RYUKI'S NEW PUPPY
"Welcome to your new home, Brimstone," said Jinx as she brought the demon puppy into Ryuki's room. She put the pup down and he bounded over to Ryuki's bed before leaping up and lying down on it. Jinx smiled. Though the puppy looked scary at first, now he was kind of cute. Brimstone – as her boyfriend had named the pup – had come into their lives so unexpectantly. Most of the others had bad experiences with the breed of demon dog due to their trip to Azarath to save Raven and stop Trigon.
Brimstone wasn't anything like how the others described those Kaisers. It acted like, well, a puppy. Then again, Ryuki had become the Alpha of the pack by defeating the previous Alpha. Maybe this pup identifed Ryuki as the new Alpha and imprinted on him.
Jinx sat on the bed with Brimstone and the puppy crawled over to lay his head on her lap. She petted Brimstone on the head and he liked the attention. Brimstone didn't have fur but that didn't put Jinx off. The skin felt soft like leather. "How can anybody think you're scary?" she asked.
The door opened and Ryuki came in. "Hey," he greeted. Barking happily, Brimstone leapt off the bed and ran towards Ryuki, jumping up for Ryuki to catch him in his arm. "Konnichiwa, Brimstone-chan."
Brimstone barked in response.
'Kawaii...' thought Ryuki.
"So, you got all the sutff?" Jinx asked.
"Hai," nodded Ryuki. "The food and supplies needed to care for a dog."
Jinx smiled as she saw how happy her boyfriend was. He'd been depressed following his transformation into an Orphenoch. A pet would be good for him.
"I'll get some tea," offered Jinx. "I'll be right back." She left the room.
Ryuki gazed fondly upon Brimstone. "I'm going to be taking care of you, Brimstone." The little demon puppy needed him. He was all alone in the world. Brimstone wouldn't be able to survive out there on his own.
Brimstone barked in response. Ryuki sighed as held the dog close to his chest.
"Brimstone," Ryuki called again, receiving a bark. He sighed again. He continued to call the pup's name, gaining barks in response, and sighing, before falling onto the floor. "Kawaii..." Holding Brimstone close to his chest, Ryuki began rolling around on the floor with a blissful smile on his face. He also began to purr.
Of course it was at that time that his door slid open and his newest friend, Craig, came in. "Hey, Leo, I-" His voice stopped dead right there as he saw Ryuki rolling around, purring, with the demon puppy in his arms. Craig just stared as Ryuki looked back in mid-roll and after several seconds of awkward silence Ryuki quickly sat on his knees with Brimstone on his lap.
"O...kay..." Craig said. "Not exactly what I was expecting."
"Hello, Craig-san," Ryuki said politely. Craig walked over and sat down.
"You really love that thing now, huh?" Craig asked.
"I've always loved animals," said Ryuki, "But my Okaasan wouldn't let me have a pet."
"Parents are like that," agreed Craig.
"I'm going to take care of him," said Ryuki as he placed a hand on Brimstone's head and began scratching. Brimstone wagged his tail happily. "He needs me."
Craig had the idea that ALL Orphenochs were evil monsters. Ryuki didn't seem to fit that label, though. Ryuki was a hero and seeing him rolling around on the floor, purring blissfully as he hugged a dog, made Craig reconsider a few ideas he had about Orphenochs. He couldn't judge them all as being alike but for now he accepted Ryuki simply because he was a hero before he turned and still was one.
"Anyway, sorry again for what happened," apologized Craig.
"Daijoubu..." Ryuki responded calmly. "You were angry and hurt so your best judgment probably wasn't available at the time. I can forgive and forget."
"It was a good thing Terra was able to set me straight," Craig sighed.
"Things might have gotten...messy, otherwise," Ryuki nodded with a nervous gulp.
As the boys were talking, Craig commented on how Ryuki seemed to love animals so much. Ryuki just grinned and explained his life ambition to become a veterinarian when he was finished his education. Ryuki indeed loved all animals big and small so he wouldn't turn away any pet in need. Of course, considering how his life has been turning out, it may involve supernatural animals or mutants like Silkie.
As the two chatted, the door slid open as Jinx stepped inside. In her hands were two glasses filled with ice tea. However, when she spied Craig, the smile on her face did an instant reversal.
"What is HE doing here?" Jinx asked darkly.
"Um...just talking," Ryuki answered. That frown reminded him of Takada's old girlfriends whenever he did something stupid and was about to be punished for it.
Jinx didn't like Craig very much nor trusted him to be close to her boyfriend. Craig had tried to kill him the previous night all because Ryuki was an Orphenoch! That just wasn't fair. Ryuki was a good person and didn't deserve to be judged like that.
Craig noted Jinx's expression and sighed. 'I know when I'm not wanted.' "See ya later." Craig got up and walked past Jinx whose eyes glowed for a second. She smirked. Craig would be having some bad luck for the rest of he day.
Jinx handed Ryuki a glass of ice tea and sat down across from him with her own glass. She smiled at seeing how happy with was with his new pet. She'd learnt how his life badly his life had gone because of this Zodiac War.
"Thank you for the tea," Ryuki said.
"You're welcome," said Jinx. "So, Mortuary didn't hurt you, did he?"
"Oh, no," Ryuki shook his head. "He just came to talk."
"That's good. I don't want to see you getting hurt, that's all."
"I don't think you have anything to worry about, though," said Ryuki.
"Baby, he pointed a gun at your head. If we hadn't shown up your brains would've been blown away," Jinx reminded.
"Yes but he's a friend now and he's also an old friend of Terra's," Ryuki defended. "He's not so bad once you get to know him."
"I just don't trust him," Jinx said. She didn't want to lose Ryuki.
"It'll be alright," he said soothingly. He finished his drink and said to Brimstone, "OK, Brimstone, time to give you a bath."
The puppy barked.
In the common room, a discussion was being had. The subject? Ryuki's new dog.
"I can't believe that Draco would want to keep that for a pet," said Robin, bewildered.
"Believe it, Robin," said Takada. "The kid loves animals."
"He could've just gotten a hamster. A nice, small, harmless little hamster," said Cyborg. "But no, he had to get a demonic puppy."
"But what if it tries to kill us in our sleep?" Beast Boy exclaimed.
"It's a puppy," said Ichijyo. "It can be trained."
"Shadow, a pack of those things tried to kill us," reminded Terra.
"This is the same pack that now pledges loyalty to Ryuki after he became their Alpha," Ichijyo retorted.
"Just let him keep it," said Craig as he entered the common room, overhearing the discussion. "I may not have been here that long or known that kid as long as any of you, but he looks happy with...whatever Brimstone is."
"Is that compassion hear coming from you, Mort?" questioned Terra with a cocked eyebrow.
"From what you guys have told me he's been through a lot. Maybe a pet is something he needs."
In the bathroom, Ryuki was cleaning up Brimstone. The demon dog didn't make a fuss and calmly let his master clean him. Brimstone was covered in soap suds and all Ryuki was wearing was a pair of shorts. "Alright, time for the rinse." Using a basin, Ryuki filled it up with water and then doused Brimstone with the water, rinsing him. Ryuki then dried the puppy up with a towel. "Nice and clean." He wrapped Brimstone up in the towel and carried him out of the bathroom. "You must be starving right now. Come on, Brimstone. I'll get you your food."
The food was in the Tower kitchen. Ryuki carried the bundled up demon puppy through the hallway. Said kitchen was connected to the common room. As he exited the sliding doors, he turned to look at all the Titans. He gave them all a smile and then walked to the kitchen. He put Brimtone down and grabbed a dog bowl. He then grabbed a can of dog food and peeled off the lid before scooping it up and putting it in the bowl. The puppy jumped up and down and it smelt the food. Ryuki knelt down and put down the bowl. Instantly, Brimstone attacked the food with gusto.
"Looks like I'm going to have to give you another bath after this, Brimstone," said Ryuki. He gave a chuckle. Then he stiffened as he heard a familiar ringing sound. Patting Brimstone on the head, he said, "I have to go."
"Hey, you need us?" Takada asked as Ryuki stood in front of a window.
"No, I'm alright," declined Ryuki politely. He held his deck out in front of him, facing the reflective surface of the window. The belt formed and fastened itself around his waist. "Zodiac Force of the Dragon! Henshin!" He attached the deck to his belt and his armor formed over him via glass shards. He then entered into the window as the glass surface rippled like water, taking him into the Mirror Dimension.
Brimstone let out a bark as he saw his master enter the world beyond the mirrors.
Craig could only gape when he saw this and turned towards Terra for an explanation. Terra shrugged an answered, "You'll get used to seeing that a lot."
Later that night, after giving Brimstone another bath, he took the demon dog to bed. Brimstone was so small, like a stuffed animal. The dog wouldn't let anybody hold him but Ryuki (the Alpha) and Jinx (the Alpha's mate).
Ryuki climbed into bed, holding Brimstone in his arms. "Oyasumi..." he said to Brimstone. The demon dog let out a yawn and snuggled against his master. "Kawaii...Brimstone..." Slowly, Ryuki dozed off. As Ryuki slept in bed with Brimstone in his arms next to him, he dreamed...
Ryuki stood alone on the lush green fields… when to his amazement… hordes of puppies and kittens slowly descended from the bright blue sky. It didn't take long before he was surrounded by many cute little animals. One fluffy black puppy floated into Ryuki awaiting hands. Ryuki gently held the puppy closely to his face, and the small dog was relentless in happily licking his nose.
In the real world, Ryuki giggled in his sleep. "That tickles, Kuro-chan!"