just as he stumbled forward. I attempted to catch him, but he caught himself. His firm hands only pulled me into him.

"I'm sorry," He muttered weakly.

"For wh—"

"You shouldn't have ever had to see me like that." His voice hardened a bit as his arms tightened around me. My heart fluttered and soared, beating unevenly in my chest. I could feel his warmth seep into my skin. Even as my body formed to his, I didn't feel and liquid soak into my clothes. I pulled back, my eyes scanning his thigh, which was now only a light red, turning pink.

"Y-your thigh..."

"I heal quickly..." he brushed it off, "and when I let it—" he hesitated on the word before continuing, "— take over, I heal faster."

I am most certainly not an 'it.' The voice grumbled gruffly.

I should have been expecting it, but it still took me off guard. Every time my body came in contact with his, I was allowed an insight to his conversations with his inner spirit. And even though I, myself, had conversed with it, its underlying current of darkness lurking in its voice still made me shiver. I didn't think that there was ever a time that I would get over that.

Then another thought occurred to me. My mother was still at home... I had been gone hours. Hours without contact, texting, or any sort of interaction at all. Maybe she had been serious—I mean truly serious—when she'd said that I was free. Had she really trusted me enough to send me off like that for hours at a time? My only stipulation had been to contact her were I—or even my brother—hospitalized, mid-mission or not. Was she not worried? Probably...

My eyes traveled up to the dark, onyx orbs resting on my face. Those deep, warm eyes bore into mine, probing them, reaching into my soul. A soft silence whistled through the air between us, neither of us daring to break it. My body—which so perfectly melted to the contours of his—pressed into him. His arms were draped around me, my palms gingerly pressed to his chest. It took me a few moments to place the feeling building in my stomach.

I wanted to kiss him. I wanted to close the space between our lips, and feed the yearning that settled into the deepest pits of my stomach. Part of me just couldn't. Nothing was stopping me. It wasn't as if his hands—softly draped around me—were restraining me. I could have closed the distance, so what stopped me?

It couldn't be any sort of fear of rejection because, if he were going to reject me, he'd have done it by now. What was this new found hesitation? Though I disdainfully admit, I'd kissed Righge a few times in the past when we'd dated. What made Rage any different? Was it the fact that he and I weren't a couple? The fact that I didn't know whether he would actually return it? Or was it that he seemed to be reading every thought that swam through my head, and I was slightly abashed?

Would it seem odd if I were to attempt to close the space? He was at least a head or so taller than me. Would he automatically realize what I was trying to do? Hell, had he ever been kissed before!?

What was I thinking!? Of course he had... I would guess so... Or had he... Would it be rude to ask?

"What are you thinking?" He asked softly. His unexpected question muddled my thoughts, sending flutters through my stomach.

"I-I...nothing." I broke my gaze from his eyes and sighed. Damn it... He wasn't oblivious. I should have realized that he'd pick up on my unusual silence.

"I think I should get you home." He muttered pulling away slightly.

I pulled him back to me and laid my cheek against his chest, "No. I probably look like crap, and my mom would never let me back out if I returned looking like this."

"You don't look like crap, Aiurea." Rage sighed, a twinge of humor leaking into his words.

"Suck up." I grumbled. He just wanted to put space between us. To ebb the flow of electricity that sang through the air as we touched.

"Aiurea," He sighed, "I think it would be better if you went home–"

"Well I don't." I protested, steadfast.

A deep chuckle rumbled through his chest, startling me. I wasn't expecting any sort of laughter from him, not when I was deliberately protesting against him.

"Come on." He muttered gripping my right hand gently with his left. "I'll walk you home."