Well, damn. People come over here and say nice things and I suddenly decide to stay up half the night writing an update. Behold, the power of things!
P.S. After reading it over, I revised Chapter Six a bit so that Amaimon can stay more in character. It doesn't change the story line at all; it just isn't as OOC.
Chapter Seven
Amaimon didn't know what to think. Shiemi's mother had just come out to the garden, but the only thing that stuck in his mind about the meeting was when she said Shiemi was going back to school next week. It had never occurred to him that Shiemi would ever go away.
Next to him, Shiemi was wringing her hands in embarrassment, oblivious to his growing panic. "I-I'm sorry about that," she said. "She means well..." She trailed off and glanced over; Amaimon just kept staring straight ahead. She stopped wringing her hands and looked closer at him, confused. "Are you okay?"
Amaimon didn't answer. Shiemi moved closer and tugged gently on his sleeve. At last, he blinked and turned his head.
"Do you have to go?"
The question made Shiemi pause, then she understood, and she looked sad and guilty. "Yes. Well, actually, no, I don't have to, but I like it at school. I learn all kinds of things, and I get to see my friends..."
Amaimon felt a pinch in his heart. Shiemi realized what she said and hurriedly backtracked.
"Not that you aren't my friend," she assured him. "I mean my other friends. I miss them a lot."
"I'll miss you," Amaimon said simply. Shiemi bit her lip and her eyes brightened with tears.
"I...I'll miss you, too."
"If you go, everything will change."
Shiemi shook her head fiercely. "It won't! We can still see each other at night, and–"
"Everything will change," Amaimon tonelessly insisted. "Exorcists don't like demons."
Shiemi fell silent. Amaimon could tell she was crying, but he wasn't sure why. Had he done something wrong again? Maybe he had made her sad...
"I'm sorry," Amaimon said. Shiemi wiped away the tears.
"It isn't your fault," she replied. "You were just being honest."
Honesty could cause tears? Amaimon had no idea it was so dangerous to tell the truth. Would a lie cheer her up? "I am happy you will be seeing your friends," he lied.
Shiemi looked up at him with overflowing eyes, then, to Amaimon's shock, she hugged him tightly, burying her face in the front of his vest.
What should he do? What should he do? This was Amaimon's first hug, and he stood there like a statue, frantically trying to decide what would be the proper way to reciprocate. He thought maybe he should hug back, but his arms were pinned at his sides. He could run away, but then she might start crying again. At last, Amaimon just bent his neck forward so that his chin was resting lightly on the top of her head.
"I don't want to have to choose," Shiemi whispered into the vest. "I wish you could come with me."
Amaimon suddenly had an idea. A brilliant, perfect, insane idea. He straightened up and his lips drew away from his fangs in a demonic grin. Shiemi, sensing something was going on, let go of him. When she saw the look on his face, she was startled.
"Amaimon, what...?"
"I will go with you!"
Shiemi gaped. "B-but you can't!" she stammered. "You said it yourself: Exorcists hate demons. They'll try to destroy you!"
Caught up in his wild joy, Amaimon was too distracted to hear her. He raced from the garden, Shiemi's cries echoing behind him, and leapt through the trees. When he found a door, he took the Infinity Key from his pocket and put it in the lock. As he turned the key, he thought of the darkest pits of Gehenna.
Amaimon opened the door and bolted through it. A wave of hot air hit him the moment he crossed the threshold, and then came the putrid, sickly-sweet smell of rotting things. The door behind him slammed shut, locked itself, and seemed vanished, though Amaimon could sense that it was still there.
The murky red of Gehenna stretched endlessly in every direction. Amaimon didn't bother to look around as he ran instantly towards where he knew he had to go. After about an hour of running, he came upon a huge, bleached skeleton. He climbed into the eye socket without hesitation.
Inside the skull it was very dark, but Amaimon didn't need light. He dropped into a crouch and crawled around, sniffing at the sand until he found the place he was looking for, then he began to dig. Eventually, he uncovered something smooth and flat. He pried it from the ground and carried it out of the skull.
Now that there was some light, Amaimon looked down at the book, which was still sandy from being in the ground. It was said to contain seals that could bind higher-level demons; that's why big brother had stolen it from the exorcists. Amaimon remembered how big brother had called him to Assiah and told him to take the book to Gehenna and destroy it, and how he had then fed the book to the first demon beast he'd come across and considered the deed done.
But, clearly, the book was not destroyed. Amaimon opened it and searched through the pages, which were stained and rather faded, until, at last, he found what he wanted. Amaimon tore out the page and re-buried the book, then he made his way back towards the invisible, locked door to Assiah.
