It was quite terrifying to see just how much meat Oni were capable of consuming in a single sitting. While Cobalt sat staring at his plate, nervously picking at the single steak that lay upon it, the Suyas family were already moving onto their third portions, tearing lumps of meat off the entire roasted bear that dominated the centre of the table. Just looking at it was enough to make the Incubus feel queasy, though he wasn't about to let Lorenzo know this, considering the fact that bear was traditionally eat in anticipation of an upcoming victory.

"What's the matter with you, Cobalt? Come on, eat up!" the burly Oni laughed, ripping into his meal with a pair of serrated knives.

He swallowed hard and forced on a smile.

"S- Sorry, sir. I- I don't have that big of an appetite," he replied, pushing his own meal around his plate.

Lorenzo snorted.

"You ought to. Big day tomorrow, after all!"

Of course. Out of all the things on Cobalt's mind, the upcoming wedding was first and foremost.

Everything was in order, and he could no longer see a way out of it. The central hall had been converted into a matrimonial abbey, and decorations had been put up all over the compound. Extra cooking staff had been hired in anticipation of arrivals from Earth's Sixth Family, who were all more than ready to see the fruits of their union with the Sulfur Blood clan. Cobalt's suit had been custom-tailored and delivered to the estate just a day earlier, and he had heard talk of Izzbelle's dress being absolutely breathtaking.

Not that she had been willing to try it on. Indeed, even as they ate their final meal before the wedding, Izzbelle Suyas sat seething, ripping her bear meat apart with her bare hands and shoving it into her mouth.

"Izzbelle, have some manners," Aelda sighed, swirling her wine.

The Oni just shot daggers at her mother. Having spent the last week or so - Cobalt had lost track of time since arriving at the estate - doing everything in her power to disrupt preparations for the ceremony, she seemed to have finally tired herself out, unable to stop plans from proceeding, much to both Izzbelle's and Cobalt's chagrin.

"Oh, Cobalt, I forgot to mention; I've shared details of the weddin' with your mother. She and your sisters will be attendin' tomorrow. As honoured guests, of course," Lorenzo explained, turning to the Incubus.

He sunk into his chair.

"Is that so...? How'd she take the news?" he asked, silently hoping that his family would object to the forceful marriage.

"Pretty well, I'd say. Started cryin' over the phone, sayin' that her 'little boy's finally grown up'."

Ah. Right. For a moment, he had forgotten that Jezebel Trayer was far from a normal mother. So worried about her youngest child's romantic life that she failed to see that his actual life was possibly in danger.

Especially if Izzbelle grew any angrier, judging by how she was reaching for her steak knife...

The meal was suddenly interrupted when the door was slammed open, revealing a sweat-soaked Corris. Pulling off her hat, she wiped her brow and looked up at her superior.

"Lory! Hate to interrupt your dinner, but we've got a problem on the east perimeter!" she gasped, leaning against the doorway.

Setting down his cutlery, Lorenzo got to his feet, brow furrowed.

"What the fuck could be so important that you gotta disturb me eatin' with my family?!" he barked angrily.

"Someone got at the guys on watch!"

"All of them?!"

"Damn near most of them! They've been cut to bloody ribbons!"

Lorenzo slammed his fists down onto the table, rattling the crockery and knocking a glass onto the floor.

"For fucks sake! What the hell do I pay these morons for if they can't keep their own fuckin' backyard safe?! Fuck!" he roared, teeth bared.

Fists balled and shaking, the Oni warlord grabbed his coat off the back of his chair and pulled it across his shoulders. Smoke began to coil from the sides of his mouth as he marched over to Corris, but before he left with her, he stood in the dining hall doorway and glanced back at his daughter.

"Don't worry, Izzbelle; no-one's ruinin' your big day on my watch."

With that, he nodded to Corris and stepped out into the corridor, leaving his wife and child alone with Cobalt. The Incubus stared at the doors, eyes wide as he slowly processed what had just happened. Being a crime family, it stood to reason that the Sulfur Bloods would have enemies out there, but would they really be so bold as to attack on the night before such a big event?

If they were as unscrupulous as the Sulfur Bloods themselves, then perhaps he didn't want to know the answer...

"'My big day...'"

Looking up, Cobalt noticed that Izzbelle had begun to seethe beneath her breath, muttering obscenities as she sliced her food to bits.

"Some fuckin' big day... fuckin' bullshit...!" she growled, growing angrier and angrier by the second.

"Izzbelle, please. Can we not have one peaceful meal before you get married?" her mother sighed, setting her fork down in order to massage her temples.

With an unholy scream, Izzbelle stabbed her knife through the table and flipped her plate, launching her dinner through the air and nearly dousing her fiancé in sauce, had he not ducked at the last second. Peeking his head out from beneath the table, he just about managed to catch a glimpse of the infuriated Oni as she dashed out of the dining hall.

Across the table, Aelda just sighed and shook her head.

"You'd best go after her, Cobalt. If you two are gonna be finishin' out your journeys together, then you best start learnin' how to deal with her tantrums now. Hellfire knows I had to do the same with her father..." she said chewing her meat thoughtfully.

Nodding shakily, Cobalt excused himself from the table and quietly exited the dining hall, shivering as he stepped out into the cold winter wind. All around him, he could hear the shouts and yells of mobilising gangsters, alongside the distinctive sound of guns being locked and loaded. Whomever attacked Lorenzo's men had clearly kicked the hornet's nest.

But that wasn't any concern of his, at least not at that very moment. Turning his gaze downwards, he noticed deep footprints in the snow, leading towards the central hall. Izzbelle likely headed for her bedroom to fume in peace.

"Hang on, Izzbelle..."

Keeping his head down, the Incubus trudged through the deep snowdrifts, rubbing his arms in an effort to keep warm. It was the thick of winter now, and despite the many torches and braziers around the compound, Cobalt still couldn't bear to be outside for more than a minute at a time. Teeth gritted and breath stilted, he marched steadily over to the central hall, whereupon he quickly made his way upstairs. He didn't want to see where he was going to get married, at least not until the day was finally upon him.

Shaking the snow off his shoes, the Incubus made his way up to the hall where he had spoken to Aelda in private, just a couple of nights earlier. From within Izzbelle's bedroom, he could hear frustrated growls and the sound of furniture being thrown about the room. Swallowing hard, Cobalt crept over to the door and tried to slide it open, only to find it locked.

"Um... Izzbelle?" called the Incubus, rapping his knuckles against it.

The noises stopped. He heard the Oni sniffle.

"Fuck off, dumbass!" she barked, though she sounded slightly choked up.

He took a deep breath.

"Can we not talk, maybe? I- I'm sure that-"

"There's nothin' to fuckin' talk about! Didn't you hear him?! Ain't nothin' gonna stop this stupid fuckin' bullshit weddin'! GRAAAH~!"

Cobalt flinched as he heard a chair being hurled against a wall.

"Well, at the very least, could we not sit down and talk about all this?"

"I JUST SAID THERE'S NOTHIN' TO FUCKIN' TALK ABOUT, DUMBASS!"

Shutting his eyes, the Incubus took a moment to think about what Aelda had said. If he truly was going to be wed to Izzbelle for the rest of his life, then he was absolutely going to have to learn how to work around her fiery temper.

Even if it meant fighting dirty sometimes.

"Idau em..." breathed the Incubus, lifting his hands to his face.

Psychomancy was a deceptively powerful art, infamous for being capable of bending and twisting even the most stalwart of minds. And though Cobalt direly wished it wasn't so, even he had to admit that charm magic had its uses.

Bluish vapour began to spill from his lips as his mouth began to taste sickly sweet, like honey.

"Izzbelle, listen close. Could you please be a dear and let me in?" spoke Cobalt in a low, husky tone.

The words spilled out of his mouth as magical vapour, which he brought up to the door's lock. Blowing it through, he pressed his ear against it and waited. Izzbelle's rampage continued for a few moments, but as the charm began to take effect, everything went quiet, save for the pounding of Cobalt's heart.

He wasn't terribly confident in his ability to enthral someone. He personally found it to be a distasteful technique, but he could think of no other way to get through to the Oni.

Izzbelle's footsteps pounded against the floor. A key turned in a lock. The door slid open.

"Hunh..." moaned the Oni, appearing in the doorway.

She stood still, quietly rocking back and forth on her heels. Her arms were slumped, and her eyes dimly glowed purple. Holding his breath, Cobalt raised his hand and snapped his fingers.

The glow disappeared. Blinking the last few wisps of magic out of her eyes, Izzbelle's gaze locked with Cobalt's. Though her eyes were wet and reddened, they suddenly flashed as her face grew furious.

"I'M GONNA FUCKIN' KILL YOU!" she hollered, grabbing the front of his shirt.

"Izzbelle, wait-!"

Too little, too late.

With the kind of strength that Cobalt had come to admire in his student, Izzbelle hauled the Incubus over her shoulder and hurled him across her bedroom, where he unceremoniously slammed against the far wall, knocking a number of athletic trophies to the floor. As he plucked himself up and dusted himself down, the Oni surged towards him, fists balled and ready to let fly.

"Wait, wait, wait! Izzbelle, stop!" he cried, holding his hands out.

Right as she lunged for his throat, the Incubus' palm pressed against her horn. It was incredibly hot, and felt as though it was scorching his hand. For a moment, he was back there, out in front of the dorms when she first went berserk. For the second time, he had touched Izzbelle's horn. A grave transgression.

But this time, he didn't pull away. With the Oni frozen in place, she was an open ear.

"Let's talk this all through, okay? Remember what we talked about?" he breathed.

"L- L- Let go...!" Izzbelle hissed, frozen in place.

"Not until you promise that you'll sit and talk with me. I promised you that I would be there for you, and I intend to make good on that promise, okay?"

Though she continued to glare at him, the Oni bit her tongue and nodded shakily. Gradually, he pulled his hand away. Teeth bared, Izzbelle took a step back.

"There's no fuckin' point...!" she hissed, turning away.

"Maybe we can't do anything to stop the wedding. But we can at least talk about it."

Sitting down at her desk, he watched as Izzbelle paced about the room, fists still shaking, looking desperate to hit something. Unable to do so, however, she just marched over to her bed and sat down.

"I know you don't want to marry me, Izzbelle. I understand why. Believe me, I've been looking for a way to spare you this..." he sighed, slumping his shoulders.

"You have, huh...?" she grumbled, raising an eyebrow.

"This collar stops me from running, and I've tried everything in my power to get it off, to no avail. I've looked into other ways, but..."

He made a few vague gesticulations.

"... fruitless, all of them."

The Oni looked up, but said nothing. Taking a deep breath, Cobalt clasped his hands and faced her.

"I'm the last person you'd ever want to marry, I get it. But-"

"It ain't that..."

Wiping her eyes, she shook her head.

"... just too fuckin' soon..."

She sat there for a moment, before suddenly unleashing a furious howl. Leaping off the bed, Izzbelle rushed over to her training area and began to unload all of her rage into her punching bag, landing punch after devastating punch.

"Izzbelle, please, calm down! I'm sure if we just both cool our heads and stand up to your father, we can-!"

"He won't listen! He never fuckin' listens! GRAAAH~!"

She landed one final punch, rupturing the punching bag's leather hide. As a mass of iron filings spilled onto the floor, Izzbelle fell to her knees.

"Not once in my fuckin' life has he ever fuckin' listened...!" she hissed.

Cobalt could see a tear drop to the floor.

"Treated me like a damn project... The great fuckin' Sulfur Blood heiress! Next boss in the makin'! Total fuckin' bullshit!"

He took a deep breath.

"Parents can have such high hopes for us that they fail to see us for ourselves..." he sighed, staring at the floor.

"What the fuck would you know about that, dumbass?!"

Shrugging, Cobalt got off the chair and walked over to the Oni. Taking a moment to consider, he placed a tentative hand on her back. Surprisingly, she didn't lash out.

"You probably saw it yourself when you were at my house. My mother can be a little overbearing as well," he explained.

Izzbelle shook her head.

"That ain't the same and you know it. Your mom actually gives a shit about you..."

Sitting down next to her, Cobalt wringed his hands.

"Izzbelle... I spoke with your mom a few nights ago, you know. And it sounds like everything that Lorenzo is doing... he's doing it for your sake," he said softly.

She bared her teeth.

"That's bullshit!"

"No, I'm serious. He just wants the best for you, and he thinks that this is the best way of going about it. I'm not saying he's right, mind you. I suppose he's just... misguided."

He looked into her eyes.

"My mom was the same. She was insistent that I lived my life to the fullest, no matter what. But her idea of living my best life was trying to pressure me into... well... 'maturing' before I was ready. And as a result, I came to abhor being with my family."

Sighing, Cobalt gave her a little smile.

"But I still love her. I understand that she was just doing what parents are supposed to do; worry too much for the sake of their children. She was just overdoing herself, trying to get me to make the best of what time I had le-"

He instinctively bit his tongue, cutting himself off before he said too much.

"L- Look, all I'm saying is that I'm sure that we can reason with your father. Even... Even if it's after the fact..." he sighed, patting Izzbelle's shoulder.

She snorted.

"You always know just what to say, huh...?"

Climbing to her feet, the Oni cracked her knuckles and began to pace around the room.

"Cobalt fuckin' Trayer, always with the bloody words!"

"Um..."

"Fuck it... I'm tired..."

Standing in front of her bed, she glanced back at Cobalt.

"Turn around. Peek and I'll gut you," growled Izzbelle, unbuttoning the top of her shirt.

Eyes widening, Cobalt whipped around, staring hard at the wall. Behind him, he could hear the sound of cloth ruffling and hitting the floor, causing his cheeks to redden.

He glanced down at his feet. It was nice that she had calmed down, but was she really resigned to this whole marriage thing...?

"Right. Come on. B- Before I change my mind or somethin'..."

Turning around, his jaw nearly dropped.

He saw her nearly every day, as rough and crass as ever. Ripped clothes, bloodied knuckles, occasionally bruised face... In Cobalt's mind, Izzbelle Suyas was synonymous with strength, recklessness... and bravery.

But seeing her dressed in her nightdress, face red with embarrassment as she nervously rubbed one muscular arm... It defied description.

"I- Izzbelle..." he breathed, unable to think of anything else to say.

Scowling, she lifted the bearskin on her bed and crawled beneath it.

"Hurry the fuck up before I change my mind!" barked the Oni, startling him.

"B- But I'm not in my pajamas! I need to change out of-!"

"You're gonna be in a suit tomorrow, what does it fuckin' matter if you sleep in your clothes?!"

"But-!"

"I DON'T GIVE A SHIT WHAT YOUR SWEAT SMELLS LIKE! JUST GET IN, DUMBASS!"

Unwilling to make her any angrier, Cobalt tripped out of his shoes and nervously shuffled over to the bed. Easing himself beneath the warm bearskin, he did his best to keep out of the Oni's way, only to cry out in alarm as she grabbed him from behind and pulled him close. She was warm. Very warm.

"Tell anybody about this, and I'll fuckin' kill you..." growled Izzbelle, her hot breath tickling his ears.

Unable to speak, the Incubus just nodded.

"Good. Night, dumbass..."

Whatever happened next, they'd face it together. With that on his mind, Cobalt shut his eyes.

"G- Goodnight..."

 

-----

 

"I'm getting too fucking old for this..." grumbled Corris, smacking the side of her flashlight as the bulb flickered once more.

Lorenzo was not happy about what had happened at the estate perimeter. Not happy at all.

It was an absolute bloodbath. No less than twelve hardened Sulfur Bloods were found unconscious in the snow, each bleeding heavily from countless cuts. Gunshots had been heard over in one of the eastern fields, but by the time someone came to investigate, it was already over. Twelve men almost bled dry, each with empty magazines, and not an intruder in sight.

It stank. And Corris hated bad smells.

"Come on, you sneaky fuck... I know you're out here somewhere..." she mumbled to herself, adjusting her scarf as she reaffirmed her grip on her pistol.

Once she got her wounded men out of the cold and into the infirmary - or the closest thing too one that the Sulfur Bloods had - Corris returned to the scene of the crime, to see if she missed anything. There was blood absolutely everywhere, bullet holes lodged in the nearby trees and bushes, and the ground was a mire of slush and cartridge casings.

All of which came from the same kind of gun; the submachineguns that all Sulfur Bloods were outfitted with. Compounded with the fact that none of her men bore gunshot wounds, it lead Corris to the conclusion that their attacker didn't bear a firearm, and yet still came out on top.

She hadn't told Lorenzo. There was enough on his mind what with the wedding the following day, and she wished to confirm her suspicions before bringing it to the boss.

Flashlight gripped tight, she swept the light across the field, eyes squinted as she struggled to see through the thick snowfall.

"Mm?"

There were tracks. Too light to be made by an Oni's foot.

"Gotcha, you son of a bitch...!"

Cocking her hammer, the Oni took off in pursuit. They hadn't had a major security breach on the Sulfur Blood estate in years; it almost felt good to be back on the job. She knew these lands like the back of her hand.

"Nowhere to hide...!"

Vaulting over a gate, Corris followed the tracks into the middle of a neighbouring field, where a single tree stood. The footprints lead directly to its base, where they abruptly disappeared.

"Where in the fuck...?" she muttered, aiming her gun at the darkness.

She heard the string of a bow twang. Before Corris could react, a glassy black arrow shot forth from the foliage, striking the pistol and knocking it clean out of her grasp. She dove for her weapon, but as she went for the grip, a pair of legs swung down from the tree, kicking her right in the chest. As the elderly Oni was thrown onto her back, a dark figure dropped down on top of her, pinning her to the snowy ground as something cold and sharp was pressed against her throat.

"Cobalt Trayer. Your people have him. Do not make the mistakes of your subordinates. Where is he?" hissed a monotonous voice.

"Fuck you...!," Corris spat back.

Her assailant increased the pressure of her blade, nicking the skin on the Oni's throat. She appeared to be a white haired Fallen, dressed in nothing but a dirty white coat. Despite the freezing weather, she didn't look at all bothered that she was nearly naked.

"Do not think to test me. I'll cut you apart and move onto the next."

"Wh- Who the fuck are you...?!"

She brought her face close to Corris'. The madwoman smelled like antiseptic, and her wild eyes were an unnatural purple colour.

"My name is Elya, and I am the one true wife of Cobalt Trayer. Now tell me where he is, before I spread your insides across these blighted lands."

She bared her teeth.

"He's already married?!" Corris exclaimed.

"Is that such a shock?"

"Of course it fucking is! His wedding's tomorrow!"

That seemed to strike a chord with this Elya woman. A horrible, off-key chord that sounded a lot like a woman screaming. She clutched and clawed at her face, shrieking all the while. But before Corris could drag herself over to her gun, the Fallen planted her foot on her chest.

"I'll kill them...! I'll kill them all...!" she tittered, grinning like a psychopath.

Elya roughly kicked her in the side of the head, before spreading her wings and launching off into the sky. Head rattled, Corris could only groan and slump over.

"Gotta... warn...!"

She reached desperately for her gun, but her strength failed her as everything began to blur.

"... Lory...!"