Forest Of Devils [Saiko/Vanyel]

"Don't discount your pain. Everyone goes through different types of suffering, and given what I know of Calypso and the loss of my own family, that is a wound that huts like no other. I'd kill these gods myself if I could see my family or my ex-boyfriend again...."

There was a mixture of sadness, disbelief, and contempt in her voice as Saiko's eyes dulled for a moment when thinking of the burning memories of her lover and family. It hurt; it was like something was missing in her heart even as she pressed forward ahead in this life. Yet, it is through this pain she can better connect to the world. And because of that thought, she persisted.

"...men typically try to carry the world's burden on their shoulders but forget how much they endure. You've also been through a lot, so try to do what you can to heal or love yourself for whatever that is worth."

Yeah, empty words. Saiko felt that was the case, but there had to be some truth in them. They wouldn't fix how screwed up his life was. Despite that, someone had to understand, right? Being alone in your suffering is just the worse.

"I was going to have a family as well, but I'm certain Shadow Fall, or someone must've taken my lover from me. He wanted to give me a family, I wanted one, and that hurts."

Remaining quiet for a few moments resulted in Saiko letting out a sigh. It was a lot to take in, but her thoughts were jogged by something she remembered. The woman continued looking at him with a hint of curiosity behind her eyes.

"...but wait, you know Arianda? I ran into that woman myself. What's your relationship to her?"

His gaze turned to the mountainside he was scaling down as she mentioned the pains in her own past. It seemed like he was discovering more and more between them that was similar. Like her, he felt an agonizing hole in his heart that no amount of cigarettes, sleep, or alcohol seemed to fill or fix, and he had his fair share of all three lately. As they soon reached the bottom of the mountain, sliding past the canopy, he took a moment to really listen and process what she said.

Love himself, huh? He didn't really know how to do that, or what it even meant or looked like to love himself. Calypso had wanted him to do that, but no matter what happened, it never felt like he really...did that. He had stopped hurting himself, he tried to be the best he could for her sake. It never felt like it had been enough. So, taking another drag from the cigarette before slipping it into a personal ashtray, he only made one comment.

"...Yeah. I don't really know how to do that, but...I'll try."

It only dug the knife that much deeper, hearing that she also wanted to have a family with her now former lover. He knew how much it hurt. He had been scared at first, but, then he grew excited about it. The chance to give someone a normal life, to keep them from making the same mistakes he had. To have something like that with the person that he loved was more than he could ever ask for in the world, and they had both lost it.

Immediately after she asked about his relationship with Ari, he didn't say anything at first. He just took a few steps forward, pulling her into a brief, sudden hug, before breaking it.

"Sorry. I know how much that hurts, and I just...felt you needed that. As for Ari, we're...somethin' like friends at this point, I guess. I stick around, look after her,, since...Caly isn't around anymore. I don't wanna just leave her on her own after she lost her kid. Least I can do is be there for her, y'know?"

The depth of their venture together truly began when the two of them hit the bottom of the mountainside. But, as Saiko seemed content to sight-see as the change from the deadened forest made the woman smile as she tried to distance herself from her thoughts, it seemed as if Vanyel had different ideas. In fact, his action took the half-breed by surprise as a faint aqua flush briefly emerged on her face due to the unexpected change of nature with the male. Although not unwanted, Saiko chuckled softly and put on a brave face.

"It's okay. As I said, we both are in great pain. But we will find new ways to love ourselves; we have to."

Sounding as if she were speaking for the two of them, a sense of comfort, sadness, and determination echoed out of the tone of the woman's voice. What other choice did either of them have? The holes in their hearts could devour an entire sea, but if they accepted that torment, then death was by far a better option, and they should get on with reincarnating their souls to forget this life. Yet, that isn't what either of them desired and why they must suffer, struggle and tumble in the darkness of the world to find their light again.

"No, I mean that. I don't want to let that sadness consume me as it hurts so much, but...we still have to try."

Closing her eyes, Saiko let the static lessen in her mind to let all of that pain go for a moment. This way, she could see the world as it was now and embrace him. The issue with the torment of the heart is it can blind you to the facts of the material existence around you, and she didn't want to neglect Vanyel at this moment and not see him for who he was. And in doing that, a blink came across the face of the hybrid when he mentioned that Calypso was Arianda's deceased child.

"oh...."

That was all that could be spoken of before nodding her head forward.

"Neither of us can leave her alone, then. She has to be saved from that despair and atone for her sins from Shadow Fall, but she is trying to make this world better slowly in her own way."

After a brief silence, she continued:

"She swore on her soul she would do better. Do you think she will Vanyel?"

He wasn't really expecting Saiko to return the hug. He had let it break so easy because he really just thought it would be a one-and-done thing. Just a little piece of affection to try and help her, even if he didn't know what else to do. Plus, he wasn't always the most affectionate guy in the world. It was weird. He was weird like that. So, when Saiko returned the embrace, he tensed up for a moment in surprise, a light shade of red briefly flushing his cheeks.

But, it quickly faded as she came to the realization just who Calypso was, not just to him, but to Arianda. His face turned somber, the tension fading as he patted the girl on the head. He didn't want to leave her alone -- she needed someone to be there, even if it was someone like him. Hearing that she was trying to make the world a better place in her own way, however, gave him a bit of hope.

"Dunno. Anyone can say that, really. If she really is trying to do better, then, that's all that can be asked of her. Guess I'd just want to see if she actually is or not. I just hope that she will, I guess."

As he took a moment to look around, seeing a few glances of varying expressions as they walked out of the Suicide Forest. Guess things really had gotten bad lately with this place. Would explain the nooses and needles feelin' a lot more prevalent these days. Even the officials seemed surprised to see them walk out alive. He took out his phone, searching for something, and got directions.

"There's a soba shop not far from here. Ya wanna grab a bite? I'll pay. We can talk on the way."

The embrace was let go by both the demonic creatures, but it was evident to Saiko that the two needed it. After hearing him speak about Arianda, however, the focus changed, and a more sincere and resolved smile came across the woman's face when she heard him speak of her.

"Well, the best we can do is hope, right? But, if nothing else, we can guide her on the right path. There has to be something worth saving in that woman if she is so determined to stay out of the earth's way."

After nodding, Saiko looked around and noticed the crowd as well. Blinking for a moment, she knew they must've made a scene. Yet -- the hybrid couldn't care. Nope. Life was meant to be lived, even if embarrassed. So, even if the woman felt weird, all she could do was roll with it.

And with what Vanyel said next, Saiko giggled to herself before patting him on the back lightly.

"Of course, I'd love something to eat! I may not look it, but I can always use a meal."

Poking fun at her gut, Saiko followed up:

"You can almost call it a date even though it isn't!"

Then, as if breaking the silence, Saiko's gut started to grumble up, and she had a flush aqua blush come across her.

"Let's...hurry up!"

Whenever someone smiled, it always was pretty infectious, and Vanyel found himself smiling along with her. Even if he needed to help her, he'd try to make sure that she was making changes to better herself, and the world. Hell, if Calypso saw something in her that made her want to stay with her, even go as far as to call herself by Arianda's last name, there had to be something there that was worth it. Well, he already partially knew. Despite the obsession and trauma from Mana, he knew that she wasn't really a bad person.

Chuckling softly as Saiko patted him on the back, he turned and ruffled her hair, grinning as he pulled his phone out. Everyone could use a meal, after all, even if some bodies didn't necessarily need it. He would have offered to make it himself, but, even if he still lived in his old apartment, it was a pretty big distance from here. So, for now at least, restaurant soba would have to do.

He covered his mouth as he started laughing, hearing her stomach growl and seeing her blush. But, he quickly calmed down, patted her on the head again, then gestured in a direction, ushering her along. He lowered his voice as they started walking, his hands slipping into his pockets.

"Don't worry about the stares, neither of us did anythin'. Not a lotta people come out of Aokigahara once they go in. It's called the Suicide Forest for a reason. Even this long after World War 4, lotta people are still comin' to end their lives here. There's a lot of nooses and needles around the forest lately, seems like they're appearin' faster than the officials can clear 'em up."

It was a sad, morbid legend that was unfortunately reality. Even with all the attempts that had been made to try and dissuade people, there were some that just wouldn't be talked down.

"Anyways, enough depressin' shit. Where'd you end up after World War 4 and Shadow Fall's collapse? You're lookin' a lot happier than whenever I saw ya around. Glad for you on that front, too."

Yeah, that was a nice look! Seeing Vanyel smile more despite his life's sorrow and traumatic events was a pleasant sight to see. It shows that sometimes the company you keep leads to human connection, and being near one another is what a lot of souls need to help overcome their individual losses. So, when he ruffled her hair and chuckled at her stomach growing, Saiko stuck her tongue out and spoke:

"Well, it's good to see you smiling! That's a nice look. I'm willing to let my stomach suffer if I get to see more of that happiness."

Snorting a bit at how corny she sounded, Saiko relished the moment before looking around and shrugging off the stares.

"Compared to when I was in Shadow Fall? These stares may as well be love glances."

Really, she was seen as a murderous hound when working with the likes of them. In contrast, acting like a total weirdo and socially awkward woman was far less taxing on her mental health than that crap.

"Oh, and I'm still very much hungry. I could have ate up all the depressing aura that forest had, but I wanna eatl like a normal person today."

So, now rushing into the Soba shop with stars in her eyes and a bit of drool on her lips, the woman continued.

"You don't get to hear those details about my new life until you feed me! Then I'll sing like a rat-faced with 20 years to life to get out of prison, I promise~!"

Vanyel could only grin in mild embarrassment as she noted the smile, earning a red-tinged blush himself, chuckling awkwardly as he reached over to ruffle her hair again. Sure, it was a bit corny, but, hey, that wasn't always a bad thing. He could relate, at least, to the stares and look that he got when he was within Demon World and during his comparatively brief and uneventful time in Shadow Fall.

After all, a human wasn't exactly welcome among the creatures that so freely terrorized the planet they lived on. He was glad, at least, that she wanted to eat like a normal person for once. Even for half-breeds, doing something like eating the depressive aura of an area couldn't be good for her head.

"Good. Eatin' like that can't be good for either body or mind. Plus, I bet normal food tastes better anyways. Wouldn't know myself, can't really eat emotions."

He nudged her playfully, giving her a little smug grin as they walked along, and as he looked up, he could see the soba shop in sight. As Saiko rushed ahead, presenting her conditions to sing like a canary, Vanyel shook his head lightly, patting her head again as he reached into his pocket to feel for his wallet.

"Alright, alright, ya lil' shit, let's get ya fed."

As the two entered the shop, Vanyel offered a light wave to to the server in front, requesting a booth for the two of them, and followed the server to the booth, sitting down across from, or beside Saiko, whichever she preferred. It was a bit of a slower day, so it wasn't long before the two were served, given time to look over the menu while they waited on drinks.

Noodles, noodles, noodles! That word was the only thing on Saiko's mind as they entered the shop. Once they had sat down, she grinned herself and decided to order a large family bowl of Sansai Soba as Saiko had a hunger for vegetables, noodles, and broth! After the waiter got her order, he went to work serving them each whatever dishes they deserved rather promptly. Given their supernatural world, people worked fast, and she was pleased to see the food arriving.

"Thank ya for feedin' this lil' shit~."

In a sarcastic and playful tone, Saiko happily dug into her bowl. And, to most people's surprise, this frail girl started going to town on those noodles like they owed her rent! Tasty, tasty. But then again, given how hard the woman fought, was it any wonder her body demanded such high calories? She could burn it off quickly at the speeds she ran or through her body's energy consumption and the abilities that spawned from within.

Still, after taking a hefty bite, the woman let out a relaxed sigh before looking at Vanyel.

"So tell me: are your senses better or worse after becoming a demon? How does food compare in that form you are in now?"

Part of him wondered how long it had been since she had eaten anything normal, compared to just munching on depressive stuff. He hadn't seen anyone this excited about something as simple as soba since a certain Danava had come into his life. But, hey, he wasn't one to judge. There was a time when he had a pretty similar reaction. As they sat down, Vanyel ordered a similar bowl to Saiko, though, he asked for some spiciness added to it.

The food arrived not long after the order was placed, and Vanyel grinned at her commented before digging in himself. He wasn't going at it quite as voraciously as her, but, he had realized just how hungry he had become from that brief Hollow fight, as well as walking around the forest and mountain. Even as a demon, he was still a martial artist, and needed to keep himself in shape, body in physical activity and nutrition.

Right as Saiko asked about his senses, Vanyel had a mouth full of noodles. Biting off some of the noodles, he cleared his mouth before responding.

"Well, definitely not worse. I wouldn't really say much better, either. The flavors feel like they pop a lot more, which kinda makes it easier to describe what it tastes like. Guess it's been long enough that I stopped thinkin' about it and stopped noticin' it."

He shrugged, picking up his glass and taking a drink.

"What about you? What's with the whole 'eating depressive aura' stuff? I didn't even know demons could do that, or that it served as food. "