Ice dancer in the garden of love

Chapther IV. Different, but somehow similar

Ryma P.O.V

Finally, the little dimwit left her brother's side. She set off during the night, as she said. Now we were wandering around the forest, trying to find something to do or eat. Yumi was hungry, and she was so hard to read like that.
'Geez, not even a small bird or something... Where are all the animals, goddammit?' I asked her. We were both losing our patience.
'I wish I could now. It seems like all ran away, ' the girl answered. She lost her temper quickly, just like me was when I was younger. Back then, I used to get angry for nothing or at small matters, like not finding food.
'Keep it fresh, would ya'? If there is something wrong, you won't sense it if you're angry. Focus a bit. Find the reason why the animals are gone.' I told her, amused. There must have been a demon of a lower class than ours.
At this young age, she was already an upper-class C demon. Yes, my energy helped her a lot, but she improved much by herself. I used to be like that too. I would sneak out of the house and practice on the trees and sometimes moving targets, like birds and squirrels. Of course, I wasn't hitting them, I was just trying to follow them.
She sensed something in the area, and I felt it too. A low class- pathetic- demon who wanted some food. Yumi ran into some bushes and waited for that demon to show up. Soon enough, he appeared with a bird in his hand.
'Listen up, you have to get that bird. It's the only food we can get with than moron here.' I told her before she jumped to snatch the feathery creature.
The demon was surprised, but he stepped back a few inches, and Yumi missed her target. Rats! Now she had to fight that big, brainless demon. Thankfully, she was able to kill the beast with her bare hands. That thing was a Lower C-class demon. Even so, she could've got injured.
'Listen, you have to hit his heart with a crystal so he will freeze, but only inside. The bird will be yours.' I explained how to kill the enemy and still be safe. She did as I told her, and she got the bird. It was pretty big, perfect for lunch, but for dinner too.
I used to be like her for a while. I had to find my food after my family was killed. Most of the time, I hunted small creatures, but I also stole some food from villages. Sometimes, the females gave me to eat, but those moments were rare, so I had to hunt most of the time. Then, after some years of loneliness, I ran into Youko's gang, much exactly, Yomi and a few men. I played with him, so Youko accepted me in the group. Of course, it was tough for me to gain trust from Youko and Kuronue, but I warned them of an ambush, and they allowed me to go with them. Those centuries were my best until I met another wolf and decided to stay with him.
'Ryma, you're silent. Is something wrong?' She asked me after she ate the bird. She was good at cooking. Often cooking for her brother and his wife.
'I'm fine, kiddo. You cooked well, it should be enough until tonight. Now, we have to go to find a place where we can rest. It's getting dark, and the big wicked demons hunt a lot during the night.'
'Are you sure you're okay, Ryma? You seem bothered by something.' She suddenly woke up and asked. She could tell I was worried, even though I didn't appear that way.
'I'm fine. I just thought we are pretty similar,' I answered. 'You know, I lost my family when I was a child. You did too. Now, you're hunting to survive. I did it also. I just hope you don't get into trouble.'
'Like? I am alone here, you know. All the big evil demons are past the mountains. I don't intend to go there. I'd instead go to the Human World, it's safer there.' She replied thoughtfully. Human World, huh? That's a tricky idea, but it is safe there.
'Are you sure about it? And how are you going to go there? There is a net between the worlds, remember?' I asked her. She talked a lot about going to the other side. What exactly was in her own mind, I couldn't tell. The main argument was always that it was safer there.
'But I am not an A-class demon, so I can pass it with no problems. If I escape and go there, I won't be easy to find. My brother will be safe from now on,' she answered honestly. I never thought she could be that serious. She grew up a lot since I started to help her with her powers.
I was the same in this as well. Soon after I had lost my family, I had to become mature, or I would have been lost thousands of years ago. Before I knew it, I was all alone and had to take care of myself. Shortly after I finally got experienced with hunting and living alone, I found Yomi and a few of Youko's men. It was enjoyable when I was with them. Once, I had some sort of game with Yomi, but he lost because of his temper. Youko accepted me pretty quickly, but it was tough to make him appreciate me. I was little and a girl. He thought I was going to slow them down, but I was faster than most of his men.
I got nostalgic about those times. Most of the men in the group wanted me for themselves, but I chose one of them because he seemed the hardest to get close to. Yomi was the boy that piqued my interest. He was cold, distant, and never seemed to accept me in the group. Even so, he was such a softie when I got hurt and took care of me so much. Since then, I started keeping him company. He even guarded me when I was swimming. Well, back then, when I was a kid, I never realized how much I depended on him, but he never seemed to be bothered by me anymore. By the time I reached adulthood, he had already told me that he became addicted to me. That addiction was actually love, but I realized it too late. Yomi stayed by my side, no matter what. Although, I started seeing a wolf. He followed the band for a long time until Youko told me then I must choose him or Yomi. Since then, Yomi never came to sleep by my side. I started feeling lonely and cold. When Yomi betrayed Youko, I ran with that wolf. Well, I didn't run, Youko told me I should go with my own kind. So I left them.
Soon after that, that lovely wolf, Mako, and I had our first pair of twins. Because he had water as his element, he was always cold near me. I felt terrible, but he was an herbalist, so he made some sort of medicine which kept him warm during the night. I fell for him hard, but he was a person who deserved all the love in the world. He was definitely my sweet hero. I loved him so much I could have died for him. Unfortunately, he made this step before me. About a month after the second pair of twins were born, Mako told me that something was not right, and I should take the kids and go for a walk. He was absent, and his eyes were betraying him. He was worried about something. I had no choice then but to listen to him. By the time the kids and I got back home, he was already dead. I had to raise my four kids alone. They all grew up eventually found themselves a family and lived happy lives.
I was not sure if Yumi could find another wolf like Mako was, but I was sure she will find a demon that loved her as much as Mako loved me. I just wanted her not to fall for some shitty fire demon. They never deserved trust from anyone.
I noticed Yumi had a way with thieves. She got close enough to kill them. She reminds me of myself while I was in Youko's gang. When I was a young puppy, no one looked at me. With years, they began watching me with more interest, which bothered me very much. I used to let them near me as much as my ice crystals could hurt them enough, but not kill them. It was fun until Youko noticed his men were injured and weren't on patrol. Since then, he paid more attention to me. It wasn't that bothersome. He was just making sure I was fine... some way or another.
The only problem was now that Yumi has no shadow-like figure in her life like I had Youko. She was all alone, and she couldn't protect herself from many enemies at once. She can only take three at one time. Well, I was that weak, too, when I was her age. She was only ten. I still had my pop back then. He died when I was 12 or so. Well, now I needed to focus on the little brat that I share the body with.
'Ryma, Ryma! Look, here is a gate or something like that over there.' She woke me up from my daydreaming. It was a gate, but not one that led to a house.
'Watch it, kid. This is a gate opened by Spirit World to the Human World. It might be your chance to get the other way,' I explained, unsure about this. The Human World was too big for someone as small as her. Maybe if she was a bit older, she could have taken care of herself... 'Listen up, once you go there, it will be tough to come back. Are you really sure you want to go?' I asked her again. Maybe she changed her mind during these days alone. She did a pretty good job by herself, but she knew she could always run back to her elder brother.
'I want to protect Ryouta and his new family. I might be young, but I can take care of myself. You told me once that I was too grown-up for my age. Let's see how good I can take care of myself in a different realm,' she answered. I told her that, but I never expected her to listen to what I said. Yes, she was mature, but not mature enough to survive in a completely unknown world.
'Goddammit, Yumi. Fine, let's go there. Once we arrive, remember your real age and act like a kid. It might help you a lot. Don't judge me, I'm just saying.' I told her, sighing. Once she made up her mind, it was damn hard to make her change it.
'Who judged you? You are right. I have to act like a ten-year-old kid there. I know they don't have powers, they don't use ice, and they definitely don't create ice with their bare hands. It might be hard at the beginning, but we have to succeed.' She seemed to understand her place, and she will not use powers. It was something I did not think I would ever hear from her.
'Fine. Now, jump in,' I encouraged. The girl didn't wait for my second command. She jumped in the portal. My only hope was that she wouldn't be killed by the Spirit World.