21 18 - ||

The Fool… loves completely.

I was startled from my thoughts by the sound of a door opening. I stayed still, unable to sit up as a giant entered my field of vision. He had long, red hair, a pretty face, and green eyes.

He stands with arms wide open, hoping to give away hugs for free. He does not consider this work, he believes this is necessary. Believes that someone has to hold you captive from your own fears. No need to disavow a need to be held. Weld your arms around his shoulders, glue your cheek to his chest, test his commitment if you must, The Fool will never let you go. Nor will he keep you forever. He will be yours until you say so.

I smiled, allowing my new mother to hold me. Even if she wasn't my first mother, I would still protect her like she were. I decided, right then, that I really enjoyed cuddles. I wasn't sure if past-me did, but I loved the comfort and security it provided to both the giver and the receiver. If I ever fell in love, I would snuggle them as much as possible, so that they never had any doubt about what they meant to me.

The Fool was brought up with no sense of direction. If it comes down to it he will fall up. The Fool doesn't know how to stop, but he is expected to understand in the instant his hand is let go, he is expected to know that the tiny kindnesses… were just pretend. He is expected to transcend his own feelings and step aside to make way for the 'something better' that so suddenly came along.

"Millicas-sama!" a voice called, "There you are, Millicas-sama. Honestly, this is the third time today. You really must stop getting lost." I turned, my wide, four-year-old eyes turning to see a maid approaching me. I sighed.

Silly creature.

̪̣̺̣̗͙̦̔̎ͯ͗͒̋̑͜ͅ

T̬̪͚͉͖̝̪͋ͨͥ̾ͧ̊̌h͙̬̺̤̪̺͐́ĕ̙̠̪̠̘̜̩͌͘ ̫̈̃̚v͎̪̠͖̹̰̊͞ͅǫ̲̣̇ͩ͊̒̑̇ͮi͉̘̺̖͚̺̥͑͘d̾ ̺́w̤ͦa̷̍̒ͧs̘̭͒ͧͪͣ̋ ̰̃̀n̟͎̤̺̺͔͚ͨͣ̃ͪͨ̚ô̴ͤ̐̐͂ẗ̛́ ̘̰̫͓̪̈́ͭ̎́fͭ̃ͪ̽̍ͩo̿̓̏ͦ̓҉̜̜͕̦̝͎r̵̐͛̏̀ͫͦ̚ ͗̌ͩ̎͋m̼͕̺ͣ̇o̴͕͙̖͌̃͊̇̓̏ͦr̖͚̆ͨ̉͑̄̉t̪͍̱̹ͯ̑͝a̡̝ͯl͐͏͈̫͓ ̶ͪͭͣ͌̒̚m̹̯͍͛͗̇ͫͤ͆ͤ̀i̖̜̼̰͍̱̅̅͒ͧņ͈̻d̤̟̘͎͎s͎̱͙̰̜

̪̣̔̎ͯ͗͒̋̑͜

Love is for humans.

))I know Nothing.((

))Yet, I understand Everything.((

))And so, I shall chase the Dream.((

He smiles as his ears become garbage bins, filling with the throw away advice that people always give, but never seem to take. His body becomes the lake into which others will throw the stone of his heart, hoping it will sink beyond rescue. Even in this, he will glue his hands together, and wish you an unrelenting happiness. He will break himself open and offer up his trust, knowing it is the only gift worth giving, that the hardest part of living, is watching what others will do with it.

))I soothe the restless((

))And console the weary((

))A fading memory,((

))A living memorial, ((

))The lost ones take form.((

But the Fool believes.

))We stand with the Infinite,((

))As We weep for the Dream.((

The Fool believes that there are those who would keep it bastioned within the heavy chambers of their marrow, sacrificing their own bones for its protection. That the risk of finding one honest connection in the midst of bedlam is what makes the hurt worth it.

))Fight with me, Oh ye lost ones.((

))Free the broken ones,((

))Create peace between giants.((

He does this to prove that the only things that belong to us are the choices we choose. That we lose everything by risking nothing. That we bring about our own ending by pretending away our pain, as if we were somehow above it.

))For which we fight,((

))This Eternal freedom,((

The Fool steps blindly, reminding us we cannot simply bear what is necessary...

))Dreams of the Fallen.((

...we must love it.

"I can only tell you how it felt. It felt like moving—suddenly, quickly, and without warning."

"I was running, alone in a monochrome world, running from what was chasing me. And then… I wasn't. I was home, and the colors were everywhere. I felt safe, and I no longer felt alone."

What I really learned from the first five years of my life, was the difference between wishing, and hoping. A wish is hope in its' most aggressive form, a wish gets made… and then it's over.

A monochrome animation played, illustrating her next words. "I was being chased, running for my life. I knew that everyone I loved was dead, and that nothing would ever be the same... So I closed my eyes, and wished that… that… that it would all be over, and I could see my home again."

Hope… is slow. It's a light we have to build within ourselves. I wish that you'll never know what I knew—things about despair, and everything it cost me to get through.

In the monochrome animation, a spark of color dyed the image—the hair of a young boy, jumping in front of a grey fireball. "…And when I saw you…I thought that you felt familiar, that you reminded me of something I had felt somewhere before, something that I had lost and missed terribly…"

The boy with the red hair grabbed her hand, and they were running through the trees. "…and I realized why you felt so familiar…"

Color dyed the world, turning the leaves green and showing the gleaming stars. '…you felt like home.'

I can only tell you how it felt. It felt like knowing that it would never change. And it felt like hope, that it might.

"I'm going to find her one day, and ask her why. Until then, I'm going to stay with you."

Hoping is what you do when wishing fails. Hope is what you do, when they tell you that there is no hope. You take a deep breath…

I saw my fiancé's face within a large sitting room. I heard Shirone's voice, the barest whisper. "That's okay, right?

I had my mouth open, and I was answering a question. I heard my own voice as he answered, "As long as you want."

…and you do it anyway.

I could feel their Spirits and souls merging with mine, bringing with them all of their hopes, dreams, desires, and worries. I could feel tears coming to my eyes from the sheer beauty of the moment. The last of my Pride left me, and I basked in the warmth of their presence. I didn't even as he moved me to the bed and began trying to comfort us with emotions and soothing words, so engrossed was I in watching their minds work.

'This was what I was missing.' I realized with a start. 'All those lonely years. This warmth. This comfort.' I smiled to myself. 'No wonder his aura felt like home to me.'

As the last of my tears dried up, and I sighed in contentment. Unfortunately, the moment couldn't last forever, and I began noticing all the little flaws in their Spirits that added up to a disturbing picture. My fiancé, Millicas, I learned from Shirone's mind, was most definitely not the picture of sanity. The way his mind and Spirit were warped—the way he perceived the world—was too fast, too whimsical, too colorful, too alien to be considered sane. I had touched enough sane minds and Spirits during my captivity to know that.

I tried exploring a bit more, to figure out exactly how his mind worked. It was fascinating, really, the sheer oddity of it. His Spirit was nebulous, ever-shifting yet never changing. At the center of the alien complex was a small amount of what I might consider 'sanity', which I noticed seemed to be directing the madness around me. It didn't push, it coaxed each individual part of the mind into doing what it wished. I mentally compared the experience to my memories of my hosts' lucid dreams. Yes, it was chaos, but it was controlled so utterly that it made a sort of… t̨wis̵ted ̨s҉e͘n̡s̨e̴.

I jerked my mind back in alarm as the whirling mass of thoughts and ideas actually began to make sense. I frantically re-organized my mind, but to my mild horror, it wasn't my mind, anymore. Whatever warped madness that afflicted Millicas's soul had seemingly contaminated mine.

'No.' I realized, remembering a fragment of what I had seen in his mind. 'Not warped, Distorted. All Reality Marble users are Distorted. I'm Distorted, now. Does that mean I'll eventually get a Marble, too?'

Finally, Millicas sighed. "Sorry, girls, but I'm going to have to get ready before breakfast."

I blinked, allowing him to get up and leave. 'R-right, breakfast. I almost forgot.' My stomach rumbled in complaint, reminding me why we had returned in the first place.

He reached for the doorknob, and Shirone glanced up. "Don't get lost." She told him seriously.

I blinked. '…Is that a joke?'

Millicas smiled sheepishly. "I'll try, but I make no guarantees."

'…Apparently not, then.'

As soon as he closed the door, I sighed, glancing over at Shirone. I picked her up and set her on my lap, wrapping my arms around her. "You know," I told her gently, "I don't think you understood what you were doing when you first accepted his Claim."

"And you did?" She challenged, her tail lashing in irritation.

I snorted. "Please. I knew exactly what I was getting into. But when I was faced with Millicas's offer, I made a decision. I would rather be in slavery to a power I knew than be trapped for eternity, or risk my life to an unknown."

Her ears twitched. "What? Why?"

I paused, honestly considering the question. "In truth, accepting Millicas's Claim was an emotional decision." I eventually admitted. "My grudge against Albion took my life, my family, and my friends. I refused to allow him to take my future, too." I sighed, playing with her hair. "I realized when I saw his aura that Millicas would be the kind of person to prevent such a grudge from taking anything more from me, so I chose to stand by him."

She nodded slowly, accepting my answer. "All right, then. How is this going to work?"

I blinked, thrown by the sudden change in topic. "This… what?" I asked, puzzled.

"Relationship. This relationship." She clarified.

I blinked. "I assumed that we would be sharing Millicas."

She tilted her head in confusion. "Share?"

I coughed, fighting down yet another inexplicable wave of embarrassment. "W-well, at least that's how it works in the Dragon culture. A powerful Dragon would fight multiple possible Mates into submission with the intent to Claim them."

Any Dragon could Claim others, it's just that males have more of a desire to force females into submission. Before my binding and confinement, I could have had an entire harem of males subservient to me simply due to my immense power. I had even considered it for a while, but decided against it due to the threat Albion's intervention.

Shirone tilted her head in adorable confusion. "But Master would never hurt me."

I nodded. "Yeah, that makes sense. He didn't fight me, either. But that's not the point. What I'm saying is, powerful Dragons are known to Claim many Mates to satisfy their urges."

"And what about the Claimed? What happened to them?" She asked, tensing slightly.

"Well, either they would fight for dominance, or… um…" I flushed. "W-well, we do share every feeling, so they started to fall for each other."

"What do you mean?"

I cleared my throat, shoving my embarrassment to the back of my mind once more. "Well, since males have a tendency to be extremely protective of their females and actively seek out other females, there has to be a balance somewhere. The problem was solved by magic itself, in the form of the Soul-Bond. Other races can use it, but the Dragons have a unique connection with magic that other species lack."

I paused, thinking. "It's because of this that the Claimed party gradually loses their instinctual hatred of the other gender and begins to be attracted to them, instead. Males are even attracted to other species' females, fostering an… innate desire inside the Claimed for them to be able to have other members of the Bond be of other species. Again, that's how Dragons work, and I'm uncertain as to how it would affect—"

I abruptly found myself in the midst of a passionate kiss. I could see her golden eyes begin to glaze over, and the Bond began to overflow with a warm, fulfilling feeling that made me feel like I had just been handed the key to the universe. The feeling only swelled as the kiss lengthened, making me nearly forget to breathe.

I broke away, gasping for air. "Wh-what?" I managed, my voice coming out as a flustered squeak.

She smiled glassily, her eyes clouded and a vulnerable expression on her face. "Okay. I think I understand, now."

As I saw her vulnerable state, I could feel a deep need to keep her, to make her mine forever. I blinked, my arms wrapping protectively around her once more. 'Greed? But how? She's already been Claimed?'

I noticed how tantalizing her exposed neck was, and I found myself leaning over. Before I could stop myself, I had bitten down on it. She moaned as I began to fill the mark with magic. She leaned into me, curling into my embrace and -submitting to me-.

I blinked in shock, leaning back and looking down at the Mark that I had just given her. 'Wh-what? What did I just do! She's not mine, she's Millicas's! I can't take her!' And yet, looking down at her small form as the Mating Mark glowed softly and sunk into her skin, I felt a small shiver of desire run down my spine. 'I-I'm sure Millicas won't mind sharing.' I mused, running my finger over one of her ears and kissing her once more. She melted into the kiss, her tail wrapping around my leg.

'No,' I decided, pouring more of my magic into the Mark and forming my own Claim over the girl. 'It'll all be okay. -She's mine, now. Millicas will share.-'

A knock at the door startled me, and shook me out of my Sin-induced trance. I looked down at my new -pet-, slight horror invading my thoughts once more. 'N-no, I shouldn't have—I can't—what have I done?'

I shakily moved the little neko off of my lap and moved towards the door. I felt embarrassed at my slip, knowing that losing control of one's Sins was something only hatchlings did. And to form another Claim over a member of the same Bond—I didn't even know that was possible! Though in hindsight, I suppose other harems had to maintain hierarchies somehow.

I opened the door, allowing my fiancé in. "O-okay. W-we're ready!"

He sighed, entering the room. Shirone managed to regain her senses enough to join us as we headed to the magic circle, which I assumed was meant for transportation. My suspicion was confirmed a moment later, as I found myself in the midst of a large dining hall. It was extremely spacious, lavish room with a marble floor and mahogany furniture. A crystal chandelier was hung above the table, though the main source of light in the room came from the wall of windows overlooking a vast property.

The chairs were occupied by a wide variety of characters. A redheaded Devil I vaguely recognized as Sirzechs Gremory sat at the head of the table, attended to by a beautiful silver-haired maid. To his left sat a man with long black hair, a light purple 'kimono', carrying a sword on his back. Next to him sat a man with wavy hair and a set of crimson robes that felt like strong magic. A giant of a man that I suspected to be an actual Fire Giant sat next to him, his orange hair spiked up and a large, thick coat around his shoulders. I almost missed the next man, who was remarkably ordinary with his black suit and brown hair. Finally, a man with multicolored hair and a pair of antlers sprouting from his head was seated at the center of the table. I could sense a vaguely Dragon-like aura from him, but that could mean almost anything.

We approached the table, and we took our seats across from the odd assortment of men. {Just play along.} Millicas sent.

Sirzechs cleared his throat. "Millicas? Is there something you wish to announce?"

'He must be my fiancé's father. My father-in-law.' A devious idea came to mind. I placed my hands flat on the table, standing and taking a deep breath. "Hi, I'm Ruby Rose Gremory. I'm Millicas-sama's wife, so please treat me well!" I bowed, and sat back down.

{Goddamn it, Ruby. You had one job. One!} Millicas sent in exasperation. My momentary flash of pain from hearing his name was forgotten as I basked in the moment.

I was abruptly snapped from my smug satisfaction as something caught my attention. Millicas's mind, which had previously been almost too fast to perceive, began to whir to life. I suddenly realized that what I thought of as 'fast' was merely him slowing himself down for the rest of the world. What was once a whirl of activity was now a thundercloud of emotions, ideas, and memories shifting, changing, and correcting itself so quickly that I couldn't tell where one thought ended and the next began. Finally, his mind slowed once more, and he spoke. "Okay, so it happened something like this. So, this morning Shirone and I woke up early to go and see the sunrise. On our way to the roof, we took a wrong turn and ended up in Wales."

There was an outbreak of snickers across the table from us. The silver-haired maid silenced most of them with a warning glare, but several people still hid their smiles. I blinked in surprise. {How the hell is that a legitimate excuse?!} I asked incredulously, {'We took a wrong turn and ended up in Wales'? That's not physically possible!}

My new pet seemed to find my shock amusing. {One day, Little Red. One day you'll understand my pain.}

Millicas continued, ignoring us. "Once there, we wandered around for a bit, until we found Ruby. She was chained up inside an inescapable prison, one built to keep her in. Since it wasn't built to keep us out, we stumbled in without much difficulty. Once inside, we found her chained and starving, on the verge of death."

He took a slow drink, heightening the tension. I was almost on the edge of my seat with anticipation, and I knew that the story was made of more shit than Albion could make in a month. "As gratitude for saving her, she offered to let me Claim her. I didn't know what that meant, and so she explained that all I had to do was use some means of Marking her as mine, and she would serve me forever. So, I took out my )Queen( piece, and used it to restore her to perfect health."

He sighed, setting down the cup. "She neglected to mention that Claiming is the closest Dragons have to marriage, or that it would activate a Soul-Bond. So now, I have a six-year-old Dragon as my )Queen(, and I am the source of a Soul-Bond between me and both of my Pieces."

The table burst into roaring laughter, the Giant howling with mirth as tears rolled down his cheeks. Even the seemingly strict maid hid a smile. "W-well." Sirzechs said through laughter, "You certainly had a busy morning."

"It's not my fault I didn't know what 'Claimed' meant." My fiancé grumbled. I could tell from the Bond that he was just keeping the show going, so I took no offense from his words.

As Sirzechs's laughter, he turned on me with a searching gaze. "Did you truly allow him to Claim you?"

I nodded. "After seeing how far he was willing to go to help me, and in order to clear my Life-Debt to him, I allowed him to Claim me of my own free will. I didn't know that he would be forming a Soul-Bond with Shirone, as well, but I'm happy with it."

He sighed. "And your parents? Siblings? Is there anyone who would miss you?"

I shook my head. "I was imprisoned for my brother's actions, and my father is dead. I never knew my mother."

{Everything is Albion's fault, eh?} Millicas sent, hiding a smirk.

{Of course.} I replied smugly, {Everything is Albion's fault somehow. Now shut up.}

"Is your brother imprisoned, as well?"

I nodded. "He's being chained using his own life force, in a prison built to hold his wrath. I only escaped mine because of Millicas, and my prison was likely different than his."

My father-in-law turned to Shirone, next. "And you? How do you feel about all of this?"

She paused, looking up from her sweetened milk. She considered the question for a moment. "I feel everything she feels, and vice versa, so it'd be like competing against myself if we fought over him. And I know him, he would never ignore one of us to pay attention to the other, unless one of us were hurt. Plus…" She blushed slightly. "…I love everything he loves, now, so…"

Sirzechs smirked, seemingly satisfied. "Good. In that case, Ruby is welcome to stay here for as long as she likes." His face stretched into a grin. "And you have my blessing, just as long as you wait until he hits pubert-eiii! Gwayfia, stahp! That huwts!"

The maid sighed, holding the red-haired man by the cheek. She turned to me, her voice serious. "Ignore him, he's an idiot sometimes. But still…" She reached into her apron pocket with her spare hand, pulling out a small box of condoms. "Even though I want grandchildren, wait until you're at least eighteen to get pregnant. These should work fine for that job, and I have some pills if you ever need them."

I could feel my face burning, and I almost unconsciously began hiding my face beneath my hood. 'S-STOP B-BLUSHING! SHE'S TRYING TO HELP!' I shouted mentally, fighting against my unwanted embarrassment and picking up the box. I stashed it in my bullet pouch, still trying to force down my volcanic blush. 'Some Lust I am, blushing at the very thought of sex.' I grumbled.

Millicas groaned. "Mo~om. Stop embarrassing me!"

His mind, however, told a different story. {Karma's a bitch, ain't it? Next time, don't introduce yourself as my wife unless you're prepared for that. I know for a fact that my grandparents would do almost the exact same thing.} He sent in amusement.

I vaguely heard Shirone grumbling to herself. {Stop being so embarrassed! You're making me blush!}

I made a sound that sounded like a 'meep' and pulled my hood down further over my face. {Never again!} I sent, mortified. {I'm never doing that again! Your parents have no shame! …and why was your mom even carrying those?}

In response, Millicas sent me several… interesting memories that consisted of loud bed squeaks and moans. {They're… enthusiastic. Now tell me, did you really want to know that?}

My illogical embarrassment became too much, and the world went black.

Through the haze of sleep, my fiancé's voice reached me. {Ruby… breakfast~!}

I inhaled, noticing the glorious smell of fried meat. 'Bacon', I learned. Bacon. Tasty. I found myself drooling slightly. {O-oh. T-thanks for waking me.} I grabbed a stack of fluffy white disks and began to pour 'syrup' on them. Millicas smiled. {Anytime.}

I began to devour the stack of 'pancakes', tuning out the good-natured ribbing my fiancé was getting for 'landing two beauties at only six years old!' Eventually, Millicas seemed to tire of the conversation and turned to the silver maid. "Hey, Mom, can I go back to the Sea of Red, today?"

She nodded. "As long as you stay safe and keep a Teleport spell handy, you can go to the Sea as often as you like. Just don't stray far, and try not to get lost."

We stepped out of the odd tear in reality at the edge of a large expanse of water. It lapped gently at the shore, its' soothing crash echoing slightly. In the exact center of the 'Sea of Red', as I assumed it was called, was an enormous tree that covered nearly the entire sea in the shade of its' canopy. I spotted something hanging from the lower branches, and I Boosted my eyesight to see what they were.

I blinked.

'I know those Fruit… they're the ones from the Tree of Knowledge! Which means…' "That's the actual Tree of Knowledge!"

He sighed. "You were in there this morning, and you just now noticed?"

I whirled in shock. "Wait. You can Teleport into God's own treasury? How did you get past the defenses?"

He grinned. "Like this." He raised his arm, and the water parted.

I gaped. '…Bullshit. I call bullshit on that one. Complete bullshit.' "H-how?" I spluttered, "The Tree of Knowledge is supposed to be guarded by an insurmountable force, and no less than a god-level spell would qualify. How the hell are you doing that?"

"Oh, this?" The water formed a large hand, shaking from side to side as it 'waved' at me. "I cast the spell in the first place, silly. And I don't know about god-class, because I've seen some pretty wimpy gods. I just call this kind of spell 'World-Class'."

I turned to stare incredulously at him. "'This kind of spell'? As in, you have more than one?"

He nodded smugly. "Three complete spells, and a fourth in progress. But if it makes you feel any better, this," He gestured to the sea, "took out my magical core and Circuits for just under a month."

I stared at him for a moment longer, before deciding to leave it be. I may or may not have spent the next five minutes grumbling about the unfairness of overpowered redheads.

Yes. I am aware that I am a redhead.

No, I do not care.

No, it doesn't matter that he's my fiancé. There is a line that I draw.

Why are you looking at me like that.

Once we reached the Tree… Library… Treebrary… we ascended a long spiral staircase, and came out in a large room full of bookshelves arranged in a ring-like pattern. Millicas pointed to a familiar circle that was empty of bookshelves. "See? There's your bag of cookies from this morning."

I rushed over, opening the bag once more and popping a cookie in my mouth. 'Ah, cookies, you always make sense. Unlike cheating bullshit fiancés.'

Said fiancé watched my cookie massacre, raising an eyebrow. "You wouldn't happen to love strawberries, would you?"

I grimaced in distaste. "Eew, no. Bananas are much better." 'Everyone knows that. At least, all the Dragons I've spoken to do. Fafnir, Albion, Crom Cruach, all of them like bananas. It's just the minority that like Dragon Apples.'

On the topic of sweets and bananas, "Especially that banana pudding that a nice maid made me, that stuff was great."

I could feel his mind… falter slightly, before returning to its' nebulous whirlwind. He sighed. "Wait here, I'll be back soon. Shirone, would you mind teaching her how to Gate while I'm gone?"

She shook her head slightly, and he smiled. "Thanks, Shirone."

Without further ado, he stepped through the Gate.

Shirone turned to me, smiling slightly. "You took snuggle time with Master away this morning."

I froze. "…Mercy?" I asked weakly. 'If she does something too perverse, I don't know if I'll be able to control my Sin…'

She just smiled wider. "Don't worry. I'll just snuggle with you, instead. You can multitask, right?"

I smiled to myself. "I can. Would you mind teaching me the spell, first, though?"

She nodded seriously, walking over and gesturing to the ground. "Sit."

I my smile twisted into a dark smirk. 'Oh? My adorable pet wants to command me, eh?' I sat, allowing her to take her place on my lap. She began to weave the spell, pushing the relevant information into my mind as she went. I nodded along and followed all of her instructions, eventually producing a passable Gate.

Finally done with the needed work, I turned my attention to my naughty pet. She stiffened slightly, apparently noticing the flow of my thoughts as I began to nibble softly on her sensitive white cat ear. She squeaked softly, curling against me as I wrapped my arms around her. I leaned down to her human ear, and whispered softly in a teasing voice. "Did you want something, kitten?"

She twitched, her tail flicking from side to side. I allowed my Sin to flood through the link until she finally blurted, "Yes! Please! I'll do it, just please!"

I smiled once more, allowing her to turn to face me. She immediately pressed her lips against mine, her tail wrapping around my waist. I allowed her to hold the kiss until she stopped breathing entirely and what I now recognized as Gluttony had thoroughly made the both of us crave more. I pulled away for a brief instant, and she barely had time to gasp for air before she tried to kiss me again. I hummed happily, enjoying the pleasant buzz of her Gluttony as I fended off her increasingly desperate attempts to resume the kiss. Finally, when the buzz had almost completely faded, I leaned in and whispered in her ear once more. "Whose pet are you?"

She shivered. "Y-yours. Yours and Master's."

I smiled, pulling her into an even deeper kiss, smoothly opening the Bond to let my Greed and Lust tantalize her even further. Her Gluttony began to swell within her once more, and her eyes clouded. I could feel her begin to press harder against me, trying to deepen the kiss, to increase the high she was currently feeling. I smiled against her lips. 'Aaand, she's hooked. I now have all the love I'll ever need. All I have to do is offer to kiss her, and she'll happily do whatever I ask.'

I blinked, and reality crashed in once more. 'That's… really callous. I just got a little girl addicted to something that she'll never get enough of, just to sate my Greed. If I hold this kiss much longer, she's not going to be entirely sane when the pleasure stops coming. I do hope that I didn't just break her mind.'

I moved away, pulling her face into my chest and holding her there. She struggled, increasingly desperate as her high began to fade. 'Now, how to fix this? Ah, I know.' I leaned down and whispered in her cat ears, my breath gently tickling them. "Now, you'll be a good girl and submit to me whenever I want you to, right?"

She nodded vigorously, and I allowed her head free for one last peck. It was barely a brush of the lips when compared to our previous scorching kiss, but it was enough to soothe the descent of her crash. I allowed her to return to her original spot on my lap, and I stroked her head as I began practicing Gates. Soon enough, she was purring in delight as her Gluttony relished in the attention. I nodded once, leaning down to lick her Mating Mark. 'She's definitely mine now. Now I just have to make sure that Millicas doesn't steal her back.' The Mark glowed softly, making her shiver in delight. She mewled in complaint as I removed my hand, looking for all the world like a cat begging for more attention.

She managed to regain control of her faculties by the time Millicas returned, but still refused to move from my lap. {Good girl.} I praised her gently, taking pride in her spike of affection at my words. I listened with half an ear to Millicas's explanation of Devil culture, instead paying attention to my adorable pet's attempts to please me. {If you behave, I'll hold you again tonight.}

She perked up, and I could feel a spark of desperation. {R-really? W-will you kiss me, too?}

I smiled to myself. My adorable pet really was too easy to please. I guess I'll just have to train her properly, then. {Yes, but only if you follow all of my orders faithfully like a good kitten.}

She shivered, and her tail wrapped loosely around my arm. {Y-yes mistress…} She whispered submissively, her Gluttony feeding off of my spike of Lust.

A phrase caught my attention. "I could have a Harem?"

My fiancé sighed. "Yes, you could. Being a Devil also allows you to become mostly immortal, which means you can enjoy your girls as young and beautiful as they are for the rest of your life."

I stiffened. 'And here I was thinking he was different from of those other males.' {WHAT are you DOING?} I sent, eyebrow twitching.

{I taught him how to troll people, and turned him into a career troll. His method is acting like he's 'obsessed with Oppai and wants to become Harem King'.} He replied. {Trust me, I would never allow anyone that perverted to be anywhere near the two of you.}

Apparently realizing what he had said, he paused. {Holy shit, that 'second Sin' thing is intense. Sorry about that.}

My mind tried to dismiss what he had said, but my instincts latched on to the sheer possessiveness with which he had just protected both my and my little pet's honor, helpfully pointing out exactly how excellent he would be to have as a Mate.

Directly through my Lust.

'D-damn it!' I squeaked, making another 'meep' noise. 'I'm six! My body is nowhere near ready to sustain a healthy child! My Lust shouldn't have awakened until I hit puberty, not now! And thanks to that, I just stole my fiancé's original girlfriend, molested her, and practically got her addicted to my very presence.' I sighed to myself, feeling a slight guilt gnaw at my insides. 'Dammit. Why is this whole 'relationship' thing so hard? Life was so much easier when I could take anything I wanted as long as I could fight for it.'

I closed my eyes, sighing once more. 'Well, as long as she's mine now, I might as well train her so she's the perfect pet for Millicas, as well. I don't really like her calling me 'mistress' as much as I thought I would, either. And my instincts are certainly more than willing to allow me to become my fiancé's little sub, so I'll try that for a while. As long as any other girls know that I'm his legal wife, I'll accept them as equals.' I shot down my immediate stab of Lust, my cheeks glowing once more. 'A-and, maybe I'll experiment with being on bottom, as well…'

Over the next six months, I had trained Shirone to be the perfect pet in every way. She was submissive to her Master, yet unafraid to show her own unique personality. Of course, being a cat, I could practically guarantee that she would eventually want a toy of her own, but for now, she was content being mine.

We fell into a routine. We would use our Doorknobs to enter our rooms of choice, train until lunch, talk for a while, then continue training until dinner. We advanced quickly, each in our own field. I in my mastery of the beautiful weapon of death that Millicas had made for me, Shirone in her study of Sen and Youjutsu, Issei in his Touki, and Millicas in his practice of various skills. I hadn't noticed a specific pattern to said skills, but they varied from spear-wielding to random ritual magics.

Unfortunately, our peaceful days could only last so long, and eventually my future mother-in-law decided that it was time for us to learn the skills necessary to be the wife of a High-Class Devil. From bedside manner, to greetings to visiting nobility, to politics, to etiquette. Cat that she is, Shirone took to the glorified snobbing like a duck to water.

(No, the inexplicable metaphors never really stopped, either. I've never seen a 'duck' in my life, let alone one in the water.)

I, on the other hand, found the lessons dull as dirt.

(Case in point. I don't get why dirt is dull, but the phrase suddenly appeared in my mind, so…)

This brings us to now. As Grayfia droned on about proper grace and posture and whatnot, I idly used the Bond to watch through my fiancé's eyes as he began teaching his young friend Riser how to use complex illusions to mess with people. I found their antics amusing enough to save me from death by boredom, but I eventually stopped watching as Grayfia began wrapping up. She smiled at us, bade us good night, and left.

Before I could say a word, we felt a spike of concern over the Bond. I was there in a heartbeat, immersing myself in his dreamlike mind and watching for whatever might have harmed him. Thankfully, there seemed to be nothing wrong with him, per se. Riser's younger sibling, Ravel, had apparently been taken a month prior.

I wracked my brains, trying to place the name 'Ravel' as Shirone asked in concern, {Didn't you give her a Guardian configuration, though?}

He 'nodded'. {Riser said that she never takes it off.}

I finally remembered her. She was a small girl, around the same age as Millicas. I had met her once, actually. On a 'field trip' with Grayfia to Phenex Manor to practice the skills that Shirone excelled at, yet I continuously failed. The small blonde was proudly wearing the beautiful necklace, chattering happily about the boy who cared enough to give it to her. I had deliberately not told her that he was taken, knowing that it would just crush her dreams.

No, it wasn't because her mom was hot and I was hopeful that I might get a pet bird if she joined us. It was purely out of the goodness of my heart, I assure you.

Shirone and I exchanged a fond look as we simultaneously realized exactly why the girl never took off the necklace. "Clueless idiot." I murmured fondly.

Shirone just smiled, hiding her thoughts from her 'Master'. {Where are you now?}

He seemed embarrassed. {I'm… uh… lost.}

I glanced through his eyes, noting that he seemed to be trying to find the jump point that they had Gated to in the first place.

{Don't worry, then. Ruby and I will be fine by ourselves.} Shirone sent back, giggling. Closing the Link, she turned to me and smiled. "Girl's night, then?"

I nodded. "Works for me. Card games?"

She shrugged. "Sure. Let's go to the sitting room."

I gave her an amused look, but obliged, charging up a minor transport circle. "I'm slightly disturbed by your level of obsession with Millicas."

She frowned, stepping out of the circle and curling into one of the recliners. "I love him. Is that so wrong?"

"You sit in his chair and steal his shirts so that you can breathe his scent." I deadpanned, gesturing to her position in her 'Master's' recliner as she subtly inhaled his smoky scent.

She flushed. "I miss him…" She murmured bashfully. "I can't sleep without his scent comforting me."

I sighed. "I get it, it's just…" I shifted uncomfortably on the couch cushions. "Isn't that a bit unhealthy?"

She tilted her head, still inhaling his scent. "What do you mean?"

My shoulders slumped, and I sighed. 'I really didn't want to have this conversation…' "He's slowly breaking us, even if he doesn't mean to."

She blinked. "What?"

I grimaced, thinking back to the first time I had pushed my Spirit against his, and how his madness had corrupted part of my soul like a disease. "We're in contact with his Distortion 24/7 now." I murmured. "Even that is enough to make us less than sane, but added to our personalities?" I looked her in the eye. "Shirone, you're almost completely broken."

She narrowed her eyes at me, her shoulders tensing. "Explain."

I sighed. This was the attitude that prevented me from ever truly making her my pet. She might accept me, allow me to use her as an outlet for my Sins, and submit to me whenever I asked, but she would always belong to Millicas. Her very soul was wrapped around his, I had learned. She was determined to walk beside him in everything he did, to force his fate to be hers, to make his dreams her dreams. She was his girl, and nothing can ever change that.

Clearing my throat, I finally responded. "I'll tell you, but only if you promise not to hold it against me." I told her softly.

"I would never." She told me honestly, her expression lightening slightly. And it was true. She loved me as much as I loved her. Thankfully not the almost stalker-like fanaticism with which she loved her 'Master', but close enough that she could easily be considered my girlfriend.

I winced, knowing that my words would hurt her. "All right. What would happen if Millicas died?"

She froze, and I could feel her normally calm Spirit fracture at the very thought. She shuddered, and her stare turned slightly vacant. I sighed. "That's why I told Millicas we'd die if the Claim was ever broken. The reason that Claiming is so final even for a free race like the Dragons is that your lover becomes your life. If Millicas ever died, we'd resort to extreme measures."

I sighed once more, rubbing my eyes. "I'd probably sacrifice my life killing whatever bastard killed Millicas, and you'd…" I hesitated, unwilling to finish the statement.

She sighed, her ears drooping. "Is that such a bad thing, though?" She asked hopefully.

I gave her an even stare. "Think. How is Millicas most likely to die?"

She realized my point with a start, and a look of panic crossed her face as she clutched at the arm of the recliner. "See?" I murmured, closing my eyes. "Broken. You literally cannot live without him. I'd give it a week, tops, before your mind shatters."

She flinched, curling further into the soft comfort the recliner provided. "And what about you?" She whispered.

I gritted my teeth. "If this were my old life, I would feel nothing for him. But… as… it is…" I hesitated. "I'm not the Red Dragon Empress anymore." I confessed quietly. "I'm just a little girl who's discovering what 'love' is. Truth be told, I would probably lose all the sanity I have left." I closed my eyes once more. "I threw my lot in with him, tied my future to his. I've never felt more alive. But, to have all that taken away from me, I would snap like a brittle twig. I would create an ocean of blood in my wake, not caring who I killed as long as I got to whoever killed him."

I paused, remembering the words of my late mother. "To give one a taste of the fullness of life, only to tear it away… it is the cruelest thing you can do to someone, especially an immortal." I quoted, finishing my impromptu speech.

She simply nodded. We sat in silence for a while, before I decided to lighten the mood and pulled a deck of cards from a pocket of my cloak. "Look at us. We've forgotten why we're here! Now, what game?"

She perked up slightly, and smiled. "Sure."

We played several games of war until late that night, when Millicas finally wandered back to his room. We were in the middle of a game, so we decided to finish before going back to the room. Or, that is, until we felt his spike of panic as his mind whirred into high gear. Shirone dropped her cards and shot to her feet. I ran ahead and reached the door a minute before her, but by the time we got there, he had already left. We sat on the bed, waiting for him to contact us.

Moments later, we exchanged a worried look as we felt his Marble hum to life, obscuring his thoughts from us. We were calmed by a mental nudge several seconds later. He sent over his memories of the situation, which had apparently grown far beyond him getting lost.

{Well? What do you think?} He asked, sounding concerned.

{Go for it.} I sent back immediately. I was most definitely not drooling over the thought of another girlfriend to molest—I mean, adore. {You've more than proven that you can handle two girls, so I doubt a third will be too much more taxing.} 'Said the actress to the bishop.'

{No more than ten.} Shirone sent, oblivious to my double-entendre.

He snorted. {You'd have to move heaven and earth to get me to take on more than five. Any more than that, and I'd stop being able to give you each the time you deserve.}

I smiled in approval. 'Good.'

A few seconds later, the Bond flared to life.

I don't believe in them, but, somewhere, there are gods. Hiding inside of their own heads, using all of their might trying to stop their own eardrums from pounding out the sound of your name.

I saw Gilgamesh as a young girl, learning to fight. She ducked and wove, her hair leaving golden trails in her wake.

You are lightning, trying to tame thunder, leaving split second scars against the sky, as if you were breaking the skin of something that won't die.

I watched Ravel training her magic. She wasn't the best at it, but she refused to give in, standing time and time again to try once more.

My first instinct, is the same as my second. I fight my instinct long enough to realize that I won't win. I give in, surrendering to an impulse, somewhat believing that my imprisonment will not involve torture, if I can confess everything I know.

Gilgamesh stared at her kingdom, her treasury full of all the world's riches, yet felt empty.

I know… nothing.

Ravel stared as her brother Ruval effortlessly outpaced her hardest efforts, gaining the praise she so desired, yet lacked.

I bring an emptiness to your need, like a dog laying a skeleton at your feet, bone by bone. I lay stone all around you in a circle, as if any moment you will burst into flame and warm us long enough so that I can tell you my ghost story.

Gilgamesh stood before her people, yet for all their praise, believed none of it. She only wished for one honest voice, an anchor within the bedlam. After her only friend had passed, she had no one.

But part of me still haunts my memory. It throws chairs against my mirrored mind, cracking the reflections in which I once thought I would find answers.

Ravel, even though she was cared for, never felt loved, or safe. Until one day, when her brother brought home the most beautiful necklace she had ever seen. "This is for you," he had told her, "Millicas made it himself to keep you safe."

So I sit before flowers hoping they will train me in the art of opening up. I stand on mountain tops believing that avalanches will teach me to let go.

A young King approached her throne, despair tinging his expression. "I wish to bargain," he said. And then, much as her only friend had done, he fought her the point of exhaustion, seeing her at her weakest, yet laughing it off in the thrill of a good fight.

I know nothing, but I am here… to learn.

They wished to know him, and so they would. And perhaps… they would find what they sought.

As with the first time, I was silenced by the sheer beauty of her soul. The way that such a complex being was summed up into a matter of moments was so… wonderful, so powerful, so exquisite for me to experience, I would happily slaughter millions to experience it again.

Or Albion. I would happily kill Albion no matter what.

But I digress.

I pushed my senses into his, trying to see Ravel's reaction to being kissed. If I remember correctly, she's quite the little tsundere.

She did not disappoint.

She squeaked and turned bright red. "Th-that was my first kiss…"

I burst out laughing. {Don't feel too bad, the Fool got mine, too.}

Master sighed looking at Ravel… Gilgamesh… her. "Look, can I just call you Gil? I'm tired of differentiating between the two of you when you're the same person, now."

She nodded shyly. "I-if you really want to that is. Consider it a favor from the King."

My Sins growled softly at the adorable sight. She was so gloriously innocent, and deep down, I wanted to do nothing more than to spoil her innocence and turn her into my obedient pet, just like I had Shirone. Possibly using Shirone's Gluttony to get her hooked.

I scolded myself for such thoughts, reminding myself that she was Millicas's girl, not mine. Even before her Claim, she had adored him. It wasn't my place to take what was unquestionably his.

I tuned back into reality as Millicas sat down on the bed with his new prize on his lap. I mentally squee'ed as I saw her adorable blush and innocent red eyes. 'No. Down, girl. She might be pretty, but she's still not yours.'

I joined Shirone as we joined the cuddle-fest. The poor bird squeaked in embarrassment and buried her head in her fiancé's chest.

I smiled to myself. Our fiancé. I was sharing him, now. Quite enjoying it, too. 'And three millennia months ago, I would've shredded anyone who dared insinuate that I would share a Mate with another female.'

"W-why am I in your room?" Gil stammered, face still buried in his chest.

Millicas sighed, and began to explain what a Claim was.

One five-minute explanation later, and Gil was much calmer. "So, for the Soul-Bond to 'set' properly, I have to be in physical contact with you for the next eight to ten hours?"

He nodded. She sighed, nuzzling into his side and yawning. "This isn't too bad, I guess. Be glad, for you are able to share bed-space with one such as I!"

I smiled to myself, mentally plotting how to best break her and turn her into my—no. I firmly shut that thought out before it could continue.

Our fiancé lifted Gil off of his lap and yawned, rubbing his eyes. "I don't know about you girls, but I'd like a little sleep before we have to get up for breakfast."

I nodded in agreement, allowing Shirone to take her spot on her 'Master's' chest before taking mine at his shoulder. Gil hesitated, before deciding to sleep on his other side, near the wall. I smiled to myself, and my eyes fluttered closed.

The next years passed in a blur, and I found myself taking on the tentative role of den mother. I taught the two other girls about various cultures I had experienced, of the balance of power between different pantheons, of the odd nature of humanity. I could never be the mother figure, I'm far too immature for that. If anything, I'm the elder sister, worrying about any small scrapes or bruises that the others collect without noticing.

I suppose 'den mother' really is the best term for my job. I looked it up once, after it had popped up in my mind, and found the definition. 'In a wolf pack,' the entry read, 'a den mother is a female wolf that supervises, takes care of, guards, and looks after the wellbeing of the pack and its' members.' I could be that. In fact, I rather like the idea. I wasn't the head of my little pack, but I was its' guardian.

Over time, we had adopted our little bird into the fold. She was one of us now, for all the beauty and the horror that implied. She was just as addicted to Millicas as Shirone was, much to my confusion. Sure, I love my fiancé, but there's a line between love and addict. One implies you appreciate the other's presence, and would be sad if you were separated for a day or so. The other, as proved on several occasions, meant that the two addicts in question practically dissolved into depressed piles of goo and did their best to comfort one another with a mix of cuddles, Bond-linked emotions, and mutual molestation.

Say what you will, but it's still fucking weird. I'm a Lust, it's practically expected that I molest someone. But a Pride and a Glutton? That's unhealthy. At this point, I'm fairly sure that they're just as addicted to each other as they are to Millicas. I think our little pack needs an anchor, someone with emotional stability who can comfort us when our main source of comfort is away.

Not that I need comfort, mind you. Just the addicts.

Anyway.

I'm currently gathering pillows from a closet down the hall that the maids, giggling, had helpfully pointed me to once I asked. I'm fairly sure they have a betting pool on when our little bird will get pregnant. I smiled to myself, gathering an armload of pillows and shutting the closet door. I headed back to Gil's bedroom, ignoring the maids. I knew for a fact that none of us would get pregnant until at least our honeymoon, so the bet was a moot point.

I had unconsciously chosen my evolution path over the past few years. I smiled to myself. 'As if there were any other paths I could take.' If I am to do something with my life, it would be exactly as I am now. Protecting my family, no matter what.

My primary color of red had given me the ability to draw out and utilize the heat from anywhere around me, in the form of anything from a small bullet to a long-range cannon. On its' own, Heat Crash was a ridiculously powerful Ability, but when paired with Boost, it took 'overpowered' to the next level.

As for my secondary color of white… it seemed to be a hypnotism Ability with no real effect on reality save for influencing peoples' minds and memories. It didn't really take that much energy to use, and it could be used a nearly limitless number of times when paired with my Dragon Core and Boost.

Millicas called it the 'Kotoamatsukami' and immediately told me to use it on him to erase his memory of my having it. I don't know why, but he was deadly serious and extremely insistent. He gave me extremely specific warnings about it, seemingly knowing something that I didn't about the mild hypnotism Ability. I heeded the warnings, but I still don't quite know why he told me never to use it on anyone unless it was an absolute last resort. His exact words were, 'When you have the world's best hammer, all of your problems start looking like nails. It's best if you don't even consider brainwashing your opponent an option.'

I snapped out of my musings as I reached Gil's door. I carefully turned the knob, making sure not to drop any of the pillows. Creeping silently into the pink bedroom, I made my way over to the bed and set the extra pillows at the head of the mattress. I glanced over at my fiancé, noting with amusement how our little bird was sleeping peacefully on his lap. Shirone, dressed only in one of Millicas's old shirts, was glaring at the small blonde. I smiled to myself, brushing off my plain red nightgown and picking her up. I peeled back the sheets slipping beneath them with my prize.

I had long since learned how to restrain my Lust when it came to my little kitten, but I still felt a slight twinge as she nuzzled into my budding chest and began purring. It would be so easy to make her submit to me. All it would take is a tiny nip to her—no. I distracted myself watching Millicas set Gil on the bed, her loose golden hair spreading beneath her like a curtain of gold. I smiled to myself. 'She'd probably love that metaphor. Only the best for the King, after all.'

Millicas pulled out a small emerald, sending a nearly unnoticeable pulse of mana into it. His clothes shifted with a dull flash, leaving him in a t-shirt and shorts. He slid beneath the covers beside me, pulling Shirone and I into a soft, intimate embrace. This was the part I love the most about our time together. We all set aside our worries and fears, and simply enjoy each others' presence. I still remembered the scene from my vision of Millicas's soul, where he decided that he would hold his loved ones in his arms and comfort them. How If he ever fell in love, he would snuggle them as much as possible, so that they never had any doubt about what they meant to him.

I felt his Spirit brush against mine, and I closed my eyes in contentment. He loves me, I know that. Even if my entire world were destroyed, I could still rebuild it around that one immutable fact. He loves me, and he would do anything for me.

Anything.

I never quite understood what the certainty of that simple word could do to me. The sheer implications of what it caused never failed to make my heart skip a beat. Even before I knew what it meant, even while I still harbored doubts about its' sincerity, it still melted my heart like nothing else could.

Anything.

It's no wonder none of us believe that we deserve that kind of single-minded adoration. It's no wonder that this single word warped our souls more than his Distortion ever could. And it's no wonder that any of us would die to protect that love. That simple, pure love without any judgement, without any remorse, without any guilt. The love that he allows you to feel whenever you ask, just so you can feel what he felt when he held you. When he knew nothing of ownership. When he refused to slip chains around you, because he knew then, as again he knows now, how obedience is only beautiful when it is given.

And we do give it. Whatever he asks, we give freely. But that's the most powerful thing about it—he doesn't have to ask. He just does and waits for you to follow. He breaks himself open and offer up his trust, knowing it is the only gift worth giving. That the hardest part of living, is watching what others will do with it.

I smiled to myself, watching as my Bondmates' minds drifted into the realm of sleep. 'I am theirs, as much as they are mine.' I mused, reaching up and toying with a lock of Millicas's hair. I giggled to myself, yes, giggled. I am a teenage girl now, and I am fully aware of it. 'Look at me. I'm starting to sound like Shirone and Gil.' I glanced down at Shirone's sleeping face, noting how peaceful she looked when she slept. So vulnerable.

I closed my eyes, pulling her close to me. 'I have only one dream this life.' I thought to myself as my mind drifted. 'That I'll never have to sleep alone again.'

The main event of the next day was the formal ball celebrating 'Ravel's' thirteenth birthday, and thus her entrance into Devil high society. I smiled to myself, watching as my little bird pulled on a shimmering golden dress. I walked up behind her, zipping up the back before she could even ask. I wrapped my arms around her, resting my chin on her shoulder. "I love you." I whispered, closing my eyes and opening the Link. "I know you're nervous, but whatever happens out there, that will never change. I love you, my beautiful golden bird."

She allowed me to soothe her, taking deep breaths. "Th-thank you, Ruby." She whispered back, closing her eyes. "Y-you'll be there, too, right?" She asked, her voice trembling slightly.

I pecked her on the cheek. "For as long as you need. I'll be right behind you, keeping all the flies from getting to annoying. Shirone will be doing the same with our fiancé. Everything is planned, the food, the drinks, the music. All that's left is you." I smiled. "Now, would you mind zipping my dress?"

She nodded, pulling away from my embrace and turning around. Her red eyes lost their sheen as she rubbed them, making sure not to disrupt the makeup her mother had insisted on. "Yes, I'd be happy to."

We finally teleported into the ballroom, side by side. She immediately began fussing over tiny details that she hadn't thought of before, much to my exasperation. Millicas calmly approached her, soothing her and expertly avoiding provoking her any further. I smiled to myself, pleased. 'He really will make an excellent father one day.' I thought absently, watching as he defused an argument between her and the head of staff.

I abruptly turned bright red as it occurred to me what had just crossed my mind. 'W-where did that come from?' I forced myself to regain my calm as the guests began flowing through the door. I walked up beside my blonde girlfriend, taking her hand and giving it a comforting squeeze. She took a deep breath, before exhaling and squeezing my hand in thanks. Then we both dropped our casual demeanors and took our position in the center of the room. The first guest approached, smiling pleasantly. "Greetings, Lady Ravel. I must say, you look positively radiant in that dress. And, if I may ask, who is that lovely flower beside you?"

Gil smiled, though I could feel her revulsion at the greasy-looking man's words. "Thank you, President Buer. I appreciate your kind words. And this is a close friend of mine, Ruby Gremory."

I curtseyed, my flowing red silk gown glimmering softly with various gems. "Greetings, I am Ruby Rose Gremory, the )Queen( of Millicas Gremory's Peerage. It's a pleasure to meet you."

His smile flickered slightly at the name 'Millicas'. "I see. And… how do you feel, as a part of his Peerage?"

My expression turned glacial. "Why might that be any of your concern, President?"

He chuckled. "Oh, I merely wished to know how it feels to be a part of such a failure's Peerage."

I smiled coldly at him. "My )King( appreciates the value in subtlety, unlike most. Just because he refuses to dance like a trained monkey before the Elders in order to gain recognition doesn't mean that he's a failure. Do watch your tongue, please."

{Calm, Ruby.} Gil sent, taking over the conversation once more and inquiring about the man's ailing wife. {I know you hate seeing people disparage him, but you can't react like that. These pieces of trash would love nothing more than to use what you say against you to take you from Millicas-sama's side. In Devil culture, it doesn't matter if something is legal as long as it's popular. And the idea of a desperate failure forcing a powerful Piece into his Peerage is a tale that could quite easily sway many hearts, regardless of your feelings on the matter.}

I sighed, forcing my feelings down. 'Right. Calm.' Taking a deep breath, I resorted to an old trick for calming myself in desperate situations. I closed my eyes, and a soft melody began to play in my mind.

I opened my eyes once more and repeated my greeting to the next guest, a much kinder man Gil called Marquis Orias. I vaguely recognized the name as the family of shapeshifting Devils known to be the head of much of the interspecies trade.

I continued being the foil for Gil's apparent endless goodwill, shutting down any asshole who tried to trap her in a marriage proposal or manipulate her into seeing their way of thinking. It was extremely exhausting, interacting in Devil society. Dragons are much easier—either they're planning on killing you, or they're not. And even the ones who betray your trust do it politely, warning you and giving you enough time to retaliate as recompense for their betrayal.

As the endless repetition became monotonous, I noticed a sudden spark of surprise from Shirone. I immediately checked on her, and my Spirit made contact with hers' just in time to feel the full rush of her Gluttony as Millicas kissed her full on the lips. I didn't bother guarding my mind against it, instead enjoying the feeling as it ebbed and flowed over me. I could hear Shirone's soft purrs as she sleepily curled against his chest. When he finally broke the kiss, she simply rested her head on his chest and allowed him to stroke her head. {Master…} She hummed sleepily. {Mmm…}

{…Your obsession gets more disturbing by the day.} I sent drily.

{What's the problem?} She asked dreamily, barely paying attention. She was still enjoying the high that her Gluttony provided, apparently ignoring all the warnings I had given her to do otherwise.

{...Weren't you just plotting to kill several dozen people?} I asked, checking her recent memory and trying to ground her in reality once more.

She sighed. {I didn't actually kill anyone.}

{This time.} I retorted.

She sent the mental equivalent of a shrug. {It's not the killing that's the problem, it's taking care of the bodies afterwards.}

{You've done some really disturbing things in order to 'please Master', you know.} I reminded her, sighing at her apparent indifference.

For those of you who don't know, Nekoshou are quite insistent once they find someone they wish to spend their lives with. Very, extremely, violently insistent. The Japanese have a word for this insistence. Yandere.

That's right. The entire species of Nekoshou are yanderes. There is a spectrum, of course, but there's a reason they're called Hellcats. See, normal cats bring dead animals to their masters in order to please them. Some housecats bring miscellaneous clothing items. Hellcats bring severed heads. They don't just enjoy killing others for their master's sake, they get sexually aroused from it.

The victims of this habit range from romantic rivals to enemies. The instinct first awakens during puberty, and never really goes away.

Shirone has been sufficiently 'tamed' by Millicas, so she lies on the gentler end of the spectrum. But even still, she occasionally solos an entire base whenever she hears about the Old Maou Faction's activities. She returns to our room with an excited smile on her face, holding the head of the leader, and then proceeds to present it to Millicas. He had eventually convinced her to only bring severed limbs into the house when they were sufficiently wrapped ("If it's a gift, you should wrap it, right?") so as to avoid getting the blood on whatever he was working on at the time.

The enemy even has a name for her. 'The White Huntress'. She seemed quite happy with the title, considering she got it 'in the service of her Master', but that didn't stop her from massacring the entire base.

What does she get out of this arrangement, you ask? Why would she focus her bloody attentions only on the enemy, rather than on any girl unfortunate enough to fall in love with her Master? Simple. Millicas quickly learned that if he placated her with some form of attention, she would continue doing the same as she had been, rather than trying to offer something else. In this way, he had managed to train her from 'full-on-axe-crazy' to 'overly enthusiastic'. Now, instead of killing any girl who had a crush on her Master, she would simply believe it was his right that the whole world would adore him, and move on.

Millicas achieved this without even realizing it by using her habit to his advantage. The first time she did it, he immediately thanked her, kissed her on the forehead, and insisted she take a bath. Predictably, she refused to get rid of her 'trophy of war', so he dragged her to the mansion's pool-sized bathroom and bathed her himself. I joined him, thinking that it would be a fight to get her to behave, but she happily allowed him to wash her body. Her entire body. I swear I saw bloodstains on her… places, as well. She enjoyed his ministrations way more than she should've, and demanded more once he finished.

Take it from me, a sexually aroused Shirone on an attention high is nearly impossible to ignore. But, with our bodies still being those of children, Millicas refused to do anything sexual with us. My Lust whined in disappointment at his point-blank statement, my more rational side knew that neither Shirone or I could risk pregnancy at our age. Once Gil heard, she immediately agreed with the decision, blushing heavily. And reeking of disappointment.

{H-hey! I'm still the one he just kissed!} Shirone's words snapped me back to reality.

I froze. '…Damn it, why am I so jealous?' I murmured to myself.

Apparently hearing my thought, Shirone responded. {You said it yourself. You're still a little girl who's never felt love before. Of course you feel jealous of me. But don't worry, you can kiss him all you want later.}

{At what cost?} I asked cautiously. She guards her 'Master time' jealously, and was loathe to let a single second of it go to waste.

She grinned. {You have to help me with Gil.}

{'Help you'?} I raised an eyebrow. {How?}

{Well, all I want is to let her adorable sub side take over. That's all.} She replied innocently.

I blinked. 'I see she finally decided that she wants a toy of her own. It's kind of cute, really. But still…' {…What's in it for me?} 'If she wants a toy, she should convince Gil herself. It's not my job.'

She sent the mental equivalent of a shrug. {I'm a masochist with a pet fetish. If she allows herself to become a sub, you're almost guaranteed the position of First Wife.}

{Why would you let me do that?} I asked, shocked. I honestly didn't expect her to just hand the position to me, I thought I would have to dominate her a few more times before she would grudgingly concede the position.

{U-um… pet fetish, remember?}

I snorted softly, shaking the hand of some random noble trying to get into 'Ravel's' pants. 'Fair enough.' {Define 'pet' for me, then.}

I imagined her clearing her throat and twitching her tail slightly. {As a pet, I am myself, but my primary purpose is to serve as a source of pleasure and enjoyment for my Master. My own desires take a back-seat to anything that is preferred by my Master, but I can still express emotions that a submissive would not admit to.}

She 'sighed'. {When I am pet, such as when I am completely indulging my Gluttony, my emotions are simple. My happiness, sadness, shame, and anger, can be freely expressed without fear of disappointment. It means being safe and protected but also loyal to the point of aggressively guarding my Master. I'm very protective of the people I like, even as a person, and being a pet exacerbates that feeling.}

{TMI.} I deadpanned. {Though, I should've known better than to ask you when you were high.} I could still hear her purring softly on the other end of the Link, leaning in to her 'Master's' hand.

I blinked as a thought occurred. {Wait…how do you even know what all those pervy things are?}

{Devils hit 'maturity' much faster than other races, even without Thought Acceleration. You wouldn't believe what they have for 'children's shows'.} She responded absently.

I was bombarded with several images of men in skintight spandex pulling ridiculous poses, causing me to cringe. {I thought Millicas was joking when he complained about 'Oppai Dragon'-type shows.} I sent, still trying to shake the image from my mind. {What even is the Super Maou-D Gang?}

{Don't. Ask.}

{So… you want me to treat you like my pet?} I asked dryly, taking her advice for what it was worth.

{Yep!}

I sighed. 'So, basically what I've been trying to avoid doing for the past few years. Dammit.' {…You do realize that me being First Wife means I might get more… attention… than you do, right?} I sent, slightly concerned that she might regret her decision once she learned what it meant for her Gluttony.

{I can feel everything you feel. Everything.} She replied smugly. {I'm not too worried. Besides, I'm still on his lap most hours of the day, while you're at the library. When you're not around, I can take care of him.}

My Lust helpfully began generating images of exactly what 'sitting on his lap' had to do with 'taking care of him'. {Wait. We're fucking thirteen. Why the hell are we even talking about this?} I complained, trying to hide my embarrassment.

{If we want to avoid big fights amongst each other, then it's best to plan ahead.} She replied easily.

I blinked. 'Huh… that's… surprisingly well thought out, actually. I've never really been able to completely think through how sexy times will affect our relationships. I mean, if it's just plain sex, I'm perfectly fine with either gender. But I know that it's completely possible for Lusts to get just as addicted as Gluttonies can. If we each decide that having sex with Millicas is better than sex with each other, then how will we divide up schedules?'

I frowned, forcibly halting my Lust. {Shirone? What do you…} I sighed, noticing that she appeared to have given in to the pleasure that her 'Master' provided as he stroked her ears and held her close.

I returned my full attention to the task at hand, returning a verbal jab with an equally pointed remark about the woman's social standing. She huffed and whirled, taking her posse with her as she stormed away. Gil watched them go, amusement flowing through her. {I totally understand why you did it, but wasn't pointing out how the price tag of all three girls' dresses combined couldn't match a single gem of your gown a bit too much? They might complain do daddy dearest and rock the boat a bit.}

I smiled, greeting the next asshole in line. {Pardon me if I was getting tired of their snobbish attitudes. And I even gave them each a gem to prove it. One of the plain ones, mind you, not the magic ones.}

{…Ruby, those rubies are blood-red, polished to perfection and larger than a finch egg. It's more than enough to outsell practically the entire market.}

I waved a hand dismissively. {They're worthless compared to the ones with spells in them. And it's only three gems.}

Gil considered this for a moment. {Fair enough. Millicas-sama gave you the dress, so you have the right to do what you like with it.}

I nodded in agreement, waving farewell to a polite guest who had just dropped in to pay his respects. There was finally no one left in the line of well-wishers when Shirone stumbled over to me and grabbed me by the arm. "Kiss me." She demanded, looking up at me with clouded eyes.

My eyes widened slightly. Millicas must've greeted someone important and had to leave her behind so as to not introduce her while she was in a vulnerable state. I sighed, pulling her into my arms and resting her head on my bosom. "Please!" She begged, her voice gaining a slight hysterical edge to it. "I need…"

"Shhh… Calm down, love. It'll be over soon." I murmured, holding her fast.

This was the most dangerous thing about Millicas's Distortion. While Distortion seemed to make one's good traits into shining examples of virtue, it also turned one's flaws into bottomless chasms. An ordinary Glutton's addiction was rather like eating a meal so good that everything else tasted like dirt. Shirone's was more like injecting her with heroin. The effect is usually to give a feeling of warmth, relaxation and detachment with a lessening of anxiety. The effects start quickly and can last several hours, but this varies with the amount and how the attention is given to her. Of course, afterwards, while the high was decreasing, she suffered from aches, tremors, sweating, chills and muscle spasms.

It was for this reason that I was wary of over-indulging my Lust. If a being of my power got addicted to sex, and my Mates couldn't keep up…

I exhaled a shuddering breath, returning my attention to the problem at hand. Once her pain had gone down far enough for me to get through to her mind once more, I began sending soothing emotions and sensations. Stroking her fur, the warm comfort of Millicas's embrace, the joy of having him smile his heartbreaking smile at you. She gradually relaxed, and her muscles began to ache. "It's getting worse." She whispered, finally regaining control. "I can't do this for much longer. I might snap."

I sighed. "I warned you when I saw you becoming addicted. Millicas's Marble is slowly affecting all of us, and you're no exception. Back then, something could've been done. Now, it's out of my control." I told her gently, running my fingers through her hair. I could feel Gil's concern steadily growing, but I assured her I had everything under control and allowing her to continue her conversation with one of the last guests.

She whimpered. "But I need it. Ruby, please. Kiss me again."

I shook my head. "No, love. I can't."

She sighed, a lone tear leaving a damp spot on my gown, "Okay." She whispered. "Are you sure there isn't anything, though?"

I hesitated, my mind flashing back to a theory of mine. "Well… I think that there might be a way. But it'll take a while."

She looked up at me. "What?"

"A Claim is just an incomplete form of the Mating ritual." I traced the almost invisible Mating Mark that I had left on her neck when I first lost control of my Sins. "If Millicas were to complete the ritual, the Bond might become complete to the point where you wouldn't get the same effect from our attention." I told her, continuing to play with her hair.

A Mating Mark is only really a mark on one's aura, a way for one to scream 'stay away from my mate!' to any creature skilled enough to read auras. It served the same purpose as a pet collar did—marking her as mine, and leaving a 'return address' if she ever got lost or stolen and needed help getting back. After they actually Mated, however, the Mark became a stabilizing agent for the existing Bond, should one exist.

Thus was the basis of my theory.

"Meaning?" She asked, her grip tightening on my arm.

"You might never 'come down' again." I told her.

She shuddered. "B-but… if it doesn't work… and we have sex…"

"The addiction gets worse." I affirmed. "Like going from smoking to Meth. You would spend the rest of your life chasing that first high, willing to do nearly anything to achieve it. Or… you won't be affected at all anymore, and you won't ever have to worry again."

I could feel her spike of pain through the Bond. "Ruby, please." She begged. "Kiss me."

I paused, then sighed. I pulled away, then leaned down to kiss her softly on the forehead. I could tell by her reaction that it was exactly what she needed. She sighed, resting her head on my chest once more. "Thank you."

I smiled. "It's okay."

"I love you." She told me, smiling softly.

"I love you, too." I replied, my cheeks warming slightly at the sheer honesty in her tone.

She let go of my arm, and began socializing to pass the time. I just prayed that no idiot disparaged Millicas in front of her—if that happened, it would be game over.

As the party finally died down, Lord Phenex cleared his throat. "May I have your attention, please?" He called, silencing the guests. "We have gathered here today to celebrate my daughter's thirteenth birthday. However, I have an announcement to make." He paused. "I have secured for my daughter a marriage contract with a prominent family."

Murmurs raced through the crowd. He continued. "I am pleased to announce the engagement of Millicas Gremory and Ravel Phenex. May this marriage secure a better future for Devilkind!"

Millicas smiled, ignoring the whispers racing through the crowd. He stepped forward, wrapping one arm around Gil's waist and pulling her into a scorching kiss. She was obviously enjoying every second of it, and I swear I saw some tongue. When he pulled away, she was red-faced and panting. Her blush only deepened when she noticed all the eyes on them. "W-w-what—?"

Millicas smirked. "Mine." I heard him whisper softly. She just blushed brighter.

He turned to me, still smirking. "Your turn!"

I smiled and curtseyed, before stepping forward and allowing him to wrap his arms around me. We met in the middle, and I managed to restrain my Lust for long enough to truly enjoy the kiss.

'It's good to be alive.' I thought, my Lust finally slipping slightly as my tongue danced across his lips, tasting Gil's sweetness.