Five

Zane yawned blinking himself awake. After last night's ordeal he expected to be barely able to move and yet, he felt well rested and energized. Today was destined to be a great day. It wasn't until he turned on his side that his mind changed.

Staring back at him in bed beside him was Mikalia. A satisfied expression on her face. "Good morning."

Zane blinked a few times before calmly speaking. "What?"

"I hear its customary to greet your husband in the morning with skinship."

"Skinship? You don't mean..."

Before Zane could get his question out Mikalia had peeled back the sheets revealing, like him, she was mostly nude. Only a pair of panties and briefs between the two of them.

He scooted to the edge of the bed only for her to follow him pressing her above average breast against him and pulled him closer.

"I feel an even bigger gap between us than last we spoke. You've gotten closer with someone else recently, so excuse my boldness."

"Umm not that I particularly mind..." he blushed. "...it's just school starts soon."

"Just let me stay like this a few moments more." They laid like that for several minutes before she spoke again. "Please forgive me already. I can't deal with you hating me."

Zane didn't make a sound not knowing what to say. "I'm sorry. I don't hate you."

"I just wished you could remember me. Everything would work out if you could."

"Tell me about it, how we met. Why not custom someone who wouldn't forget you?"

She looked up into his eyes. He was still a bit on the fence but he genuinely wanted to know.

"How we met wasn't anything special. We really just happened to meet by chance, but the day you said you would love me, you actually saved me... that's why I love you."

"I don't understand. Saved you? How?"

She winked her eye. "If I tell you without you remembering it wouldn't be the same. So please hurry and remember."

Hurry and remember? How was he supposed to do that? For the past few years, he had seen many specialists to get back my missing memories. The results have always been the same.

He would more than likely never regain all of it. They think the trauma of watching a brutal murder was more than enough to permanently block everything. Zane had heard a lot of the officers working his mother's case quit or retired because of its ungodly nature.

"Zane!" The vice of Leon gripped Zane and snatched him from his thought and made him jerk to an upright position.

His heavy footsteps could easily be heard making its way upstairs towards him. The door flew open and Zane froze. He couldn't explain this situation on why he was in bed with a strange girl. Before that what if he could tell she was a demon?

"Did you hear a word a just said?" Leon asked tapping on Zane's forehead. "Anyone in there."

Zane realized he was being talked to normally looked behind him to see no one. Mikalia had vanished as if she were never there to begin with.

"Uhh...yeah what were you saying."

"I was saying Lena won't be headed to school with you today she is being healed at Coulson's monastery."

"Healed? How?"

"I've got friends in extremely high places who owe me favors." He ran a hand through his short salt and pepper hair. "Anyways she wouldn't go until I promised to make sure to do her morning ritual of waking you so get up and head out."

The door shut and Zane sighed. Then examined the spot where Mikalia had just been. It was definitely nothing there. He decided to let it be and get to school.

The first class of the day flew by. Zane was much too distracted by the events that transpired just last night to even focus properly on his studies. Even his second block of the day had hit the halfway mark and he barely realized.

Mikalia was there to make sure his head was still in reality, which was weird. Her very existence is outside reality. Though she was much too busy with everyone trying to get to know her.

That was fine with Zane he still wasn't sure how to face her. She is the Devil's daughter and yet he promised to love her regardless. Even if that was a promise from his youth he couldn't remember.

In what felt like a blink of an eye he found himself walking home, alone.

"Heeeeyyy!!"

Zane turned to see who was calling from behind him and saw no one. He was sure he heard Mikalia's voice.

Then he looked up and saw familiar striped panties and knee-high socks. "Please don't drop me!"

He held out his arms and caught her with little effort. Rather she conveniently fell into his arms in a way that he could feel the touch of her nipples against his chest as if she was bare.

"What?" He said blankly.

"Nice catch." She smiled in response.

"Mikalia? How'd you?"

"You left me back there. Not cool." She hopped down and dusted her skirt. "How did you like the view?"

Zane choked on his saliva not meeting her gaze out of embarrassment. "I didn't really see anything so..."

"Aww. And I went out of my way to set that up for you too."

Still looking away, Zane changed the subject. "How's everything going with making new friends?"

"Everyone is being so nice. Though all of the guys desire my favor for other reasons...well some of the girls too." She began to walk and Zane subconsciously followed along.

"Other reasons?" Zane raised an eyebrow.

She faced him and walked backward. "No worries Zane I belong to you alone, no one else can have me. That is my promise to you."

Zane felt something swell up in him but he couldn't make it out clearly. He was not used to hearing these things being said to him. "Mikalia..."

"Hey, Zane." She interrupted waving him over. An injured kitten lay in the grass unable to move on the verge of death. "She's hurt."

"No collar. Looks like she's a stray. Probably lost its way." The cat struggled to move, noticing it was being watched.

Mikalia looked as if her heart was breaking. "She so cute. We can't let her suffer like this."

"Well, what can we do?" Zane picked up the white kitten in his arms.

"Hell. I'll take her to hell."

"You sure that's a good idea? Hell might not be an environment suitable for a cat."

"It's not so different from here. Hell isn't as bad a place, did you not notice when you were there?"

Zane was shocked. Now that she mentioned it hell was nothing like he'd been taught.

"You know what, from what little I saw hell was surprisingly lacking in fire and brimstone."

"Propaganda the angels threw around to tarnish my father's legacy."

"But didn't your father, you know, betray God.

"God betrayed my father! It wasn't his fault and God still punished him. Punished all of us."

Mikalia stared off into the distance. Then caught herself. "Sorry, my dad just gets a bad rap is all. Don't believe everything you hear about him, not all of his crimes are his own." She smiled shyly.

"I won't pretend to know the full story. I never really took my studies seriously, ya know?"

What I did know was the devil was the utmost enemy to God. And here I was casually chatting with his daughter. Does that mean I was destined for hell now?

She nodded. "She likes you." Pointing to the cat.

"I think so." Zane had been petting her and she was purring contently.

"I may have even more competition." Mikalia took her from Zane and snuggled her between her arms and chest. "I'll name her Kit."

"Will you be able to treat her we could just take her to a vet?"

"Everything will be fine, count on me. The next you see her she will be as good as new."

"Ok sure but..." Before he could finish Mikalia stepped close and placed her lips on his cheek.

"I won't lose to Lena."

Zane's heart skipped and in his mind, something was coming through like a grainy analog tv. He could make out a playground and a little girl. She had kissed his cheek underneath the cherry blossom tree.

Zane snapped back confused. "Cherry blossoms..."

Mikalia smiled to herself. "Maybe mother was on the right track after all."

"Huh?"

"Oh, nothing." She smiled visually more pleased. She waved as she ran with Kit in her arms. "See you tomorrow Zane!"

Zane waved back until she disappeared around the corner. "Yeah."