(I wasn't exactly happy with this chapter, so I made a couple of changes. Nothing too major... but still)

"Can't you go any faster?"

"Not without dropping you, I can't."

"Come onnn, I know you're slow as fuck but this is a whole new level!"

An irk mark appeared on Darius's forehead "Listen, I'm doing you a favour, the least you could do is be a tad grateful."

"I could," Iris smirked up at him "But where's the fun in that?"

Yeah, remind him again why he kissed her a few minutes ago. And liked it.

Jogging down the hall the duo kept an eye out for the room the Beasts were staying in to recover. Of course, it was also their detaining room before the rescue mission, but this time they were trusted enough to not have it guarded. They had proved themselves friends and not foes.

As soon as Darius turned the corner, said room came into view with a few people standing outside. Two of the Beasts; Drew and Ross, and General Emiliana seemed to be discussing something. And by discuss, I mean Drew was threatening the woman for Emira knows what, and Ross was sobbing uncontrollably.

Sigh... where was Hugo when you needed him?

Oh, right, he supposedly has amnesia. That's why Iris was here in the first place.

So, squirming out of Darius's arms to stand, while still gripping the red fabric of his cape for support, she called out to the presences. Three pairs of eyes turned to her, widening when they saw her.

"IIIIIRIIIS!"

Oh shit...

She was tackled to the floor by a wailing Ross, whose arms had locked around her torso and his head buried itself into her clothed chest.

"I'M SO GLAD YOU'RE OKAY! I DIDN'T KNOW WHERE YOU WERE OR IF YOU WERE STILL ALIVE! THEY WOULDN'T TELL US ANYTHING!"

Iris sweatdropped, placing her hand on the boy's head and ruffling his hair softly "They?"

"He means this bitch." Drew claimed rudely, pointing to Emiliana who seemed highly offended "She and the other dipshit Generals wouldn't tell us the conditions of the other victims. Not even fucking Erika, they just say she's under close supervision, whatever the fuck that means. And now they're telling us we can't go in to see our own brother."

...

Right, Iris almost forgot why they were here.

"So it's true?" She asked, trying her best to move Ross enough so she could sit up "Hugo really has amnesia?"

She felt the man clinging to her nod against her chest, and the darker expression coming from his brother only confirmed it further. She clenched her jaw, turning her head towards Emiliana "I want to see him "

"I'm afraid that's not possible, Ir--"

"Why not, why can't we see him?!" She suddenly snapped, making even the general herself flinch "I'm his friend! Ross and Drew are his brothers! You can't seriously think you can keep us from him!"

Emiliana sighed "The more people he sees from his past, the more confused and terrified he's going to get. Not remembering who you are can be scary, and having people you don't know telling you who you are will likely terrify him."

"But he does fucking know us!" Drew snarled, stepping into the conversation "We're family, and Iris is as good as. We aren't some shitty strangers!"

"Maybe not to Hugo you aren't, but the way he is now..." The woman trailed off "I can't even sugarcoat this, I'm sorry. But the Hugo you all knew may as well be dead."

Ross let out a cry, slowly tearing himself away from Iris to grip his hair "No... no no no no no! That isn't true... it can't be!"

Drew said nothing; if he did, he'd probably end up bawling himself. He was the beasts' strength and right now, he had to be the strong one because Ross sure as hell wasn't. Darius, who had been silent this entire time glanced down at the girl he had carried here, who was still sitting on the floor from when Ross tackled her. Her shoulders were shaking, which already set off a red flag for him. He took a step forward

"Ir--"

"What is wrong with you..."

She suddenly stood, muscles tight as she softly quaked. Once again all eyes were on her, but this time they were weary.

Then, she struck.

The wall next to Emiliana's head was cracked from Iris's fist being smashed into it. The woman didn't physically react, however her eyes did squint slightly as they met the younger's, which were shadowed as they peered through the locks of her fringe.

"Just... Just telling them that their brother is dead, when they saw him still living and breathing, telling them he's dead when they saw him awake and well... so what if he doesn't remember anything? There's a better solution, like helping him, than just leaving him as he is and saying who he was is dead!"

Emiliana said nothing, which pissed the girl off even more.

"You've changed, Emi..." Her voice was now no more than a whisper "You're not who you used to be- not that girl that saved me from the ruins of my village... you've lost your light. Hell, I'd even say you've lost your heart."

"Iris." Darius growled in warning. Friend or not, his general was being threatened and Iris needed to back off.

And she did back off, turning away from the dark eyed woman with a deep scowl "Tch..."

Emiliana let out an exhasperated sigh "I know you're hurting right now, Iris. Hugo's your friend after all... but these things happen, and you have to learn to accept--"

"SHUT UP!"

A purple orb was sent her was, which she was just able to deflect with her sabre. Iris stared wide eyed at her extended palm, as if she asking herself if she actually did that. A hand, clothed with a black fingerless glove grabbed her wrist, pulling it down and behind her so she turned around. She was met with angry green eyes.

"That is enough." Darius's voice had taken a brand new turn. It wasn't flirty, or scared, or curious, or bashful, or caring. It was completely serious, taking a commanding tone which almost Iris snap into attention. Empathize 'almost'. The way he spoke, without a hint of sympathy or sadness from the news...

He was no different from the General.

With a scoff she yanked her hand away and took off down the hall, ignoring the calls, both desperate and commanding as she disappeared around the corner. Drew took a step forward-

"Don't," Darius held a hand up "Even if you can't see him, it's best if you stay as close to your brother as possible. Besides... a demon can become insanely aggressive when emotional, so it's... best if another demon or creature with equal power apprehends them."

Ross gasped "You're going to apprehend her?!"

No of course I'm--... Darius sighed "Hopefully it won't come to that."

And without another word he took off after Iris, leaving the remaining three to process what happened. It wasn't long until he found her, standing before the Cursed woods, seeming to be staring up at the sun rays that shone through the tree branches.

"Iris!" He called out, which made her visibly flinch. Without a word, she began to run. Darius followed "Wait a minute, don't run!"

"Then stop following me!"

"After you tell me what that was back there!"

"Emiliana was being a bitch, that's what--"

"No, with you! Why did you lash out?!"

This time Iris didn't answer, she just kept running.

"Iris will you just stop?! This is getting ridiculous!"

It was hesitant, but Iris did oblige and slow into a halt. However she did not turn to the white haired male as he stopped five feet away. Panting, he continued to question her.

"Was that your demon side showing? Is that why you're scared to show it, because you might lose control?"

"Darius..."

"You do realise the more you hold them in, the harder it'll be to regain control when you lose it."

"Stop..."

"No, listen to me. You could have seriously hurt, if not kill General Emiliana if she hadn't been as skilled as she is. You have to learn how to control them, instead of hiding from them like a coward."

In an instant Iris was in front of Darius, a beastly growl emitting from her throat.

Her hands flexed and shaking as they threatened to strangle him, while purple magic danced around her fingers. Her eyes glossed over in red, and her canines grew in size as she bared them. However in an instant she seemed to have woken up, eyes going back to normal as a look of horror washed over her face. She stumbled backwards, staring down at her hands.

"Oh god... Darius I'm- I'm so-..."

A pair of hands took hers, lifting them up and pulling them against an armoured chest. She looked up and met his eyes get again, but they were no longer serious. His aura wasn't even a tad cautious, even after what happened... He pulled her into a comforting embrace.

"Can I see it?"

"What?"

"You're demon form, can I see it?"

Her eyebrows furrowed "You just did, you saw me... I was a--"

I won't let you say it "I mean your full form. I want to see what you try so hard to hide, what you want to to forget."

"W-Why...?" She had become rather scared by the way her voice shook "After everything... after all that just happened... why would you want me to show something so dangerous?"

"Because... I hate it when people I care about are scared of themselves. Especially when I know very well they shouldn't be... please."

"I..." At this point, she couldn't even argue. She would just have to be prepared that Darius may not want to be near her after this. She sighed "Okay... but you might want to take a step back..."

And he did, not ceasing the expecting gaze on the orange haired female. She sighed, and soon she was engulfed herself with purple mist. Seconds later, in her place stood a 6 foot tall demon with ash coloured skin, blood red eyes, and horns more terrifying than a bull's. The wings sprouting from her back were magnificent, and the armour she wore was just--

Darius looked away, hand over his mouth in case he got a nosebleed "W-Wow, you're..."

"Intimating?"

"Tall... like, really tall. You may even be taller than the lieutenant."

Iris looked up, loosening the hold on her upper arms "You aren't afraid?"

"Afraid? Why would I be afraid?"

"Because I'm... I'm the daughter of the most dangerous man in the world."

"That doesn't make you dangerous, Iris. Your father chose his path and took it, but that doesn't mean you have to take the same path. It's your choice, and it's your power." The man stepped forward and took the demon's hands, pulling her down so she levelled with him "What do you want?"

"I... want to protect Eriska with my sword and my life."

"Then who are you to stop yourself?"

"I..." Iris began, but stopped herself. She became weary when Darius touched her, like if she even made contact with another being she would destroy them. Darius sighed.

"I'm not afraid, Iris. Because I know you. And I've pretty much kicked your butt already."

"Watch it, pretty boy..."

"See? You're no different in this form than you are in your human form."

Iris smiled. It was small, and a little bit sad, but it was better than the scared expression she had before.

But then she groaned, ripping her hands from Darius's and gripping her hair "Shit!"

"What? Don't tell me it's happening again!" The white head panicked "I just gave you my energy like, half an hour ago!"

"It's not that..." She growled in pain "Darius I... I need you to drain my power..."

"What?!"

"Drain my power, I can't change back unless I let out some power.... It's usually done through my orbs, but... the General told me I'm not allowed to use them until further notice, after what happened with the venom weasels..." She gasped "J-Just do it!"

"But then I'll have to kiss you again, you're okay with that?!"

"It's fine I know what to expect! Just--"

She dipped her head further, purple suddenly dancing around her fingers as beastly growls emitted from her throat.

Darius clenched his jaw. Screw it.

He grabbed the sides of her face and smashed his lips against hers, making her gasp and freeze up instantly. However, after a moment she began to relax, pressing her hands against Darius's chestplate and eventually kissing back. Darius felt her body shift against his, growing smaller and smaller until she was back to her original size. However that didn't stop them...

A twig snapped.

The duo gasped and pulled away, looking around for an enemy or... something.

Tweet tweet

"You've got to be kidding me..." Iris deadpanned.

A bird sat there, watching them intently as they just stared up at it. No doubt it was watching them make out, either...

"Get outta here!" Darius yelled as he threw an acorn at it, and to his delight it flew away with a final tweet. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair "I swear..."

"I know..." The other rolled her eyes "Ravens am I right?"

"You are...Anyways, how are you feeling?"

"Better."

"Are you going to go crazy again?"

She rolled her eyes "har har..."

Darius smirked, giving her shoulder a slight pat before beginning to walk "In that case, I think you owe our general an apology."

"What?!" Iris retorted "No I fucking don't!"

"Um, let's review for a sec... as far as I can remember, you almost bashed her brains in!"

"I didn--" she paused "Oh... fine."

"That's my girl."

"I'll kill you."

---

"Are you sure he'll cooperate? I've been told he doesn't like discussing matters as a prince..."

"By whom?" Arvrok turned to the man walking next to him, eyebrow raised. The caramel haired general ran a hand through his hair.

"Most of his friends, actually. Vincent did. Silver did while playfully mocking him. I think my sister mentioned it once or twice as well."

The other sighed "My brother never has been fond of his duties... but he'll have to put his interest aside. As next in line he has some command over the Dragnian royal guard, while I only control a fraction of the army."

"Really?" Lukali frowned "As General, I thought all command was given to you."

"Dragnir is unlike the other kingdoms, Lukali. We have a royal family unlike you do, it's been that way ever since the ancient war. Us dragons need a worthy ruler to keep us under their wing, so a repeat of the past doesn't happen. I am just second in command, even if I'm technically a royal myself. My job is to take care of things the royal family is unable to."

"I see..." the other hummed "Then I suppose it makes sense for me to talk to Jet about the Dragnian forces..."

"And yet you're still reluctant."

"No I'm--" he paused "I just don't want to make him uncomfortable..."

Arvrok scoffed "This is potential war, not a vacation."

"I know that! I just--" Lukali paused again, it's not like your brother and I have ever actually talked before. He's my sister's friend, and I don't want to say anything that'll upset him. I want to be in the good books of Iris's friends, you know?"

"No."

"Come on, I'm talking brother to brother here. Haven't you even tried to get to know Jet's friends? Or Saria's for that matter?"

"Of course I have," Arvrok huffed, making Luke's face light up slightly "I've read through all of their documents, finding their strengths, weaknesses, fighting styles and stats."

His smile dropped "I meant personally."

"Oh, then no. I don't have time to have small talk with those jolly knights Jetrosiq hangs around with."

"What about your sister?"

The dragon shrugged "She has no friends for me to get to know, in the first place."

The light brunette winced "That's kinda harsh."

"I only speak the truth..." Arvrok sighed, and his face actually shifted.

"Nobody wants to be friends with a bastard child..."

Lukali stopped walking out of shock. What did he just call Saria? A bastard child? What did that mean- was she adopted? No, she looked too much like both of her brothers for that...

Was... was she--

"Oh look," Arvrok pointed towards a specific door "Here's his room."

"General Arv--"

"Come on, Lukali." He urged, placing a hand on the door "Let's go in."

Luke sighed. Maybe it was best if he left it alone do a bit. Maybe he should ask Jet about it during their chat "Alright..."

The dragon pushed the door open. The two walked inside--

Only to stop instantly.

"WHAT THE FU--"