Dear diary
Hey its Kiyoshi again, it's been 2 weeks since my foster father kicked me out. Can't say I blame him, who would want me? I'm not even a full demon. I don't remember my real parents. All I know is that one of them was human. Ah well it doesn't matter, I'll be gone soon so I won't be a bother to anyone anymore. Skulking around the netherworld for food and shelter has not been fun or easy and it has been scary at night. I haven't had much luck finding food lately because demons appetites are so impressive that there aren't many scraps in the restaurant bins. It's been 2 days since I've eaten now and I feel weaker every minute so I should be gone soon. I hope this isn't the last time I write in you my dear diary xxx
Kiyoshi slipped the diary into his backpack and continued to walking amongst the demons. It was busy in the town today because there has been a rumour floating around that the great king Laharl himself would make an appearance.
I've only heard amazing stories about our king. Apparently he defeated the tyrant Overlord Baal with great ease. I hope the rumour is true; I would love to see what he looks like.
He looked up at the five story castle that was surrounded by a moat of lava, it could be seen anywhere as it overshadowed the entire town. Suddenly he was snapped out of his trance when someone barged into him.
Ugh I hate being so small, I always seem to be in the way of everyone.
Kiyoshi continued to wander around the market area watching everyone fork out their hard earned or stolen money, buying all kinds of unnecessary things. He didn't feel envious or angry but he did feel sorrow as he thought these people are probably no happier than he was and this was their way of dealing with it, trying to temporarily fill a hole with pointless items. All he had was his backpack with his diary inside, his jumper and pair of ragged shorts and worn out shoes. While lost in deep thought again, he was interrupted by a loud gathering of demons running into the market.
"He's coming! King Laharl is making his way here right now!" A demon shouted.
What? Oh my god the rumours were true! I finally get to see King Laharl in person!
Everyone stopped what they were doing and quickly formed lines, giving the king plenty of space. Kiyoshi had to push through the crowd of tall, intimidating demons towards the front for a chance to see him. Suddenly everything fell quiet as Laharl stepped into the market area. Kiyoshi could not believe his tired eyes. The king was no taller than him, maybe four foot six at maximum, blue shaggy hair with two antennae shaped strips, big red eyes, very small and skinny physique with little muscle, and all he was wearing was two gold bracelets, a pair of red shoes, a small pair of red shorts and a long red scarf that stayed afloat off the ground.
Wow he is nothing like I pictured but I can't believe the amount of respect everyone is showing him, or perhaps its fear?
He watched as parts of the crowd moved out of the way when Laharl went to a specific market stall.
Hehe, its pretty funny watching the traders panic when he walks towards their stalls.
As Laharl came closer and closer, Kiyoshi started to panic.
His presence is so overwhelming...he is so mesmerising, I can't stop looking at him.
"Hey kid get out of my way"
Kiyoshi fell on his hands and knees out of the crowd after being shoved by an arrogant demon; the whole crowd gasped as the king had to stop walking. Kiyoshi froze in fear staring at the ground.
Oh god he's going to kill me!
He slowly looked up at the king and saw a look of complete shock on his face. Tears started to fill Kiyoshi eyes as he turned to look at the demon that shoved him, who had a scared look on his face.
"I wasn't taking up much room you jerk!" he shouted while still on his hands and knees.
He looked back down at the floor, letting the tears drip onto his trembling hands. Suddenly he felt the strong hands of the king lift him up from the floor and hoist him over his shoulder with ease.
"I'm really sorry my lord! Pl...Please forgive me!"
Laharl did not answer him and continued to carry him out of the market. All Kiyoshi could do was look helplessly at the crowd staring back at him as he was carried away. They left the town centre and Laharl continued walking towards his castle. With very little energy left, Kiyoshi didn't struggle and just accepted the fact that he was probably going to be killed.
"Pl...Please my lord, don't kill me, I...I'll do anything" he whimpered.
Laharl still remained silent. Exhausted from lack of sleep and crying, Kiyoshi gave up, eventually falling asleep.
Poor kid
Kiyoshi woke up dazed and confused on the biggest bed he had ever seen. He was on his own in a large dark room lit by candlelight.
Where am I? Am I dead?
"Dood!"
"Wahh! Who said that?"
He looked over and saw a prinny at the end of the bed.
"Overlord Laharl-sama requested that you see him once you awoke, dood"
"Oh...O...Okay then"
"Follow me, dood"
Kiyoshi jumped down off the bed and followed the prinny.
I've seen these things before buying food at the market.
He was awestruck at how many prinnies there were running around as he followed the prinny from room to room. Some were cleaning and others were running around pointlessly. Eventually they stopped in front of a giant set of double doors.
"Go through here, dood"
"Oh...Thank you"
Kiyoshi stood still for a few minutes wondering what was about to happen to him.
I've never been so scared in my life...but what else have I got to lose?
He pushed open the doors and nothing could have prepared him for what he saw. There was a large amount of food laid out on a long table and the great king Laharl was sitting at the end eating barbarically.
Oh my god what do I do? Is this real?
"Ah you're awake, come and sit down"
"Y...Yes sir"
Walking towards the king of the netherworld was unlike anything he had ever experienced. The only other chair was positioned near the corner of the table next to Laharl. Kiyoshi hesitantly pulled out the chair and sat down next to the superior being, keeping his eyes directly to the floor.
"You must be hungry kid" he said between mouthfuls.
"Umm...Yes sir"
"Prinnies! Get this kid anything he wants"
"Sure thing, dood!"
Three prinnies looked at Kiyoshi awaiting an answer but he was far too scared to say anything.
"Give him one of everything!"
"Yes, master Laharl, dood!"
They all ran around the table collecting one of everything for the malnourished boy. He was presented with a tower of exquisite food on a large plate, making him drool slightly.
"Go on kid eat as much as you like"
"Th...Thank you Laharl-sama" he whimpered.
Just as soon as he finished that sentence he began his attempt to devour the large amount of food placed in front of him.
This is so good! All these flavours are something else! But then again I'm so hungry that anything would taste good right now.
Kiyoshi was overjoyed at the fact he could over indulge himself like this but having the King of the netherworld so close to him was rather unnerving. Laharl cleared his plate and Kiyoshi eventually stopped eating.
"Something wrong kid?"
"N...No sir it's just that I'm full now"
"Hah, I forget there aren't many people that can match my appetite"
You wouldn't be able to tell. He's as skinny as me!
"Thank you so much though! It was the best meal I've ever had"
"Don't mention it kid" he said as he stood up and walked over to him.
Laharl placed his hands on his little shoulders which made him flinch a little.
"I think you could do with a bath don't you?"
Kiyoshi's face went completely red but he silently nodded in agreement.
"Prinnies, clear the table and prepare a bath at once"
"Right away, dood!"
"Stay here until all that food goes down, then one of the prinnies will come and get you" Laharl suggested as he left the room with them.
"O...Okay then, thank you so much!"
Kiyoshi was left in the room with three prinnies clearing the table around him as he sat in silence.
I don't understand what's going on. Why is the king of the netherworld being so nice to me? He must have an ulterior motive, he is known to be quite ruthless but then again there are a few rumours of him being merciful and apparently caring!
After pondering his demise for a short while, he was interrupted by one of the prinnies.
"Your bath is ready, dood"
"Oh...Thank you"
"Follow me, dood"
Kiyoshi stood up feeling full for the first time in weeksand followed the prinny out of the room and up numerous flights of stairs. Eventually they walked along a corridor and stopped in front of a sliding door.
"Just give one of us your clothes when you're finished, dood"
"Okay, thank you"
He slid open the fusama and was shocked to find a large hot spring on a balcony, the sky was pitch black and filled with dazzling stars. Kiyoshi stepped onto the balcony and slid the door shut and dashed over to the edge.
Wow! What a view, you can see the whole town and more!
He was enjoying the view but he noticed the manor that he used to live in and the smile was wiped off his face as memories of his time there invaded his mind.
I wish that place and the person living in it would just go away.
Trying his best not to dwell on the past, Kiyoshi walked over to the hot spring, and removed his dirty clothes, exposing his scarred, frail body. Looking at the scars on his chest and arms, he sighed heavily as he slowly slipped his body into the hot cleansing water.
I guess I deserved it...
He winced in pain as the hot water splashed against the scars on his back as they were newer than the others but he was determined to enjoy this opportunity before he had to leave. He soaked a flannel he found next to the hot spring, squeezed the water out and placed it on his forehead while staring up at the stars. Finally feeling relaxed he shut his eyes and laid back against the side, wishing he could stay in the hot spring forever.
"Enjoying yourself?
Kiyoshi tipped his head back and saw Laharl standing over him with his arms folded and a large grin on his face exposing his impressive fangs.
"Laharl-sama! I'm really sorry! Did you want to have a bath? I'll get out right now" he said frantically while getting ready to get out.
Haha can you get any cuter?
"Heh no stay where you are, I insist"
"O...Okay...thank you"
He shut his eyes tight as Laharl removed his shoes and was about to remove his shorts.
"Ahh much better" Laharl said as he slipped his slender body into the hot water opposite a blushing Kiyoshi.
He looked up and was relieved to see the king sat down in the spring still wearing his scarf.
"So kid do you have a name?"
"Umm Kiyoshi...Kiyosho Arata"
"Hmmm Kiyoshi, that means pure right?"
"Yes sir"
"It suits you; I can see it in your eyes"
"Th...Thank you" He replied while blushing.
Kiyoshi kept his head down because Laharl wouldn't take his eyes off of him.
I can't believe I'm sharing a bath with the great Laharl. We both know I'm not worthy so why is he being so...nice?
"Prinnies, bring in the bath stuff!" Laharl roared making Kiyoshi jump.
Almost instantly a prinny came in with a bar of soap, shampoo and conditioner and placed them next to him then left. Kiyoshi was impressed at how well trained the prinnies were.
"Right your hair needs washing" Laharl said as he grabbed the shampoo bottle.
"It...It's okay I can do it myself"
"Yes but its more thorough when someone else does it and from the looks of your hair it needs a good wash"
He blushed even though he knew it was true. His hair used to be a shiny onyx colour but he could tell that it had become dull and shaggy.
"Okay then I'll come over to you" He said while grinning, showing his gleaming fangs.
There was nothing Kiyoshi could do except accept the fact that the naked king of the netherworld was walking towards him and was about to wash his hair. Seeing Laharl stand over him with steam radiating from his slender frame made Kiyoshi feel strange inside.
What's going on? I feel...really hot and tingly, it's like my stomach is doing back flips. Must of been all the food I ate and I'm incredibly nervous!
"Hope you're ready"
"Huh?"
With that said Laharl quickly dunked his head under the water but let him resurface straight away.
"What was that for?" he whimpered looking up at him with his large, violet puppy dog eyes.
"Heheh, your hair needs to be wet before I can wash it" Laharl replied while squirting shampoo into his palm.
"So Kiyoshi why were you wandering around on your own?"
"N...No reason sir, I look after myself"
"What about your parents?"
"I...Don't have any"
"Where do you live then?"
"I lived with my foster parents but...they didn't want me anymore"
Laharl stayed silent for a moment while scrubbing the dirt from his hair and became slightly confused when he felt a pang of anger.
Why did I just get angry? Other people's misfortune has never bothered me before.
"Why didn't they want you Kiyoshi?"
"Umm...I...Don't know" he muttered.
Hmm, I'm not entirely sure that's true.
He finished washing the frail boy's hair and rinsed it clean.
"Right, now for the rest of you"
"Oh...no that's okay I can do it myself sir"
"Heh I'm not taking no for an answer, now let's start with that grubby little face of yours"
Laharl waded over grabbed the flannel and soap and turned to face the terrified looking boy.
"Come on you're about to get the privilege of being washed by me" He said flashing a sexy grin.
But as he grabbed his arm from under the water to bring him closer, Laharl's face dropped when he saw the scars lined up to his shoulder. He stared down at Kiyoshi who was looking away with tears in his eyes. Laharl lifted him out of the water exposing his other scarred arm and the jagged scars trailing diagonally down his chest.
"Who did this Kiyoshi?" He asked, still dangling him above the water.
"N...Nobody sir"
Laharl grabbed his face and stared him dead in the eye.
"It's not wise to lie to me"
Kiyoshi remained silent, quietly trying his hardest to not cry.
"Can I go back in the water please? I'm...getting cold" He asked pathetically.
He gently placed him back in the hot spring, feeling a deep sorrow for the boy.
"You really have suffered haven't you?"
Laharl gave into his overwhelming urge and pulled Kiyoshi into a tight hug.
"Ouch!" Kiyoshi winced in pain, involuntarily digging his nails into Laharl's back.
"Are you okay?"
Laharl slid his hands across his little back and felt the deep indentations. He looked over the boys shoulder and saw the angry looking marks trailing downwards.
"These are recent...who did this?"
Kiyoshi couldn't hold it in anymore and burst into tears, wrapping his arms around the king, crying into his smooth chest.
"Ki...Kiyoshi what's wrong?"
"I...I don't deserve your concern my lord. B...but I did deserve these marks"
"Huh? What could you have possibly done to deserve this?"
"I...I didn't let him do what he wanted to do"
"Who wanted to do what?"
"My f...foster father, he wanted to...h...hurt me like he always does but I said no the last time"
"What did he want to do?"
Kiyoshi was hysterical at this point and could not respond.
Only one thing for it.
Laharl lifted Kiyoshi's chin up and forcefully placed his lips on to the innocent boys, shoving his tongue inside his mouth making sure he explored it thoroughly. The shocked look in his teary eyes indicated that he was totally unprepared for such a reaction. Laharl eventually released the lip lock and wiped the tears from Kiyoshi's eyes and flashed a caring smile.
"Now calm down and tell me slowly what he did"
"Well...h...he said that if one of his maids didn't make him happy at night then I would have to do it because he let me live in his house"
Laharl could feel his rage mounting.
"Go on"
"I l...let him do it even though it hurt a lot b...but recently he began hurting me every night"
Through gritted teeth Laharl asked him to continue.
"L...last time I said I don't want to...then he tied me to my bed, and he...and he..."
Kiyoshi struggled to finish his sentence. The pain resonating from his voice echoed up into the night sky.
"He whipped me again and again until me and my bed were soaked in blood and then he really hurt me after"
"Did he throw you out that night?"
"Y...yeah but I deserved it for being ungrateful"
Laharl's blood began to boil and he didn't care that he didn't understand why.
"Kiyoshi listen to me, where does he live?"
"W...why?"
"Do not respond to my question with one of your own. Now tell me where he lives!"
"Umm...well if you look over the balcony you can see the manor overlooking the town...that's where he lives"
Laharl instantly stood up and walked out of the hot spring to look over the balcony, exposing his perfect smooth behind which caused Kiyoshi to stare down at the water, blushing immensely.
"Ah I see it, well in the mean time let's get you dry and direct you to your chambers"
"What? I can't possibly trouble you any longer my lord"
"Look I'm not going to kick you out and let you spend another night on those dangerous streets"
"I...I don't deserve your sympathy" he muttered.
"Don't worry about it, now come on let's get you dry"
"But I haven't washed myself properly yet..."
"That's fine you can have another bath in the morning once you're well rested"
"But...I can't pay you for your generosity"
"Kiyoshi, do I look like I need or want money from you?"
"Well...N...no"
"Exactly so stop being difficult and accept my generosity"
"O...okay thank you so much"
Laharl clicked his fingers and a prinny ran in with a red silk dressing gown.
"Okay put this on and then the prinnies will direct you to my chambers"
"Y...Your chambers?"
"Yes that's right; I have a lot to do tonight so you might as well use my room. It's the comfiest bed in the castle"
"I...I can't accept this" he whimpered as the prinny placed the gown on his wet body.
"Hey what did I say about being difficult?"
Kiyoshi was about to refuse his offer again but he decided to give up and accept that he has to do what the king says.
"Okay I'm sorry...thank you so much"
"Hold out your hand"
He obeyed while Laharl reached into his scarf and handed him a key.
"You'll need this to get into my room"
"Th...Thank you"
"It's late, why don't you go and have some much needed sleep and I'll see you in the morning"
He silently nodded and followed the prinny out of the room.
I still can't believe this is happening. I wonder what he has to do tonight.
As Kiyoshi left the room Laharl turned to the balcony and gazed down at the manor and wondered what the man responsible for permanently scarring the boy, was doing right now.
I hope he won't mind me coming to visit so late. I have some...questions I would like to ask him.
He followed the prinny through multiple corridors until they were walking towards large red and gold double doors.
"This is master Laharl's room, dood. You can just go right in."
"Thank you very much"
He nervously placed the key in the hole and unlocked the door.
"You've gotta give it a bit of a push, dood"
Kiyoshi shoved his weight into the door and it slowly opened up for him.
"Wow...I didn't expect this" He thought as he walked in and closed the doors behind him.
The room was large but it was not spotless, as there were quite a few pairs of Laharl's shorts scattered around the floor. There were long red curtains displaying the overlords crest, covering a large glass window. He was also shocked at the size of the bed which was big enough for ten of him he imagined. The cover was blood red and had the overlord's crest symbol in the centre; it also looked like it was made of silk. A huge cinema sized television was attached to the wall opposite the large bed, there was also a door inside the king's room behind the headboard of the bed but Kiyoshi didn't do anything but wonder what was inside.
"I thought for sure that he would have the prinnie's clean his room every day, the bed isn't even made properly"
He also noticed a large chest made out of platinum and encrusted with jadeite gems.
"I've never seen anything so beautiful and shiny; I wonder what's in it?"
He thought he better not get too close just in case so instead he carefully stepped over the shorts in his way and clambered on to the king sized bed.
"Wow it feels so comfortable!"
Kiyoshi removed the silk gown, neatly placed it at the edge of the bed and quickly scurried under the covers. He laid his head on the pillow and let out a long sigh while blushing slightly.
"This bed smells sooo good"
He buried his little nose into the pillow and inhaled deeply. Doing this started to make him feel tingly again but he enjoyed the feeling and didn't want to stop, he then started too slowly and involuntarily thrust his small hips against the sheets, which made the tingling feeling more intense.
He started to breath heavier and glanced over at a pair of Laharl's shorts on the floor.
"If his bed smells this good then his shorts must be..."
Kiyoshi suddenly snapped out of it and felt a lot of confusion about what he just felt.
"What just happened? I just lost control...I wonder if I can sleep in this bed tonight, I've never smelt something so heavenly in my life"
He stared up at the ceiling wondering what Laharl had to do that would take all night. Slowly drifting off to sleep he wondered what tomorrow would bring as he thought the next day couldn't be any crazier than this one.