Warning for depictions of abuse and mentions of suicide.
It's been 10 years since he endured abuse and kept on a mask of happiness.
It's been 8 years since he realized his family was not normal.
It's been 4 years since he moved to Shibuya.
It's been 3 years since he give up hope.
Mikaela Shindou had given up the facade he kept up outside of his house. Despite how broken his family was, he tried to hold it together. He'd like to think that his efforts will pay off one day.
Which it did. Before they moved, his father had gotten so intoxicated that he ended up in the ER.
Mika had never been so afraid in his life. The news of his father being into the hospital shocked both him and his mother.
He had never been so relieved to cry freely in the arms of his parents as they all agreed to change for the better.
It was his mother that suggested they move to a new environment. Tokyo carried too many bad memories for them.
His father suggested they go to Shibuya. The company he worked for had a station there he could be transferred to.
Life had been great. Mika felt a great weight lifted from him. His father and mother had never been happier, but the years of abuse still plagued him, even in the new city.
He felt genuinely happy for once in such a long time. He loved going home after school, the smell of his mother's cooking filled the house.
His mother loved baking. Her older sister, his aunt, owned a bakery back in Tokyo. She used to work there before her depression prevented her from doing so.
But now their house in Shibuya was filled with the lovely aroma daily. Luckily, his mother was mindful enough to make small batches each time that were manageable to be eaten by three people.
A few months after, his mother suggested she should make some more for Mika's friends. He almost choked on the water he was drinking. He had never talked about school at home, or friends for that matter. He had classmates that he would talk to during school hours but he never really thought of them as friends. He declined her offer politely.
Life was good for a while. Until summer break came. A few months prior, Mika overheard his parents talking about their financial situation. They had been relying solely on his father's income for their expenses. His tuition fees had been a heavy burden.
He managed to work odd jobs around the neighbourhood the summer. His parents were very supportive when he told them. They didn't know he heard the whole conversation a few months back.
It worked out well. It started off with Mika helping clean people's houses, babysit, to running errands for stores. He did so well that some people wanted him to help them out during the school year and willing to be flexible with his schedule despite him just being a middle school student. And of course Mika took up their offers.
A week before school started up again in the fall, Mika's mother decided to get a job seeing how hardworking her son and husband were. However, it ended in failure.
Mika would never forget that day as it had been burned into the back of his head. He had come home from school, and instead of being greeted by the sweet aroma of baking, there was silence.
He initially thought his mother went out and paid no mind to it. But he was horrified when he found his mother limp body in the bathtub, the water surrounding her in deep red. He took a moment to pull his eyes from the sight and call the emergency number.
He remembered how he had been so traumatized that he could not make any sounds but muffled sobbing. Luckily, the operator dispatched an ambulance that took his mother to the hospital.
She survived but the experience left them both in a state of emotional instability and debt.
His father started drinking and everything returned to how they were. Perhaps even worse for his father had more responsibility and stress with his new promotion just a month ago.
His father had never beaten him before. It used to be a rare occasion but now it was more frequent than not.
And today was no different. Mika walked into the living room to see his father passed out on the couch, and whiskey bottle in hand.
He tried to help his father by turning off the TV and taking the half empty whiskey bottle. But he ended up getting smashed in his left arm by the very bottle and landed back first into the coffee table. He sat up despite his back screaming in pain from the impact of hitting the edge of the table and cradled his left arm with his right.
His father grumbled something under his breath before smashing the rest of the bottle on the floor, making Mika flinched from the noise.
"Do me a favour and disappear, you eyesore. Everything was fine before you were born."
Mika didn't know how to feel but broken. The injuries he sustained hurt, but not as painful as the words said by his own father. He knew his father didn't mean it, it was just the alcohol talking.
As he left the living room, he was careful to not step on the glass of the shattered bottle. His father still had his shoes on, protecting him from the shards. Mika would have to clean it up after the pain subside a bit.
As he headed up the stairs, he couldn't tell if the whimpering he was hearing was from his mother or him. If it was the former, it probably explained why his father had whiskey instead regular store bought beer.
Once he was in his room, he could see his vision blur and warm tears rolled down his face. He no longer had to hide it.
Afraid his parents would hear him, he used his right hand to muffled his cries.
It had never been this bad. But he father must have never anticipated for him to smash into the coffee table that had been there.
With his back screaming in pain and his left arm throbbing, he walked over to his night stand. He opened and went to reach for the pain killers when he saw a small blade.
He remembered taking it from his parents' bathroom when he was cleaning. Afraid his mother would attempt again, he took it and placed in his night stand. He didn't know why he kept it or why I he was picking it up.
He sat down and let out a hiss as the pain flared up. Perhaps this was the only way, the only way to stop hurting.
"Is this what you really want?"
Mika held his breathe. He did not recognize the voice. "I... I don't know..."
"Then what is it that you want?"
"I want... I want it to stop hurting." The tears came back.
"Tell me what your heart desires."
"I... I want my parents... I want my family to be happy again."
"I shall grant your wish if you give me your soul when death comes to you." Mika twisted his body around and shifted his leg into a more comfortable position. Numb to the pain, he stood in the darkness that surrounded his room. Red eyes stared back into his. "My name is Yuuichirou and I shall become your reaper."
Mika could only nod, his voice lost. The other smiled, sharp teeth bared.
"Then sign the contract with your blood and seal our deal." Mika brought the blades to his left palm and sliced it open. Oddly enough, he felt no pain as he watched the blood gush from the wound and onto the old parchment, written in what seemed to be ancient text. "Very well. Your wish has been granted."
Mika's body suddenly felt really heavy as he crashed into the floor. As his vision begin to cloud, he saw a pair of black boots approach him and what looked like a tail swish behind. Mika didn't know if he had just imagined it but he felt a hand gently caressing his face before the darkness consumed him.
I honestly love demon!Yuu and could not resist writing a fic about it! Also, in this story, Asuramaru and Yuuichirou are two different entities.
And quick thank you to Lightningstrike83 for being my beta reader for this story :D