A/N: Sorry guys, I've kind of fallen out of the Ao no Exorcist fandom for the moment. Believe me, I still love the series and all, but I'm currently obsessing over something else so if I don't write an ending to this piece soon...it may never get one. So instead, I decided to make it a less than 5 chapter story so this chapter may be a bit longer than anyone was expecting but I'm going to be a loser and basically skip over all the good, little things and go straight to the interesting parts. Again, sorry, but I really hate leaving stories behind and discontinuing them. Believe me! While writing this, more ideas ended up getting sparked so there's a chance it will reach all 5 chapters but not likely.

smcandy: Hope you enjoy this chapter! Also, thanks for the offer of ideas and such as well!

Isis Lied: I seriously love all of your stories, even though you've posted like a million of them. Plot bunnies have a nasty way of doing that though so no one blames you. You keep my AmaShie needs in check. XD Thanks for your kind words and I definitely hope you keep writing your wonderful stories.

lilypads: Glad to hear you enjoyed the first chapter...just makes it that much harder to write a few chapters and call it off. Maybe once the manga gets a few more chapters, I may go back and rewrite the scenes in between for what good it would do since everyone will already know the ending.

Chapter One

/The devil knows your name but calls you by your sin/

It was common knowledge in Gehenna that the rank of King was earned and not given. Sons sired by Satan were numerous and varied in creation and power. All were full-blooded demons save for the recent exception of Rin Okumura who happened to be a half-breed. Thankfully, the majority of his demon brethren had no idea of his existence and vice versa which meant his existence on the plane of Assiah was virtually a safe haven.

The full-blooded sons, being demon in nature, refused to back down from one another and fought for years to obtain some kind of hierarchy; their father all too pleased to watch as his offspring slaughtered each other. Finally, an agreement was made and 7 positions were created to align with what humans referred to as the 'seven deadly sins'; each one of the 7 rulers would be assigned a sin and rule over that element should they desire.

Lucifer, one of the oldest and most strongest sons, prevailed first and was given pride. Mammon followed with greed. Asmodeus or Asmodai (the second name seemed to be the more common and his preferred) ruled over the aspect of lust, a position the demon was quite happy with and well accommodated to ruling over, almost as if he had planned it that way. Leviathan took envy, while Beezlebub took Gluttony. And finally, Samael took Wrath, while Belphegor completed the hierarchy with Sloth.

This particular means of ruling lasted for quite some time and the balance of power was somewhat upheld. Since they were demons, it wasn't unheard of for others to challenge their position and claim their throne should they win. After some time, Samael became very powerful, fully realizing his powers over time and space, which easily won out over Mammon's powers. Lucifer continued to stay at his post, although no one was curious as to why...he was very powerful indeed. Asmodai fell to 4th in the hierarchy while Samael rose to the 2nd. Leviathan, Belphegor, and Beelzebub...well, he was unsure of what happened to those three as he hadn't seen them in quite some time.

That reminded him...of his own birth. When the hierarchy began to change was just about the time he drew his first breath. To his remembrance, the day wasn't so special that it recalled remembering...he was a full-blooded demon like his brethren, a mixture of Satanic blood and some other no-name female demon. He'd never met his mother...couldn't even recall what she'd looked like. If the stories were true, it was very likely that he'd eaten her or at the very least killed her himself. It was a ritual of demons per se, it was just what some full-blooded children did when they were born if only because some mothers opted to abandon them anyways.

Sometimes, he even wondered if he really had been born from a female's womb. If the behemoths and greenman golem spirits regarded him as their kin...was he simply just that? A mixture of their blood along with Satan's and created from such? Perhaps he really didn't have a mother. Not that he minded though. He didn't have time too. In this world, Gehenna, you constantly had to fight to stay alive. He was alone in the wastelands of Gehenna, brutally slaughtering anything that came into his territory. He grew up alone, surviving on his own, something a majority of the sons of Satan did...after all, a weak child deserved to die.

When he grew strong enough, he ventured out of his territory or what he regarded as such. He assumed his father had left him there after he was born, perhaps even his mother too if he had one. It was demon instinct who told him specifically who his father was...and by that instinct, he should seek him out.

It was a journey to be sure what with the various fights he found himself in and the struggle to find suitable nourishment; was it surprising that the wastes were more abundant with food and life than here? He supposed he could call this place a capital...a citadel of demons. It had to be where his father resided, after all. He was the ruler of Gehenna...he had the power to do anything he wanted. When he stood before the throne of his father, he heard only laughter, a mocking chortle who belittled his still small and childlike form as well as his power.

The demon urge to kill and destroy rose within him, fiercer and harsher than it ever had, and he attacked him. He barely got anywhere before he found himself face down on the ground, charred and singed from powerful blue flames. His father spared him no mercy, letting the boy howl and wallow in pain as the fire continued to lick away at his skin and ragged clothing. When he deemed the boy had had enough, he dismissed the flames and ordered him thrown back out into the wastes.

His skin healed quickly and cleanly, no scarring or strange looking tissue to be found on any inch of his body. Satan had done this to teach him a lesson, not to kill. Did that mean he cared for him? Unlikely. Perhaps he saw potential and hated for that to go to waste?

He remarked then and there that he would get stronger, no matter what.

But...there was one problem.

He had lashed out at Satan due to his anger and lost his head. In the coming days, he found himself doing the same to opponents he had no business attacking. It wasn't until he came across Asmodai that he learned that lesson all too well. It was only lucky for him that his other brother was more...'forgiving'.

Asmodai ruled a territory that was similar to the citadel of Satan only, instead of black and ebony towers, Asmodai's towers were filled with gold. He continued to rule over the aspect of Lust despite have lost his title of 3rd strongest; in a strange turn of events, he'd also picked up Greed when Samael refused to take it, claiming he had more important matters to concern himself with. The demon fancied himself a gambler as most do when it comes to wealth, and that's where he found him that day, absentmindedly tossing around a pair of weathered dice to his amusement.

Although a demon, Asmodai also liked to believe he had a sense of humor, asking if his youngest brother had come to play a game with him. It was clearly detectable in the air that he had no intention of doing such, hoping that the older man would catch hint of his blood lust...and he unfortunately did.

"So you wish to fight me, is that it? How about this instead..." the demon paused to produce a coin, "Heads I win, tails you lose?" he laughed heartily, easily avoiding a narrow swipe by his youngest brother's claws. "Aw, I suppose that's out of the question then. However, I can't just let this opportunity go by me. You are still insolent and ignorant after all. Therefore, I will make a deal with you. Should you somehow defeat me, I'll give up my throne and position to you...no questions asked. If you lose, you give me your emotions."

A fool's bargain, really...a demon who was able to preside over lust and greed...an uneven bet that would steal his emotions away. He accepted it because he had no other choice...that urge in his head wouldn't stop...he had to kill something strong, anything really. It would kill him before any enemy did.

In a matter of moments, he was flat on the ground again, bloodied and beaten like he knew he would be. Still, the urge had disappeared from his mind and he was able to think clearly now. Should he mourn the impending loss of his emotions...or see this as a blessing? With nothing to hold him back, no present conscience, wouldn't he just become stronger? Was this really a punishment his brother sought to inflict upon him?

"Surely you know about your heart, my little brother? Should a demon's heart be destroyed, you will die without question. Only show your heart and transform into your true self when you must. However, I need you to show me your heart now..." There was a snap of his fingers and the boy was pulled to his knees, head lolling backwards as his chest was thrust outward. A pulling sensation, like a ghostly pair of hands that sought to maul his ribcage, and he drew a sharp breath as pain spread throughout his body.

It was quick, but the pain felt as if it had last for an eternity. He didn't really understand what was going on, only, he knew he felt fear. Asmodai had mentioned his heart...was that what this was? What caused him such great pain as it was literally torn from his chest? With great effort, he managed to roll his head and cast his eyes downward as a strangely shaped appendage appeared before it. His skin neither ripped nor tore, the heart itself had come out on its own in the same manner as the ghostly hands that invaded his chest.

His heart...was that really what it looked like? It took the shape of an over-sized but unopened bloom, slightly pink-purplish colored...he supposed that marked him as alive. It was encompassed from the bottom by an even bigger red flower shape with a multitude of green leafed tendrils growing out from the bottom. At the very top, near the unopened bloom, was a set of three more flowers, each diminishing in size as they reached the very top.

However, that wasn't what he should have been concerned with...but his own body instead. His teeth were elongated, jagged fangs while his ears had grown into even longer points. Two green horns had risen from his forehead, while his arms mutated into reptilian appendages colored with orange markings; his fingers morphed to match with his claws growing longer and sharper. His tail, the one he normally kept hidden under his clothing, had mutated too and burst forth, also taking a reptilian nature to it. So this was what he really looked like? What he really was? In Gehenna, he looked as normal as any other demon would, but in Assiah, he would have been deemed grotesque.

Asmodai, his older brother, snapped his fingers again and the heart pulsated, energy waves flowing out of it in the dissonance of a beating drum. He watched, feeling the fear and pain leave his body...any reservation he may have had, any emotion he could have held towards the situation, his loss, his brother...none of that mattered anymore. No, because they didn't exist.

"If you can defeat me one day Amaimon, I'll give these back to you. Until then, your emotions will be mine."

It wasn't until then that it struck him...he didn't even know his own name. It had taken this encounter for him to even learn it.

He was Amaimon, the King of Earth.

It was strange that his mind had wandered back to his encounter with Asmodai as a child. He supposed it could be called a dream, but really, he hadn't intended to fall asleep. His damn human host had just reached its limit again and required it.

As he was right now, there was a chance he could beat Asmodai...if he could find the demon of course. For some reason, the three other kings had run off into hiding of sorts and had yet to reveal their location. If he did manage to find the King of Lust and Greed, he would have to be careful and plan wisely. Amaimon was much stronger than he was back then, having grasped a better hold on his powers as he learned them. Still, he was quite young in his own right, only having lived about thousand years or so, and still only held the rank of 7th in the hierarchy. He'd been hearing talk in Gehenna that there was an 8th King, now that he thought about it, but he couldn't remember if he'd ever heard of him. If he had, then surely he would have come to claim Amaimon's throne? It couldn't be younger brother because he was only a half-breed and couldn't take a throne in Gehenna, even if it was offered to him. Those were just the rules. Astaroth was no King, but regarded himself as such ever since he discovered he could control the coal tars.

If he found Asmodai...did he even want his emotions back? That was the real question. He'd done well so far without them. What if regaining them made him weaker? Younger brother said it was his human side that made him truly strong...but humans were weak because they gave into fear and weakness and other human emotions. That didn't make sense, he frowned, lowering the lids of his eyes into a slight glare. He'd thought at the time that losing his emotions meant he'd lose that urge to kill and cause destruction, but no such luck...it only seemed to amplify. After the first time he'd fought with younger brother, he'd been unable to calm down and older brother punished him for that; keeping him held hostage in that silly cuckoo clock.

What if Asmodai resurfaced on his own? Would he use his own emotions against him? It was no secret in Gehenna that he and Mephisto were here in Assiah. They weren't visiting or on some mission...by all extents and purposes, they were residing here. Most would see this as traitorous behavior. Was there a way for Asmodai to use his emotions against him without explicitly returning them?

What about his wife? Would she become a target? True, he actually held little to no feeling for Shiemi Moriyama, having studied her from afar as a means to get back at his younger brother and entice him to battle. But the more he watched, the more she intrigued him. She aligned perfectly with his element, and held a greenman spirit as her familiar. True, these might be common things for those so-called exorcists, but...Shiemi felt different. It was hard to explain. A lot of things were when you didn't understand the emotion you might be feeling. Since he'd once had emotions, it wasn't hard to remember what it felt it, meaning he had little to no trouble pretending he still owned them. It was kind of sad really. Most demons claimed they felt a pull towards their intended mate but again, he didn't have emotions and had never experienced such so he couldn't fake that emotion and therefore would never know what that felt like.

Oh right, Asmodai...if he came after Shiemi, that might be bad since he did rule over the aspect of Lust. He could make her do anything if he wanted, turn her pure body into something filthy. The thought made Amaimon angry, or what he remembered being angry felt like, but didn't feel a sudden rush or need to fly to her side and protect her. Again, it didn't make sense. And what if the tables were turned and he were forced to do something to her for Asmodai's amusement? It was clear she liked him as he much as he did her, very little. The girl was practically terrified of him as any human should be but considering what had transpired between them...she shouldn't be feeling that way.

He supposed that must be what his older brother talked about when he said Amaimon was immature...he sometimes did things without thinking them through. Like marrying Shiemi Moriyama to himself. It wasn't a bad thing but...there were customs. And laws were pretty absolute even if they weren't in Gehenna currently. He would be expected to go through with it or seen as lesser in the eyes of his demon brethren and worse, their father. When full-blooded demons wanted something, they took it without question even if it was something they didn't need or want...even if they grew tired of it later.

Sooner or later, he'd have to bite her and mark her...and if she didn't want it, well...she didn't really have a choice. Unfortunately this tradition didn't always have favorable outcomes and it was too complicated to understand why. Sometimes, the bite wouldn't take and it would heal up completely instead of scarring, or even sometimes the bite would end up killing them. That's why humans weren't necessarily the best mates to take and he knew that...still...father had taken a human female once. Even if she hadn't lived long, he actually seemed happy for once although this could have just been because of Rin's birth. Rin was the first half-breed born in quite a long time and to a powerful demon like Satan...it only made sense for the dark ruler to be happy because now he could keep tabs on both realms and should Rin ever embrace his demonic side, then Assiah was truly in dangerous of being overrun by Gehenna. Sort-of brother would never let that happen though; as younger brother's keeper, he kept him in line and on the right path. Still...if those exorcist people found about his marriage to the girl, then she herself would be in danger; forget about them even having a child.

He shouldn't think too much about it...but he was. Being cooped up in an office room all day was super boring. Amaimon wasn't allowed to leave this room, not after Mephisto had discovered where he'd gone the other day; aptly hearing his beloved students gossiping about it. Rin had been enraged and threatened to beat Amaimon to a pulp even though he knew he wasn't actually capable of it. Shiemi had ducked her head and felt embarrassment wash over her as Rin and Yukio argued about what should be done and whether they should guard her house at night. Mephisto, still loving to play the part of principal, showed up and ordered them all to calm down and that there was nothing to worry about.

And that's when he'd been confined to this room. Having to spend his time playing video games that humans found interesting did little to sate the Earth King, the same with the strange books Mephisto kept in his office. The only solace he found was stuffing his face full of food and candy. Lately, he'd been deprived of the stuff (another punishment exacted by his older brother), and was forced to watch his breath turn poisonous again.

He wasn't quite sure why his breath did that. Was it a product of living in the wastes of Gehenna where the miasma clouds were strongest, or just something he was born with? It didn't really make sense. Either way, his breath was dangerous and if he wanted, he could have used the green gas to make a rather potent attack...but didn't. Especially not while here in Assiah. Being around humans and talking with his breath like that would be dangerous and of course, he couldn't kill people he remarked with an eye roll.

Remarkably, here in Assiah, they had something similar to what he normally used in Gehenna. Here, they called it sugar and humans had different ways of creating it and molding various shapes of it. At the time, he only really cared about the taste.

Still, in essence, this sugar was a poison. It wasn't a fast-acting poison like some or even that of his own breath, but it was potent. Sugar, even in a refined state, can kill humans...the human body had ways of producing sugar and when it didn't or did too much, they got sick. Apparently. Not to mention, if a human ate too much sugar, they'd feel sick and that's all he really needed to know. He was constantly being told he shouldn't eat so much sugar. On the other hand, he could stuff himself full. His breath would cancel out the sugary substances and likewise; the candy dissolving in his mouth as soon as he ate it. This somehow sparked an odd reaction that caused his breath to be as harmless as any other human.

Which reminded him he needed some now...especially if he was going to break out of this room and go to see his wife.

The urge to bite her had yet to rise within him so it was unlikely she felt any pull at all either. There was a small chance that the urge within her, the urge to be bitten basically, would be amplified though as he had once put his influence on her to 'control' her in the forest. It was the Chuchi moth monster that laid eggs within her, but it was he who held her mind. The Chuchi eggs were really just more of an incentive to get big brother to fight him, of course. He hadn't really thought of the implications of it at the time, being that if those eggs hatched then Shiemi would die. Then again, maybe he had which is why he had no problem marrying the two of them like he did.

Older brother was right...he really did need to think ahead a little more.

At this time of day, like any other, Shiemi found herself in the garden clipping flowers. She needed some for a nice bouquet to decorate the shop's interior; mother's request. Still, it was an okay time for her to take blooms. There were plenty more to keep the garden lively so their absence would hardly be noticeable.

There was no school today, and although she wasn't quite sure of the time, the sun overhead was bright and overpowering. It almost made her wish she owned an outfit more suitable for this kind of weather...she'd tried borrowing some of Izumo's clothes despite the girl's protests and Paku's encouragement, but found she couldn't pull any of the tank tops over her bust. It was rather embarrassing to think about it, she scowled, absentmindedly cutting a flower and laying the crooked stem in her basket.

The girl's face didn't stay that way for long thanks to the greenman spirit that happily chirped in her ear anytime she even thought about being sad.

"You worry too much, Nii-chan." Shiemi reassured, "I'm just thinking about things, that's all." she gave a small smile, her gaze inexplicably turning towards the gate. Her slight smile faded when she saw the sight...the gate that warded off demons had definitely seen better days. After Amaimon's visit the other day, Rin had sheepishly shown up with a set of tools and tried to put the gate back on its hinges. The half-demon boy admitted he was a bit rusty when it came to doing things like this but he gave himself a passing grade anyways. Shiemi had been thankful all the same for his kindness, but found all she could think about was the one who'd destroyed it in the first place.

It almost seemed a pointless task...something in her told her that he was just going to be back again. Shiemi couldn't have been sure when or even how she knew, and it honestly scared her. Still, she smiled at Rin and waved him goodbye all the same, plastering another fake smile to face, banishing it once he was fully out of sight.

"Nii-chan...do you know anything about Amaimon?"

The little greenman spirit jumped in a surprise and let out low whimper, slightly bowing his head into her locks as if he meant to hide.

"Hmm...I guess that means...he must be bad, then." the girl spoke this time more to herself, her hands settled into her lap now that her original task appeared forgotten. "Ouch!" she yelped, a hand suddenly flying to the back of her neck. The pain was sudden and sharp, but vanished quickly. Nii crawled his way to the back of her neck to see, but found nothing once the girl removed her hand. "I wonder what that was..." she asked quietly, absentmindedly rubbing the sight of the supposed injury.

The only time she'd ever been injured there was when the Chuchi moth attacked. But Yukio removed the parasite before it could mature and lay eggs so everything was fine now. Maybe it was just acting up, like other old injuries had the tendency to do. Yes, that had to be it...right...? Why would that flare up?

Suddenly she didn't feel so well. She told Nii as much who crawled fully in her hair and disappeared. Shiemi solemnly bent over to pick up the basket that held the flowers, finding herself trying to hold in tears as well as the rising bile in the back of her throat. This was just the sun's fault, she was just a bit over heated was all. Once she got inside in the cool air, things would be alright again. Standing back up, she turned around and harshly bumped into something.

In surprise and from the force of the collision, Shiemi lost her balance and toppled backwards, the basket of flowers flying up into the air. "Ouch," she murmured, quickly trying to look upward to see who or what she could have bumped into. It was like time had slowed, the flowers she'd clipped seemed to hang in the air before slowly fluttering down around them...it was no surprise, it was Amaimon.

"How did you get in here?" Shiemi asked although she knew it was pointless to. Strange though, she hadn't heard the gate fly off the hinges...and looking over, she noticed it remained where it was.

"I jumped over the wall." he said plainly, childishly motioning with his hands to describe his actions. "You told me not to break anything so I didn't." Had she really said that last time? Maybe something close to it anyhow. "Also, there's no barrier on the gate anymore." he explained, reaching into his pocket and grabbing what looked like a sucker, unwrapped the foil, and promptly chomped down on it; the surface of the hard candy clacking harshly against his fangs. After which, he promptly squatted down like a cat on its haunches.

Shiemi was silent, still laying on her backside as she stared up at him. He seemed to be in a talkative mood so maybe he'd explain why'd he come back here again? However, like last time, their silence evolved into nothing but another staring contest which Shiemi effectively lost as she found it difficult to return his gaze without blushing. It wasn't just because of him though; if anyone had stared back at her with such a harsh but harmless gaze, she would have to have turned away.

Suddenly, her mind clicked with what he'd said. Of course there was no barrier on the gate...Rin had been the one to fix it so of course he couldn't erect another protection barrier on it. The only ones who could do that would be her mother or someone like Yukio, and of course, she'd kept this situation from her mother and didn't plan on telling her anytime soon.

"I...uh..." Shiemi mumbling, her eyes wavering around as she tried to find words to say...anything at all really. Silently, she crawled her way up into a sitting position with her knees tucked underneath her. Admittedly, she found herself now too close to him for comfort but didn't try to scoot away...he might try to grab her or simply follow in her actions. He was supposed to be bad since Nii-chan was scared of him but his childish actions told Shiemi that she shouldn't be afraid of him...not now at least. She knew what he was capable of and when times demanded, she would be quite right to fear him.

"I need to..." she murmured, doing her best to avoid his gaze as she tried to reach around him to begin collecting the dropped flowers. He neither helped nor hindered her task, just continued to watch with wide eyes, curious with an almost lifeless quality to them. "Why did you come here again?" Shiemi asked lowly, her face turned toward the basket that sat situated between them; her tone wasn't angry or menacing, just quiet.

"I was bored." he supplied, finally pulling that white stick out of his mouth; it was obviously devoid of any candy at this point.

"B-bored?" Again? Just what...why was he? Why was he even still here in Assiah? That was what really didn't make sense. He was a demon, a very powerful one, surely he could go back home if he was bored. "Are you bored because you can't fight Rin?" Some people were just like that...once they got beaten in a fight, they stopped at nothing to get the chance to fight their opponent again and get revenge.

"I suppose...big brother still won't let me though. He got mad because I came to see you last time."

Big brother? He called Rin younger brother, so who was talking about now? Was there another really powerful demon here in Assiah, and if there was, should she tell Rin and Yukio about it? Shura maybe?

"He wanted me to stay in his office above the school, but it's boring in there."

So he was in the school? In an office? Could it be another one of the teachers were hiding something shady? Amaimon was such a hard person to figure out, Shiemi lamented, trying to wrap her head around everything he was saying. Was he just innocently talking and blowing someone's cover, or trying to warn her or even scare her?

"Oh, I see..." Shiemi spoke up, looking up at him now. The white sucker stick had disappeared, he likely having discarded it somewhere, much to her chagrin, and he'd begun chewing on his thumbnail again. "What's your brother's name?"

"Hmm, you should know him already. Did you forget? That's kind of funny. Big brother is the principal of your school."

He meant...Mephisto?

"Younger brother already knows too, of course."

That meant they were all...related?

Shiemi suddenly felt a little dizzy. This was a bit much to take in all at once.

"Oh no!" Shiemi proclaimed, hurriedly reaching for the basket, deciding to cut her losses and take what she had. "Mother must be wondering where I am. Excuse me, I have to go!" Well, it wasn't a lie. Her mother had sent her out here with the assumption it would only take a few minutes, but she was probably pushing the half-hour mark. And she honestly, she didn't want her mother to freak out and try to call one of the Exorcists. Amaimon hadn't really been doing anything wrong...true, he was technically trespassing and if that discarded stick was any evidence, he was littering too. But the intent to do evil simply wasn't there.

Maybe being a demon didn't make you automatically bad?

Shiemi lie awake in agony, clutching at her stomach. The pain was unbearable, the all-over sensation of needle-pricks like something was stabbing her with the very sewing implement over and over again. Until now, she'd kept her voice down and her tears to a minimum, but the tamer Exorcist could tell it was beginning to grow worse. She'd already tried every method she could think of, medicine, going to the bathroom, drinking some herbal tea, lying perfectly still in her bed...but nothing even gave her a bit of reprieve.

Maybe this was the work of a demon? The barrier around the gate had been up put back up before they went to sleep and if a demon had somehow snuck in, they would have heard or sensed it. Was it...Amaimon's doing? Again, that innocent nature may have just been a ploy but she couldn't remember him doing anything particularly sinister. Was he able to cast spells simply by looking at people? None of her lessons or classes at schools had even come close to trying to explain the Seven Kings...it only made sense when one realized who made up the Exwire class; a bunch of headstrong boys who'd think it would be all too easy to take one of them down. Surely Yukio was leaving it out on purpose, but then...if Mephisto was...then that meant he too must have been...

"Oh God..." she whimpered, both hands now wrapped around herself in the force of a hug. Just what was this? She supposed she could always summon Nii-chan back from Gehenna but it was already so late at this time of night...and Nii-chan was very young still too. She really didn't want to inconvenience him even if she was technically his mistress thanks to their Tamer and Summoning relationship.

It was strange how the pain from earlier came to her mind...had that pain from her neck traveled? And then amplified? But why? And how? Maybe this really was the work of a demon?

"I hate this," Shiemi moaned and rolled over...at the very least, perhaps she would pass out from the pain.

A few hours later, the sun rose and Shiemi forced herself out of a bed. She definitely didn't feel like sitting through a lecture today even if it was Yukio giving it. On the other hand, she feared not showing up and causing Rin to assume something happened to her; he might try and go after Amaimon and there was no way Rin was strong enough to beat him, he'd just end up getting himself hurt.

The girl sighed through half-lidded, tired eyes as she solemnly tied her kimono obi, having figured out a trick to putting it on by herself. What would her mother say? Would the woman give her a hard time, or be understanding of the situation? Then again, she didn't want to go to the doctor either since the pain seemed to have stopped for now.

Grabbing a hair pin she'd bought for herself on a school trip, she completed her ensemble, haphazardly tying her now slightly longer hair in a small ponytail that hung closer to her right shoulder.

Once she deemed herself ready, she headed downstairs. Greeting her mother, she dismissed the idea of breakfast and headed outside. It was another sunny, beautiful day...a horrible irony when compared to the way she felt and how long this pleasant day might actually last. Heading down the steps and onto the garden pathway, she made her way over to the gate, passing underneath the large tree that had overgrown overhead.

With a slam, she found her forehead colliding with something. It all happened so fast, the blonde girl didn't even realized what had occurred until she found herself on her bottom and looking up. Clutching her now red pigmented forehead, Shiemi looked up to see a very familiar face. "Again...?" she questioned halfheartedly, a disappointed and defeated murmur as she returned the stare of the Earth King. It was a wonder the demon hadn't dropped or swallowed the lollipop he was chewing on but then again, he was a demon and those fangs weren't just for show.

Climbing to her feet, as he seemed in no rush to help her up, Shiemi dusted off the backside of her kimono, "You came back? So early in the morning?" It was in her nature to act and be polite even though the lack of sleep was definitely beginning to get to her. She wasn't really in the mood to play his childish, staring games today.

"Mm-hmm." the grass-haired demon replied around his candy, aptly hanging upside down from the tree, the crook of his knees wrapped around a branch to hold him in such a position; his arms and hands accompanying him in this. "Brother told me I could see you this morning."

"Me-Mephisto? I mean, Sir Pheles?" Now that was odd...given what she'd learned yesterday, about their relation and everything else, Mephisto telling him to come here was a practical 180. Did he have some reason in doing this? Maybe Amaimon was lying? It wasn't like she'd laid any kind of trust in the demon yet. "Well, I can't stay...I'll be late for class." she tacked onto the end, easily maneuvering around the demon boy and continuing on her way. He did little to stop her, merely dislodged himself from his perch and landed with a small thump. He quickly fell into step with her albeit a few steps behind her.

Shiemi grimaced, trying her best not to look over her shoulder...was he going to follow her to the school now too? Not that him staying in the garden all day was a great idea either, but this was just...it was aggravating. Oh no, that was the sleep deprivation speaking. She'd better be careful not to say those thoughts out loud...and pray that Amaimon didn't have the ability to read thoughts. However, if the loud crinkling of a wrapper told her anything, he either didn't or simply didn't care.

"So you have an Infinity Key too?" he asked, voice flat. There was no spark of interest or surprise in his tone. It simply sounded like he meant to make polite conversation with her.

"Uh...yeah." she replied, uncertainty in her own voice. "It's how I get to school." Surely he knew that too? How else was he able to find her house without the use of an Infinity Key? That also begged the question of how he'd gotten one. Had Sir Pheles really given him one, or had he stolen it for his own purposes? If Amaimon was here with his permission this time, then he surely had to know. In the end, Shiemi supposed there was nothing she could do about it but accept it.

Using her own powers, she redirected the door to allow them to come out in a much different part of the school. She couldn't have gone to the real school; Amaimon's looks would simply cause a panic amongst the normal students. And the cram school was no better for obvious reasons. With her luck, Rin or Yukio would appear from around a corner and there'd be some kind of battle royale right here in the hallway. Then the other Ex-wires would join in and Amaimon couldn't take all of them...surely. Last time, he'd proved no match for anyone but Rin, and the half demon boy still found his victory over the Earth King hard-won. But everyone had been training since that camping trip and had become much more powerful.

There was a definite chance he might get hurt. Shiemi blinked, coming back from inside herself. Why had she been thinking about that? If he got hurt, it was his own fault...right? She simply didn't want to see anyone get hurt...right? Then why did that thought make her stomach cringe and her chest lock up?

Shiemi stopped and looked behind her. The Earth King was nowhere to be seen.

"I swear...you really are more trouble than you're worth, little brother. You know I was being sarcastic this morning when I said that, right?"

"...It's okay, brother, no one saw me but her."

"Pushing it is not wise, I hope you realize. If the swordswoman spots you, even I may not be able to help you."

"...I don't mind it so much...being with her..."

"That's simply the forming bond talking. Believe me, you don't really feel that way. Ever since Asmodai stole your emotions away, you won't ever feel anything, especially not for her. That bond you formed through the marriage rite you obviously didn't think through, doesn't count...it's like a fake emotion in other words. Why, had you done the same thing to say, Miss Kamiki, I might be trying to pull you off of her rather than Miss Moriyama."

"..."

"Perhaps if you managed to get your emotions back from Asmodai, then you'd be able to find out for sure, wouldn't you? And that's not an insinuation for you to go running back home! It's not like I need to have any more half-breeds running around this school...Assiah or Gehenna, pick one little brother and stay there."

"..."