"Do... do you not care for that?" he whispered, as Isha slowly shook her head.
"No, I don’t. Human, Knull, beast—it doesn’t matter. I just want you, Ryuk," she said, feeling his warm hands slide around her waist, pulling her closer into his embrace.
A soft, contented smile formed on Isha’s lips as she nestled deeper against him.
"Thank you, Isha..." he murmured into her ear. His hands began to pull away, but Isha caught them, gently keeping them wrapped around her.
"I want to tell you something, Ryuk," She whispered suddenly, and Ryuk turned toward her.
"What’s that?"
"I never loved my beast form."
"It makes me feel like a burden by your side... most of the time. Especially when we’re not in battle."
"I had to always remain in the pet space because most normal areas couldn’t contain me. People would just stare in shock, and it would attract needless attention—something I knew you preferred to avoid."
"I’ve been trying to find a way. That’s why, when I discovered Elder Celine could shift into a human form, I wanted to get closer to her—to learn how."
"It was the reason I didn’t argue when she offered to train me."
"In truth, I also wanted to learn how she gained her human form."
"And when I began to understand the transformation... I was so happy."
"I thought it would bring me closer to you than anything else. But then, I heard you were... gone."
Tears, cold as ice, slipped onto Ryuk’s chest.
He reached up, wiping them from her cheeks before lifting her chin gently with his fingers.
"So, how does it feel now? Now that I’m back, and you’re in your human form..." Ryuk asked softly, watching as Isha buried herself into his neck, clutching him tightly.
"It’s warm," she whispered, and Ryuk smiled tenderly.
"You’ve gotten warmer..."
A breeze swept across the balcony, and silence lingered longer than either could measure.
The stars began to emerge, and the half-moon bathed the balcony in its pale light.
"So..." Isha began, stirring Ryuk from his thoughts.
"You... still don’t know how to explain things to Morgaine, do you?"
"Is that why you haven’t tried to reach her?" she asked, her voice careful, almost gentle.
Ryuk slowly shook his head.
"No. I’ve tried, but I can’t reach her."
"Why? What’s stopping you?" she asked, noting the distant look in his eyes before brushing his snow-white hair from his face, bringing him back to the present.
Ryuk sighed deeply before speaking.
"You might not know this, Isha. But a year ago, just before I entered the Ruin portal, I got a call from MadWhite."
"It was a warning."
He said as Isha’s attention piqued.
"He told me that on a high-ranking forum where Cataclysm Stage Experts are gathered... Morgaine’s mother—the Half-Fallen One—had placed a bounty on my head."
"A kill order. And MadWhite said the reward was tempting enough even for someone like him."
"That was shortly after I had some little skirmish with her and her elders."
"She’d asked me to fight them—to demonstrate my strength. But in truth, all she wanted was for me to be beaten down, so she could impose fear and control over me."
"I vanished after that encounter. And two weeks later, the bounty was public."
"MadWhite claimed her reason was that I’m a Knull. Of course, it sounded like an excuse."
"More likely, she wanted to eliminate any future threat, any chance for revenge."
"I had to disappear. Lay low. That’s when Astee suggested the Ruin... and it took a year to complete."
"Now that I’m back..." Ryuk paused, and Isha continued for him.
"You don’t know whether to return to Morgaine or not."
"You’re uncertain if the Knull accusation is true—if the Half-Fallen truly knows you’re a Knull or if it was just a ploy to get rid of you."
"And she’s Morgaine’s mother. She tried to kill you."
"So how do you face Morgaine now..." she said quietly.
Ryuk nodded.
"Exactly. Right now, I’m stronger than her. There’s no doubt. She should pay for trying to end me, regardless of whether I’m a Knull or not."
"But then... there’s Morgaine. I love her. And I can tell she loves her mother, too."
"If I hurt her mother, everything will fall apart."
"I could swallow my pride and forgive her mother’s attempt on my life. That’s easy enough."
"But what if the Half-Fallen One was right? What if she knew—somehow—that I truly am a Knull... and told Morgaine?"
"How would she see me now? What would she even see?"
"A human... or a Knull?" Ryuk murmured, and Isha’s brows furrowed in thought.
"So, yes... That’s why I haven’t checked on her yet. I’m still unsure, so I’ve chosen to step back. To let things unfold naturally," he said, and Isha relaxed again against him.
"I never thought love could be so hard," she whispered.
"Me neither," Ryuk replied with a tired chuckle.
"Battles are simple. So many options."
"You can fight to the end, give up halfway and die, or just choose to run."
"But love? You don’t know whether to move forward or backward. You get stuck—paralyzed in the middle. Undecided."
"And the pain of thinking about outcomes that feel out of your control... it hurts more than getting a hole blasted through your chest," he added with a quiet laugh.
"But... I know everything will align one day. Just like it always does. Like all of us, right now—me, you, Void."
"Everything will fall into place... soon." He wrapped his arms around her more tightly.
A soft flash of light appeared as Void emerged nearby, ready to roar in anger and go on a ten-round legendary battle with Ryuk.
But it paused, taking in the sight before him.
It grew still, but then snuggled up beside them in silence.
’It will all work out in the end. I just know it will... I hope.’ Ryuk silently thought, as his gaze looked up to the starlight, feeling the brustling breath of Isha and Void on his neck, and his eyes soon closed up, as he drifted off into a deep sleep.
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A/N:
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In and Out_SnowySmoos