The blood on Cenora's cheek was sucked and licked gently by Ichigo.
"Hmmm, it hurts..." Cenora said softly.
"That's because you refused. Try to relax more and enjoy my sucking. Or... you can repay me the same way," Ichigo chuckled seeing Cenora's blushing face.
Ichigo went back to cleaning until there were no more traces of blood around Cenora's face. As if he didn't want to lose a bit of blood, it was already like a very precious item and shouldn't be left on Cenora's face.
Ichigo moved his face away and gently stroked Cenora's cheek. He wiped his saliva that was left on Cenora's cheek.
"Why are you still not moving? Is the licking of my tongue so delicious? I can hear your blood, your breath, and your heartbeat. It's all passionate and enjoying what I'm doing," Ichigo whispered in Cenora's ear.
Immediately Cenora opened her eyes and took a step away from Ichigo. Cenora touched the scar on her cheek and gasped as she didn't feel the pain from the wound. The wound disappeared.
"Nonsense! That's not an expression of enjoying something, you know? It's an expression of being scared to death of being eaten by a demon-like you!" Cenora snorted in annoyance.
"That's a good idea! But it seems this place is not suitable for eating you. Let's go back to my house! There I will let you choose,"
"Choose what?" asked Cenora suspiciously.
"Choose between wanting to be my food or wanting to be my bride," Ichigo replied casually.
"Isn't that the same, I lose and you gain?" Cenora protested, "Alright, I choose not to choose either one. I chose my own choice not to be your food or your bride because I think you know, no human wants to be food that creatures like you fight for, you demons!" continued Cenora holding back the fury in the rest of her consciousness.
"My body is mine alone and I will choose the path of my life, not you. I decide my life, so go. I don't want to see you again," Cenora continued. This time her face was starting to turn pale.
"But you asked me to promise you, right? You asked me to promise and come back here for you, to protect you. And you remember that too!" replied Ichigo who did not want to be blamed.
"That's a child's promise, Ichigo! I used to be a child who needed protection from the demons that kept bothering me. I didn't know you were a little demon back then! You can't take it as a promise!" Cenora explained with conviction.
"That's not a problem for me, Cenora. I've returned to keep our little promise first. And now you have to keep your promise!" Ichigo demanded, "Do you remember what you said earlier? You promise, when I come back you'll be happy to be my bride?" he continued asking.
"Did I say that?" Cenora asked confusedly as she tried to remember her childhood with Ichigo, "But why can't I remember I told you to be your bride? As I recall, I only asked you to quickly come back with me because you are my protector."
"I will come back if you are willing to be my bride. Do you remember that sentence?" Ichigo looked at Cenora's eyes which were starting to go blank.
'I'll be back if you're willing to be my bride, Nora. Because I will fight to deserve to be by your side! Are you ready?'
'Yes, I will as long as you come back quickly!'
Conversations from the past as a child flashed through Cenora's mind again.
'It wasn't me who said that promise. But, I did agree. Does that also have any meaning? Oh my God, what is all this?' Cenora said tiredly in her heart.
Her weak body now felt it was difficult to hold her weight and balance. If Ichigo doesn't grab it quickly, Cenora will fall.
"Do not touch me! I don't want to be your bride!" Cenora refused with the last remaining strength.
"If you don't become my bride, then you will become another Hybrid bride! You think you have a lot of options, huh?" Ichigo explained the truth.
"Cenora, listen to me carefully!" Ichigo said, "Today is your 18th birthday, isn't it?" continued Ichigo again. Cenora subconsciously nodded her head in acknowledgment.
"Your eighteen-year-old is the key to opening the mystic portal. And that means, from today onwards, your life will become the target of Hybrids from other demon races like me,"
"Your age in this year is the heyday and breeding season of the demon and that must be obtained by Hybrids of each type to maintain the glory of the group,"
"So, if you don't become mine, then you will continue to be targeted by other demons for the next hundred days. And during that time, will you be able to protect yourself from being targeted by the Hybrids who want your body and blood?"
Ichigo's words and questions made Cenora open her eyes wide.
"Impossible. I don't want to be any stealth bride. I will be the bride of the human race like me and not a demon like you!" replied Cenora whose eyes started to glaze over and blinked weakly a few times.
"This is my life… I'm not your food… don't-" Cenora's words trailed off as her eyes closed completely with a pale face on her frail body.
"Cenora, wake up! Open your eyes. You don't have to faint here!" Ichigo said starting to panic.
'Did I suck too much blood earlier? Oh shit! It must be true. She became weak because I sucked too much blood. I'm too carried away with Cenora's blood!' Ichigo cursed in his heart and regretted his actions.
"I have to take you home now!" Ichigo muttered as he adjusted his position to carry Cenora's body Bride-style.
The black-feathered wings again flapped wide so that the wind around the city park was like a whirlwind that flashed for a moment and then disappeared.
***
Chirp Chirp Chirp
The chirping of birds in the morning was heard along with the sunlight that entered through the air holes in Cenora's room. It made Cenora blink a few times before actually opening her eyes wide.
Cenora was silent for a moment and tried to remember the events that had happened before she woke up from her sleep.
Her meeting with Stu, Ichigo's return, Stu's body possessed by a demon, and Ichigo who presented himself with a strange form like a real demon. All of that turned out to be unreal when Cenora opened her eyes.
"Ah, it turns out that everything I had before was just a bad dream. But why did the nightmare seem real?" Cenora muttered as she touched the cheek that had been slashed by Stu's knife.
"There's not even a cut on my cheek. This was all a dream!" continued Cenora reassuring herself.
Ding Dong… Ding Dong…
Her doorbell rang. Even though she was lazy because she was too weak, but Cenora had to get up from her comfortable bed.
Cenora opened her door and saw the woman who used to wash Cenora's clothes and clean her house, who used to come twice a week.
"Merry Christmas, Cenora! May you always be happy, dear!" said the woman happily.
"Merry Christmas too, Auntie. The same prayer for you and your family! Why did you come here, Auntie?" Cenora asked after saying a word of joy.
"I want to give you this and see if you have collected your dirty clothes for me to wash!" replied the woman as she placed a serving of roast beef on the dining table and Cenora sat there too.
"It's still a holiday, Auntie. You don't have to bother coming to wash or clean the house. I've been on vacation and can do those things alone! Take a vacation with your family because right now are supposed to be spending time with family! Why did you come to work, Auntie?" Cenora was half nagging at the woman while tasting the food in front of her.
"Okay, I'll listen to what you have to say, dear! Come to my house to gather. In happy times like this, you shouldn't be alone at home! So come and my family and I will be very happy!" the woman said very kindly to Cenora.
Cenora smiled happily.
"Okay, Auntie. I'm not feeling well so it looks like I'm going to get a lot of sleep today. I will visit your house when I feel better and my body is fresh. Now you can go home, Aunt. Give my regards to your husband and children, okay!" said Cenora in return for the woman's friendliness.
Cenora ushered the woman to the front of the fence. And when Cenora glanced at the gate of Ichigo's house, she saw that it was tightly closed as usual.
'Hmm, to think that what I experienced earlier was a dream. Ichigo didn't come home and his house remained tightly closed!'
'Could it be because I missed him so much that I dreamed weird things like that last night?' Cenora muttered while thinking, 'Yeah, maybe I missed him too much because I'm getting sick of the demons around me like this,' she continued muttering. In her heart, while watching the many small and large demons that began to gather towards her.
Cenora quickly went back into the house that was at least a little comfortable for her.