Alfred had been just about to leave when his cellphone rang. He looked at the caller ID and found it to be Kiku. "What's up dude?" Alfred asked.

"Alfred-chan, I advise you to get home quickly, there is a demon in your house! I have already called Demon Control, so just worry about getting home quickly," the obviously frantic voice of his friend spoke from the other end.

"What?" Alfred asked as he froze. Kiku had seen Ivan, but how? He said he saw the demon in his house, so Ivan hadn't left, but how did Kiku discover him? He had to go and save Ivan.

Alfred rushed from the store and ran as fast as he could, hoping to be there before the Demon Controllers. The store was not that far from his house after all, only about two blocks. He thought he could get there in time, but he was slowed down by the cold and the thin blanket of snow that covered the ground. When the house finally came into view, Alfred had to stop and look in terror. The house was surrounded by Demon Controllers, the house was burning, and a few bodies littered the lawn in patches of melted snow and broken icicles. It was the work of Ivan, he knew. He was too late. They had found him, and they would kill him, and then he'd be all alone. Alfred didn't want that. He ran forward but was stopped and grabbed by a Controller.

"You can't go in there, there's a rogue demon, and a powerful one at that!" the person said.

"No! I don't care! Let go of me!" Alfred shouted as he pulled away and shoved the person back. Alfred began to run the the burning structure, dodging and throwing off anyone who tried to stop him.

"Hey! Stop!" he heard many of them call, but he was only focused on finding his demon.

Alfred ran into the flaming building, looking as best as he could through the smoke and ash, covering his mouth with his shirt to avoid breathing anything in. He kept hearing gunshot and shouts coming from farther back, Ivan must have gotten outside. Alfred began to run and jump through flame and under beams until he was clear of the burnt ruins of the house and in the backyard. He had been right, he saw a group of Demon controllers with iron-loaded guns and other anti-demon weapons. The middle of the group was Ivan. He was covered in blood, but not much of it was his own. Ivan had a few wounds on his arms, each oozing blood that was darker than a human's. He was doing a good job at dodging their bullets and other attacks.

"Ivan!" Alfred screamed out.

Ivan turned his head for a second to see his host, his expression darkened and his dark purple aura became thicker and angrier know that he could not reach his host. Alfred began to run, or he thought he did because he ended up on the ground somehow, a person right on top of him. As Alfred tried to fight the person off of him, he realized that they were matched in strength. The person on top of him had the advantage though, his knees rested on Alfred's wrists and he sat of Alfred's torso, making it almost impossible to move.

"You need to stay back," the person said with an oddly familiar voice. Alfred looked up at the person with rage and distress in his eyes. By the light given by the quickly dying fire, he could make out wavy hair with a color like his own, eyes with a purple hue, and a familiar strand that curled into the person's face. Alfred froze in shock.

"M-Matthew?" Alfred asked.

Matthew looked down at him, also surprised, "Alfred?"

Their reunion was cut short, however, when an inhuman screech was heard to the side. Ivan had been hit with an iron bullet in the leg. Alfred watched in horror as Ivan unleashed all his rage and power, the Demon Controllers around him were blown back, their uniforms set on fire. As the people rolled around frantically in the partially melted snow, trying to put the fires out, Ivan summoned wind all about himself, creating a screen of snow and smoke, but when it all cleared, Ivan was gone. Alfred looked in shock, then shoved his long-lost friend off of him, running to the spot his demon had once stood. There was no blood. No tracks that could lead him to Ivan. Alfred fell down to his knees and felt tears run down his face. Ivan was gone. He didn't even know if Ivan was alive. If he was Alfred knew he might not survive with his wounds.

Alfred felt a hand on his back. He turned to see Matthew with a look of confusion on his face. "Alfred. . . You tried to protect a demon? A demon? What happened to you? I thought we were going to become Demon Controllers. Fight demons, not protect them," Matthew waited a few seconds before continuing. "Could it be that that demon brainwashed you? Put you under some sort of spell? Or curse?"

Alfred looked up at his old friend, sadness and anger. "You don't know anything. . . You couldn't understand. . . None of you could understand," Alfred said quietly, but then as he continued, his tone became angrier. "None of you could understand the hell I was going through before 'that demon' came to me! He help me get my life back! No one understands!"

Alfred got up and ran, he heard his old friend and other Demon Controllers call out to him, but he didn't listen, he just ran. Soon he found himself outside Kiku's house, he thought about going in and crying to his friend, but then he remembered it was Kiku who caused this, Kiku who called the DC's. He didn't want to blame his friend, but he did. Alfred continued to run, this time finding himself in the local park. It was dark and cold, the dim street lamps were barely a comfort. His coat had a few holes burned into it from the fire. He sat on a park bench that was under an old maple tree. The tree's branches were bare and currently covered in snow. Alfred sat there and cried.

Alfred had cried for a few minutes before the cold had frozen his face and he couldn't cry anymore. But all of a sudden he felt warm, he looked to his side and saw Gilbert. Gilbert's hand was glowing a light, warm orange as he held it up close to Alfred.

"Gilbert?" Alfred questioned.

"Ja, that's me, the awesomest demon of all!" Gilbert boasted in a teasing manner that made Alfred smile.

"Why are you here?"

"I was. . . following someone. I actually saw what happened at your place, and I'm sorry about that, I would have tried to help, but, you know."

Alfred looked down sadly, deciding to change the subject. "Who were you following if I'm allowed to ask?"

Gilbert opened his mouth to speak but was cut off by someone calling out Alfred's name. Alfred look to see who had called for him when he saw Matthew. He was tempted to get up and run, but he was still to cold to move. Matthew had ran up to the bench and seen Alfred with a surprised looking Gilbert, but he also saw Gilbert's glowing hand. "Alfred get away from him! He's a demon!" Matthew shouted as he pulled out a gun.

Gilbert and Alfred both jumped up, Gilbert with his hands in the air and Alfred shielding his demon friend. "Alfred move, what is it with you and protecting demons?" Matthew shouted, exasperated and confused.

"Well maybe if demons weren't the only things protecting me, I would be different!" Alfred shouted back.

Matthew looked at him with confusion, "What do you mean?"

Alfred realized that Matthew did not know about what happened after he left. He debated for a moment, but then decided to tell Matthew the whole story, unedited like the one he told Kiku and everyone else. Matthew had not put his gun down till the story ended. He looked conflicted and guilty. Then he looked at Gilbert.

"So, you're a demon, who made you?"

Gilbert looked like he had been studying Matthew, reading him even. When Matthew had asked that question Gilbert looked up, he seemed a bit happy and amazed. "Apparently, the awesome me, was created by you!" Gilbert was beaming, but Matthew looked stricken. Stricken enough to pull his gun out again and threaten Gilbert.

"That's not possible! Alfie says you guys are made from strong emotions, if what you say is true, what emotions did I supposedly make you from?"

Gilbert looked down, then looked at Alfred in a guarded manner. "Well. . . I was made from loneliness. Your loneliness."

Matthew lowered his gun once more, looking shy and embarrassed. "Oh," he looked at Alfred silently then spoke quietly. "I'm sorry. . . I feel like we should go to Kiku though, he needs to know about his mistake and I'm sure he'll be sorry as well, seeing as it was a little his fault this happened to you and your demon."

"Ivan," Alfred corrected.

"Yeah, Ivan."

"And I'm the awesome Gilbert!" the albino demon informed.

Both friends rolled their eyes and began walking to Kiku's home, with Gilbert hidden in thick shadows that lined the street. Ever so often Matthew mumbled something like, "I can't believe I, me if all people, made a demon," or, "How can I continue to be a Demon Controller now."

Alfred zoned out through the whole walk because he couldn't stop thinking over and over, Ivan is gone.

As I said, before, it's good at the begging, terrible at the middle and end. I honestly have no idea how to write Gilbert either, curse his awesomeness being beyond my comprehension! Also, there is still less than a week till school starts up, so this is probably the last chapter for awhile. Please point out any mistakes I made, thanks! M'kay, that's all, bye.