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The first time I asked Rue to go out on a stroll in Devildom, to be honest, I was surprised that she readily agreed. I guess with her being trapped, only going three places, it was wearing on her nerves. I remember the surprise reflected in her honey-hued eyes when she witnessed me interacting with one of the cats I was acquainted with.
When we were at the library, I felt a strange feeling well up inside of me when she told me that I gave her another perspective to look at things from. I remember feeling the warmth of her hand on my arm, her eyes filled with determination, once I told her about the unique circumstance of my creation and my concerns involving it.
“No matter, you are Satan, his brother, and not his shadow. Everyone is different even if they share the same DNA; they have different personalities, their own likes, and dislikes. Whenever I look at you, I see Satan … not a mini Lucifer.”
I remember being in awe of this human. Even after knowing the secret of my birth, she didn’t see me as a copy of Lucifer. She saw me as my own self. However, watching her go through the same identity crisis that I have gone through hurt my own heart. The memories of the Celestial Realm with Lilith were all Lucifer’s; I was nothing more than a feeling brewing inside of him at the time. I remember seeing her kneeling on the floor of her room, broken shards of the mirror surrounding her as there were newly created scratches along her bronzed colored cheeks with tears falling from her eyes.
“You aren’t Lilith, Rue.”
I could only watch as her body tensed up in surprise at my presence. I don't know what compelled me, but I was sitting beside her by the time I realized it, and I felt her head resting against my forearm.
“I didn’t get the chance to know Lilith like the others, but I know you and you are the one that I see beside me.”
Her hand held onto mine while she leaned against my shoulder. Sitting in comfortable silence was all we were able to do. It felt nice that I was able to be a comfort when she needed one, just like she was beginning to be one for me.
Then it came to the first goodbye. I wasn’t avoiding, per se. I was getting back to how I was before her influence in my life. But weirdly enough, I felt a pain in my chest when I saw her in my room, a small smile resting on her face. She wanted to spend time with me before it was her time to go back to the human world — her own world. My eyes trailed to the leather-bound book on my lap as I glanced up into her curious golden eyes.
“So Rue, there is something that I wanted to ask you,” I heard her chuckle as I watched her move towards the book that was resting in my lap.
“It’s about this book I acquired from the human world recently,” I went on and gave her the summary of the folktale that was recorded in the book. Once I was finished, I finally realized that she was staring at me with a small smile on her face after my confession.
"I believe he felt multiple emotions during his dying moments, with the most powerful one being 'love.' He nurtured and protected her as if she was his own child and was even willing to die to protect her — it was his last fleeting moment. He wanted her to be safe and happy... Maybe he felt that even if she anguished over his death, she would still be happy in the end knowing her love for him was reciprocated."
I let out a soft chuckle as she finally realized that she was starting to ramble on with her thoughts. I could only observe her now as she listened to me rambling my own.
Suddenly, I jolted upward from my chair as I looked around, seeing the room empty sans with the various mountains of books in their wake. I found myself dreaming about the time with her again more often, even after visiting the human realm and watching her become a licensed sorcerer.
My eyes glance down as I notice a book that was on my lap with a note that says “ Read me ”. I let out a small chuckle as I wondered if my hypothesis would be revealed to be correct in time. I carefully opened the book and watched the pictures move, telling a story of a cat boy meeting a girl in the woods. They were always getting involved in many adventures with the other feline and canine boys in the woods. During one journey, they found out that the cat boy and the girl were fragments of people that were gone, lost during the war; however, both of them realized that they were still themselves no matter who they were supposed to be in the past. Then the girl had to say goodbye for a time to her friends and promised to come back.
“In order to see the one who filled their heart, one must place their hand on their heart and recite… I wish upon a star, no matter, near or far… you are the one that fills my thoughts, now come see me and play once more ,” the room was deathly quiet until I let out an amused chuckle,
“Just a fairytale after all.”
“You didn’t say it with feelings.”
My body tensed up and my eyes widened from shock at the figure in front of me. Dark sepia-tone skin, golden-brown freckles highlighting it with her usual circular-styled glasses on her face. Her familiar tightly curled hair was framed around her face, two cat ears poking through the afro, wearing what appears to be a cat suit. I could only watch as she set the cat-shaped cake down on an empty end table, only catching a brief glance of brightly shining stars on her hand.
“How?” That was enough to catch her attention before her golden eyes focused on me and smiled.
“Apparently, someone hasn’t been making cat puns that actually land well,” the teasing tone was evident in her voice. I felt my cheeks heat up in embarrassment.
“I don’t always make them,” I retorted, only hearing her laugh at me before feeling her hands resting on my face. So this was the warmth I missed… her warmth.
“Solomon has been keeping you busy.”
“Running a lot of errands, calling it training. He wanted to test the spell I wrote finally and figured it was a good time for you to try it.”
I looked down at her in surprise — she was already writing spells. She hadn’t been a sorcerer for a full six months and yet she was already writing spells.
“So did you like the storybook? I mean, it’s not like other famed wri—”
I gently pressed my lips against hers, gently framing my hands around her face, pressing my forehead against hers and smiled, “I love it, Rue.”
“Happy birthday, Satan.”
“So, is the spell a one time usage or can I use it all the time?”
I let out an amused chuckle when I noticed the pout that adorned her face, her freckles became more noticeable during that movement.
“One time usage or everyone would have to get that spell.”
“Good, that means I have you until you fade back into the human realm.”
“That is correct.”
I smiled and moved to hold her hands, giving them a squeeze to prove that she was really here with me.
“We should eat the cake, it’s an ice cream cake.”
“I'd rather eat you instead.”
She’d leveled me a look, saying that I didn’t have enough time for that particular wish.
“I will send the cake to Barbatos, he’s been asking to taste my cooking.”
I conjured up two plates, a knife, and two forks on the table where the cake was as I gave her a smile that was more of a warning, “If you send my cake to Barbatos, I will devour you.”
“Once again, don’t threaten me with a good time.”
I felt the heat on my cheeks once again as I watched her cut us each a piece of cake. Taking the cake-filled plate, I sat down on the floor with her sitting beside me, eating our slices in silence.
I let out a satisfied hum, the cake tasted amazing. Chocolate with a smooth textured vanilla custard in the middle.
“I didn’t know you knew how to make desserts.”
“Well, there were a lot of failures. If Solomon couldn’t taste a difference, it was a failure.”
“Measuring your cooking against Solomon’s taste buds wasn’t the best idea.”
“But I wanted it to be special and it's a one-time feeling that you have when you are with me. That's why I can stay in your memory as I am.”
I let out an amused chuckle, I think I have chuckled a lot since she’s been in my presence.
“You will always be in my memory, in your various forms… though the one I like the most is Kitty Rue.”
“Satan…”
Pulling out my phone from my pocket, I fixed it to be able to take a selfie with her, to preserve this memory, “Come on, let’s take a picture to celebrate before you go.”
Pulling her closer to me by wrapping my arm around her shoulder, I waited til the picture on the phone didn’t look blurry and snapped the phone.
“There… I have my own private Kitty Rue picture.”
I heard her laugh as my eyes widened at her form slowly disappearing in front of me.
“I guess time is up.”
“I guess it is.”
“We will see each other soon.”
I let a small smile adorn my lips as she completely faded from view, the only signs of her presence being the cake and the book.
“Yes, we will.”