To My Darkside

6

"What the fuck were you two thinking?!"

Rykel winced at Page's shrill response and even felt the demon shifting in discomfort.

"Listen, Page, you don't understand, that guy was going to R-word Aunt Katherine," Rykel said firmly. "We did what we had to do."

"Yeah, but you killed someone, Ry!"

"You didn't seem to have a problem with it in Arjuna," the brunette shot back.

"That's different! That's not a real world! The point is, Ry, you can't just go around offing people whenever you and Kura want!"

"Of course we can," Kuragari sneered into the phone.

"Hey, we didn't have a choice," Rykel sighed. "And it was only one guy, plus he was going to hurt Aunt K."

"I get that he was a bad guy and all that and that your aunt was in danger but did you two even think about the consequences of this if things leaked out somewhere? There could have been a surveillance camera up around there! Or someone could have seen it!"

Rykel's voice softened as she tried to calm Page down. "We checked, Page. There were no cameras and no witnesses. It was a clean job."

Page's tone was still harsh, but there was a hint of worry mixed in with her anger. "You think you know that for sure? How can you be so certain? This isn't one of your video games or those fantasy worlds you and Kura mess around in. This is real life, and people don't just disappear without someone noticing."

Kuragari's voice was cold and unyielding as it lounged on the bed like a massive dog beside Rykel. "We took care of it. We're not amateurs, Page. Besides, if we hadn't acted, Katherine could have been dead."

Page interrupted, her voice rising again. "But now you've put yourselves at risk! What if the police get involved? What if they start investigating and find out it was you two? Did you even consider that?"

Rykel could feel the weight of what they had done pressing down on her, but she refused to show any weakness. "We'll deal with it if it comes to that," she said, trying to sound more confident than she felt. "We did what we had to do to protect our family. I'd rather take the risk than live with the guilt of doing nothing."

There was a long silence on the other end of the line. When Page finally spoke, her voice was quiet and resigned. "I just hope you two know what you're doing. Because if you get caught, there's no going back from this."

"We'll be fine," Kuragari said dismissively. "We always are."

"Okay, well, I'll keep in touch," Page said. "I'm about to head to bed now so I'll call you later."

"Alright. Later, Page."

They ended the call and Rykel sighed, dropping her phone on the bed. Looking up at the demon, she shrugged.

"Well, that's Page for you. Always having one of her mom moments," she grinned wryly.
Kuragari huffed.

"She doesn't need to worry about us so much. I got us," it rumbled, its tail gently curling around Rykel.

"I know you do," Rykel smiled and then yawned. "I'm going to head to bed. You can do whatever as long as you stay in the house."

"I'd rather watch you sleep," came the purr.

Rykel felt a little uneasy. "...Why?" Kuragari's mysterious grin returned and its tail swished lazily behind it.

"Because I need to ensure you're safe," Kuragari replied, its eyes glinting in the dim light. "You never know what might happen in the night. Plus, you're cute. I can't have anyone stealing you."