Re: Thrust Into The World Of Anime

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**Zane POV**

Dawn seeped through the curtains, painting Sona's sleeping form in watery gold. Her cheek pressed against my chest, lashes fluttering with dreams I'd never dare ask about. My fingers traced idle patterns through her hair—ink-black strands softer than the silence between us.

She stirred, mumbling something about chessboards, before her eyes cracked open. "...Morning?"

"Debatable." I smirked, tugging her closer. "You drooled on my tattoo."

She stiffened, then swatted my arm. "Liar. Sitri devils don't *drool*—"

"Uh-huh. Tell that to my shirt."

Her groan vibrated against my ribs. For a heartbeat, we existed in the quiet—no magic, no bloodline drama, just the creak of old floorboards and her thumb brushing my hipbone. Then she tilted her chin up, gaze sharpening.

"Last night. When you… *tested* me." Her voice cooled, a blade sheathed in velvet. "That wasn't fair."

I stilled. "Sona—"

"You wanted me *broken*." Her nails dug half-moons into my shoulder. "To see how far I'd unravel for you. Was it… satisfying?"

The air thickened. Outside, a crow cawed—Rias' spy, probably.

"I needed to know," I said quietly. "If you loved *me*, or the idea of someone who'd never leave."

Her laugh tasted bitter. "You think I'd threaten oblivion for a *fantasy*?"

"Devils lie. Even pretty ones with terrible taste in pajamas."

She froze. The truth hung between us—her father's political marriages, Gremory's scheming, the unspoken fear that I'd vanish like smoke once her inheritance solidified.

"You're right," she whispered. "I don't know how to love halfway. But if you ever use my heart as *leverage* again…"

Her kiss burned—a warning and a plea. My back hit the headboard as she climbed into my lap, all furious grace, her teeth nipping my lower lip. *Message received.*

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**The Unspoken Pact**

We played games. Or tried to.

"Why," Sona deadpanned, "is the turtle *throwing* shells?"

I grinned, stealing a mochi from her plate. "Because Mario's a capitalist icon. Also, you're holding the controller upside down."

She squinted at the buttons. "This is *barbaric*."

Yet she kept playing. Losing. *Learning.* By sunset, she'd beaten Bowser with a ruthlessness that scared me a little.

"Again," she demanded, eyes gleaming.

"Nope." I yanked the plug. "Your turn. Truth or dare?"

She adjusted her glasses—a tell. "...Truth."

"Why'd you really move in?"

The clock ticked. Somewhere, a pipe rattled.

"Because," she said slowly, "I wanted to memorize the sound of your breathing. To know you weren't another… *hallucination.*"

My chest tightened. *Damn it.*

"Dare," I rasped.

"Kiss me. Where no one's watching."

We didn't surface for hours.

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**Moonlight Confessions**

Later, shadows carved the living room, our untouched tea gone cold. Sona's knee brushed mine—a calculated accident, but her trembling fingers betrayed her.

"Your turn," she said, voice steady as steel.

I leaned back, leather creaking. "My people… we don't *have* a name. The Vatican called us *Aetherials*—'voidwalkers or endermen'—before hunting us to extinction." Violet energy writhed around my thumb. "Teleportation's just the surface. We *unstitch* reality. Tear dimensions to survive."

Her teacup clinked. "The Six Eyes…?"

"A curse." I tapped my temple, galaxies swirling. "I see magic's threads—and hunger to unravel them. Could've destroyed Rias' kingdom the day we met."

"Why didn't you?"

"Because *you* were there." The admission hung raw. "Fixing that vending machine. Like aligning gears might make the world make sense. Couldn't ruin *that*."

Her breath hitched. "Your turn."

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**Sona Sitri POV**

The truth clawed free—a secret even Rias didn't know.

"Sitri devils don't *love*." The words burned. "Affections are transactions. Marriages forge alliances. Children are chess pieces." Mother's icy face flashed—assessing my worth before I could walk.

Zane's energy dimmed. "But you—"

"I *crave* your chaos. Your reckless joy. A proper heiress would've had you collared. *Controlled.*" Blood pooled in my palms. "Instead, I lied. Omitted you from every report. For you, I've become…"

*A traitor. A fool. A girl.*

His hand smeared crimson on mine. "Nana."

"If my family discovers you—"

"Let them come." His grin turned feral, eyes bleeding cosmos. "I'll mail their throne room to Lucifer in a black hole."

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**The Weight of Bloodlines**

"You're trembling," he murmured.

"Am not."

"Liar." His forehead pressed to mine. "Aetherials bond once. *Irrevocably.* Stop my heart, yours stops too."

I stiffened. "You bound us—"

"No. The bond forms here." His palm warmed my racing heart. "When trust outweighed fear. Weeks ago."

*Hokkaido. Strawberry mochi. My order memorized.*

"Why tell me now?"

"Because you needed to know." His thumb brushed my lip. "Before I kiss you again."

"Emotional blackmail."

"Yep."

The kiss tasted of iron and inevitability.

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