Uncertain Circumstances
Chapter Ten

It was unlike anything I've ever seen. The compound bow didn't have a visible drawstring until I positioned my hand over the empty space between the axles. Three lines of white light glowed under my fingertips and an arrow suddenly fit into place as I pulled back on the string behind the cables. I steadied myself, held my breath, and, with a whipping sound, released it toward my target.

I never missed.

No, actually, the bow never missed. Even when I aimed the arrow at Amaimon, it curved wildly and embedded itself into the small, red bullseye behind us. Regardless of its automatic targeting system, Conquest's bow was great for relieving stress and I found myself out back with the training equipment during my free time. Today, I was accompanied by Amaimon, who was seated atop a high branch on a nearby tree.

"What does it feel like?" His words were muffled by the pair of lollipops shoved in his mouth.

"What does what feel like?" I pulled back and fired an arrow. It connected with a thump before disappearing into small fragments of white light.

"What does it feel like knowing you're going to be a murderer?"

I knew Amaimon. Though his question sounded offensive and condescending, it wasn't. "It's called 'guilt'."

"What does guilt feel like?" he asked, beginning to get annoyed.

I hesitated with my answer and let the arrow go. Thump. "It doesn't feel good."

"Lift your elbow more; it should be parallel with the ground."

I fixed my arm. Thump. "It feels like there's an empty hole in my chest."

"Hmm," he hummed thoughtfully and pawed at his chest. "Empty hole..." his voice trailed off, eyes locked on his bandaged leg. "Your shift is starting soon," he stated, straightening his fringe. "Try not to make it obvious you attempted to kill him."

I breathed deeply through my nose. "I know."

"If he lives," he said firmly. "You'll have a little over a week remaining." His tail unwrapped itself from his waist and dangled playfully over the edge of the branch. "If he doesn't get his medicine, he'll die and you'll be unmarked. Then, you can go back to Aniue, get your license, and move on with your life."

That outcome didn't sound as great as I originally imagined.

"And what about you?" I locked eyes with him.

Sebastian opened the back door, balancing a tray with a decorative teapot and matching cup on his head. He acknowledged me briefly with a guttural 'human' before standing under the branch Amaimon was resting on.

"You will take me with you, of course," he spoke as he reached down and filled his cup. "My problems are my own, but I'll expect you to offer assistance if I need it without question."

I gave my marked thumb an unpleasant frown, realizing that, thanks to his contract, I could be spending the rest of my life serving him. I placed the bow down and rubbed my temples. "Does this mean we're going to be roommates?"

"Perhaps not," he shrugged, removing the sticks from his mouth. "A mile doesn't feel that small in a big city like True Cross. You won't see me often, but I'll always be close."

"That's just creepy." I chuckled darkly and shook my head.

"Your mood has improved," he noted, sipping his tea sheepishly.

I sighed and lowered my eyes to the white bow at my feet. "Not for long..." My voice trailed off, quiet and hesitant.

Rin contracted an infection from the holy water I had used to clean a wound on his arm a couple days ago. The palace was in an uproar throughout the day and, since then, servants have been meticulously watching his progress in shifts. Moriyama was able to come up with an antibiotic cream, (technically Amaimon made it), and it was given to him every two hours to prevent the infection from reaching his bloodstream. My shift would be starting soon, leaving me to decide whether to save his life from my obviously stupid mistake, or forgo his medication and watch him until he dies.

I was so ashamed and disgusted with myself. Guilt overwhelmed me, but I tried to see it from a positive, albeit selfish, perspective. I didn't have to do anything; just stand there and wait...easy right?

But it was futile; I had failed in protecting a good friend, and that, to me, was more important than getting an exorcist license.

I looked up and met Amaimon's curious stare. I had tried to explain it to him, what feeling guilty was like, but he didn't understand why this situation provoked such a strange reaction. He figured I should feel happy. I did, after all, accomplish the goal I set out to fulfill. The demon king couldn't comprehend my regret and I wasn't too keen on telling him how I felt about his younger brother.

"You should go now," he sipped again from his overly decorative cup, eyes never moving from my face. "Vlad will be upset if you're late."

I snorted and stretched my arms. "What's he going to do, eat me?"

It was a rhetorical question, meant as a joke, but it made Amaimon choke on his tea. He cleared his throat and quickly turned from me. I swallowed, trying to calm the sudden tightening sensation in my chest. I couldn't bring myself to move and so stood awkwardly silent for a moment.

"Vlad wouldn't do that," he said, sounding dubious of his own words.

I tried to ignore it. "More chores for him, huh?" I wanted to laugh, ease the tension surrounding us, but my voice was caught in my throat.

"...Suguro," his brow pulled together in a concerned frown. "Don't go anywhere alone with him."

I met up with Vlad in his private lounge downstairs. He looked up at me with a small smile and then was serious. "I'm going to assume Amai has already explained everything to you?"

I nodded and took a deep breath, trying to locate some courage. Vlad has acted differently since Rin became ill, and I have no reason to doubt that his personality change is a direct result of my own. Since I discovered I was going to be eaten by one of the two horsemen living here, I've avoided him, kept our conversations short, and pretended like I didn't notice him... It was too obvious that I was scared.

His frown deepened as I remained silent. "Well, it's your decision," he muttered, standing and avoiding eye contact.

"What should I do?" He lingered at the door, mulling over my question.

"You know what I want you to do."

Naturally. If Rin died, that would make me a murderer and unfit to be a sacrifice. But I kept my thoughts to myself and followed him out into the hall.

He was silent as we walked and, for a moment, I was certain he would lead me to an isolated part of the palace to execute me. It faded as we passed the main foyer and continued into the other wing. The floor changed to white tiles, afternoon light filtered through the miasma outside thinly curtained windows, and everything seemed unnaturally clean. It wasn't until I breathed in a strong, antiseptic scent that I realized we were in the infirmary.

Rin's room was tucked away in the corner at the end of the hall where it would be dark and quiet. A servant stood in front of the door, bored expression on his face. He stepped aside when he noticed us, bowing his head slightly before taking his leave. Vlad opened the door, his eyebrows scrunched in a way that looked worried and disappointed. We didn't speak and he closed it behind me.

Light poured in through a large, open window, illuminating his sleeping form. The demon prince's face was pale, an unnatural white color that emphasized the dark blue of his hair. A blanket was tucked loosely around his weak body and an IV drip fed fluids to his uninjured arm. He looked peaceful, to an extent, as his chest rose and fell with his gentle, rhythmic breathing.

What was I going to do when he woke? What would I say? Sorry, I didn't realize it was holy water?

I wandered over to the window to clear my thoughts, hoping the fresh air would help. Amaimon's maple tree sat nearby, almost close enough for me to touch. A cool draft ruffled my loosening fringe, the stale scent of miasma lingering in the breeze. I removed my pin, the only thing holding my hair in place today, and let my bangs fall in my eyes.

What was Rin to me? I never really thought about him as anything more than a friend...but, was he right? Did I love him? Was that the reason I felt this way? I wracked my brain for an answer that would satisfy me as I closed my eyes against the soft wind.

Ten minutes later, when the demon slowly opened his eyes, I still didn't have an answer. He smiled at me as I moved to sit on the edge of his bed. I felt something tug at my heart; love, guilt, disgust? I wasn't sure anymore.

"Hey," he spoke in a hoarse, cracked voice and tried to ease himself upright. I scrambled to help him, gently propping him against a pair of pillows. "What happened to your hair?"

"You don't like it?" I gave him a playful grin, though I was certain it appeared forced.

"I didn't say that," he smiled lightly.

"Listen," I started, taking a deep breath. "I'm sorry about the other day." I lowered my eyes, ashamed. I was such a selfish asshole, worrying over the horsemen and having no concern for Rin.

He let out a small, childish laugh. "It's okay; you didn't know I was allergic."

...Wait. Allergic?

His response confused me. I stared at him, trying to understand what he meant. The demon noticed this and, amused, widened his smile. "Demetri said the infection was caused by an allergic reaction from Amaimon's medication," he paused to shrug. "I should've known never to trust anything from him."

"Demetri?"

"Yep. He's our doctor."

I opened my mouth to speak and then closed it, stunned that Demetri was making an effort to protect me. "I wasn't aware demons had allergies." I brushed my bangs out of my eyes, breathing a short sigh of relief. "I can't help but feel like this is my fault."

"It's not." Rin shook his head carefully, trying not to aggravate the throbbing in his temples. "It was an accident. If you keep bringing yourself down like this, it'll destroy you. And I don't want to," he stopped, hesitating. "I know you were just trying to help me and I want you to know I don't blame you for any of this." His voice was soft, almost a whisper as if he were embarrassed of what he wanted to say.

There was a long pause between us, a worrying silence that launched me into my thoughts. I was relieved that, thanks to Demetri, he didn't suspect me of attempted murder, but this very thought made the guilt worse. It was overwhelming and I was afraid it would make me do something I would come to regret. To keep myself from speaking, I stood and paced the room impatiently, ignoring my hair as it fell back into my face.

I wanted to tell him everything, even if it made him hate me. I truly felt it was the only solution, the only thing that would make this guilty, lingering pain leave.

"Are you bored?" he asked with a sniffle.

"No," I responded mechanically. "Just thinking."

"About what?" Rin let out a childish huff when he realized I was too lost in my thoughts to answer. "Bon?"

"Huh?" I looked up at him. He grinned, happy he was finally able to get my attention.

"I bet I can shoot Conquest's bow better than you."

I snorted. "Like hell you can."

That night I returned to my room collected and calm. I flopped down on the recliner and leaned my head back to stare blankly at the ceiling. It wasn't until I heard the crinkle of a page that I realized Amaimon had already settled into my bed for the night. He was propped upright with a stack of books on the table to his left. Sebastian, unsurprisingly, stood nearby, tray of tea in hand. Determined to drown my thoughts, I stood and sat on the bed, contemplating conversation topics. The demon's eyes remained on his book, uninterested in my presence.

After a few moments, the silence began to drive me insane. "Amaimon," I breathed, tilting my head to catch his eyes.

"What do you want?" he asked in a detached voice, sounding as irritated as he looked.

"How's your leg?"

He looked up at me and sighed, closing his book. The demon placed it atop the pile and waved a hand at Sebastian to dismiss him. "What do you want?" he repeated, eyes locked to mine.

I took a deep breath. "I need your advice."

"Advice?" The Earth King narrowed his eyes dangerously at me. "Advice on what?"

"I don't want to hide from him anymore."

"Hmm," he hummed quietly, nibbling on his thumb. "If you plan on telling him who you are and why you're here, your chances of being 'unmarked'," he used his fingers to emphasize the word, "will decrease."

"I'm aware of that."

"My offer of sex is still available, if you happen to change your mind." He turned his attention to tidying his fringe, pretending not to care.

"No," I snapped. "And I won't be changing my mind, so stop asking me."

He shrugged a shoulder. "If you want to tell him, then tell him. I don't understand why you need my advice on something you're so certain of."

"...What would you do if you were in my place, Amaimon?"

The demon paused to stare distantly at the wall. He ran his clawed fingers through his hair, smoothing the spike down as he struggled to provide an answer. "I would run," he said finally. "It wouldn't do any good; horsemen can smell a marked target across the ocean, but I would still try, if only to prolong the inevitable."

Running is definitely an option and something I'll have to keep in mind over the next few days.

I loosened the bow tie around my neck, deciding to change the subject. "What are you reading?" It wasn't until I looked that I noticed the brown, leather book atop the pile had no title. "That has text in it?"

He picked it up. "Not really," he flipped to a random page. "It holds my drafts for horsemen seals...except I'm running out of space so I'll have to dig out a blank notebook," he glanced at his pile. "I think I have one in here..."

The book was fairly thick, probably well over three hundred pages, so I was surprised by his answer. "That's a lot of sigils."

"Horsemen seals are very complex. They're made in layers," he explained. "Each sigil must be more intricate than the previous until the required number of layers is met. The more powerful the horseman, the more layers needed."

"Do they break their seals easily?"

Amaimon looked up, cocking an eyebrow and wondering why I was asking so many questions. "Depends on the horsemen and the construction of the seal. A good seal will take a while to break."

"So, you're making a seal," I lowered my voice, hesitating with my next question. "Who's it for?"

He glanced down at the open page and then closed it slowly, disappointed with his work. "Demetri wants to get rid of Nero. Two of them can't share one sacrifice and Conquest is selfish. He wants to be the only active horseman in Assiah until I can find a better source of food. But it takes time to complete a seal and I lost a few designs thanks to Famine... He's getting impatient."

"Don't worry," I tried to reassure him. "We'll get through this together." I patted his arm in an attempt to comfort him, but he squirmed restlessly under my touch.

"Together," he spat, glaring at me. "It's none of your business!"

My anger suddenly flared, temples pounding as my blood boiled. "It is my business! You're my master, remember? It's my job to protect you!" The emotion dropped from his face. "Whatever. I'm going to change." I stood with an irritated huff.

"Suguro," Amaimon's softened voice stopped me before I closed the bathroom door. "Did you give him the medicine?"

"Yes."

I caught a hint of understanding in his eyes before he lowered his head to look at his lap. They flicked back to my face as he nodded.

Review Responses

ProbableImpossibilities: Ewwww I can't imagine Bon trying to put the moves on anyone. He would just look scary. xD Thank you very much for the review! It's always nice to read what you think!

seireidoragon: HeeHee everyone loves cliffhangers! Thanks for leaving such a nice review! (:

babygaaralover: Y'know, I'm writing this and I don't have any idea what he's going to do. :/ Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment!

Mari: Aww, thank you so much! I'm as happy as a peach knowing people like you enjoy this!

LadyEilkahn: I'm thrilled you like my OCs especially since I find some of them kinda dull (Sebastian really serves no purpose other than to wait on Amaimon so Bon doesn't have to. xD ) Thank you kindly for reviewing!

ai enmachan: Oh gosh, your review made me laugh! xD I'm glad you like Famine! It was a pain in the butt trying to figure out how to make her attack with balance scales, (the black horse is the only one who doesn't carry a lethal weapon.) Thank you for leaving a review and hopefully I'll have more opportunities to write PLOT between Amai and Bon in the future. xD