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The village was bustling in the middle of the night for a great harvesting season. The Akuma clan scarcely has events that can be considered festivals like these. If anything, they only celebrate as a whole clan if the crops turned out better than they have expected. Not even the founding of the clan is celebrated nor was the day their lord has been born, not that the man in question even remembers it in the first place.
The man with raven hair adorned with streaks of red, a black haori embroidered with flowers, always seems to wear only red or black. One word of his can surely enchant you or haunt you, depending on which he chooses to be befitting of you. He was the pinnacle of darkness by appearance, especially with how his red eyes seemed to resemble that of a demon and his voice mimicked the deep abyss.
Though, for the people inside his clan, he wasn't. He was hope, he was a hand they helplessly gripped and had lifted them back to their feet. They don't need festivals because this village has given them a second chance to show what they are and what they can do. To be who they want to be and accomplish what they wanted to accomplish.
All in freedom.
Though... It wasn't the same for their lord.
Vox watches the water ripple from under his hand, eyes empty as he looked at his face through the reflection of the lake. It's been so long yet he still looks the same. No matter how much he tries to conceal it from others, he couldn't hide it from himself. It's been years and yet he only aged by the number he can't even remember at this point. He didn't look old like the other elders in the village. His skin hasn't once wrinkled nor did his physique fall. He was still the same man that he was decades ago, well, for appearance's sake that is.
"As I thought, you'll be here." A velvety soft voice much different than his reached his ears.
A smile coloured his pale lips as he glanced behind him and there stand the most lovely man he had ever seen. A human to whom he had grown so attached despite the difference in their nature. The beloved and adored prince of the Akuma clan's Lord.
"Ike."
"How are you, my lord?"
The boy with cerulescent locks sat beside him, the grass getting crushed beneath them as the chilly night air breezed over them. It has gone dark, the place Vox confided in was quite far from the village, away from the bustling of his people. Not that he hated it rather he didn't want to sour the mood if he were to join. He knew some would appreciate his presence but he also knew that that appreciation will soon vanish.
He wasn't a fun person.
"I am quite fine."
"Only quite?"
"Could be better, could be worse."
There was no hierarchy between them besides the name Ike often uses for him which he had picked up from the other people in his clan. After all, why would there be a need for a hierarchy between lovers? Vox looked at the peaceful pool of water in front of him, appreciating the comforting presence beside him.
"You have made me feel better with the warmth of your presence. You are all I need."
"I need no flattery, my lord." Ike chuckled and it felt like Vox was just blessed by the creature he would never once recognize. His skin stings with how graceful Ike was.
He was his complete opposite. A mere human made him feel sick to his stomach, not because he had wronged him or he was so vile, but because he was so perfect that a mere demon like him did not deserve him. He had no right to touch any inch of Ike's skin, to stroke any strand of Ike's hair, to hear the melodious voice that embraces Vox, to look into those eyes that had captivated him over and over again.
"Ike, I love you."
Ike's eyes widened as he whipped his head towards Vox, only to meet the others' eyes. His smile widened as he scooted closer to the older. Vox wanted to close the distance left between them and feel Ike's arms around him but he didn't have to when the human did it himself.
"I love you too, Vox."
The demon lets the human put his head on his shoulder, closing his eyes as he basks in the peacefulness of the moment.
Though peace was never made for his kind.
"He has no time left, Akuma. I hope you'll be able to forgive him." Ike's voice sounded different in Vox's ears but he had half a mind to question it when those words confused him much more.
"Time? What are y—" He was about to ask when he saw the blue tips of the brunet were no longer the hue of melancholy Ike adores but a colour that he had yet to see on Ike's garment or anywhere near him.
It was pink. Instead of blue.
Vibrant and bizarre.
"Don't resent him too much. Farewell, fellow element of darkness."
The warmth disappeared all of the sudden. Vox's eyes opened as he looked to the spot where Ike should be. He wasn't there. The crushed grass showed that he was there but he disappeared as if he was never there in the first place. Vox gritted his teeth as a tear rolled down his cheek, clenching his hands into fists, already forming various thoughts and theories in his head.
He was given no time to wallow in the sudden disappearance of his lover when the signals of the watchtowers began clanging their bells, relaying the message that there are intruders in their humble village. Vox's feet stood up almost immediately as he gripped the sword in his side, fury taking over him as he slaughtered the men who infiltrated his village.
He stabbed his sword into a soldier's chest as he looked back. His teary yet fiery eyes drooped down when he saw the plaza once filled with smiles and rejoices littered with the bodies of the people he took in and cared for. Littered with remains of broken handicrafts, shattered pots, and trampled crops, all of which was the hard work of his people.
His people that had undoubtedly perished at the hands of men he recognized to be his enemies.
He ran towards his palace, going into the chambers of his lover who had vanished, he used his powers to transport the said room to the underworld. He could've done it to his whole palace but it was nothing to him but a bare edifice void of any importance to him. He had many memories of this place he once called home but it was useless to him now that everyone had perished.
All he needed were the remnants of Ike. The Ike he loves with his whole heart.
He did it until a sword pierced him from the back, a smile slipping onto his lips as he closed his eyes despite the pain that could mimic that of the realm he was birthed and left to thrive on his own. The realm that was to be filled with vexed howls of anguish if a mere mortal stumbles inside of it. Although it burns every fibre of his pale skin, the pain was refreshing, it reminded him that he was also alive.
That a demon can also feel pain and feel alive.
———
Vox fixes his diamond-shaped collar brooches with an empty look in his gradient eyes. He had no idea why he decided to go for this but it's been a few centuries since he did something for himself. He wanted to try something. At least forget about the memories that haunted him even in his sleep even if it was just for a few moments that can never rival the number of centuries he spent wallowing in the vanishing of his clan at the hands of their own kind.
He was a demon, yes, but in terms of tormenting memories and unforgettable feelings, he was as weak as a human. He is a being of darkness, after all, they were to be tangled and live off such monstrosities. Memories and longings are just another normalcy in their ireful lives.
Nonetheless, there was no way he can effortlessly forget about things. Not at all, especially now that every time he sees that certain shade of blue that certainly reminded him of a person he valued so high and just couldn't get enough of, he was always sent back to the past. The past where smiling and cherishing was all he knew how to do despite having the nature of a baleful being. The past where he genuinely wanted to help people who were once like him, lost and fallen.
A sigh made it past his lips as he looked at what the city had become. It all looked so different from what he had grown accustomed to before. That's the power of time, he guesses. Demons didn't have the leisure to stroll down memory lane and appreciate every little change that happens around them when they live for countless centuries. Changes needed to be noticeably vast to catch a demon's attention since they are beings that are marked to have little to no appreciation for such things given where they inhabit.
Though all of those habits of demeaning mortals were foolish from Vox's perspective. Humans are interesting creatures tied down by time and fate. In some ways, they are as powerful—if not, even more powerful—as Vox's own kin. Though he can't deny that they are way too defenceless, he would have to give credit to what they can do. They can invent new things from minerals, substances, fabrics, furs, and such that someone in the demon's realm would never have thought of.
Just like the black rectangular box which came with another rectangular—though longer—box with several buttons on top of it and a device that appears similar to that of a certain rodent which had caused a plague outbreak in the past, all of which Vox has been starting to use too frequently. He had learnt how to use them way before they first came out, enamoured by such technology he had witnessed grow into something he had not seen before.
Though this wasn't the time to ponder on pointless thoughts.
"Alright, Mister Akuma." A lady smiled down at him as she clasped her slender hands together, politely ushering him to a seat in the middle of the place. There were sofas beside the one he had sat on and he can't wait to meet the people who will occupy those seats that he had only talked to on a communication device. "The others will be here in the moment. You were just a bit early is all."
Vox offered a smile back as he smoothed his white suit. "Thank you, please let me know if they are on their way here."
"Will do. Refreshments and snacks will be provided after all the guests have arrived though you can request a plate or two if you do so please."
"I'll take a cup of hibiscus tea."
"Alright, it'll be here in just a minute."
The lady left Vox alone inside the room to wait for four unique individuals that stood out in different ways for the demon. He had yet to mingle again with and form bonds with mortals after several encounters more or less a century ago. He wasn't exactly sure how young men nowadays are fairing but he sure hope he wouldn't stick out too much.
As he thought, dressing up might have been a bad choice.
Although far different from what he had used to wear when he was governing a certain clan that had ceased to exist, he still exudes the same amount of charisma someone would expect from an exceedingly respectable person. Someone whom you wouldn't want to look down on, even the mere thought of it shouldn't be anywhere near your mind when conversing with him.
However, he himself does not want to be the same person as he was centuries ago. He's tired of 'playing pretend' with how aloof he was with the people he cherished. How distant he was with the people he desperately wanted to protect. It all ended in vain all because of him.
Losing them made him acknowledge that.
———
"So, we're only waiting for one more person?" Vox looked up from his second cup of tea, glancing at the man with multi-coloured hair. He had seen such a sight before but that combination of colours has been the first for him. It was peculiar but it also suits him at the same time even though the man looked so far from the mortals he had seen desire such hairstyle.
"It seems as if our fifth is running late." A merry blond spoke with an accent, those that are of familiarity to Vox. Perhaps it wasn't the accent itself but the way he carried himself. He guesses it was very similar to the people he last formed somewhat of a bond with. "Staff-san has sent me a message of his delayed arrival."
"Well, we've been here for a while. Do you guys want to introduce yourselves to each other while we wait?" The man with an odd-looking hat spoke with an accent a bit similar to that of Vox. It was an accent he had picked up when he was wandering the beautiful streets of a certain country he had stayed a fairly long time than any other besides the place he built his clan in.
"Might as well, right!" The blond answered joyfully as Vox expected.
"Well, the foremost one to arrive had waited for us all so we should probably let him know us first." The man with the odd hat gestured to him, a friendly smile permanently on his lips ever since he entered the room. In fact, all three of them were smiling and Vox sits there with a straight face void of anything emotion other than slight impatience. His habits and customs when he was a 'lord' have stuck with him ever since so it was getting even harder to break them.
"We already know why we all are brought here so tell us how you got here and what you are." They all were brought for the same reason but Vox has half a mind to think too hard about it. This time, he will just let it happen, he wants to see where he would end up.
"Oh, yeah! I was the last to arrive besides our fifth one. The name's Luca Kaneshiro, I was a mafia boss in the past before I was sucked into some shit and here I am."
That solves it all in Vox's head. Of course, he's a Kaneshiro.
"I'm Mysta Rias, a great detective! I was pursuing this man right here when I got transported into the future. I thought he had stolen someone's belongings so I chased after him. It was all complicated but I solved it!"
A detective, huh?
"Does that mean you two got transported together?"
"Well, he went first. I was shocked but then I also got transported. Whoever did it must've forgotten to do it at the same time or we just happened to be in the same place at the time set for it to happen. It might all just be a coincidence." The blond shrugged, leaning back on his seat as he released a slight laugh.
"I'll go next then, I'm Shu Yamino. A sorcerer from the past. I have been blessed enough to be transported to the future with my direct family and our humble abode."
"Woah, a sorcerer? What do you do?"
"Curses." The raven smiled as he stood up to allow the purple flames to appear behind him. Neither of them would like the room to be set on fire even though that is not how his powers work directly. "The extent of my powers is beyond my understanding but from what I can say, I can use jujutsu and cast curses on people."
"It's no good to be on your bad side then." Luca joked as he stared at the purple flames behind Shu with amusement obvious in his eyes.
"Don't worry, I don't really curse people."
"Last one, mister! Kindly tell us your name!"
Vox looked away from the flames behind the sorcerer, giving the others a slight smile that looked more like a smirk in Shu's opinion. "I am Vox Akuma. It's nice to be in your presence."
"Eyy, that voice!"
"Dude, are you also British?! That's cool!"
"That's a cool ass name! Not to mention your voice, wow." The blond laughed merrily as he took off his white fedora hat, revealing his blond hair tied on the side. Seems like they all have peculiar hairstyles. Vox took a sip of his tea before he looked at the others, appreciating the familiar flavour swirling around his mouth.
"I was not transported to the future like the rest of you. I am a voice demon who had lived through centuries." Vox looked at their dumbfounded and shocked expressions with hidden longing, remembering the way a certain mortal reacted when he had revealed what he was. "I've yet to die so I decided to join this peculiar industry that had been blooming these past years."
"Damn... A sorcerer and a demon. A detective and a mafia boss. Didn't they make our group too correlating and powerful? Besides, we have yet to meet our fifth." Mysta couldn't help but utter in sheer perplex delight and confusion before he looked at the other raven of the group. "Also, if you don't mind me asking. How old are you exactly?"
"Hey, why would you ask that?" Shu stifled a light chuckle at the antics of the ashen head, ready to dismiss the question when Vox answered.
"More than 400 years, probably. I have no collected memories of how many centuries exactly but..." My clan ceased to exist 400 years ago and that is all I can distinctly remember, is what he wants to say though he didn't know if it was the right time to spoil the mood so he held his tongue. Besides, he has yet to interact with them in a deeper thought so they were yet to be worth his life story.
"That's co—"
"Oh my lord, I am sorry for taking too long! I seem to have gotten lost on my way here."
Vox stiffens in his seat as he recognizes that voice and the words uttered. He can't remember how long he had been alive but he can surely remember the mortal who had disappeared alongside his clan. The noble yet light timbre of his voice sends a shiver down the demon's back as he wished his assumptions to be wrong.
"Welcome! You must be the fifth member!"
"Yes, I am. I might as well introduce myself since I am the last to arrive by the looks of it."
The demon steels his nerves and convinces himself to look up, his face getting filled with horror as he sees the shade of blue he had wished of seeing again alongside the face that had haunted him for centuries.
"I'm—"
"Ike..."
The man's eyes widened as he snapped his head in Vox's direction, his once joyful expression fell as he took in the sight of the person he had missed so much.
"M-My lord... How..."
"I should be the one asking you that. How are you here, Ike..."
The others sealed their mouths shut after realizing the shocking encounter between the two. They must be related to each other and it looks like the man with blue hair tips is also transported to the future. They decided to respect their meeting as they caught sight of the expressions the two wore while looking at each other.
"I... I have no idea..." Ike's voice wavered as his sight shakes, the sides of his eyes heating up the more he looks at the demon. "You... Why... How?"
"I lived."
That was all Vox can say, afraid of breaking Ike down if he knew what he had to go through. He knew how guilty Ike would've felt if only he knew what happened right after he disappeared and the lasting pain digging through the demon's soul.
"The clan! How are they? Are they..." Those words were enough to break the facade Vox was wearing. The voice demon truly valued the mortal companions he had even though the tragedy that struck them is inevitable for their kind.
"They're... Not around anymore, are they?"
The raven only looked at Ike and offered him a smile.
———
"So, a novelist, huh?"
Ike released a light chuckle as he looked at Vox, basking in the warm presence of the person he would never forget despite all the things he had when he was transported.
"Well, I... recently found out that I had the tendency to leap generations and timed realities. I also tend to... forget things about myself due to the effects of leaping to the past, present, and future. Though, surprisingly enough, I can remember that I have been transported when I arrived at the next timeline. Other than that, it's all a blur of events I can't even recall."
Vox sits back in his seat, his eyes trained on the face that he had wished to see all those centuries ago. It felt as if suddenly, everything was fine and well again. That surely is the state of his mind now that the person he had longed for is now here, sitting in front of him in a closed-off room of a restaurant he frequents. It was a restaurant that offers closed-off private rooms which is everything Vox appreciates for the privacy and solitude it gives.
Now, it has become a room for longing love to permeate.
"I have never forgotten you though, my lord. Every moment we shared and everything about you has been with me ever since I disappeared from your timeline..." Ike's smile turned sad as he looked for comfort in the demon's eyes.
"How could I forget you... You saved me alongside everyone else."
Vox couldn't bring himself to smile back even the tiniest bit. He was taken over by shame and disdain as the events he wished he could forget repeated over in his head. "Just call me Vox. I am neither a lord nor someone who deserves that title."
As he expected it was met with confusion.
"What—You deserve it, my lord! You gave us ho—"
"And I wasn't able to protect it! I let the clan perish in the place they thought was their safe haven while I was deceiving them!" The demon's voice broke as the emotions of the past lingered in his chest, his shoulders feeling heavy with all of his grief and regret weighing him down.
"Ike, I let you slip off my grasp... That alone kills me." His eyes were pleading. Pleading for Ike to understand everything he couldn't. "I let them die, I let you vanish, I let everyone down..."
"No, you didn't."
Ike stood up from his seat as he walked to where Vox was, bringing the warmth the demon had yearned for to the raven's sunken cheeks. He brought his face up so their eyes met with a gentle movement, a smile gracing his lips as he watched how emotions swirl around Vox's eyes.
"You did everything you could to cherish us, Vox. I might not know what happened to the clan after I had vanished but all I know is that they are still here." Ike brought one of his hands down to press on Vox's chest where his heart was.
"They're here. And they never left."
Vox nuzzled his cheek on Ike's hand, closing his eyes as he basked in the familiar warmth. Nothing changed even as time appeared to have gone too fast for mortals. It felt the same for Vox. It only strengthens that belief when Ike is now standing in front of him after centuries of dreaming and waiting.
The same Ike that brought him out of his misery.
"No, Ike. I wasn't the one to save you. You were the one to save me." The demon opened his eyes and meet the mortal's olive ones.
"I love you... Ike."
Ike smiled wider as he let out a soft chuckle.
"Me too, Vox. I love you."
The two hugged in the comfort of the closed-off room, big comforted smiles on their respective lips as they appreciate the presence both of them had missed dearly.
While a man with pink tips stands in Ike's consciousness, a smirk colouring his lips as he smoothens the pink decorative flap weighed down by golden tassels on his coat while watching the melancholy scene unfolding in front of him.
"How amusing."
Eki can't wait to play with his foolish half more.