"...You don't have much of a choice, do you?" Ghost didn't respond, and Amaimon felt perversely satisfied that he was finally able to shut him up. "If you don't want to die, you'll do as I say. Understand?" There was a trace of something bitter and sinister in his words.

Something that made Ghost increasingly uncomfortable.

"You will stop attacking people, especially Rin. Deal?" Amaimon stood as he waited for the demon's answer. He raised his arms over his head, carefully stretching his rigid muscles, enjoying the feeling. "Ghost? Do we have a deal?"

Chapter Ten
. . .
One Chance

The next morning, Rin woke to the sound of loud footsteps and muffled chatter. Annoyed by the noise, he groaned and buried his head under his pillow. He waited for it to fade and, when it didn't, he exploded. The half-demon stumbled out of bed and threw his door open. "What the hell, Yukio!?" he snarled. "Can I sleep!?" But, instead of his brother, he was face-to-face with Izumo. Behind her stood Bon and the other exwires. "U-Uh..." He stammered and blinked a few times, wondering if he was still dreaming.

Bon let out an unattractive snort and stifled a small laugh, a smug grin stretching his mouth. "Nice underwear."

Rin flushed, suddenly remembering he had decided to sleep in only his boxers and a shirt. "I-It's not my fault! You!" he pointed at his brother. "You should have told me everyone was coming over!" he shouted, feeling his face grow hot.

"I tried to wake you up, nii-san," he stated sternly.

He could only vaguely recall brushing Yukio off when he shook him. "Oh...you did?"

"Anyway," he continued, waving his hand dismissively. "You're not part of today's study session—seeing as how you have more important things to do now," he said, nodding to Amaimon's door. "And, please, put some pants on."

"D-Don't tell me what to do!" he spat, a thin attempt at hiding his embarrassment.

One pair of pants later, Rin decided he would make himself useful and fix a snack for the exwires. He opened his door with an abrupt movement, startling Amaimon—who was peeking out of his room and down the hallway. The worried expression he wore made his heart sink.

"Are they gone?" he asked quietly, afraid they would hear him if he spoke too loud.

Rin frowned. "They're friends, Amaimon—you don't have to be scared."

He looked over at the half-demon, brow scrunched indignantly. "They're your friends. They'll never accept me. Especially after what Ghost did..."

"We don't know that," he said slowly. "Ghost is gone now, so there shouldn't be any reason for you to worry anymore." He gave the earth king a broad smile and patted his head affectionately.

Amaimon lowered his eyes and shuffled his feet anxiously. "But," he stopped suddenly and shook his head. "Still..."

He tweaked the end of his nose lightly with a finger. "Don't worry about them—why don't you and Behemoth help me make some rice balls?"

"That's silly, Rin," he said in an amused voice. "Behemoth can't make rice balls!"

. . .
An Hour Later

Bon sat quietly beside Shima, reading the notes Yukio had handed out before leaving. He stared at the words without seeing them, too busy listening to the hushed conversation. The other exwires spoke about the thief that stole Amaimon's demon heart in uncertain, whispered tones, trying to figure out why someone would ever want such an obscure thing.

The most unsettling thing about all this, he determined, wasn't why they wanted Amaimon's heart, but how they managed to steal something so precious. If they could do this to a demon king—then what could they do to an exorcist trying to stop them? To a normal human accidentally in their way?

Bon wasn't as concerned with Amaimon's inner demon as he was with whoever took his heart.

"What do you think, Bon? You've been awfully quiet."

"Huh?" He glanced up at Koneko. "Oh, sorry—I wasn't paying attention."

"I...feel bad for him." Moriyama fidgeted with a lock of her hair as she spoke. "If what Yukio said was true... Then he's been fighting that demon all by himself. I wish there was something we could do to help... Maybe he'll feel better if we all try to be friends."

Bon snorted. "I highly doubt the demon who used you as bait before he lost his memories would want to be your friend."

"B-But...!" She glared at him. "What if he's right? What if Yukio suppressed the demon? Wouldn't that make him a different person?"

"Moriyama does have a point..." Koneko flinched slightly when Bon shot him a quieting glance. "I-It's just that... Well, we don't know Amaimon as a person—so what if it was the demon that attacked us? We can't tell which personality is really his."

"Memories or not, he's still a demon," Bon spat, returning to his notes.

"That's...also true."

"Man I am so done with demons after this!" Shima let out a heavy, exasperated groan and leaned back against the wall behind him. "First Rin, then Amaimon, and now this stupid mission! It's too much!" He ran a hand through his short, pink hair and stared up at the ceiling.

"Don't be such a baby," Bon scolded his friend in a way that was not unkind. "It doesn't even seem like that difficult of a job," he mumbled musingly.

Shima sat up straight, cheeks puffed out defiantly. Before he could retort, Rin burst through the door with his usual, cheery enthusiasm. "Who's hungry?" He placed a tray of warm onigiri in the center of the table. Bon was the first to grab one. He took a greedy bite and hummed in delight.

"Seriously, Rin," he started between bites, "you'd make a great wife."

"Not this shit again." Rin scowled as he made himself comfortable on the available cushion. "Why are you guys here, anyway?"

"We're going on a mission with Okumura-sensei in a couple days," Bon explained, eyes never leaving the paper in front of him. "It's a demon we haven't covered yet, so teach invited us over for a study session."

"Oh..." Rin peered over his shoulder at the page he was reading. "So... Is it okay if I bring Amaimon in?"

"No!" Shima was the first and only exwire to answer. The other students became uncomfortably quiet.

Rin's demeanor instantly changed—from happy and amiable, to sullen and distraught. "He's not like that anymore," he said softly. "You haven't seen him... He's different." Moriyama opened her mouth to make a comment, but couldn't find the words and simply lowered her eyes.

"Okumura-sensei already told us about his split personality issue," Bon said, his voice calm despite the anger in his expression. "You keep sayin' that he's 'different'," he used air quotes to emphasize the word, "but, as far as I can tell, that Amaimon you won't shut up about is still the same little shit from the forest—he hasn't changed at all."

He exhaled sharply, obviously hurt by Bon's words, and continued to stare down at his lap, hiding his face. "If Yukio already told you everything, then you know that he managed to suppress the demon temporarily... So, please—just give him a chance! Just one more time, please!" He looked up with a frown.

Bon's narrowed eyes shone with disbelief. Though he would have preferred to keep his distance from the earth king entirely, the sincerity in Rin's voice and the obvious desperation in his expression was too difficult for him to ignore. He felt himself relax after a moment of thought. "Alright, one chance," he said with a sigh, causing Rin to perk up slightly. "If you can show me that he's different—even a little—I'll forgive him for being an asshole."

Shima shook his friend's shoulder, face twisted with shock and concern. "Y-You're not serious, are you?

He shrugged his hand off. "If Okumura-sensei has given him a suppressant that works, I don't see what the harm is."

"Uh, Bon?"

"What?"

"Do you like that?" Rin nodded to the half-eaten rice ball in his hand. "It's good, right?" He turned and met each of the exwires gazes. "All of you like them?"

"What's your point?" Bon inspected the onigiri with an intense curiosity, trying to find something special about it.

"Amaimon made them."

For what felt like an extended moment, the room was ominously silent. Bon stared at the food he was holding, mouth slightly agape. "R-Really...?"

"Yep!"

"Well...shit. If he can cook like this, then I'll forgive him." Bon took another bite.

"M-Me too, Rin!" Moriyama spoke up shyly. "I want to give him another chance."

Izumo sighed and rolled her eyes. "Fine—whatever."

"Count me in." Koneko smiled gently.

Shima's shoulders drooped. "You're all insane."

A broad smile brightened Rin's features. "Thanks guys! This will make Amaimon really happy." He picked up the tray with three onigiri left and held it out to Bon. "You were the first. Take this to Amaimon in the kitchen—he's probably hungry."

He raised a brow at the tray. "...Seriously?"

"Uh, yeah." Rin narrowed his eyes in a hard glare. "You said you would give him a chance, didn't you?"

"I know what I said!" Bon growled and accepted the tray. He quickly left the room before the half-demon could humiliate him further and stared down the quiet, empty hall. I'm going to regret this... He thought with sinking resignation.

Bon hesitantly crept up to the open kitchen doorway and peeked in, uncertain if making amends with Amaimon was the right thing to do. Memories or not, he was still just as dangerous as he was before—if not more now because of the uncontrollable demon plaguing his mind.

Surprisingly, the earth king seemed perfectly normal from a distance: he pulled plates out from the dishwasher and inspected their cleanliness before carefully placing them away. There was nothing sinister or threatening about him, but Bon knew better than to assume anything. He kept his guard up as he entered the kitchen. Amaimon turned, hearing him place the tray down on the dining table. Startled by Bon's presence, he backed away until he was trapped in the far corner, anxiously clutching a clean plate to his chest.

"Uh, hey," Bon started, feeling guilty for scaring him. "I brought you something to eat." Amaimon eyed him suspiciously, ignoring the rice balls. "You're a pretty good cook."

He visibly relaxed, but remained where he was. "Rin cooked everything—I just put them together." He paused uneasily. "Why are you here? Don't you...hate me?"

"Nah," he shook his head, and then added, "maybe I should, but I don't. 'Sides, I'm used to being attacked by demons, and I guess I can't really blame you for what happened."

Amaimon finally felt safe enough to set the plate down and emerge from the kitchen. "...I'm sorry." He turned away, looking somewhat forlorn. "I never wanted to hurt you. But..."

The rising guilt he felt pissed him off. "Tch—I already said I'm not mad. Stop worrying about it."

"Okay." He squirmed a bit under Bon's abrasive glare. "Does... Does that mean we're friends?"

"Friends!?" He clearly didn't like the idea that much, but figured it would be best not to argue...for now, anyway. "Why do you want to be friends with me?"

"You're Rin's friend. I want to be your friend too..." His voice trailed off and he glanced at Bon, head bowed low, a slight pout on his face, brow pulled up—all coming together in an unusually cute expression.

"F-Fine!" he stuttered, averting his gaze. "Alright, we're friends—now stop looking at me like that!"

Amaimon suddenly covered his face with both hands. Bon stared, confused. He waited for him to say something—or at least move his hands. When nothing happened, he snapped. "What are you doing!?"

"You said not to look at you." Amaimon peeked at him through slightly parted fingers, his voice muffled.

His innocent, child-like demeanor was infectious, and soon, Bon found himself smiling, all his anger vanishing in that one instant. "I didn't mean it like that." Bon gently took the demon's wrists, lowered his hands, and met his tentative gaze. Slowly, he was beginning to realize that Rin was right: he actually...liked this Amaimon. "Y'know, you're not so bad for a demon king."

"...A what?"

Before he could explain, Rin casually strode into the kitchen. He smiled, apparently happy to find the two getting along so well. But, when his eyes dropped to Bon's hands, that benign smile was quickly wiped from his face and replaced by a repulsed frown. "What are you doing?" His tone was firm, almost frightening.

"What do you mean-" Rin, forcing himself between them, grabbed Bon, nails biting into his flesh, and shoved him back violently. Bon stumbled and caught himself on the edge of the table, arms burning with pain.

"Don't touch him!" he snarled, snapping his teeth like a wild animal. Amaimon stepped away cautiously, intimidated by this abrupt and unexpected change.

"Rin...?" Bon paled and studied Rin. His long tail swished eagerly from side to side and blue flames began to flicker to life on the top of his head. A faint, daunting red glittered in his misshapen pupils. "What's wrong with you?"

A deep, demonic growl—like nothing Bon had ever heard before—emanated from him. "Get away from him! He's mine!"