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!"


Chapter Eleven
. . .
Darkened Depths


"Rin, relax." Bon straightened himself, but continued to keep his distance, hands raised defensively in front of him in case Rin attacked. "I wasn't hurting him," he said calmly. "We were talking—that's all." There was no hint of anger or disgust in his voice—just concern.

Thankfully, Bon's words seemed to reach Rin before whatever was driving him consumed his better judgment. He shook his head repeatedly and returned to his normal self. His tail drooped lifelessly behind him and he stared blankly at his hands, as if he couldn't recognize them anymore. Rin opened his mouth slowly, bottom lip trembling, but all that came out was a strained, choking sound.

"Hey," Bon reached out hesitantly. "Is everything okay?"

"S-Stay away!" Rin cringed, his blue eyes quickly filling with tears. "I don't want to hurt you!" He pressed his hands to his chest, almost as though he feared touching anything. "I… I'm… I-I don't…" He struggled to speak, but couldn't manage any coherent words through his shaky stuttering. Rin glanced between Amaimon and Bon once, uncontrollable tremors suddenly attacking his entire body.

He took a slow step toward the kitchen door, and then ran.

Without thinking, Amaimon slipped past Bon and followed Rin down the hall.

What was that all about? What had suddenly made Rin change from a happy, effusive person into an overprotective, wild animal? And those flames… Why did thinking about them irritate Ghost so much? The beast snarled in response to his thoughts.

DOESN'T MATTER
KILL HIM
FEED ME

Shut up! I won't listen to you anymore! Amaimon ignored the demon's attempts to control him and rounded the corner after Rin. He came to a stop at the base of a staircase leading to the roof. Something—aside from Ghost—kept him from moving forward, despite how badly he wanted to follow Rin.

…What was he going to do when he met up with him? How could he possibly offer comfort to someone else when he couldn't even take care of his own problems?

MURDERER
YOU'LL NEVER HELP ANYONE
TURN AROUND
GO BACK

Frustrated by Ghost and wanting to quiet his perversely thrilled tone, Amaimon slowly climbed the stairs. A crisp, freezing wind greeted him when he pushed the door open. The roof was relatively empty, so it was easy to find Rin standing a short distance away. He leaned against the rusted railing with his elbows, looking down at the mass of buildings below them. Another chilly gust ruffled his dark hair, but he made no attempt to push it back.

Amaimon stood beside him quietly, not knowing what to say or even why he was there. A calm silence fell between them—the only sound Ghost's enraged mumbling and the rustling of autumn leaves somewhere in the distance.

Finally, Rin spoke, a soft, sullen smile on his face. "You shouldn't be here, Amaimon," he said simply.

"Why not?" Amaimon looked up at him, but his fringe hid his eyes.

He didn't answer for a long while, running his fingers slowly across the weathered metal of the railing as he gathered his thoughts. "...I'm a monster."

A quiet laugh slipped out of Amaimon. It wasn't a mocking laugh—like what he heard so often from Ghost—but a relieved, light one. Rin watched him, eyes narrowed slightly and brow pulled together in an offended glare. His laughter quickly died. "You're not a monster, Rin."

"And how would you know?" he snapped, furious. Amaimon was taken aback by his sudden audacity. "...Sorry," he sighed, turning his attention back to the railing. "Did you see what I did to Bon? I could have killed him, Amaimon. I'm dangerous!"

"Ghost is dangerous," he said, frowning, gazing down at the academy buildings. "Besides, monsters don't make food for their friends. They don't risk their well-being to protect people. And they don't help someone who's broken put the pieces back together."

He felt Rin shuffle uncomfortably beside him. "Aren't you afraid of the flames? Of me? I might...hurt you one day without knowing it."

"I could ask the same of you." He met Rin's surprised gaze. "Aren't you afraid of Ghost?"

A carefree, happy smile gradually spread across his face. "Thanks, Amaimon. I guess I really needed to hear that."

His voice trailed off and the roof became quiet once again. Amaimon shivered and leaned his head lightly against Rin's shoulder. After a short pause, Rin wrapped an arm around his waist and pulled him closer, resting his own head on the top of Amaimon's.

They stayed like that—together—until Yukio came to get them almost an hour later.


. . .
Later That Night


Amaimon awoke to a quiet room, pale moonlight peeking through the cracks in his blinds. He lay there for a moment, listening to Behemoth snore, waiting for the effects of another nightmare to fade from his memories. Unable to fall back asleep, he sat up with apparent difficulty and looked around.

Something wasn't right. His body felt stiff and strange—too stiff. Almost as if...he wasn't in control of himself anymore.

Fear quickly lanced through him, instantly clearing his head. Ghost...what are you doing? Why did you wake me up?

TIME FOR A BATH

What? Amaimon swung his legs over the side of his bed and awkwardly staggered to his feet. No, stop!

. . .

Bon yawned loudly and rubbed one of his eyes with the heel of his hand. The words on his book were beginning to blur together and he could barely hold his eyes open, but he forced himself to continue studying. It wasn't everyday he got the opportunity to spend the night at the Okumura twins dormitory, and he'd be damned if he would let it pass just because he felt a little tired. He glanced at the pile of completed assignments with a satisfied smile—he would never be able to get this much work done with Shima around.

Stifling another yawn, he turned his attention back to the open textbook he was reading. He blinked hard and tried to focus, but, not a moment later, a strange noise broke his concentration. It sounded a bit like splashing water. He shook his head and turned a page.

...There it was again. That was definitely water. It was coming from the bathroom a few doors down from the kitchen—where Bon was seated. Who the hell is taking a bath at one in the morning!?

Annoyed that he had been interrupted, Bon got up and peeked out into the hallway. Sure enough, a light shone through the crack at the bottom of the bathroom door. "Tch—are you fucking kidding me?" He knocked loudly, hoping to frighten whoever it was. "Do you have any idea what time it is!?" Bon received no response—not even a startled splash. "...Asshole."

When he turned to leave, he noticed that cold water was seeping out from the under the bathroom door.

"What the... H-Hey! Are you alright in there?" Bon banged on the door again, growing more and more anxious as the seconds slowly dragged by. Finally unable to withstand the eerie silence, he grabbed the handle. "I'm coming in, okay?"

Nothing could have prepared Bon for what he would find on the other side of that door. On his knees in front of the overflowing bathtub was Amaimon—his head and shoulders completely submerged in water. His mind was muddled by exhaustion and a sudden panic, but he acted quickly, jerking the demon upright and trying desperately to shake him conscious. His cold body fell limp in his arms.

"Hey! Amaimon, can you hear me!?" There was no response and it was becoming increasingly apparent that he wasn't breathing. "Fuck—Yukio! Rin!" Struggling to keep his composure, he laid the earth king on his back and exhaled sharply.

Rin slipped on the water in the hallway as he approached. "Bon, what the hell is this!?" He froze when he caught sight of Amaimon, fear and disbelief blending on his face. "Wha… What happened? What did he…?" his voice trailed off, eyes wide with shock and mouth slightly agape.

The half-demon's dumbfounded stare infuriated him. "Don't just stand there!" he shouted. "Call a doctor!" He hesitated slightly before sprinting back down the hall. Bon turned back to the unconscious demon and growled to himself. "I knew I was going to regret this!" He briefly winced at the thought of what he was about to do, but he didn't have any other options.

Bon placed both hands on his chest and began pushing repeatedly, pausing to check if the demon was breathing. As expected, he wasn't. Without a second thought, he tilted Amaimon's head back and breathed into his open mouth.

On his second attempt, Amaimon gasped and coughed violently. He turned his head to the side and vomited water. Relieved that he was alive, Bon held him down on his side until he was breathing in terse, anxious breaths. "Amaimon?" he called gently, brushing the demon's wet hair out of his face. "Hey, open your eyes for me."

He obeyed and cracked his eyes open. They seemed faded and slitted in suspicion. "You're…a terrible kisser," he mumbled between labored breaths, his voice raspy and weak.

Bon smiled, slightly amused. "I wasn't kissing you, idiot, I was saving your life." He pulled the shivering demon into his chest and wrapped his arms around him to warm him. Amaimon buried his face in the crook of his neck, his trembling lips pressed against his skin. "Better?" He unknowingly toyed with the ends of the hair that stuck out at the base of Amaimon's neck.

"B-Better…" Amaimon let out a slow sigh, his breath cold. He squirmed and pushed himself as close to Bon's warmth as possible. "Don't let go."

"Sorry, Amaimon—I need to get you out of these clothes before you catch a cold." He scooped up the demon and gently carried him out into the hall.

Yukio met up with him, a phone in one hand and a bundle of towels in the other. "Take him to the bedroom," he instructed, pointing to an open door further down the dark hallway. "The doctor will be here in about twenty minutes—stay with him until then." He shot the quivering earth king a disapproving glance before quickly brushing past Bon.

Before he could take another step, Rin stopped him, his hands outstretched to accept Amaimon. "Thanks for your help Bon!" He smiled, but the forced expression didn't reach his eyes. "I can take him from here."

"Thanks," he sighed, grateful he would no longer be responsible for the demon. The thought made his conscious itch, and he felt only slightly guilty for showing a lack of concern. But, as he shifted his weight to pass the barely conscious king to Rin, Amaimon whimpered and tightened his grip on his damp sweater. Bon hesitated, uncertain of what to do. He didn't want to stay with him as Yukio suggested—Bon wasn't exactly skilled at offering comfort to others, and he had no idea how to talk to someone who just tried to kill himself—but it didn't seem like Amaimon would easily release him. He reluctantly decided the best thing to do was to hold him in this awkward embrace until the doctor arrived. "Uh, it's alright—I got him. Why don't you go help Yukio clean up?"

He refused to move. "Amaimon will probably feel more comfortable with me, so…"

"I said I got him." Bon turned his body away from Rin as he reached out again, earning a vicious glare from the half-demon.

It vanished quickly, however, replaced by a forlorn—and almost guilty—frown. He seemed to be lost in thought for an extended moment, eyes cast down and fists clenched. Finally, he sighed heavily and nodded. "I'll bring him some dry clothes." With that, he turned and continued down the hall, his head bowed low and his tail dragging behind him. Bon watched him leave, noticing faint, blue flames decorating the tuft of his tail.