ɴɪɴᴛʜ.

"Why would I do that?!" She shoved his hand away from her arm. It's been a week since she woke up from her long trance and Reiki gave him an option. 

"She will be safe here. As long as you two are here, both of you will be safe." He insisted. He suggested the idea of taking Fuyu away from the underworld but knowing that Riku is powerful enough to capture her, she knows her safety will be in danger once again. 

"The king will just bring me back there." She mumbled while staring outside the windows. She hugged her arms gently, feeling the coldness of the place since it is already night. 

Little by little, her memories a thousand years ago are coming back. She vividly remembered how Riku made her kill Itsuki with the use of her own hands. Hatred and anger are keeping her from staying with Reiki but at the same time, she still can't trust him enough. She is still feeling unsafe. He might also have a plan on making her suffer. 

Reiki's little sweet and soft gestures are making her remember the king. He used to do those things to her before. She is thankful that she didn't fall for the king's gestures before or else, she will also fall for his identical twin. She is a tough woman. She will not fall for Reiki's gestures even though it gives her warmth and assurance. 

She turned around and saw that he was staring at her. She suddenly felt chills to her spine but she left the room to go to her own. She was walking in the hallways when a man approached her. It is one of Reiki's friends. He is the main reason why Reiki wants to save Fuyu from the underworld. 

"Have you changed your mind already?" He asked but she shook her head. Their plan is to lure Fuyu to their realm. 

"You know she will be safe here." He added. She heaved a sigh and continued on walking again but he held her arm lightly to stop her. 

"Why are you so obsessed with my daughter? What did she do to you?" She asked. No matter how many times she asked that question to him, he would not answer it. 

"It's none of your business." He said before looking away. She raised a brow, knowing that he was hiding something from her. 

"Have you met her before already? Perhaps, you also love her just like Sho and Hokuto do?" She asked and his jaw clenched. He didn't answer her anymore and just walked away from her. 

"Shohei, you love my daughter, aren't you?" She asked once more and he stopped from his tracks. Without looking at her, he nodded his head. 

"I met her first before she can even meet Hokuto." He turned to look at her and she almost gasped as she can tell how serious he is for her daughter. 

"What? What do you mean by that?" She asked to know more about it but he just smiled faintly while shaking his head. He continued his tracks until he disappeared at the end of the dark hallways. 

She almost had a heart attack when she heard a voice from behind. She turned around and saw one of the oldest nephalem of the realm. He is one of the firsts and the only living archetype. She smiled faintly while looking at him. She knows he is kind enough to let her stay in their realm. 

"The princess or rather your daughter is his first love. He had a mission on the human world once and he became your daughter's classmate during their grade school. If you still can remember, he is the one who gave her the rose-shaped candy." He said and she is trying to remember if that really happened. 

She stared at him for a while and her eyes widened when she finally remembered it. He is right. Someone gave Fuyu a rose-shaped candy when she was still six years old. She even remembered that the little one cried when it quickly melted inside her mouth, telling her that she wants another one. She chuckled softly and nodded. That memory is one of the highlights of Fuyu's life. 

"I remembered now. I didn't know it was him. I never saw him because I was busy working for Fuyu's studies and didn't even have the chance to fetch her from school." She said. That memory is nostalgic enough for her to miss her only daughter. 

"Please consider our offer. We all know that both of you will be safe here. They will not be able to touch you. No one will harm you and your daughter here." Everyone is persuading her about their plan. 

She understands their concern but what if her own daughter is the one who doesn't want to stay there? She doesn't really know what happened to Fuyu since she was asleep for a decade. What if she had a change of heart? It will be more difficult for them to lure her to the realm. Not unless she is still planning to escape from the underworld. 

"I'll think more about it. I can feel it will be difficult for us. I know they will do their best to find and take me back." She mumbled before letting out a deep sigh. 

Indeed, it will be risky. She also wants her daughter to be in safe hands but she might already have been influenced by the people around her. What if she is now siding the underworld? They all don't know. She is thinking of another plan but nothing is coming up in her mind.