Emotions

I COULDN'T DESCRIBE the pain I felt as he told me to go. I hadn't really meant to say "It would be great if we hadn't met." I was just so frustrated with the whole Sicks case; so many people had died because of that evil man, including Mr. Sasazuka.

Neuro looked at me with disinterest and…was that disappointment? I rushed past him, the tears now flowing freely down my face. I reached the stairs when I heard him murmur, "I suppose I shall have to search for a new slave now." That one small sentence, those simple words, made me let loose a sob. I raced downstairs and left the building, not even stopping to apologize to the people I bumped into. I wanted to go home.

I was free to, wasn't I? He had let me go. Released me. And yet…Another sob escaped my throat as my house came into sight. It didn't feel like I was free. Not at all.

I COULD HAVE cared less as I sensed the girl leave the building. I just stood there. She was…had been…my slave and nothing more. But why was it that, as my acute hearing picked up her footsteps running away from the office, something deep within my chest clenched painfully? And why could I only decipher her footsteps?

"I must be growing closer to being a human," I said quietly to myself as an excuse. That must have been why I was feeling odd. After all, I hadn't had any shouki for days. It was going to be troublesome finding a new slave.

I closed the door and made my way to the couch. Suddenly, I didn't feel motivated to do anything. I felt like I had no reason, no purpose, to be here on Earth. The Ultimate Mystery didn't quite seem so great a reason to be here. Perhaps I should just return to Hell, I thought. But why? Could it be…that over the time I had been here, that little wood louse had become my other reason to stay here? I smirked at the thought. Impossible.

Little by little, though, my smirk disappeared. She had always been tolerant of me, and of the punishments I gave her. She was able to get into the hearts of the criminals and try to reason with them, asking "why" more than "how". She was unique. She was human.

And I hadn't taken that into consideration. I had…forgotten that she was a human with emotions. The deaths of two people who were close to her – the cop and the suicide of the old homeless man – they had pushed her over the edge. I dismissed the deaths easily enough because I was a demon. I didn't have those emotions.

But didn't I have emotions now? Wasn't I having that feeling that they called "longing"? I was longing for her presence, but Yako was gone. Because I had forgotten that she was only human.

MY MOM LEFT me some food on my nightstand; bought from my favorite ramen shop, not one of her own creations, thank God. I didn't touch it, though, which surprised me. Was I really so depressed about my new freedom?

My mind quickly flashed me an image of his disappointed face behind my closed eyelids, and the tears began again. I wanted to scream. I wanted to break something. I wanted to go…go where? To the office? Back to that sadistic, evil, torturous, green-eyed demon?

I laughed pitifully, listening as my voice cracked in sorrow. I'm so pathetic, I thought. Neuro wasn't here to tell me that this time, though. I was alone. Again.

THE DISHRAG CRIED herself to sleep. For the first time in my life, I felt the smallest twinge of guilt. As much as I loved being the cause of misery, to think that I was part of the reason she was miserable at this very moment…

I quietly slipped in through the window and stood by her bed. Tears aside for the moment, the sight of her sleeping face made my heart clench again. If felt different this time, though. It wasn't the painful one I had felt before, but rather a gentler one. Still unused to this current feeling they called affection, I reached out a hand and lightly touched her cheek. My body froze when she reached up and pressed my hand closer to her face. Was she awake or asleep?

Her eyes opened a bit and regarded my sleepily. I, oddly enough, smiled at her. And she smiled back, though she was still drowsy. She obviously thought she was dreaming. Her eyes closed. Then they shot open again in wild panic.

The scream she emitted pierced my ears and brought her mother to her room. I was already out the window as the woman burst into her daughter's room. I smirked. At least I knew that I still struck fear and terror in Yako's heart. If only a little.

"WHAT ARE YOU screaming about, Yako?" my mother asked, patting me frantically to make sure I was alright.

After taking a few deep breaths, I finally managed to get out, "S-sorry. I just had a really bad dream. Just a nightmare."

It took a few minutes to convince her that I was alright, but I finally got her to leave. When my door was closed, I shut my eyes and sighed. "I know you're still here."

Almost immediately, I felt a familiar crushing pressure on my head as Neuro twisted my neck painfully. "So I'm a nightmare now?" he chuckled darkly.

"What do you want?" I asked. I just wanted to get this over with so that he would leave me alone. That was what I wanted, right? Suddenly, I wasn't so sure. In fact, I didn't even think that I wanted him to leave at all. I turned my eyes to his face. The brilliant green eyes of the demon revealed more than I had expected: they showed an odd emotion I had never seen in him before until they turned stony again.

"Are you sure about this?" he asked.

I was surprised. Since when did he care? "What do you mean?" I asked suspiciously. "You're going to have to look for a new slave. You said so yourself. You have no more use for me."

Neuro let go of my head. "You need me as much as I need you."

Those words took me by surprise. It wasn't like him to say something like that. "W-what are you talking about?" I asked, blushing. Is he…confessing? Is he saying that he-?

"It would be bothersome to find another slave," Neuro began. My face fell. He only needed me to fill up his empty stomach. "I highly doubt that any other human has such a high tolerance for pain as you do," he continued. "You have friends among the police force, which allows us easy access to crime scenes."

I closed my eyes, not wanting to hear anymore. I got it. I was obviously only his tool. And I was the only one who could serve him. As a slave. High tolerance for pain, huh? I thought bitterly.

"And…"

My eyes opened and blinked at the hesitation in his voice. Odd. 'And' what?

"I am," Neuro searched for the word, "changing. Becoming more human. I am beginning to have strange emotions. Even now, I am…" He sighed. "Perhaps it is only you who can teach me how to deal with what I am feeling."

I had never seen him look more confused or frustrated right then and there. Seeing it made me smile.

HER SMILE ANNOYED me. It made me want to throw something at her face. I considered my options: the alarm clock, several books including a dictionary, some pencils that were beautifully sharpened to a point, her lamp-

"What are you feeling?"

The question caught me off guard. "The lowly amoeba does not need to know," I covered casually, knowing exactly what I was feeling. It was quite disturbing, though.

"Oh, come on," the girl pleaded. "You said that I might be able to help you understand it. Just describe it for me."

Unfortunately, it wasn't that I needed to understand the feeling. More of that I needed to understand how to satisfy it. Just looking at her face was causing my gut to clench.

"Maybe you're sick," she muttered to herself. "Can demons even get sick, though?"

She really has a long way to evolve, I thought smugly. But I'm going to be the one helping her along. I had already made up my mind on how to satisfy the strange hunger in me. I had read plenty of the human's novels to understand. I knew for a fact that she had affections for me. She loved me.

And while there were so many females in Hell that would gladly line up and fight for the chance to be my mate, the one small fact that this tiny, insignificant human loved me brought a smile to my face. I couldn't stop smiling as I leaned down and cupped her surprised face in my hand.

I HAD ALWAYS expected Neuro's lips to be cold like ice. I was proven quite wrong as he took my face in one of his hands and pressed his lips to mine. I was too shocked to do anything at first. My mind was still processing the fact that my tormentor, my nightmare, my demon boss from hell (literally), was kissing me, and quite frankly…I didn't mind.

But then, due to the lack of oxygen and because I was becoming aware that Neuro was starting to lean on my bed, I had to stop. I pushed him back and scooted away, panting. He kept his head down, black bangs and blond hair obscuring his face from view. My bed sheets were twisted in his clenched hands as I watched him warily.

"Why did you do that?" he asked quietly, meaning why I pushed him away.

"I could ask you the same thing," I replied in a trembling voice. "Why did you do that?"

"Because I know that you love me."

Oh, I wanted to scream right then and there. I wanted to cry, Yes! I do! But then I did a mental double take. I love him. He knew that I loved him. And yet, I was just realizing it now. I'm throwing all caution to the wind, I thought, then asked shyly, "Do you love me?"

His head snapped up and I jumped a little. His green eyes were glowing with anticipation and hunger; not the usual kind of hunger he had for mysteries. No, this was something deeper, like a hunger he wasn't used to and had to find a way to sate it.

He released the sheets and leaned forward; I leaned back. "You tell me," he growled huskily. I squeaked as his arm suddenly shot forward and pulled me closer to him near the edge of the bed. His face stopped less than a centimeter from mine, and there I could easily read the confusion in his eyes. He wasn't used to this, and that made me giggle a bit, which resulted in a painful pinch on my cheek.

Darn. Just when I had gotten him to open up.

"Oh, the slave dares to mock her master?" Neuro said, reverting back to his normal self.

SHE SQUIRMED AS I pulled her skin. "Sorry, sorry," she giggled, thought she didn't sound sorry at all. I froze as she took my hand into her smaller ones and began to pull off the glove.

"The lowly amoeba seems to forget," I hissed as she managed to get one of the dark coverings off, "about my true nature." I flexed my claws near her face, but didn't get much of a reaction. She didn't flinch, just blinked, and proceeded to remove my other glove. Soon, both my hands were free and she sat there holding them.

"Could it be," I asked, gripping her neck suddenly, "that you do not fear me anymore?"

She let out a strangled laugh as she eyed the sharp talons. "N-Neuro, if there's at least one thing I've learned in my time working for you…" She gulped as my grip tightened. "…it is to always, under no circumstances, fear you."

I put on my innocent face and shrugged as I released her. She started to look at my hands. "Something the matter?"

"Why is it that you can keep your human form, but your hands stay like this?" She looked up at me with her warm brown eyes and I could feel my heartbeat increase. Again, I considered throwing something at her.

HE LOOKED BACK down to his hands, and I looked too. I blinked. They weren't long, sharp purple claws anymore. They were soft, warm, normal human hands. I traced the lines in his palms and felt him shiver.

He looked at me and I saw that the confusion was back, gleaming in his bright eyes. He seemed so helpless, just then, and child-like as well. The great puzzle-eating demon, Nougami Neuro, was lost in this new human emotion, this thing they called love. He didn't understand it. And even if I wasn't used to dealing with it myself, I knew that we could at least figure it out together. Wasn't that what we did? Solve mysteries?

Here, I whispered, reaching up and touching his cheek. He was still for a moment, then he slowly eased himself down and sat closer to me. As I caressed his cheek, he leaned into my hand like a cat, and a growl that slightly resembled a purr rumbled from within his chest.

"Let me…" he trailed off, looking at me. I realized that he was silently asking me permission to kiss me again. Asking me, instead of simply forcing me to. His voice sounded so soft and pleading, completely unlike him. I smiled gently and nodded.

He leaned in, a bit hesitant at first – oh, God, he was hesitating! – then carefully kissed me. My hands slid round his neck and entangled themselves in his odd yet beautiful hair. The demonic batteries clinked lightly. He pulled me toward him with one hand, while the other skimmed along my hairline. I broke away and breathed heavily as he rained light kisses on my forehead, cheeks and nose; I was beginning to suspect that he was enjoying this new action. Not that I minded.

Then he raised his head to look me in the eyes. I saw something exciting flash in his eyes, followed by that hunger again, and I shivered unconsciously. I was surprised when he attacked my lips for a third time, more roughly. His tongue ran lightly over my teeth and he suddenly bit down on my lower lip.

It wasn't hard enough to hurt, but it was enough to make me jump a bit. An unwanted mewling noise escaped my throat and he smirked against my mouth, even chuckled slightly. I cursed myself for giving him the dominant satisfaction and decided to fight back.

My lips trailed across his smooth cheek and kissed his earlobe. As I blew lightly on it, I could feel him shiver and his arms encircled my waist, drawing me closer. In one fluid motion I had removed his neck scarf and barely noticed it as it floated to the floor. I kissed the edge of his jaw and led a trail down his neck, practically inhaling his scent. He sighed when I reached his collarbone, but that wasn't enough reaction for me. Returning the favor, I bit down on his neck.

A throaty moan escaped his mouth and I grinned as I snuggled into his broad, warm chest. That would show him.

SHE WAS QUITE bold now that she knew what I felt for her. Not that I really minded. But I didn't like losing, not to her or anyone, so I subtly got my revenge by pulling her close and crushing her in a hug.

She gasped and gave a small cough, but said quietly in my ear, sending shivers up my spine, "Well, Neuro is still Neuro." She then nipped my nose playfully and freed herself from my grasp. "You wouldn't be yourself if there wasn't at least a little amount of pain involved." She gave me a grin and lay down on her back, her hair splayed across her pillow.

I sat still for a moment, regarding her relaxed from before lying down next to her. Normally, she was very tense around me, for fear that I would do something to her. But not this time. Almost immediately, she snuggled closer and placed her head in the crook of my arm.

It felt odd to me, how Yako seemed to fit next to me so perfectly. She shifted upward so that her head was level with mine. I became aware at how small and slight she was and drew my arms around her in a protective circle without a thought.

"I'll take that as a yes."

"Hm?" was all I could say. I was too preoccupied with the way she smelled. It was nice. Why hadn't I noticed the scent before?

"I'll take that as a 'yes, I love you' answer," she said.

I simply stared at the ceiling in silence.

"I guess this makes us an official couple," Yako continued.

What is the dishrag getting at? I wondered, though I suppose I already knew the answer somehow. Then I quickly corrected myself. Yako. She is Yako to me now.

"So…what does this do to our current status?"

HE LOOKED AT me with his mischievous glowing eyes and pretended to frown. "My dear wood louse," he purred in my ear. I shivered and he grinned. "Do not think for one second that just because I am now courting you means that your daily routines will change."

"Don't you mean your daily routines?" I muttered dryly. My pillow promptly covered my face following that remark.

"You forget your place, worm," he leered as he smothered me.

"Shouldn't I have a new place in your heart?" I barely choked out from beneath the cloth.

He was silent for a moment before replying, "Don't worry."

The pillow was placed back behind my head and I could breathe again. He propped himself up on one elbow and looked at me. I could have sworn that I saw the fondness in his gaze clearly. Despite what he had said, I couldn't help but think that something would change.

"Can I ask one thing?" I said as he fingered a strand of my hair. Oh, yes. Something, no matter how big or small, was definitely going to change. I could feel it.

"And what is that?" he replied, bringing his face close. I couldn't get my sentence out as he captured my lips with his own.

"Could you…" I said, breathless, "ease up on the punishments? Be a bit nicer?"

"We'll see," he smirked, leaning down to kiss me again. "Though I make absolutely no promises."

"Of course not," I murmured against his mouth before he proceeded to kiss me senseless.

AS MY LIPS met hers, I could feel her hands clench the fabric of my jacket. I pulled back just a bit to look her in the eyes. She was beautiful, and I had been stupid not to see it sooner. I gave a soft "hn" before I planted a kiss at the base of her throat. She shifted closer and I felt content suddenly.

I had Yako back. It didn't matter if I returned to Hell or not. Just as long as she remained by my side, things would remain interesting.

"Perhaps," I said suddenly into her neck.

"Huh?"

"Perhaps," I repeated, drawing away and smiling, kindly no less. The shocked look in her warm brown eyes caused me to chuckle. "Perhaps I could be a little less severe."

"Who are you and what have you done with my demonic boss?" she whispered sarcastically, then reached up and caressed my face.

"Oh, he's still here," I assured her, my voice deep as I grinned devilishly. My face softened. "But for now, I'll be kind."

"It doesn't matter," Yako told me firmly. "I love you as you are already."

"And I love you."

"Her eyes widened slightly at my heartfelt words before she dropped a kiss on my lips. She didn't say anymore and neither did I. We both knew that we were happy. I couldn't help but think as she kissed me again, These new emotions might prove to be interesting.