That's Not Fair

Whatever it was just wouldn’t stop. A constant, pesky prodding in the man’s side that when he tried to swipe it away, only became more persistent and forceful. He tried again and again, but it stayed just out of his reach and came back stronger than ever each time.

“Get up. We have to leave soon.”

Ren would know that passionless voice anywhere.

Weary blue peeked out from behind dark lashes at the white-haired devil that stood above, an unwelcomed specter against the sunrise. “Oh. Good morning, darling,” the man greeted casually as he uncurled his rigid body and sat up, cracking the stiffness from his neck. “How’d you sleep?”

Zero glanced over the hard, rocky, and uneven portion of land that the angel had chosen as his bed for the night after setting up camp just outside of town. Not as if he had much option for sleeping arrangements, given that Sakura had seemingly chosen the roughest terrain possible before exiling Ren to the outside world with only his sword and her glaive set against a large sycamore to keep him company while the rest of them enjoyed the comforts of the tent. “Better than you.”

“Of course you did,” the man scowled, feeling every sore muscle cry out in protest as he fought to stretch and roll them around.

Ren had become spoiled, he knew this very well. It had been quite some time since he had slept on the ground as it had long become commonplace to sleep in a real bed, or at the very least, the plush and cozy bedding of the tent. His once resilient body had become tender and weak since becoming accustomed to such luxuries such as padding under it at night. But that was still tolerable. The worst of the night’s sleep was having to do it alone. Even when the angel was in The Guard, he never could get used to sleeping on his own. It was just something his body sought out, the warmth and softness of a certain other. After spending most of his childhood curled around the demon every night, the need had seeped into his bones and become apart of him. Having no one but himself had made for a rough night, but Ren reminded himself that it wouldn’t last long.

Sakura couldn’t stay mad at him forever.

She’d get over it.

Sooner or later.

Probably.

The angel looked beyond the devil, seeing the tent still set up. “Where’s Ivy and Sakura? It’s getting late. Are they still sleeping?”

“No, they’re getting ready.”

“Alright then,” Ren groaned as he got to his feet, ready to start the day on a good note. “You ready to watch me win today?”

It was probably better if Zero didn’t answer that question. The man didn’t want to hear it anyways. Though Ren was mostly always observant and careful in his actions, studying everything around him with guarded respect in order to make the most beneficial move, sometimes he needed to learn his lesson the hard and painful way.

This, with any luck, would be one of those times.

Zero had never seen Sakura as he had the night before, so furious and overflowing with spite. She was out for blood, and she would do anything to get it.

It made the devil uncomfortable.

Like something truly horrible was on its way.

Had the woman just acted normally, throwing her words and fists around belligerently, Zero wouldn’t have given it a second thought.

But she didn’t.

She was silent.

Seething.

And it was unsettling.

Even Ivy seemed more on edge over the demon’s behavior, confessing to the boy in hushed tones that this had never happened before. Her anger was a disruptive force that erupted recklessly. It never smoldered. It was never patient.

And when night fell, the mum of darkness shrouding them in its dim and weightless cloak, did the woman do something that Zero could never have expected. Crawling over to the near sleeping couple, she would curl her body around the girl, pressing herself close.

With emeralds burning into crimson, the demon would ask the devil for help.

How could he say no?

Zero looked towards the tent, the flap opening as Ivy made her way out followed by Sakura, before turning it back into her ribbon that she then tied around her neck. The girl was always so lovely, ineffable, and everything she touched became the same.

“What kind of bullshit is this?” Ocean eyes nearly popped out of their sockets as a growl rumbled from the angel’s throat. His bewilderment carried him with long strides to where the two women stood. “Nope!” Ren bellowed with a vehemence unlike him. “You put that tent back up and get your ass back in there and change! You are not going looking like that!”

The vixen raised an aloof brow, uninterested in the man’s brewing tantrum. “Like what, Ren?”

The man stopped before and towered over her, swallowing the overwhelming sensibilities that threatened the logical state of his mind as he gawked at the stunning sight before him. “Don’t play dumb. You know exactly what.” There was no denying that he had always found her effortlessly irresistible, a tantalizing marvel for the senses. Especially the way she had looked in the white dress in The Kingdom. That had really chipped away at his willpower.

But this…

This was just unfair.

Cruel.

A sword in a fight of feathers.

Sakura was draped in the new dress he had chosen: the wispy, tawny brown fabric sitting low across her shoulders to expose the lavish curve of her breasts, the complimentary color making the red of her hair and green of her eyes even more vibrant and lively. Her lips looked like a doll’s, as if they had been painted a luscious scarlet and for the first time that Ren had ever seen, the fox’s uncontrollable tresses had been tamed. Sections had been intricately weaved with braids and pulled and twisted to the base of her neck where it then spilled down her back in perfectly loose curls, shorter ringlets framing and highlighting her nubile countenance.

Ren very much liked what he saw.

Could spend a thousand lifetimes basking in this marvelous vision.

But today was not the day to start that endeavor.

“Doesn’t she look pretty, Ren?” Ivy chirped, pulling the awestruck man from his stupor, her arm’s entangling around the woman's waist as she smiled ever so sweetly at him. “Like a princess in a fairy tale.”

She most certainly did.

“You’re no princess. You’re a fucking monster.” The angel glowered at the demon, unable to take his eyes off of her but very displeased with her inconvenient timing. “You go put your other clothes on to fight in. You’re not going like this and making a mess of yourself. We all know that dress will be in shreds before the first round is even over. If you want to run around looking like…” he trailed off, his thoughts going in directions that were of no benefit to him in the moment. “This. All of this. I’m fine with it. I encourage it. But not today. We’re busy, and if anyone is going to ruin all this that you have going on here, it’s going to be me. Do you understand?”

Sakura’s eyes had glazed over, having long stopped listening to the man’s gripes. There was always the option to respond, but who had time for that when there was a tournament to win? Without acknowledging the inane diatribe, the woman laid a kiss on top of Ivy’s head and pulled away from her embrace to grab their bags. “It’s getting late. Let’s take our things and we’ll come back after the tournament to grab my glaive. If I can’t fight with it, I might as well leave it here.” The woman grabbed three of the bags, handing one off to Ivy without so much as a sideways glance at the bewildered man, before taking Zero his. “Come on. Let’s get a move on.”

Ren watched her go, feeling as though she had punched him in the gut.

But she hadn’t.

Where was the rage?

The fury?

The woman he knew?

What was she up to?

He had no idea, but one way or another he was going to find out.

The man snatched his bag and holstered his sword before hurrying past Ivy and Zero in order to catch up with Sakura, watching as her hips swayed from side to side, the skirt brushing along her smooth, dagger-free thighs with the rhythm. A tongue darted out to lick his lips as he observed the sight carefully.

There was something off.

Something not quite right.

Something he couldn’t put his finger on.

Then it clicked.

There was too much skin.

“Do you even have your shorts on?!” Ren sputtered, the panic rising like a geyser. There was nothing wrong with other men admiring the woman in the same way that he did. It was understandable. Expected. But there were certain things that were meant for his eyes only, and he’d be damned if she put on that kind of show for anyone other than him.

Sakura didn’t answer, she merely began humming to herself as the man desperately chased after her in the search for answers, his mouth running a mile a minute.

“Ren!” Ivy called after the man. “Your sword! You can’t use it!” She sighed as he ignored her, too far gone with other concerns. “Never mind.”

Zero watched as the two pushed their way further ahead. “Where are her shorts?”

A giggle escaped the girl as she leaned her head against the devil’s arm, her hold on him tightening. “She’s wearing them. They’re just rolled up a bit. I thought it’d be better that way.” Her brows furrowed. “After all, Ren isn’t exactly wrong. She really is rough with dresses.”

The boy nodded, having seen his fair share of tattered skirts and busted bodices and what all lied beneath them. “That was a good idea. So were the berries. They make her lips really red.” Though he didn’t understand it himself, he had seen enough women fretting over the vials of colored balm at shops and stalls to realize that the bright or dark shades held a certain importance to those seeking them out.

“I thought they would. Thank you for getting them, and for letting me tear up your other shirt to curl her hair. We’ll have to get you a new one after the tournament.” Her smile bright as she gazed up at him. “It was so fun. Normally, Sakura complains and can’t sit still when I try to do her hair, and the most I can manage is a single braid. She barely moved this time and didn’t even say anything when I tinted her lips. I wish she’d be like that more often.” Ivy peered ahead at the demon who was ignoring the frantic angel and scrunched her lips. “Do you think it’ll work?”

Zero was fully confident in his plan as he had seen this situation play out plenty of times. It didn’t matter the time or place or the state of cleanliness of the woman, the moment she batted those eyelashes and puckered her lips the man was reduced to a bumbling fool, ready and willing to scurry behind her right off of a cliff if she so pleased.

However, it would only be a success if it was executed correctly. That was a bit harder to predict. “It should, but only if Sakura listens and does as she’s told. If she loses her temper, she’ll lose.”

“So its 50/50?”

He looked down at the girl, ever the optimist. “Those might be too favorable of odds. It’s probably best we don’t get our hopes up.”

“I guess we’ll wait and see then. At least you don’t have to fight. Have you and Ren been in a lot of tournaments?”

“I’ve been in a few. Ren’s never fought in any.”

That sounded about right to the girl. The man was all about shirking responsibilities off to the boy. “If he’s never fought in one before, then why is he fighting in this one? This is all kind of silly, isn’t it?” Ivy peered up at the devil, eyebrows drawn together in all seriousness. “We could have just sold a few of my dresses and got enough coin to hold us over for a couple of days, and once we made our way out of town far enough, Ren could have flown home and got more. There’s no reason for any of this.”

There weren’t enough hours in the day for the boy to even begin questioning why the man and woman did the things that they did. “I’m sure there’s a reason. A stupid one, but a reason, nonetheless. It’s best to not worry about it.”

Zero certainly wasn’t going to.