Author's Note:
You guys are still praising me. D= And no, roo17, I do not deserve it. ;0; But I really appreciate you saying all those kind words. I'm glad you enjoyed the last chapter. I thought I'd add a bit more fluff than usual for those of you who like Amaimon and Mephisto as a couple. XD
Thanks, Skyhearts. =) I'm glad you like the way I portray Amaimon. ^^ I find him to be adorable, so I try to make him as cute as possible without going completely ooc. X.x
SuperiorDimwit- all of your comments are always so long and thoughtful! Thank you so much! I appreciate /every/ word you say to me. I also agree on the whole ooc thing. I admit that while I was writing the last chapter, I felt like Mephy wasn't completely himself. :c I think it was because I hadn't written in over a week and was out-of-whack. I hope my next chapters are better and make up for him suddenly going ooc. Terribly sorry that happened. =( But thank you for the critique~
BUT YES. A new chapter already! =D I'm gonna try to write more on weekends when I have time, so that's why this one is up so soon, haha. And please excuse this chapter. You all must hate me- first, I write a chapter that puts Mephisto a bit ooc, now I write a chapter that's boring. X_x Just warning you in advance that this chapter quite literally is basically rewriting the episodes from Mephisto's perspective. I PROMISE to include more moments that aren't in the actual plot in the next chapter, I just needed to get through this one, first.
AND AGAIN, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALL YOUR SUPPORT. ;u;
... /endofincrediblylongauthor'snotethatprobablyscaredyouaw ay
My days spent with Amaimon were different after his first encounter with Rin. Regrettably, I found myself letting him get away with more than I should have, and it wasn't even on purpose. I simply wasn't as peeved by some of his habits as I was beforehand; I had become a bit more tolerable. Even though I'd never in my life admit it to anyone's face, I actually began to enjoy his presence. Sure, the demon was a nuisance and often looked through my stuff without permission, but his actual company became rather nice. It was quite fun beating him to a pulp in any video game we played since he wasn't at all used to it (yes, I had finally released the ban on video games, even though I still held a grudge after he chewed up my favorite controller).
Throughout the rest of the semester of school, it seemed as though each night, Amaimon scooted closer and closer to me on the bed. Several times, I'd wake up and actually shove him back a few inches without him even noticing (who knew the hyper demon was a deep sleeper?). Though, it got to the point where I stopped trying. Eventually, I woke up countable nights in a row with my younger brother pressed all the way against my back, abandoning his pillow that he had used as a replacement for Behemoth. Obviously, I'd push him off as soon as it was morning to make it seem like I didn't want him there. No way in Gehenna or Assiah would I allow me brother to know that I consciously let him sleep that close to me.
As the days proceeded, I also noticed that Amaimon was getting restless again. I found him chewing on his nails increasingly each day, staring out my open window as if Rin would materialize right outside it. He wanted to play with his toy. I knew he did. Japanese culture and video games he failed at weren't enough to keep him entertained for long.
"Amaimon, would you stop biting at your nails so much? They won't be nails anymore if you keep this up," I commented one day without even looking at him, hearing the soft noise of his teeth over my shoulder.
"Brother, when can I face him again?"
"By 'him,' I assume you mean Okumura," I murmured, rubbing at my forehead while I glanced over a document in front of me. "You'll have your chance. He's getting sent on a three-day combat training camp at the end of the semester. That will be the perfect time, I assure you."
"When is this… semester over?"
"In a few days." My head turned slightly to flash him a glance, noticing the disappointed look on his face. "Don't be impatient, Amaimon." I picked up the cup of tea sitting alongside me and took a sip from it. Any other actions of impatience that came from my brother were ignored.
After that day, though, his anxiety was no longer easy to ignore. Each day, the demon steadily got worse and interfered with my work much more than he should have. I was about ready to give him a proper smack on the head, but was unsure how he'd react if I upset that… interesting hairdo of his. To phrase it simply, I was completely relieved when the semester had come to an end and the training camp began.
We went out to the forest on the esquires' first night (because waiting any longer would've resulted in me strangling Amaimon), watching them from a distance for the time being. Even from that point, my brother was impatient. As I spoke to him, inquiring if he had greeted the king of the forest and relayed the plan of action, he was brief and quick to the point. He had done as he was asked, but this time, I was going to watch and make sure he didn't do anything out of line. Another incident like the one at the amusement park was not ideal at this moment.
Yet again, the woman working for the Vatican was there in our way, still in possession of the Demon-Slaying blade. It became clear to me just how big of nuisances women were, but that rant of mine had no relevance in this situation. My mind was set completely on keeping an eye (no, two) on Amaimon. I specifically informed him that he was to carry out the plan I had relayed to him earlier. Things would be done my way, and if he was to break my trust again, I'd have even more reasons to be angry with the demon and probably wouldn't feel the slightest bit of regret to aim a hand at his face.
"What have you done so far?" I asked after lecturing him on following my orders (and I'm quite sure he wasn't listening to a word of it).
"The bug has successful been planted on the girl," Amaimon murmured, staring eagerly at the clearing where camp was set up. "If you're right, when I get her to come to me, our brother should get angry and face me."
"Precisely."
"How can you be so sure?" The demon cast me a short glance, yet quickly looked away again as if he'd miss something. He resorted to biting at his nails again, causing me to click my tongue.
"You could've bugged anyone in camp to get Okumura's attention. The girl seems the most relevant since, well… it appears as though teenage boys get protective around girls," I replied, my lips pursing slightly while contemplating it.
"He loves her?"
"I wouldn't call it that, Amaimon. Quite simply what's referred to as a 'crush.' Then again, I doubt it's just him. Every boy at the True Cross Academy appears to act strangely around the girls. By strange, I mean ridiculous." The way teenage boys acted so much less intelligent around girls and got all red in the face in certain situations was one thing about Assiah I'd never get used to. "In other words, you can quite easily do whatever it is you wish with the girl- any sign of showing attraction toward her would probably cause Okumura to be pushed over the edge."
"Act like… I am attracted to her?" Amaimon asked, turning to me with a perplexed expression. In fact, he also looked slightly irritated over not understanding it, either. A small smirk played over my lips upon seeing how helplessly lost he seemed.
"Yes. Go as far as saying you'll marry her or something." I waved my hand dismissively. "Use your imagination."
Again, it appeared as though my brother hadn't listened to my final words, suddenly perking up in his perch on the tall tree. My eyes traveled toward the camp, noticing that the entire group had congregated within it, and Yukio was out of the way for the time being. Immediately, Amaimon returned to biting his nails, gaze following every movement our brother was making. One of my brows rose, but I soon offered a mischievous smile and shooed him with my hand.
"Off with you. Have your fun. But remember to not do anything further than what I've asked of you, understand?"
The nod from my brother was a bit too eager and I was certain he hadn't comprehended a single word I had said. Though, before I could elaborate, the demon hastily leapt down from the trees, gathered up his pet that was waiting impatiently upon the forest floor, and raced off in the direction of camp. I watched him go, dragging a hand down my face. "If you screw up this time, Amaimon…"
As he proceeded to the clearing, I conjured up a nice comfortable chair and set of tea to accompany me for the show, hovering effortlessly in the air with the objects. If I was going to watch this display, I was going to watch it comfortably. Surely, this was going to be very interesting. The blood in my veins felt like it was rushing a bit too quickly, making me aware of just how excited I was to see this. For a hell-raiser like me, of course this battle would be the perfect performance to experience.
Amaimon seemed to dive into the scene at the perfect moment, too. It appeared that the bug implanted into the young girl was starting to bother her; soon, my brother would be able to control her. His actions right now were simply the preliminaries of a wonderful match. I snickered upon thinking of just how ill-prepared the poor esquires were for something of this level.
However, despite the fact that the esquires weren't prepared, Kirigakure was. As soon as Amaimon attempted to launch an attack with Behemoth, the woman had created a barrier, sending the demon flying outside of its boundaries and landing upon a tree right below me. I looked down at him with a raised brow.
"This won't be so easy, Amaimon," I commented gently and took a sip of the tea I had brewed.
My brother released an irritated groan and slowly lifted himself up. He stared off toward the barrier with a look of resentment in his eyes. "I wanna kill her." Now, here was the side of Amaimon that proved he was capable of getting angry. It was true that the demon didn't let much bother him, but when it came to situations like this, he hated to lose. I knew he'd go as far as killing someone to prove he was stronger, but that was not at all part of the plan.
"That you won't," came my reply, brows furrowing. "If you try to kill any of them, I'll kill you." I wasn't over-exaggerating, either. If Amaimon managed to mess up this plan- the one that had been well thought-out and lacked many errors- I would have no sympathy for him. I may have gotten used to his presence and actually came to enjoy his company, but such silly emotions would never get in the way of what was more important. If my impulsive brother put a single toe out of line… I'd have no mercy.
Amaimon responded quite hastily, surprising me in the fact that maybe he had been listening to me earlier. "Yes. I apologize. I'll control myself."
A silence fell between us, both of us staring out at the clearing and waiting for the opportune moment. I placed my elbow on the arm of the chair, resting my chin atop my hand. Amaimon brushed the leaves from his outfit and wriggled on the spot as we remained in patient silence (well, he was rather impatient, clearly).
"Ah… here is your chance, Amaimon," I sneered with a smile, watching as Kirigakure gave the Kurikara back to its rightful owner. "Go."
"Yes," the demon responded obediently and dropped down onto the forest floor.
Amaimon ran at a swift, yet silent pace toward the clearing, taking care not to get too close to the barrier set. Once close enough, however, I smiled upon realizing the blond girl stepping off into the forest. Her expression was completely glazed over, looking almost lifeless, and I immediately knew that Amaimon had taken control of her. "Now this is where things get interesting." I leaned back, crossing my legs.
Obviously, Okumura took the bait. As Amaimon picked up the girl and carried her off into the forest, our brother was quick to follow. I laughed behind my hand when he questioned what Amaimon wanted with him, and more specifically, Shiemi. The boy seemed rather unaware of just how important he was.
Strangely enough, Amaimon had pulled off the marriage idea rather nicely. When he went as far as threatening to kiss the girl, Okumura was outraged. It was rather amusing to watch the son of Satan attempt to throw a hit at my brother. He still had not drawn his sword, and because of this lack of power, was thrown off of Amaimon with extreme force. In fact, Okumura had been sent soaring so far that he remained immobilized within a few minutes of the battle even starting. Though, we hadn't seen anything yet. Once he drew his sword… that was when the real party began.
Watching Amaimon provoke him was the best part. I was particularly surprised by how experienced the demon was at pulling just the right strings. It was as if he knew Okumura his entire life, capable of saying the exact lines that would cause our youngest brother to snap. Clearly, choosing the Earth King was the best idea for the job. Watching the battle occur was far more entertaining than anything Neuhaus would've come up with.
When the rest of the esquires (excluding one, I believe) came upon the scene to help, a crooked grin spread over my cheeks. "This will be quite fun for you, Amaimon," I chuckled, pouring another cup of tea. "Enjoy it while you can."
As expected, he did have his fun (even though his hair had been messed up, which I'm sure brought about more anger than it should have). The demon had his way with every esquire that confronted him, ultimately driving our half-brother over the edge. Despite Yukio's attempts to stop him, the Kurikara was unsheathed.
When the blue flames of Satan surrounded Rin demonically, the look on Amaimon's face proved that he had been waiting for this moment for a long time. Such excitement on his face brought a smirk to my own. Just don't take this too far, Amaimon.
My brother was beyond ecstatic at this point. He ran with a jump in his step and put all of his attention into anything Okumura did. Unlike last time, though, our half-brother appeared to be a much more difficult opponent than Amaimon expected. His joy and humor with the situation were quickly transformed into looks of fear and complete surprise. It seemed that the Earth King's toy was a bit more difficult to handle than he thought.
By the time Amaimon had been overwhelmed by the situation, I gladly recalled him from the fight. He deserved the proper rest, even though I was quite certain he'd be arguing with me later over it. The demon hated losing. He hated backing down from a fight when there was still life left in him to carry on. I, however, would not see my brother get beaten to a pulp when he had done his job. As I tried to set him to rest, Okumura had different plans. The flames had taken over every inch of him by this point; I doubt he was even thinking in any logical way, and he sliced through the protective barrier I had put around my brother (a cuckoo clock) without so much as a moment of hesitation.
"My, my," I commented, observing the crazed look on his face with a small smile. "What a handful you are, my little brother."