I want to tell you the story of my life.
Don’t worry, it won’t take long. In fact, I’ll even start from the most recent point to save time.
I’d been having one of the weirdest days of my life. Not /the/ weirdest, mind you---I mean, come on, I’ve had a fist through my stomach, my tongue bitten off, a forced marriage in Hell---but still pretty weird. I’d found myself in /Nikuma’s room in one of the god-awful-sluttiest outfits I owned, attempting to seduce him! Not to mention how disgusting that is, he’s one of my best friend’s fiancee!
Coming to my confused senses, I’d then hurried to /my/ fiancee’s room, sobbing pathetically and apologizing my brains out. And /yes/, I’m /still/ wearing an outfit that makes me look like a hooker in Pretty Woman. Fortunately, Eran suggested he take me to my room so I could change. So we left his room, and who should we find coming out of his own room, but my fiancee’s other half, Grey. /That/ was the thing that changed my life.
Perhaps if Grey hadn’t been being such an asshole lately I wouldn’t have felt stubbornly inclined to bug him more about it. Perhaps if Eran had been more possessive and controlling he wouldn’t have left me alone with his worst enemy. But the fact remains that I shouldn’t have stayed. I should have ignored the dark wingboy and gone to my room with Eran, lived my life semi-normally.
But, I didn’t. Inevitably, this whole thing was my fault. I stayed and demanded to know why he was acting like he hated me when nearly a month ago he’d said he loved me. Of course, I got no answer. All he could tell me what that he was afraid for me, that I was endangered by being around him.
Before I’d been able to take his advice and run back to Eran, the bait of my existence, the cause of almost everything weird and horrible happening in my life, walked down the hallway.
Zei.
“Well well. Just the people I was hoping to see.”
I whirled around, catching sight of the smirking mazoku, my eyes going slightly wider.
“Zei...” Grey murmured faintly, starting slightly and turning to him.
Zei walked over to us, movements suggesting no hurry, till he was right next to us. He’d been keeping his gaze on me the whole time, and now looked me over with a suggestive eyebrow cock, “Very nice choice, dear.”
Gods. I was /still/ in the hooker outfit. Blushing uncomfortably, I didn’t reply but only pulled my skirt down as far as I could get it.
Zei turned to Grey now, grinning faintly, “Doesn’t she look great? I think she should dress like this all the time.”
He reached to grab me, but he was too deliberate and I stepped out of the way, bringing back a hand to slap him away. He barely acknowledged this, but before I knew it, Grey stepped closer to me, frowning, “Zei...don’t.”
Zei raised his eyebrows at the defiance, as I did too. Grey..was protecting me.. Better to take advantage of help while you have it... I moved slightly more behind Grey, turning my eyes back to the mazoku. He simply sneered, “Don’t worry, Grey, I’ll let her be yours.”
I cocked an eyebrow in confusion, but Grey continued frowning, “Please, Zei. I told you I didn’t want that.”
Zei didn’t seem phased and went on, “Fine, well, we’ll see what happens. You may change your mind, seeing how Eran--your enemy--reacts to you possessing her.”
Grey’s tone had taken on a slight pleading, “Zei... it’s not only about that.”
But the mazoku ignored him, turning back to me, “Anyway, perhaps you wanted to talk to me, Fue-chan? Hm?”
Nearly frozen up, you sometimes find yourself startled at how scared you can be, to the point where you can’t even comprehend an intelligent answer, “Uh... I dunno...”
There was a silence before I cleared my throat, mustering up some guts, and said in a quiet voice, “Zei...what exactly do you want?”
The mazoku grinned, “Come with me, and I’ll show you.”
And you know, most people in their right mind would know not to even consider this. And yet, I actually considered it.
Grey’s voice pleaded again, “Zei...”
His lover’s defiance must have been finally getting to him, because he turned to Grey, grin gone and said sharply, “If you’re not with me on this, you’re against me, Grey.”
I looked to Grey to see a sort of defeat reside in his eyes, and he lowered his head a little, “I understand, Zei...”
It baffled me. How could Zei treat the one he /loved/ like this? Here he was, pleading with him, and Zei hardly cared. It made me mad that Grey was used to this, agreed to this, when no one should be treated that way.
Zei broke me out of my thoughts, saying casually, “Come, dear, we have to discuss things.”
“Come on, “ Grey glanced at me, but wouldn’t meet my eyes.
I stared at him. I knew he couldn’t fight Zei, but I guess I still hoped he would. But he’d given in, and now he was feeding me to the dogs. And I /still/ didn’t know what Zei wanted! “Please...” I gave Grey a fearful look, “tell me what this is about...”
Before we could exchange anymore looks or conversation, Zei darted in, grabbing my arm roughly and starting to pull me, “Don’t bother him, he can’t tell you.”
Of course, there’s not much I could do. Still, struggling seemed like the logical thing to do, and I winced, trying to pull my arm away from his iron grip as he pulled me down the hall. Grey followed, telling me to just go with him, which pissed me off, but I knew it wasn’t Grey’s fault.
Zei appeared to half talking to himself, “Hmmm...nature sounds a little nicer right now.”
Without another word, he teleported us to the woods outside the hotel, deep in the thicket and far enough way to not be heard. I started to step forward, but Zei came a command, “Now,” and on the instant, I couldn’t move, and the world around me when black and silent.
The whole world came into picture again, and I could suddenly move, like being unfrozen, stumbling forward a little. Time seemed to have passed, and I looked up startledly to see Grey a little bit behind Zei, who stood facing me, the demon’s sword in his hand.
Now, I didn’t know much about the demon sword. The first time I’d actually seen it was when Eran was trying to protect me from Zei, and he’d started glowing white. The sword had appeared in his hand, and then after Zei left, just disappeared as quick. He’d told me it was Grey’s soul, it was the power of the demon. Vale seemed to have one too. I didn’t know much, but I knew enough to know it was dangerous, moreso than a regular sword. My eyes went huge, but I didn’t step back to try to get away. I jerked my gaze to Grey, my voice shaking, “Grey... what....”
Before I knew it, Zei grabbed me by the arm again, holding the sword in the other, staring down at me with dark eyes. I could only stare back in fear. He was going to kill me... that’s what he intended to do...
“Well, I’ve made comments here and there, Fue-chan, but I’ve decided I want you to join the elite.”
I couldn’t take my eyes off him. Fear welled up tightly in my throat, my breathing quickened. The elite... he couldn’t mean...
Zei smiled softly, shifting me suddenly so he had seized me with an arm around my waist. His hold was so strong I felt I was encaged by metal. Still smiling creepily, he spoke, “I’m going to make you a mazoku, Fue-chan.”
That did it. My brain seemed to snap. Any fear that had been holding my voice back broke, and I let out a loud, terrified shriek. Zei made a move of his hand, and my voice suddenly was cut off, even as I continued to try and scream. He tsked, “You should remember what happened last time you did that. You want to keep your tongue, don’t you?”
I quickly shut my mouth, eyes huge. Gods...
He smirked, “Be glad I remembered my magic in time, this time.”
Horrible to feel gratitude to him, but I actually did.
“I want you to be mine,” Zei went on, tilting his head, “..more than that, I want you to be Grey’s, and I will risk Eran’s hatred for that.”
He gave no warning before lowering his face and pressing his mouth to mine. His lips tasted sweet, like some sort of forbidden wine, and now that I thought about it, they always had, every time he had ever kissed me. How odd to only notice it now...
His plan worked, and the kiss distracted me enough so I didn’t notice him raising the sword. It was too late by the time he thrust it into my chest for me to do anything. It stabbed into me as searing metal, the pain surrounding me so quickly I had no time to think or move. I doubled over onto Zei, my blood pouring from the wound, my vision blackening. It sliced my heart the instant he stabbed it through me, and the blood loss was intense. There was no way I could survive. Cradled in his arm, his sword driven through my heart, I died.

~~~

The very first sensation I could feel was strong arms around me. I stirred slightly, but couldn’t open my eyes yet. My body felt too surreal, and I found myself falling asleep again. Words were murmured to me, my name, and I felt, seemingly without my own control, my eyes fluttering to open.
I snapped my eyes open. And passed out again.
When I woke up again, I was aware of Grey and Zei talking around me. And then...I was aware of everything. My eyes were opened. It was like being Eve in the Garden of Eden, taking a bite of that forbidden fruit for the first time, and opening her eyes to the world for the very first time ever. The world...I was aware of it like I never had before. Even in this surreal world, I could sense everything. A body moved around the floor, and the silent scuff of a foot was heard in my ear. A swish of clothing, the strong smell of everything....and then I began to look around. I could see every detail of the room, of the wall, so that I just stared at the wall in front of me, taking in the unique design of the rock wall, the specks of dust and the curve of crevice.
And then, I was aware of Grey. I could feel him, feel his arms around me, hear the sound of his hair as he moved his head the slightest way, smell on him the scent of anyone he had talked to, the essence of them, and then, his own essence. He smelled /wonderful/, and it was nothing I could define, or describe. Just...him. I spoke his name very softly, and my voice was not changed. He was watching me with an intense look in his eyes, his beautiful eyes, and spoke quietly, “Hai....”
My eyes began to widen. There was a reason I was this way. I was different. The human in me had died, and I was reborn, given life by the darkest powers in the world. I was not human. Human Fue-chan was dead deep inside of me, buried down where no one would see, speared in the heart and covered in blood. I was a new me. I was...
“I’m.....I’m...a mazoku?” I asked Grey in a somewhat shaky voice.
I began to feel the flood of emotions, the empathy of my race. Grey was unnerved, but covering it up well. He nodded to me, “Hai,” looking up, he nodded in another direction, “that’s Zei’s region. Right now we’re next to it.”
Zei’s region. Yes, that I created, that I supplied him with, a world filled with evil and negative energy. How blissful it sounded now....I could sense that we were not in it....we were in a human-safe zone, a place void of negative energy.
The sounds of the room encircled me, and I furrowed my brow, trying to listen to them all at once, “Everything...I can hear everything....”
A voice murmured near me, and Grey lifted me a little, helping me into a sitting position. My body...I was perfect, I was liquid, I was a Goddess. Human clumsiness no longer plagued me.
“How do you feel?” Grey asked, still holding me, surrounded me with his wonderful smell.
I was looking around a little, staring at anything I could and holding my gaze there, taking in all the details, “This is....amazing....”
He seemed to nudge me a little, but continued to watch me, “Fue-chan. Look over here.” he gestured in a direction, and I looked over, seeing a small orb with two life forms in it. I only needed to glance at it to know what it was.
My children.
I’d been pregnant as a human... Zei had known this, and he’d removed the children... he knew I wouldn’t have a womb in my new form, that any life form in me would be terminated, easier than an abortion. He’d removed my children, and kept them in a tangible womb, a womb in which they would grow outside of my body, still fed by my energy. My children... they were twins.
Speaking quietly with Grey a moment, I pulled myself from him to my feet, feeling the liquid sensation of my movements, how easy it was to move, to balance, to do anything, and walked slowly closer to the orb. I kneeled now in front of it, staring at the two fetuses that were my own, that I had given life, that Zei had retained life for, and leaned to it, raising my arms to embrace it. My energy flowed to it, fed them, gave them love. I could raise them with Grey, give them to him as his children also, and we would be their parents. I opened my eyes and looked to him, my love, and spoke his name. He looked at me questioningly, and I got up, my movements swift but slow, and crossed over to him, slipping my arms around him under his arms, resting my head against his warm bare chest. He lifted his arms to rest around me, his voice soft, “Fue-chan...”
My eyes closed, I nuzzled his chest a little, “Love....they can be our children...”
A soft wave of surprise ran through him, “Fue-chan...?”
“Yes, koi?”
He was silent a moment, and I could hear the soft shake of his head, “What about Eran?”
Eran. I was reintroduced to that name, to that face, to that essence. I loved him... and it hurt me. I said his name carefully, “Eran.... I’ll have to see him....”
A voice spoke my name then, and I pulled back from Grey, turning to see Zei. My eyes widened, as the recognition of him entered my mind. Zei, my master, my love, my father. I spoke this, dropping fluidly to my knees in a bow. He walked over to me and laid his glorious hand atop my head, “Good, child. How are you feeling?”
My head bowed, I closed my eyes at the bliss of having him near me, “Wonderful, master.”
“Good,” I heard the movement of Zei’s head as he looked to Grey, who had a feeling of unsettlement coming from him, “are you pleased?”
“I...don’t know,” Grey replied.
“You will be. She just called you ‘koi.’”
Grey nodded, “Hai.”
With my head still bowed, I spoke, “Eran is waiting in my room. Shall I go visit him, master?”
Zei looked down to me, “Do you wish to?”
“It is what you wish.”
He paused, then nodded, “Go. Take Grey with you.”
He removed his hand from my head and I nodded, standing slowly and looking to Grey, “Coming, my love?”
Discomfort sieged from Grey, but he nodded with a slight frown, “Hai.”
Moving closer to him, I latched onto his strong arm, teleporting us out quickly to in front of the hotel. Once there, he looked down to me, frowning, “Fue-chan.... Aren’t you upset about this?”
“I haven’t thought about it.” Indeed I hadn’t. My mind seemed blocked from thinking how I felt about this, which I was okay with. We walked in silence to the hotel and up to my room, where I gestured for him to open the door, which he did.
Eran was there, sitting on my bed, and he jumped slightly as the door opened, his eyes large, “Fue-chan!”
But he hadn’t seen me yet. I hadn’t seen myself till now, and I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror.
I was perfect. My hair was a raven black, slightly longer and flipped up along the edges in sharp, curved spikes, my eyes a brighter amber color and slitted down the center, a dark outline around them with an Egyptian-ish curve. Long, twisted, thin, evil looking horns protruded from the top of my head, the place where cat-ears would be. My skin was flawless, fair, beautiful, my lips dark and red. My nails were about 3-inches long, dark and evil-looking also. Beautiful, perfect.
Pleased with how I now looked in this life, I turned my gaze back to Eran, unattatching myself from Grey and smirking lightly, “Kon bon wa, Eran-kun.”
Eran had stood, but now he stopped, staring at me in shock. A dark hatred feeling came from Grey behind me.
I flipped my hair a little, “I thought since I said I’d be up soon, I should be true to my word.”
Eran started shaking, his eyes huge, his voice coming out in a whisper, “Fue-chan.... W-what...?”
His fear and confusion felt wonderful to me, already, “Oh, the appearance change?” I began walking slowly over to him, looking evenly at him, “well, it’s a little shocking, “I’m not human.”
He took a step back, “Fue-chan...!” his eyes immediately darted to Grey, “What did you do?!”
With that, he lunged at the other half of his soul. My eyes flashed slightly, my smirk fading. I wouldn’t tolerate him touching Grey. Holding out my arm straight to the side of me to block him from Grey, I spoke rather coldly, “He hasn’t done anything.”
Stopped, Eran looked frantically to me, “Fue-chan?”
His pain feeding me, in a way, I wanted to thank him. Complete adoration drove me to step forward and embrace, just as I had Grey earlier, wrapping my arms around his shaking body underneath his arms, nuzzling my face against his bare chest.
“Fue-chan..... What’s going on?” he asked in a tear-filled voice, trembling against me.
I couldn’t explain it, but I just wanted to comfort him. I never wanted him to cry on my account again, “Don’t worry, Eran...”
“W-what did you mean...?”
Closing my dramatic eyes slowly, I spoke in a soft voice, “I’m not human.... I’m a mazoku... I’m Zei’s....”
His whole body shuddered, a jolt of pain and anger and fear coursing through him, and he jerked away from me sharply, eyes wild, “No!”
“Yes, Eran. It’s true.”
“No!” he stepped back more, clenching his fists, “you’re lying! Grey’s making you lie! Or Zei! They did something to you!”
I nodded a little, “Yes, Zei did,” I stepped forward, gesturing at myself a little, “Look at me, Eran. My eyes. I have horns. My hair. My nails,” I raised my hand, displaying my long nails, “I’m not human.”
“No!” Eran’s pain was intense, more than he himself could comprehend, “Fue-chan, please!” He clamped his hands down over his ears, shutting his eyes so tightly a few tears squeezed out.
There was nothing more I could do to comfort him, not as a mazoku, “What do you want me to say?”
He was nearly sobbing by now, “Fue-chan...”
I let my voice be soft, gentle, “Eran...don’t be sad. It’ll only give me pleasure.”
Eran shook his head, backing away even more, crying softly, “No, no...”
“Eran...it’s still me...”
He raised his head, voice painful, “You /hated/ Zei!”
Hating Zei... that wasn’t even comprehendible now. I spoke just as much, “And now he’s my master.”
To hear this, he flinched greatly, stumbling into a dresser behind him, “No!”
It was useless, to try and get him to understand now. He was in too much denial, too much pain. I let out a soft sigh, “You aren’t ready to handle this, I can see.”
“Fue-chan....please... tell him to make you like you were again,” Eran pleaded with me, “I want you back!”
I simply shook my head, “I can’t... it’s irreversible.”
“No! You’re lying...”
I turned to go, slightly frustrated with his lack of understanding, “You can’t handle it now. I’ll leave you to get used to the idea.”
He took a step forward now at this, “Fue-chan! No...”
More frustration. Frankly, he was starting to piss me off. He didn’t want me to be there, but he didn’t want me to leave. I turned to him, “What do you want me to do?”
“Don’t leave...please...”
“Would you like Grey to leave?”
“Yes!” he cried desperately, “just stay with me...”
And really, how could I refuse him? He was pitiful, infuriating. And I needed to stay with him. After a moment, I nodded, turning to my love and resting a hand on Grey’s chest, “Go back to the region, to Zei. I will be back shortly.”
Raising on my tiptoes, I pressed my lips to his, and he kissed my sweet-wine lips back softly, before saying, “I can’t get back by myself.”
I nodded to him, “Call for Zei then, he’ll find you and take you back.”
He nodded to me, then turned and silently left the room, his black feathers rustling behind him. After watching him go with a lingering desire, I turned back to Eran expectantly. He had sunk down onto the bed, his arms wrapped around himself miserably, his eyes shut. “And now what?” I asked, slight irritation in my voice, “would you like to hold me?”
He opened his beautiful eyes and looked up at me miserably, “Fue-chan...”
“Yes?”
His voice was painful, “Why are you being like this?”
His question confused me, “Like what?”
“Like you can’t stand to be here,” he shook his head, lowering his eyes once again.
Pausing a moment to think, I replied, “I have no objection to being here,” thinking it might please him, I added, “if you want, you can hold me.”
“Fue-chan!” he stood now, voice raising, “that’s exactly what I’m talking about! Don’t you care?”
Another confusing question. “If you hold me? I have no objection to it as far as I can think.”
He could only stare at me. “Fue-chan...” it must have been killing him not to hold me, as I saw it. He walked forward, drawing me into a hug, and somewhere deep down inside, it soothed me, “please...”
I leaned into him, resting my head against his chest and shifting it slightly as not to stab him with my horns, closing my eyes peacefully, “Please what....?”
“Zei changed from being mazoku into a human before... We... can fix you that same way.”
It was useless to keep telling him that was impossible. I was what I was, and it could not be changed. But he couldn’t accept that, so I didn’t reply.
“Jerome did that, didn’t he?” Eran asked softly, and my mind flashed at the name, “We’ll just take you to him,” he nodded a little, pulling him closer, “it’ll be okay...”
I opened my eyes to narrow them at Jerome’s mention, “I don’t want to see Jerome. He’ll hurt me.” I realized a little fear had slipped into my tone at the last sentence and wasn’t pleased with that.
“No!” he insisted, “he’ll help you! You’ll get better.”
He pulled me closer yet, drawing his wings around us, the feathers resting against me, the warm enclosure safe and comforting. He was trying to comfort me. It didn’t give me much comfort--as I didn’t need any--but it gave me a sense of peace and tranquility, locked in the embrace, in the white fortress of his wings. He smelled wonderful too.
Feeling desire creep into me and guessing it was what he wanted to, I slowly drew my arms around his back, reaching to rub again the sensitive skin around his wings gently. His whole body tensed greatly, and he let out a sharp gasp, jerking away from me, eyes large. I simply stared back incrediously.
“Y-you surprised me...” he murmured, swallowing.
How cute he was. I smiled a tiny bit, murmuring, “Gomen ne,” before stepping back over to him, wrapping my arms around him once again to feel his body against mine, the smell, the heat. He hugged me again, shaking his head, “Don’t...go back to Zei... please....”
He did want me. I knew it! “You’d like me to stay with you tonight?” I murmured, nuzzling my face into his chest.
“Hai....don’t go back there....please....”
I nodded. “Very well,” that decided, I pulled back from him, reaching down to take off my shoes, as he sank back down on the bed, wiping his tearfilled eyes. Crying over me. How silly of him. I would never let him cry over me again.
Straightening up, I examined my halter top. Hmm..the human side of me had chosen this, which was nothing like her. I’d been trying to seduce Nikuma, I remembered, and now knew if I went to him, he wouldn’t be able to resist me. Smirking a little, I decided I have better things to do--literally-- and unhooked the top, pulling the rest over my buxom chest and over my head, tossing it to the floor. Eran had looked up at me, and a slight ripple of embarrassment passed through him as he quickly looked away, standing.
“I’ll get some other clothes....” he said softly, heading over to me closet.
I waved my hand a little, reaching behind me to unhook my bra, “Don’t bother. You’re getting undressed too, ne?”
He pulled out a dark blue baby-t with a fairy decal on it, but paused, looking over at me, “...W-what?”
Slipped my bra off over my shoulders, I nonchalantly turned to him, “Get undressed.”
He stared at me, “I didn’t mean....”
Now wait a minute. He hadn’t wanted to have sex? What kind of a man was he? Especially getting offered a dish like me. Maybe I’d only slightly misunderstood, “What did you mean?”
“I meant for you to stay here... and not go back to Zei,” he said, still staring at me.
Well, that was just peachy. He only wanted me here so I would be far, far away from my master. Asshole. I frowned slightly, “I have to go back to Zei at some point or another.”
Eran shook his head, “No. No....” he walked back over to me, the other shirt in hand, but wrapped his arms around me, “no... I won’t let him take you.”
Again, his lack of understand was sorely annoying me. I had explained it plain and clear, and he was refusing to accept it. “He already has...”
“No!”
“You have to realize this...”
He held me tighter, “/No/. I won’t let him. You have to stay here.”
I stopped. That almost sounded like an order. Hell, it was an order. Was he trying to /order/ me around when he didn’t own me? The gall... a human trying to order a mazoku around...
“Are you forcing me?” I asked him slowly, my voice low, dangerous. I wouldn’t take this lightly.
“Fue-chan!” he exclaimed, pulling back but still holding onto my bare shoulders, “listen to yourself! You can’t /want/ to go back to Zei!”
I jerked away from him hold, angry now, raising a hand to cover my bare breasts, “Of course I do...”
“No... You can’t....”
Letting out a harsh sigh, I reached over to pull the shirt he had grabbed for me, pulling it on and looking at him, “You don’t understand now. Your feelings are getting in the way.” I stepped back more to put my shoes back on.
“Fue-chan....”
“What?” I realized I was impatient now, but goddamnit, he was pissing me off.
“I....can’t...” almost defeated, he lowered his head and sunk once again back onto the bed, “I can’t understand this....”
“Perhaps you will. Talk with Zei.”
With that, I turned to leave. Zei could clear up whatever I could not.
But he /wasn’t/ defeated. Reaching up his hand to grasp my wrist, he pleaded with me, “Fue-chan! No... please, stay....”

Continue...