Chapter 10 “ Descent into Darkness”

Kenji stopped there, as he'd read enough. Since he knew that that House of Phenex had paid the House of Gremory for Ravel to marry Kenji, he deduced that if the contract between him and Ravel was broken, his family would have to pay Ravel's family back.

Seemed fair. The Phenex family were pretty rich in the Underworld thanks to their selling of the Phenex Tears, which can heal all injuries on the spot.

Kenji looked up as he heard another magic circle being triggered. This time, his mother came out of it, looking slightly worried.

"Hey, Mom. " Kenji said.

"Hello, Kenji. " Venelana answered, walking towards her son.

"Are you alright?"

"Eh, I'm good. " Kenji replied, closing the book and tossing it aside.

Ven saw the title of the book, and, knowing what it was about, sighed.

"Kenji…" she said. "I know this is hard for you to accept, but your father and I did what we did with only your happiness in mind-"

"Yeah, right. " Kenji said, sarcastically.

"If Zeotifucks actually TOLD me about the marriage, I'd probably have accepted it!"

"Don't call your father that, Kenji. " Venelana said, her face turning cold.

"Or what?" Kenji stood up, snarling slightly. "You'll hit me like you did him?"

"No, of course I wouldn't, Kenji. " Ven stood up.

"Your father deeply regrets that, and if you'd let him apologise-"

"Him? Lord Zeoticus Gremory? A Devil? A PURE-BLOODED Devil? Apologise?" Kenji burst out laughing, and it wasn't his usual hearty laugh, or his cocky laugh that he occasionally did. This was the laugh of a serious psychopath here.

Someone who had mentally hit rock-bottom, or was on their way down.

"You're joking. You've got to be KIDDING me.

" Kenji wheezed.

"I'm not kidding, Kenji. " Venelana said.

"Your father-"

"Wouldn't apologize for anything if his harem depended on it!" Kenji fell onto the floor, clutching his sides. "I think I'm gonna die laughing! Well, at least I'll get out of the engagement if I die, anyway!"

Venelana froze, staring at her son.

"How did you know about that?" she whispered.

"Read it. " Kenji replied, taking a few deep breaths to stop himself laughing.

But he didn't see that Ven's eyes were glowing darkly.

"Kenji. " She reached down and grabbed Kenji tightly.

"Promise me that you will NEVER. EVER.

Think about dying. " Kenji's eyes widened at Venelana's eyes.

They held the same violet colour as Kenji inherited, but they were glowing with the same crimson colour as her signature Power of Destruction.

"I… I…"

"Good. " Venelana knew what Kenji was thinking, and was satisfied.

She put him on the ground, and turned around. "Dinner's ready, by the way.

" She left through a magic circle.

Line Break, two months later…

"Are you even listening to your fiancé, Kenji?" Ravel Phenex asked. She and Kenji were on another 'date', and Kenji's situation had deteriorated considerably.

Ever since he'd read that part about him possibly needing to DIE to get out of the contract with the bitch in front of him, he'd started to think more and more about dying.

More and more his mind dwelled on death, and the many ways his life could end in the Gremory Mansion. It got to the point that, instead of training, or insulting Zeoticus or Shitzechs, he just lay in his room, on his bed, doing absolutely nothing, but thinking about death.

He knew it was unhealthy for him, but he couldn't help it. That was just the way his fucked-up mind worked.

Venelana believed that Kenji disliked the idea of the contract, but just told him that it was or the best. Grayfia was just Grayfia, and stayed stoically neutral.

That, Kenji could accept. But it was the way Rias was handling it that made Kenji pissed.

Rias had gone from the flirty older sister that Kenji used to know to someone who laughed her ass off whenever Kenji talked about the contract. Either that, or she'd tell him to 'get his head out of his ass' and take it like a man!'

Seriously, did no-one even consider taking Kenji's side in this? Did family really not care? Was he really better off dead?

"Sorry, what?" Kenji asked, pulling one of his headphones out of his ears. "I'm too busy listening to 'Faithfully' by Journey.

Fucking awesome song by the way. "

"I don't even know what that is!" Ravel stamped her small foot. "You should pay attention-"

"To a stuck-up spoilt brat who never shuts the hell up?" Kenji asked. "No thanks."

"You still should, since we're going to be married!" Ravel shouted. "You could at least care about the person you're going to spend the rest of your life with, and not like a depressed psychopath in those human shows your parents told mine that you watch!"

"Okay, a few things. " Kenji turned around.

"First, I'm not marrying you, I'd rather die. Second, since I know that the purpose of the marriage is for Enucious to line his overly filled ass with money, and the pair of us to have kids, which means fucking you.

And I would never do that. Thirdly, and most importantly.

" Kenji flared his Power of Destruction, and it began to gather in his hands. "I know damn fucking well I'm a psychopath, and if you annoy me anymore, Ravel, I won't hesitate to show you just how much of a psychopath I can be.

NOW GOOD-FUCKING-BYE. " he hissed.

"Don't you dare leave me in the middle of our date! We have three hours left to spend time together! Kenji-" Kenji didn't hear anything else, as he'd triggered a magic-circle and then transported himself back to his house, where Venelana and Zeoticus where waiting expectantly.

"Hello, Kenji. " Zeoticus smiled at his son.

"You're home early. How was your date?"

"Fine. " Kenji said, walking past his parents.

His voice was similar to the first time Zeoticus had hit him: Cold and. . dead.

Kenji left the room and proceeded up to Sirzechs' private bathroom (or rather, his en-suite one in the room he had in the Gremory Manor). He opened the medicine cabinet, and looked through it, muttering to himself…