Almasy's Sin Bin

It all happened so quickly.

Shiro’s abrupt return on a stolen alien ship, him being subsequently quarantined on the crash site before Keith barged in closely followed by Pidge, Hunk and Lance and then she helped them escape by pretending they were able to over power her with plans to fetch Shiro later. Keith did nothing short of beg her to let him take the unconscious Shiro and he’d explain everything later. Anyways, it was much easier for her to be punished than having three promising cadets be expelled for whatever reason kidnapping Shiro was. So as a result, Commander Iverson gave her the dressing down of a lifetime.

“How the hell did you, Major Lenore Falsetto, recipient of the Victoria Cross of Australia, Star of Gallantry, the Meritorious Service Medal among other classified commendations and merits, get taken down by four underage cadets?! One of whom has failed your hand to hand combat course several times in the past year!”

She rolled her eyes and shrugged, “I taught Hunk how to successfully apply a rear naked choke, henceforth I present to you exhibit a: choke marks.” A singular finger point to her red neck drew a low growl from her commanding officer.

“You are a goddamn ex serviceman from World War Three, letting these children manhandle you is an utter embarrassment to the personnel of the Galaxy Garrison and I am very disappointed in you.” Okay, that one stung a little. “For one who is always aware of their surroundings, having four teenagers blindside you is shameful at the very least.”

From that point on his words became white noise, Lenore hoped he would finish his rant soon so she could transport the needed materials to Keith’s accommodation to get Shiro up and about once again.

A few hours later she found herself sitting on the roof of Keith’s rundown, wooden shack, staring up into the clear night sky. She’d left the kids to rest with pillows and blankets she’d pilfered from the barracks. Hearing the door below her she sighed and laid back, listening to the footsteps slowly crunch through the dust and sand.

“I never thought the Milky Way would look so damn beautiful.” Shiro spoke after moments of silence.

“You should be resting.”

“I can say the same for you Lenore, have you slept?” The uniform jacket launched from the roof and onto his head was his answer and all he could do was laugh, “You haven’t changed a bit.”

She couldn’t bring herself to ask him what happened while he was gone, the current contentedness of the discussion was more preferable at this moment.

They watched the sunrise together in the companionable silence they were used to until Keith made himself known.

“It’s good to have you back.”

“It’s good to be back.” Shiro smiled, but Keith looked at his brother figure in concern,

“What happened out there? Where… were you?”

Lenore sat up, shuffling down to hang her legs over the roof to listen. She couldn’t see their faces but a simple observation told her that Shiro was struggling to answer the question coherently.

“I wish I could tell you, my head's still pretty scrambled. I was on an… alien ship… and I somehow escaped. It’s all a blur. How did you to come save me when I crashed?” That was something niggling on the Major’s mind as well. Why did Keith come to the quarantine area in the first place? Why the hell did the other three turn up as well?

It probably had something to do with Lance’s inferiority complex, Pidge’s unhealthy obsession with the Kerberos mission and Hunk’s inability to say no. She saw the three up on the roof when the ship crashed, she was up on her usual spot too doing her usual stargazing when this whole kerfuffle begun.

She saw movement, Keith turned to look at her whilst regarding the both of them, “You should both come and see this.”

It was truly bizarre and otherworldly watching such unfamiliar carvings become bathed in blue light. It was even more unbelievable to find a giant, blue, mechanical lion being protected by an unfathomable forcefield type element. The six were absolutely mesmerised at the sight.

“We… we should probably report this in.”

“What?! No way!” Yelled Lance, her glare stopped him in his tracks, “M-Major, ma’am.”

“I think Lance is right, Major,” Begun Shiro, “If we report this in, they’ll just take it to Area-51 where it will never be seen again.”

“How are we supposed to get past this thing then?” She said, gesturing to the barrier, shield, whatever it was that was surrounding it.

“Maybe we just have to knock on it.” Lance shrugged, raising a fist to knock directly onto it. To their immediate surprise, the barrier burst away into the bright blue light they saw earlier in the cave.

“Well fuck me sideways…” She murmured whilst the other five gasped in surprise,

“Did you all just see that?!” Lance screeched.

“See what?”

“Oh, ho, ho. Major, Voltron is a massive, mega awesome, mega robot!” Hunk said excitedly,

“And it looks like this is just one piece to it. I wonder where the other four are.”

What exactly did the kids see that she didn’t, she wondered. Whatever it was, she decided it was something that was obviously not meant for her mind’s eye to see.

Almost as if she wasn’t needed.

The lion would proceed to transport the six into a wormhole that lead into deep space, parrying and dodging the terrifying alien cruiser that spotted them the moment they left the Earth’s atmosphere. They escaped unscathed.

“Lance, how many times do I have to tell you that patience yields results? Your stance is too slack and your grip on the rifle is too soft. The resulting recoil will injure you.” The teenager only groaned in response to the Major’s criticism, flinching when she adjusted the stock so it was sitting comfortably between his shoulder and right arm. She stood back, sapphire eyes continuing to study her student’s posture with a disapproving click of her tongue. “Left foot forward, spread apart feet to shoulder width. Good. Cheek into the stock like so and ensure your face isn’t too close to the scope, that’s exactly how Hunk got his black eye last week.”

“Hey!” The resulting swift glare caused the entire class standing behind the Major and Lance to sand stock still with arms and their sides and back straight, the teen beside her shuddering from her fearful aura until her ire turned back to him to get back into proper stance.

“Lean forward into your stance ever so slightly with calm breaths and watch your target carefully. This may be but a piece of paper, but think of it as your enemy, study it and fire when-”

BOOM

The over zealous teen once again blew off the arm of the paper target before she could finish her instructions. A deep breath, a count to three and an exhale, the images of a war that passed long ago then faded from her mind.

“We’re done for today.”

Observant eyes watched the night sky before her, the twinkling stars, planets and constellations revealing themselves to her in the clearest skies the Earth had ever known, the vast desert surrounding the Galaxy Garrison was free from the toxic emissions of metropolis. It allowed her to dream of space, all the while being completely aware of her ever changing surroundings.

The highest rooftop of the Garrison called to her on these clear evenings where she could stargaze to her heart's content whilst the cadets were assumedly obeying the mandated curfew, though moments earlier she noticed that Lance and Hunk were indulging in the same sight she was a few buildings away. She couldn’t blame the kids, really. The skies were something truly beautiful at night, just waiting to be explored.

There was a shift to her right and she already knew who was on the approach.

“Shiro.” She greeted.

“Major.” He greeted back.

“I told you, after hours it’s just Lenore.”

He tried to look complacent, but nothing escaped her observation. His eyes betrayed his inner turmoil, even though he was meant to be happy to be leaving on the Kerberos mission in the next week. Shiro also knew he’d never be able to escape Lenore’s scrutiny.

“Adam broke up with me.” She wasn’t expecting that, nor was she expecting the fingers that sadly carded through her short black hair, “Am I really that selfish for wanting to go on this mission?”

“No.” She immediately replied, “Your condition is at a manageable state, all relevant supplies will be at your disposal during the mission and you have two very capable team members at your disposal if you were to somehow fall ill during the expedition. The Holt family aren’t idiots, the both of them are absolute geniuses in their own right.

“But I am still sorry that it happened, perhaps he will reach some sort of clarity while you are away and realise how much of a mistake he’s making. If he doesn’t,” She grinned manically, “I’ll throw down with him to preserve your honour!”

Shiro barked a laugh.

“Keith found out too, but I think he’ll be okay. He has ‘The Major’ to beat some sense into him if he goes awry.” He sat down beside her, both of their legs dangling off the roof. “How goes the family anyways? Last I heard Annabelle was ready to pop.”

“Phoebe, she’s an absolute angel apparently. I beg to differ.” Phone was instantly out to show him one of the many pictures she had of her niece on the device, the one she chose to show, however was of a happy, bald infant in the throes of a violent ‘poosplosion’. Shiro gagged. “Good thing they’re back home in Australia, huh? This would smell like literal shit.”

“Shut up.”

They shared a laugh before enjoying the sky in familial silence.

The entire Garrison came to watch the launch of the Kerberos shuttle into the outer reaches of the Solar System. For the first time ever in history the human race will finally transcend the Milky Way Galaxy into far off planets man could only ever dream of. The Major watched intently from the Command Centre, relaying messages of goodwill and safe travels, as well as reminding the three on proper firearm etiquette.

She reminded, mostly to Shiro that Matt and Sam were his responsibility and the threats past their system were completely unknown. Perhaps weaponised or hand to hand combat may be utilised if faced by unidentified hostile lifeforms.

“Good thing I was taught by ‘The Major’ then.” He smiled into the camera of the craft’s cockpit. That earned him a smile back from her and Commander Iverson.

“Be safe out there, all of you. And godspeed.” The three astronauts saluted their commander with a ‘yes sir!’ as he saluted them back.

“Prepare launch sequence.”

Adam never reached that clarity she spoke of, as only months into the mission they lost all communication with Sam, Matt and Shiro and they were all but assumed dead. Keith was expelled from the program shortly after the news went live, but Lenore didn’t give up on the kid for even one second, forcing herself into his life as often as she possibly could.

The next time Kaiba and Rose saw each other; save from their brief nightly chats fully abusing Skype for what it was made for, she was oh so gracefully bent over her own toilet horking up their lunch whilst he kindy held her hair back from her face and kept her glasses safe from falling into the vomit infested water.

Shark week was not a kind mistress, to anyone for that matter. And if you're saying your shark week treats you well, you're a terrible liar.

“I am so sorry.” Rose coughed, spitting the last of the bile in the toilet bowl. Not only was she embarrassed, she was particularly pissed off at a certain roommate of hers, “I said to Veronica to call Grandma, not call Kaiba and tell him that I am ‘literally dying’.”

In the very dark recesses of her mind she was glad that he came over to see her, but he was a very busy man and she was pretty sure he wasn’t too pleased about the situation. Even if the soft caresses down her back were momentarily distracting her from Satan punching her in the ovaries, she was going to spend her day apologising to her CEO boyfriend.

“Stop saying sorry.” Kaiba chided, passing her the wash cloth that was beside them on the sink, “It happened and here we are.”

Yes, here they were, Kaiba looking absolutely immaculate in a black Ralph Lauren suit and her with her crimson hair a right mess, wearing her designated shark week shorts and braless, her pierced nipples doing whatever the hell they feel like in a well worn navy t-shirt with the phrase ‘fries before guys’ printed on it’s front.

Shut up, she thought it was funny.

She wiped her face, accepting her glasses from Kaiba’s outstretched hand before getting up on wobbly legs to flush the toilet and be rid of the evidence of yet another failed meal. He did try to feed her a mild congee to no avail, as minutes later her lady parts decided to grace her with the most painful cramp she had ever felt (when one suffers from the monthlies every cramp is the worst cramp ever) and she rushed straight to the bathroom to painfully vomit up her stomach contents.

“Does this happen every month?” He asked, standing close by as she shuffled over to wash her hands and guzzle some mouthwash.

“Yep, every month I feel like my insides are trying to come out through my snatch and I get four days off of work because the boss lady understands where I’m coming from.” The painkillers weren’t working as well this time around and Rose could really feel it through her lower belly and her legs felt like jelly.

Kaiba mustn’t have experienced red rivers like this with his previous girlfriends, she surmised. Judging by the unsure look in his eyes she could see from the mirror he had no idea that it could get this horrible.

“Don’t they have medication to ensure it doesn’t get this bad?” She barked out a laugh in reply, instantly forgetting it when she felt a wave of vertigo hit her and she leaned down to place her forehead on the edge of the sink.

“Sorry, I know it’s hard to understand when you don’t experience it.” She said, “It used to be a lot worse when I first got it as a teen. Before they messed with the types of birth control I was on, the pain would render me unable to walk and I had to take a whole week off school just in case I passed out.

“These days the pain is just bearable. Passing out only happens if the flow and pain is especially bad…” Like now for example, she could already feel her limbs begin to fail on her. She took a deep breath and risked lifting her head, meeting visibly concerned cobalt eyes in the mirror, “Please don’t let me hit my head-”

The last thing she remembers before darkness claims her is a pair of arms wrapping themselves around tightly and her name being yelled in panic.

White enveloped Rose, when she opened her eyes it was almost blinding and she knew exactly where, and when she was.

No matter the amount of therapy, anti anxiety, depression or mood stabilising medication she took, this dream... no, nightmare, would always haunt her when her consciousness was vulnerable. And it would until she made peace with what happened.

Drip… drip… drip...

Her surroundings were a stark white and she was back to being a sixteen-year-old, in her light blue, plaid school dress, white knee high socks and her hair the original brown it was before she dyed it. It wasn’t a vivid nightmare of her memories, or else her surroundings would be much different than the blinding white coloured hue she was currently surrounded in, but it didn’t stop her from trying to force her dream self to not pay attention to the sound of the dripping liquid.

Drip… drip… drip…

“Mum? I’m home!” Dream Rose announced into the whiteness before her.

Drip… drip… drip…

When there was no answer her dream self stepped forward, the dripping sound getting louder and clearer the further she moved.

“Mum…? A tap in the bathroom is dripping!” No… it wasn’t.

Drip…

Dream Rose closed her eyes, taking a deep breath.

Rose knew what was coming next, her mind screaming at her to wake up, to open her eyes in reality and not in this nightmare.

“Mu-” Eyelids fluttered open, and a terrified scream ripped through her throat at the sight before her.

There was diluted blood everywhere replacing the once pristine light grey tiles, her mother’s lifeless hazel eyes stared back at her from the bathtub, and a deeply slit left forearm pouring blood, hanging out of the tub. Her other arm floating in water the showing the same damage and dying it’s surroundings a deep red. She fell to her knees, her once clean socks soaking in the carnage on the floor and she couldn’t tear her eyes away from the scene.

Why… why…?

Make it stop. MAKE IT STOP!

Her mother’s mouth opened, dead irises looking down at her and a name was uttered out that she knew was hers, the one she abandoned when she left her home.

Rose awoke with a start, drawing deep breaths to try and calm her rapidly beating heart and loudly ringing ears. Before she could flounder for her glasses she noticed that her left hand felt… constricted?

Her lips parted with a weary smile when she realised that her hand was enveloped by a much larger hand than her own, squeezing it tightly to ground her back to reality.

The hand squeezed hers back.

Her blurry surroundings were much different than what she was used to. For one, neither beds in her home felt like she was literally floating on a cloud, nor did they have what looked like a navy blue canopy. It would be worth looking around once she had her spectacles back on.

When her hearing finally came to, she found herself listening to the rhythmic tapping of keys on her left. How the owner was able to type so fast with only one hand was beyond her, but she was not surprised considering who she supposed the hand belonged to.

“Kaiba?” She rasped and the typing stopped.

“I'm here.” He responded, gingerly placing her glasses on her face and she found herself able to sit up whilst still holding his hand. It was keeping her mind in reality.

“I collected your medications from your bedroom before I brought you here.” Not once did Kaiba let go of her hand as he closed his laptop and placed it on his bedside table. It was endearing and Rose felt her heart swell in her chest from his thoughtfulness.

“Where are we?” She asked, finally able to move on her side and look up at Kaiba. He seemed to smirk at her question.

“The Kaiba mansion. Where else would I take you?” He said simply.

Touche.

“This isn't the most romantic way to come to your place for the first time, is it?” Not that she was nervous about being in his home, completely unaware of it's size and grandeur. But the size of his room would probably fit three of her own bedroom in it and thensome. She quickly looked around the whitewashed walls to find the bedroom sparsely decorated with naught but a large flat screen television that would have covered her whole lounge room wall and a few painted pictures of his favourite dragon.

The bed was also the comfiest thing she has ever had the privilege to sit on, the pillows felt like clouds, the navy duvet was near weightless but she didn't feel cold at all and she felt like she could just melt and become one with the king size mattress.

That's it, she was going to stab the thing with a flag and claim it as her own country, decorum be damned!

She didn't realise Kaiba had been talking to her until he abruptly cleared his throat and took his hand away from hers.

“Huh? What was that?”

He frowned at her before responding.

“I said I had my physician take a look at you,” he started, “Efexor-XR, Valium- on top of varying degrees of painkillers and finally, your birth control. You don't look like you need so much, Rose.”

She froze, looking at his probing expression with alarm but smoothed herself out quickly, remembering the nightmare she had just awoken from, her mind pondering if he should know that much at least.

She was still struggling with the reality- that her mum…

It was so bad that she would always rip her name off of the stickers of her prescriptions when she received them so she could pretend that it wasn't her that was broken for just a little while longer.

To keep up the facade of being fine.

Rose took in a deep breath, drawing her knees to her chest when another cramp tore through her. Kaiba was still watching her, he was waiting to see what she would do.

She knew she had to tell him if their relationship was to go anywhere, but he didn't have to know everything, not yet.

“Kaiba…” she breathed out shakily- no matter how strong her antidepressants were, her chest would feel heavy and her throat would tighten whenever she thought about what happened to her mum.

“What is it?” He was clearly getting frustrated with her by the impatient tone of his voice. He was used to getting his way immediately, after all, and Rose had single handedly turned that world upside down. In the back of her mind she was surprised he hadn't forced any of her truths out of her.

Come on Rose, you can do this!

“I-" her throat tightened more and she could feel the tears forming in her eyes, “-my mum, she… I, I still don't want to believe it after all this time. But I saw it, I w-w-walked in-" a heavy sob tore through her as her mind's eye brought her back to her nightmare, a bathtub of bloody water and a body lying peacefully within it, “There was so much blood, Kaiba. So much blood!”

Before she could say any more she felt herself pulled into a tight embrace, the side of her head making contact with Kaiba’s hard chest, and the dam broke. Tears ran freely like a torrential downpour down her cheeks as she gripped his nightshirt with a vice grip. Her sobs tore through her very being, causing her to tremble and cry in his tight yet comforting grip. Her breathing came erratically even as he attempted to soothe her by carding a hand through her hair.

“Kaiba- She- She…”

“Shh, that’s enou-"

“SHE TOOK HER OWN LIFE KAIBA! She killed herself! I can’t- I can’t” She sobbed.

If he held her any tighter she felt like she was going to snap in two, but his embrace was sincere, warm and oh so needed right now, and the next words that came from his mouth made her feel like he understood.

“I'm sorry Rose, I'm so, so sorry.”

After she finally calmed down enough after such a heartbreaking confession, Kaiba had her try to at least consume some chicken broth before having her next round of painkillers, her mind hazy but clear at the same time like a huge weight had been lifted off of her chest.

He has spoken so softly to her as he laid her back down to rest, her body exhausted from her breakdown. She had never seen him act so tender towards anyone but his brother. It made her smile up at his tired eyes.

“Rest now, Rose. I'll be right here.” ...if she had another nightmare.

When Dios awoke she was afraid and confused in a room full of people rushing back and forth and speaking in tongues she didn't understand. And she was in pain, so much pain. Not even the groan she emitted showed how much her little body hurt.

She tried to move but another searing pain shot up her left arm and she screamed, causing the people around her to hold her down as she thrashed and cried, unable to move her neck due to the brace constricting her.

“MAMA!” She sobbed out brokenly, “I want my mama!” There were more tears and cries until she felt a pair of soft, warm hands caress her hair and forehead.

“Shh, it's alright Dios. Your mum will be over soon.” The familiar voice spoke soothingly, wiping the tears from her eyes. Once her vision cleared she was looking in the vibrant blues of none other than Eva.

“M-miss Eva…? Where am I?” Eva smiled warmly at her, calming her and allowing the medical team to continue working on her.

“You're in a hospital, dear. Do you remember what happened?” She tried nodding her head but it hurt and she couldn't move. Panic rose in her again, “It's alright, you're in a neck brace just in case, sweetheart. Tell the doctors and myself what you remember.”

Dios’ watered eyes moved around the room more thoroughly, seeing numerous doctors and nurses taking notes, bringing in blood bags and injecting her with god knows what. There was a kind looking elderly doctor at her side with half moon shaped spectacles and hazel eyes, his greying black beard short and well trimmed.

“Hello Dios, my name is Dr. Moore, I'm a colleague of your mother's and your pediatrician for today. Do you mind telling me what you remember?”

“I-I fell?” She thought hard about what exactly she fell from, but all she could really think about was how much she hurt all over. “I really, really hurt. I hurt everywhere.” She began tearing up again even with Eva’s constant soothing.

“The painkillers will kick in soon, dear. You'll be alright.” She held back a sob at Eva’s words, wanting to be strong for the woman she looked up to and tried to concentrate on the question asked so she could remember what brought her here in the first place.

“Um… I was following Dante up a tree I think. Vergil told me not to, but I've been fine before! I don't know why I fell.” Wait… if Eva was here with her then, “Where is Dante and Vergil?”

“They're in the waiting room with Sparda, they're very worried about you.” Eva noticed her frown, petting her chubby cheeks softly, “They were very good boys catching you so you wouldn't hurt yourself more if you hit the ground.” Dios smiled at that; the twins more often than not working in tandem to assure her safety. But… how did Dante get down before she did? He was so high up.

She had no time to ponder it however because moments later Lorraine burst through the curtains wearing fresh scrubs and a pain stricken look on her face the very moment she spied her injured daughter.

“Oh my little baby…” She cooed, moving to take Eva’s place who obliged her happily, “My sweet Dios, mummy is here now.” Lorraine’s voice reopened the dam that was Dios’ tears, her face flooding with the salty droplets,

“Mama!” She cried, her vision blurring once again, “I'm so sorry mama!”

“You don’t need to be sorry honey, it was an accident.” She felt her mother shower her face in kisses trying to cheer her up some before she was wheeled away for more tests.

During the drive home in the Redgrave car, the twins sat in silence; with Dante watching the world go by out the window and Vergil clutching his newest book tightly and slightly creasing the delicate pages, unable to get through the current page of The Divine Comedy he was reading without thoughts of Dios running through his mind.

“She got off easy with merely a broken arm and a concussion considering how high up she was.” Sparda commented, never taking his eyes off the road and it caused Vergil to grip the book tighter, his knuckles turning white.

She should have listened to him, then she wouldn’t be hurt at all!

It is best, as I think and understand, for you to follow me, and I will be your guide, and lead you from here through an eternal space where you will hear the desperate shouts, will see the ancient spirits in pain, so that each one cries out for a second death-

Dios...

He slammed the book shut, setting it beside him before he too looked out the window, watching as suburbia passed them by. Eva turned to look at the forlorn twin with fond concern. The boy was struggling to comprehend his worry for his friend.

“Dios is going to be okay, Vergil. She was going into surgery to fix her forearm up when we left and then the both of you can see her tomorrow.” She saw him frown through the reflection in his window. Her mother’s intuition told her that he was more upset with himself that he allowed her to get hurt more than anything else he was worried about.

“How about this,” Sparda piped up, causing the boys to look at their father in question, “Why don’t we go and find something for Dios so she doesn’t feel lonely staying in the hospital.

“Let’s do it!” Dante agreed, Vergil only nodding silently in acquiescence.

“But first things first…” The aura in the vehicle suddenly became thick, Sparda’s eyes locking with Dante’s from the rear vision mirror, “Dante, what have I told you about showcasing your demonic strength in front of mortals?” The crushed look from the younger twin was instantaneous.

“But dad she could have died!” He argued, puffing his cheeks out at his father,

“We are well aware of this fact, my son. But the Leigh’s do not know of our lineage and it needs to stay that way for their own safety.” His eyes softened once more and gazed back at the road ahead of them, “Though it was brave of you to jump down after her, be more mindful from now on.” A sigh left his lips, he was never any good at scolding his children, but the words had to come from him, the demon in human’s clothing.

“The same goes for you, Vergil.” Eva finished, smiling softly at the twins, “I know the both of you care very much about Dios, which is all the more reason why she must not know what you two and Sparda are.” Vergil scoffed, looking back out his window with a scowl.

“She’s just an idiot.” He mumbled halfheartedly, betraying his true feelings for their only friend.

Their stupid idiot friend, who never stopped smiling at them and stood up for them regardless of any of the consequences she faced. Even if it meant she lost her own friends in the process.

She’s a stupid, loyal, idiot friend.

There were flames all around scorching the once pristine trees sheltering the ancient city of Tenebrae from harm and all Prince Ravus could do was stand there in stunned shock as his people were slaughtered one by one by the Imperial army.

They were here for the Lucian King and his incapacitated son.

Mere moments ago Prince Ravus, Princess Lunafreya and Prince Noctis were playing among the fields of vibrant blue sylleblossoms, Luna laughing jovially as their dogs Umbra and Pryna happily chased each other around in play.

Then the first Imperial drop ship arrived.

The Imperial General, Glauca pierced his blade through many of their soldiers and the Lucian Crownsguard, leaving them either gasping for mercy in their last breaths or a decapitated mess on the forest floor.

But what he swore should be blood was a sticky clear colour that looked carbonated . Blood should be crimson, shouldn't it…?

What should have been Ravus’ personal guard were suddenly pieces of sliced apart flesh before his feet and the terrifying red and black armour of one, General Glauca appeared before him, blade at the ready to take his life.

“RAVUS!” He heard before he slammed his eyes shut, a warm, sticky substance splattering all over him. Some got in his mouth and he gagged.

Why in the Six does it taste so damned sweet?!

Like… Jetty’s…?

He opened his eyes, seeing his wide eyed mother before him, impaled by General Glauca’s blade.

But it wasn't a blade… it was… a... trevally?

His resplendent, graceful, pure mother was stabbed through the chest by a fish…

As her lifeless body fell to the ground the General stood before him, the battle around them almost slowing to a stop and all he could do was tremble in fear before him. That was until a rogue blade struck Glauca’s armoured head, knocking the helmet clear off to reveal black, lifeless… no, soulless eyes, a black feathered face and an orange beak.

Oh gods…

"̷̛̘͖͇̦̖̻̳̰̬͔͖̤̞̲̤̂͂ͪͫ̿͛̈́͂ͯ̊K̢̡̥̹̝̫̮̭̏͑͒̊ͧ̂̌̈̊̉̚Aͬ̄̊͋̎̆̊ͮ͛̇̅͗̊ͥ̓͌͞҉̗͇̭̪̘̫̦̣͎͍̣ͅW̢͕͚͎͕̖̣͕̘͓̹̣ͦ͂ͬ̓̉̀͗ͤ̃̂̚W̨̟͓͙͚̭͇̹̲̫̙̗̫͑ͥͣͤͭ̔̃͊͊ͅ ̸̐ͬ͊̎ͨ͒̓͑͐̋̔͏͎̜̪̼͍̙͖͖̟̲̺̞͉̠̭̗K̵̐͛̽ͤ̅͑̏̋̂ͤ̆̑͏̶̜̰̜̜̻̰̥̣̣̥̜̫͎̺Į̷̵̛͉̦͙̳͉̯̞̻͙̬̣̰ͣͩ͗̇̓͑͛͢D̡̛͓͚̬̥̜̭͓̱̙̗̣̙̳̗̮̗̹͖̲ͭ͂ͩ̍̓̎̌͆̓ͥ̃͗ͨ̓͌͐̄̒͠S͗͐ͮ̃ͩͬ̈̂ͪͦ̈́͑̔͑ͨ҉͇̞͖͔̘̯̠͜͡,̵̷̡̢͇̤̯̹̣̳͗ͤͤ͒͆̆ ̗̜̫̪͔̠̥̣͙̅͌̑ͦ̐̽͒́͆̎͒̃ͧ̿͆͒̚̚͘ͅĮ̵̶̸̴̯̺̟͙̫̖̑̇̑ͨͤͥ̈͋ͪ̔͒͗ͥ̽͆̓ͭ̿̋T̛͇̠̞̟̓̓̈ͫͥ̆ͤ͢'̸̨̛̟̼̣̯͙̬̝̤̞̝͉̺̰͎̬̯͎̙ͪ͋̎̾̈ͩ̀̍̋̈̎͌ͥͦ͊̀͞͡S͎̜̰̰͈͔̲̪͔̪̰͕͙̺̥̥̄̅̍̿̓ͣͣ̈́ͩͩ̆̊ͦͥͪ̿ͩ̑ͩ͝͝ ̶̷̡͈͕̝̠̤̹̤̱͙̪͈̓ͤ̒̌̓̈̉͌̾̐̉ͧͤ̂͟͞K̸̵̛̜̗̘͍͇͉̃̈́̌ͤ͗ͩ̄̋ͭͬ̓̐̍̾̑ͫͩ̋͟É̴̖͚̱̳̭̹͍ͤ̒͛̒̍̇ͤ̒ͤ͛̕͜͠N̵ͨ̀͑ͥ͗̋͛ͧ̂͐ͯ͐̓̓ͫ͐͐̌̚̕͟͏̡̜̹̭̟̘̠̺̖̫̹͉̜̳̦͙ͅN̸͊͌ͨ̉̉̇ͫ̅̏͛҉̦͇̱̞̦̯̯̖̥͍Ý̛ͯ̓́̓̊̈́̒͋͌̀ͣ͌͒҉̛͙͍̹̰̜͘ ͩ̅̿ͤ̊̄ͣ͑̓́̽͋ͩͬ̅̽̓̎͏̫̱͈̫̟͉̬͝Ç̰̮͉̩̮̎ͯ͑̄͛̊̕̕͢͠Ṙ̛̥͓̥̻̲͈̝͇̤̻̼͓̙͍̹̯̥͖̆ͧ̒ͤ͑ͦ̆͂ͣ̑ͭ̂̚̚̕O̷ͬͧͮ͛̂̚҉͎͔͖̭̥̲̩̭̠̪̼͍̞͙͎͓͙͍͞Wͫ͛̉҉͏̩̣̲̳̭̺̝!̓̂̐̊̃̿̏̋̀͆̾҉̬̦̤̜͓̬̼̳͓ͅ"̃ͬ̔́͒ͮ͒̑͒̍͒ͩ̽̒͑ͥ͆ͬ҉̢͚̩͚͕͙͉̭̣̹̖̰͞

Ravus rose with a start, his screams echoing throughout Fenestella Manor as he awoke from his nightmare, a literal hell on Eos.

What the hell did he drink last night for his nightmare to turn so drastically terrifying ?

What the hell did he do to deserve such a ludicrous dream?

As he steadied his breathing he was finally able to lay back down in bed. Exhaling deeply, he turned to his right only to release another petrified scream, coming face to face with the decapitated head of a Kenny Crow costume staring back at him with those terrifying beady eyes.

Seto Kaiba was absolutely, positively fucked right off.

And that was putting it lightly.

First, the tabloids invaded his privacy once again (and he was oh so tempted to tell Rose to deal with it, but then he remembered how insistent she was at not wanting her face on anything) and now, as he stared at the terrible character designs sprawled on his desk he was imagining what his lead Character Designer would look like writhing on the floor after he had oh so kindly punched him in the neck.

Oh this was going to be such a good day.

Chain mail bikini… a bloody chain mail bikini, if one could call it that on the female Amazon warrior as it’s ultimate armour. For a children’s game.

Think about it for a moment.

An Amazon, built like a brick shithouse, wearing a skimpy bikini. The female demographic would be furious and Kaiba Corp. prides itself on creating virtual reality systems and video games that cater to all types of demographics. That's not going to happen if he allows this shoddy design to go through.

He shoots off a simple worded email to the lead character designer.

‘Come see me in my office. Now.’

If only he could go back to last night in his personal quarters where he had the best masturbate of his life; imagining Rose on her knees sucking him off whilst she fucked him with her large tits.

Because that's what he needed, another hard on whilst chewing out incompetent employees.

But then again… he has many a time had to keep seated after a good grilling because the resulting adrenaline had given him a very prominent hard on.

Tissue box full? Check.

Wet wipes in the desk draw in case he made a mess? Check.

Brain wired and ready to envision his girlfriend in the most erotic scenes imaginable after he gives his employee the what for? Check.

Nice.

--

“Mr Kaiba please just listen to me.”

“I've listened enough Matsuba, get it changed and on my desk tomorrow morning or I will personally be packing your desk and throwing the contents off the nearest overpass.”

God… What was this man even thinking? Kaiba Corp. Produces family games for heaven’s sake.

“I must insist Mr Kaiba. it will bring in the older, more mature gamers!”

Hands were slammed on the oak desk, making the incompetent idiot jump in his seat.

“I am not allowing this lewd piece of garbage in my game specifically aimed for children. It may have flied ten years ago but we are a damn family orientated company and I refuse to allow designs that are much more suited to games like Dragon’s Crown into my products! Am I understood?”

He obviously wasn't…

“You've played Dragon’s Crown, Mr Kaiba?”

“Get. Out.”

Seto watched his employee scuttle out of his office and collapsed back into his chair with a groan, wondering if this was the kind of idiocy that Rose put up with at her workplace.

Speaking of…

Fishing his phone out of his suit pocket once he felt it vibrate, he saw that she had messaged him, reminding him of the promise he made in the form of way too many white tulips in the morning.

‘Thank you Kaiba, I really appreciate you doing this for me without me asking. It was really sweet of you.’

She ended the text with a smiley face emoji which was endearing in itself. Cute.

So the worm virus he had coded and sent every tabloid website had worked and ridded that blasted image of them off of the internet. Which will also mean the threats of lawsuits against the offending newspaper companies should have gone through by now.

Excellent.

Time for that good ol’ fashion CEO’s office masturbate he’d been gearing himself up for.

What? He’s a twenty-year-old man with a new drop dead gorgeous girlfriend that he may or may not have caught the feelings for. His high libido is perfectly justified!

--

For once Seto arrived home at a relatively decent time to have dinner with Mokuba. He eyed the fuzzy haired teen curiously when the shit eating grin never left his face even after the maids had placed the rib eye steak, done medium rare in front of him.

“Every publisher that published the photo have been sent a cease and desist like you asked.”

Ah, that’s why Mokuba is looking overly chuffed. Great achievement, squirt!

“Good work Mokuba.” He said, urging him to begin his meal, “The virus successfully deleted the stories and the photo off of all the tabloid websites that shared its metadata.” And the thank you from Rose brought a small smile to his lips. None of his previous girlfriends had ever said those two important words to him whenever he did something for them, they would always just ask for more from him.

The last one broke up with him because he spent his hard earned Yen on building the space station instead of spending the money on her. That station and subsequent elevator to said space station was worth more to him than the shallow, vapid feelings that model had towards him anyway.

“And Rose? Were the tulips enough?”

“If they weren’t I will buy something more for her.”

But he had the feeling, through her text message, that the flowers were most certainly enough.

That was enough for the CEO to fight the temptation to shower her in gifts to ensure she stayed happy with him. She seemed like the kind of person that would become overwhelmed with such lavish attentions brought unto her.

The rest of the meal passed in comfortable silence, with Seto mostly pleased with the outcome of today’s events.

Now that Mastuba bastard better bring a morally decent design to him tomorrow and everything will be peachy for Kaiba Corp…

Throughout the next year and a half Dios and the twins became near inseparable, with Dante and Dios getting along swimmingly. Vergil would always argue that he only allowed the little girl into his heart to keep his brother happy, but the stoic older twin was always the first to be by Dios’ side whenever the three-now-five year old had altercations with the other children about being friends with the ‘silver haired weirdos’. Children were brutally honest and harsh creatures, but Dios never wavered when sticking up for her closest friends and Vergil silently respected that.

“Stop it!” She would always cry, “Dante and Vergil are just as normal as the rest of us and they are my bestest friends!”

Dante would always become solemn whenever they were picked on, only wanting to fit in with the other kids, though Vergil could care less, focusing on the blonde who would always vehemently defend their honour.

“Well you’re a weirdo too, Dios!” The offending child would usually reply to try and bring her down a peg and that’s when Vergil would approach before the altercation became physical, his hand gripping onto hers.

“Dios its not worth it, they’re not worth your time or effort.” The other children were petrified of Vergil, too smart for his own good their parents would say in their little gossip groups, his hardened glare would even terrify their teacher, which Eva would brush off with a playful ‘oh he’s just like his father, he’d never hurt a fly!’.

“But… but you’re not weird, I like your hair!” Vergil’s hand would slip out of Dios’ as if it were never there, grabbing her by the arm and leading her towards Dante, but never without an ice cold glare to the child who bullied her; the cowards would never be so bold as to harass her when the three were together.

Many nights and sleepovers were had between the three with Eva, Sparda, Lorraine and Theo always finding the three snuggled deep into each other in a single bed and the boy’s pale arms wrapped protectively around their little friend (though Dios would always awaken in the morning with Vergil’s form suspiciously missing from the cuddle pile as if he were never there in the first place), and many keepsake photos were taken by their mothers who were proud of their babies becoming such close companions.

Their weekday lives consisted of either Eva or Lorraine accompanying them to the local kindergarten in the mornings, which in a blink of an eye turned into escorting the eager and rambunctious Dios and Dante to Capulet City Elementary whilst Vergil stayed by the adult’s side reading a book that should be far too advanced for a boy his age. It never bothered him though, Vergil wished to be as strong and knowledgeable as his father and it showed in his studious nature, absorbing any new tidbit of information like a sponge and excelling in every subject the school had to offer.

Dante had a tendency to goof off, his work books always full of messy doodles of the twins playing with their wooden swords with Dios in the background cheering the more extroverted twin on, yet he would always get near perfect marks on his tests and assignments which always baffled the teachers to no end. Maybe he was actually paying attention in class, maybe.

And Dios, always eager to please ended up excelling in the physical aspect of school. Gym was by far her favourite subject and any team she was on was assured victory with her athletic prowess. The fact that Eva and Sparda never shied away from allowing her to rough house and play sword fights with the boys (with her parent’s willing consent of course) whenever she was over helped with her athletic ability, and whilst her written subjects weren’t as flourished as Dante and Vergil’s she still passed with flying colours and every achievement was stuck proudly to the fridge of the Leigh’s home.

“Dante get down from there or else Dios will follow you!” Vergil scolded his younger twin who was already half-way up the tree in their backyard. It just so happened to be the tallest tree Dante had attempted to scale yet and Dios was quick to jump up from her reading with Vergil to follow, her platinum blonde pigtails and baby blue dress fluttering in the wind as she ran towards the trunk to begin climbing.

“Don’t be such a worry-wart Vergil, I’m big and strong like you two, I’ll be fine!” The feat stood no chance against the eager girl, using her climbing practice from gym class to her advantage to catch up to Dante who waited for her with a cheshire grin.

“Don’t worry Verge, we got this! We’re pros don’t you know?” Dante yelled back down to his frowning brother. It was funny to him to see Vergil so protective of Dios’ safety, yes she was a human but to Dante she was a strong little human girl with a heart of gold and determination to match even the strongest of demons their father faced. There’s no way she’d ever get hurt.

She’d never been injured during any of their climbing escapades before, so they didn’t need to worry.

Unbeknownst to the three of them, the next branch Dios had climbed upon had a hairline fracture and was in no condition to hold the five-year-old’s weight, the loud resounding crack causing Dante to gasp in horror and reach down to grab her before she fell several metres to the hard ground.

“Dios, grab o- NO!” He was too late, her little fingers brushing his as she fell back first from the broken branch with a shrill scream of terror. Her cries were short lived whilst she hit branches on the way down rendering her unconscious and Vergil ran, screaming her name with all his might to catch her before she hit the ground. Dante was also quick to move, launching himself from the tree and landing beside his brother to assist in catching her.

She landed into their awaiting arms with a ‘thud’ and they both knelt down immediately to set her down onto the grass. Vergil was on her instantly to check that the cuts over her body were not serious.

“Verge, her arm is broken, it’s sticking out.” Dante whimpered, pointing out Dios’ right forearm without touching it and Vergil’s breath hitched as he visibly paled at the sight of shards of bone sticking out from her skin.

“Get mother. Now.” His voice was eerily calm despite his small heart pounding in his chest and Dante wasted no time running into the house screaming for Eva to hurry and call an ‘amberlamps’. Vergil never took his eyes off of Dios, a trembling hand stroking her cheek.

He felt absolutely helpless for the first time in his life and he didn’t know what to do, he didn’t know if he could live with himself if Dios hated them for not protecting her from harm like the friends in the books they had read together would do for each other. He only ever thought he just needed Dante in his heart and life, but Dios’ companionship caused his heart to swell with unknown emotion and he didn’t want to lose that.

It was a mild Autumn morning when they moved in.

A young, full of spirit Dios knew that when a big board appeared in front of a house that a new family would soon occupy it. Her large grey eyes kept their focus on the large weatherboard house across from her own home for days in excited anticipation of seeing the new occupants move in.

Her mother, Lorraine, whom was doing the exact same thing across the hall in the kitchen while sipping on her morning coffee, suddenly heard her younger mirror image squeal with delight as a car pulled up in front of the vacant house. She turned to watch the heavy steps of her platinum haired three year old rush into the kitchen and to her side. She smiled down at Dios through her mug adoringly, placing her free hand atop her head, earning a grin and giggle from the little girl.

“Are the new people here Dios?” She asked, receiving an ecstatic nod in response. “Sweetheart, use your words.” With a cheeky smile, Dios obliged,

“They here mumma!”

“They are here, Dios.” Dios squirmed slightly; the toddler still struggled to form coherent sentences due to her age, but alas,

“They are here.” She finally said before taking off down the hallway and towards the front door, urging Lorraine to follow with a sigh and a small laugh at her daughter’s interest in the new family moving in, not that she wasn’t interested herself; she was just able to show a little bit more restraint in her actions.

When she got to the front door she was met with Dios attempting to put on her little brown booties all by herself, like she had been attempting for the past few days, but to no avail. It caused Lorraine to breathe a small laugh at her struggling daughter, being careful not to let her see her immediate amusement at Dios’ futile attempt to be independent. She knelt down in front of her, tenderly taking the troublesome bootie from her small hands and asking her to put her foot out.

“Good girl. One day you’ll get it and you will have to tell daddy all about it.” Sliding any kind of footwear on an over excited toddler was a trying task for any parent, but somehow Lorraine was able to put them on Dios without incident, probably because of the girl’s eagerness to meet the new people and welcome them into their quiet little neighbourhood.

“Daddy!” She cheered excitedly. Dios absolutely adored her father, Theo. He worked for the city’s emergency services as a fire fighter alongside Lorraine who worked in the hospital’s emergency department.

Once Lorraine handed Dios her light purple jacket, who was able to put that on a lot easier than her shoes, she grabbed the small hamper of necessities she and Theo purchased as a welcome gift for the new family and opened the front door, allowing the morning light to flow freely into the hallway and bring the two in full view of the house and car before them.

“Woooooow.” Dios exclaimed as the driver excited from the slick black vehicle, his silver, slicked back locks shimmering in the sunlight. But oddly, regardless of the colour of his hair, the man appeared quite young, dressed in a simple white shirt and black slacks. Spying the pair watching them, he beckoned them over with a smile and Dios eagerly took Lorraine’s hand, effectively dragging the pair over; but not before remembering her road etiquette and looking both ways prior to crossing with her hand being safely enveloped by her mother’s.

The remaining occupants of the car exited, a gorgeous young woman with golden blonde hair, warm, homely blue eyes and she wore an elegant deep purple dress to complement her mesmerizing features. What could be assumed as their twin sons, sporting their father’s silver hair and their mother’s blue eyes came out from the back seat of the car, the only remarkable difference between the two is that the one in the crimson t-shirt eyed Dios with excitement, presumably as this meant that there was another kid other than his brother to play with. Whereas the one in the dark blue t-shirt looked at Dios and Lorraine with indifference, preferring to stand slightly behind his twin. The adults however had already started exchanging pleasantries.

“Welcome to the neighbourhood.” Lorraine spoke, handing the blonde woman the hamper, eliciting a chorused ‘thank you’ from the couple. “My name is Lorraine Leigh and this is my daughter Dios. My husband currently is at work, but his name is Theo.” The man was first to regard her with a strong but hearty handshake.

“Sparda. Redgrave.” His voice was so smooth and regal; it temporarily distracted Dios from the two boys, looking up at him in awe. He sounded like royalty, well what she assumed royalty sounded like anyway. He caught her eye and smiled at her with a wink, causing her to blush and hide behind her mother. Not only was he handsome, but charming to match. His wife covered her mouth, laughing at Dios’ sudden shyness towards them when she was so excited moments ago.

“And my name is Eva.” She gestured for the boys to come closer and they did as they were asked, standing in between their parents, “This is Dante.” She gestured to the boy in red, the kinder looking one who waved in response, causing Dios to wave back to him behind Lorraine’s legs, “And this is Vergil.” He grumbled a ‘hi’ in response, now only looking at Dios with mild intrigue at her actions. “I hope that we can all get along.”

“Are you a pwincess?” Dios interjected, “Cause I like pwincesses.” There was that lovely laugh from Eva again and she shook her head, “I’m afraid not my dear.” Vergil’s eye roll went unnoticed, but Dante’s laugh certainly wasn’t.

“It would be cool though, huh? Having royalty move in!” He was a very good ice breaker, for a child. Dios came back from behind her mother to stand closer to the twins. “How old are you Dios?”

“I’m thwee. You?”

“We’re four.”

The adults seemed to be lost in their own conversation once again, the exchange of contact details already taking place while Dante and Dios got to know each other with Vergil now and then responding with a disinterested grunt or nod. Dios didn’t understand why Vergil was being so standoffish about her presence, but she wouldn’t let that stop her from making Dante, and him, for that matter her friends.

“If you need anything don’t be afraid to call. I’m sure that our children will get along great.”

“Thank you Lorraine.” Sparda was quite impressed to meet such a friendly face so soon into their move. He made a mental note to ensure that Eva and he would become good friends with her family, and that his sons make a lifelong friend out of Dios. “Once we settle we must invite your family over for dinner so we can all get to know each other.” Eva nodded in agreement.

“Of course.” Lorraine responded, “Come now Dios, we need to let them settle in.”

“Okay mummy. Bye bye!”

“Bye bye Dios.” Sparda and Eva spoke in unison waving at the two. Dante was also waving, using his spare hand to force Vergil to wave his unwilling arm as well. A mostly pleasant first meeting in which Dios hoped would be the first of many more to come.

-

Dios spent the entire day watching moving truck after moving truck empty out their contents onto the front lawn of her new friend’s home, admiring each and every piece of antique wooden furniture eventually disappearing through their front door. Thankfully that meant that Lorraine could get all of the housework done without incident, but she too was curious to see what Eva and Sparda had brought to their new home, periodically taking a peek through whichever window she was nearby. They owned a large amount of bookcases and antique weapons, she noted, finally some interesting people had moved into their street instead of the odd retiree or families with children too old to befriend Dios.

She caught herself fantasizing about walking with Eva and the kids to kindergarten, gossiping about nothing in particular while Dios, Dante and Vergil played some kind of game beside them.

“That would be nice.” She sighed, placing the last load of laundry in the dryer before getting ready for her night shift in the ER.

-

By the time Theo had come home for the night, Lorraine had just settled Dios into bed, but with the Dios knowing that her father had come home, she sprung out of her room, down the stairs and flung herself into the red head’s outstretched arms.

“Daddy!” She cried happily, nuzzling into his chest. The scent of his cologne was still present over the slightly harsh smell of the smoke on his uniform, but she didn’t mind. It always reminded her that he spends his days away from home saving the lives of others.

“Di Di!” He hugged her tighter, lifting her up to spin her around in circles. That was the routine when he came home from work. No matter how many times Dios was settled into bed prior to him coming home, she would always rush down to meet him the moment he came through the front door.

“Alright sweetheart, now it’s really time for bed.” Lorraine interjected, also now in her work uniform; a fresh pair of scrubs. It was now her turn to go and save some lives. Theo chuckled, throwing Dios over his shoulder, gaining a squeak from her tiny form. “You heard your mother, time for bed!” Dios looked up from Theo’s back to wave at Lorraine, a small grin tugging at her lips.

“Goodnight mumma.”

“Goodnight Dios. Theo, I’ll tell you about our new neighbours when I get home in the morning.” The two adults quickly turned to each other for a good bye kiss before Theo took off up the stairs, a gigging Dios bumping on his back with every step.

Dios’ favourite colour was purple, evident in the layout of her bedroom. Her walls were painted a light lilac, her bedsheets were a deep purple and most of the teddies neatly stacked up in the far corner of her room were multiple shades of the colour. Lorraine and Theo made sure that their daughter was always happy with her living arrangements, assisting her whenever they could to keep it to her three year old standards; which was surprisingly quite tidy. Lying Dios down onto her bed, Theo lifted the covers over her shoulders before sitting beside her, stroking her hair until her eyes started to feel heavy.

“I met Dante and Vergil today.”

“Yeah?”

“And Miss Eva and Sp- Sp- I can’t say it…” She sighed with disappointment, causing Theo to smile down at his little girl, still stroking her hair tenderly, lovingly.

“That’s okay Di Di. Are they nice people?”

“Mmhmm.” She began to dose off, closing her eyes one last time.