Ten Days With My Devil
CHAPTER ONE - Best Day Ever.
'Seriously?' I thought to myself as I turned on the TV whilst getting ready for work, 'does anyone really think they will win these competitions?'
The cute young guy on the TV finished explaining the round-the-world trip giveaway that would be won in the next ten minutes: A person worthy of a break, a person deserving of a luxury cruise, sailing around the globe whilst being pampered. All you needed to enter was for someone to call their competition line and nominate a person deserved of this prize.
'At 3,000 Yen per-minute, no doubt.' I shook my head in jest and continued to blow dry my hair.
As the hot air blew through my damp hair, I heard a banging from the living area.
"Hello?" I called tentatively through the front door, not quite sure if I had even heard anything.
"Miss Winters?" A quiet voice replied. "We are here on behalf of a friend, and we have some good news!" I could hear the smile in the quiet voice, so didn't feel as suspicious as I should have done. I looked through the peep-hole and saw the young guy from the breakfast TV show I was watching minutes earlier.
I opened the door to see a short, youthful man wearing the brightest smile I had ever seen, holding a microphone to my face.
Behind him stood a tall guy, probably close to six feet, hiding his face behind a camera.
"What the f…?" I started to say, before the youngster interrupted my slur.
"Congratulations, Miss Winters, you have won this weeks prize!" He pulled out a large, golden envelope from behind his back and, not thinking it possible, he smiled even brighter.
"Who…? What…?" I babbled.
"You have been working tirelessly for so long, and sacrificed so much, that you have been nominated for this luxury cruise, congratulations!"
"B-b-but who would...?" I trailed off, more thinking to myself, than actually asking this young man for the answer.
"Who nominated me?" I asked him when I couldn't find my own answer.
Then I caught it.
"Er… er...the nominator must remain anonymous." His cheeks were bright red, even when he put on his bright smile, but this time, his smile didn't reach his eyes.
"Hmmm." I don't know why his hesitation put me on edge, but seeing him fake a smile drove me closer to the border of Suspicion-Ville.
"Anyway, congratulations once again!" The young man said before he and the cameraman turned from my door and walked towards the elevators.
I closed the door and pressed my back against it, the cool solid oak smooth against my aching shoulders. "What the hell was that?"
Walking out of the lobby of my apartment building, the city of Tokyo dazzling on the horizon, I heard a bark.
"There aren't any pets allowed in this building," I said to myself, wondering if I had shown the first symptoms of madness, but there it was, a huge black dog bounding around in the parking lot, his owner nowhere in sight.
I walked over to it, and a low growl emitted from its throat.
"Hey there, are you lost?" I crouched and stretched out my hand for the dog to sniff, and had to suppress a laugh when it gracelessly flopped onto its side and lifted its legs so I could tickle its tummy.
Its tongue lolled haphazardly out of its mouth as I tickled its belly.
"Did you get lost? I know you don't live around here. No buildings in this part of town allow pets. I wish I could take you in, little fella," I said to him, after noticing that this dog was clearly male.
"I'm sorry, but I have to go." With that, the dog abruptly got up and dashed away. His speed startled me, causing me to fall on my backside. My legs fell out from under me, and my heel caught in a metal drain grating.
"No, please don't…" I begged, too late, as I pulled my foot free and heard my heel snap.
I sat on the concrete floor absolutely gutted my new shoes had broken already. "For the price, you'd think they would last longer than a week!" I got up, fuming, and headed back to my apartment building.
"I'm going to be late for work now. I've never been late!" That thought alone made me feel worse than my heel snapping.
"Excuse me, miss," I hear a cheery voice calling to me. I looked back, but couldn't see anyone, even the dog had disappeared. "You seem to be in some trouble," I heard the voice call again.
I turned around, this way and that, but couldn't see anything.
"Hello? Is someone there?" I called out.
"Shiki, you forgot to take the down the barrier," I heard the pleasant voice whisper.
"Hassle," a quiet voice lazily answered.
"Hello? Whomever you are, you picked the wrong day to mess with me," I turned once again, more annoyed that this foolishness was going to make me even more late for work.
"Sorry about that, miss."
"Whoa!" I turned sharply, startled at the pleasant voice coming from immediately behind me. "How the hell did you just sneak up on me like that?"
A tall, thin man stood in my personal space, his smile so childlike and innocent, his blonde hair looked crazy, yet somehow, very stylish.
"Sorry about that, miss," he repeated. "I couldn't help but notice you were having some difficulty," he pointed down to my shoe.
"Yeah, I got my heel stuck in the grate over there and it snapped. I blew a weeks wages on these, too." I felt my shoulders slump.
"Don't worry, miss, here are a new pair, just for you!" The tall guy with the crazy blonde hair flung his arm out, almost smacking a shorter guy I hadn't noticed in the face.
"Watch it, idiot," the shorter guy said, lazily.
"Go on, Sheeks, give her the box," the blonde said.
The shorter man with jet black hair and black framed glasses handed me a box. "Here," he said, belligerently looking at the ground.
I took the box from his hand and opened it.
"Prada shoes? Are you kidding me?" My face must have looked a sight. There they were, a pair of highly exclusive Prada shoes, looking like they were waiting to be slipped on to my feet, and my feet alone.
"You'll catch flies," the guy in the glasses said.
"Huh?" I asked, still not taking my eyes off the shoes that astonishingly matched my office suit perfectly.
"Shut your mouth, you'll catch flies," he said again, this time with an annoyed tone.
I realised my mouth was wide open, almost drooling on these shoes. I quickly clamped my jaw shut, and felt my cheeks warming at the embarrassment of looking like a complete divvy in front of these strangers.
"Take them, they're yours," the cheery guy said to me.
"These are Prada!" I said, still like a kid on Christmas day, after unwrapping the best gift ever. "I can't accept these." Then it hit me. "Are these knock-offs?"
"Nope!" the cheery guy replied.
"Stolen, then?"
"Nope! I work for the company. I saw you were having difficulty, so it's the least I can do for a young lady in distress." The cheery guy chuckled and I had to admit, my face lit up at his innocent aura.
"Well...thank you, I guess," I said, still not convinced by this whole saga.
"Go on, Sheeks, put them on!" The cheery Prada guy nudged his friend (or assistant?) with his elbow.
The quiet one of the two knelt down and held my ankle in his hand. I was startled by how cold his hand felt against the bare skin on my calf.
Some mumbles later, the quiet guy stood and started to walk away. "Sleepy now," With that he disappeared around the apartment gates.
"Are you sure this is okay?" I asked.
"Of course, have a very lucky rest of the day!" The cheery blonde guy turned and started to walk away, then he stopped in his tracks "Oh, and there is a taxi waiting outside, you're going to be late for work, right?"
"Oh, shoot!" I ran as fast as I could in four-inch heels. Strike that: four-inch PRADA heels!
I made it to work with one minute to spare.
"Oh, Sarah, hi!" I heard my friend, Lori, call out.
"Lori, hi! I just have to tell you about the craziest morning I have ever, or will ever, have. Such a strange morning, I honestly don't think I could take anymore today!" I smiled at my friend.
"What happened this...are those Prada?!" Lori asked as she practically dropped to her knees and studied my feet.
"Yep! and guess what… some strange guy just gave them to me. Honestly, Lori, this has been one weird morning."
Lori stood and eyed me suspiciously. "Some guy just gave you Prada shoes? Sarah, have you been eating Sasuke's chocolate again?"
"Not after last time," I shook my head and laughed with embarrassment at the antics of last years' office Christmas party.
My co-worker, Sasuke, brought in some of his cousin's chocolates, not knowing they were laced with opiates. It wasn't until after Lori had pulled me away from the potted plant I was about to marry, that we realised something was slightly off with our behaviour.
"Man, were we a state!" Lori laughed, and I too doubled over in giggles.
"Look, there he is," a woman's voice caught my ear as she walked past. "He's so hot!" She swooned as her and her friend stopped in their tracks. I turned to see Mr. Kamui enter our office.
The woman wasn't wrong - was 5' 11" of sheer heart attack. Just walking in to a room, the guy commands respect. His brown eyes were so piercing, so sure. I had serious doubts that he had ever questioned himself about anything. Mr. Kamui hadn't been here even a month, but he would certainly be remembered by the females around here for a very, very, long time.
"Winters." Mr Kamui called out.
"M-me?" I froze. He had never spoken to me before. His voice is so deep, so damn…
"Yes, you, Winters. Forget your own name?" Mr Kamui stood in front of me, a whole head taller than me.
"N-no sir, you've just never addressed me before, so I assumed it was a mistake," I couldn't help but blush slightly at the way his presence belittled me, yet made me feel like I was his for the taking.
"Well, listen to this carefully, for this is no mistake: You will be ready at seven tonight so I can take you to dinner. Dress in something less… boring." His eyes roamed my figure leeringly, before turning on his (expensive) heels and leaving out department.
"Sarah, what was that?!" Lori stared at me, her face full of shock.
"I have no idea. What the hell just happened?"
"The hottest guy to have ever worked here asked you to dinner, that's what just happened." The woman and her friend glared at me, their jealousy-filled eyes would have pierced my arteries had they been daggers.
The lunch break came around so quickly, that I had to rush the last of the document to get out to meet Lori on time. I shut down the computer, put all of my confidential reports in the safe and headed down to the cafeteria.
"... A very strange morning, indeed!" Lori said as I filled her in on this mornings weirdness. "It's almost like you've had a lifetime's worth of luck all in one go!"
"Yeah, you're right. That's exactly how this seems. So, it wasn't you who nominated me?" I was still so curious about that cruise.
"No, although I really think you deserve it. You have left so much behind to come here, so many friends and family members, a completely different culture… all to fulfill your promise to your father. You definitely deserve it," Lori smiled, the only smile in the world that could make me feel better about myself.
"Thanks, I really appreciate that," I said, suddenly sad thinking of my father.
Arriving back to my apartment with less than ten minutes to get dressed for my 'date' with Mr. Kamui, I searched high and low for an outfit "less boring" but struck-out.
"I'm going to have to improvise," I said to myself.
Raking through my wardrobe and drawers once again, I found a red skirt that hugged my hips, but flowed freely around my thighs. "Hmm… this'll work,"
The ruby-red, sleeveless satin top fit nicely with the skirt, but I had had doubts as I looked in my mirror and saw my cleavage on display.
"I can't wear this!" I tore it off and looked deeper in my wardrobe. But it was too late. I heard Mr. Kamui's voice as he knocked on my door.
"Winters. It's after seven. If you aren't dressed yet, then you will have to come as you are. I don't like to be kept waiting."
"Oh, crap! I guess I'll have to wear this after all." I pushed my feet into a pair of black stiletto heels as I pulled the satin top over my head once more. "Ouch!" I called out as I walked into the door, my head not quite clear of the collar.
"Did you just walk in to the door, Winters?"
"No!" I called out defensively, but was met with a smooth, velvety chuckle from Mr. Kamui.
I opened the door and was almost floored by the sight of him. A black tuxedo!
"Er…" I gawped, suddenly feeling so very small.
"You look… presentable," Mr. Kamui leered at my chest.
"I look like a hooker," I sulked. "I don't go out to dinner. Ever. I don't own anything suitable for dinner, so now you have to go around with me looking like a curb-crawler." I suddenly remembered my place. "I'm sorry, Mr. Kamui, I didn't mean to speak so freely." I bowed my head to him.
Being Western, I often had trouble keeping my thoughts and feelings to myself. Japanese women are so much more reserved, so much more innocent and respectful. It slipped my mind that Mr. Kamui was a rising star of the Eastern world's largest investigative company.
"I like how you are so refreshing. You think I asked you to dinner for your charm?!" he laughed. "And please...call me Kakeru."
The dimly-lit restaurant oozed romance. Candles flickered on crisp, white tablecloths, a piano's ivories sang out a soothing, melodic tune. Couples quietly talked as they leaned towards one another, their fingers interlaced as they lost themselves in each others' eyes.
'Wow, this place is gorgeous!' I took in the ambiance of the five-star restaurant and began to wonder what I was doing in a place like this.
"Excuse me, Mr...I mean, Kakeru, but why have you brought me here?"
He smiled down at me, his always serious face melted away, revealing the cutest dimples I had ever seen.
"For dinner. Why else?"
"So...um… is this a business meeting?" I was so unsure of his intentions, he never once looked at me on the drive here, never once called me Sarah, always "Winters", and never once did he look in my eyes.
"Does it look like this is the kind of place for business meetings? Honestly, Winters, I heard you were intelligent." He shook his head, then, almost as if someone whispered a joke in his ear, he turned on his dimpled smile once more. "Shall we?" Kakeru pushed his elbow out, as as waiter lead us to a table.
Walking with my arm hung on Kakeru's, I couldn't help but notice all the women who, not long ago, were looking lovingly into their partner's eyes, began to look at Kakeru with the same longing. I felt so out of place. I couldn't be more out of place if I were an English woman in Japan. Oh, wait… I am.
"Ma'am," The waiter said, as he pulled out a chair for me to sit.
"I've got it," Kakaru practically shoved the poor waiter out of the way, and proceeded to tuck my chair under the table. "I'm here to treat this lady, not you."
I could almost hear the waiter shake in his comfortable shoes, as he went to fetch our menus. "Poor guy!" I smiled as Kakeru seated himself opposite me.
"Poor guy?" Kakeru questioned, his eyes completely mistified. "He has not brought you on a date, I have. He needs to keep his distance from another man's lady,"
'Another man's lady? We haven't even had the starter yet! Hot or not, this guy is nutty.'
"Er...Kakeru, it's his job to hold out a chair for female customers. He's not encroaching on territory; it's just good customer service."
"Oh," was all Kakeru managed to say. His eyes still full of steel, but the slight blush on his cheeks was rather cute.
With a delicious dinner now threatening to force me to never eat again, Kakeru seemed more relaxed, he even told a joke or two.
"I must say, Kakeru, you speak perfect English. Did you study it in school?"
"No, I learned English when I got to this world," Kakeru abruptly stood, "ignore that. Excuse me whilst I use the restroom." With that he walked off.
'He is definitely nutty.'
As I looked out of the window, down on the twinkling city lights, I felt a vibration in my handbag that was resting on my lap. I stood up and answered the call from my foster sister.
"Hey! How are you?" I smiled. It always felt so good to hear her voice. But my body stiffened, as if I could feel Death breathing down my neck.
"Winters," I heard Kakaru's voice right by my ear, then tingles ravaged me as his hand snaked around my waist and came to rest on my stomach. "hang up the phone, I want your attention solely on me for tonight. I can't take my eyes off you, and I'd like you to return the favour," His hot breath tickled my ear, and my central nervous system responded with glee.
Kakeru pulled my phone out of my hand and switched it off. "Hey, that was my sister!" I should have been so angry. I hate possessive, arrogant men, but something about Kakeru made me feel powerless.
I caught a reflection in the window and turned to see a very handsome man dressed in a white tunic, holding a cake.
"Forgive me for interrupting, but this is for you," he smiled and placed the beautifully decorated cake on the table.
"Wow." I completely lost myself in the curve of his lips. "how many more handsome men are going to talk to me today?"
"I promise you, I am the last one. Tell me, beautiful lady, that you will receive this gift with the same affection I have put into it."
"Wha...?" Yep, that was all I could manage. I felt like some stupid lust-struck teenager.
"What did you just say?" Kakeru squared up to the chef, his face red and his eyes narrowed.
"I am sorry, sir. I have been lacking inspiration of late, but seeing this beautiful lady here, I just couldn't help but create this."
I looked down at the cake, its icing a shimmering white, with a...scythe?
"Er… a scythe?" I asked the chef. "That's really...odd. That's the weirdest thing I've ever seen." I tried to be polite, but I didn't have it in me.
Kakeru sniggered and held his chin high, like he had won a pissing contest. But it didn't last long.
The chef leaned in close to me, his cologne so sweet and intoxicating. "It's a scythe, because I want to reap your heart," He smiled and I was done for. That smile completely overrode his cheesy comment.
"Excuse me, if anyone here is going to harvest her heart, it's going to be me." Kakeru folded his arms across his chest, and puffed it out, in some sort of caveman display.
All eyes turned to our table. 'This is so freaking embarrassing, but kind of hot…'
I looked on, waiting for them to rip their shirts off and smear themselves with baby oil before they wrestled. Sadly, I would be waiting a long time for that to happen.
"Okay! You two sound like a couple of morticians! I really appreciate the cake, and you are really,very…" I trailed off, lost in the chefs lips again.
"But!" Kakeru prompted.
"Yes...But...I am here with this gentleman, so if you would please, with no offence, take the cake back to the kitchen." I puffed out my cheeks, gutted that this testosterone fight was now over.
"Of course, Ma'am, please accept my humble apologies," the chef took my hand in his, "I shall have the cake removed immediately," he kissed the back of my hand, smiled seductively and winked.
'Oh my!' My heart stalled when I looked in his smouldering eyes.
This was like a red rag in front of a bull.
"I can't believe you shoved him like that!" I was astounded at Kakeru's childish behaviour. "I can't believe you got us thrown out by the manager! I'll never be able to go back there again," I wasn't yelling at him, as such, I was in utter disbelief.
"I am sorry, this isn't the way this evening was planned. I should not let him wind me up like that, every time he does this…" Kakeru's voice became the faintest of sounds.
"Sorry, I didn't hear you then, a truck was driving past," I strained my ears as we walked down a busy intersection.
"Nothing. I was just apologising for this evening not turning out the way I had planned." Kakeru stopped walking and turned to face me. "I will say goodnight here, please forgive my behaviour." He bowed deeply to me.
"Are you kidding? That was the best dinner ever!" I laughed.
Kakeru stood up straight, totally bewildered. "I must have not followed something, or my English isn't as good as I had assumed." Kakeru shook his head.
"Your English is perfect. But this evening…in fact, all of today has been the most amazing day of my life! I mean, tonight beats any boring old polite date by a mile!" I laughed, completely forgetting my place once more.
"It does? I came to understand you liked to be swept off your feet, to be charmed and romanced. I have never been wrong before." Kakeru looked more confused than ever.
"I don't understand what you mean. Yes, I suppose I do like that girly stuff, but considering how today has gone for me, having two attractive men squabble like children over me just put the icing on the cake," I smiled at Kakeru, who took my hands in his.
"I guess I understand women a lot less after having dinner with you,"
"Only you could make something so condescending sound so charming." I closed my eyes as Kakeru brought his face so close to mine.
The warmth of his lips still burned against my cheek as I walked towards my apartment block.
"What a day!" I chuckled. "And maybe I should get some help. I've been talking to myself a lot today!" I shook my head at my own craziness when I heard something out of place
"A dog? Could it be...?" I turned to see a huge black shape running towards me
"Cerby!" A voice shouted from the shadows.
The dog ignored whoever was calling out, and ran straight at me, toppling me over and as I lay flat on my back with the huge shape licking my face, I immediately recognised it
"Hey boy! You're the fella I saw this morning. Did you find your owner?" I laughed as the dog continued to lick me.
"Cerby, get off her!" A strange voice came close. "You stupid dog, you don't like strangers, remember!"
'That voice… it sounds a lot like the chef,' I couldn't see much, but his voice was definitely familiar. And so was the sweet cologne.
I looked past the shadows and saw five silhouettes standing around me, then they were gone again as the dog pushed his snout into my face.
"Let that stupid dog go and get back to your apartment right this minute. "
"Kakeru?" I still couldn't see him but I recognised the commanding voice instantly. "what are you doing here?"
"Never mind why I'm here, just get to your apartment."
I pushed the dog off of me and stood up. Now that I didn't have some big, black... whatever species it was slobbering all over me, I could see all five faces.
"Hey, you're the TV guy...and you're the guy from Prada."
"Hello again!" the cheery Prada guy greeted me with a wave.
"Not now Haruhito, we need to get her upstairs right now," Kakeru yelled.
"Aw. This part always makes me sad," Haruhito, or the Prada guy, whoever, said, with his chin touching his chest and his shoulders slumped. "But I know she will be born again, so it's all good," he smiled again and even laughed.
"What the hell is going on here?" I stamped my foot like a spoiled child.
With that, a huge flash of light illuminated the night sky, followed closely by a deafening boom.
I instinctively hit the deck and covered my head.
"Damn it! If your stupid dog hadn't got in the way, this would have all gone as it was supposed to," Kakeru yelled.
"Don't call Cerby stupid. You're a good dog, aren't you?" Haruhito knelt on the ground and ruffled the dog's fur.
I looked towards the explosion, smoke bellowed out of a window on the upper floor of the East side.
"Oh my god, that apartment just blew up." I called out, before something terrifying took hold of my throat. "That's my apartment! Holy shit, I should have been in there!"
I stood, trembling at the thought of what could have been.
"Yes, you most certainly should have been in there," Kakaru said, his eyes with a menacing gleam.
"But I don't understand. Why are you here? Why are all of you here?" The five faces glared at me, even the quiet guy in glasses from this morning. "Please just tell me what just happened," I looked towards the quiet guy with glasses who hung at the back of the group, since he looked the least angry.
"You should be toast." was all he said.
"Toast?" I asked, "What the hell has toast got to do with this? Oh my god, did my toaster blow up?"
"Idiot," the guy in glasses grimaced. "It wasn't your toaster, you stupid human," he walked even further away from the group, making it clear he didn't want to talk to me anymore.
"What Shiki meant to say was: Sarah Winters died in an explosion, due to a gas leak in her apartment." Kakeru stood in front of me, his face more serious than I had ever seen. "You're dead, woman."
I couldn't think. My brain completely flatlined. "I died? Am I dead right now? I don't feel dead."
"Dead in the brain department, maybe, but not literally dead. Yet." The handsome chef stepped towards me, and smiled a cruel smile.
"Look, here's the deal: You were supposed to have the best day of your life today. Winning the cruise trip, being given a pair of shoes all women must have, and best part of all - going on a date with me. Then, I was suppose to walk you home, happy like you should be, and BOOM! you're toast." Kakeru smiled at his own words, and annoyingly, fiddled with his tie smugly as he talked about our date.
"So, who messed up?" The chef asked.
"Well, that was clearly Haruhito's fault. He brought his stupid dog with him again," Kakaru said.
"How was it my fault? Cerby doesn't ordinarily like strangers, so how was I to know he would run up to her like that?" The guy with the crazy, yet stylish, hair looked so sad and petted his dog even more.
"You're all nuts." I staggered back in disbelief. "Why are you people trying to frighten me like this?"
Kakeru stepped forwards. "We're not people, we are demons." his smug grin turned to something even more sadistic.
"Shut up!" I laughed. "You are all crazy."
"Oh really?" Kakeru waved his hand and the fire in my apartment died down, not even smoke plumed from the windows anymore. "Believe us now? It is our job to work in the human realm and take the toasting candidate's soul."
"You really are nuts. HELP!" I screamed out, hoping someone would rescue me from these lunatics.
"Shut it!" Kakaru's hand clamped over my mouth and grabbed both my wrists in his free hand. "Keep your voice down, Winters. They may hear you."
"Yeah, we would never live it down if the angels find out we screwed up, we would be in serious trouble," the chef said and kicked a loose stone across the parking lot.
"Angels? What the hell are you guys on?" I tried to get out of Kakeru's grasp as I saw a man walking a dog pass by, "Hey! Over here, you have to help me," I managed to shake one hand loose and waved as frantically as I could to get the passer-bys attention.
"Forget it, Winters. We have a barrier set up. No one can see or hear you, so just stop struggling and let's get this over with. We are already behind schedule."
I stopped trying to pull away from Kakeru, because something (other than the whole being blown up in my apartment, stupid dogs and demons thing) struck me as odd.
"Wait. If we are behind a barrier, completely out of reality from other people's perspectives, then why did you freak out when I called for help?"
Kakeru looked around at his other demon friends, a mild panic in his eyes.
"Don't bother your pretty head with such questions. Now, be a good girl and hold still while I toast you."
He leaned in close to me and smiled, "close your eyes if you want, Winters, it won't hurt a bit."
"Ten days." I called out, not really conscious of doing so. "Just give me ten days, then you can roast me, or whatever you call it."
"Toast," Shiki said, then yawned. "Just toast her already, I'm sleepy."
I looked at Shiki now he stood under a street lamp. "Have we met before? You seem awfully familiar. "
"Yeah, we met this morning, stupid." Shiki shook his head and slumped against a car. "Toast her already."
"No please, just give me more time, there is still something I have to do." I was acutely aware of how desperate I sounded, but I couldn't leave this life without fulfilling my promise. "If you don't give me more time, I'll call out and you'll be in trouble."
"I told you Winters, people can't see or hear you once a barrier is up," Kakeru snorted with indignation.
"People perhaps can't, but I bet Angels can. ANGELS!" I screamed with all of my might.
"Shut up this instant." Kakeru placed his hand firmly over my mouth. "How the hell do you know Angels can hear us?"
I mumbled into his hand, but his pressure on my mouth was too great.
"Maybe she figured it out from the stuff we said. Shiki did say she was smart." The young guy from the TV said, as he looked towards me, his face full of smiles.
I nodded, and felt a tear run from my eye and Kakeru pulled his hand away from my mouth
"Stop leaking on me," he used my top to wipe off my tear from the back of his hand. "Well, I guess we are in a bit of a pickle." he looked into my eyes, the questions swam in his deep brown pools.
"What could ten days hurt, brother, if we could keep her off the Angel's radar, then everything will work out in the end," The young TV man smiled hopefully at Kakeru.
"Brother? You two are brothers?" They really looked nothing alike. If anything, Kakeru and the chef looked like they could be related.
"Yes, did you just think how we look nothing alike?" The TV boy asked "We get that a lot," he smiled amusingly.
The group of men formed a circle and talked in whispers. 'I should make a run for it, these people… devils… are crazy,' I turned around and took one step towards the security gates and was stopped dead in my tracks.
"DON'T!" the chef pulled my hair, but not hard. "You won't be going anywhere. Not for ten days. at least." He stepped in front of me, his seductive smile teased his handsome face. "There are, of course, conditions."
I listened intently as the chef introduced himself and the four other men.
"Kakeru here you already know. He is our leader and he will toast you on the spot if you try to run away. next we have his little brother, Meguru, he is the housewife and you will not like to get on his bad side. Then we..."
I broke off the chefs introductions with a huge belly laugh, "Housewife?!"
"Yeah, I guess, but not in the sense you think of," Meguru said, blushing, "I'm only an apprentice, so I do all the cleaning and cooking. I make sure that we have everything we need for when we go on missions."
"As I was saying…" the chef said, annoyed at the interruption, "This is Haruhito, he is a stupid child who makes stupid comments, but don't think for a second you can fool him into letting you go. That lazy guy over there is Shiki. He is mean, sleeps a lot and doesn't like to be bothered. And now for myself…" The chef straightened his blue tie and smiled a smile that knocked my socks off, "I'm Satoru, I am highest ranked soldier for the Demon King, and a skilled lover."
"Skilled lover?" I drooled out. "Wait...Demon King?" I broke free from Satoru's seduction.
"Yes. Kind of like how you have a president, we have a king and he rules all of the Demon Realm."
"Forget all of this, Satoru, there are still conditions Winters need to be aware of before the decision is finalised." Kakeru said, as he pushed Satoru out of the way. Kakeru addressed me with a cold stare, "You will not try to escape, you will not disobey us, and you will not exceed the ten days I have generously given you. During these ten days, you will not be out of our sight, not for a second, and you will not draw attention to us or our work. I require absolute obedience, and If you tell anyone you are about to die, then I will toast you in a heartbeat. Clear?"
I nodded. "You have to watch me? I won't run away, I promise."
"Yep, we will watch over you twenty-four-seven. We will watch you read, eat, sleep and shower," Satoru curled the corners of his mouth into a sexy grin.
"Sh-shower?" I gasped.
"He's kidding. We won't watch you that closely, but you will not be allowed out of the Demon House without an escort, and one of us will be with you at all times. So, Winters, do you agree to these terms?" Kakeru raised his eyebrows and awaited my answer.
I thought, then thought some more. "Yes, I agree."
"Good, there is only one more thing to settle. Who do you want as your guardian?"
15
