The silence returned this time, and I could feel Khalifa’s worry literally ooze out of her as her gaze remained on me,

"Look, it’s nothing.." I froze the moment my eyes fell on her.

"Wha...?" I couldn’t even ask, too shocked to speak, because... she was crying.

"I’m so... so, sorry. I didn’t..." she couldn’t finish her words as she had to pause, wiping her eyes, yet the tears didn’t stop.

"Hey... yo, what are you doing? Why the water works?" I instinctively pulled her close, wiping her tears gently, "I didn’t take you for a crybaby as well." I joked, trying to lighten the mood.

*sniffle..* "jerk.."

"Hahahahaha..." I laughed as I hugged her, her warmth suddenly grounding me, as my heart became significantly lighter.

"Can we just.... Stay like this for a moment?" Her voice came out quieter than usual, but I wasn’t about to move myself, so, "Mmmm" I just nodded in agreement..

...

..

A few minutes passed in comfortable silence as we both just sat there, cuddled in each other’s embrace as the crackling flames gave the ambience a natural spark.

Her figure suddenly squirmed, "hmm? What is it?" I asked, opening my arms as she left my embrace.

"Alright. It’s decided then." She stood, eyes shining brilliantly.

"What’s decided?"

"I’m not letting you fall into that rabbit hole. Not now, not ever."

"Khali.."

"I know Dante... I won’t say I understand your pain, that’ll be hypocritical of me, because I will never do, but that’s exactly why I can’t let you become like that."

I just kept silent as I stared at her.

"The demons, the ones who took your family from you, I promise to help you erase every last one of them, should we ever find the remaining culprits, those involved, my blade will be the first to strike, but! I cannot let you become a heartless killer."

"There’s good in everyone Dante."

"Just like there are good people, there are also people out there that are capable of so much evil, demons would be like angels compared to them."

"So also, there are very vile demons, and yes, most of them tend to be slaves to their racial instincts, but there are also those that are genuinely good."

"I won’t tell you all demons are good.

They aren’t.

But I refuse to believe every child in those cities deserved to die.

And I refuse to let you become the kind of man who stops caring whether they did."

I do not deny that there are those that are born inherently evil and twisted, yet in the same vein, there are those capable of true goodness, dare I say, even better than other races on terra, and I shall make it so that you see that for yourself."

"This is pointless, Khalifa, I will not change my mind."

"We won’t know until we’ve tried, right? Just promise me something." She turned towards me, eyes glowing brilliantly, pure determination swirling within those golden jewels, then she smiled, a bright radiant expression that had me stunned on the spot.

"Promise me you’ll atleast give me a shot. Don’t close your heart completely just yet, let me show you, show that there are demons worth your mercy."

That voice.

That expression.

Those eyes.

I was cold hearted and murderous toward demons, not toward.. her, so, against my better judgment, I could only nod helplessly.

"Yay!" She gave a victory sign in childlike excitement.

"that’s cheating Khalifa." I smiled weakly as I shook my head.

"Huh?? I don’t know what you’re talking about" she smiled, then turned around, "now that that’s cleared up, where are we going to sleep?"

"So, you didn’t think about that when you decided to have us sleep outside in a mana corrupted atmosphere that’s trying to eat us from within?"

"Uhhh... in my defense, I was kind of, um, confused earlier, so, uhh, yea.."

"Haaa... and you wonder why I call you an airhead." I shook my head.

"Hey!!"

Thud!

A mattress materialized from my inventory, landing with a soft thud.

"Woah! Yes! Hahahahaha! One for the few moments your perversion finally pays off." She squealed as she immediately jumped onto the mattress, bouncing like a child.

"Haa... just go to sleep, we’ve got another day of travel ahead of us, we’ve already spent a full day yet we’re no closer to taking that bastard’s head." I sighed, creating a small earthen stool, sitting down cross legged.

"And who’s fault is that exactly?"

"Yea yea.. whatever you say, princess, now go to sleep." I closed my eyes, intent on investing this time into some of my laws, I’d heard a lot of chimes going off earlier but I wasn’t in the mood to check them, so now, it was time to do so...

"What are you doing?" Was what I thought until Khalifa interrupted me.

"Hmm? I’m trying to train, what does it look like?"

"Yea, no you aren’t! You just spent the whole day erasing cities and integration stage experts, something we’ll need to talk about soon, but that’s by the way, for now, what you need is rest, not training."

"Haaaa... I can do both."

"Oh no you don’t! Rest! That’s what you need!" She was adamant, and I could only agree, curse my inability to say no.

"Fine. Fine. You win. Again. I’ll get to rest now."

"What are you doing?"

"What now? What did I do?"

"What are you doing increasing the size of that earth construct?"

"Well what else? I plan on sleeping here, are you dumb?"

"You’re the one that’s dumb. In fact Your middle name is dumb! Dante Dumbass Draven!!" She lashed out.

I couldn’t help the smile that unconsciously appeared on my face.

Finally, we were back to usual.

"Why are you smiling like a predator stalking little children?"

"Just what the hell goes on in that empty head of yours."

"Meh. Details. Now, stop whatever it is you’re doing and come lie down." She patted the side of the bed beside her.

"What? You thought I’d let you lie on the cold floor?"

"Yes, I mean, it’s you after all."

"Fuck! You! Dante!" She huffed, furiously pulled the sheets over herself as her eyes closed shut.

"Hahahahahahahah!!! Now now, no need to get upset, look, I’m here, now, happy?" I laughed, appearing on the bed, right beside her.

"Humph!" She just huffed and turned around.

"Just got to sleep, and don’t go touching me, I’ll stab you in the eyes if I sense any funny business."

"Aye aye captain." I gave a fake salute, chuckled, then got ready to sleep as well..

.....

"Dante?" Her voice sounded from behind my turned figure.

"Hmm?"

"You know I’ll always be here for you whenever you need to talk, right?"

The question caught me off guard, but nevertheless, the warmth that flowed through me was enough.

"Of course, who else better to confide in than my airhead exhibitionist? Afterall, you’ll just forget whatever embarrassing secrets I tell you."

"BASTARD!!!!" A pillow came flying right at me.

"Hahahahahahah..."

"Humph! Good night, and Don’t touch me!!"

"Hahahaha... good night Khali.." I laughed, my heart feeling infinitely lighter than it had since we stepped foot on this god forsaken land.

Slowly, my eyes closed as truly, the after effects of the emotional roller coaster finally caught up to me, my eyes closing softly as I drifted off to sleep..

...

..

"Ughh... what’s so... heavy?" I grunted as I slowly opened my eyes, and what greeted me was a head full of white snuggled comfortably ontop of me.

"Huh?" To say I was surprised would be an understatement.

"Heh! So much for "no touching"."

....

....

A few minutes later, Khalifa stirred slowly, as she began to wake.

"Uhhh...." She sat up, stretched her arms, as she finally, slowly, came to.

"Good morning, beautiful..." I cooed..

"Good morning Dan...." She suddenly froze mid greeting.

Her eyes looked down slowly, mechanically, as found herself sitting comfortably ontop of my lying body, she raised her head, looked at me, I smiled, "so much for no touching huh?"

"KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!"

*************

A/N: Okay. Should we give you two a room? Cause what the hell is this level of frustration all of a sudden?? I thought we were all about killing demons? Stupid!!!

Anyways...

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Thanks for reading...