All out of Energy

she/her, SINF fan, hanging on by a thread

[morefictionlesslife]

Till death brings us together (part 3)

Aoife/Niten

“I doubt I will ever be ready for you, my dear wife.” Aoife’s cold dead heart, that hadn’t been truly beating before teasing the blood-soaked Japanese on a battlefield, did a flip.

She grinned wildly, tears and pain already forgotten, at him before turning to her sister at the front row. “Scatty, you know what to do.”

The redhead nodded and enthusiastically jumped up from her seat to set up the stage. Aoife smiled at her little sister for this reminded her of their time before the fight. Always understanding each other perfectly even without words. When the words and ugly emotions came that’s when it all went downhill.

The guests were also curious as to what was going on and began to whisper amongst themselves trying to figure out Aoife’s plan. She was convinced nobody could guess it. It had taken her such a long time to think of something appropriate to represent her feelings for Niten. He deserved the absolute best.

“And now, I am beginning to worry,” commented her husband behind her back. “Prometheus, did you know about this?”

“I may have,” answered her uncle slyly. “These two can’t use their auras safely without guidance. You know that.”

Niten’s face fell. “Aura?! What?” He demanded from his wife. Aoife rolled her eyes at him. Even she had every intention of ending this ceremony, the vampire wouldn’t organize anything dangerous.

“Is it safe?”

The woman teased the swordsman: “Niten, you just swore you weren’t going anywhere, no matter what I do.”

Scathach, having finished at the back, pushed the annoyed Priest out of the way to make room for the rare artifact. She placed it at the altar just a stone's throw away from the smiling bride and confused groom. The weird looking light blue crystal shined, that was almost as big as Aoife’s entire head, brightly at them.

“You can’t just…” began the Priest protesting but was cut off by Aoife.

“Silence, humani! If you want to leave here alive, you will not interrupt.”

The Priest scowled at the warrior: “And I remind you, you need me to register your marriage.”

Niten stepped between them to block the Priest from her view.

“I am not going anywhere, I’m just wondering whether I should begin evacuating the guests,” explained the groom dryly while putting his hand onto the vampire’s back not really caring about the unwritten rule. Aoife stomped down the full body shudder. If he moved his hand even a little bit higher, he would be touching her skin. It reminded her of a night few days ago. Similarly, Niten had ran his hands across her body whispering things Aoife never thought she’d hear form anyone’s mouth let alone Niten’s. They had left a burning trail only to be soothed by his loving kisses.

The heat in her eyes must have given her thoughts away, because Niten’s gaze darkened and to the vampire’s disappointment he removed his hand completely.

Scatty’s fussiness drew them back to the present. Aoife nodded at the crystal. “It’s not that…bad.”

“Aoife?” wasn’t the Japanese convinced.

“I hope. It’s my vow to you. A moment ago, you wanted to hear it.” The redhead approached the man with a cunning expression.

Niten sighed: “If it ends up killing everyone here, then no.”

“It will not, I promise. I practiced, but I couldn’t finish it as it can be done only once.” Aoife saw how the man tried to figure out, what she had planned. Her love’s dark eyes were desperately trying to come up with an explanation. His gaze switched between her and the crystal.

The need to always be in control, she understood it perfectly. But even if her dear husband had a week to figure it out, he still wouldn’t succeed. That rare was that artifact Aoife had spent most of the preparation time hunting down and calling in favours from almost every Shadowrealm there was. Some gods had turned into dust a long millennium ago, but the vampire had found a way to communicate with them only to be a little closer to the crystal.

If the bluish stone wasn’t kept alive through myths, she doubted any humani here would even begin to comprehend its purpose and value. Even the Elders questioned about its existence and powers. But as it has been featured in many stories, some more misleading than others, it was generally known to be a source of great power. The only reason nobody was making any connection just yet was that its appearance changed in every story. The general theme was the grander the better. Aoife scoffed, stupid humani, they didn’t know that often the most invisible gadgets were the most powerful.

The warrior’s gaze landed on Niten’s robes. The dark spots on his kimono left by her tears seemed to tease her. The vampire wrinkled her nose, when she remembered the embarrassing break down just a few minutes before. In a normal setting she would have died before acting like a damsel in need for comfort, but Niten’s words had an interesting effect on her. She never did have the strength to not be affected by the Japanese. And now, he had sworn he would never leave her.

Oh, how long had she secretly longed to hear those words? Every time they had separated something had stinged in her chest refusing to leave her alone. Before Rika, it did not make sense, after, she ignored it on purpose, even denied it. There was no reason for the vampire to hope, said her head. But the heart never listened, desperately pleading the icy warrior to do something about her feelings she once swore she didn’t have. Was better not to have. Prometheus’ encouragement helped Aoife to open up, not see only the negative outcomes, give her love a chance. What if Niten felt the same way? What if she had a chance? He had spent his entire immortal life by her side. Would she had done it if she didn’t have feelings for someone? What if he died before she built up the courage to express herself? And then a darker thought, what if he fell for someone else?

The same time those good thoughts entered her mind, the bad ones, the ones, she unfortunately actually listened, got hold of her, too. The dark shadow wrapped itself around her most intimate feelings feeding off those unanswered prayers. It whispered: there was a reason Niten was by her side – because she didn’t leave him alone; if he had feelings for her, then why hadn’t he confessed; he will leave her like Scatty, like everyone else. He would be disgusted by her if he knew. After all, why was she alone, if she didn’t deserve it?

And scariest of them all: what if her loving him was the reason for his death?

But the thing was, Aoife wasn’t alone. She never was, after him. Niten was always there. If not by her side, then waiting for her always ready to help. And now, he cleared all her doubts and defeated the shadow inside of her. And in response, she would never question his feelings again. She just needed to learn to let herself feel freely. Now, that was a challenge, but she was Aoife of the Shadows and not one to back down.

So maybe, just maybe, she was allowed to be reassured and held in public just this once and she didn’t have to be ashamed. Ultimately, this was the result of Niten’s vow in which he promised to dedicate his life to be by her side. She’d allow it. Only this time. For Niten.

“Hey, lovebirds, it’s ready!” shouted Scatty trying to seem to be over of their disgustingly sweet whispering but failing.

“Thank you,” said Aoife sincerely to her sister, who just nodded, but couldn't help but tease the bride one last time before the marriage.

“Are you absolutely sure?”

“I have thought about it entire month and haven’t changed my mind,” answered Aoife.

“Oh wow, entire month, huh? Because that’s such a long time, eh?”

“Shut up!”

The bridesmaid looked at Niten analysing before stepping even closer to her sister. Scatty took Aoife’s hands in hers and squeezed. “My brother-in-law could be much worse,” she commented eyeing the man watching them fondly, “but not much better.”

“No, indeed not.” Aoife had no doubt she had the best husband anyone could ever want.

Once Scatty was in her seat, Aoife scanned the restless crowd. They had not heard what was going on for quite a while now and were restlessly conversating amongst themselves.

“SILENCE!” ordered the vampire with the voice she usually used to command soldiers on a battlefield. The younger immortals jumped but battle-hardened warriors like Niten didn’t even flinch.

She began in a quieter tone that still demanded respect: “Now, you all know I am not very good at talking. I prefer actions over meaningless words.” Aoife turned to her man. “So, today I,” she smirked, “have prepared a little spell.”

“A little, really, Aoife?” came from Scatty that earned her a deadly gaze from their uncle, who was once again in the verge of tears, and hung on Aoife’s every word.

“Hush!” scolded the older twin. The bride considered herself to be older, in her mind at least.

The vampire looked at curious Niten. “You said I say many things without thought and I have to agree. I tend to do that…unfortunately…so with my vow I promise to dispel all your doubts about my feelings for you. So, when I say some stupid thing again,” she raised her hands, “a vice I will try to work on,” getting back on her main topic, “you can think back to this moment and never doubt me again.”

“I would never,” vowed smitten Niten trying to control his smile. Aoife’s first reaction was to scold him for making her blush, but then she realized she really didn’t mind the Japanese’s lovely comments. It did, however, remind her the playful teasing in the changing room, when he had mentioned a possibility of him giving his attention to another. The vampire’s blood boiled at the thought of it. She had finally defeated the darkness inside of her that would have fed this train of thought and had no intention of letting him go. Unless he asked of course. She may have been a vampire, but she wasn’t a monster. At least to him. Maybe to everyone else.

The Priest had given up on trying to stop them from interrupting each other. He stood in a place where Scatty had pushed him and waited for his turn with a sullen expression.

Aoife took the centre stage while moving closer to the glowing crystal. “Alright then, I advise you not panic,” she said to the exited guests. Some were wary, some were leaning closer, some were preparing to shield themselves with auras. “It will be…quite shocking to many of you, but I promise you I have everything under control.” Hopefully, she added in her mind. No, not hopefully, certainly. She had a duty to their guests to control the crystal, and she will do it. No mistakes allowed.

Aoife slipped into her army leader mindset to protect her soldiers, in this case, the audience. They will be safe. In the worst-case scenario, she had a plan to destroy the crystal, if something went awry. With this she turned decisively to the crystal. She noticed Niten approaching her worriedly, apparently not convinced.

“Niten, do you trust me?” Not for a second doubted the vampire in his trust for her, but she wanted him to see that she had chosen this.

A pain flickered in his eyes. “Of course, I do. But I don’t need anything but your words for the vow. You don’t have to make the most amazing act. I just want you.”

“Niten,” she said quietly, “I want to.”

The man nodded understandingly: “Then I will accept your vow.”

Aoife smiled at him once more and attempted to begin her surprise, but a voice she hadn’t expected stopped her.

“Child,” said her grandmother, who knew very well, what she was about to do, even if she wasn’t included in the plan. Nobody could hide anything from the Witch of Endor. The vampire looked at her grandmother with wide eyes. Their relationship was not as rosy as hers was with her uncle. Most of the time the Witch gave her quests to complete. Aoife had a feeling that Dora preferred Scatty over her and was proved right many times. The bride was also certain that her grandmother was here so she could see if Niten was up to their family standards or something like that. So, she was quite shocked hear her to ask her this: “Are you sure?”

Her voice sounded almost like caring. The vampire had no other words than: “Yes, grandmother.” Dora nodded and was apparently satisfied with the answer. Aoife waited to confirm there was no follow-up question or comments, but nothing. Dora waited for her to continue. Even Niten was cautiously watching the interaction from the sidelines. Aoife would have teased him about his fear of her grandmother, but she had bigger problems at the moment.

As Aoife was taken aback from the interruption and was still in the same place, her grandmother decided to take the matters into her own hands. “If you are so sure about that man as I suspect you are, then what are you waiting for?” demanded Dora. This brought Aoife to the present. The vampire answered by calling her aura to her.

Aoife’s grey aura she hadn’t used for quite some time apart from practicing for today came to life and got mixed up with the blue light coming from the crystal. With a moment it created a shield of greyish-blue aura around the woman and the altar. Niten, who stood the closest, was also left out from the circle, but just barely. It appeared right in front of his nose making him step back purely from instinct.

And in that same second almost everyone recognized the artifact, only Billy the Kid asked out loud: “What is that?”

It was Niccolò Machiavelli, who answered with an admiring tone: “It is the crystal of the god Zeus according to one myth; it belonged to the god Marduk of Babylon according to another one. No one really knows where it came from, only that it possesses great power. Anyone, whose powers have been awakened, can make three requests from it. The crystal forms a shield around the asker to protect them from outside influences. At least from the direct attacks. That is why it is recognized. No one knew what it looked like. I have searched everywhere for it, but it was lost to history. I wanted to add it to my collection. If I had known to look for a blue crystal, then maybe…”

Lost to mankind, but not to Aoife, smiled the vampire. She had everything under control so far. The crystal had not acted up, but the next part was going to be challenging as she had not practiced that part. She had no way of knowing what to expect.

“I am Aoife of the Shadows, and I have called you out to make a request.”

From inside the crystal a strong tired voice asked taking some of the guests by surprise: “And what is your request?”

Aoife turned to Niten without breaking the continuous flow of aura around her. The man was dumbfounded as he stared back with an open mouth. The vampire grinned at her husband, who she was finally able to render speechless.

To call him hers made Aoife happier than she had ever been.

And with that, she had regrets nor doubts about what she was about to do.

Aoife turned back and stated her wish: “I, Aoife of the Shadows wish to bound myself to an immortal human Miyamoto Musashi also known as Niten.”

There were gasps, and shocked cries. Aoife didn’t know exactly what that wish entailed but knew without a shadow of doubt that she would embrace everything. And if something went wrong, she still had two other wishes. That was her escape route if need be.

It may have been a little extreme even for her standards, but she had always preferred actions over words, and it had of course nothing to do with her lack of skills in that area. Aoife could say the sweetest promises and vows, but all of those paled in comparison to her feelings for Niten. So, as she pondered over, what she should say in her vows, the vampire decided to act instead of talking. And that was how they go to that situation.

“Aoife!” said astonished Niten outside of the shield, his dark eyes wide. “You don’t know what it will do!”

“And a second ago, you accepted my vow,” teased the vampire. “And this is it. My vow.”

The man huffed. “Well, I…” His amazement and confusion were quite adorable. Always in control this husband of hers. Not this time.

According to Aoife’s research, this vow of bounding should make her his companion in every Shadowrealm and every time, if they somehow got thrown back in time like her sister and others had been. This crystal had power in every corner of existence. To Aoife, it wasn’t enough to just make their union official in the humani world. She wished her soul, if she had one, to always be bound to Niten’s. To show she was his person. If that was how the crystal worked, remained to be seen. Her studies had revealed little about the bounding process itself.

To her, it was just declaring things as they already were. Aoife had known her heart and thus herself belonged to him for a long time. She had been his even before she had a name for her feelings. It had been quite the challenge to let herself consider and explore them in a world full of danger. And it took even longer to voice them to Niten.

It was sometime in May 1883, when Aoife found herself chained to the volcanic crater on the island of Krakatoa. While it was an embarrassing thought to be had, she had to admit that she was stuck. Properly. Those half-serpent half-human looking Nagas had captured her quite dishonourably lurking behind her back and striking with poison when she wasn’t aware rather than fight with her face to face.

Aoife grimaced as the memory of her weakness washed over her. The vampire had let her guard down for one moment and the consequences for it were there in an instant. To be fair, she had been preoccupied with helping one humani child escape from an excruciating death. An act directly influenced by a certain Japanese. A year or so ago Niten had told her how he thought that every life had a value and proving it by playing with his own life to save another. It had been right after the incident on Rika; Aoife’s feelings were a mystery even to herself at that time and it stuck with the vampire. A man usually so calm and collected had almost yelled at her. His sharp words cut through Aoife like a blade. Especially as these were last words Niten would say to the vampire for a some time.

“Are you stupid? Why did you go back for a humani girl, who will most likely die anyway in the coming months?” she had screamed, because for a moment, she had relived the horror she had felt in Rika. How could Niten sacrifice his life for some nobody? How could he have left her for some humani?

Niten, face dirty from smoke, coughed, and took a moment to compose himself after having placed the child in her mother’s arms. He rubbed his hands against his eyes making them even more smudgy.

“Because that’s who I am, Aoife, I couldn’t just leave her to die, not when I could have done something,” had the man finally had enough and snapped. He came to stand right in front of the woman and looked at her disapprovingly. That hurt. “And then she will die in the coming months giving her still more time.”

“More time to do what? It’s like hell out here, like some of humani like to call it,” argued Aoife for absolutely no reason. She acknowledged that. Niten was alive. But the cries of the townspeople about an Asian man storming into a burning house and not coming out still rang in her ears.

“Then it is hell, but maybe she will live through it. Something she never would have done if I had just sat there doing nothing!”

“You could have died!”

“I could die every time I enter a new Shadowrealm. I could die every time we encounter a god you had angered. I could die in a million different ways. This one, at least, would have been my choice, and I would not have regretted it!”

This one… had been his choice. Had previous death deifying experienced not been his choices? She thought they had cleared that misunderstanding on the cliff.

“We both have at least a dozen times been very close to death,” said Niten trying and failing to clean his burnt clothing. His garments are always so proper and not a spot on them.

“Oh, I remember,” spat Aoife angrily remembering how the arrow had pierced the man.

“Saving entire Shadowrealms and being in much worse conditions than now. And you even promised me to bury my body in Japan if my death were to occur. I know that in Rika I acted on an impulse and could have solved it so that none of us was harmed. I understood your anger. I don’t…I don’t get what’s do different about this time? Or the time before? Lately, I have a feeling you don’t trust me anymore. There is always something I do wrong in your opinion. And then you lash out without a second thought,” uttered the man spreading his arms in question. “Was it this time because she is a human?”

Unfortunately, Aoife didn’t focus on the important part in Niten’s explanation, which was him experiencing the lack of trust from the warrior, but chose to study her own thoughts instead.

Really, what was so different this time? In all those other times Niten mentioned, she had been right beside the man, knowing if they could fight their way through, she could patch him up. However, thinking about them now, the vampire realized some previously unnoticed stupid acts from the Japanese. For some reason she had behaved totally different then, not caring about his injuries too much. Why?

This evening, when the house almost exploded in flames before the vampire could even try to get close, her heart stopped. Just like it had done on Rika. And just like it had done with Scathach. She didn’t even consider who he had run to save, Aoife only cared about the fact that for a moment she thought he had died. That was the real reason she had been furious today. And the time before that. No matter how tough she was and who she had defeated, even Aoife of the Shadows could not bring her loved one back from death.

When had Niten become so important?

And only then she noticed what she had called him. When had that happened? She was in a big mess.

Being deep in thoughts, she failed to give the Japanese an answer. Aoife was still processing her feelings and Niten looked miserable, but the woman barely noticed his expression fighting ultimately losing battle within herself.

No, she couldn’t have been in lo…she stopped herself from even thinking it. No. It was impossible. She was just confused. That had to be it. Right.

“If you hate us humans so much then you should not have chosen one as your travel companion!”

Wait, what?

“What?” said Aoife stupidly not catching on. She hadn’t listened to him for a while being too busy denying having any romantic feelings for the swordsman. What was he saying?

“I will not stop saving humans just because you hate them. Even if the time earned is just a fleeting moment for you meaning nothing, it means a world to them and to me,” said Niten quietly, trying to keep sadness away from his words, but Aoife heard it anyway. “And if you can’t handle that then I think…I think we should explore next worlds on our own. After all, it’s better when you don’t have an incompetent sidekick you have…” He didn’t have a chance to finish his sentence, before the woman interrupted him. If he had, then maybe things could have gone differently.

Niten was choosing them over her? Aoife froze for a moment. Those ungrateful undeserving thieves did not deserve his sacrifice, much less his life! What had they given him? Aoife had always had his back…well if one were not to count the injury, he got on that green invested Shadowrealm and the one time she had forgotten that he, in fact, needed to breath and couldn’t hold his breath forever, and that other time…But still she had saved his life many times as well! After their talk she been more cautious and paying him more mind than before. The thought about Niten being her bodyguard still cracked her up. It was idiotic.

The declaration was met with typical Aoife treatment for she felt betrayed. “Great, if you want to die for some humani then you are welcome to do so! I will not keep you from your true quest sheltering the nature-killing barbarians. Don’t come for me for help when they eventually show you their true colours, Niten!”

She turned her back to the man and stepped along the mud path raging before coming to a stop. But wait…Niten had been a human. Ah, she had forgotten that little fact. Again! The vampire closed her eyes in rarely felt shame. That was why he was so insistent on saving the girl. Somehow in Aoife’s mind, Niten was good and proud and loyal and competent. Characteristics she associated with humani were the complete opposite. They were greedy and honourless and unfaithful. The vampire was always amazed that they belonged to the same race when she did remember it. Maybe if Niten was human then someone other not a complete scoundrel could be born into the humani race. Maybe, just maybe, some of them deserved a chance.

She contemplated about turning back, and…what? Apologizing? Praising the human race to the skies and back? She had only…she had only been afraid.

This realization was a hard pill to swallow. Aoife was not afraid of anyone or anything, but she had become afraid for someone. The vampire worried for her little sister, but knew that those, who possessed a considerable danger to her, could be counted on one hand. Becoming attached to Niten, to a few hundred-year-old immortal human, unlocked an uncomfortable new series of fears. There were so many beings that could hurt him and use him against her. Perhaps, it was wiser to be separated for a while. Aoife of the Shadows couldn’t afford to be so vulnerable as to throw her life away for some humani. For Niten. Because the first instinct she had, when confronted with the fact he had entered a burning building, was to run after him, even in the face of certain death. And with all those new fee…no. There was nothing there. She had a heart only for Scathach and that was it. No one else was ever going to fit in there.

With a heavy heart, she forced her feet to carry her away from the Japanese. Unbeknownst to her and contrary to his words, Niten had stayed in the same place not able to choose the way. For the last couple hundred years, he had followed her to whatever her next venture was. And now, he was alone. Alone with his thoughts and unrequited feelings. And with regrets and a few tears. Waiting against hope that the vampire would come back. But a part of him that had shouted those words, could not take her mindless anger towards innocent people anymore, towards him these last few years for some reason and knew the separation to be for the best.

After a while he, too, chose to turn the other way, wondering if he ever saw her again.

Niten’s decisive words still ringed in Aoife’s mind a year later. Nothing had cut so deep in the woman since Scathach had screamed her last words to Aoife across the battlefield. The vampire had become accustomed to the man’s soothing presence by her side. He was good with people, a quality Aoife certainly lacked and had no interest in improving. Fighting beside each other had become naturally. They could read each other’s movement and decisions easily in fights, making them even more formidable enemy together than separately. She learned to trust him these past…what, two hundred and eighty something years. His decision to leave her and her accepting it left the vampire on edge. She felt as if he had taken a part of her with him.

An unusual feeling had filled the vampire. Everywhere she went Aoife began to see Niten. Not in the sense that she was going crazy, but in the sense that she knew he would have appreciated some paintings an auction sold, or a well-made sword. Once she even had made a comment to the man no longer with her before realizing her mistake with a miserable feeling she ignored.

That had led Aoife to saving a humani girl from street robbers and allowing her to accompany her to the town a two day walk away. An act Niten would have appreciated. It made her smile.

Where was he now?

No, she shouted to herself, you will not think about him. It’s not your problem to question his whereabouts. Even if he is dead. It’s not your concern. Aoife dismissed the pain when she thought about the man’s dead body. He was the one, who didn’t want to be by your side! He would rather sacrifice himself for humans. Remember that!

“Have you ever been in love?” asked the girl from nowhere in her native language.

Aoife scowled: “I am here to see you to your parents, not to amuse you.” She scanned the area while clearing her head from unwanted memories. Her vampire senses didn’t catch any movement or sounds that would have indicated trouble.

“I’ll take that as a yes.”

“Take it as you will. I care not,” the redhead brushed it off and considered abandoning the loud girl by the road. When had she, Aoife of the Shadows, began escorting humani for no price? She really had become soft.

The girl, Sampa, smiled and continued with the topic: “Assuming it’s a man, he must have been quite a specimen knowing he puts up with you. Or not, seeing you are all alone in the wilderness with me. Unrequited love is a…”

The vampire could barely hold herself back from revealing her vampire teeth, when she snapped at her making the younger take a step back: “And seeing my help is not being appreciated I could just leave you here by yourself. I’m not the one here needing a guard.”

“Alright, I’ll be quiet. For now,” held Sampa her hands up in a peace-offering gesture. Aoife rolled her eyes and went back to leading the way.

Then her curiosity and better judgement got better of the woman. After a few merciful silent moments, she decided to bring up the earlier topic herself: “What, did yours left you?”

“So, there is someone!” exclaimed the girl victoriously while jumping around like a mindless monkey. The redhead already hated herself for it. “I knew it! And yes.”

“Answer the question.”

“You didn’t answer any of mine!” said the girl with more attitude than Aoife had been used to. She needed to give Niten credit for mostly being a silent partner. Her nerves couldn’t handle the fiery child for one day. Imagine handling her for centuries. Aoife shuddered at the scary thought.

Sampa couldn’t contain her need to speak about her love life to a total stranger and so while declaring loudly the unjust situation, she answered Aoife anyway. “Fine. Yes, he did. I mean, thinking back now…I was a piece of work. You know. Never left him alone, I always needed to know, where he was and with who. I was quite controlling. I told myself, I was doing this to be a good partner.” She shook her head. “Actually, it showed him that I didn’t trust him. Of course, that came out only when he couldn’t take it anymore and told me right before breaking up with me.” The girl laughed about the irony, but there was no happy tone from before.

“It’s a funny because it was completely the other way around. I simply cared for him too much but took the wrong way to show it to him. I still love him. I hope he is happier now that I’m not with him.” Sampa finished with a sad face, but Aoife could tell the girl meant it.

Was Niten happier without her?

One part of her, the selfless one, hoped that he was saving humans left and right and doing things he yearned to do. Things, he couldn’t do with her, the dark part added bitterly. The selfish part wished that he missed her as much as she missed him. It wasn’t fair that Aoife imagined his reaction to every single painting and sword she saw, and Niten couldn’t care less about her.

Then the first part of Sampa’s story caught up with the vampire. At that moment, a rare occurrence occurred, and Aoife of the Shadows reflected on her past actions. She also had basically tied him to her after that time the swordsman decided to hide his injury from the vampire. Especially in dangerous situations. At the beginning Aoife didn’t care that much about the young Japanese warrior, but he was useful and a good fighter, so she allowed him to accompany her. Then Aoife got used to him being by her side, thinking he was there as a companion. Aoife couldn’t have imagined he thought something else entirely. After the cliff conversation, the immortal vampire realized his importance to her. And after Rika, she became vaguely aware of his importance to her heart. No matter, how she tried to deny it, the feelings surfaced from time to time. And with that, her reactions to Niten being at harm’s way, also became worse. Aoife snapped at him for every little cut the Japanese got and decision she thought had been stupid (read: life-threatening to him). She first didn’t even (want to) acknowledge, why she was screaming, why had every drop of blood Niten lost was so unacceptable to her. The vampire did everything in her power to convince herself that it was a friendly worry, no matter how her heart tried to fight against the idiotic claims. After Cuchulain she swore never to love anyone romantically again. It never ended well. Aoife of the Shadows did not need someone to love. She did not deserve someone to love. She would just destroy them as well. This mantra had accompanied her for centuries. Protecting her, and others from her. So, she almost unconsciously fought against the feelings she had not expected to feel again, never noticing when Niten had stolen her heart.

Not recognizing or lying to herself about her feelings had been one thing, making him feel unappreciated and untrustworthy was another. The vampire had never explained her recent behaviour to Niten, that it had been out of worry. That she didn’t think him an idiot (most of the time) nor that she didn’t trust his fighting skills. (Niten was still the only human, who had won Scatty in a duel.) Aoife…had been afraid for him. And her deep hatred for humankind certainly didn’t help to make him like her.

Now the vampire began to see, how her action may have appeared to the man. Not letting him out of his sight in a fight. If anyone had done that to Aoife, her first thought would have been that they do not trust her skills. If anyone had yelled at her for some crazy stunts, she would have yelled back at them for trying to control her.

Aoife swore in her mother tongue. When this adventure was over, she needed to find Niten and apologize.

“Now it’s your turn,” said Sampa cheerfully.

The older woman snapped: “I didn’t say there was someone.”

“Hey. That’s not fair. I told you my entire life story and you answer with that,” demanded the girl kicking away yet another tree branch from her way.

“The only thing you did, was to whine about your now non-existent love life.”

“Says the one spending time with me in a jungle and asking about a girl’s relationship,” answered the cheeky native. “And at least I have improved and acknowledged my mistakes, while you are still clearly in denial.”

The woman was this close to leaving Sampa alone in the wilderness as she got angrier by the minute and the strange smell the woman should have paid attention to, got ignored. Aoife turned her head away from the surrounding for one moment to approach the girl in a warning way. “Maybe I just don’t want to spill my heart to a stupid human girl! And if you don’t…”

“So, there is someone!”

“Shut…” Aoife swore as she deflected an arrow flying her way with a knife and pulled Sampa behind her. She quickly counted fourteen enemies emerging from the woods. The vampire put herself between the assailants and the girl. Fortunately, the way to her village remained empty and behind the warrior.

“Go, run as fast as you can! I’ll hold them off,” ordered Aoife pushing her down the muddy street, but the girl, as frightened as she was, was adamant about staying.

“Are you crazy you can’t fight with all of them? Let me help!”

“No! Run!” forbade the woman. “Now, Sampa!” She looked at Nagas one last time, before using her brain for first time in a while and deciding to let the vampire handle it. Sampa made a run for it. The village wasn’t that far, and Aoife was sure, the girl had the endurance to run straight to it without stopping.

“We don’t care about the humani girl. You are the one we want, Aoife of the Shadows,” declared the ugliest of the fourteen Nagas in his own mother tongue. Clearly the leader judging by his extravagant armour and the ornate weapon. His half-serpent appearance didn’t faze the immortal vampire one bit. Some of them were entirely in their human form, but some had chosen to show off their long serpent tail.

The warrior, who had one hand on one of her knives the entire time, pulled out both knives and made sure the Nagas saw that. She prepared to fight calculating which of the Nagas she should attack first. Their tails were dangerous, but the ones in human skin would have the advantage of manoeuvring more easily. “Many want me. It doesn’t make you special.”

“No, but defeating you does.”

And then she smelled it. Poison. The smell that had been subtlety creeping around her for a while. The vampire could have prevented getting poisoned by smelling the leaves in her pouch as soon as she caught it. Now it was too late for that. Her eyesight began waning and the strength leaving her body. She gripped her knives in a stronger grip, but she knew she could at most take down two or three Nagas before the poison would render her completely useless. Bunch of honourless cowards, they were too weak to defeat her in a real battle and instead chose to poison her. But swearing at them didn’t help her.

It was bad. At least Sampa got away. She hadn’t heard the Nagas go after her.

Aoife jumped on the nearest Naga slouching above a tall tree hoping to surprise him with her action. They probably thought poison would work quicker, but it wasn’t the first time, she had been poisoned by this. But she will make sure, it would be the last time. If she survived. Aoife sliced the throat of the Naga without second of thought before he could even comprehend, what was happening, and sprinted for the next nearest one. Her feet felt heavy, and her hands didn’t want to work, but with willpower she made it to the next victim, who pulled out his weapon a second too late. The vampire had already put the knife through his head.

Only then Aoife began heard orders from the leader about restraining her. Good, so they wanted to capture her, not kill. Not yet anyway. The poison was only basically a very efficient sleeping pill. From the smell she knew that this specific poison was harmless to humans so Sampa was not affected by it. This brought her more relief than it should have to an unfeeling vampire.

Her right eye lost the sight before the left one, but with the last of her strength and one good eye she threw one of her knives straight at the leader piercing his heart. The leader was dead before he hit the ground. A panicked shouting ensued, and the vampire smiled widely before her feet gave away and she felt the wet ground below her cheek. That will make them mad.

Her last thought was of Niten, and how he would have noticed the smell.

And that is how she ended up being chained to a live volcano with a very limited possibilities of escaping. She had thought of everything and concluded that without help, this could very well be her last resting place. Aoife had heard prophecies about Scatty’s end being somewhere in a tropical and warm place. Could her own fate be similar? It would be difficult to find somewhere warmer or more exotic than a volcanic crater.

She had been left hanging for a week or so. Maybe they hoped it would weaken her resolve or something like that. Truth be told, Aoife wasn’t in her best form, but Nagas were idiots, if they really thought this would accomplish something. She had gone without food or water or freedom far longer.

Steps and whooshes of tails echoed along the corridor.

Below her there was a stone platform that she could jump onto if she wasn’t chained. It wasn’t exactly under her, more like in front of her. Three Nagas appeared onto that platform. One was in a human form, other two remained half-serpent.

“Finally, I thought I was forgotten about,” commented Aoife, being bored out of her mind, and wanting to show she wasn’t that out of it to be incapable of humour.

The middle one, the leader answered: “We could never forget Aoife of the Shadows. Especially, when she is our guest.” His tail made circles on the stone behind him.

“A guest? But you didn’t even offer me tea,” said Aoife with feigned surprise. Tea reminded her Niten. Oh, how she missed him.

The serpent smiled: “With that you refer to your Japanese friend?” It was half question and half statement. The vampire froze. What did those imbeciles know of Niten? Did something happen between them? To her knowledge, Niten had not come across Nagas, but they had been apart for a long time. All those different thoughts ran through her mind, while she fought with herself. “He was great warrior, almost a shame of what happened to him.”

Do not give them the satisfaction of reacting. They were only bating her. Niten was fine and alive. Do not… “What do you know about him?” Her calmer side raged at herself, but she didn’t care. She had to know, what happened to Niten, her pride be damned.

The leader nodded to his right-hand man…right-hand Naga, and he went back inside the volcano. Could they have captured the man as well?

“You must know that this is your doing. His fate was your fault. The moment you decided to throw the knife at my brother you sealed his fate,” hissed the Naga. She decided to ignore comment about Niten for a moment and instead focus on the fact that the idiotic commander she killed earlier had apparently been his brother.

She said almost lazily not letting them know, how much the news of the man really hit her: “He was quite an incompetent leader. He assumed that the poison would take me down much quicker getting two of his team get killed, and himself. On top of everything, he was the one attacking me, so his fate was his own fault.”

“You dare talk to me about my brother after you murdered him!” yelled the Naga on the edge. The one behind him held him back.

Aoife yelled back and rattled the chains, whishing she could strangle the leader: “Your idiot of a brother chose it himself the moment he decided to challenge me! He was a coward doing so and died as one as well!” After that Aoife threw in some insults from her own language.

“And for that I killed your friend,” said the Naga after gaining back some self-dignity.

Aoife’s heart stopped.

No. That wasn’t possible.

He lied. It was quite a common tactic getting your prisoner to talk or just torture them mentally by feeding them false information.

She would not believe this nonsense. She refused.

The woman sneered at the lying snake: “Oh really. Many have falsely claimed to have killed Aoife of the Shadows or Scathach the Shadow, or Niten, and every single one of them have met with their demise for running their mouth. So, I suggest, you…” Her capability of speech faded away as the third Naga returned and dropped a familiar sword onto the platform with a clank that to Aoife sounded much more like a cannon shot.

It was one of Niten’s swords. It was without a doubt his and not a forgery. Aoife would know it anywhere. The sword was bloody and dirty.

“It’s his, isn’t it?” laughed the Naga. “He took down quite a few of my soldiers, but eventually I cut off his right hand and he had to drop his sword. I had hoped to bring him before you and then kill him here, but it would just not have been beneficial as he could have killed more of my men. So, I ended him then and there.”

Aoife was catatonic; she didn’t see anything besides his sword. Was that all that was left of him? Of the man she loved? Was this the last reminder of his existence that she will ever see? The vampire longed to hold the weapon. To touch something he had touched. She could imagine him holding it, wielding it as if it was part of his body. Niten would never have lost or even dropped it. Had they really killed him? Had he gotten killed because he had tried to rescue her? Was she the reason Niten will never find that right green colour or see Japan again? Aoife had felt guilty before, but that had been nothing compared to this agony.

“There is a saying in the humani world I quite like “an eye for an eye”. Unfortunately, I couldn’t get to your sister, so I had to settle for next best person.”

“For your sake I hope you didn’t do what you claimed to have done, because if that’s true then whatever end you imagined for me will be nothing compared to what I’m about to do to you,” threatened Aoife with dark, cold voice. Her body was calm, too calm for the Nagas, who had hoped for mindless yelling, maybe even red tears, something more than calculating stagnancy.

The leader Naga laughed at her. “Besides him, there really isn’t anyone to come for you, is there? Even your sister hates you. Quite an accomplishment to not make your enemies despise you, but your loved ones as well.” The leader was smiling proudly as he stated that.

It was hard to describe what was happening inside of her. A dark shadow had taken over her. Niten had died because of her. Because she thought it would be rewarding making the Nagas angry and reminding them who she was.

It hadn’t been her, who paid the price. It had been Niten.

The last thing Aoife had said to him was not to come back. The last thing she had given him was the piece of her mind for something trivial. He had been alive and well in front of her and she cursed at him. And she had been yelling at him for the past few years because she couldn’t handle her feelings and making him feel like she hated him. If he was alive, she didn’t deserve him. Not as a friend and not as a lover, like that was ever going to happen, her mind added bitterly.

It didn’t matter anymore. Miyamoto Musashi was dead. She wouldn’t even be able to fulfil her promise to him because she didn’t know, where his body was. She felt like she had failed him one last time. She was never going to have the chance to tell him that she was just afraid for him. To apologize.

To tell him she loved him. Truly and with everything this old angry heart was capable of. There was no point in denying it now. Somehow had the Japanese taken her heart for himself and he didn’t even know it. And now, he would never know. Niten had died thinking Aoife hated him.

And it was all her fault.

At that moment, she felt raging envy for Sampa, whose lover was alive. She would have a chance to apologize. She had a chance. Aoife didn’t. Her Niten was dead.

Red tears threatened to fall and give Nagas the satisfaction of seeing Aoife of the Shadows break down, but fortunately, before the unthinkable could happen…

Wait. A logical thought came to her through the dark angry shadow that had clouded her mind.

If he had killed Niten and tortured him like he said he did, why hadn’t he shown the Japanese’s body? Surely, this would have erased every counterargument Aoife could have had about him being truly dead.

“Where is his body then? Why show me his sword and not the body?” The Nagas shifted uncomfortably, not having an answer.

Aoife breathed out. It had been a ruse. One, she had fell for. It didn’t mean Niten was out of the danger for they did have his sword, but at least they didn’t have his dead body. The relief poured into her, making her take calming breaths. He was alive, she repeated in her mind.

“It unfortunately got left behind, and my men have not yet been able to retrieve it, but don’t worry, you’ll see it before your death,” exclaimed the leader, but the vampire didn’t buy it for one moment.

“Indeed. But you were fortunate enough to have his sword? Or even if it really is his. It could be forgery for all I know,” Aoife told the Naga. She knew full well it was the real one, but she hoped they would begin to defend it and reveal what had really happened.

But before Nagas could utter a word, the volcano began shaking and the grey storm clouds buried the sunlight from them. The leader demanded to know what was going on and again the third Naga hurried away. When the Naga’s attention was away from the prisoner, Aoife felt a subtle klick around her feet and the chains fell away. The vampire was smart enough to grasp, what was going to happen next. She gripped the chains, and just as she had predicted, the locks around her arms opened.

The volcano shook around them making it harder for Aoife to remain hanging. She put her feet against the rough crater wall and prepared to make the jump to the platform. Luckily, her captors were still trying to figure out, what was going on, to pay too much attention to her. They clearly didn’t see the missing chains around her ankles. Quickly, she did a few motions with her hands to wake them up and be ready to wield a weapon. The chains in hands, she could only do minimal movements, but it was better than nothing.

Aoife was about to make the jump, when the rumbling suddenly stopped and those two beneath her thought that she had something to do with it. Nagas turned to her to start accusing but noticed her freedom. Their eyes went wide, and they began yelling for help. After all, she was Aoife of the Shadows, and they had made her mad. She smiled.

It would have been better if the Nagas had run away and left her with an empty platform to jump onto. Now, if they try and successfully prevent her landing onto it, they could potentially push her down the dark volcanic crater. Unfortunately for the vampire, they saw the flaw in her plan and blocked the nearest part with their big ugly bodies. She could try and punch them out of the way in the air, but it was too risky.

She was just about to consider the possibility of climbing the crater wall, and risk falling, when a dark blue origami landed behind the Nagas and made them turn around.

Niten.

He was alive and had come for her. Even after everything. She felt the biggest smile she was possible of creating on her face and pure joy in her heart.

That was all the distraction Aoife needed for the Nagas to make the jump. The vampire landed gracefully on the platform and on the way to the bewildered Nagas she picked up Niten’s sword. The vampire ignored the pain in her hands for being hung for a week straight and forced them to work. The guard Naga reacted a second quicker and tried to stand against Aoife, but it was all in vain. The woman sliced his throat and stepped in front of the leader. She placed herself sideways, so she could watch the entrance from the corner of her eye.

Part of her knew she should end him quickly and escape, but the momentary blinding pain he had caused to her with his words demanded a longer torture session.

“Are you still vowing you killed Niten, or did you just happened to find his sword from somewhere?” said the vampire holding the sword on the leader’s neck. She also concentrated on the corridor that led to the crater to detect if anyone unfriendly was approaching.

The Naga shook his head. “I didn’t kill him.”

“Did you cut off his arm or tortured him?”

“No. Nothing like that happened. I swear.”

Aoife scoffed and pressed the tip of the sword just a little too close to his neck. Blood trickled down his neck. The vampire got immense satisfaction from that. “That’s what I thought, but you still lied to me. I cannot let that slide.”

“Please.”

“And you poisoned me and held me prisoner. It isn’t something I take lightly,” she reminded him ominously. She really should be going. The third Naga was bound to return soon with the news.

And suddenly the shaking resumed, and it was worse than before. Aoife planted her feet firmly on the platform to prevent any accidents as it shook below their feet. The Naga didn’t seem overly confident on the edge and his gaze jumped from her to the dark abyss below and then back to her.

It was clear she didn’t have the time to have some great revenge, and she needed to leave. Right now.

So, the vampire chose the easier way. She held Niten’s sword on his neck while she stepped closer to the scared Naga and with one precise push kick to his stomach and a smile, she kicked him off the platform. Aoife had to be satisfied with hearing his terrified scream as he fell to his death.

Aoife began sprinting towards the entrance as a group of four Nagas stepped between her and the corridor. She swore. She really should have killed the leader earlier rather than later, now she had to face them off on a limited trembling ground with her back being towards the crater.

Well, there went nothing as she decided to begin with the smallest and nearest Naga on her right, who, to her surprise, was able to block one of her strikes only to fall under the next one. When she turned at lightning speed to the other three assailants, she heard the familiar steps behind the last and biggest of the guards. The Naga wasn’t as perceptive as her and didn’t hear anything. The vampire didn’t need to look to know the person to whom the sword that pierced the Naga belonged to.

Niten took down one Naga as Aoife battled with the last one to the victorious win, of course. She didn’t allow herself to look at the Japanese before taking care of the last remaining threat. For now. Somewhere in this mountain an entire army of Nagas hid from the world, she was sure. And as battle-hardened as she was, even the vampire didn’t want to fight with them at the moment.

“Aoife,” called her the most wonderful voice the vampire had ever heard, and she turned to him. Niten stood there on the edge of the platform holding a sword that matched the one Aoife was holding. He looked a worse for wear; tired, dark circles below his eyes, hair unusually tangled, and a hundred other things, but he was alive.

Aoife’s first instinct was to hold him close, to feel his heartbeat and never let go, but as a big stone from the top crashed into the platform breaking a chunk from it, hugging had to wait. The dark abyss under them wasn’t that dark anymore and slowly began glowing. A thick black fog also appeared. This volcano was about to erupt.

“We need to go,” said Niten in Japanese, while already stepping towards the corridor.

“Agreed.”

The Japanese took the lead as the vampire had, embarrassingly, been unconscious, when she first arrived (was taken) here, and didn’t know which way was the way out. The whole place was breaking apart – corridors were full of pieces of stones, walls had cracks in them, and a few unlucky Nagas had been knocked out and were laying on the cold stone floor. The two didn’t stop for nothing and hurried towards the entrance of the volcano.

As they ran up the stairs Niten shouted: “When Prometheus promised a distraction, I had expected something less dangerous for us.”

“My uncle is here?”

“This whole eruption is his doing.”

“His doing?” yelled Aoife.

Niten, who seemed to agree with her reaction, said with a half-mouthed smile: “My sentiments exactly.”

After the stairs, they reached what seemed to be a big entrance to their secret lair, but thanks to her uncle, everyone had fled. Golden doors that led to outside were open, and one had been damaged by a fallen rock making it impossible to close it again. They ran through the open area but were slowed down as parts of the ceiling were falling all around them. Aoife had no intention of getting crushed by one of them. Niten shared that thought.

Still holding his sword, the vampire finally stepped out of the prison making a surroundings check, but it seemed all the remaining Nagas had run away, not prepared a surprise attack for them. Niten took a place beside her keeping an eye out for a possible danger.

He filled her in: “Your uncle should be waiting down there.” The Japanese pointed at the east coast. “We promised to meet by the boat.”

As they were out of the immediate danger Aoife turned to the man ready to…what? Hug? Yell? Kiss?

Then the loudest explosion she had ever heard came from the volcano along with eruption of ash. Oh, for Ancients sake! She just wanted one moment!

“This way,” said Niten with a sigh of his own and they began running again. Fortunately, the island was quite small for the immortal warriors at least, and they reached the beach fairly quickly. On the way they took down a few Nagas, but left those, who had run to the other side of Krakatau.

When Aoife saw the small fishing boat, she didn’t see a sight of Prometheus, nor any Nagas for that matter. She didn’t worry too much, because with the eruption the Nagas were disorganized not posing a threat to the great Lord of Fire. Aoife almost felt bad for anyone daring to cross her uncle, but then the vampire remembered the awful promises made by the leader. She hoped Prometheus would not be merciful.

“I guess we are here first,” commented Niten the obvious thing. He opened his mouth to say something else, but before that, he got an armful of Aoife, who pressed him tightly against her. Her arms were like vices around his neck when she hugged him, one hand still holding onto the sword that had earlier pierced her heart. Metaphorically.

Niten was shocked as this was one of those rare occasions when their physical contact wasn’t due to a sparring session or a desperate attempt to push the other away from harm’s way, but after a few moments, Aoife felt his arms coming to embrace her back. Strongly. She melted into him. If anyone had dared to touch him, she would have killed their entire bloodline and even race.

“I was afraid I was too late,” whispered Niten to her neck. Aoife started laughing completely inappropriately. He thought he was late? The vampire had to live with the thought of Niten being dead.

The man didn’t understand her bitter comparison. “Aoife?”

She shook her head. “Nothing. You came just at the right time.” Her laughter fell away.

Aoife could have lost this.

The vampire felt rage for the Nagas. How dared they imply they had killed Niten? Niten being gone? Unacceptable. His presence had soothed the raging fire inside her long before she even knew it. Without him, Aoife would be alone again, if she by some miracle didn’t smooth out the broken relationship she had with Scatty.

Aoife buried her nose into his sweaty, ash covered, perfect hair and inhaled his musky scent. Niten hadn’t loosened up his own grip on her one bit. His hands on her back brought her lithe body even closer to his so there was no room between them. They stood on the beach embracing each other for far longer than either of them were brave enough to admit later.

This amazing man deserved the world. Deserved better than her.

“I’m sorry,” slipped out from her mouth.

“For what?” asked Niten sounding genuinely confused. “For getting kidnapped?” Aoife grimaced about that fact. She still contemplated on how to explain her own idiotic moment.

This conversation needed to happen on even grounds, so she let go of him to catch his eyes. “For before.” Ah, that was going to be great. Aoife’s least favourite thing to do was talk about feelings and admit her wrongs, but for Niten, she had to try. He deserved it. And much more. “I had a…realization that I had not explained to you why I was yelling at you for…well pretty much all the time. Not that I should have done it.” She shook her head. “But you…”

What was she saying? That it was his fault, she couldn’t handle her temper? His fault? Nothing was Niten’s fault! Maybe his only fault was choosing to travel with and be known as the companion and friend of Aoife if the Shadows. He had almost been hunted down by Nagas now and been the target for everyone wanting to get back at her. That was, why she had referred to him as her guard that one time. And the idiot had believed her. NO! She hadn’t cleared up that misunderstanding.

She tried to start again. “Before we split up, there was a fire.”

“I remember,” said Niten quietly trying to figure out where this was going.

“And I yelled at you for…”

“…saving a human,” ended the swordsman her thought.

But Aoife said at the same time: “…almost dying.”

The Japanese was confused: “Huh? What?”

Aoife sighed: “That’s just it. I wouldn’t have cared if you had saved gods, immortals, or myself.” Her tongue became heavy. Now came the hardest part. But considering, a little time ago, she thought she would never have this opportunity, this was a blessing. “The only one I cared about was you. I was scared that you had died. It wouldn’t have mattered for who. I thought you were dead.” She hated the voice crack at the end. “Just like at Rika.”

The waves crashing into the sand and loud explosions from the volcano buried the irregular beating of her heart. The vampire looked away from the man to save some of her dignity. This was embarrassing! How did others talk about their innermost feelings on a daily basis? It was torture. No, she corrected herself, thinking Niten had died, was torture. This was her just being unused to being open. To sharing her feelings.

But then she gazed at the man again and the look Niten was giving her was doing something to her heart. She didn’t know what. She had never felt like this. Not with Cuchulain, nor with anybody else. The vampire desperately wished for the Japanese to choose to come with her again. To watch her back. To smile at her. To choose her over anybody else.

This was love, whispered her heart.

But he had chosen her. For so long.

And look, Aoife, she talked to herself, where it got him? When was the last time you asked him what made him happy? When was the last time you asked him anything that wasn’t related to the mission or yourself? And you claim to love him. You don’t know the first thing about love. If you knew it, then Scathach wouldn’t have left. After all, Cuchulain liked her more. She was more…humane, said the dark shadow in her mind. Even the Nagas had cruelly teased her about her lack of people willing to come to her rescue.

Niten had come, whispered the hopeful part of Aoife. The man in question was watching her like she was someone important to him. Someone had come for her. But then the self-hating part of the vampire took over again.

What right you have over this perfect man, it asked.

None.

He was better off without her. That was the ugly truth.

Her whole life Aoife had looked down on those who were too weak to acknowledge the truth. Not matter what it was. Most of those truths were the matter of combat, skills, promises and even loyalty, while some of them were harder to see. Why did the truth hurt so much now?

Unknowing about her inner demons, Niten’s dark gaze became filled with…hope? He stepped closer to her, so their chests were almost touching. Aoife thought he was going to hug her again, but the Japanese just watched her intensely.

Aoife forced herself to look into his brown eyes. Have they always been this gorgeous? This intense? They complemented his thick hair perfectly. The vampire wished she had paid more attention to the warrior in front of her in the past. How had she missed this? She pushed the fleeting thoughts away. “This…fear manifested as me yelling at you. As did many times before that. I don’t think you are a horrible fighter or a reckless hooligan. You won my sister when you were a…human.” Aoife was proud for remembering to change her vocabulary this time. “That speaks for itself. You are…you are a fantastic warrior and even more loyal of a person. And I made you feel like none of those things. I am sorry, Niten.” For the first time in thousands of years, Aoife of the Shadows meant those words with her whole heart. She hoped the man caught her sincerity from her voice. “You have a right to risk and lay down your life for whoever and whatever you want.” No matter how painful it was for her.

Then something magical happened – Niten smiled like he had just found the perfect green shade he had been looking for so long. Like he had singlehandedly saved every human on this Shadowrealm. Or whatever else made him so happy. Why was he doing that? Aoife had only apologized.

“I overreacted too, Aoife. The last time. I shouldn’t have put words in your mouth,” shook the man his head and his gaze turned sad.

“You had every right to assume I yelled at you because of the girl. I did.” She sighed. “I will never like them, but some of them…are not so bad, I guess. If you want to save humans then it’s better to do it together. If those you want to save are important to you then…it is enough for me.” She knew only one human she would run to save, but if Niten asked her…Aoife was tired of pretending she would say no. The Japanese was an excellent judge of character and knew what he was doing and for who. That was something, the vampire had sometimes disregarded thinking she would know better.

“Would you really?” came a surprised, but amazed voice from the Japanese, who without even realizing stepped even closer to her making it difficult for the woman to suppress the full body shiver threatening to take over.

Refocussing her attention to what he was saying, and Aoife realized how much she had let him down. When she had wanted to save a friend, she hadn’t even bothered to ask him if he was willing to lend a hand, but when Niten had done the same for someone he thought was worth saving, Aoife had only screamed at him.

To now see him so happy for something so little, something that should have been natural for a friend, broke her heart. Or for someone, who meant more to her. Another clear example she wasn’t worthy of Niten’s love.

The woman heard a familiar voice teasing her, laughing at her. He did everything you asked, no, he did everything you didn’t even ask, but assumed, and yet, you couldn’t even react supportively after he escaped death, whispered a dark thought. And you think you deserve his love. Pathetic, no wonder Scathach left you. Even Prometheus, your own uncle came only because Niten had asked him to.

Do you think you deserve to be saved? If you are foolish enough to fall for some cheap trick you deserve to rot in that volcano crater for all eternity. You swear Niten is not your guard; you find it ridiculous. But is it really that hard to see, where his thoughts came from when you treat him as your guard?

He will leave you just like your family and sister had. It will be surprising if he makes it out alive. Maybe Niten will die just like Cuchulain had. Because of you. Because of your love. Go on, tell him you love him and destroy the weak friendship he feels for you too. Do you think he wants some unfeeling, impossible, ungrateful bloodsucking creature to love him?

SHUT UP! Yelled Aoife in her mind. She almost voiced her feelings about bloodsucking vocally but remembered it had been in her head.

Suddenly, the vampire stood at the beach again and looking at Niten. Niten, who could have been anywhere else in the thousands of worlds but chose to risk his life to save hers.

It was time to try and salvage their relationship, whatever it may have been. While she was not sure Niten would want to rejoin her, she had to at least make clear his importance to her.

“I will not be a…” what was that humani phrase? ”…guardian angel for the human race like my sister is. Don’t ever think that, Niten. I still think they are greedy, self-absorbed, and all around horrible. But I will not have you lose your life when I could have been there helping you,” promised Aoife heatedly few moments later to the man still standing incredibly close to her. If he knew her feelings, he would not want her so near.

The Japanese’s left hand trembled by his side and began to rise. Before Aoife could even think where it was headed, it reached its destination by tucking a wayward lock behind her ears. His fingertips brushed the shell of her ear making it burn. Niten’s dark gaze wasn’t exactly helping the vampire convince herself to ignore her love for him. Because what if… The hand fell away. “I don’t hold every human in the highest regard, Aoife. I don’t wish to save everyone. I could never do that even if I wanted to. And I would certainly not have you risking your life for someone undeserving of it. While I will always save those in need, including humans, no one is more important to me than you. A human, a god, an immortal or myself.”

What? Huh? Had Niten really said that? Could that mean her feelings were reciprocated?

No, surely not. The Japanese had made his standings very clear by stating he felt friendship for her. But her stupid heart didn’t listen to her reasoning and began hoping.

“Eh?”

Niten began to laugh and with that retreated a few steps. A deep need to hold him to her went through the immortal. Please, don’t go. She had gotten used to his warmth. Her hand that wasn’t hold the sword twitched desiring to grab onto his hand. To brush through his hair, to tuck his lock behind his ear. When Aoife caught that feeling, she pressed her fingernails into her palm to punish herself. The vampire, having finally acknowledged that she loved that man, was in love with Niten, needed to control herself, needed to ignore those needs.

But maybe she didn’t have to. Just the thought of being the one Niten yearned for filled the vampire with an unparalleled joy. An image she hadn’t dared to think about too long before formed in her mind. They had just defeated the last enemies, and after making sure neither had serious injuries, Niten took her head between his hands, brushing through her unruly locks, and pulled her in for a kiss. It wouldn’t last long as they were on a dangerous territory and cavalry could appear any second, but this one moment would be glorious. To be reminded of his love once more.

The crash coming from the volcano broke Aoife out of her little fantasy.

“When I heard you were captured…you have no idea,” uttered Niten out with a pained expression.

Aoife being Aoife chose to make a joke. But also, to mask her own shame from Niten for that failure. The vampire was confident the man would have noticed the scent. “You thought how much of an idiot I was.”

“No. Now, maybe,” teased the Japanese with a small smile that fell quickly to make room for a much deeper sorrow, “but it wasn’t my first thought, far from it.” Not once did his eyes falter from hers. The next sentence held so much grief Aoife’s heart shattered. “I thought you were dead. Or at least would be before I could get to you.”

To be so important to someone, who was meaningful to her, was not a luxury the vampire had ever had. The twins were raised to depend on themselves, to not trust anybody. To never care. Especially about humani. They were tough, fearless monsters – they were warriors. Love and kindness were supposed to be the opposite of that.

And yet…Aoife of the Shadows would kneel for that man.

I will never let love have any power over me. It’s not worth it. Love can only ruin you.

Had she not said those words to Niten? Back then, she had meant them. But did she now?

Will her love for the Japanese be finally the thing that will destroy the mighty immortal warrior? Would it be worth it? Did she let it? Should she let it?

Aoife knew how disastrous this ordeal could turn out to be if anyone found out. Her enemies would use him against her. They already had. She had come to that conclusion even before the Nagas. But oh, how sweet and how difficult it was to think beyond the man owning her heart.

“You decided to come,” she whispered. Two sides were raging war inside of her. One complained the risks it would bring along and the fact that, in the end of the day, he may not feel the same, not that she deserved him anyway. And the other didn’t say anything, only made her feel.

Niten looked betrayed, and Aoife’s heart squeezed painfully. “Did you think I would not? Did you think I would let you die? After everything?”

“But I yelled at you. Repeatedly. And during our last…I wasn’t sure…” she ended raggedly.

At once, all previous sadness was wiped from the Japanese’s expression and replaced with frustration, as he made his way back to her. He stopped one step away, so his breath tickled her nose. “It hurts when you insult humans at every change. Yes, it wasn’t nice hearing how much of an idiot I was every time we fought someone. How much of a deadweight.” Aoife closed her eyes being remembered this absolute crap she threw at him at one point. She had been a horrible person. That yelling had been worse than her usual tantrum. “You are absolutely impossible most of the time. But even when we fight, it does not prevent me from lo…caring for you. I will always come for you.” She caught a hint of anguish in his face. “Would you not?”

“I would burn entire Shadowrealms for you,” she swore without hesitation. “I already have.”

I will always come for you. This wasn’t a promise between friends, and family. Not with that tone, and gaze. Could it actually be true?

“I know.”

Aoife admitted: “I thought you would keep away because the truth is you are better travelling without me. There are so many times you got wounded because I wouldn’t keep my mouth shut. You said it yourself the last time.” It was the man’s turn to close his eyes for a second, while his lip trembled. “I thought you had finally recognized this. And left me like everyone else. I wouldn’t have blamed you.” She felt her eyes getting wet, before quickly blinking them dry again.

Niten grabbed her forearms with a quickness that had won him many victories on battlefields and in duels. The sword, he was still holding, was safely manoeuvred around her arm and lithe body. His grip was strong, but not painfully so. It would be too easy to lean in and capture his lips. Aoife hadn’t noticed, when her gaze had fallen on them. “Aoife, surely you must know…” The stormy sea swallowed his next whispered words or…had he not said them at all?

“Know what?” she breathed. “Niten?”

He dropped his head to whisper to himself in Japanese: “No.” No, what?

Aoife repeated: “Niten?”

He let go of her.

It was the opposite of what she wanted.

Niten backed away like every step was hindered by a powerful spell. The man opened his mouth, then closed it while looking at her with a desperate gaze. The sword hand moved making the weapon shiver a little – a movement Aoife hadn’t witnessed since Niten had been a mortal and…unsure?

“That I…”

For a moment, time stopped as the man, who had been in her shadow for so long, finally had her full attention. As she finally saw him. She saw the young warrior, who stood strong at the Battle of Sekigahara defeating one advancing enemy soldier after another with a deadly precision. She saw the often-silent man, whose mind and wisdom were well beyond his years leading him to write several books on martial arts that even Aoife had read. She saw the competent companion, who had supported and saved her more times than she could count. And she saw the man, who she had let down.

“That you…what, Niten?” came out a whisper, half hopeful, half afraid. She snuck closer to him with small quiet steps. The shiver in his hand increased, but he didn’t back down. A burning sensation overwhelmed her, when the Japanese’s dark gaze followed her every movement. Had he done that the entire time? Always keeping her in his sight? Almost a possessive satisfaction ran through the vampire at the thought of being the only thing on his brilliant mind.

The sword in his hand stood still once more as the man broke the eye contact with the vampire ruining the moment. The swordsman explained hastily: “That I, too, fear for you. I care for you.” His words fell flat.

“As a friend,” he added. With that her heart stopped beating.

“I know that and you already said that at the cliff and now,” huffed Aoife while turning away from him angry at herself for expecting something else. She kicked a small rock to the water trying to swallow her disappointment. The splash sounds the rock made when it fell to the ocean echoed the vampire’s non-existing useless heart getting a beating from her brain to stop with wishing she could have something with Niten. She spit out: “Otherwise, you wouldn’t have stayed after the cliff. After the monster called Aoife released you from her service.”

As a friend.

Aoife scanned the area, because both had been preoccupied to pay attention for some time already. Nothing. Nothing that would end this terrible conversation. She swore in her own language and with her left hand reached for the knives to distract herself by cleaning them only to discover her belt empty. Those ugly beasts had taken her best knives or left them at the battle place. She ran her mouth again. The swordsman followed her, like always, and offered quietly: “I found two of your knives, but I left them in the boat.” The vampire didn’t know if she liked the fact, he could read her so easily or not.

As a friend.

Well, at least she didn’t need to concern herself over the beacon their romantic relationship would become for her enemies. Things would continue as usual. She would be his friend and the Japanese hers. The word burned in her mind.

Friend.

Aoife would just ignore her feelings. Niten saw her as a friend. She really thought…his words made it sound like…

You didn’t deserve him anyway, the voice was back to its nagging.

“Aoife?”

“What?” snapped the vampire thoughtlessly before turning to meet Niten’s gaze. Seeing his shoulders slump and eyes portraying sadness reminded Aoife every single time she had yelled at him before. She quickly reprimanded herself and added softer: “What is it?”

“Did I say something wrong?”

“No,” she shook her head. “Never.”

Niten didn’t need to pay for her unrequited feelings. Not again. She would learn to live with them. If that’s what it took to keep being Niten’s friend, then that’s what she would do. Aoife wouldn’t risk their relationship. Losing Niten would not be worth it, especially when he had stated his feelings so clearly.

She would keep him safe. Even from herself. She will not lose him like she had Cuchulain.

“So, what have you been up to?” tried Aoife to correct her earlier ways of only caring about herself.

A stupid grin found its way to the Japanese face: “It’s more interesting to talk about your adventures. When I was searching for you, I found your human friend – Sampa.”

“She got away?” demanded Aoife while having a huge weight lifted from her shoulders.

“Indeed, she swore a redheaded warrior faced a horde of lizard men saving her from dying. Her description of your bravery made it almost seem as you weren’t human,” teased Niten a little too happily.

“She is exaggerating,” stated the vampire drily, while secretly beaming at the fact that the girl was safe.

“She helped me find you.”

Aoife exclaimed: “She did?”

“Yes. She led me to the place where the Nagas attacked you. Which leads me back to the topic of you being drugged,” said Niten with his tone abruptly getting heated. Aoife felt like a little girl again being yelled at by her uncle. “How could you have been that unobservant? Not even you can protect yourself while being unconscious! Why didn’t you have an antidote with you?” While his words definitely were harsh, his face portrayed his worry.

She couldn’t possibly tell him the truth about basically dreaming about the Japanese. As for the antidote… “I didn’t have the necessary components to make a new one. I used the lasts of it some months earlier. You are the one who supply us with the red powder. I don’t know where you get it. So, I couldn’t mix a new one,” defended the vampire herself. “Before humans spread across this Shadowrealm we didn’t have these problems. I have no doubt that Nagas got that damned foul odour from them.”

“It’s called the death by rose, Aoife,” corrected Niten her with a sigh and took a glass container from his clothes. The redhead tried to figure out where that had been hidden, but suddenly the man took her hand and put it in hers. “Take it. I have another one.”

“Why do you have another one?”

“Because if you search someone you only expect to find one.”

“Not me.”

“Not everyone is as experienced as you in this matter. Ancient’s help us if we had another Aoife,” teased the man. “Oh, wait…”

The vampire shook her head. “Hilarious, Niten.”

“Only as a precaution before I teach you to make it on your own. It was a mistake on my part.”

But that implied…Aoife asked hesitantly: “You are coming with me?”

“If you want.”

“Yes.”

Before she could smile, a loud explosion was heard from the volcano Aoife had been held called Perboewatan along with a cloud of steam and ash. The island’s two other cones stood still, but one eruption was enough to cause considerable damage and make it unbearable to stay on the island. They needed to get away from there, and fast. Where was her uncle?

“By the way, how did you lose your sword?” asked Aoife while handing the Japanese his sword back. She headed for the boat, Niten behind her.

“I had a confrontation with the Nagas when I was investigating your disappearance. They managed to knock it from my hands.”

The vampire hmphed. And for that she had suffered unnecessary thinking Niten died. She would have applauded for their genius to use it against her if it weren’t for the fact that she wanted them dead. “Well, don’t lose it again.”

“Alright, as you wish, my lady, I will sit in an impenetrable box for the rest of my immortal life. Not being in any danger and not losing my weapons again.”

“Hmph,” was her only reaction as she jumped onto the fishing boat. The Japanese couldn’t contain his amusement and laughed out loud. Aoife wanted to hear it every day for the rest of her life.

When the swordman had also gotten onto the rocking boat he said in a more serious tone: “Let’s face the facts. We both are going to be facing death rather sooner than later. The least we could do is to not scream at each other.” The vampire, knives in her belt once more, turned to her love. White ash from the cone fell to both of them leaving the couple even dirtier than before, but there was nowhere Aoife of the Shadows would have rather been. He was her home.

“You are right. We will both die one day. But I would rather die fighting than have a long pitiful existence. And you have every right to wish that too.”

“Unless it is not noticing an obvious trap.”

“I already said I’m sorry.”

“I’m just so glad you are alright.”

“Me too. Me and you. We both survived, again,” remarked the vampire.

“That is what we do.”

“Until someone worse comes along.”

“Worse than us together?”

“It’s hard to believe, I know.”

The waves polluted with ash washed ashore near the boat, bringing the first dead sea creatures onto the beach. This was only the beginning. Soon this whole part of the world would be polluted. And the immortals really needed to get moving. Where was her uncle?

An ancient warrior emerged from the trees still holding his sword soaked in blood.

“Uncle,” cried Aoife, and barely held herself form launching herself at him before he reached the boat. Niten stepped back to let Prometheus hop onto the boat. Only then jumped the redhead into his arms.

Prometheus kept saying her name over and over again. The Japanese watched the interaction with a soft smile but kept an eye on the crater and potential Nagas, who despite everything survived and decided that it would be a smart move to try and attack them.

“You don’t realize how worried I have been, my girl. When Niten reached out to me, saying you had been captured, I feared the worst,” the big man placed the younger one onto her feet, but didn’t let go of her arms.

Aoife said bashfully: “You know me, uncle. I don’t die so easily.” She had every intention of playing it off as a minor inconvenience like she usually did. She was Aoife of the Shadows, and no one could kill her and so on, but something stopped her that moment. In the past, besides her uncle and maybe, it was a very big maybe, Scatty, no one would have cared if she had died. Only those who had the “honour” of claiming her life would have been thrilled to show off their achievement. Now…it seemed that a certain Japanese would have been affected. Niten would have been distraught if his earlier words and actions were anything to go by. Her life wasn’t as expendable anymore as it once had been.

A glance to Niten’s direction. “It was a close one, this time. I don’t know if I could have escaped on my own. I would have tried, though,” she couldn’t help but add, lest she looked too dependent on others, which she wasn’t.

“Then it is good that you have finally found someone good for you,” commented Prometheus cheekily and took two big steps to stop in front of Niten. “Thank you for looking out for that little rascal.” Aoife rolled her eyes. “I know how she can be. But we both know she is mostly worth the trouble.” The Japanese gave her a small smile.

“Uncle! I’m right here!”

“Indeed,” ignored the human her. Then Prometheus bowed down to whisper something into his ear. All of their senses were extremely enhanced compared to ordinary humani, and listening on a conversation two meters from her was absolutely no problem. However, Aoife didn’t catch what he was saying to Niten because of some intricate spell her uncle frequently used when he wanted something to stay secret. It took a shape of big cherry placing the conversationalists inside and the vampire outside. She pursed her lips unhappily.

Whatever it was the Japanese’ face went bright red, and he whispered something back which was unfortunately blocked by her uncle’s shoulder, so the vampire wasn’t able to read it off his lips.

“I think we should get going if we don’t want to build another boat,” said Niten diplomatically as he very carefully distanced himself from the Lord of Fire and the radius of his spell. “I’ll get her going.” The man’s dark blue aura sprang to life as he commanded the ocean to carry them away from this wretched place.

The vampire held onto the railing as the tiny vessel took them into deeper waters. As the first target had escaped Prometheus’ clutches, he took on another one. Using the same silencing spell, he leaned himself against the railing beside her. A red aura bubble appeared around them, shutting Niten cleverly out. Her uncle began with a strange sort of amusement: “Aoife, tell me everything.”

“What do you mean?” Aoife brushed it off and tried to feign ignorance.

“Come now, my girl, I may be old, but I have eyes and senile I most certainly am not. How long have you liked him?” The younger redhead cursed. She thought she had left with every feeling related conversation at the beach. Aoife was not in the mood for another discussion about whatever her uncle had in mind.

“Uncle! I do…I have no idea, what you are talking about!” defended the vampire meaninglessly. They both knew the truth. Prometheus laughed wholeheartedly catching Aoife off guard. She demanded: “What?”

“I have often thought, who will eventually win your heart. Because I had no doubt that one day it would happen,” he exclaimed and put a hand over her shoulders pulling her niece to him.

Yes, and what good did it do to her, she thought bitterly. Aoife wished she never fell for the Japanese. It would have been easier.

Despite her acknowledging it in her mind the vampire couldn’t possibly come clean to him. “I didn’t say I am interested in Niten!” defended the vampire loudly, but making no movement to try and distance herself from Prometheus. Aoife had missed Prometheus – it had been a while since she had seen him. He was one family member that still communicated with her and even his endless teasings could not make her enjoy his company less.

“You didn’t have to, Aoife,” laughed the older unaware of how his innocent remark affected his niece. With that sentence a sudden fear struck Aoife and her whole body became rigid. Her hands turned white because of how tight she was holding onto that railing. If her uncle could see this, then her enemies could as well. Strategically it was as bad as it could get. Oh, why did she have to be in love with him? It made everything so complicated! Immortals weren’t meant for love. Aoife should have never let him follow her in the first place.

The younger whispered: “Then I have to do better.” If she loved him – it would be a death sentence for the Japanese. She had to hide it, even better – deny it and hope it would go away. While those wishing her harm would target Aoife’s friends as well, a loved one was still much more valuable. The vampire needed to keep Niten at an acceptable distance. This would keep him safe better than her closeness. If she could fell out of love with Niten – that could work as well. But looking at the man in front of the boat she already knew that was not going to happen. He had just taken her heart and refused to give it back. The less reasonable part of the vampire didn’t wish it back, while the strategic part of her mind begged her to reconsider her attachment. It could only end in a tragedy.

Prometheus, who had no idea of her inner struggles, became confused. “Better?” He let go of Aoife and shifted her by the shoulders to face him.

The vampire avoided the eye contact her uncle was desperately seeking. “Yes, hide them better and later get rid of them.” She swore at herself. “So stupid!” Prometheus frowned, question on his lips when the younger got ahead of her uncle. “Feelings…these have never ended well for immortals. They put you at a disadvantage in our world. I don’t even know why you are so excited about this.” The older’s expression turned sour as he finally grasped his niece’s thought process. “You should reprimand me not encourage or whatever it is you think you’re doing.”

“You do not tell me, what I should do, girl,” came a sharp answer from Prometheus. In a second the redhead shifted from a warrior to a girl under her uncle’s reprimand. Her face dropped. He continued in a softer tone. “Indeed, it is difficult to find love in our world, but that makes it so much more valuable, Aoife, doesn’t it?”

“I am not focusing on finding, but on the inevitable outcome. For the chaos it causes. For the people in the relationships and for their families.” The argument with Scathach was fresh in her mind. “Nothing good can ever come from it.” If she repeated them frequently enough, she might even begin to believe them.

“Yes, it can,” debated her uncle grabbing the younger one by the shoulders.

Aoife gave a bitter laugh. “Well, I haven’t seen nor experienced it. Every love story I hear about ends in some catastrophe. Especially for the immortals. The last and only time I let myself feel anything romantic I lost Scatty and Cuchulain. If I hadn’t, maybe he had lived, and I would still have my sister. I am not losing Niten like I lost Cuchulain. I am not taking that risk.” Not a day went by that Aoife didn’t regret turning her back to her little sister both literally after their fight and metaphorically by falling for the same warrior. She should have known better. That was part of why she was in Earth shadowrealm most of the time. One day, her sister will need her, and she will be there. Dora had promised.

“Niten is not Cuchulain, and you are not competing for Niten’s affections with your sister,” reminded Prometheus trying to reason with the stubborn redhead. “It ended badly with Cuchulain because of many different factors. One of those being you not being able to communicate and jumping to accusations. Not that Scatty reacted any better. My point is that these two situations cannot be compared.”

Aoife looked at the distancing island covered in white dust and dead sea creatures lying on the beach. Eruptions could be heard regularly from the volcano and a huge ash cloud covered most of the island. Her red hair danced in the wind as some water droplets found a way to her ruined clothing. The vampire didn’t care about any of that.

Even if her uncle was right about the situations differing, there was still one concern that couldn’t be underestimated. “They will use him against me. I can’t let that happen.”

She felt Prometheus’ forearm against hers as he too watched the destruction of once beautiful island. “Niten can take care of himself, Aoife. Who was it that needed rescuing a few moments back?”

“That is not the point, uncle. And of course he can.” Aoife peeked at the Japanese steering the fishing boat confidently through the rippling water. The swordsman gave them space by standing with his back to them. His glorious dark blue aura the redhead had come to associate with familiarity and even safety spun around him. Out of instinct she bit her nails.

“You fear of what may happen to Niten,” stated the older with a sigh.

“It already did.”

“What?”

“The Nagas claimed they had killed him. And if I can’t keep my feelings in check then it will surely happen again and that time it may not be a bluff. Even being my friend is putting a target at his back. I cannot deny him that. I don’t want to. But being the one Aoife of the Shadows loves is basically a death sentence.” The warrior already knew that. She had known that her entire life and yet saying it out loud hurt her more than she was ready for. Nobody could ever gain anything from loving her. “I will unnecessarily put him in even more danger than I already have.”

And he doesn’t even want you to love him. Are you not ashamed, Aoife of the Shadows, mocked the voice. It was right.

As a friend, came Niten’s earlier words to haunt her conscience. Aoife doubted she would ever forget them. She sighed at the painful reminder that he didn’t see her anything more than a friend, even if rationally thinking the outcome was ultimately better, safer. If he meant less to her the Nagas wouldn’t have had a trump card over her at the volcano.

Aoife saw her uncle’s eyes widen and then it hit her – it was the first time she had used the word “love” out loud while talking about Niten. She turned her gaze back to the ocean, but it did nothing to erase her words. The vampire cursed in her mother tongue. Admitting that didn’t help her forget or at first just ignore her feelings. Her hands began to tremble.

“Sweetheart, you really love him, don’t you?” whispered her uncle with almost an amazement. She refused to look at him and instead gripped the handrail. Prometheus observed her for a moment. “Aoife, my dear…loving that man may, yes, make him a target, but don’t you think, even if it is for a short while, it’s worth it? There are many good things that come out of this as well. How it ended with Cuchulain was unfortunate and I can see how it distorted your view of love, but I believe being with Niten can change that. Do you not think that even one week, a day with Niten, would not be worth everything?” Not his life. “If you succumb to your fear, you let your enemies control you and that is not Aoife I know. Niten is a wonderful man who has stood with you through many hardships. I know he can make you as happy as you deserve to be and make no mistake, I wouldn’t give my niece to someone not deserving of her.” The Lord of Fire was not in any way done with his speech when Aoife cut him off.

The vampire shook her head. She couldn’t let him go on. “No, you don’t understand. Even if I blow caution to the wind and believe that love is worth it, there is also the fact that he considers me a friend. Niten has said it many times. Including today. There has not been any indication that he feels something romantic for me.” The vampire ignored the voice break. Aoife should have been happy for it kept things as she intended – same – and yet the hurt she experienced when the Japanese had uttered the word “friend” came back with full force. She would just learn to ignore that even if it tore her insides apart. Aoife forced herself to continue: “I care too much for him, care too much for our friendship to let my feelings get in the way. And in the long run of things – it is better. He has more sense that I do, apparently. I don’t know what I was thinking.” The last sentence was directed at herself.

“Considering how he almost begged me to help rescue you, I doubt he has no romantic feelings for you. The poor man was at his wits’ end.” Aoife closed her eyes for a moment. Must Prometheus make it harder for her? Give her hope? The vampire had already decided that nothing could ever occur between them and now there was only the matter of dealing with her love. Her uncle stepped closer to her and looked at his niece with a sharp gaze. “I see him,” he pointed at the Japanese, “caring for you almost as much as me or Scathach. When he reached my door all bloody and ruffled, the first thing he said was your name.” Aoife glanced at Niten with her heart at her throat. When she doubted if he even thought of her, he was busy organizing her rescue. Perhaps…

But a friend could also come to your aid, added the dark voice inside her head. She really hated that the voice was right all the time.

Aoife exclaimed: “Then why didn’t he say anything at the beach? If you say my feelings are so obvious, why doesn’t he see them?” That took Prometheus by surprise and the older man was once in his life speechless. “Exactly. It’s because he doesn’t feel the same. He is only doing this,” she gestured vaguely at the island, “as a friend. And you are just imagining things. I am going to act same as always, with some improvement. It has come to my attention that I had been a possessive idiot.” The last words were muttered quietly under her breath.

After that there were some moments of silence while both assessed the situation. The vampire leaned on the railing with a sour face. On one hand, she was still sure there can never be anything between them, whether it be just logical choice for their lifestyle or because Niten didn’t want to be in a relationship with her. On the other, Prometheus’ reasoning got to her. The Japanese definitely cared for Aoife, and it wouldn’t have been that much of a reach for these feelings to become romantic. And what if it was worth it, like her uncle had said? But that was only if Niten did accept her, she thought bitterly and brought her left hand to her lips.

While Aoife continued to vigorously bite her nails, her uncle tried to make sense of his idiots’ feelings. Both of them. He had been certain that Niten loved Aoife, the Japanese’ every decision had pointed to that. The vampire’s name had been constantly on his lips and on his thoughts during their way to Krakatoa. It took considerable effort to keep the younger one calm when the Lord of Fire himself didn’t feel very confident. Prometheus didn’t see the immortal human sleep once. While the Japanese didn’t state his feelings, his actions did it for him. Prometheus had been certain. At least he was to the moment when Niten had escaped his clutches before mumbling something about being a good friend, when the Lord of Fire had tried to get a confession out of him, only then had his certainty wavered. And then he hears his niece bringing up every reason there was to keep her feelings to herself. Perhaps this could apply to the man relentlessly steering the boat. That also reminded him that they should probably end this conversation rather sooner than later lest the Japanese think they were talking about him behind his back (which they were).

“What if he does but also keeps his feelings to himself for some reason like you?” questioned Prometheus suddenly making the younger’s heart stop. Aoife didn’t move. The moment on the beach came to her mind for the nth time. How had she wished that Niten would have confessed? If he had, Aoife could not have denied him anything. Did he know how much power he held over her? No, she scolded herself, it is better he doesn’t. “In that case, you confessing will be a positive thing. He deserves to know how you feel.”

“Uncle…”

“Maybe before you think about what hypothetically could happen, you should consider telling him. If he truly does not see you that way, which I don’t believe, at least you know for certain. And if he does – you both will be the happiest you have ever been. And you would make your old man delighted to know you are loved,” told Prometheus to her in a joyful manner. The vampire shook her head to get rid of the hopeful images her brain was coming up.

Do you really think Niten would want to know your disgusting feelings, said the dark voice.

Prometheus’ advice was sound. She would know for certain that he was absolutely revolted by her. Aoife whispered: “If he knew he would leave me.” And there was the ugly truth. And rightly so, she added silently. “We would not be friends anymore. And that is unacceptable to me.”

“He would not leave you,” answered Prometheus with a head shake. “I promise you. Being friends doesn’t mean it couldn’t grow into something more. You call him a friend and yet here you are feeling much more for Niten than mere friendship. It can evolve and probably has for both of you.” That was what had come to her mind before, but dark thoughts cut the hope rising in her chest to pieces.

Lies, you know he would never feel anything for you. Just like Cuchulain – Niten would never choose you. And then he would get killed, because of you. How many times has he already gotten hurt because of you?

No one could ever love you.

“But why take the risk?” asked the vampire with a shrug because her inner voice got to her making the Lord of Fire grit his teeth. “Things are fine now. There are too many reasons for me to be silent about this anyway. Too many reasons for it to go awry. It is safer for both of us.” Aoife will respect and support Niten’s decisions regarding his own life and sacrifices, but she will be damned if she puts him in a tight spot because her love no matter whether the reason is his feelings or some else’s decision about using him.

“You take the risk because it’s worth it!” The older man tried his best to stay calm when he just wanted to shake his niece to reason. “There is so much that love can give I dearly wish for you to experience. Niten also hasn’t denied having romantic affections for you.”

“Oh yes, because everything that hasn’t been denied is true,” snapped the younger. “I refuse to gamble with our relationship!” The redhead didn’t even know why she was arguing at this point bringing up the same point again. Perhaps the thought of going to Niten and admitting her feelings was too much to bear and she hid behind excuses which she was running out of. Aoife of the Shadows and hiding? It made her scowl.

When the pair had returned to the boat, the vampire had already decided to never reveal her innermost thoughts to Niten. Now, Aoife’s ironclad belief had begun to crumble against her uncle’s fiery words. What if it was worth it? What if he had been wanting to confess at the beach, but changed his mind at the last second? What if her uncle was right?

But what if Niten watched her with disbelief and barely disguised revolt?

Lord of Fire’s hit the railing a little too hard making the Japanese glance at their direction because the boat rocked suddenly at their side. Seeing there was no immediate danger he turned back.

Prometheus stated almost to himself: “I will get nowhere with this.” Then continued louder. “Well, at least you accepted your feelings. I guess that’s a start.”

“It’s not a start, but things to get rid of!“ spit the vampire out setting them back to square one.

“So, by your logic, Niten is better of being your friend.”

“Without a doubt.”

“Mhm, so if he falls in love with someone else, he would be…”

Crack!

A hot white jealousy cut through Aoife’s body at the thought of someone else catching the Japanese’s attention. Who would dare? She would tear them limb by limb. Image of Niten smiling widely at some faceless woman and caressing her cheek made her want to throw up. It didn’t help that they were on a rocking boat.

When Aoife looked down at her hands, she was holding a piece of a railing. With the aura bubble the Japanese hadn’t heard her breaking it. She shut her eyes for a moment. How was she going to explain it to him? Prometheus sighed for nth time: “Aoife, you can’t only claim to be his friend and then not let anyone else get close to him. He is your equal, is he not?”

She answered absentmindedly still thinking about that woman she just conjured up: “Of course he is.”

Prometheus waited for Aoife to look at him before asking: “Then why don’t you treat him as such?” The vampire opened her mouth to refute the claim, but something heavy in her heart silenced her. Seeing the older’s severe look in his eyes, Aoife took a step back as it would make accusation go away. The Lord of Fire didn’t relent and gave her a piece of his mind. “You decide he doesn’t need to know your feelings. You decide his life is more important than the years you could have together, if he feels the same. You decide it is better; you aren’t together.” Aoife wanted to cover her ears as every word tore her soul open a bit more. She opted for staring at the water that went by her slower and slower indicating Niten’s strength running out. “You have already decided everything without even giving him a chance to voice his opinions. Niten is not your subordinate you need to protect. He is your friend. The man you love. If he decided everything, I just mentioned, himself, without consulting you, how would you feel?”

Honest answer to the question would be that she would call him an idiot, among other things. She would feel betrayed.

These questions and accusations were similar to the ones she had been faced with about being Niten’s friend. Smothering him, making decisions about his life for him, thinking she knows, what’s best for him. Aoife hadn’t learned like she believed she had. She had done the exact same thing, what she swore she would not do.

Aoife felt her feet give up under the weight of everything finally making sense and understanding that she never really treated him as an equal. Even the guard thing that had brought so much frustration to Niten had come to be because it had been easier for her to protect him that way not giving it much thought after. Which had been a grave mistake. She should have said that this was her friend and anyone she called a friend was a force to be reckoned with and let those idiots deal with it and believe that Niten could take them on. Like she expected him to have faith in her.

And now Aoife was giving him no chance at all by hiding her affections from the swordsman. Because it was safer for her to hide them and be his friend than to risk losing Niten and taking the leap. It wasn’t fair to him.

It was Niten’s life, not hers. No matter how important it was to her. Her feelings were hers and his feelings were his. And part of that was letting him live and die as he wanted. Giving him a chance to answer to her feelings. No matter what that answer may be. It was his choice.

Prometheus caught her by the arm quickly enough for her to not completely embarrass herself and gain her footing. “I’ve been a coward,” whispered the redhead words she has never said before. It was a hard pill to swallow, but it was the truth.

“No, just afraid. For him, for yourself.” Her uncle brushed the unruly lock out of her face. After that he rested his hands on the vampire’s forearms. “It’s normal to care for you loved ones, but we also have to realize that we cannot protect them infinitely.”

“I know that I just…have been so afraid of losing him. Not just as a woman, who loves him, but as a friend also. Never realized that it was that exact behaviour that pushed him away the most,” whispered the vampire finally wrapping her head around her behaviour towards the Japanese. All of it. “I thought I came to terms with them at the beach, but that had been only one part of it. I still…” She couldn’t finish her throat suddenly closing.

“Here, here,” comforted Prometheus Aoife by pulling her into an embrace. The redhead hid her face in his chest, hands gripping his clothing. “In our world, it takes more courage to let yourself love than to fight on a battlefield.”

“I don’t know how to stop myself from trying to protect him. I am Aoife. I am always the one who protects others. Well at least those who deserve it,” muttered the woman as Prometheus stroked her hair.

“It’s not about not protecting him but letting Niten in and believing he can hold on his own. Treating him as you expect him to treat you. Truly. Let him be your equal,” taught her uncle gently. “He is feared on his own and has a fearsome reputation almost challenging your own. Not quite, but for a human, that’s quite an achievement. He defeated your sister. You don’t question Scatty’s skills in battle, now do you?“ Prometheus gave her a playful smirk.

“Alright, aright. I get it.” Aoife pulled away and looked Niten’s back as the Japanese’s blue aura dissolved and the man leaned heavily on the railing. The sunlight making him almost ethereal in Aoife’s eyes. “I should tell him, shouldn’t I? No matter what may come?”

Perhaps it would have been more reasonable for Aoife of the Shadows to try and get rid herself of every distracting feeling, them being friendly or romantic. Perhaps it would have been strategically a more logical choice. Being the unfeeling vampire everyone sees her as. It certainly wouldn’t have given Nagas a leverage over her. But it also would have meant no one would have come for her. There would have been no Niten with his ridiculous blue origami that made her smile like a stupid girl. Without him she would have hung inside the volcano still. There were positive things to come out of their companionship as well. Not that she didn’t know it, but she hadn’t really concentrated on them before, choosing to only see the negatives.

The redhead was tired. Tired of denying how important Niten had become to her. Tired of ignoring her heart every time he looked at her. Tired of pretending she did not want him in her life.

And Aoife had finally found her equal after nine thousand years. If there was even a slight chance that Niten would accept her, everything that would come was worth it.

“Yes, however I will not force you, if you are not ready yet,” said Prometheus behind her back. He walked in front of her and partially blocked her view of Niten, which she did not appreciate. “Equality doesn’t mean you have to spill your every secret right this second. You have the right to speak with him when you are ready. You have a right to your own decisions, just don’t decide Niten’s choices yourself.”

With that it seemed their conversation was finally ending, but Prometheus just had to get one last confirmation. “Just tell me one thing,” began her uncle before she could exit his little aura bubble suddenly having overcome with want to be at the swordsman’s side. “If Niten said the words you desire to hear. If it came to that, will you say yes to him? Or would you even then concern yourself with might happen and ruin both of your chances at happiness?”

So, on a small fishing boat in the middle of nowhere Aoife said words that she never would have believed she’d say and mean them wholeheartedly: “Out of all my accomplishments, it would be my greatest honour to be Niten’s wife.”

No matter how long it may last, if the Japanese proposed Aoife would not be strong enough to deny him. Despite all of her past experiences and excuses why it was better to not have a romantic partner in their world Aoife’s heart would always beat only for Niten.

But he deserves better than you. Aoife agreed silently.

“Promise me that if you still have feelings then and want to be with him when he proposes you say, you’ll yes to him.”

“I promise.”

“Alright, now I just have to convince Niten.”

“Uncle!”

Unfortunately, Prometheus’ encouragement didn’t last long enough. Through the years quite a few times had the confession been at the tip of her tongue, but old fears held her back. What if Niten rejected her and cut off their friendship because of her feelings? What if it only sealed his fate? What if he accepted her and then realized she wasn’t worth it?

Sometimes there was a specific look in the man’s eyes that almost confirmed his own feelings, but later, when the vampire thought back at the moment, she convinced herself she had to have imagined it. The dark voice inside of her didn’t help the matter. Always discouraging and mocking her, telling Niten would be disgusted by her. Aoife swore to herself that she would tell Niten, when the opportunity arose. It never came and then she saw him bleeding out on the Golden Gate Bridge making all of her previous fears nonimportant.

The present-day Aoife of the Shadows stood at the altar on a sunny day near the ocean with her soon to be husband and she couldn’t believe how foolish she had been. This moment was everything. Even if they died right at this moment, which she sincerely hoped didn’t happen, she would have been content to have experienced this. Maybe Prometheus had been right about this.

The bride felt the memory bring up previous thoughts that she’d never revealed to Niten. The black cloud of doubt that had finally been expelled by the end of the swordsman’s vow had held her back so many times throughout the century. Now, Aoife felt free to express her thoughts and love. She felt light and not haunted by endless “what if” questions. Of course, they were going to argue and fight, but at the end of the day, she knew that Niten wished her to be by his side.

The vampire maneuvered carefully not breaking her aura flow to face him. She said while holding Niten’s teary gaze: “I thought so much about what could go wrong that I rarely considered the positives. Love, romantic love, had always been a weakness in my opinion. It has only ended in loss. So, I fought with tooth and nails to keep you and myself from the same faith. Until you laid dead in front of me and I realized that I had let others, my fears and even your imaginary refusal dictate my choices. And it had cost me everything. I should have told from the moment I knew it myself that I loved you. But…I have never been good with feelings. Especially expressing them.”

Aoife didn’t even know in which language she had spoken, but Niten had understood her perfectly. The greyish-blue aura cocoon didn’t diminish his handsome features in the vampire’s eyes, so she saw the few tears drop from his chin at the podium.

When she continued her voice sounded awfully watery, but confident. “Now I am finally ready to proudly say that I love you, Niten. Come what may because of it I believe you can handle it. And if not, I will be happy for every moment I have had with you.”

The blue crystal and its protective cocoon began to pulsate bringing the vampire’s attention to the front of the altar. Her green dress fluttered because of the light wind caused by the crystal’s power. “Your wish will be done,” declared the same tired voice but now there was an age-old power behind these words. This was said in response to Aoife’s wish to be bound to Niten.

The redhead turned back to the crystal, which prepared to fulfil her wish. She spread out her hands and closed her eyes getting ready for whatever it took for her to be bound to Niten in a way no humani could comprehend.

The vampire opened her eyes in a surprise, when she felt someone reach for her hand. She met with the dark gaze of her husband who had somehow gotten inside the circle. Niten brought her right hand to his mouth and whispered before kissing it: “Together.” Love was evident in his eyes and Aoife thought how had she missed it for so long. She had been so blind by her own self-hatred.

The aura field added dark blue colour to its colour scheme. The flow began from his right hand. “I also wish to be bound to Aoife of the Shadows,” said the swordsman to the crystal.

“Niten, are you sure?” was the vampire taken aback squeezing his hand. When organizing her vow, she had not once considered that the Japanese might want to be bound to her as well.

The swordsman stepped closer to the vampire. He put his right hand onto her back, still unfortunately avoiding her revealed skin, and using his hold to pull her flush against him. Cutting off his aura flow didn’t seem to have any effect on the field and Aoife’s left hand found a place on Niten’s shoulder after stopping hers as well, while the other one was held in the man’s hand. Their joint hands rested above his heart. The redhead could feel his heath radiating through their clothes and the moment in the dressing room came to her mind. “Aoife, I want everything with you.”

She believed him.

Niten’s gaze held hers and his lips mirrored her own smile. “Well then, husband, don’t let me keep you.”

“Oh, I’ll plan on letting you,” answered the Japanese deliberately literally. For the displeasure of the Priest, who was sitting beside the altar with a sullen face, Niten leaned forward and stole a quick kiss from Aoife before stepping away to let the crystal do its work. The vampire took her previous position beside Niten and on an impulse grabbed his left hand with her right one. The Japanese had no protests.

The crystal’s light began shining lighter and lighter until Aoife had to shut her eyes but did not let go of her husband’s hand. It was good, because when her feet didn’t touch the ground anymore, she could feel that Niten began suddenly floating too.

The vampire struggled to open her eyes because being helplessly stranded in the air did not bode well with her. Before she could overcome the heaviness in her eyelids Aoife’s chest was being ripped open. Or at least, it felt like it. The vampire gasped audibly, but was proud to say, she did not scream. She didn’t know if Niten beside her did. Her ears were filled with rumble caused by the bonding making it impossible to hear anything else.

In a few moments the feeling in her chest was replaced by a warmer, a more pleasant one. Her chest was put back together, and she could finally open her eyes. Aoife had to do a double take because there was a glowing yellow (Niten could probably name its exact colour) string connecting her and the Japanese hearts. The glow spread all across her body basking her in a very comforting and familiar feeling. It took a few seconds till it hit her. It was Niten. That’s what it was. His aura, his scent – Niten. The glow turned to dark blue on her end and grey on his.

The altar beneath Aoife’s feet appeared almost too quickly for her to not fall flat on the ground, still in shock because of the bonding. She managed to catch herself just in time. The redhead put her hand on her chest to confirm it was still there. The glowing string had disappeared, but the feeling of Niten had stayed. However, it was diminished a bit.

Niten was just as disoriented as she was and had fallen to his knees gasping for breath. “Do you…” began the Japanese his question, but had no idea, how to phrase it.

“Yeah,” answered Aoife and stepped in front of the man to help him to his feet.

The crystal’s protective aura circle faded away to reveal shocked faces of the guests. Nearest were Prometheus and Scatty who seemed to have tried to enter the bubble by force. Prometheus had his red aura and a part of his armour visible, and her sister had grabbed a chair. One part of it laid on the altar and another part was in her hand.

“Are you alright? We saw you two float!” ran Scathach to them followed by their uncle. She looked them up and down for injuries and then give a deadly glance to the crystal as it could see it.

“Their souls are now connected,” explained the crystal, “as they wished. And both of you have now two wishes left.”

Aoife could not not point out one important thing. “Technically it was one wish just said by two different people. So, it should only count as one.”

“It will count as two, mortal,” rumbled the voice in answer.

“Mortal?!” felt the vampire extremely insulted along with Scatty. Niten put his hand on Aoife’s back to try and calm her.

“For me, all of you are mortals.”

“Did you hear this thing?” turned Aoife to her three companions. Some laughter could be heard from the audience. The redhead remembered each and every one of those who had the gall to laugh to later kick them out.

The crystal pulsed angrily and warned the reckless bride: “Refer to me as “a thing” again and I will have you begging, Aoife of the Shadows.”

“Well, it is thanks to me you are even here and talking. Without me you would still serve that old antique dealer in Shanghai.”

“Aoife,” cautioned Niten raising his hand to her upper back touching her bare skin.

The Japanese’s tone and something new in her chest that felt a lot like the man’s calming aura brought her fiery mood down. “One and a half wishes?”

“Two.”

“That old goat,” snarled Aoife under her breath not really mad. However, it didn’t happen every day that the vampire lost an argument. After a moment she said to her husband: “I feel you…No I felt you just now.” The redhead had felt Niten’s growing restlessness and the need for her to calm down just a moment ago, but now the feelings had subsided leaving only a pleasant humm.

Niten asked addressing the crystal in a respectful voice: “You said our auras were connected. What does it exactly entail, besides the obvious?”

“For every being in every world to recognise your union it needed to be something more profound than a piece of paper or rings. Something that is with you always and cannot be erased by lesser beings.”

“Lesser as in…” began Scatty in a suspicious tone.

“Everyone is a lesser being to me.”

“And I thought I was the humble one,” commented Aoife drily. To Niten: “The crystal called us lesser beings.”

The swordsman whispered: “Aoife, this…being called everyone a lesser being. And we are not at the top of the food chain.” He had yet to drop his hand from her back seemingly forgotten about it, but the vampire would rather pretend to be a bloodsucking vampire than remind him.

“So, we feel each other’s emotions, right?” clarified the redhead.

The crystal answered: “Only strong ones and in time you can learn how to shield them if you wish. Right now, the bond is still being developed and harder to bend to your will.”

“That is an advantage in a fight,” was Aoife’s first thought about their newly developed connection. Niten seemed to agree with a nod his brain going to warrior mode.

“That is true.”

“Communicating without words? If we had that when we fought with that water nymph, we could have easily defeated her,” remembered the vampire one extremely vicious nymph who had a thing for Niten and after his rejection went mad. It had been close call for them both.

Her husband shook his head smiling before continuing with inquiry. “Any other effects we should know about?”

“I predict plenty, but those you have to discover for yourself.”

“And why can you not tell us?” snapped the redhead.

“No one pair has survived the bonding long enough to tell me.”

The audacity of this crystal! While Aoife had expected the process not exactly to be smooth sailing, she thought that if surviving was a gamble, the immortal crystal or whatever it called itself would tell her first. “And you didn’t tell us that before because…”

“You didn’t ask.”

The Japanese cut her ensuing insult off by remining her: “We didn’t.” Aoife wondered if that had been caused by the bond and the emotions he could feel, or did he just know her that well to assume she was going to yell. Probably both.

“But to reassure you, the others were in a worse condition by that time,” said the crystal a little too happily. “So, do keep me posted on your developments so I can warn the others, who ask, next time.”

“Posted?”

Scathach asked with her eyebrows raised: “You have an e-mail?”

“Don’t be stupid. Every cultured being uses mirrors.”

“Here we go again,” groaned Aoife and Scatty at the same time.

“Thank you,” said Dora her firsts words in a while.

“If the crystal calls me stupid one more time…”

“You’ll do nothing, because it will turn us into dust if you do.”

The crystals aura went down almost as if it had been powered down like one computer Niten had showed her a few months prior. The Japanese gave the guests, who had almost lost hope that the ceremony was going to continue, an apologetic smile and said: “I think the vows are finished.” He called the grumpy Priest at the front again.

A few seconds went by as the altar was being cleared from Aoife’s vow. In the background ocean voices could be heard and even the vampire had to admit the weather was close to perfect considering it was January. Scatty and Prometheus had taken the crystal somewhere safe and were now at their seats again. The unfortunate chair Scathach had broken was nowhere to be seen.

“Now it is time for the ring exchange.”

The Lord of Fire stepped forward again and held the ring box in front of Niten who took out a blue-silver coloured ring.

Choosing the rings had proved to be a challenge at first because they had to make sure rings didn’t contain iron for Aoife couldn’t touch it and they needed to be practical for fighting. They couldn’t have rings that were either too bulky or had tendency to fall off. The man suggested they didn’t have to have rings. Many cultures wore different pieces of jewellery or clothing indicating their marriage status. Aoife considered it quite a while, because finding perfect rings had been a hassle, until one human woman had tried flirting with her man. After that the vampire decided to have wedding rings if they were to stay at Earth’s shadowrealm for some time.

The rings the couple finally went with were much more than simple wedding rings. Aoife had been adamant that hers transformed into some kind of weapon. Her last line of defence if all else fails, so to speak. The ring hid a small needle. It was infused with a fast-acting poison.

The Japanese stepped in front of Aoife and suddenly their union felt realer than ever before. Seeing Niten holding the ring that would not leave her finger for the rest of her life took her breath away.

For a moment the swordsman appeared as Aoife had seen him when they first locked eyes. Battle-scarred youth with skills well beyond his years challenging one of the best fighters of all time. The redhead had scoffed thinking she would defeat a humani child with ease. She had to eat her thoughts when he blocked more than one of her strikes and his counterattacks would have killed a slightly lesser warrior. This was the first time a human had caught Aoife of the Shadows’ eye. Who would have thought that the young sixteen-year-old warrior Aoife met in the Battle of Sekigahara would earnestly hold out his hand for the vampire to place hers in his four hundred years later?

The redhead came back to the present when Niten gave her left hand a little squeeze as if asking her one last time. Aoife gave him a soft smile. He brought her hand even closer to him.

“With this ring I promise to love and hold you. I promise to fight by your side and remind you how important you are to me even if you anger another god, who you definitely shouldn’t be angering. Especially when you are angering a god, I’ll remind you,“ kept Niten his promise short and slipped the ring on her ring finger. That earned him some chuckles from the audience, but some sniffles could also be heard. “I will never again make you doubt how much I love you.”

It was done.

She was his.

Aoife watched the ring on her finger. It was almost a surreal experience. The light weight on her ring finger, the gleam of it when the light touched it, and most of all Niten’s shivering thumb caressing over it as if he couldn’t believe it either. A slow gust of wind on her face brought her attention back up. It hadn’t done the same for the Japanese, whose eyes still lingered on her finger. Feeling of happiness, different from her own, spread across her chest. Then it hit her – these were Niten’s feelings, she’d better get used to it.

But there was something else beyond the happiness, something even more profound coming from the man. It was loud, all-consuming, drowning. And directed at her. This was Niten’s love for her. Every little bit of his love poured into her. Years of longing, suffering from afar, fears, acceptance and, in the end, requited love. When did the silent tears start Aoife didn’t know, but the flow of feelings threatened to overwhelm her. Feeling it was so distinct from hearing it spoken. It left no room for doubt, who the swordsman’s heart belonged to.

Unknowingly, or rather, unthinkingly her love reached Niten, who raised his eyes to catch her green ones. He seemed to have experienced the same revelation as his breath caught, and trembling hand, the one not clutching hers, rose to Aoife’s cheek to wipe away some red tears.

Prometheus ruined their silent communication as he walked to the woman to give her his wedding ring. It was the same colour as hers – blue-silver. His ring transformed into a different kind of a tool. In the heart, Niten had always been an artist, and his choice of tool reflected that. When Niten inserted his aura into the ring it transformed into a miniscule paintbrush. Aoife had questioned his idea almost as soon as she heard it. The Japanese had smirked at her and explained that it was far from an ordinary brush. It allowed him to paint and call into existence any tool he wished – a sword, a shield, a key and so on. The tool had restricted time limit and would vanish in an hour. Prometheus had called in some favours for it was quite an advanced spell to that was casted onto the ring. He also had advised his future son-in-law to keep its use to a minimum as the swordsman had to carry the price with his aura. Using it was going to be taxing on him. In the end, Aoife found it rather useful but still stuck with her original choice as she didn’t use her aura in a fight as often as Niten and preferred a simpler solution.

The sun had lowered enough for its rays to touch her shoes as Aoife stepped even closer to Niten. She looked at him for confirmation for the last time. His enthusiastic nod encouraged the redhead to switch from his right hand to left and put the ring on his finger while saying: “With this ring I promise to love and hold you. I promise to consult and trust you. To believe in you. I will probably never grow out of trying to protect you, you’ll have to live with that, but I swear I will not make you think that I think little of you because of it. On the contrary. And most of all, I promise to keep a smile on your face as much as I can.” His feelings of love reached her stronger and stronger throughout her promise.

He was hers.

Both their fingers carried the rings with the same colours and patterns. Aoife crossed her fingers with Niten’s, and the blue-silver coloured rings stood proudly side by side as equals. Suddenly the man pulling her body flush against his own as if he had had enough of waiting. His eyes were even darker than usual; one hand found a way to the back of her neck and the other one her lower back. His lips were parted. She felt his ring on the hand cupping her neck and this time she didn’t force down the shiver it triggered. It fed the possessive part of her she had tried to tame. Niten was hers. His thumb brushed her nape making her desperately wish they were in their apartment. Her lower body began to tingle. Aoife knew well how his hands could play with her body. The years of swordplay and painting perfected his movements. If they were alone, he would move his hand to her short hair and kiss her deeply. Suddenly, a streak of possessiveness ran through her. She came to an understanding that the Japanese was just as much possessive over her than she was over him. And she didn’t mind it one bit. The vampire let him guide her face upwards so he could…

The Priest coughed and told them to hold hands and be more respectful as the declaration of intent was about to commence. Aoife could tell this was one of those rare occasions Niten wanted to kill the Priest more than she. It amused her. The humani made a comment about it being the end of the ceremony and they could wait a bit more before jumping each other. Niten released her against his (and her) wishes.

The Priest began: "Do you, Miyamoto Musashi, also known as Niten, take Aoife, also known as Aoife of the Shadows to be your lawfully wedded wife?"

Niten vowed: "I do."

The officiant continued: "Do you promise to love, honor, and cherish them, in sickness and in health, for as long as you both shall live?"

Niten said again: "I do."

The Priest then turned to Aoife to repeat the question: "Do you, Aoife, also known as Aoife of the Shadows, take Miyamoto Musashi, also known as Niten to be your lawfully wedded husband?"

Aoife vowed: "I do."

Officiant asked: "Do you promise to love, honor, and cherish them, in sickness and in health, for as long as you both shall live?"

Aoife promised: "I do."

“I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride.”

Aoife didn’t wait till the end of the sentence to reach for her husband, wrap her hands around his neck and kiss him. Niten held her just as strongly, his arms supporting her back. The teary-eyed public began to clap, but the two didn’t even hear them. They were finally united not only in the Earth shadowrealm, but their souls had been connected. Both felt each other’s love and happiness but didn’t care to figure out which is whose because it didn’t matter.

[ggghoulish]

Niten, Miyamoto Musashi, The Samurai

“It is true that I regret what immortality has cost me: the opportunity for family, for friends, even for a country. It has made me a loner, an outcast, a wanderer—though in truth, I was all of those before I became immortal."

[ggghoulish]

Aoife, The Shadow

“I’ve known Aoife for over four hundred years. She was infuriating and outrageous, demanding, selfish, and arrogant… and very, very dear to me.”

[devinellekurtz]

Here is a round-up of all eight of the free digital brush packs that I’ve released so far for Photoshop CC, Clip Studio Paint, and Procreate!

You can download them on this page (click) Type in “0″ for a free download or tip any amount you so desire!

All my brush packs are totally free (tips optional but always very appreciated!) and can be used freely in any work, including commercial work that you profit off of, with no license or credit required. My goal with these brush packs is to make digital painting feel more achievable and accessible - especially painting environments, something I now LOVE but that used to intimidate me, & felt much more approachable with the right tools! Many of the packs also come with tutorial video content. I hope you enjoy!

[goingdownmycase]

Sorry for this relatable shit. My anxiety has been a bitch lately.

[jackscarab]

How Millennials Became the Burnout Generation, summarized in six panels.

[cryoverkiltmilk]

Sometimes a post calls you out, and sometimes it calls you out by name.

This post not only called me out by name, it used the middle name for good measure.

[ameliadrawsthings]

the next project in typography is a book of quotes from a person of our choice, so obviously i’m doing @dril tweets

have a sampling of (still work-in-progress probably) pages

EDIT: prints on redbubble now!! also i have been made aware that the “there is no cat and i am alone” tweet is actually from @rare_basement, not @dril, sorry for misattribution!

[shadowqueen7]

An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

To Freeze, or Not To Freeze, That Is a Seemingly Simple Question

Finally wrote chapter 2 so I’m posting the link again

Pairing: Aoife/Niten

Summary: Aoife and Niten get drenched during their mountain hike and seek shelter at an abandoned shack. Sharing furs and body heat turns out to be a  dangerous activity with consequences neither of them could predict. Chapter 2 contains smut.

[callese]

refseek.com

www.worldcat.org/

link.springer.com

http://bioline.org.br/

repec.org

science.gov

pdfdrive.com

[theedorksinlove]

different viewpoints

[calware]

[calware]

@m-eowdy 👍

[diospyros-moving-deactivated202]

i love spoilers. will literally read the entire wiki page idgaf

[emmastory]

alla mingalёva

[timemachineyeah]

(Source)

[rylandsgrace]

Shrek (2001) trivia 

[deanu]

If you’re a real human person still using the default tumblr avatar, consider changing it.

why should you change it?

When you guys pop up in our notifications, most seasoned tumblr users will suspect you’re a bot and block on sight.

why do we block immediately?

tumblr has a history of bots trying to infiltrate and establish a connection to a valid, existing blog in order to populate google searches. Simply liking or reblogging a post, not just adding a scam link to it, establishes this connection. Tumblr users don’t want this to happen, especially if it’s a scammy p*rn bot. So, we often block on sight.

So now I have to reblog stuff AND change my pfp?

Well, of course that’s up to you! I just want to explain why you may have been already blocked by an artist/blogger you may have discovered recently, and how you can avoid it in the future.

Reblogging does help creators more than likes because your reblogs will show up on the dash of those that may follow you. Plus, reblogging puts that post on your own blog, and in case the original gets deleted or edited by the OP, it’ll be on your blog like that–forever (or until you delete your blog). Nice.

Here are some free icons created by catalyststuff on freepik. Highly recommend their art for a simple replacement!

[furbearingbrick]

see, this is how you inform without guilt-tripping

[dimpledthings]

one of the current bot name trends is a word or name followed by two numbers (e.g. lizziebear61), so bear that in mind if you find yourself getting blocked by blogs you’re following!

[duncebento]

[fruityfinnegan]

your 4 most recent emojis describe your 2022 experience mine are fucking 😔🤡✨😭

[fruityfinnegan]

bringing this back for 2023 i’m 🥳😔👀😭

[molecoolz]

Can't wait for 2023 to be 🎉😭☺️🥂