“You aren't being conned into this are you, Eva?” I ask, cooly, my face betraying none of my feelings.

  A day and a half is all it took for me to become disillusioned once again, and two days for her to try and cheat.

  That quick? I don't have solid enough evidence however. She could just be teasing him.

  I guess I will just have to distance myself until then. No more lovey lovey shit.

  Ruined already.

  At least I got a company out of her sister. Maybe I should get with Natalya? She confessed to me last year. Surely she hasn't gotten over me.

  But do I want to deal with that pride of hers? What does her pride specialize in? I'm pretty sure Rui has a pride sin dormant in her. I actually think she's proud of me. I'll explain it later I guess, based on how Josh explained it to me.

  No! Joshie! I'm leaving you here aren't I? My only dude friend…

  That sucks…but not like how Eva's tried to suck on Kaito's lips.

  Eva jumps apart and grins widely at me, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

  “Love, your friend tried to seduce me! Can you believe it? So bold~” She swoons.

  “Is that so.” I say flatly, in no way asking a question.

  “Dad, I wasn't–” Kaito yells

  “I know Kaito. You don't need to worry.” I say flatly.

  Kaito falls silent, and Karasu stands by him, hesitating on whether to comfort him by touch, or to stay silent. Can’t blame her. Kaito doesn’t like the touch of girls. His past influences him, even today.

  “Love~” She calls to me. “Are you ignoring me?” She asks, beaming a smile at me.

  I gaze at her coldly.

  “No. I’m not. Now come meet Rui. Enjoy it.” I say monotone, before turning and returning to my room. “Because why stay with a lesser boy?” I mutter under my voice.

  If she heard it, she doesn't care enough to react, and follows me up the stairs with a pep in her step.

  A bright smile spreads on my face as I walk back into Rui's room. She's holding two pieces of wood, pondering which to take with her.

  “Baby, you can't take that, you won't have all your tools with ya.” I remind her.

  Noticing me, Rui smirks, and spreads a collection of knives on her arm, an equivalent of a money spread for a woodworker.

  “TSA is never gonna let you take that through…” I shrug playfully.

  “Liar! TSA lets you take knives through in checked bags, and with the exception of New York, as long as you pack guns into a locked gun case in the checked bag, you can bring guns as well!” She stomps her foot, puffing her cheeks out.

  They do? I guess I’m taking my AK. Sweet!

  Eva squeezes past me in the door frame and grins at Rui as I turn to get my new gun.

  They chatter quietly as I slowly crack open Yuta's door and snag the rifle.

  Turning around, I head for the storage room down the hall, and grab a gun case leaning up against the wall.

  Their voices drift in from Rui’s room as the latches click open and I lay the gun down in the foam.

  Latching shut, it leans against the wall near Rui’s room till we're ready to leave.

  I pop back into her room, and watch them for a few seconds while they chat.

  There aren't any red flags from Eva at the moment that I can see while she interacts with my dear Rui.

  Maybe she is gentle with Rui? I'm not sure, it's too late, I'm sleepy.

  I’m gonna save this brain teaser for another time.

  “Are you packed dear?” I ask Rui.

  “Yeah, Yeah!” She shouts, holding a suitcase above her head.

  “Sweet! Let’s roll baby!” I cheer, picking up her suitcase in one arm and Rui in the other.

  The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

  Rui giggles as I continue to act goofy until she sits in the backseat, passed out only on the trip from her room to the car.

  Eva leans her cheek on my shoulder, trying to murmur something about children before I step to the side slightly, just enough to put space between us, before I mutter something about putting her suitcase in the trunk.

  Avoiding eye contact, I swivel around and pop the trunk to store her suitcase.

  Closing the trunk, I stride over to the driver door and sit down.

  Quiet falls over the car as I lean my forehead on the wheel, somberness swelling in my heart.

  Eva stands outside the car, doing who knows what.

  A deep breath swirls out from my lungs as I relax.

  I feel really hurt. Like really.

  My soul is so tired…

  “The mindscape is slipping, Ikari. Fix it.” Wrath warns in the back of my skull.

  A tear wells up in my eyes before I close my eyes, delving deeper into my mind. I feel the cold surround my soul as I fall, before the heat blasts my skin and my feet touch stone, and I open my eyes to witness the horizon of hell that stretches before me.

  A sea of swirling hate, both of black mist swirling, and gold fire blazing.

  Rubble of the mindscape is pushed around and sinking in the sea as my skin blisters and heals, over and over.

  “You know the consequences of letting it fall apart so far. If those pieces sink before you fixed it, you know what will happen.” Wrath flares behind me, in all of his black mist genie glory.

  “And yet I can get stronger from it? More resilient?” I lash back. “I’m so tired, Wrath! Do you not understand! I am so tired! This front! This pretence of sanity! I broke so long ago, and built everything I have from my own knuckles! Why, WHY!” I sceam, before the silence descends, only the sound of screechs and sheer agony from the swirling abyss around us permeating it.

  “Because it’s not safe? Because I’ll hurt everyone around me? Why should I care anymore?” I ask in despair, the sadness dripping from every word that flows from my throat.

  “Because that’s not what wrath should be!” Wrath roars, his form swelling many times larger. “Wrath is destruction, hate made manifest, but just as greed can make a millionaire from a penniless man, Wrath can take a pathetic bitch like you, and make an emperor! A GOD!” He bellows, the sound drowning out the sea. “Wrath is righteous rage, used for the protection of loved ones, and the advancement of one’s future. But it can also be a weapon of mass destruction. That is the most pure form of wrath. Indiscriminate destruction. Do you want Rui dead, because you couldn’t hold it together just one more day? I promise to you Ikari. You will have your day.” Wrath vows.

  I clench my fists while gritting my teeth in fury.

  “Fine. What fuckin’ shape do you want the mindscape to be this time? I hope it's not that stupid ass castle maze like last time. That took forever to get used to.” I ask with clear irritation, my eye twitching.

  “No. There will be no need for a complicated shape. Your sanity will not need to be as strong as it was necessitated. I want it to be purposely fragile. Just build a plain of stone, to cover the sea of bloody desires.” He orders me.

  Spit hits the stone at my feet before sizzling away, delivered in my fury towards my mental captor.

  Turing while my hands raise, the pieces scattered among the flowing black begin to float above my head, turning to grey dust.

  Piece by piece, my sanity swirls above my head, growing into a massive grey storm.

  I sweep my arm forward, and the grey dust surges down around us, solidifying and carving into stone brick, continuing until out of sight.

  The temperature cools, and my skin stops screaming at me as it knits together one final time. A thought runs through my attention.

  “Wrath, what will happen if I let go all the way? Dip into the flames to the tips of my hair?” I asks, watching the blisters on my skin close.

  “I wouldn’t ever let that happen.” He replies curtly, distracted, inspecting the repair.

  “In theory, if I ever can, what would happen?” I ask, gritting my teeth at his evading answer.

  “You would be ground to nothing.” He drops, like it’s not a world changing answer. “Human bodies simply can’t handle it. It’s near nothing, or all the way, and achieve immortality.” He mutters distractedly, running his fingers along the stone. “I don’t give you emotion to use, I give you the ability to change the emotion into power. I specialize in combat, so I just give you fighting sense, and the ability to stay calm in a fight. I don’t let you use a fraction of your hatred. I’d hate to lose my host after getting one after so long.” He smirks, like his greed is cool. It’s not even his freaking emotion.

  “So…you gave me a calm head? I already had a fighting sense! Just no power behind it! You fuckin useless ghost!” I scream.

  “Right. Let’s get something clear, Ikari Kurogane. You are nothing without me. Shut up, you WORM!” He bellows at me, “Besides. I took control of your body while you spent your time doing useless bickering. Wake up, you’re at the airport, don’t miss your flight.”

  With the feeling of diving into freezing water, I return from the mindscape.

  Before me lies a mostly empty parking lot, and I remember.

  Right. For some reason, no one actually owns a car here. That makes me mad, they missin’ out on the beauty of cars.

  Next to me, Eva is unbuckling, and Rui is stirring awake in the backseat.

  Rubbing my eyes, I unbuckle from my seat, and step out the door.

  My eyes reach towards the pitch covered heavens, and reflect the few stars that twinkle in the lofts of serenity.

  A frown creases my face as I notice the poetic wording of my thoughts.

  Damn, that's weird.

  My focus switches to grabbing my little cupcake as I unbuckle her from her booster seat, and hold her in one arm.

  The trunk pops as I get out both our suitcases, and trail them behind, handlebar to handlebar, till I freeze in panic.

  Do I have our passports?!