Chapter Four: Resistance
"You'd better not try anything," Ryuji warned, as the pair made their way into a vacant part of the amusement park. The Demon King walked with his hands in his pockets and his gaze on the ground.
"I'm not…" He replied meekly, not convincing Suguro in the slightest.
"I still don't get why you're here. I understand Okumura because he's sort of human. But, you-" he gave Amaimon a harsh once-over full of disgust, "you're walking around in someone else's body right now."
The Earth King huffed a little; this one was actually starting to irritate him. He got that he didn't like him, he understood he didn't trust him, and he knew that he never would. But, damn it all, if he would just stop clawing at him for one second.
"This body is nearly one thousand years old. Its host would have died long ago," the Demon King justified.
Bon didn't take Amaimon's comeback kindly; his eyes narrowed and his lip curled with distaste, "That hardly matters. You're still a filthy demon, and that's all you'll ever be. Its aggravating watching you try to be human."
Amaimon stopped in his tracks then, gazing at the golden statue of Mephisto. There was something under his irritation now. He shifted his weight a little as he took a second to decipher it. These words hurt like weapons. Those looks crippled him like poison. The hell was going on? He'd heard many harsh words against him in the past, but they had only infuriated him. It was simple. Someone pissed him off, someone was getting killed. However, the lack of anger took him by surprise. It made him uncomfortable and weak, and he didn't like weakness. He was Amaimon, King of Earth, Seventh son in the royal family of Baal. What was he doing letting a mere mortal trash talk him?
His features immediately hardened, serpent green eyes narrowing, "You know, it's not very nice to talk to people that way." Even his posture, and the way he held himself had changed drastically. He was rigid and tense, as if holding himself back.
Suguro didn't seem to notice at first. "I would hardly call you a person," he spat back.
Amaimon grit his teeth and snatched his temporary partner's collar, "I wish you'd just shut up." The lack of anger in his voice was familiar, Ryuji noticed, just as it was back then, when he had been nothing but a heartless demon.
"Why? Am I hurting your feelings?" He retorted without hesitation. The triumphant 'tch' that escaped Bon's mouth afterwards was what made Amaimon stop and think.
He had expected this. He was waiting for this. Waiting for Amaimon to drop the act and give in to his demonic nature. Pushing him harder and harder until he broke his innocence. This was a test. Suguro wasn't stupid; he was going to make sure Amaimon had really changed before he ever tried to trust him. And that meant pushing him to his limits by grating down his patience.
It was true, a demon's nature is violent and selfish, but, so is mankind's. And like humans, Amaimon can push it away; decide to be a better person. But hell if it wasn't hard after centuries of giving into it. Every now and again, he'd feel it creep back up into his heart, and seep into his mind. Like right now.
Why don't you just kill him?
It'll be so easy.
He looks at you and sees weakness.
Show him he's wrong.
These dark thoughts flittered though the Demon King's head for a mere few seconds before his shoulders sagged and he let his hand fall to his side. His gaze on the floor, he replied to Suguro's earliest comment, "yes…"
He wasn't going to ruin what he had here. What he had been trying so desperately to achieve these past few days. Acceptance. Yeah, he could kill Bon with a flick of his wrist, but what would be the point of that? Yeah, it would make his demonic side ecstatic, but after it ebbed? Then, he'd get kicked out of the school, Shima would hate him, and he'd probably get that disappointed look from Mephisto.
Ryuji blinked excessively a few times in astonishment. He obviously hadn't expected the Earth King to back down like that.
Well that was insulting.
"I do have self control, you know," the green-headed demon informed him in a matter-of-fact tone while dusting off his clothes as if they had somehow collected dust during the couple of minutes he had been standing there. He held his head high, as if he was suddenly appalled at the idea Suguro thought he would resort to violence. He tried not to smile at how Mephisto-ish he was acting.
Witnessing that Ryuji was still in a sort of shock, Amaimon prompted him forward with a gentle push as if nothing had transpired, "come on, Bon. We gotta find that demon!"
This seemed to rouse him back to life, "don't touch me and don't call me Bon!" He huffed angrily, but the Demon King couldn't help but feel as if he'd just won the fight despite being the one who had backed down.
-xxx-
Mephisto rubbed his heavy eyes. It was only nine and he felt like turning in for the day, or maybe the week. He sipped his Mephisto-pink mug full of coffee, letting the sweet succulent wake-up juice aid him in his quest of staying awake and alert. It helped, but not as much as he would have liked. He cursed his little brother for keeping him up most of the night. I mean, really. How hard was it to lie in one place and be quiet?
Apparently it was impossible for Amaimon, because he wouldn't shut up for the longest time, rambling all about his new pinkie friend. And when he was done with that and Mephisto had finally fallen asleep, he was awoken several times by the loud crackling of snack bags Amaimon would tear open, or his rage quitting on several different video games.
The thing that baffled Mephisto the most was that he lived in a mansion. Amaimon could get lost in it five different ways if he wasn't so glued to his older brother's side. Why he couldn't do all those annoying things somewhere farther from the Director's bedroom, he had no idea. He had several temptations to just throw the boy into a giant coo-coo clock and be done with it. But then he had to remember, at the last minute, how his little brother had been so sullen when he had first returned from Gehenna.
He practically growled in annoyance as his cell phone began to vibrate wildly on his desk. That was about the fifth call he'd had in twenty minutes. He snatched it up and held it to his face, "What!?"
"Well, good morning sunshine," a sarcastic female voice greeted him.
"Yes, yes, what is it? I'm very busy," he continued abruptly, obviously falling prey to the crankiness that lack of sleep came with. He really wasn't all that busy. He just found Shura's voice highly irritating and wanted to get off the phone as soon as possible.
"I just wanted to warn you. Be a good friend and all that. But if you wanna talk to your friends all rude like, I guess I won't."
This piqued his curiosity just enough to temporarily forget about his desperate longing to sleep, "wait, warn me about what?"
"The Paladin is coming to the Japanese Branch for an evaluation."
This made Mephisto squeeze his coffee mug a bit too tightly, threatening it to shatter just before he thought better of it and let go. "Angel… is coming here? For how long?" The Director's eyebrow twitched. He could just imagine the blonde's annoying voice boasting all kinds of rubbish about how great he was.
"Hm. It's a pretty thorough evaluation. He's going to be checkin' the building for safety measures, listening in on cram classes, those sorts of things. So yeah, at least a few days. He apparently has nothing better to do."
"Other than spy on me."
"Well, if you stopped hidin' crap, you wouldn't be so stressed out."
"I'm not stressed out. I can handle a few days of his insufferable banter."
"Oh, and did I mention he was going to stay with you?"
Mephisto's voice hardened into ice cold stone, "I'd rather exorcise myself."
Soft laughter from the other end indicated she had not caught on to how serious the Director was. That stuck-up justice-loving brat was definitely not sleeping in the same building as him.
"I'm serious," Mephisto added, raising his mug to his lips.
"Oh, come on, Mephy. He ain't that bad."
The Director mocked a gagging sound, "Please don't ever call me that again."
"Psh. Well, don't worry about the kid. He can stay with Shima so you don't get found out."
A sharp exhale left the gentleman's chest, "Fine. Whatever. I'll look suspicious if I make him sleep anywhere else."
"Glad you came to."
Mephisto didn't waste much time after that smashing the 'end call' button. This week just keeps getting better and better. He chugged down the rest of his coffee (he was going to need all the caffeine he could get), and shoved himself up from his office chair just in time to look out the window and see a white limo pull up. His face soured. The idiotic blonde always had such impeccable timing.
-xxx-
The Demon King and his partner searched the abandoned fair grounds in utmost silence. It was awkward, to say the least. However, Amaimon wasn't going to complain, because it seemed that every time Suguro opened his mouth, something pissy or negative would spew out.
He was surprised when the silence faltered and Ryuji sounded genuinely curious, "So you and Shima get along?"
It was obvious he was fishing for something to talk about that didn't involve the Earth King's heritage, but it was nice in itself that he was simply trying to have a peaceful conversation for once.
Amaimon hummed thoughtfully, "I guess so. I mean, he doesn't seem to mind who I am, which is kind of nice. For some reason, he forgives me, and I appreciate it. I don't think I deserve it, but I think that's why he did it."
"A simple 'yes' would have been good," Bon responded gruffly, hiding the fact that he was actually satisfied with his answer. Shima had always been that type; he saw the good in people, even when it seemed they didn't have any.
The Demon King ignored Bon's slightly grumpy reply and continued, "I just really don't want to mess that up, you know?" He left it at that, his green eyes alighting briefly with determination. He admitted he had been doing pretty well so far, but it had only been a few days.
He only received a snort from Ryuji before he suddenly stopped in his tracks. The Earth King glanced around suspiciously; he smelled pollen… no, spores.
Bon didn't get much of a chance to ask what the hell was up with him before Amaimon was viciously assaulted by a tan-skinned male. He sneered triumphantly, as the Earth King blocked his attack on instinct, "I knew you'd come!"
Not this again.
Face to face with his fellow demon king, he registered the long curled horns atop his head along with his signature snowy hair. The King of Rot seemed overly excited at the sight of Amaimon, "You thought it'd be safe for you to come out of that precious school of yours? That clown of a brother you got doesn't scare me! I'll kill him, too!"
It was at this point that Suguro burst out into harsh insulting laughter, "Someone has self-confidence issues."
Astaroth's head snapped to the side as he broke away from Amaimon, his eyes narrowing on Ryuji, "you talking about me, Assiah brat?"
Bon's face became deadly serious, "You can't figure that out on your own?" He watched as the white-haired king's face darkened from twisted eagerness to scowling anger. "Gehenna scum," he added bravely, tilting his head up slightly.
Amaimon resisted the urge to slap his classmate. "Why would you taunt him?!" he huffed between his teeth as he gripped the opposing demon's tail as he lunged for the human.
The King of Rot yelped at the pull of his tail and staggered back, only to whirl and smack Amaimon right in the face, earning a nasty crack upon impact.
The Earth King released his tail upon their departure and showed no sign of fighting back. He peered through the crimson blood that now decorated his face, his emerald gaze highlighted tenfold, threatening and impatient, "I don't have time for you."
The Rot King scoffed, "first you're not in the mood and now you don't have time?" He crossed his arms and gave the Earth King a mock-disappointed look, "if you're not going to fight me, I'll just have to tear up your friend." He stressed the last word, as if it were the worst insult.
Ryuji snorted, his stance changing to the offensive, "Come on and try it." Bright reddish orange flames rose across his shoulders and arms, dancing wildly, his fist clenched around a beaded charm.
It was the Astaroth's laughter heard this time, eerie and challenging, his long tongue slipping from his toothy grin, "you won't burn someone like me with a match as weak as that, kid!"
Without much other warning, he launched himself at Bon once again. The target tensed and readied himself, only to be waiting on nothing. Amaimon kneed the assailant to the face, repaying him for the earlier blow. He used such force, that the Rot King was hurled into the roller coaster nearby, taking down the 'G' in the words 'Go to Hell' displayed there.
Amaimon sighed and relaxed his position; Mephisto is going to kill me for that… His bored expression returned as he turned to face Ryuji. As expected, the flaming male snarled in irritation, "Stop protecting me! I don't need your help!"
Amaimon's blank expression didn't change as he blinked once, "he could flick you, and you would die." His words lacked humor, he was very serious indeed. Demon Kings were no joke. No matter how well they managed to trick someone into thinking they were.
Suguro bristled, but before he could say anything, the obnoxiously loud yells of Astaroth sounded as he sprouted from the rubble, "Oh, so you'll attack me for the sake of your pet!? What a waste! Wait a century and he'll be nothing but dirt in this pitiful land!"
The Earth King tilted his head to Bon, "get away from here." It was more of a command than anything, and he presumed his classmate would be dissatisfied with the idea even if he said it nicely.
"No way! I'm not go-" he was cut off by the panicked cries of Shiemi who rushed over with her assigned partner, Konekomaru.
"Oh my goodness, are you guys alright?!" she shrieked, her hand flying to her mouth when she spotted Amaimon's bloody face. They must have heard the loud crash, the Demon King concluded. He immediately regretted making the noise, because suddenly, his opponent appeared as quick as a flash next to the blonde, scooping her up and laying sharp nails by her neck.
Everyone immediately froze so as not to tempt Astaroth to take any abrupt action. The Rot King smirked victoriously, his eyes on Amaimon alone, "Looks like I actually got your attention this time!"
The Earth King's eyes widened slightly as a flash of memory surged through his mind. This was just like that time… The time he had stolen that same blonde in order to lure Rin out to come and fight him. He flinched as the reminder of his past-self tore a hole into his heart. It hadn't even been that long since he had been that way. How could these people around him even stand to look at him?
"Well? Are you going to fight me, or are you just going to stand there and watch me tear her throat out?" Astaroth teased, flexing his fingers, causing Sheimi's innocent sage green eyes to widen with fright.
Amaimon inwardly shook himself; he wasn't that person anymore. He didn't fight because he was bored, or because he wanted to prove he was stronger. He glanced to the shaking Koneko and seething Suguro, then to the trembling Shiemi. He fought for them.
"Make it quick," Amaimon hissed, his serpent eyes narrowing, "or are you gonna hide behind that girl all day?"
A wide and very crooked smile spread like butter across the Rot King's face as he shoved Shiemi into Konekomaru's quivering arms. Without further ado, he practically pounced on Amaimon, his fist connecting with the Earth King's forearms positioned into a defensive X shape.
Astaroth snarled, throwing all his weight into his blows, but it was all for naught when Amaimon would counter them perfectly with his own strength. Now that he was actually trying, the Earth King found ease in deflecting, dodging, and practically dancing around his opponent's attacks. This quickly aggravated the King of Rot, making his strikes worsen in precision but double in strength.
A particular blow demanded Amaimon to bend backwards as a fist flew a few inches above his face. He was thankful to see, in his odd position, that all three of his classmates had put plenty space between themselves and the quarreling Demon Kings. Seeing as Amaimon was clearly more skilled, none of them felt the need to aide him.
It was when Amaimon gripped Astaroth's arm and lifted him over his shoulder, slamming his back into the ground, that the snowy-haired king's frustration hit fever-pitch. He rose from the mini-crater that had been created by the impact as the Earth King took a few cautionary steps backwards.
"I won't lose to a pansy like you!" the King of Rot hissed fiercely, red eyes ablaze, "you're a disgrace! A traitor! I would rather die than lose to such a weakling!"
Amaimon blinked slowly, realization dawning on him quite suddenly. "Just because I choose not to kill doesn't mean I'm weak," he began, his eyes gaining a soft understanding glimmer to them, "what's the point in killing everyone and destroying everything? Yeah, it's fun at the time but eventually, it gets boring."
"I don't need a lecture from you!" Astaroth spat, his body began to bulge as his muscles grew and his tail thickened. His horns coiled further as he shifted forms, his lower body that of a goat. His tail thrashed about as he let out a haunting howl, "I'll CRUSH you into the ground where you belong, Earth King!" He stood an intimidating eight feet high in this beastly skin, and now Amaimon knew he wouldn't be so easy to deal with. Not without changing himself. He quickly discarded the option. He couldn't guarantee the safety of his classmates if he were to do that. He could succumb to his demonic nature and kill them all for all he knew. And that would defeat the purpose of him trying to protect them in first place.
He cast a worried look to the trio looking awestruck and terrified by the monster before him. Well, except for Suguro; he just seemed pissed, like always.
Astaroth took a quaking step toward Amaimon, causing his attention to flicker back to his opponent just as he was readying to charge. The green-haired king bent his knees slightly, timing it right, so that when the demon-beast was just about to ram into him, he hopped gracefully over him. The skidding Rot King banged into the golden statue of Mephisto, snapping its legs off its pedestal.
Amaimon watched as the recently repaired idol crumbled to the ground. I'm so dead when I get back home… The Earth King thought in dismay.
Author's Note:
I just had to add on to this Chapter. It was WAY too short. My apologies. Please review and thank you for previous reviews and support! It really means a lot! Hope you enjoyed!