The Infinite

CHAPTER 4: A Hybrid

Kaoru saw a cotton candy stall and she stopped..

Akari noticed that it had a “Free cotton candies today!!” banner.. “She look like a kid who just saw a bunch of candies.. Wait don’t tell me that now she’s going to bug me about it.. I’ll just pretend that I didn’t notice anything and yep..” she thought..

She was about to walk away when Kaoru spoke.. “You know what.. Whenever I came here with my father or my brother, I always asked them Why do humans fall in love with each other and then get their heart broken, and then cry, and then repeat the same mistake again.. I’ve heard that.. When humans start to love someone they literally just dedicate their whole life to the other person, give them everything they got just to make them happy but sometimes things don’t go the way they want it to be and they end up with a broken heart.. Until they find a their other half.. The one who is meant to be in their life.. The one who feels like a missing puzzle piece.. Isn’t it great.. Find a person and then growing old together?”

Akari didn’t knew how to respond that.. She was wondering why is she talking around it al of a sudden.. She looked at that stall again and realized what Kaoru was actually talking about.. There was an old couple probably in their 80’s, sitting on a bench near that stall eating cotton candies.. They were acting like as if they were still in their 20’s..

A small yet soft smile begin to form up on Akari’s face.. It may be unnoticeable to others but to Kaoru it wasn’t.. The Devil Queen whom everyone is afraid of, was currently smiling softly.. Kaoru wasn’t able to believe it for a second.. She thought that it was all a dream but it wasn’t.. She couldn’t understand why everyone is scared of her.. All those rumours about the devil queen, were just lies to Kaoru.. She was starting to trust her..

“She isn’t dangerous at all.. She looks like someone who just don’t know how to express her emotions and gets misunderstood as a bad person.. She is like a deep ocean of secrets..” Kaoru thought..

“You look pretty good while smiling.. I think you should try doing it more often.” Kaoru said..

Akari, the powerful and fearless Queen of all demons, got flustered for a sec before she pulled her ‘cold emotionless face’ on.. “Shut up” she said and looked away..

Kaoru chuckled and said “By the way you thought that I was about to drag to that stall just because you thought that now I wanted to try eating cotton candies right?” Kaoru asked and Akari look at her with a bored look and gave her a small nod..

Kaoru smirked and said “Well you weren’t wrong” She grabbed her hand and begin to drag her to that stall “Let’s Go!!”

They reached the cotton candy stall.. Kaoru got one for herself.. She wanted Akari to have it as well but Akari refused to have one.. Kaoru again dragged Akari to sit with her in some park.. Both of them sat down on the grass under the shade of a big tree..

“It’s so sweet and delicious.. Try some!!” Kaoru offered Akari to have some but she refused again..

“I don’t like human food” she said without any emotions.. Kaoru pouted but continued eating..

Akari looked up at the sky.. It was the golden hour.. The sky was lighted up with the fire of the setting sun.. The beautiful hues of yellow and orange.. Akari leaned back against the tree while admiring the beautiful sky.

“You are a good person” Kaoru blurted out of nowhere.. “Those rumours about you.. You’re not even the 1% of it”

Akari looked at her staring deep into her soul.. It was the first time she heard someone saying that.. Ever since she was a kid, she haven’t heard any positive thing about herself.. Everyone used to call her a monster.. She indeed was a monster.. But she never wanted to become one.. She never wanted to become a monster.. She was forced to become one..

“You know nothing about me” Akari muttered but Kaoru heard it..

“I know.. I know that the only thing I know about you, is your name.. Nothing else.. I know that I don’t know anything about you yet.. I still feel like you’re a good person.. And I want to know more about you.” Kaoru replied..

“What do you want to know?” Akari asked..

“Everything” Kaoru answered.. “I want to know a lot if things” she added..

Akari sighed.. She knew that if she agrees to it, it can get both of them in trouble.. But something inside her told her to tell her everything.. Something inside her told her that Kaoru is different.. Her mind was a mess.. She didn’t knew why her heart was telling her to trust Kaoru but her mind was telling her not to.. In the end she shut down all the voices and without thinking any further she nodded and agreed on telling her everything she wanted to know about her..

Akari was still scared that she will end up scaring her away but still she wanted to know how does it feels to have someone who accepts you for who you are.. She wanted to know how will she react..

Kaoru’s eyes lit up.. “You.. will tell answer anything I ask?” She repeated her question.. She couldn’t believe it..

Akari nodded.. Kaoru put her cotton candy away and faced her.. “Ok so.. Why are there so many rumours out there about you” she asked.

Akari shrugged and answered “When people are unaware of something and they are curious about it, they start assuming things and that is how rumours are born”

Kaoru asked her second question “Why don’t they know anything about you.. I mean they don’t even know the real name of the Devil Queen.. I doubt that people from your side, even they don’t know your name”

“They don’t.. Only a few people from the castle do” Akari replied..

“Why.. Why did you never told anyone anything” Kaoru was getting more and more curious..

Akari leaned back again at the tree looking at the sky.. “There’s no point of telling anyone anything.. I mean why bother explaining yourself when you know that they won’t ever understand.. l would rather just sit back and watch them making assumptions about me” she said..

“Do demons... Actually... Eat... Angels?” Kaoru was unsure if she should ask this or not...

Akari just nodded...

“What about you.. Do you...” she asked.

Akari looked at her and shook her head.. She wasn’t sure if Kaoru will believe it or not, she didn’t knew if after this question will Kaoru be able to ask another one or not.. Yet Akari still decided to tell her the truth..

“We don’t need to eat much.. Eating once a week is enough.. Well to others it may not be enough but to me it is.. But I haven’t eaten any angels till now.. But I can’t stave myself either.. So I fill my hunger by eating the dead human”

“Isn’t it quite weird for a queen to eat dead humans? I mean I’ve never heard of it before.. Does it not taste bad? Like old food always tastes bad” Kaoru stated innocent and Akari chuckled at her innocence.

“It tastes gross” she sighed.. “But as a Queen I need to eat and survive for my people” she added.

Akari wanted to tell her more about it.. About how scared she gets sometimes.. About how she would rather eat dead humans and keep throwing up for hours and end up having a stomach ache rather than hurting an innocent human.. She may be a monster but she wasn’t heatless.. She don’t want to make others feel the pain she went through.. When her father used to beat her brutally just cause she made a small mistake like every other kid..

She didn’t wanted to kill an innocent human, angel or demon just to keep herself alive.. But she was the devil queen.. She have taken uncountable lives till today but none of them were for her own sake.. She had to become a monster, not for herself but for the people around her, for her responsibilities as a Queen..

She sighed and said “You have no idea of how dangerous I can be and that’s why you’re still here sitting right next to me.. Once you find out what kind of a monster I am.. You’ll be terrified like everyone else”

“You’re not a monster” Kaoru said without thinking about anything which made Akari look at her with a questioning look.. “You’re not a monster.. If you need to eat.. Humans or angels to survive that doesn’t makes you a monster.. It’s just how it is.. It’s not your fault.. You never choose to be created this way.. And there is nothing you can do about it” she added.. Akari was looking at her, trying to find any hesitation in Kaoru’s answer but she found none.. Kaoru meant what she was saying.. She never thought of Akari as a monster.. To Kaoru, Akari was her saviour..

“You’re not a monster.. If you need to eat.. Humans or angels to survive that doesn’t makes you a monster.. It’s just how it is.. It’s not your fault.. You never choose to be created this way.. And there is nothing you can do about it” The words of an Angel echoed in a demon’s mind.. No one has ever told her anything like they.. They would just call her a monster.. A beast..

Hearing those words from Kaoru was somehow like a medicine to her open wounds.. All her life, there was only one thing that she wished for.. A person to tell her that she is not a monster.. A person who will tell her that her being a demon, wasn’t her fault..

“I’m not.. a monster.. I am... But.. I never wanted to be one.. I never..” Akari looked down and continued.. “I never wanted to be who I am today.. I don’t want it but I can’t refuse either.. I.. I can’t do this.. I don’t want to be a monster..” she muttered..

Kaoru put a hand on her shoulder and said “But there’s nothing you can do about it.. You need to accept who you are.. Quit trying to run away from yourself.. You’re not a monster.. You need to continue.. Continuing your life as a demon doesn’t makes you a monster.. You need to do it as a Queen it is your responsibility.."

Without Akari’s realization, a tear left her eye.. It fell on Kaoru’s hand and she hissed in pain.. The tear of a demon is like acid to an angel.. But the blood of a demon is like medicine to them.. Akari noticed and suddenly panicked.. She bit her own thumb to make a small cut making it bleed a little bit.. She put her thumb on Kaoru’s burn.. Kaoru was shocked to see that her burn was not hurting anymore.. When Akari removed her thumb, the burn mark was gone..

“How did you do that!?” Kaoru asked..

“Our blood is like a medicine that can heal anything immediately” Akari told her..

“It reminds me of that day when my brother.. um.. he used Brutal Crystal Blade on you.. Sorry about that though but.. I was curious.. Why it didn’t worked on you?” Kaoru’s curiosity was awakened once again..

“Well.. It did worked.. It’s just that unlike other demons, I’m strong enough to survive” Kaoru’s eyes lit up..

“How are you so strong!! I want to be like you” she said..

Akari chuckled.. “Well.. That’s how I’m people think that its because of my mother.. She was the strongest demon.. She died while giving birth to me.. It’s actually because-“ She paused for a moment.. She wasn’t sure if she should tell Kaoru about it or not..

“You can tell me anything.. I won’t tell anyone.. Promise!” Kaoru said..

“The brutal crystal blade isn’t as effective on me as it is on other demons.. It’s.. that.. The crystals that blade is made up of, recognizes angels and demons.. It never hurts angels, It never lets a demon go away alive.. The thing is.. When Albus attacked me with that blade.. It didn’t worked because it couldn’t recognize me” Akari took a deep breath and continued “Because I’m more like an hybrid”

Kaoru’s eyes widen “You what!?”

“The reason I’m this powerful has nothing to do with my mother’s strength.. It is because I have the strength of a demon as well as an angel.. My mom.. fell in love with an angel man.. She told everyone that I’m the daughter of her and her husband, the late demon King.. Or else they would’ve killed me till now just like how that angel man was killed.. So the reason why the Brutal Crystal Blade didn’t worked on me was because it didn’t knew if I was a demon or an angel.. Because I have the blood of both creatures in me.” Akari explained..

Kaoru who was listening with a curious look on her face till now, asked “How do you know all that”

“After I was able to read, the late king gave me all of my mother’s belonging.. He told me that my mother’s last wish was to give all of her belongings to me.. He told me that she didn’t wanted anyone else to even look at it.. I found all of her secrets written down in a letter in one of her books.” Akari replied.

“I haven’t ever heard of it before” Kaoru said.

Akari sarcastically chuckled and said “That’s because Blades moves way faster than words.. Even before the news of a hybrid kid being born could reach the castle, people brutally kill the kids along with their parents and they either burn their bodies or they either bury them..” she sighed “I’m trying my best to save as many hybrids as I can but sometimes it doesn’t works.”

Kaoru looked down.. She was feeling bad for those kids and their families.. She suddenly looked up at Akari and said “Is there any way I can help!?”

Akari chuckled and said “You? Don’t you think that you’re quite too naive and innocent for this job?”

Kaoru shook her head.. Akari sighed “Well not now.. If there’s any task that I find suitable for you except for eating, sleeping, and annoying others, I’ll tell you because for now I think that only task you can perform is to eat, sleep, and annoy others”