~2~ You're the One With a Demon in Your Head.
He doesn't approach me at school the next day, but I can feel him staring. I know he's the one staring, he's the only one who has ever done so. I fidget with the end of one of my bandages, and inspect the ceiling the ceiling. I just can't seem to get the creative juices flowing. I scratch the back of my head, ruffling my hair. I put my pencil on the paper again. Whatever comes out, comes out. When I look at the finished product, I shake my head in exasperation. I don't know what it is. A little demon, I suppose, with a football shaped head and crooked horns. His nose is long, his eyes are big, and a sharp-toothed smile stretches across his face. His arms are as long as his body, fingernails painted black. He wears a fancy pinstriped suit, and sits in a chair in an unusual room. There are curtains covering the walls, and a record player sits in the corner. The floor is a checkered tile, and there is a large, silver double-door behind an empty chair.
DING DONG DEAD DONG
That's the last bell. I don't have anything to do tonight... I wonder if there are any good missions on the board? I walk over towards it, fingers laced behind my head. I look up, searching the labels for something that peaks my interest. Ooh, what's that? I reach for it, but another hand snatches it before me.
"Oh, did you want this one, Nobody?" he asks, smirking. I scowl, baring my teeth behind my scarf. He swings it like a pendulum in front of my face, teasing. The blade is out and back in less than a second, and I snatch the mission card out of the air. Another scar, just for some idiot's teasing? What a waste. I march purposefully to the counter, handing the card to the lady. She checks it off, placing an in-progress label on it before hanging it back on the board. She nods to me and I head off. I really need to kill something right now. Oh, but that can't happen so easily, now can it? Of course not.
"Isn't that mission a little hard for one person?" He asks, catching my shoulder.
"What, don't think you could handle it alone?" I scoff, whirling around.
"Sure I could, with my meister. But you don't have one, do you?" that question was uncalled for.
"I work alone." and with the swish of my cloak I am out the door, rocketing into the night.
I finally get home, a little worse for the wear. That particular kishin egg had been tough, but nothing I couldn't handle. I march directly to the bathroom and undress, stepping into the warm spray. I scrub off the dirt and blood, immediately feeling better. After I climb out and dry off, I inspect my wrists and ankles for new wounds. There are a few, I had to switch around with my weapons for that fight. I clean them and bandage them quickly, I've done it many times before. I throw my dirty clothes in the overflowing hamper, and collapse into bed. I'm pretty sure I fell asleep before my head even hit the pillow.
I wake up sore. Its all I can do to stumble out of bed, dress myself, and shove a bagel in my mouth before I hit the sky, praying to any God listening that I won't be late. Today, fate is on my side, and my butt hits the seat just as the bell rings. I breathe out a sigh of relief, and pull out my sketch pad and colored pencils. I flip through until I find the demon I drew yesterday, and pull out a crimson color. I decide that the room should be red and black, along with the demon. Except for his pupils, those should be yellow. I tune out the world as I color, doing wonders with just that one pencil. I go over the black with a Sharpie marker next, adding more definition.
DING DONG DEAD DONG
I barely even notice the bell ringing, and I choose to ignore the presence I feel stop by my desk. He peers over my shoulder, and I can feel his breath on my ear.
"What are you drawing?" he asks, and I shove his face away with one gloved hand, before setting the finished product to the side. He analyzes it as I put my pencils away, but soon I snatch it off the desk and leave without a word. Then again, he always was a persistent little bugger. He follows me all the way to lunch, into the line, and out to my table in the corner before he sits in front of me and begins eating. He hasn't said a word since we left the classroom, and I vaguely wonder why.
"Is there a reason, that you followed me all the way here?" I ask, glaring daggers. He looks up, but instead of that signature smirk his face is solemn, more closed off.
"I need you to tell me where you saw that image before." he says, voice low. I raise an eyebrow, what's with the sudden change in demeanor?
"What do you mean? I've never seen that demon or its fancy room before in my life. I couldn't decide what to draw so I shut up my mind and just let my hand do the work. That's what came out. Now will you, please, leave me alone?" he stares straight at me for at least a minute, before shaking his head and standing.
"If, for some mystery reason, that demon ever asks you to follow him, don't do it." he says, and walks away, leaving me bewildered with his cryptic statement. Well, hell. What is that supposed to mean? I shake my head and finish my meal, tossing the wrapper and bottle on the trash and head to the door. I can feel his eyes on my back as I walk out. I have at least twenty minutes until the bell signaling the end of lunch rings, so I make my way swiftly to the roof. I walk out onto one of the three red cones that stick from the entrance, and take a seat near the tip. This is my favorite place at school. Its disconnected from the world, too high up and too far out. The wind whips around me, nearly blowing my jacket off my shoulders, but I grab it before it can go anywhere. I always wear this jacket, but I never put my arms through the sleeves. I don't really know why, I guess it just doesn't feel right, because Father wore it like this, too. I shake my head furiously, shoving the thought away, back into the little box in the corer of my mind where I store all of those treacherous memories. I can hear the bell ring faintly, and make my way back to the classroom. Sid addresses the class and begins some lecture about pure vs. evil souls, and I tune him out as usual. Class passes quickly, but I am too distracted to get any drawing done. I can't stop thinking about how he recognized the little demon and his room, and I can't stop wondering what he was really warning me about. I give an exasperated sigh and pack up my things, anticipating the bell seconds before it rings. As I leave, my eyes meet with Soul's. He looks away swiftly, returning to his chat with Black*Star and Death the Kid. Looks like I finally scared him off. Good riddance. As I fly home, I feel a twinge, deep in my chest. That, there, is why I don't get close to people. It always ends up with me getting hurt.
one more chapter, real quick, before i go to bed. I hope you like, it took awhile to transfer from brain mush to words. Review, please and thank you~ i don't own a thing but Nyx, so i bid you farewell. until next time!
~Fish