Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

Seeing the look in Vahn’s eyes, Eva could tell he was completely serious about asking her to marry him. This caused a surge of emotions to crash into the tidal walls of her mind, dashing her sensibilities and filling her body with feelings of anxiety, trepidation, and warmth. Despite this, her first instinct was to shout, "Absolutely not! No way!"

Fearing Vahn might start kissing her again, Eva quickly broke out of his embrace, her face a deep shade of red as she spun around, glaring at him as she added, "You can’t just propose to me like this! Have you completely lost your mind!? Did you think I was going to say yes just because you kissed me...!?"

Seeing Eva back away from him, her tiny hands protectively guarding her body, Vahn couldn’t prevent a wry smile from marring his expression as he answered, "I was hoping you would at least consider it...I’m serious, you know? You might think I’m just a fickle pervert, but you also know my feelings are sincere. My love for you has only grown over these hundred years...even if you don’t want to marry me, at least give me a chance to show you how much I love you..."

Though her heart was beating madly in her chest, Eva forced a glowering look on her face as she harumphed and said, "Even if your feelings are sincere, that doesn’t mean I’ll just accept them. You are well aware of the kind of person I am...I might be able to accept a few girls, but I know you have more than just a few. Do you think I would be happy watching the man I love fawning over other women? I mean, really...?"

Even if it as a slip of the tongue, Vahn, and Eva herself, noticed when she mentioned ’the man she loved’. Her face, somehow, became even redder than before, and, though he knew it was probably a bad idea, a silly smile spread across Vahn’s. Then, earning an incredulous look that seemed to ask, ’are you insane?’, Vahn nodded his head, stating, "If you give me the chance, I am absolutely certain I can make you happy."

Nearly falling out of the sky due to the amount of mental damage she had taken, Eva felt weak when Vahn unhesitantly caught her in his arms. She instinctually tried to push him away, only to find that she couldn’t muster any strength at all. This made her feel a palpable amount of frustration, tears building in her eyes as she complained, "You’re a real jerk..." in a small voice.

Without commenting on her accusation, Vahn, once again, firmly held Eva’s body, holding her head to his chest as he muttered, "I love you..." in response to all of her insults. She lambasted him quite a bit, but, no matter how harsh her words were, Eva never made an earnest effort to pull away from him. She allowed herself to be held, absentmindedly listening to his heartbeat while mumbling insults for well over an hour...

Though she never agreed to marry him, Eva eventually calmed down enough to converse, an absentminded expression on her face as she straddled his lap and leaned against his chest. It stood out quite a bit, but Vahn had purchased a bed similar to the one her Memory Fragment had used. This gave her a sense of ’familiarity’ that allowed her to remain calm, even though it felt like her body was burning up from the inside...

While affectionately combing his fingers through Eva’s long, golden, hair, Vahn asked, "Have you made your choice? Remember, there is nothing forcing you to settle on a single option. I will do everything in my power to make you happy, Eva...no matter what you choose..."

Understanding the hidden meaning contained in Vahn’s words, Eva released a snort as she less-than-gently pinched the flesh near his waist. There wasn’t much to grab, as Vahn didn’t seem to have an ounce of fat on his body, but she could still find purchase with her incredibly sharp fingernails.

Satisfied by Vahn’s silence, Eva organized her thoughts for a few moments before answering, "I have thought about this day for so long...now that I’m spoiled for choice, I don’t know what to pick. I want to be more mature, but I don’t want to abandon my body. I might have broken a long time ago, but this is still me. Even if it would make me stronger, I wouldn’t be satisfied unless I can rip that bastard apart using the same power they forced upon me..."

Though it didn’t show on his face, Vahn felt an extreme amount of relief after hearing Eva’s words. They might be somewhat ’dangerous’, but, in the grand scheme of things, keeping her body and moving forward was the best way to ensure her happiness. If she learned to accept and love herself, she would be able to gradually open her heart to others. He knew she felt an extreme amount of guilt due to her actions as a ’Demon Queen’, so, if there was any hope for absolution, it was through accepting herself and moving forward.

Meeting expectations, Eva lifted her head from his chest, staring up into his eyes with a fretful expression as she asked, "Will you still love me, even if I stay like this? I wouldn’t mind having my power sealed so that I can mature, but, if that doesn’t work, would you be able to love this body that has no feminine charm? Would you be ab...!?"

Without waiting for Eva to finish, Vahn allowed his natural reaction to speak for him, startling the petite vampire princess quite a bit. Her first instinct was to lift her butt, but, preventing her from going anywhere, Vahn placed his hands on Eva’s hips, forcing her to stay put as he said, "You already knew the answer before you asked...I love all of you, Eva...I accepted everything about you long ago...the good...the bad...everything..."

Punctuating his words, Vahn ran his left hand up Eva’s spine, his [Hands of Nirvana] working in overdrive as he traced the line of her back through the fabric of her dress. This forced a girlish moan to escape her lips, her face becoming so dark it was nearing purple as she stared back at him with teary eyes, biting her bottom lip. This was enough to cause Vahn to swallow, hard, as his sensibilities began to recede faster than the tide prior to a tsunami...

Though Vahn’s expression brought her a considerable amount of vindication, Eva also felt an increasing amount of anxiety as an aching feeling spread through her body. She found herself placing her hand on Vahn’s chest, lightly pushing away from his body as she murmured, "Not yet...I’m not ready..."

Like a flame that just had a bucket of water poured on it, Vahn’s passions extinguished in an instant, his expression turning gentle as he said, "Sorry...I’ve been a little frustrated as of late. Don’t worry...I will never force you against your will..."

Ignoring the urge to remark about him shamelessly embracing her at his leisure, Eva showed a slight smile in response to his words, issuing a demure ’Nn...’ as she nestled against his bare chest. Then, after a long period of silence, she muttered, "I choose the third option...I will give you a chance to prove your love to me...so long as your method doesn’t permanently seal my power, I want to try growing up...then, when I’m older...I...I might consider your offer..."

Feeling uncontainable jubilation, a massive smile spread across Vahn’s face, but, before he could embrace her even tighter, Eva added, "I’m only going to give you one chance...if I catch you laying a hand on those brats before I give you my permission, don’t blame me if I decide to castrate you with my bare hands. I can’t do anything about your current women, but I’m not going to play second fiddle to girls who still smell of their mothers’ milk..."

Though it didn’t fade away completely, Vahn’s smile became less pronounced as he nodded his head and answered, "I already told them about you, so they shouldn’t have anything to say on the matter. Besides, I’m not exactly trying to expand my harem...my only reason for coming to this world was to save you and defeat the Mage of the Beginning. I might have a weakness against beautiful women who show sincere affection toward me, but that doesn’t mean I’ll just accept anyone...I don’t want to hurt you any more than you have already been hurt..."

Hearing Vahn’s words, Eva couldn’t help feeling a little guilty, but, in spite of this, she issued a light snort before remarking, "You say that, but who was it standing outside a gate like a horny mutt stalking a rabbit? Tell me, did she also have ’sincere affection’ toward you...?"

Feeling as though Eva was never going to let him live that moment down, Vahn just released a silent sigh, the smile on his face turning wry as he whispered, "If someone wasn’t hiding in my shadow like a voyeur, I wouldn’t have been so ’stressed’ out at the time..."

With an aghast, bright red, expression, Eva stared back at Vahn as if he had completely lost it. She had only just agreed to give him a chance, yet, in spite of her ’magnanimity’, he dared to say such things to her? Even if his words were true, there were some things you just didn’t say to a lady you were trying to woo!

Realizing he might have gone too far, Vahn adopted an apologetic expression, averting his eyes as he muttered, "Sorry...I just..."

Shaking her head, Eva maintained an angry expression as she said, "No. Don’t apologize. I’m just now remembering how much you like to tease people. Just this once, I’ll let you get away with anything, so, be honest with me. Was your attraction to that woman really just because of my presence? If she were to solicit you, would you really be able to say no? There were plenty of women who solicited you while I was observing, but she was the only one who made you act like a complete idiot. Tell me why. I promise not to be angry."

Though he didn’t believe her words in the slightest, Vahn still nodded his head, answering, "I liked her smell...though I was also curious about what it would be like to have sex with a rabbit girl, the main thing that attracted me was her aroma. It’s hard to explain, but its the truth..."

Not expecting Vahn to mention he was attracted to the woman’s smell, Eva didn’t really know how to respond. She was tempted to smell her own aroma, but, realizing how embarrassing it would be to sniff her armpits while seated in Vahn’s lap, she, instead, asked, "Oh? And what do you think about my aroma...?"

Even if he could understand why she would ask, Vahn was still a little surprised that Eva would ask him such a thing. As a result, he hesitated for a brief moment before leaning forward and audibly inhaling. This caused Eva’s face to turn bright red as she pushed his face away from her and said, "Don’t just smell me at your leisure...!"

Unable to resist, Vahn began laughing in a light-hearted manner, even as Eva was pushing his face away from her. He hadn’t exactly forgotten how she was like, but it was refreshing to see her behaving like this. It reminded him of the time they spent together in the orb, and, though it would probably take some time, Vahn believed it wouldn’t be too long before Eva became the same affectionate woman in his memories...

Seeing Vahn laughing like an idiot, Eva showed a slightly incredulous expression on her face as she internally remarked, ("Did I really fall in love with this shameless bastard...?")

After calming down, Vahn discussed the matter of sealing the malignant energy inside Eva’s body, explaining, "I’m going to use a technique called Nirvana Rebirth to revert each of the cells into your body back to their natural state. As for the malignant energy in your body, I will seal it away within your dantian using a special seal known as the Taiji Inversion. This will allow you to access the energy in the event of an emergency, but, unless you break the seal of your own volition, you will remain a normal, albeit powerful, human girl. You will lose the ability to use Magia Erebea, but, in exchange, you will be able to increase your internal reserves using the techniques your Memory Fragment had learned in the past. By the time you remove the seal, you will have become far more powerful than your current self..."

As she had memories regarding the Nirvana Rebirth, and many of Vahn’s techniques, Eva wasn’t completely unfamiliar with the process. Because of this, she stared at Vahn with a look of blame in her eyes, asking, "So, I need to relinquish control over my body, allowing you to do whatever you want while I have no chance to resist?"

Since he could tell Eva was joking with him, at least a little bit, Vahn unashamedly nodded his head, adding, "I’ll also need to use the Convergence of Heaven and Earth to bring you back. I have improved a lot since the last time you experienced it, so expect quite a surprise when you wake up..."

Now with a red face, Eva glared at Vahn, muttering, "You just don’t know when to quit...I’m starting to think you won’t be satisfied until I discipline you properly..."

To emphasize her point, Eva allowed the nails on her fingers to grow until they were about ten centimeters in length. She also had a rather vicious and sadistic smile on her face, but, rather than show any kind of fear, Vahn just smiled as he answered, "It has been a while...so long as you don’t get out of hand, I wouldn’t mind letting you discipline me a bit..."

Hearing Vahn’s shameless remark, Eva’s face became an even deeper shade of red, her nails retracting in an instant as she balled her hand into a fist, clocking Vahn with enough force to send him skidding across the landscape as she exclaimed, "You’re really pushing it, you know that!? If you aren’t willing to shape up, don’t blame me for taking matters into my own hands! Do you really want me to bully you in front of those brats...!?"

Rising from a distant snow bed, Vahn rubbed his swollen cheek, which, due to Eva’s energy still lingering in the tissue, had nearly reached the size of a softball. Though it rapidly began to shrink, it was still surprisingly painful, so, after recovering, Vahn smiled wryly as he stared back at the little girl in ’attack mode’, answering, "Sorry...I’ll try not to tease you too much..."

Noticing Vahn didn’t say he would stop teasing her, a tick mark appeared on Eva’s brow, but, instead of attacking him a second time, she released a tired sigh before falling onto the bed and saying, "I’m too tired to deal with you right now. Get over here and give me a massage. I need to limber up before I start beating you for real..."

Though he knew Eva was actually telling him to use the Nirvana Rebirth on her, Vahn also felt she wasn’t joking about beating him up after the fact. Rather, regardless of whether or not she was angry going into the procedure, he knew it was inevitable that she would beat him after the fact. The Convergence of Heaven and Earth was rather merciless, and, given Eva’s nature, she wouldn’t be able to calm down with venting a bit.

Despite knowing he was in for a bit of pain, the atmosphere around Vahn became serious as he nodded his head and answered, "Understood. Leave it to me."

Seeing the ’resolute’ look in Vahn’s eyes, Eva internalized a sigh before rolling over onto her stomach and mumbling, "Nn...I believe in you..." before adding, "Even if you are a perverted idiot..." in a voice he couldn’t hear.

(A/N: Alternate Titles: ’Nothing to see here. Move along.’)