The sun shone brightly overhead, glinting off of Konekomaru's glasses. He stretched out a bit in order to stretch out his muscles. He had been laid up in bed for almost a week, so it felt good to be up and walking around after lying down for so long. He shifted his broken arm in its' cast a bit so it would be a bit more comfortable in the sling.
"Hey! Koneko-san!" Konekomaru turned and saw Shima and Bon walking up to him, smiles on their faces. "We heard you got out of the hospital today, so we thought we'd come and meet up with you." Konekomaru smiled at his friends' thoughtfulness, it was things that they did like this that made him the happiest.
"Thank you." Shima smiled and pulled Konekomaru into a headlock.
"D'aww! Don't mention it buddy." Konekomaru winced as his bad arm was jostled and hit Shima's stomach.
"Ow," he whispered. Bon heard it, though, and separated Shima from Konekomaru.
"Alright, that's enough Shima. So, Konekomaru, you ready to get back to the dorm?" Konekomaru nodded that he would. "Alright, let's get going then." Shima and Bon started up a conversation with each other, so Konekomaru walked slower until he was in the back of them so as not to disturb their conversation. A slight chill went down his neck, giving him a feeling as if he was being watched.
He stopped walking and turned his head to look behind him, but he saw no one behind them. He stared for a few seconds, then shook off the feeling as mere paranoia and hurried up his steps to make up for the ones he had lost while standing still. Even as he caught up to his friends, he still had the vaguest feeling of eyes boring into the back of his head. Unknown to him, in a bush not too far behind them, a pair of glowing red eyes narrowed, and an evil chuckle sounded in the air.
Konekomaru sighed heavily. Not long after they had all completed their homework for the day, both Shima and Bon had excused themselves to go and do some things that they had planned earlier on, leaving Konekomaru alone in their shared dorm room. While it felt good to be back in familiar surroundings, he didn't like being left alone again. He had expected to be able to hang out with his friends again, not to be left alone to his own thoughts like he had in the hospital.
After about half an hour of sitting and re-reading the same manga, he finally decided to get out and walk around. He had had enough of doing in the hospital, thank you very much, and he didn't want to do any more of it than he had to. So he put down his book, slipped his prayer beads into his pocket, and went out.
It was a very pleasant summer day, all of the plants were blooming and green, and the animals were all out doing whatever they were up to. He looked into a bush and almost could have sworn that he saw the outline of a rabbit moving about. A few birds fluttered overhead, twittering their bird-songs.
It's so peaceful out here. It's really nice, Konekomaru thought as he closed his eyes. However, they snapped open when he heard another sound, far from the peaceful sounds of nature he had been hearing. He followed the sound to its' source and found it to be a small kitten clinging to a tree branch. It was a tiny thing with a bright orange coat that identified it as a tabby. It was meowing loudly, crying for someone to get it down. Poor thing, it's stuck. Konekomaru glanced quickly down at his arm, which was secured safely in its' sling, and went towards the tree.
Luckily its' branches weren't very far from where he was, so he could easily climb it, even with his broken arm. It was slow going since he only had the use of his good arm, but it was steady progress. He stopped to catch breath when he was finally high enough to be level with the stuck kitty. He looked at the tiny creature, which now had its' eyes set on him, warily examining him.
"Here kitty, kitty, come here," he called softly to it. The cat still looked at him, but folded its' ears back against its' head. "Come on, I'm not going to hurt you." Still the cat did not move, it was still clinging to the branch in fear of falling, and it stayed in place as it didn't trust Konekomaru. With a determined face, Konekomaru slowly began to inch his way out to the cat, careful not to hit the cast his arm was in. When he was only a foot or so away from it, he reached out to it again. "Come here, it's okay, come on, kitty kitty?" The cat, which had been watching his progress, was still wary, but curious. Determined to get the cat down with him, Konekomaru lay down with his stomach on the branch, released his grip on said branch, and reached his arm out to the cat.
The feline craned its' head forward a bit and sniffed his fingers, ears slowly coming up off of the top of its' head. With one final sniff, it began moving a bit towards him, little by little, until he was able to grab it by the scruff of its' neck. It initially resisted a bit, but then relaxed when he had it in his arms and began scratching it under the chin. It was soon purring and rubbing against him.
Perfect. Now all I have to do is get down from here. However, just as he finished thinking this, he heard a sharp snap, like a firecracker going off. He realized that it was the branch just as it broke off from the tree, making him plummet to the ground. Konekomaru cried out and held the cat to his chest, hoping to shield it at least a bit when he made impact with the ground. He closed his eyes and braced himself for when the wind was knocked out of him when he hit the ground. It never came.
Instead of feeling a sudden jarring stop, it felt like something had caught him and was gently lowering him to the ground. He opened his eyes when he finally felt himself being placed into the grass. He realized with a gasp that, instead of landing on top of the branch, he had actually been placed a few feet away from it. He heard a noise coming from his arms and realized that he had been squeezing the cat. He apologized to it and loosened his hold so it would be more comfortable. It was soon purring and rubbing against him once again.
How on Earth? He shivered as he felt the same eyes from earlier on him once again. He turned to look, but this time, he saw something. It appeared to be a crow, but it looked wrong. Instead of glossy black feathers and glassy eyes, its' body seemed to be made completely of shadow, and its' eyes were an eerie glowing red. It clicked in his mind almost immediately. It's a demon, he though. Almost instinctively, he tried to reach for his holy beads, but a voice echoing in his head stopped him cold.
Why are you so frightened? Do I scare you? Konekomaru looked right at the crow and narrowed his eyes.
"Are you talking to me?"
Of course. Really, though, I don't know why you're so scared of me. I mean you no harm, I did just save you after all.
"You mean... you're the reason I didn't get hurt when I fell out of that tree? But... you're a demon, why would you help me?"
And you can see me, meaning that you have had past experiences with demons, am I right? Konekomaru didn't know how to respond to that, so he bit his lip instead. As for your questions, yes, I caught you and brought you down so you wouldn't break another bone, as it seems you already have. Even though its' red eyes had no pupils and its' head was only looking in Konekomaru's general direction, Konekomaru could tell that the bird-demon was looking at his cast. As for your other question, not all demons are horrible monsters. I only wish to help you, and, perhaps, to gain your trust. Konekomaru placed the cat on the ground and turned away from it.
"Sorry, but I don't trust filthy demons. Especially ones as suspicious-looking as you." With that, he walked away, leaving the cat to scamper off, and the bird-demon behind.
Very well, if that is what you say. However, if you require my assistance, simply call for me, and I shall be there. My name is Gale. Konekomaru turned his head so he could glance back at the demon, but saw nothing where it was a second ago. He shook his head, looked at the ground, and started the walk back to the dorm building.
Gale sat, still watching the boy as he trudged down the paved pathway. You do not trust me now boy, but in time, you will. I can sense all of your fears, your worries, your hatred. Your mind is strong, but your heart is weak and wounded, and that is the strongest weakness of all, and my favorite. And when you do trust me, I shall take over your body, and your soul.
I had originally intended this story to be a one-shot, but thanks to the asking by anonymous reviewer Mr/Ms Ravensoul, I have decided to make this a multi-chapter story. Yes, I know a lot of you didn't like the filler episode where Gale appeared, but I assure you, this will be far from the episode's ending. I'll try to make my story have better plot progression, and make Konekomaru have a bit of a better character change. I can't promise anything, but I will try my best.
On a closing note, I only want to say, with no exaggeration, that your reviews are what keep me full of ideas and help me to keep motivated and keep writing. So, if you have any suggestions, feel free to put them in a review, and I'll look them over. Thanks again, and happy reading!
