Celeste smiled back softly before nodding in agreement. "Indeed, I suppose there isn't anything wrong with it...and since when did you have any trouble with your confidence? Moron...there are many people who not only stand a weirdo like you, they love you. Although it's just as well I appear to be the only one in love with you at this time, otherwise I'd get seriously angry," She added, muttering to herself. She glanced up at him again when he squeezed her hand however, smiling again. "It's been a while since you've called me that...yes, dear, I know what you're like and thus I know that there's no sense in telling you not to worry because you'll continue to do so anyway. And of course I can take care of myself! I managed perfectly fine before I met you, didn't I?" She sniffed, folding her arms.

As Zoroark continued she paused, tilting her head and smiling slightly before carefully wrapping her arms around him. "Silly little man...I'm not used to it either so why don't we both simply accept that we care about each other deeply and are therefore usually concerned for the other's safety? And Noctis was only like that because he cared far too much about too many things...or perhaps it's simply the opposite. That brother of yours was always an enigma to me, but at least him and Sepiroth made each other happy," She said thoughtfully, letting go of him again and stepping back.

Celeste gazed up at him intently as he spoke, managing not to look away although her cheeks became rather flushed and it was clear she wanted to, or at the very least wanted to hit him if that wasn't possible. Instead she bit her lip, barely resisting the urge to shut her eyes or pull away from him, and waited for a few short moments until she had calmed down. "I-I know..." She said quietly, smiling shyly up at him. "And I'm very grateful, Zory...but although I feel the same about you I'd much prefer to get all soft and romantic at a time when there are less witnesses, even your niece and my daughter are too many so it can wait till we're alone. And I don't know about you but it isn't as though I have much experience with what could be traditionally defined as 'romantic relationships', so I can be as inexperienced as I like," She scowled, making a point of turning away from him then.

"Hush! I don't need your half-insults right now and I certainly don't need your compliments so just behave yourself for five minutes. If you really must fantasise about what sort of colours you think would look good on me then either keep it inside your own head or save it for later as well. You know I like it best when you wear your hair down when it's long, not that you do it often, but I prefer to have you all to myself like that anyway..." She murmured, briefly playing with a few strands of her own hair before tilting her head. "That is a thought though...we'll need to find new clothes, since ours are literally a world away...perhaps if asked nicely enough Chaos could arrange to bring a few things over. Material objects must be easier than people anyhow, but I'm assuming he's still around..." She paused, her eyes settling on Maria, narrowed slightly. "He is, no? If you're here then he must be nearby...provided you are genuinely Maria. I suppose if you were the offspring of some hellish coupling between the madman and Maria it would explain the change in eye colour, but that's a thought too disturbing for me to even consider," She sighed, folding her arms thoughtfully. "So he is hopefully simply watching over you innocently, if he isn't then he can guess what I'll do to him."

At Maria's next question she tilted her head and smiled softly at the girl. "No thank you, dear, although your uncle and Hazel may want something..." She said softly, as Hazel gazed up at Maria thoughtfully for a short while. "I-is there anything sweet...?" She asked finally in a soft voice, unsure how best to address her suddenly aged friend and whether or not she could be as familiar with her as she used to. The severity of the situation had not quite dawned on Hazel yet, and perhaps that was for the best as her beloved stuffed rabbit had been left in the demon world, a loss which would surely cause her endless tears if it could not be recovered.

A week had passed and it was early in the morning. Maria was slumped in her workshop chair, resting her head on the table surface. Unfinished doll parts were scattered around her and in one hand she was holding one of the tools she usually used. The other one, however, was placed firmly over her school books, with her half finished homework on top. She had every intension of finishing it while riding the bus, on her way to school. Figuring she would have enough time for it then.

The sun was shining through the small window in the workshop, lighting up the dark little space slightly and warming Maria's neck. She yawned and sat up, squinting the sunlight before rubbing her eyes. For a moment, she seemed somewhat confused. Then her eyes fell on the doll parts and school books and she sighed, realizing she had fallen asleep down there... again. Perhaps that was why her back often hurt.

The young girl stood up, brushing her longish, black hair out of her face and binding it into a loose ponytail before she started cleaning up the mess she had left the day before. Once she was done and everything looked fairly alright, she started making her way up the staircase. Instantly she was met by the strong scent of newly cooked bacon and the sound of a sizzling frying pan coming from the kitchen. Go figure... Zory never used to be a morning person when I was younger. Wonder what's gotten into him these last few years...? She thought to herself as she passed the kitchen and climbed the second staircase.

She briskly made her way through the corridor and didn't stop until she reached her room. When she did stop, she only did so briefly to open her door. Stepping inside, she sighed and shut it behind her again, glancing down at herself. Her clothes were as messy as her workshop table had looked. Maria sure as hell couldn't go to school like that. Deciding that she had to take a shower before changing clothes, eating breakfast and then going off to school, the young girl grimaced and undid her apron, throwing over her bed before she started looking through her closet for new clothes and a towel.

Chaos yawned, running a hand through his scruffy hair as he entered Maria's shop and made his way through to the workshop in the back. She had never had a problem with his entering as he wished in the past, or if she had he couldn't remember, but he felt fairly certain he would be able to beg her forgiveness. It had been roughly two weeks since his last visit, and possibly she would be upset with him for not having mentioned he would be absent for a while, but hopefully she wouldn't have been two worried. Indeed, Maria could take care of herself perfectly well now. She hadn't been a little girl for a long time, and Chaos was more than a little sad over the fact, but whatever world she was in he had always known she would grow up eventually. He just wished she could be a little more carefree every now and then, like she used to be before Noctis's death. Upon finding the workshop empty and fairly clean Chaos decided she must have recently left it, most likely after spending the night down there once again. An admirable dedication to her work, but not the best practice for a schoolgirl...had he arrived early enough to catch her still sleeping, he probably would have carried her upstairs to bed and rearranged his visit for another time.
Chaos paused, sniffing the air and tilting his head curiously before smiling slightly. Either Maria was cooking herself, or she was getting ready for school and that old woman was making it for her...either way, it would be better he announce his presence to whoever was preparing breakfast. Not that Chaos was intending to scrounge some food, but if it was indeed the elderly woman who so kindly looked after Maria when she needed it then the presence of an older man unrelated to Maria in her home would understandably upset her, especially after their first meeting when she all but chased Chaos out of the house. Chaos took a moment to straighten his clothes - he still was not used to wearing human attire, although he tended to when visiting Maria in this world- before wandering through to the kitchen, his lips half parted in greeting before he saw who was really responsible for the smell of bacon. He remained frozen for a few seconds, gazing at Zoroark with a puzzled expression before his features turned murderous.
"How in the name of hell did you get here...?" He asked quietly, his voice low, but firm. If Zoroark was here...no, this most certainly was not good. "Out," Chaos continued flatly, looking for a second as though he was about to hit Zoroark before beginning to pace back and forth wildly, clutching one of his arms. "You're not supposed to be here! Who else is with you? How long have you been...? I...no, I have to send you back. Right now! How did you get here?!"

Zoroark paused when he heard a familiar but unwelcome voice, glancing up towards the male who had entered the kitchen. Not wanting to seem particularly unhappy about Chaos's appearance, even if that was what he was, Zoroark let his frown melt away and gave the other man a lazy smile.

"How in the name of hell did you get here...?"

"Hmm... a pleasure to see you again too, Chaos. You know, we kinda missed your random and most of the time certainly unpleasant visits after my brother and niece vanished... I did wonder if you had anything to do with it. I suppose the answer would be yes..." the black haired demon trailed off, looking thoughtful for a brief moment before she shrugged his shoulders and emptied the frying pan of bacon onto a plate. "Want some? There should be more than enough for you too..." he placed the frying pan amongst the other dishes and yawned, starting to take out butter, milk etc. and setting the table.

"Out. You're not supposed to be here! Who else is with you? How long have you been...? I...no, I have to send you back. Right now! How did you get here?!"

Zoroark blinked at Chaos's outburst, tilting his head. "... Calm down, old chap... I dunno how I ended up here, but I sure as hell won't leave. This world's far nicer than the demonic realm! I don't want my kid growing up in the same hell I did! I-" he paused and his eyes widened as he realized what he had just said, nearly dropping the butter. He managed to stop himself in time, though, and carefully placed it onto the table. "I-I mean... well... I've already managed to get a job and stuff, and as soon as we have gotten our loan approved my sweetheart and I will be moving to our own place, so you needn't worry about me doing anything to Maria or being a bother to her or anything... I-I wouldn't anyway..." he trailed off and looked down for a moment, sighing softly.

"I don't know why you're so upset about me being here... or Asura and Celeste, for that matter. I mean, I'll make sure the kid (Asura) behaves himself and stuff, a-and Celeste won't be a bother either, I promise.. we don't know how we ended up here, that's for sure... but going back simply... isn't an option I can accept. Living this one week without any worries or fear at all... has been the very best week of my life..." he bit his lip as he finished setting the table and then gestured towards one of the chairs. "The old lady is out so there shouldn't be any problems... please be so kind and take a seat."

(I accidentally tagged Maria as well. >.<)

Chaos glared at Zoroark, the fact that they each seemed fairly displeased with the other's presence not escaping his notice, but he could understand that. Whilst Chaos had perhaps never done anything to Zoroark personally, Zoroark was no doubt aware of his other various misdeeds, although he'd been fairly well-behaved recently...at least when anyone Zoroark might have reason to be protective of was concerned. "No I don't want any damn breakfast! You can't be here, Zoroark...and yes, it's true I was behind Maria and Noctis's 'disappearance'. But I couldn't tell you about it, you would have wanted to go with them, certainly...you don't understand!" He snapped. As he listened to Zoroark's explanation - or lack of one - Chaos leaned back against the wall and shut his eyes, barely focusing on Zoroark's words as he ran a hand through his hair. Even once Zoroark had finished speaking Chaos remained like that for a short moment, completely still as he tried to think of a way to fix this. Suddenly his eyes snapped open again, gazing at Zoroark with a slightly bewildered expression.

"Did you say...your child? You don't want your child growing up in Leviathan...Z-Zoroark, is Celeste...?" He asked quietly before shaking his head. "No, it doesn't matter, even if she is. So you're here, with Celeste, Asura, and I'm assuming Hazel...if Celeste is pregnant then that's one more...I need a drink," He murmured, hesitating before reluctantly sitting down at the table. "Although getting drunk at this time of the morning in Maria's kitchen would be discourteous and wildly inappropriate, so I'll control myself for now...you sit down as well, Zoroark. I need to explain to you why you have to go back," Chaos said firmly, drumming his fingers against the table impatiently. "No doubt Celeste and possibly Maria should also be allowed to take part in this discussion, but that will have to wait. Maria has school, and for Celeste to be awake at this time in the morning is something of a form of torture for her, and if she truly is in a delicate condition..." Chaos narrowed his eyes at Zoroark. "We shall simply discuss it later when everyone is present. For now I'll just explain to you."

"No I don't want any damn breakfast! You can't be here, Zoroark...and yes, it's true I was behind Maria and Noctis's 'disappearance'. But I couldn't tell you about it, you would have wanted to go with them, certainly...you don't understand!"

Zoroark sighed, watching Chaos wearily. He didn't like the other beings tone. He didn't like it at all. It was obvious Chaos disliked him, in one way or another... and even more obvious that he absolutely didn't want them there. Zoroark couldn't understand why, as he in his own opinion had done nothing wrong... yet he supposed Chaos would have to have a good reason for whatever he did. Or well, at least so Zoroark liked to think... yet considering it was Chaos he wasn't really sure if the other make would have a good reason. Then again, taking Chaos's urgent tone into consideration.... perhaps he did have a good reason after all. While this swirl of thoughts and emotions went through Zoroark, he shook his head, somewhat annoyed. "Yeah, you're right! I don't understand at all!" he snapped almost angrily, though his voice was more dipped with confusion and fear of what would happen if they had to go back. Chaos certainly had the power of doing so against their will... and just the thought made him sick.

"Did you say...your child? You don't want your child growing up in Leviathan...Z-Zoroark, is Celeste...? No, it doesn't matter, even if she is. So you're here, with Celeste, Asura, and I'm assuming Hazel...if Celeste is pregnant then that's one more...I need a drink. Although getting drunk at this time of the morning in Maria's kitchen would be discourteous and wildly inappropriate, so I'll control myself for now...you sit down as well, Zoroark. I need to explain to you why you have to go back."

"And you've told my brother repeatedly to stop drinking... me too, for that matter. Even if I wasn't ever as bad as him. You're a hypocrite, you know..." Zoroark pointed out, arching one of his dark eyebrows before hesitantly, reluctantly sitting down as well. "Yes... I did say our child. She is..." he sniffed, rubbing his wrist nervously, "I don't want to go back... or at least, if you do absolutely need to send me back... don't send away Hazel and Celeste. Please... I can take whatever is thrown at me, even if it destroys me in the process... but I couldn't bare seeing any of them get hurt. Not Celeste... Not Hazel... Not our unborn child," he was reluctant to add Asura to the list, seeing as he still hadn't forgiven his soon to be brother in law for everything he had done to his beloved. Yet if anyone were to punish the moron, Zoroark wanted to do it himself. Other than that, he didn't really want to see Asura hurt either. He was so pitiful when scared an in pain... it almost hurt.

"No doubt Celeste and possibly Maria should also be allowed to take part in this discussion, but that will have to wait. Maria has school, and for Celeste to be awake at this time in the morning is something of a form of torture for her, and if she truly is in a delicate condition... We shall simply discuss it later when everyone is present. For now I'll just explain to you."

By the sound of it, Maria was taking a shower upstairs. Zoroark had no choice but to agree to Chaos's statement about Celeste, a ever so slight smile flitting across his lips. Yet the smile quickly faded away again and he simply gave a slight nod of his head, waiting patiently for Chaos to start explaining.

Chaos simply sighed as Zoroark snapped at him, wringing his hands. "Zoroark, please...I'm aware that this situation is none of your fault because it's entirely mine, I'm just trying to figure out what's best," He said quietly, glancing up at Zoroark without any of his earlier anger. "And it is possible to drink occasionally without being a raging alcoholic...and besides, I don't have a family to look after, and I'm a lot more unstable. Not to mention selfish, so if something helps then naturally I'll take it...and I've always been a hypocrite, Zoroark. That should be no surprise to you." Chaos paused as Zoroark confirmed Celeste's pregnancy, nodding once before smiling weakly at him. "I suppose I have to congratulate the pair of you then...although I wish it was under slightly different circumstances. And I know what you would do for them, Zoroark. I know how devoted you are to all of them, and it's not because I want you to be gone from here that I'm telling you it's impossible for you to stay..." He hesitated for a moment, before continuing.

"As you are no doubt aware, I am very...fond of Maria. Hence why I assisted Noctis in getting her to a safe place to raise her; the human world. But demons don't belong here, Zoroark...nothing can belong here that was created outside of this world. And so you being here, all of you, will slowly corrode it. Even I couldn't be sure of the effects it would have, but...I've always been fairly selfish, so I brought Maria and your brother here regardless. Their presence for the last...I don't even know how long it's been in human years, but you've seen how much Maria's grown...will have been slowly rotting away this world, causing cracks. That's no doubt how you got here, through one of those cracks...I wasn't careful enough, and now it's backfiring. I've been trying to stabilise it, of course, but it's hard...terribly hard, it may not even be possible to repair the damage, but I'm trying my best..." He looked down, rubbing his arm silently and staring into space for a moment before fixing his gaze on Zoroark. "Now that all of you are here it will get so much worse. It's like...like you've filled a glass tank with water and sealed it, but somehow the volume of water keeps increasing. The glass begins to crack and even if you repair it it's still only a matter of time before it smashes...although perhaps that's a terrible comparison. Forgive me. It's hard to explain things I cannot understand myself," Chaos smiled weakly.

"Of course, it isn't your fault that this is happening...there is no one to blame but myself, so I have to take responsibility for it. I haven't told Maria any of this either...I don't want to worry her, she's still only a child...this world is still a safe place for her, and will remain that way so long as I can prevent it from collapsing. So perhaps it is simply selfish of me to ask you to leave...but do you understand, Zoroark? At least a little bit? Even if the extra strain from your mere presence could be controlled there's still things like magic. I have a high enough opinion of you to believe you would restrain yourself from using it, but...I also know how controlled by your emotions you are. Say Hazel was to have a bad fall and injure herself in some minor way, you might be able to leave it to heal naturally if it was just a graze...but what if it was worse? Say she sprained her ankle, or broke her leg. Perhaps I'm being too harsh and you would still leave things in the hands of human doctors...but you'd reach a limit eventually. Certainly if Celeste were...possibly dying...you'd do everything within your power to save her, and tear the world apart yourself if you failed. So I can't trust you to control yourself like that...if you and your family choose stay here, I cannot guarantee that the world will remain the safe place you wish it to be. And even if it does, I cannot say what the cost will be..." He finished wearily, looking away. "...perhaps I will take something to eat after all. Some tea would be nice, if nothing else."

"Zoroark, please...I'm aware that this situation is none of your fault because it's entirely mine, I'm just trying to figure out what's best. I suppose I have to congratulate the pair of you then...although I wish it was under slightly different circumstances. And I know what you would do for them, Zoroark. I know how devoted you are to all of them, and it's not because I want you to be gone from here that I'm telling you it's impossible for you to stay..."

Zoroark listened to him silently, which was quite unusual for the demon. Most of the time, he always had something to say- may it be a rude retort, idiotic comment or for once actually something serious, Zoroark was an excessive talker. This conversation, however, was slowly turning everything around. When they first arrived here, Zoroark had thought that perhaps finally, God had heard his prays. Perhaps finally, it was time for them to get a proper chance, to be happy. Yet even with the change of worlds, the suffering seemed to have no end. He couldn't even smile and think everything would be alright anymore... for every time he did, the world seemed to come crashing back down again. It was as though the world shattered to pieces beneath him and he fell into an eternal void, always reaching for something to hold on to... but never again getting a grasp of reality. Honestly, the black haired demon felt like crying. Yet he restrained his unwanted tears and forced himself to continue listening to Chaos, every new word the other man spoke hurting more than the one before.

"As you are no doubt aware, I am very...fond of Maria. Hence why I assisted Noctis in getting her to a safe place to raise her; the human world. But demons don't belong here, Zoroark...nothing can belong here that was created outside of this world. And so you being here, all of you, will slowly corrode it. Even I couldn't be sure of the effects it would have, but...I've always been fairly selfish, so I brought Maria and your brother here regardless. Their presence for the last...I don't even know how long it's been in human years, but you've seen how much Maria's grown...will have been slowly rotting away this world, causing cracks. That's no doubt how you got here, through one of those cracks...I wasn't careful enough, and now it's backfiring. I've been trying to stabilise it, of course, but it's hard...terribly hard, it may not even be possible to repair the damage, but I'm trying my best..."

"I-I..." his throat felt thick and he was barely able to speak, "I see..." Zoroark whispered, rubbing his face. Although he tried to hide it, his voice was dipped with the disappointment he felt from learning this. Yet, in his mind it made sense. Everything Chaos said made since... he'd learned about it in his studies to becoming a magician. He should have known, he should have realized it... and perhaps he had. Perhaps he had known all along that this wouldn't have worked out, that they didn't belong in the human realm. "I shouldn't have tried to fool myself..." he muttered, more to himself than Chaos, "and yet all I ever wished for was for those I love to be happy... I suppose I'm selfish too, then. Because I would let this world go to waste without much thought if it would earn my beloved even just one day of total happiness... Yet I could not let what my brother worked so hard for, even gave his life for... simply shatter because of my selfishness..." he trailed off and lowered his gaze, starting at his trembling hands on his lap, "a-and I would hate to see Maria hurt too..."

"Of course, it isn't your fault that this is happening...there is no one to blame but myself, so I have to take responsibility for it. I haven't told Maria any of this either...I don't want to worry her, she's still only a child...this world is still a safe place for her, and will remain that way so long as I can prevent it from collapsing. So perhaps it is simply selfish of me to ask you to leave...but do you understand, Zoroark? At least a little bit? Even if the extra strain from your mere presence could be controlled there's still things like magic. I have a high enough opinion of you to believe you would restrain yourself from using it, but...I also know how controlled by your emotions you are. Say Hazel was to have a bad fall and injure herself in some minor way, you might be able to leave it to heal naturally if it was just a graze...but what if it was worse? Say she sprained her ankle, or broke her leg. Perhaps I'm being too harsh and you would still leave things in the hands of human doctors...but you'd reach a limit eventually. Certainly if Celeste were...possibly dying...you'd do everything within your power to save her, and tear the world apart yourself if you failed. So I can't trust you to control yourself like that...if you and your family choose stay here, I cannot guarantee that the world will remain the safe place you wish it to be. And even if it does, I cannot say what the cost will be..."

Zoroark sighed, continuing to stare at his trembling hands as Chaos resumed speaking, biting his lip hard enough to draw blood. "You're right, I suppose..." he whispered, "I wouldn't be able to restrain myself. Using magic has become as vital as breathing to me... it is part of who I am. Even if I could restrain myself for simple things, like you say... I suppose at some point I would crack. I...I..." he trailed off, feeling a single tear starting to roll down his pale cheek, "I wouldn't be able to control myself forever... and..." he gulped, quickly wiping away his tear. It was so idiotic of him to cry, he knew it... yet he couldn't help it. "W-we...I...I don't want to return home, though," Zoroark's voice was barely audible as he spoke, thick with emotion, "maybe there would be another option, another world? It doesn't have to be here, but somewhere safe... I-I can't go back again. I can't have my family continue going through that hell... you don't know how it is, Chaos... do you? Being all mighty and powerful as you are..."

The demon removed his hand from his face and sighed, shutting his eyes before opening them again and gazing at Chaos, "living in constant fear of you or your loved ones getting hurt? Day by day going by without even daring to leave the house... afraid that your barriers could break at any time or scared of what lurks in the shadows of every corner? Fear that drives you insane, pushes you to do unspeakable actions... fear that destroys you inside an out... fright that crushes your very heart. Doing everything to escape that pain, the mare pain of living in constant fear... even death would be better than such a suffering. Yet it would be selfish of me to leave those who need me behind... so not even the bliss of vanishing is an option..." he was staring off into space, not seeming to be speaking to Choas anymore at all. His eyes were distant, his voice still quiet, quivering. "Demons are very selfish creatures indeed..."

Chaos watched Zoroark cautiously, realising too late that the demon was taking it far, far worse than he had thought. This was why he could not tell Maria. Even if she might not react like this, even if she wasn't in danger of being sent back, he still couldn't force her to share this type of burden. Zoroark also should not have been troubled with it. Demons were fragile creatures, in many ways... "I'm glad you understand," Chaos said quietly, before shaking his head at Zoroark's suggestion of another world. "I doubt it, unless it were a world demons were already present in, which would cause enough danger to make such a place undesirable. Whatever other world I sent you to would face the same fate, and I couldn't maintain two at the same time...this one is already hard enough, although I try my best. It's true I don't know to it's full extent the horrors of your world. I don't wish to. What little I have seen is repulsive enough, but it's impossible to save your people from their own natures. I met both Celeste and Sepiroth as children and they were both such...damaged little things. In comparison Hazel and Maria's lives seem like such a blessing. But I can understand you not wanting to risk your own child ever having to breathe that stagnant air...I don't know the sort of pain and fear you have to live with every day because I don't know anything," Chaos said quietly. "And not knowing anything, I can't expect to understand." He wanted to attempt to comfort Zoroark, but didn't know how and felt as though touching him at this point would be some kind of invasion. He remained silent for a long while, tracing a spiral on the back of his pale hand with one of his black, pointed nails before finally speaking again.

"...three options. One, I send all of you back to your own world and attempt to repair the damage. I would also give Maria the option to go with you so that she was less alone. After that I would stay out of your lives as much as possible and try to repent. Two, you stay, but you must assist me with the upkeep of this world to the best of your abilities. If your child showed the same prowess in magic then when they reached a suitable age they would also have to help, and so on and so on until either the world is fixed or the power in your bloodline has diminished. There is no guarantee that this will lessen the effects on the world, or that you would be able to cope with the strain of trying to fix it. Three, I remove your memory of this conversation and continue to work alone to the best of my abilities. Neither you nor Maria nor Celeste will know this world as anything other than a safe haven for you all to live in. I cannot make this decision for you, but the path leading to the most happiness for you and those you love is undoubtedly the third option, and I will make no judgement of you regardless of this choice. Of course, if you wish to retain your memories and leave me to my repentance without endangering yourself that is also an option, I simply felt it would cause you more pain to know the danger you are in. So four choices, really. You would expect a wizard to be more intelligent, wouldn't you?" Chaos smiled weakly, clasping his hands together. "It would be best for you to decide quickly. No doubt one of the girls will surface in search of breakfast soon."

"I'm glad you understand," Chaos said quietly, before shaking his head at Zoroark's suggestion of another world. "I doubt it, unless it were a world demons were already present in, which would cause enough danger to make such a place undesirable. Whatever other world I sent you to would face the same fate, and I couldn't maintain two at the same time...this one is already hard enough, although I try my best. It's true I don't know to it's full extent the horrors of your world. I don't wish to. What little I have seen is repulsive enough, but it's impossible to save your people from their own natures. I met both Celeste and Sepiroth as children and they were both such...damaged little things. In comparison Hazel and Maria's lives seem like such a blessing. But I can understand you not wanting to risk your own child ever having to breathe that stagnant air...I don't know the sort of pain and fear you have to live with every day because I don't know anything."

"I... suppose you are right," Zoroark's shoulders slouching slightly as he forced to stop his hands from trembling, shutting his eyes for a moment and taking a deep breath. "I'm glad you at least never saw me as a child... it would have been far too embarrassing," a small blush crept across his cheeks, causing him to quickly rub them in order to attempt making the blush go away. "If I am a demon, how come my body and emotions are so human?" he muttered to himself in annoyance, trying to make himself sarcastic in order to appear less hurt and...sad... "I'm quite pitiful, huh? Crying like a little child over the fact that I have to go home... it's so stupid. Instead of crying I should try to think of a way to make my home world better, perhaps... although I know that revolting against the demonic laws would only make everything worse..." he laughed weakly and shook his head a little.

"I'm pretty sure you're not clueless, Chaos... perhaps you haven't experienced the same thing as we have, but considering your age- not to say that you're old or anything but... considering for how long you have lived and must have seen... even if you don't understand everything of it, you must without doubt know quite a bit. But I suppose always only being a sort of observer, if not the occasional puppet master... it would be hard for you to completely understand the nature of human and demonic nature... and yet, standing at the point you do... you would have a completely different sort of understanding for our minds and feelings. You have watched for so long... haven't you? So don't say you don't know anything at all, because if that's an attempt to comfort me... it failed horribly. I suppose it momentarily took my mind off things, though... so in a way you did perhaps succeed," he trailed off, smiling bitterly.

Zoroark blinked and paused, getting up. "Ah yes... you wanted tea, didn't you? I'm sorry... I got distracted..." he sighed and walked over to the kitchen counter, starting to take out everything he would need for making tea. While he started cooking the water, he listened to Chaos's proposal carefully, remaining silent all the while until Chaos seemed to have finished. He poured some tea into two cups and then went back to the table, placing down one of them in front of the other male before taking his seat again. Sipping his tea, he let Chaos finish.

"It is true... that the last option seems most appealing... but considering how dangerous it would be doing so-"

He paused as Maria stepped into the kitchen, tilting her head when she spotted Chaos though otherwise remaining seemingly indifferent. She walked over to him and gently wrapped her arms around him from behind, the hint of a smile crossing her features. "Good morning, my wizard..." she mumbled, keeping up her small smile just a tiny bit longer... before it completely melted away and she withdrew her arms again, walking over to the teapot and getting a cup of her own. "I'm sorry..." she said softly, "I have been causing you so much trouble... had I known..." she glanced at Chaos uncertainly, not sure what to say.

"And I'm sorry about giving you false hope as well, Zoroark..." she lowered her head as she filled her cup and then sat down on a chair beside Chaos, regarding the two of them carefully. "It seems that like the rest of the family, I'm good for nothing more than causing trouble for other people," she scuffed her feet, taking a sip of the tea as she looked down again.

Chaos smiled slightly. "Well, I suppose dear Celeste was technically a teenager...but you all seem like children to me anyway. And no, I don't think it's pitiful. Demons are passionate beings anyway, does it really matter if you focus that energy on emotions rather than violating or maiming everything in sight. Personally I think demons like yourself, capable of intelligent thought and compassion, are superior beings. After all, you can still be driven by your desires as well, on occasion...I wonder how violently you'd react if I was to threaten one of the young women you care for. Possibly my arm would be ripped off before I could lay a hand on them," Chaos smiled, seeing nothing wrong with his statement.

"And in many, many aspects I am fairly clueless...and I'm well aware that I am by just about all standards ancient, Zoroark. You needn't worry about offending me by saying so. It's true I have seen a lot...if you would consider this an actual 'life'..." He trailed off, shaking his head slightly. "No matter. I like to think I have a mild understanding of the workings of the minds of various life forms, but that doesn't mean I can interact successfully with them. I cause so much damage, Zoroark, with every little thing...even if I don't intentionally hurt people I care for, I've practically doomed an entire world by bringing Maria and Noctis here in the first place. Not exactly a benign observer, or even a skilful puppet master," He chuckled weakly. "And the tea is unimportant, I could have made it myself. And in the circumstances it seems like imposing...thank you very much, Zoroark," He said softly, taking the cup from Zoroark and sipping it.

"The danger would not be your burden to bear, I would see to that. You would not even have to know what was happening. I would simply visit Maria less often, and possibly seem more worn out than I do on my current visits, but that's all..." He froze as he saw Maria, carefully placing his cup down on the table. "Good morning, Maria..." He said quietly, blushing ever so slightly as she hugged him before shaking his head. "You haven't caused me any trouble. All of this was my own foolish choices, I should have realised the outcome would be like this...a-anyway, it doesn't matter. They can stay here in this world, and I will cope with the aftermath," He smiled warmly at both of them before calmly taking another sip of his tea. He was uncertain whether he would truly be able to successfully, but that was not something they needed to worry about. This situation had arose from his own foolish desires and must be fixed by him. Besides, he wanted to give Maria as many chances to smile as possible. She was always so distant these days, even to him. Possibly it was simply growing up, but she had been worse since Noctis' s death, which Chaos still hadn't managed to learn the details of. It perhaps wasn't any of his business, but he still wanted to try and comfort her as best he could, which was never an easy task for him. Still, perhaps now, surrounded by Zoroark and Celeste and Hazel and the baby -Chaos refused to accept Asura could be in any way a positive influence- she would be able to become happier in this sort of family environment. That would be worth whatever he might have to endure to fix his mistakes.

"And no, I don't think it's pitiful. Demons are passionate beings anyway, does it really matter if you focus that energy on emotions rather than violating or maiming everything in sight. Personally I think demons like yourself, capable of intelligent thought and compassion, are superior beings. After all, you can still be driven by your desires as well, on occasion...I wonder how violently you'd react if I was to threaten one of the young women you care for. Possibly my arm would be ripped off before I could lay a hand on them."

Zoroark regarded him carefully, thoughtfully, placing his hands in his lap as he let out a soft sigh. "I'm... not sure that's what I meant, exactly... but than you..." he murmured softly, a slight blush creepy across his cheeks. At Chaos's statement, he looked up however, his expression turned serious. "I'm not sure if I should take that as a compliment, threat or insult..." he said vaguely, tilting his head to the side as he tried to figure out which one was most likely. After just a few seconds, though, he gave up, deciding to take it as a compliment. At least, for the time being.

"No matter. I like to think I have a mild understanding of the workings of the minds of various life forms, but that doesn't mean I can interact successfully with them. I cause so much damage, Zoroark, with every little thing...even if I don't intentionally hurt people I care for, I've practically doomed an entire world by bringing Maria and Noctis here in the first place. Not exactly a benign observer, or even a skilful puppet master."

The black haired demon sighed softly, resting his chin in his hand as he steaded himself by placing his elbow on the table surface. "I suppose that's true... but still. You... meant well by doing it, didn't you? So that should count... or something. It doesn't matter... do you think that by us returning home, the world will stabilize again? O-or... if I decided to take your first offer, how big are the chances, that even if I helped you, things would go wrong?" he bit his lip, taking a sip of his tea as he weighed his options carefully. "And...perhaps...isn't there like, some dimensional council?" however weird that sounded, Zoroark was sure he had read about it somewhere. Now, if it had been fact or fiction, however... he couldn't quite remember. "Maybe there would be a way to talk to them, if they exist. Then again, I probably sound like a desperate fool right now," he laughed weakly, taking another sip of his tea before murmuring softly. "You're welcome."

"The danger would not be your burden to bear, I would see to that. You would not even have to know what was happening. I would simply visit Maria less often, and possibly seem more worn out than I do on my current visits, but that's all... Good morning, Maria..."

"But since you haven't reset my memory yet, I can't possibly accept that offer. Everything could still go wrong, and I really dislike the idea of having you suffer so that we can lead a happy, carefree life... that's just not something I could do. Especially when knowing it might be for nothing..." he trailed off, observing the two as Maria entered. Then he tilted his head and smiled slightly, as though he had come to some secret realization.

"You haven't caused me any trouble. All of this was my own foolish choices, I should have realised the outcome would be like this...a-anyway, it doesn't matter. They can stay here in this world, and I will cope with the aftermath,

"You say that, Chaos... but you know it's not true," Maria said softly, taking his hand and giving it a light squeeze, "and now I've put a while dimension in parole... I am thankful for what you and father wanted to do for me, I truly am... but knowing that just by existing here, that I could be the cause of all humans deceit... I-It scares me. I love life how it is right now, even if I've come to face hardships sometimes. I know it is nothing compared to what has happened to my fathers or to Zory... and it is nothing compared to what could possibly have happened to me, and I'm so very thankful for that...but..." she trailed off, removing her hand and placing it back in her lap again. Maria looked unsure about what she should say next, how she should express herself properly. "I don't want to cause trouble... and risk so many other people's lives."

Chaos smiled slightly as he watched Zoroark before tilting his head, looking puzzled. "That sounded like a threat...? My sincerest apologies, it was merely intended to be a compliment of your devotion to protecting them. Besides, why on earth would I threaten those three? Asura is a different matter, but provided you manage to keep an eye on him occasionally he shouldn't be too much of a problem...unfortunately if I sent him back by himself he would certainly tell his father about this, whether it was willingly or the information was tortured out of him," He sighed, calmly taking a sip of his tea. "It's slightly troublesome..."

Glancing up at Zoroark briefly Chaos shook his head before averting his gaze once more. "I don't think one nice action with good intentions can make up for the rest...and it matters to me, at least a little," He said softly before pausing and narrowing his eyes slightly. "Even if I were to return all of you to Leviathan this world would not be able to stabilise itself. Even if I continued to work on it myself there is still no telling how long it would take...there may also be other travellers like yourself who have slipped through the cracks and would need to be returned to their own worlds. And no, you helping me...would be a terrible option. It wouldn't be safe at all, not for the world but for you...there's no telling whether you would be harmed by exposure to that sort of thing so forget I mentioned it. You're only a demon, after all..." As Zoroark asked about the existence of a 'dimensional council' Chaos froze, hesitating for a moment before managing to force a laugh. "If such a thing really existed I'd be in extreme trouble with them over this mess, wouldn't I? If they are out there somewhere then perhaps they'll show their faces at some point, but we had better not seek them out, hmm?" He smiled warmly, attempting to play off his earlier uneasiness.

In truth, Chaos had no idea whether such a council existed but had no desire to find out. Partly in case he would be punished for his actions, as he had told Zoroark, but also because a collection of powerful beings with the ability to traverse dimensions...it was a long shot but perhaps they would be able to shed some light on Chaos's own past and after countless millennia of being unable to remember most of it the thought of suddenly finding out was beyond terrifying to him. Of course, he didn't wish anyone else to know about these feelings, and so he smiled regardless. "Please don't trouble yourself with such depressing thoughts, Zoroark. After all, if I were to reset your memory against your will then there wouldn't be any cause for unease, would there? And I wouldn't describe the procedure as 'suffering'...after a few thousand years of lazing around anyone would be happy to do some work for a change, wouldn't they?" He chuckled softly, although he didn't particularly like the look Zoroark had given him and Maria...but there was no way he was going to discuss it with the girl around.

As Maria took hold of his hand Chaos shook his head again. "How many times would I have to say it in order for you to listen? You didn't ask to be brought here, or even to be involved with me in the slightest. Perhaps things would have been better for you if you weren't..." He paused, lifting his hand to gently stroke her cheek on the side he knew to possess a doll's eye as a result of his own abuse of her. It would have been extremely hard to tell had he not known, though. Noctis's work tended to be high quality. "Anyway, technically speaking you've done nothing. I'm sorry if hearing this has upset you, but please let me continue with my gamble...I can't promise that I won't lose, although I know that would probably be most reassuring to you right now. Forgive me, hmm...?" He said softly before glancing at Zoroark. "You too, since I'm also troubling you extremely. I can ask Celeste later at a more appropriate time...or do you not wish for her to learn of this? If you believe you can keep it secret from her then I shan't tell."

Zoroark smiled a little, sighing softly as he gave a nod of his head. "I suppose... oh well, I do have a tendency to misunderstand things. Though... it did sound somewhat like a threat. No need to apologize," he said, gazing down at his hands in his lap, "as for Asura...I promise I'll keep an eye on him and make sure he doesn't do anything too troublesome," Zoroark paused and frowned, "I do hope he hasn't already..."

The demon bit his downer lip and sighed, as Chaos continued, the fumbling with his hands becoming more nervous again. "I-I see..." he glanced up at Chaos briefly, though didn't meet his gaze. "So no matter what we do, it'll be bad? This world is damn unfair... not that that's anything new, though..." he sighed and trailed off, shaking his head slightly, "and I do suppose helping you would be dangerous. Still, if there's anything I could-" Zoroark stopped mid sentence, an image of Celeste flashing through his mind. If he went and got himself killed now just because he was reckless, what would happen to Celeste? And the baby? He would leave her on her own devices, with two children to take care of on her own. Not only that... with Asura around, there was no telling what would happen to them. He had to survive, that much was for sure. He had to be selfish in order to protect those he loved. He couldn't simply desert them like this. "I understand," he said softly.

Zoroark smiled slightly at Chaos's reaction to the council thing. "Neither do I... but you're right. You'd probably be in a lot of trouble if they actually existed. Then again, shouldn't they have interfered by now if they actually did exist? I mean, if what you say is true... several dimensions are already on the edge of ruin. Although... who knows. Perhaps they're selfish bastards and don't really care. Then again, you wouldn't be in trouble in such a case either... I dunno, speculating about this seems stupid," he sighed, shaking his head and shrugging his shoulders slightly as he took another sip of his tea.

"I suppose..." Zoroark said reluctantly, chewing his lip again, "but still..." he trailed off as he watched Maria hugged him gently. "If you're so set on doing it, I suppose there is nothing I could do to stop you, is there?" Maria asked, smiling weakly as she rested her head on his shoulder, "promise you don't stop visiting, though... okay? Life would be incredibly sad without my wizard..." she said softly as she pulled back. A weak rosy color spread across her bangs and her heart skipped a beat as she felt him place his hand on her cheek.

"I would... prefer it if Celeste did not find out. At least not yet..." Zoroark said softly. She doesn't need to know...

Chaos tilted his head thoughtfully. "I believe that if the boy had gone on some sort of murderous spree indulging his desires as he saw fit, it would have been reported by the human authorities by now, hmm? So there is probably nothing to worry about in that regard. He needs to follow your example, find himself a nice little lover -preferably one that can control him- and settle down," Chaos sighed, folding his arms.

As Zoroark once again became more anxious he hesitated, feeling guilt for having caused this situation. "Like I have said, Zoroark, there isn't necessarily a 'we' in all this. It doesn't have to become your responsibility and if you stayed out of it you'd be…" Chaos trailed off, noticing the demon appeared to be lost in his own thoughts for a moment. As Zoroark have his consent to not help Chaos smiled warmly. "I'm glad you understand…and I don't think you realise how terrifying it would be for the rest of us to have to deal with Celeste if anything happened to you. I may finally find out whether or not I can die…and I have no wish to see her in that sort of state. It wouldn't suit her in the slightest," He sighed softly before managing a look of indignation as Zoroark continued.

"I'm not so completely irresponsible as to put several dimensions in peril! Just this one. And I suppose a few of the neighbouring ones such as yours which overlap with it a fair amount…and it's entirely possible they may not even know yet. There may be…well, I can't even imagine how many different worlds there must be. It's slightly daunting to think about…but as you say, there's no point dwelling on the topic…"

Chaos smiled weakly as Maria hugged him, gently stroking her hair as she rested her head on his shoulder. "Yes, there's nothing. Not that I want to go against your wishes, but this has to be done. Besides, shouldn't one fix one's own mistakes?" He asked, tilting his head as she pulled away again before smiling warmly at her. "You really think you need to make me promise something like that? Of course I'll keep visiting, nothing could make me stay away from my little pirate princess. Now, since that's all been settled don't you think you should have something to eat and get ready for school? Especially since your uncle's been kind enough to make you breakfast…" He paused, glancing at Zoroark before nodding. "Very well, I shan't breathe a word of it to Celeste. Good luck with keeping it secret, and I hope you manage to tell her when the time is right…perhaps you should go wake your sweetheart now, hmm? Maybe her presence will calm you down…it appears my irresponsibility has shaken everyone up, so I humbly apologise," He smiled, calmly taking another sip of his tea.

Zoroark let out a soft laugh and nodded his head a little. "Hm, I suppose that's true..." he agreed, taking another sip of his tea before glancing wearily towards the living room, where the TV was located. "Those fairies in the box keep us updated on most stuff happening here in the world... I believe. I still haven't figured out what sort of magic they use to do all that, though. It's pretty fascinating," he said thoughtfully, for a moment forgetting all about his earlier worries. That's just how easily distracted Zoroark really is.

Chaos's words pulled him back to reality, though. He sighed softly, smiling sadly as he gave another nod of his head. "I think she'd be pretty hot when she went on a rampage like that, though," Zoroark joked, trying to lighten the mood slightly. Celeste somewhat aggressive ways...well, sometimes really aggressive ways was what had gotten Zoroark interested in her in the first place. He wasn't sure if it was because he liked woman with a fiery spirit or simply was a masochist, but either way that was how she had caught his interest. Now he rarely ever saw her acting like that anymore and although he liked her aggressive side, he was glad for that. She usually didn't act like that without a reason, after all, and a reason would mean she was unhappy. In turn, that would make Zoroark unhappy- so he could gladly refrain from seeing her going on rampages if that meant she was fairly content with her situation and life with him.

A small smirk spread across Zoroark's features. "Hm... but who knows what consequences the destruction of two dimensions would have on the rest of the universe? Maybe the world is like domino bricks, and when one of them falls..." he stabbed his fork into his toast, keeping his eyes on Chaos all the while, "the rest of them go down with it...one after the other," he knew he was probably not making the situation better by this at all, and that he probably was annoying Chaos quite a bit... but Zoroark couldn't help it.

"Okay, I'll drop it now," he said, turning somewhat more serious as he started chewing on his toast.

Maria smiled slightly, sighing softly. "I suppose that is true..." she agreed, "then at least I don't have to worry about you disappearing on me," she stood up and walked over to the fridge, taking out some rest lasanga before putting it in the microwave.

Zoroark let out an exaggerated sigh. "Maria! Eating lasagna for breakfast is nooooot okay, no matter how you look at it!" he complained, watching her through narrowed eyes.

She flashed them both a small smile. "You shouldn't talk, uncle. Eating sweet chilly sauce for breakfast isn't alright either, not even if it's on a slice of bread."

Zoroark stuck out his tongue at her before turning to Chaos and smiling. "Don't apologize, it's fine. You didn't really do anything other than inform us about our situation..." and with that said, he stood up, beginning towards the hallway, "you're right... I probably should see how she is."

Chaos couldn't help but smile as Zoroark expressed his bafflement regarding the television. It was to be expected though, given how different the human world was to what he was used to. It must have been hard for Noctis as well, having so much to adapt to...less so for Maria, since she had only been a child. She still was, really. "Cathode ray tubes," Chaos said simply, taking another sip of his tea. "They fire electrons at certain colour receptors and it creates a picture. Relayed electrical signals tell them which ones to use to show the correct programming. At least, that's how it used to work...goodness knows how they do it now, with all their LEDs and plasma screens...they can make flexible screens now as well, it's too hard for this old man to keep up..." He grumbled, although he felt it was a justified complaint. With all the worlds he dabbled in and so many different cultures and customs and histories to memorise, even knowing a vague explanation of how TVs used to work seemed like more than enough attention to give the humans.

As Zoroark attempted to make a joke Chaos gave him a weary look. "You think almost everything is 'pretty hot' so your opinion is unnecessary. I understand you're trying to lighten the mood, but...well, never mind. If she's pregnant then I can't wait for the first time you manage to seriously upset her with goodness knows how many hormones to encourage her rage," He smiles. "If I'm in a good mood I might even try to help you calm her down once I'm done laughing at you. Besides, when you're seriously angry you're quite a threat as well, are you not? Both of you could potentially cause at least as much damage as Asura...for an emotionless race you sure do churn out a lot of passionate romantics," Chaos sighed, almost adding 'your brother was far more mature' but then deciding that perhaps bringing Noctis up wouldn't be the best of ideas.

"And if, as you say, some sort of domino effect were to take place as a result of my actions then I would have destroyed the entire multiverse for the sake of one little girl not enduring a typical Demon childhood in case her parents couldn't protect her," He paused, running a hand through his hair. "I suppose...when you put it like that I'm being rather ridiculous...but at least it's stopping me from being bored..."

He laughed softly as the two argued over what was and wasn't appropriate to eat for breakfast, wondering whether this was simply a typical family activity or if the pair of demons were as bizarre as they seemed. Still, it was extremely cute watching them. At least with Zoroark here he could perhaps worry about Maria a little less, although he'd still continue to visit for as long as she asked him to. He tilted his head as Zoroark stood. "Well...I did cause the situation in the first place...and I suppose I could've been a little less rude when I first saw you but I was very shocked. Still, I hope your darling Celeste gets angry with you for waking her and lets you see the aggressive side of her you love so much," He smiled before glancing at Maria. "But you know, lasagne for breakfast really isn't avery good idea...not that chilli sauce is either."

Upstairs Celeste remained fast asleep, oblivious to the arguments and strife that had been caused by Chaos's appearance downstairs. She had woken briefly earlier and been worried by Zoroark's absence, but soon relaxed as she remembered where she was and how unlikely it was that anyone had dragged him off to hurt him. Following a few muttered insults she had quickly gone back to sleep, forever unable of understanding why people would choose to willingly get up at around the same time as the sun.

It was late a late afternoon in August, and Maria was seated in her window, gazing out onto the dull, late summer street. A small distance from the house a few children were playing on the street, their shouts and laughters ringing through the air and even reaching far enough for Maria to hear, yet it wasn't them she was watching. Her blue orbs were unable to focus as she blinked away the thick tears threatening in her eyes, curling her slender fingers around the phone she was clutching.

Once again, the phone buzzed, notifying her that someone had sent her a message. Although her expression remained unmoved, her grip of the phone tightened considerably. It had been like this the last three days. The vile messages filling her inbox, burning, hurting, clawing and eventually... breaking her down. Not that the old lady would know anything about that, considering Maria wasn't one to share her problems with others. She had simply stayed quietly in her room, keeping it all bottled up. The only thing she had needed to make an excuse for was the gushing wound in her lip which she came home with the other day- yet by now it had already healed, only leaving behind a small, barely noticeable scar.

This truly was nothing new. Maria had been dealing with bullies at school for as long as she could remember, and although she in a way was delicate, she had learned to more or less fend for herself. Lately, however, it had been getting a lot worse, and the reason for it was almost laughable.

It buzzed again, causing Maria's mouth to twitch slightly as she resisted the temptation to simply throw it against the wall. She knew she should have turned it off long since but... her eyes moved from the window and to the flashing screen, her lips becoming a flat line as she pressed them together, trying to keep any sort of noise from escaping her.

Sorry Maria... but would you mind if we didn't see each other for a while? I don't want to be dragged into this mess too... I mean, you can still message me and stuff, but I would prefer it if you didn't talk to me at school. OK? I'm sure you understand, lolz.<3 you.

Her face contorted with emotional pain, a dark look present in her eye as she stared at the screen. Then she tossed the phone onto the floor as hard as she could, pulling her knees up to her chest, hugging them tightly as she rested her forehead against them, her long black hair obscuring her face, and her tears.

Setsuna wandered down the mostly empty street, his white blonde hair flopping forward into his face as he kept his head bent forward in an attempt to not let himself be distracted. It was a rare experience for him to be outside by himself, and being alone in the human world was completely unheard of! It had apparently been an unavoidable occurrence on this occasion, or so his master had told him. His master had told him a lot of things, mostly in the form of rambling and various insistences that he knew Maria could take care of herself, she was a big girl, and she had definitely grown out of sulking if he was unable to visit her for a while, especially with her uncle to visit her and spoil her as he seemed likely to do with any young relative of his, and- Chaos had said an awful lot of words, and Setsuna didn't recall most of them. He was aware, however, that he was supposed to check up on Maria and report back to Chaos as soon as possible.

Once again checking the scrap of paper in his pocket to ensure the address, the boy paused outside the dollmaker's workshop he had been informed was his destination. His head tilted slightly to the side as he saw a girl slightly older than himself in appearance turn away from one of the upstairs windows, realising that she must indeed be Maria. He had never met her before, after all; merely heard about her from Chaos. Smiling softly in triumph upon realising that his task was half over Setsuna teleported into the girl's bedroom, not realising the half a dozen reasons why that may be considered impolite. As far as he was concerned magic was the only reason the move should not have been attempted, and as whatever powers he possessed where identical to his master's in source he knew it would cause no harm to the state of the barrier between the worlds. The way Chaos had described their magic and how it differed from the demons' had been a fairly messy demonstration, as most of his explanations were; he had laid out two bowls of ice cream and in one placed a n ice cube. That, he said, was theirs. In the other he had placed a chunk of warmed up brownie -representing the magic of demons- which of course caused the ice cream around it to slowly melt whereas the ice cube did not. Setsuna attempted to point out that the ice cream caused the ice cube itself to melt, but His master merely stated that it wasn't a perfect metaphor and to either clean up the bowls or eat them.

Setsuna's crimson eyes blinked several times as he saw Maria -at least, the girl he was presuming to be Maria- drawn up into a ball, her dark hair obscuring any of her features. "U-um…princess?" He ventured quietly, having heard the title used to refer to her by Chaos many times, although it was usually accompanied by 'pirate'. "Is this a bad time…? Chaos sent me to apologise for not visiting…"

Chaos sighed heavily, his hand automatically going up to push his dark locks back out of his face. Perhaps it was time he cut his hair; he wasn't in the habit of growing it much past his ears but his carelessness in recent months meant it was already down to his shoulders. He didn't even have anything to tie it back with and going to fetch something wasn't an option when he was working on trying to fix the mess he'd created. He was already running out of time without wasting it on concern for such trivial matters and it wasn't as though anyone was going to see him like this. It hadn't been intentional at first, his gradual separation from the demons. To begin with it had been necessary as the immortal enveloped himself in the task of fixing the cracks in the human world, barely having time for the minuscule amount of rest and sustenance he required let alone intrusions upon the family. But the more time passed the more Chaos felt it would be some sort of invasion to show his face amongst them, even to Maria.

Maria...Chaos had known for a long time, since the first day he laid eyes upon the young girl, that this creature was a being he should stay away from before he became obsessed. It had happened before, many times. It had to have with his lengthy existence. There was no way he could have spent that time without numerous encounters of that nature. Before Maria, Celeste had been the most recent and perhaps, to a lesser extent, Sepiroth. The desire was normally stronger with girls, that much Chaos had realised. And Celeste had been...such a slight, such a damaged thing when he first came across her cowering in the rain, blood still heavily staining her clothes, looking as though she expected to be struck by anyone who glanced at her in passing. It had been so easy for him...to take her home, to gently cosset her and bring her up, to treat her with more kindness than she had ever imagined at that stage in her life and to earn her trust in return. He shut his eyes as the memories came back to him, hazy but some details still left in vibrant clarity. The way she smiled so brightly at every small joy, the innocence in her wide blue eyes despite her tainted body, the softness of her pale skin...

"To-ri..." Chaos's own voice calls softly, drawing the word out as though it were a song rather than a name. Kitty had come later, he recalled, after she had changed, hardened, become more aloof. In response to the summons the girl emerges from around a corner, her dark hair floating softly behind her and contrasting sharply with the white cloth of her dress. She has not yet mastered the art of scowling to show her displeasure, that much is clear from the slightly uneasy expression on her face.
"What's the matter? Tori's no good either?" The man asks. The girl shakes her head, the blue ribbons currently holding her hair in pigtails fluttering slightly with the movement. This is a disappointment. He had liked calling her Tori. The musical sound of it, as well as the image of her as a little bird. Delicate. Fragile. Needing to be caged rather than allowed to fly. "Why don't we come up with a new name for you then? You wanted to get rid of everything that man gave you-" She flinches. It appears even without saying his name the memories were still too fresh, too painful. "-so why not change your name too?" Hesitation. Then a shy nod. With a warm smile the man invites her over to sit down next to him. Whilst it has been hard to pinpoint her exact age her slender figure suggests that she is still quite young, barely a teenager if that. Still too old for either of them to consider her sitting on his lap, at any rate. She gazes up at him with that pure, slightly blank expression, one of the straps of her dress slipping down past her thin shoulder as she waits for him to name her. She looks as though she is a little angel, radiating light into the world around her and never once having been sullied by the impure thoughts and actions of others, although he knows that isn't true. "How about...Celeste?" He asks, watching in dismay as her features crease into a frown.
"It's too...pretty. And light. And doesn't it mean heavenly? You do know I'm a demon, don't you? It would be silly!" She protests as he attempts to brush aside her concerns with a smile.
"I know. But I think it would suit you. If you don't like it I can try to come up with something else..." He offers, already knowing what her reaction will be.
"I-I wouldn't say I don't like it..." She mumbles shyly, her cheeks flushing a pale pink colour. If she truly disliked the name then she would have said so instead of merely coming up with excuses. And he certainly did think it suited her.
"Then from now on your name is Celeste," He says, relishing the smile she gives him in return. Celeste throws her arms around his neck in a hug and Chaos pulls her small body closer to him, shutting his eyes...

Back in the present his eyes flickered open once more, shaking his head as though trying to physically remove the memories from his consciousness. He had kept her, sheltered her, for a long time. Probably hurt her as well, as he seemed to do to all those he interacted with. But he had lost interest in her eventually and she had grown and desired to leave so he let her. It was shortly after that when Asura first got hold of her, Chaos had found out. Her father returned to claim her, and no doubt the time she had spent with Chaos seemed more like a distant dream than anything that had actually happened. He suspected that even now Celeste possessed only vague recollections and that suited him just fine. At any rate she had become an adult and in the process she had put up various walls to shield herself, turned so cynical and harsh and sadistic, so...demonic. She had never gone back to her old name though, and now, with Zoroark...even if Chaos was still concerned about Celeste it would be unnecessary so long as Zoroark was around. Whilst Chaos admitted that Zoroark was, quite often, a reckless, perverted, fool he was at least a reckless, perverted, fool, who would do anything to keep Celeste safe. And to Celeste's credit Chaos had only ever had to intercept one plan to maim Sataniel, although whether Zoroark had ever found out about this incident was unknown to him. It was of little importance now anyway, now that they were both safe here provided he could keep the world intact. Chaos had stepped away from Celeste early enough to avoid ruining her life, evidently, but Maria...Maria was another matter.

She was still so young, so vulnerable, and after the loss of her father, so alone. Perhaps this wasn't quite true: she had that old woman, and any other friends and acquaintances she had made in this world, but they were all just...humans. At least when Noctis had been with her she was amongst someone of her own kind, as well as someone whose mere presence would remind Chaos to keep his distance. He grits his teeth, one hand snaking into his sleeve to rake sharp nails across flesh. It's an unconscious habit and certainly not a harmless one but it helps to keep his focus. Chaos believed he'd done well keeping his hands off her all this time. He had never even hurt her, excluding the day they first met. Her glass eyes served as a reminder every time he saw her, Noctis's work skilled but still not enough to make him forget. Probably the girl still remembered it as well despite her being so young when it occurred. For years now Chaos had been waiting for her to hold it against him, for built up resentment to finally win out against the childish innocence which caused her to forgive him in the first place, but it didn't seem to be coming. It was possible the girl was just too caught up in living a normal teenage life and if that was the case Chaos should have been glad. For her to have that kind of life, free from the darkness and pain that came hand in hand with living in Leviathan, was the whole reason he had assisted Noctis in bringing her to the human world in the first place even though he knew it was a foolish move from the start. To spare her from pain, yes, but the desire to inflict that pain on her himself still remained.

It was twisted, he knew that. It was wrong and sick and abnormal but Chaos had never pretended to be anything but. Obviously he kept it hidden though, this desire to rend flesh and snap bones, to see those pale, doll-like features twisted in anguish. That's all they seemed to be to him, all these creatures he showed an interest in were merely dolls. He would play with them for a while but ultimately, when he got bored, they would be either broken or thrown away. It wasn't that he particularly enjoyed living this way...who would? But as the centuries had dragged on he had simply accepted it, this solitary draining existence. Chaos did feel that Maria was different however. Whilst he wanted to hurt her it wasn't overbearing and, if he pushed himself to think about it, it seemed as though the feelings which encouraged causing her pain existed more because he expected them to than as part of his nature. During the years when Noctis was still around Chaos had even considered making a copy of the girl in order to act out his desires without engaging the wrath of her father (obviously if Noctis had found out he would have been understandably angry, but for some reason this didn't occur to Chaos) but although creating such a replica was certainly within his power the more he considered it the more Chaos found that the idea disgusted him until it reached a point where he wished it had never occurred to him in the first place.

There was no doubt that the girl had some strange sort of influence over him, whether she knew it or not. Chaos himself had taken a long time in noticing it, his first clue being that he hadn't bored of her during the eleven or so years they had known each other as he typically would with a child he entertained in this manner. Instead, as she had grown he found himself becoming more fascinated by her, although he wasn't quite sure what this meant. He still didn't trust himself around her though, he was definitely certain of that. Since she had aged he also felt slightly uneasy around her, not quite sure how to act although he didn't know why that was either. Hence why his visits had become even less frequent over the last few months, ever since he had become aware of the other demons now present in the world. With them here he didn't have to be so concerned about Maria (not that he tended to admit being so anyway) and now that the young girl was aware of the effect Chaos had set in motion by bringing her here he could even use the excuse of being too busy to visit, although he did still feel guilty about using that sort of thing to excuse himself. That was why he had sent Setsuna -a small project of Chaos's which had gone...not entirely the way he had planned- to check on her. He had hoped that perhaps after receiving a report on Maria's wellbeing, even if he hadn't actually seen her for himself, he would be able to get her off his mind for a little while to focus on fixing the barrier without any distracting thoughts...