That moment when it's been a minute since you've worked on your story and had to go back and reread everything you'd written up to this point, luckily I still remember where I wanted this story to go….anyways…

I do not own Blue Exorcist - only my various OCs

"It was like when you make a move in chess and just as you take your finger off the piece, you see the mistake you've made, and there's this panic because you don't know yet the scale of disaster you've left yourself open to."
― Kazuo Ishiguro, Never Let Me Go

Melting Ice Cream

I watched the door close as the butler, Belial, stepped out of the bedroom so that I could change out of my damp pajamas. Only, I still couldn't really change. For one very obvious reason: Amaimon had not stepped out with the butler, rather he remained firmly situated on the bed in front of me. There was a short moment during which I simply stared at the door before I sighed and stared at my demonic companion, who seemed to be looking at a nearby wall.

Initially, I had assumed he would sense my gaze on him and look at me – that, however, did not occur. That is not to say he didn't know I was looking at him, he may have, but it did mean he had not so much as spared a glance my way. I sighed and decided to take a more direct approach, "Amai-."

Even as his name started to leave my mouth he was turning back towards me a vague frown on his face, "I still don't like it."

I blinked, "Eh?"

"You promised you wouldn't meet him."

My eyebrows furrowed, while I grew irate, "You know, I didn't bring myself here. I'm still not too sure how I even got here. But now that I am here, I can't just not meet him. That would be rude." Amaimon's glare held fast, and while it was quite intimidating, I wasn't scared. Mostly because it didn't seem that his anger was actually directed at me, so much as the situation we were in. A fact that was apparent in the way he didn't argue with me like he probably could have.

Plus, I still don't think he'd hurt me no matter how angry he may have been. I trusted him.

Still a little irritated myself, I cleared my throat and spoke again, "Now, may I have a little privacy please?"

His glare faded a little and his usually bored countenance started making a comeback while his head tilted in curiosity, "why?"

"I need to change?" Unintentionally, my answer sounded more like a question – as I could only wonder and dread where precisely this conversation was going to lead. Nowhere good, I was sure.

In answer he leaned in closer and vaguely over me – and I was distinctly aware we were still on the bed as I leaned back and against the headboard to escape, "So?"

A small flush began to creep across my cheeks as I told him what should have been obvious, "I can't get undressed while you're here…in the room…watching."

"Ah~? That's not fair." My eyebrows furrowed in scrutiny while my eyes followed his hands as they casually reached for his collar. All right, now, despite his emotionless mask, I couldn't help but feel like he was teasing me – but he wouldn't or rather he couldn't be doing that…right? "You undressed me before."

My eyes widened drastically as I first froze in shock and then I squeaked in horror at the unintentional innuendo. I subsequently buried my red face in my palms as my mind, encouraged by the earlier path of his hand, recounted images of a shirtless Amaimon and immediately plummeted straight to the gutter. How could he say things like that so seriously – and so innocently?! Surely he understood the very obvious difference between him and I – and the difference between then and now? Oh goodness, I really couldn't tell if he did or not, which only made the situation all the worse, because now I felt guilty for twisting his words into something dirty. But come on! Did he need to bring that up now, while in this position?

Without moving my hands from my face, I mumbled, "T-that was different. W-we're different. Y-you were hurt, and you're a guy…" I felt the bed shift a little and peeked through my fingers to see why; when I did, I came eye to eye with Amaimon, whom was peeking through my fingers as well. "Eep!" Shocked, I hid my gaze again, only to have my hands pried away by the very near demon I was trying to hide from.

"You're ignoring me. Stop it."

Wet eyes looked up at him through my eyelashes, and glowing pink, I spoke, "Trust me, Amaimon. There's no way I could ever ignore you." He blinked and stared at me for a moment, like he was thinking about something. Whatever it was, I wished he'd do his thinking outside of my personal bubble because the situation as it was could certainly give way to many misunderstandings.

I could only imagine how mortified I'd be if that butler were to step inside the room right now and see us in our current position.

When finally I couldn't stand his staring anymore, I tried to pry my hands free of his grip and hide my face from him again. Strangely enough, I found that it was rather simple to do. My wrists came free with little effort and when I moved to cover my face again he didn't stop me. At least, not physically. But his eyes pouted even when his face did not and I knew he didn't want me to hide from him – or maybe I didn't want to hide.

And, despite my blooming face and horrible embarrassment with this awkward situation, I couldn't cover my face without feeling guilty, though that didn't stop me from looking away. So after a while of fiddling my fingers and stealing glances at basically everything else in the room, I gathered the courage to once again confront him, but all I really managed was a weak plea: "Amaimon…please?"

It was almost as though the cogs that had been trying to spin stopped trying when I began speaking and fell perfectly into place when I finished. He sat up like a man with a sudden brilliant idea – jostling me in the process and startling Behemoth who had apparently been trying to stare at the butler's feet from beneath the door this entire time – and leapt off the bed.

I stared at him as he turned on his heels to look at me again. "I've decided! You smell too much like a human. You should change."

Blinking rapidly, I watched as he turned again and pushed the hobgoblin aside with his foot in order to make his way through the same door as the butler. The entire time, I processed his words and came to a singular, equally embarrassing as it was irritating, conclusion. Awkwardly, I sniffed my clothes.

"I don't stink! You jerk!" Reaching for a nearby pillow I flung it at the door. Narrowly missing my target, it instead hit Behemoth who was still lingering in the general area. He yelped, not in pain but in surprise, and turned wide-eyed and confused towards me. "Ah…sorry Behemoth…" Apologizing, I finally made my way out of the bed and knelt by the goblin. I offered a gentle scratch on the head, which he accepted enthusiastically, before I finally turned my attentions to my provided change of clothes.

I was equal parts excited to change, and also slightly hesitant. After all, even though I couldn't detect an odor, I could still have one – especially since I had been sweating a lot as result of my earlier fever. Across the room there was a door, separate from the one that apparently led to the hallway. Perhaps it was a bathroom?

I hoped it was, as it would offer me the opportunity to rinse off a little before redressing myself.

Upon checking, I giddily discovered it was in fact a bathroom with a shower to boot. Unable to resist the temptation, I excitedly clapped my hands, practically leapt into the room, and turned on the faucet – all while simultaneously ridding myself of my sweaty clothes.

Rinsing off truly felt wonderful. And as I climbed back out and wrapped up in the "complementary" towel that had been provided (perhaps unintentionally), I breathed a fully contented sigh.

Let's see Amaimon say I stink now!

I stepped out of the bathroom, having dried off, and walked towards the provided clothes. I was vaguely curious as to whether or not they'd been able to provide clothes to fit me appropriately, but I was grateful either way.

What I was not expecting was to see something dreadfully familiar sitting atop the collection of cloth.

Something dreadfully lacy.

Something dreadfully black.

Something I had basically scrubbed from my memory when they had been unintentionally (maybe intentionally?) stolen by my demonic camaraderie.

I should have known they would come back to bite me in the ass.

"…This…I mean…really?"

Much to my dismay the sole pair of sexy black underwear I owned, and that I thought I'd lost for good, were among the clothes provided for me to wear. Immediately, my face heated up as I realized this of course meant that I'd, first of all have to wear them, but also that Amaimon's brother would also very likely be fully aware I was wearing them.

Not wearing them at all was an option too I suppose. But I couldn't be sure if that would make me even more uncomfortable than wearing them would. Actually, no, I was more than sure I would be significantly less comfortable not wearing them. If only because of how dreadfully apparent it may be if I got cold. It seemed that either way I was going to be embarrassed or uncomfortable, so I might as well take them back as discreetly as possible.

Swallowing down the nerves as best I could, I took up the dainty material.

And even though I may have flushed a hundred different shades of red and pink as I adorned myself in the lingerie I wish I'd never had the courage to buy, I only grimaced a little.

Once dressed, I checked myself in the mirror – just to make sure it wasn't completely apparent that I was uncomfortable and that I was dressed appropriately – before I walked towards the bedroom door and cracked it open. I didn't notice the butler at first glance, so I stuck my head out into the hall and was quickly greeted by the well-dressed but odd man who was standing just to the right of the door.

"Hello Ms. Ueda. I hope you found our accommodations to your liking." He was so cordial, and yet so very stiff, I couldn't help feeling the same way. And my response was awkward as a result – plus, I'd never really spoken with a butler before so I wasn't sure if there was some sort of rule of etiquette I was to abide by.

"Oh! Uh. Yes, thank you."

"I'm pleased to hear this." There was a momentary pause as he almost seemed to scrutinize my now rigid countenance, "Now, if you would please follow me, my master is most eager to make your acquaintance." He motioned vaguely down the hallway behind him before turning and walking briskly in that direction.

Initially, I followed without much thought or question, but after only a step or two I realized that I was unexpectedly alone and came to a complete halt. Where had Amaimon and, most recently, Behemoth disappeared to?

The hobgoblin I knew to be in the bedroom before my shower, but thinking back now I realized he hadn't been there when I finished. Maybe he had slipped out during? As for Amaimon, I knew he had left the room so that I could change – but I guess I had assumed that he would be waiting in the hallway. I was more than a little disappointed that he hadn't been.

"Is everything alright?" I flinched out of my musings at Belial's inquiry; he too had come to a stop several feet in front of me. He didn't turn to face me per say; rather he angled himself enough to comfortably glance at me over his shoulder with such an expression that seemed professional, as his profession would demand, yet also eerily impatient.

It was in this moment that I also noticed his ears to be reminiscent of Amaimon's and realized that very likely this odd but unassuming butler was in fact also a demon. Of course, considering whom he worked for and that he had a name like Belial, I probably shouldn't have been surprised.

I guess I also shouldn't be surprised that as a demon he had the demonic lack of patience Amaimon and Behemoth also demonstrated, and therefore I quickly responded, "Oh, yes! My apologies."

We resumed our progression down the hallway of the mansion, and I took in my surroundings.

It was odd to behold.

But not because it was actually an abnormal mansion, or at least what I could see of it didn't seem peculiar. Rather, it was what I would expect of any mansion. There was admittedly an occasional ornamentation that was quite reminiscent of the flamboyant note I had received not too long ago, but otherwise – just what I would expect of your average hall.

I was strangely disappointed.

I'd had so many stressful misadventures that I was almost looking forward to and had overly prepared myself for this one in the last twenty minutes or so. And it seemed my preparedness had been for naught.

Or at least, those were the thoughts I found myself thinking up until our trip came to an end. Yet, when Belial came to a halt in front of an ornate wooden door and I knew we had reached the ultimate destination of this trip, I felt the nerves build in my throat and I was more than grateful that I had spend any amount of time getting ready for this encounter with Amaimon's mysterious older brother.

"My master is awaiting you in his office." Belial had at this point turned to once again face me, and as he spoke to me he bowed ever so slightly before turning to leave.

"OH! Wait." He stopped for a moment and looked at me, which I took as a signal to continue, "Uh…I was just wondering where Amaimon and Behemoth went?"

"They will be joining you soon." And with those final words, he left. So now, I was alone with a door and little idea what would be on the other side.

But hey, I'll never find out if I don't open it. Right?

Of course, I should probably knock first – that was the polite thing to do after all. Taking a breath, I lifted my oddly heavy fist to the door and rasped against it. Almost immediately I regretted it because there wasn't much of a knock as a result, instead the door just sort of popped open.

It felt like I had made some kind of mistake in even touching the door, especially since now I knew exactly who was on the other side.

And his grin made me uncomfortable.

"How dreadful...to be caught up in a game and have no idea of the rules."
― Caroline Stevermer, Sorcery & Cecelia: or The Enchanted Chocolate Pot

Amaimon's brother was exactly what I might have expected in terms of appearance. With a flamboyant way of dressing and physical features that, while colored differently, were reminiscent of the demon I knew. So much so, if I knew neither person, I'd have no reason to doubt anyone who told me they were related.

I think the only thing I wasn't expecting was that cartoonish smile on his face that seemed intended to make me feel like he was pleased to see me yet also somehow still seemed to hide some kind of disagreeable intention. And I found myself wondering what exactly that intention was as well as what would be the first words out of his mouth. "Hello~ Ms. Ueda," Okay – that seemed normal enough.

He was seated at his desk and didn't move from his seat even as he greeted me. Instead, he motioned one of his lavender gloved hands to the chairs in front of him in a manner that seemed somehow extravagant even if I couldn't really explain why, "I'm Mephisto Pheles, Amaimon's elder brother. Please take a seat!"

He was polite, but perhaps a little enthusiastic? Almost too enthusiastic, so much so I found myself getting caught up in that enthusiasm and slightly unable to meet it. Before I knew it, I was seated in one of the chairs I had been directed to and thanking him, "thank you?"

"I must say, I've really been looking forward to officially meeting you; as I said in my letter, I have heard and learned so much about you."

This wasn't how I was expecting this conversation to start out, but to be fair – I'm not sure what I was expecting. I think at some point, I had convinced myself that I was going to march into the room and immediately and confidently critique Amaimon's brother in all the wrong ways he had treated my Demon King friend and troubled my life (starting with the two hours of my life wasted waiting on a silly Chinese finger trap, which I hadn't forgotten about!).

"Was your stay enjoyable?"

But I suppose manners should come before criticisms…"Oh! Yes, thank you for your hospitality."

"Why of course~ and I'm pleased the clothes I provided fit."

Now that he mentioned it, the jeans and t-shirt did fit. Shockingly well, "Actually, yea. I'm a little surprised…it's like…you knew what sizes I wear."

My contemplation was passionately waved off by the demon in a manner that seemed a little too dramatic; Amaimon clearly did not garner his conversational or expressive skills from his brother. Quite the opposite, Mephisto seemed lively and almost theatrical. "Dear me, it almost does seem to be that way." The flamboyant man then proceeded to wink in such a goofy manner that I almost didn't take anything he had just said or done seriously.

But then I realized what had actually been said and my mind traced the timeline backwards just far enough to remember what I was wearing underneath the jeans and t-shirt, and that those black pieces of fabric had been provided by the demon seated in front of me, who had only moments prior lingered on just how much he had learned about me.

I shifted in my seat. Trying desperately to snub the steadily growing realization that was turning my cheeks pink. I would not blush! I absolutely refused to blush in front of Amaimon's brother! Or at least, that was what I kept telling myself.

Unfortunately, I seem to have very limited control of my physiological responses to anything, so I did end up blushing whether I wanted to or not. And I noticed that as I reddened, Mephisto's eyes seemed to narrow ever so slightly, like he was making some kind of calculation, but his grin never faded. "My ~ how does such an innocent young lady come to make deals with demons?"

I furrowed my eyebrows a little, "I bribe them with candy, I guess?"

Mephisto seemed to freeze as his eyes and grin widened right before he had a burst of utter amusement. I stared at him while he laughed; I think he thought I was joking?

But I wasn't. It was the truth and it was a little embarrassing that he found it so unbelievable he'd laugh in my face. Fortunately, his merriment promptly cleared up when he realized I wasn't as amused, "OH – you were being serious." He sighed, clearly disenchanted, "My little brother has very predictable desires, hm?"

"Well…kind of…" I hated to agree, because Amaimon tended to be unpredictable and hard to read, but – at least in that scenario – I had managed to accurately make a prediction that saved my life. Still, it didn't seem like a totally accurate statement, so while looking down in thought, I continued, "But kind of not. Honestly, I think I just got lucky when we first met."

"What a fickle character lady luck can be – giving luck here and there, or none at all! ~ How she must truly favor you." As the demon in front of me spoke his hands gestured as though to emphasize his point, but by the end of his statement he had laced them together across the desk, "OR ~ luck could be a simple matter of quick wit in unfortunate circumstance – would you consider yourself lucky or clever?"

That was an excellent question, "…A little bit of both." It was around this time I realized the conversation had been primarily one sided. Likely because of my nerves and his overwhelming gusto, I hadn't actually asked him a question or spoken to him about the concerns I had with his own behavior, and now that I realized it I was determined to change that. "And what about yourself, Mr. Pheles? Are you clever or lucky?"

I almost instantly regretted asking, because his jovial smile almost instantly turned darkly pleased – it was the kind of smile I would expect of a demon that was playing a deadly game and had his opponent exactly where he wanted them, and it was absolutely terrifying. "Ms. Ueda, do you play chess?"

Mephisto and Amaimon had at least one thing in common: they aren't prone to directly answering questions. I pursed my lips ever so slightly and, as nonchalantly as I could manage, rubbed my sweaty palms against my thighs, "I know how…but I'm not very good."

In this moment, Mephisto's swing of expression gave me whiplash. In one moment he was acting like the terrifying mysterious demon I would have expected, and in the next he was an eccentrically thrilled host too silly to be taken seriously. "Marvelous ~"

In a moment, he had raised a hand above his desk and in the next he had snapped the fingers of said hand.

While this was an unusual thing to do in this context in general, that simply wasn't the strangest thing about it. No, that title goes to what followed immediately after he snapped. You see, after he snapped the entire desktop became engulfed in a cloud of smoke – one with a pinkish hue and sweet smell, for those who would wonder. I gasped and jumped back just a little, fortunately the chair I was seated in was made of heavy wood and very sturdy so my recoil wasn't at risk of flipping the chair over and embarrassing myself in that manner.

Although, admittedly the coughing fit that I delved into after inhaling the strange pink smoke was a little embarrassing in its own right since I'm sure the force of my coughs turned my face bright red and brought tears to my eyes.

When finally the smoke cleared what was left in its wake was a chessboard, which most certainly hadn't been there before. "How about we play a little game while we chat?"

"Like I said, I'm really not very good at ch-" I made an attempt to decline the offer, but was quickly cut off.

"Oh~ that hardly matters; it'll be amusing all the same."

"But-"

"Will you make me ask twice?"

The question seemed rhetorical, in that I didn't really seem to have much say in the answer. This was a game I wouldn't get out of it seemed.

Demons and their penchant for games – I loved a good game as much as the next person, but it seemed that demons were far more easily seduced by the promise of a game than any human I've ever known above the age of 12 or 13.

"Lady's first~"

With a slight snort of displeasure, I acquiesced. Of course, I only knew the basics of chess and had no idea of any sort of strategy, so almost as soon as I moved the randomly chosen pawn two spaces ahead, I felt like I had lost. Alas, it was just a game and my goal wasn't to win anyhow.

"What an interesting opening move, Ms. Ueda." My nose twitched at the tone of voice used by the demon in front of me. He clearly did not intend that as a compliment.

"Yes, well – I did say I wasn't very good at this."

"Indeed~" Mephisto had by this point made his opening move as well. Also, oddly enough, moving a pawn. "How about a wager then?"

"What?"

"A wager. I do love a good gamble, you know."

I raised an eyebrow, "Why in the world would I make a bet on a game, I have no confidence in winning?"

Mephisto stopped to consider this for a moment, dramatically tapping his chin as if he truly struggled to think about the situation, before he finally spoke, "I do suppose you've got a point, and besides there is absolutely nothing I have to offer that you could want." He shrugged, "Isn't that so…"

Actually, that wasn't quite so. There was one thing I did want from him, and I think this demon probably knew that. "…"

"Ms. Ueda?" I could already tell this was a bad idea, but I did want something.

"There is something."

"Oh!?" The feigned shock and over dramatic motion of surprise only served to further my suspicion that he knew I wanted something from him, and it frustrated me enough that my jaw tightened and I had to finished my request through clenched teeth.

"Corporal punishment – you've used it before on Amaimon, but I want you to stop."

For perhaps the first time since we had begun our interaction, Mephisto seemed to have an authentic emotional reaction to something I had said. The reaction, however, was not the kind of reaction I was expecting. I would have thought that he might have been surprised that I didn't ask for something for myself, but instead he seemed pleased.

It wasn't a pleasant pleased. It was that smile again. The smile where I felt like he somehow had me where he wanted me, but I didn't know why or how, nor what I could do to avoid it.

"My~ what a wonderful friend my cute little brother has made!" He placed a hand over his heart before he continued, "Alright then~ if you win, I shall keep my hands to myself the next time Amaimon misbehaves."

That seemed…like a sufficient promise, even if it was dependent on my ability to beat Mephisto at chess.

"But what if I win~ hm?"

I shivered. I forgot for a moment that wagers go both ways. "I guess a bag of candy won't do?"

For the second time since I'd met him, he mistook a remark I made in all seriousness for humor and burst into laughter. I couldn't blame him for his merriment; even I had to admit – to believe I could get away with so simple an enticement a second time around was a little silly. But a girl could hope, right?

When finally he ceased his laughter he responded, "I'm afraid my rates run a bit higher than my brother's. But don't fret. All I want is a bit of your time."

"My time?" He wanted to spend time with me? I guess that made some amount of sense. If I had a little brother that was spending a lot of time with someone, I'd probably want to get to know him or her too. I suppose he could also want my time for some sort of favor…but I'm not sure what kind of favor that might be.

"Why, yes~"

That seemed fair. If I win, Amaimon will be spared from future injury at the hands of his brother. If I lose, I'd just have to spend a little time with Mephisto or do him some kind of favor – though I do wish he'd be clearer, it seemed harmless enough.

"…okay." I sounded uncertain even to my own ears, but I couldn't back out now that I had said it.

"A deal is a deal! Now, it is your turn, Ms. Ueda."

He was right; it was indeed my turn. Now to put my horrible, or should I say nonexistent chess skills to the test. After all, I didn't know the first thing about chess strategy; I simply knew the rules to moving all the pieces.

My hand moved hesitantly over the board. Should I move another pawn? Could I even move any other piece except another pawn? But…if I move my queenside center pawn out, the one he already has out will likely capture it, and I didn't want to forfeit the pawn guarding my king. I guess I could move a knight – yea, I can move my queenside knight and that will prevent him from moving another pawn to the center of the board. Eventually, I gripped the pony figure, lifted it off the board, and confidently placed it in the spot I had chosen for it.

"What do you know of chess strategy Ms. Ueda?"

Suddenly I felt significantly less confident about my move. "I think I'm demonstrating my knowledge quite plainly."

"I see…then nothing at all?" Ouch, that hurt. "Allow me to introduce you to the basics." Mephisto moved his other center pawn forward two spaces; "Your opening moves should allow you to gain control of the center board, and therefore your opponent."

Now that he mentions it, his opening move did give him control of the middle of the board and made me hesitant to move my center pawns. I swallowed the lump that was forming in my throat and made a pathetic attempt at sounding optimistic, "I see. Wish I had known that earlier, but I can always turn things around!"

I immediately recognized I could take his newly moved pawn, but I was hesitant. Surely Mephisto, who seemed to have more than an inkling of how to play well, knew that moving the pawn there would leave it vulnerable to my knight, yet he had moved it there anyways. What was he planning? A trap? A trap seemed like the proper answer. I looked at his smug face – it was definitely a trap, but he had to know I'd be thinking this too.

Perhaps, he was convinced I'd chicken out of taking his pawn.

Or maybe not?

It was for this reason I hated chess. I tended towards over analyzing, which might be a good thing – but I struggled to come to a conclusion, which certainly isn't. Additionally, I simply had no talent for planning ahead and preparing contingency plan after contingency plan. A skill I assume you need to have to be any good at chess. Much of that is probably because I lack the patience to try, but I also suspect it to be a result of my inability to read my opponents intentions.

"Oh dear, this is only your third move, Ms. Ueda. I hope you aren't conceding quite yet, that would be more than a little disappointing."

I clenched my fists, more than a little agitated, "So, Mr. Pheles, is impatience an unfortunate family trait or a demon's vice?"

"Boredom is my only vice~"

His only vice indeed. He had more than a few weaknesses of character as far as I was concerned, starting with his cheeky attitude. Such an attitude, I could already tell, would make playing any game with him miserable.

With a twitch of my nose, I decided that I had moved my knight to defend that position, so I might as well defend it. Swiftly, I took his freshly moved pawn.

"Wonderful defense, I really should have known better." He most certainly did not mean that. I likely did exactly what he wanted, and I feared what onslaught I had brought upon myself.

Or rather, I assumed there would be an onslaught; after all, my knight was now fully exposed to his queen. But, the only thing he did was move his other pawn forward…again. "…Mr. Pheles, I realize I'm horrible at chess, but you don't honestly expect to win with just that pawn do you?"

Mephisto seemed overly surprised by my question and went out of his way to look at the board – seemingly more closely – "Oh! I should have taken your knight!" He shrugged, "My mistake, but…there's always next time." I narrowed my eyes on the demon in front of me. He was either goading me into moving it, or daring me not to. I really wasn't sure. Either way, it made more strategic sense for me to move it. There was no need for me to sacrifice my knight to his queen so early on. And even if he did bring his queen into play next turn, there wasn't really a lot he could do with her that wouldn't put her in danger. If he attacked a pawn, there were more than enough other pieces to take her out, and save one pawn and a knight, all of my pieces were well protected.

So whether he was goading me or not, I moved my knight back to its original defensive position. I chose that position because it also meant that I could take out his pawn, since if he didn't move it, my knight would take it, and if he did, a pawn would take it.

Not to pat myself on the back, but I think I was doing fairly well. Admittedly, I was playing a very defensive game – but I wasn't losing horribly quite yet either.

"Let's see…oh my! It seems my pawn is in a pickle…well, I certainly don't want to lose another one to your knight…" And with those words, he moved that same pawn forward yet again.

I now had two choices, or three depending on how you counted. I could take the pawn with one of two pawns, or I could choose not to. If I chose not to, he would likely take a pawn of his choosing and my King would be exposed to attack. If I took his pawn, I risk either exposing my Queen to his, or exposing my kingside bishop to almost nothing at all.

The answer seemed clear to me. And I made my move. "Mr. Pheles, I don't think you've moved anything but pawns this whole time."

"Excellent observation! But you see, you haven't made the most important one of all!" Mephisto chuckled, and admittedly, I couldn't really see why. "I didn't need to move much else."

I got the strange sense that I had just lost the game, and when I really looked at the board, I understood immediately what he was getting at. I had lost. Or rather, I was about to. All my opponent needed to do was move his queen diagonally four spaces, and my king would be checkmated. He'd have nowhere to run, and no way of defending.

I watched a gloved lavender hand pick up his black queen and I closed my eyes in defeat – waiting for the checkmate that I knew was coming.

Only, almost as soon as I closed them, I heard something about as far from a checkmate as it could be. It was a crash and an all too familiar snarl from directly in front of me. Startled my eyes opened up again, only to find Behemoth atop the desk and the chessboard in total ruins.

"Behemoth!"

"Oh my…" Mephisto sounded drastically less enthused than I did, "If you could please control your pet, Amaimon."

Amaimon? My eyes search the room and indeed, Amaimon was present. Though, if it weren't for his head darting out from behind a curtain, I don't think I would have noticed him in his hiding spot, which made me wonder if he had indeed been here for the entirety of my and Mephisto's conversation.

"Behemoth got bored, big brother."

"Was it only the hobgoblin growing bored to blame for this interruption, I wonder?" It was a fair question, Amaimon was not well known for his patience any more than his hobgoblin pet. If Behemoth was bored, Amaimon most certainly was too.

But the only answer received from the green-haired demon king was a shrug.

Again, I couldn't help but note the way that both Amaimon and his brother tended to dodge questions. I wondered if that was by nature of them being demons, or if it was simply a personality trait that they both happened to share.

I also couldn't help but notice, that in general, Amaimon seemed more subdued and was oddly polite in his manner of speaking to his elder brother.

My glance shifted between the two siblings, Amaimon, then Mephisto, and then back to Amaimon – only to discover Amaimon was no longer standing by the curtains. I also quickly noted that I was no longer seated in the chair. It took my brain only a moment to gather that the two observations were obviously connected and that Amaimon was now next to me, lifting me rudely out of the seat.

I instantly panicked and flushed bright red by this embarrassing and unmannered display "Ah! Amaimon! Put me down!" My request was downright ignored and I was promptly carried to the nearest window.

"Behemoth, come." Behemoth, who had been chewing on the chess pieces, much to Mephisto's obvious displeasure, turned and faced Amaimon a giddy look on his face. I expected him to follow immediately, as he usually did, but instead he turned and scowled at the elder demon. Then with a growl he lunged forward and ate the ebony queen right from out of his hand, making sure to take the entirety of Mephisto's gloved limb into his mouth in the process.

The violet-haired man almost immediately delved into a histrionic fit of disgust and dismay at the loss of his queen and his now slobber coated hand. I knitted my brows together at the silly display and had to forcibly contain my giggles. Amaimon, however, was seemingly unaffected by the ridiculous display and simply climbed through the window with me in in tow and Behemoth hot on his heels, "See you, big brother."

It took me a moment to realize we were falling, but as soon as I did – whether I wanted it to or not – a shriek left my lips.

"The sun can be your greatest gloom, or your greatest comforter, depending on how you view its shine."

~Anthony Liccione

I really was not fond of heights, but I certainly wasn't fond of leaping through the air at break neck paces either. So perhaps I should be pleased for a reprieve from the latter occurrence. That being said, I wasn't at all pleased to be in the top of an obscenely tall tree in the middle of a massive forest.

Mostly because one singular thought kept running through my head: what if I fell?

But also because that one singular thought encouraged embarrassing behavior on my part. I was clutching Amaimon's head for dear life. It wasn't that I thought he'd drop me on purpose or even on accident, but my instincts told me that if he did, I'd better be holding on to something secure.

And what could possibly be more secure than Amaimon's head?

Actually, I could think of plenty of things that might have been more secure, like the tree itself, and would have saved me from such awkward positioning, but with Amaimon's steel grip holding me in place, I doubt I could have held on to anything that wasn't him. And, unfortunately, his head was about the only extension of his body I could realistically reach, which meant half his face was quite covered by my torso.

I'd really rather not dwell on that though, I was flustered enough already.

On the opposite side of the trunk, Behemoth scrambled about – somehow maintaining some version of balance and not falling. Though every time a foot of his moved my heart nearly leapt out of my chest with fear for his wellbeing. To be honest, I thought I was handling my nervousness for the fiend's safety fairly well, that is, until he lost all footing, fell out of the tree and I had a full-blown panic attack. "Behemoth!"

Beneath me, I felt Amaimon's head move in the hobgoblin's direction, and I wondered if the demon king had any amount of worry as well. My question seemed somewhat answered when Amaimon stepped off the bough he had been perched on and we both fell towards the ground after our mutual friend.

I screamed, silently, as we fell. But despite my fear, I knew I wasn't actually in any danger and, as I suspected, Amaimon landed easily on the forest floor. I also found that despite how clumsily Behemoth had fallen from the tree he had landed quite gracefully as well – he also immediately took off after something in the grass, though I couldn't really tell what it was. Now on the ground, I took the opportunity to unravel my arms from around my companion's green head and ask for release, "Amaimon, … can you let me go now?"

My request seemed to spur the opposite reaction I was hoping for, however. The demon king never glanced my direction and instead of relaxing his grip around my hips, he tightened it, "…No."

His arm and hand were hurting at this point so I winced and pushed at them, "Ow! Amaimon, it hurts."

"I won't let go."

I don't know why he was being so stubbornly mean, but I wasn't above begging, "Please."

Finally, his grip relaxed slightly and for the first time since he had whisked me away from is brother's home, Amaimon looked at me. Though he remained mostly stone-faced, I noticed a slight wrinkle of his brows, and I realized what the problem was. He was upset with me.

"You're mad at me." I stated dumbly before questioning the cause, "Why?"

His face morphed into an actual frown, "I am stronger than you, and I don't like to share."

I shivered at his tone of voice and how vulnerable I was to him while still in his grasp, "But why are you mad?!"

He leaned in towards me, and whether he intended it as a threat, I felt threatened and withdrew as best I could, "Don't play stupid games."

"What?" So what, he hated chess – and he was mad I played it? That's just silly.

"I am strong and I won't share - with anyone." It clicked suddenly. Amaimon was horrible at communicating but I understood now what he was angry about. It wasn't that I played chess. It was that I had made a deal concerning him with his brother over the results of the game.

I couldn't meet his gaze, "Oh…I just wanted to help."

"I don't need help." Amaimon had said this before, back when I treated his injuries and I shouldn't really be surprised that his mentality hadn't changed. I guess my real surprise was that he was so angry about my attempt.

"I know…but I wasn't hurting anything so I wanted to try."

He tightened his grip again, not so that it was painful but more as a reminder that his arm was there, "Stop trying – or you will break."

I wanted to say Amaimon was threatening me, really it seemed that way. With his arms wrapped around me and the scowl on his face – that was the reasonable interpretation of what had just come out of his mouth. I should have been scared, and I probably was. But for some reason, I just got the feeling that Amaimon wasn't the real danger here. He was warning me, and it seemed like he was warning me of himself – but I just couldn't say if he actually was.

I couldn't read his mind. I didn't know what he was thinking.

But I did notice the way he looked away as soon as he had allegedly threatened me, and while his scowl remained in place – and I'm sure he was still angry, something about his anger just seemed off.

Tentatively, I brushed a leaf off his head, "I won't break." I smiled, "At least, I believe you won't break me."

Amaimon was quiet while his scowl faded away. When his apathetic countenance returned, he looked back at me and blinked a few times. It was like he was thinking about something. I wasn't sure what it was, but I was at least happy his frown was gone and I grinned wider.

Apparently he didn't appreciate my smile as much as I hoped he would because the moment my grin got bigger, I felt his free hand clasp onto my cheeks and squeeze them until my lips puckered. Immediately, I set into squirming and grabbed his arm and offending hand, "Ey! Dun't do dat!"

"…" He cocked his head as he stared at me, and eventually leaned in closer, which, unsurprisingly, made my heart rate skyrocket. "I won't."

Despite what he said, he didn't actually let go of my cheeks – much to my irritation and discomfiture. Eventually, I started slapping at his arm and trying to shake my head. "Uhmaiwun, leh me guh!"

"Eh…I don't wanna~" As he made his very childish declaration, he adjusted his hold on me so that his arm and hand that had been around my waist were now wrapped firmly around my thighs. While this was probably more comfortable for me, I was also hyper aware that whether he realized it or not he was about as close as he could be to groping me without actually doing it. Instantly, my squished face heated up and I could swear my heart stopped.

Well, he had at the very least returned to the childish unintentional tease that I was familiar with. Of course, no matter how familiar I was with this variation of the demon, I was still ill equipped to deal with it. "…Uh-Uhmaiwun! Be caweful! Pwease!"

I was tempted to squirm – but I was also terrified that if I squirmed his hand would move up so I remained frozen instead, much to the green-headed demon kings seeming amusement. He didn't smile or anything, but there was a twinkle of something in his apathetic eyes that was at least somewhat pleasant – even if it was at the expense of my discomfort. "You look funny."

"Dat's cuz you aw sqwuishin mah face."

"Is it?" It was weird that he seemed to authentically be asking that question. Like he was suggesting my face looked weird all the time.

I pouted and my already red face reddened a fraction more, but this time from embarrassed anger. "Yah!"

"…hm." At this point he un-squished my face, stared at it, then squished it again. Then repeated the action two or three times more until finally he released my face all together seemingly satisfied with whatever conclusion he reached. Cocking his head he declared, "It's still funny."

"It's not!" I think my feelings might have been a little hurt by this point, and I really wanted to run away and hide. Unfortunately, the most I could actually do was look away and hide behind my hands while I continued to sulk.

"Ah..." I couldn't see him, but I could swear he seemed disappointed. "But I like to laugh."

I peeked at him. He was staring at me, his head cocked and despite his noh mask he had for a face, I could swear he looked like a kicked puppy. That being said, I didn't move my hands – I was far too self-conscious now.

"…I want to see it."

I didn't respond, nor did I move my hand. I simply refused to. I wasn't going to reward his teasing with more ammunition to tease me with. He hadn't complied with any of my requests since he carried me off anyway! For starters, he was still carrying me! As far as I was concerned, he needed to learn what it was like to have his appeals be ignored same as I.

"Please?" I froze. That was the second time I had ever heard that word leave his lips, though this was the first time it actually ever sounded like an honest appeal and not something he had to force between his teeth. I couldn't control the way my hands fell.

Amaimon was the type to make demands for anything and everything he wanted, and twice now he had seen fit enough to ask me for something. Not simply demand and take it. In the time I'd known Amaimon, I'd always felt that he had always seen me as something to amuse him – a possession of sorts, even as a friend.

With a single word, it seemed like I might have somehow graduated in his mind from an object to an autonomous person whose independence he somewhat respected and cared about.

It was odd. But it wasn't an unwelcome odd, quite the opposite actually - I encouraged it. Plus, it was kind of refreshing not to be the one making pleas since, usually, I was the one doing all the begging.

I looked at the demon in front of me, his face hadn't changed any – it was still emotionless as was customary. Yet something seemed different, more than likely, it was something in my own head but different nonetheless.

Despite the nagging in the back of my mind reminding me that Amaimon apparently thought I looked funny – even when smiling – I smiled for him.

"Okay, I can do that."

"Everything is going to be fine in the end. If it's not fine it's not the end."

~Oscar Wilde

Author's Note:

So…I didn't die…though I'm sure plenty of you would love to kill me. HAHA

I'm so sorry for my delay. I do hope you all can forgive me. Anyways, for those of you who have held out on this: Thank you all so much! I truly do appreciate it; it's the only reason I continued to come back to this story even though I honestly thought I wouldn't be able to after so long.

Finally, I shall continue to the author's note I actually wanted to write a lifetime ago! I have a love-hate relationship with Mephisto. I love him in the anime and manga, but authentically despise writing him. Therefore, I can say that I really really really didn't like writing this chapter. I feel like it's probably my worst and the most difficult to really motivate myself to write. For that I apologize. Hopefully you all enjoy it anyways! And a shout out to all you lovelies who suggested some music for me and took me up on my challenge! I really enjoyed hearing your suggestions and reading what you had to say!

Also: Did anyone else not know that there is actually a chess computer called a Mephisto until they looked it up? I encountered this little detail by pure happenstance but it seems appropriate.

~Cheru