I looked around the room, the new house, or apartment as Shunsuke had put it. It was a tiny thing, but it beat living out of his room at their old house. I was excited and nervous about living together. Alone. But, at least this way, we weren't putting his grandmother in danger by being at the old place.
I walked into the kitchen, and found that the fridge was empty. I made a mental note to fill that later. I moved to the cupboards and found a glass, which I filled with the tap water. Sipping the water, I looked out the window that was directly above the sink.
We had a pretty little view of the city. We were on the fifth floor of the apartment, so we couldn't see a whole lot of the city, but I would bet that at night, the lights were gorgeous to look at. Smiling to myself, I downed the remainder of the glass and set the cup in the sink. I'll wash it later.
I went back into the bedroom, which was a decent size, nothing like living at home. I plopped down on the bed, letting my hair fan out around me. I was going home tomorrow. I was going home with Shunsuke. We were taking some pretty big steps, but I knew it was the right thing to do.
~.~
When I opened my eyes, I found the room to be brightly lit from the sun's early morning rays. Shunsuke was sleeping under me. I frowned. When had that happened? HAd I fallen asleep when I had gone into the bedroom? What time was it now? Shunsuke had set up the alarm clock. It read 10:00 A.M in the morning. Wow, I must had been more tired than I thought, especially since I hadn't even felt Shunsuke move me over so he could get into the bed as well.
"You're finally awake?" Shunsuke's voice startled me.
I snapped my head up to look him in the eyes, "I guess I was more out of it than I thought."
"I'd say, when I came in here, you were totally out, so I let you sleep, but when I wanted to go to sleep, you still hadn't moved. I moved you over to your side of the bed without waking you up, but then sometime in the night, you threw yourself on me," Shunsuke smirked at me playfully.
I smiled sheepishly.
He laughed. "Don't be embarrassed." His eyes were lit up and I could see the happiness he felt. "I know that I am quite the lady's man. I understand your need to be with me."
"Oh yes," I shook my head with a smile. I leaned over to give him a quick kiss.
Well, it was supposed to be quick, but it turned into a long make-out session. I stopped. "I need to go take a shower and change so we can get going," I said getting up and rushing into the bathroom that connected to the bedroom.
"About that," Shunsuke said timidly.
I poked my head out the bathroom, "Are you having seconds thoughts about going?" I asked.
"It's not that, but don't you think it's a little too soon to go back into the Shadow World? I mean, Satan just found you again. What if he is expecting you to go there?" he asked.
"He doesn't know where they are," I replied, going back in and undressing.
"How does he not know where they are?" Shunsuke asked.
Sighing, I grabbed a towel and went back into the bedroom. "I suppose I should tell you why Satan is after me," I said. "It's only fair."
He nodded, waiting patiently for me to continue.
"I grew up in a loving family. We went out together to plays, to fancy restaurants. I was a happy child back then. But, my family is the rulers of the Shadow World, and so we have lots of enemies. A demon, after killing everyone that got in his way, made his way into our sleeping quarters, murdering my siblings and mother and father. The reason I survived is because I had gone to the bathroom, and had heard the commotion, so I had hid. But, I had seen the whole thing; I was only seven years old."
I paused, collecting my thoughts. The memories were swirling in my mind, but I pushed them aside, "I went and grabbed father's sword, the one that would kill anything it touches. And while the demon was hunched over my father's lifeless body, I stabbed it into his back with as much force as I could muster. Unfortunately, I wasn't nearly strong enough to wield the sword, and so he wasn't nearly dead yet. He turned and got me along my neck." I moved my head to the side so he could see the scar that ran along my neck and shoulders. "But, in a shuffle, he fell back and the sword went all the way through, killing him.
"I was a seven year old murderer, or at least that's how I saw myself. I cried over my family's fallen lives. There was a sound by the door, and when I turned, Satan was standing there, he was applauding me. He told me this world needed more people like me. More murderers. I was seven and scared. He offered me a choice. Save my family and in so doing, when I turned eighteen, I would be bound to work for him, or I would grow up in some foster care system with people whom I wouldn't know.
"I was seven, and I didn't know what I was agreeing to. I thought working for him meant that I would do paper work or something of that nature. I didn't even realize who I was talking to. After I said yes, and before he revived them, he turned to me and told me just what I would have to do, and that it would be best not to tell anyone because my parents would be furious at me should they know what I did. And he was right, I would have been in major trouble if they learned the sacrifice I would have made.
"He snapped his fingers; it was as though he rewound time. The spilled essence went back into their bodies, the mess was cleaned up. They were now just sleeping. then, he was gone. I went and crawled into bed with my parents and slept there for the night. Every year on my birthday, in the dead of night, Satan would come back and remind me of how many years I had left before I would have to join him.
"When I was twelve, I enlisted into the best fighting academy in the Shadow World. After a few years, I hired a spellcaster to put a spell over the castle, and to move it, so that Satan would not be able to find it no matter what. The spell still holds. That is why I am not worried about going to my parents' palace. If we went out of the bubble, we would be detectable, but as long as we stay inside of it, we'll be fine."
Shunsuke could only nod. His hand reached out and gently touched the scars. I couldn't tell what was running through his head. "The horrors you've been through, and at such an age." His eyes were sad. Sad for me.
I grabbed his hand, "Do not pity me," I warned him. "I'm just a stronger person because of all of this. That's all there is to it."
"If you think we'll be safe, than I trust you," he said.
I nodded and smiled. "Good. Now, I'm going to go shower and we can go."
He nodded, "Ok."
Now that I had told him everything about me, I was feeling even better about the two of us. No more secrets.
