The night was a quiet one.
Pale moonlight filtered through the small window of the guest bedroom, casting long shadows across the cozy space and bathing it in its cold glow. Nothing stirred within the confines of the darkened building. Only the curtains draped over the small window would sway with the force of a faint breeze every little while, rustling quietly in the otherwise peaceful silence that had long since fallen upon the two inhabitants of the tiny room, merely adding to the quiet lull rather than serving to disturb it.
Satina shifted slightly where she lay upon the soft sheets, her triangular muzzle settling lightly and comfortably upon the demon's covered midsection and a heavy sigh wringing itself past her pursed lips as the hours slowly, relentlessly ticked by, the reptile unable to lose herself within the blissful unconsciousness that came with slumber.
Aku, on the other hand, was sleeping peacefully for once, she noted. She'd be lying if she said she wasn't somewhat relieved by that fact. He'd been having quite a lot of problems with doing that recently. Nightmares plagued his dreams, terrorizing him incessantly with a different sort of pain, a brand new sort of suffering. As if his physical agony and anguish weren't enough. As if the dark memories viciously assaulting him during his every waking moment were no longer sufficient. Even sleep, by far the last refuge the former tyrant still had to himself, was now slowly being taken away from him, stolen, just like everything else he had used to possess.
Not that he hadn't suffered from such dreams before, of course. Satina could recall multiple occasions during her short service when she'd seen the demon absolutely exhausted, having gone several nights without decent rest due to his haunting nightmares. Plagued by dark recollections of being attacked right after birth, of being trapped in a barren wasteland in the form of some gnarly tree, unable to move, unable to use his abilities, unable to do anything to get himself out of his mortifying situation-
But the difference between now and then was that Akua had always been there to calm him, to pull him back into reality. Aku had never gone out of his way to seek her comfort, to directly summon her whenever his past terror managed to get the best of him and he hadn't really required to because the medic had always known when he needed her without being told, had instinctively sensed when the tyrant was in trouble and in need of her help.
Aku always denied such moments, of course. Out of pride, out of spite, out of the need to preserve his image, to continue painting himself as an omnipotent and entirely cruel being, one to whom such pitiful and weak emotions as fear, sorrow or vulnerability of all things were completely alien and unknown. He wasn't human, after all, wasn't mortal.
But even so, the calming effects of the Bakeneko's presence were all too clear. After all, Akua probably understood his pain better than anyone else around here really did.
They didn't always seek physical comfort from each other, that much was true. Simply had no real need to do so. More often that not Aku even ended up snarling angrily at her, vexed by her concern and radiating hostility while she stood in the shadows and looked calmly on, the demon lord loathing the fact that someone could actually pick up on his barely palpable distress, actually knew that he needed support. But the way Aku instantly relaxed when he sensed that she was near, the way his shoulders immediately fell from their stiff hold and the residual tension bled out of his gigantic form spoke volumes of his genuine feelings towards the cat-like being.
During those few times when his memories were being especially vivid, Akua would usually abandon her spot by the wall, taking over the meeting if they were in one with the excuse that Aku had better, far more important duties to attend to than the civilian's lowly problems and thus all petty grievances should be aired to her instead. When they were alone, or at least thought they were, they would exchange a few growled words, ones Satina could not yet understand but knew belonged to one of their more common demonic dialects, Akua's voice becoming far more melodious, not as deep or rasping as when she was speaking human language and Aku's becoming much rougher in contrast, the tyrant grimacing as he was forced to speak in the tongue he'd had so much trouble learning despite his natural-born curiosity and thirst for knowledge.
Very rarely they would express support through physical touch. In fact, Satina was quite sure that all the instances in which they had shared something more than a few sentences could be counted on two hands. Though demons were surprisingly tactile and relied largely not only on sounds and smells and smallest gestures but on touch as well, Aku never seemed too comfortable with expressing his affection that way and Akua never asked or forced him to, all too glad to keep her distance if it made the other feel more at ease. When the demon did permit her approach, however, finding himself suddenly desperate for some support despite his pride and wounded ego, the cat-like demon would usually brush her cheek fur gently against the dark essence of his forearm, the gesture normally accompanied by tender and quiet purring and twitching ears to sign her delight, turquoise markings emanating a soft, soothing glow.
Despite himself, Aku would instantly relax at the pleasant caress, the dark memories once again plaguing his thoughts returning to the back of his mind where they no doubt belonged and his green muzzle contorting in grudging gratitude as he looked down at one of his closest minions.
He would later hiss and snarl at Akua and her incessant coddling, of course, but they all knew it was only for show as he would instantly lower himself to her level if she was willing to give him a scratch behind the ears, black eyes shuttering in reluctant pleasure and delight. Something that both the reptile and the cat-like demon still found endlessly amusing about their arrogant and independent (or so he claimed) lord.
But.. Akua wasn't here anymore, and Aku was even worse off than when he'd been trapped within that accursed tree, robbed of almost everything that had made him, well, him. And no matter how much he might call for her, as the samurai had said he had, she would not be able to answer him, even though she no doubt desperately wanted to.
The samurai.
Satina's lips curled in barely contained anger, baring the sharp, pearly tips of her needle like fangs and emerald eyes narrowing in thought and at the same time simmering hate.
She couldn't say she trusted him, even after witnessing the way he was treating Aku. Couldn't exactly say that she forgave him for what he'd done, even though she could potentially see where he was coming from. He was nothing more than a fanatic, after all, an ignorant pawn in the late Emperor's hands, blissfully blind to the intricacies, the sheer controversies of this world. It wasn't his fault really, she knew that. He was purposefully raised that way, his own father hiding his crimes from his offspring in hopes of saving his own hide in the future. Especially for the time when karma finally came around to bite him in the ass.
But... After watching him closely for these past several days.. Satina could tell that something within the human had changed. That something had finally made him think.
The wooden floorboards hardly creaked beneath her weight as she slipped silently from the narrow bed, the sheets giving off an almost ghostly glow in the pale moonlight, highlighting the thin form settled comfortably upon it.
Giving her Master's claws one last comforting squeeze, the woman pushed aside the heavy mahogany door of the small room, stepping out into the darkened hallway of the Scotsman's house. One she never in her life would've imagined she'd ever end up visiting.
Just as she had expected, the human was still stubbornly remaining seated upon the polished floor next to the demon's bedroom, his arms wrapped around his legs and onyx eyes fixed on nothing in particular, the man evidently lost in deep thought. She hadn't allowed him to sleep inside with her and Aku, still far too wary of him and worried about sending her former lord into a panic if he happened to wake during the night and see his former enemy lying on the floor beside them, his mind still clouded with sleep. But Jack had still been reluctant to leave the two of them alone, even for the night, and had thus resigned himself to sleeping outside in the corridor, ready to jump in and help at any moment.
After hearing his recollections of finding the demon bleeding out and practically at death's door, Satina couldn't say she really blamed him for being that overly cautious or worried.
If he hadn't decided to check on the other back then, if he hadn't bothered himself to do so, then Aku would probably be...
Stifling a heavy sigh, the reptile leaned against the cold wall herself, her arms crossing tightly and tensely over her scaled chest.
Silence, icy and heavy, fell between them, both creatures lost in deep thought, both reluctant to trust the other and both realizing with great annoyance that some agreement had to be made between them. That something in their currently uneasy relationship had to change. If they were to work together on this, of course.
Surprisingly, it was the warrior who gave in to the other first.
"Do you hate me, Satina?"
Caught entirely unawares by the odd question, the reptile merely raised a single eyebrow ridge, tilting her triangular muzzle subtly in his direction. "Hate is a rather strong word, samurai, don't you think?"
A shadow of a smile flickered briefly over the other's face.
"Please, call me Jack."
This time she did bare her fangs at him, unable to hold her deep-seated anger towards him completely at bay. "We are notthat close, samurai."
The human flinched at the unexpected hostility, the movement quick and all but invisible in the deep shadows that had long since fallen upon the large building, and Satina felt a sharp twinge of guilt within her chest, one that she made sure to quickly smother. He did not deserve her apology, after all. But even so, when she spoke again, her voice was much softer than it had been before, significantly more gentle. Almost apologetic. "But no, I cannot say I do. If anything, I prefer to describe it as 'possessing a strong feeling of dislike' towards you. And nothing else."
An amused huff left the man's lips at the sound of the dry humor in her voice, his inky black hair spilling over his shoulders in gentle waves and a small smile pulling at the corners of his mouth once more. "That is a far more elegant way to put it, I will admit." The reptile shot him a faintly mischievous glance.
"It's what I do best, samurai."
"But then, why do you not hate Aku as well?" And just like that, the humor between them was gone, replaced by the grim seriousness of their situation, dark, onyx eyes meeting poison green.
"If you hate me because I am an invader, a person set on mercilessly destroying your world, why do you not experience that same anger towards Aku as well? Why do you only profess your dislike towards me?"
A heavy sigh left Jack's lips as he shifted, settling more comfortably against the hard surface of the wall behind him as he peered out of the single window across from them, his face illuminated by the dim and meager light the night provided.
"I have.. overheard what little you have told Dearg of your.. history. About how Aku invaded your world, how he enslaved you and your people. How he demolished your culture and nature, poisoned the planet inside out with his horrendous cities and factories. And yet you.. you almost worship him regardless, openly speak of your loyalty to the very creature who brought you nothing but misery. Why? What makes Aku's actions so different from mine, to the point that I deserve your loathing and he does not?"
"Because Aku wasn't destroying, or dismantling worlds, samurai," Satina stated simply, the look in her green eyes cold. "He was building."
Jack shot her a sharp look, the expression in his eyes one of silent questioning, but the reptile was no longer looking at him, her attention directed elsewhere.
When she spoke again, her voice betrayed only her bone-deep exhaustion.
"You have to understand, samurai, where I was born people looked down upon the mere possibility of developing, of pushing our race somewhere, to some unseen goal. Though we already possessed intelligence, consciousness, the ability to thinkand analyze and draw conclusions, few of us were truly willing to see farther than our own needs. To actually start doing something to develop a real civilization."
A bitter chuckle left the woman's lips.
"Survival is your greatest priority. That's the first and by far only thing I was ever taught by the person you humans usually refer to as a mother. And that is exactly the only principal that our species of shikichi ever lived by. Survive, live, never allow yourself to be distracted by other matters." Satina broke off, sensing that her voice was becoming tight with anger, the reptile willing herself to remain emotionless as ever, reluctant to show the human sitting beside her anything he could later use to his advantage. As he undoubtedly would. He was a smart man, one that undeniably had a knack for locating opponents' weak spots.
It was one of the things that made him far more dangerous than most.
"Our race became stagnant in its evolution, samurai. We weren't changing our ways. Weren't going to change them. We weren't about to start moving forward. Those that dared to explore the world surrounding us, that actually tried to uncover its many secrets, were usually shunned, in some cases - killed. But.. even if we had started to develop, it would've been hundreds if not a couple thousand years before we reached even the most primitive levels of technological prowess. If it were not for Aku, we would've still been little more than glorified beasts scrounging away in the forests, fighting with everything we had just to stay alive another day." Sharp, needle-like fangs flashed in the dim light of the moonlit night.
"If it were not for him, I would still be slaving away in the dust, in the dirt, looking up at the distant sky above me and realizing that I would never achieve anything of true value in my long and boring life, stuck and forced to live pointlessly. Like an animal, unable to use my nature-given intelligence for anything really useful."
A bitter smile flashed over Satina's face.
"With his plans of conquering and colonizing my planet, Aku actually indirectly saved my life. He gave me a chance at education, at development, allowed me to visit other worlds that I never would have laid eyes upon otherwise. He actually gave me something to live for, samurai, a purpose, some meaning. And I don't ever intend to forget that."
"He enslaved you," Jack argued with her quietly, voice kept forcefully soft, but even so, the woman still sensed the steely edge to it, the held back, age-old anger. "He forced you to work for him. Made you defile your own home and mercilessly slaughtered your own people. How can you advocate something like that? How can you ever forgive or make yourself overlook such atrocities just because he ended up indirectly helping you in the end? How can you be so-" The man broke off, lips pursing and the knuckles of his fingers going white around his own shoulders with the force of his tight grip.
For the first time in a very long while, the reptile allowed herself a genuine smile. "Heartless?"
The human forced himself to look away, refusing to meet her gaze. Even so, the shallow nod was obvious.
"Because I don't really see anything wrong with it."
Now that instantly grasped the samurai's attention, his head snapping back and towards the reptilian creature standing beside him, onyx eyes wide.
"What?"
Satina shrugged, the look on her face one of aloof detachment, her entire appearance giving away her lack of care, the sheer absence of passion about the entire matter. Something that Jack, for the life of him, could not fully comprehend.
"You must understand, samurai, I was raised in very different conditions than those that you yourself grew up in. You always had everything handed to you on a silver platter compared to me. If you desire proof of that fact, just think of all the years you spent in travel, training yourself to come face to face with Aku in combat. Very few people turned you away did they not? Most agreed to teach you everything they could, either because they were friendly with your father, or because they were sympathetic to your quest. I, in contrast, never had such opportunities, everything I ever achieved came with a heavy price. We are a resilient species, samurai, what were a few years of hard labor compared to the chance of standing on the shoulders of giants? Practically nothing. It was, surprisingly, a very small price to pay for most of us. As for the slaughter of my people.."
Here Satina allowed herself another small smirk.
"Let us just say that none of us were really much attached to one another. It was simply not part of our.. culture, did you put it? Even before Aku each of us was taught to care only for ourselves first and foremost. There were no such things as love, or care, or family. Fathers left the nest as soon as their selected mates for the season were in no need of assistance, most of the time even earlier than that, and mothers booted their brood out the door the moment they showed they were capable of a successful hunt. There was never any attachment, and honestly most of us youngsters were happy to see those old bastards go. They were the ones who had kept us from growing as a race for so long, they were the ones who were willing to do everything they possibly could to keep us living in the dirt like animals. Aku at least had enough decency in him to force them to do something useful before their deaths for once. We probably would've ended up simply killing them."
Jack balked at the simple cruelty of her off-handed statement.
"You.. you cannot possibly think that way!"
Satina watched him carefully. "And why not, samurai? It is the way I was raised, my culture as you so gracefully put it. Why do you not accept it? Why do you forbid me to follow it? Why do you not respect the differences of our ways? What makes you so sure that your way of thinking is the only correct one?"
"Because mine is based on honor," the human said heatedly, the look in his eyes one of burning conviction. "Mine does not permit the death of innocents for your own personal benefit. Mine values all life, teaches you to protect those who cannot do so themselves, to respect everyone. Whatever crimes you might think your parents have committed against you does notgive you the right to allow them to be slaughtered, much less to kill them yourself! It does not permit you to allow others to be murdered without reason, all because you think they were the same as those who had wronged you! My beliefs are what separates me from mindless creatures of hate and cruelty and evil. Creatures like-"
Jack broke off before he could quite finish, onyx eyes going almost imperceptibly wide at what he had been about to say, the full horror of what he'd unknowingly implied finally catching up with his exhausted mind.
"Aku?" Satina finished for him dryly that same bitter and humorless smirk ghosting over the corner of her lips once more, voice calm and almost stony. "That is what you meant to say, was it not?"
The samurai looked away, suddenly finding himself unable to meet her gaze. His fingers tightened even more around the pale folds of his gi, baring the old jagged tears that had been made by Aku's panicked struggles at some point during the first few weeks of their travel and which the human had not yet had the time or opportunity to patch up.
"And therein lies our disagreement, samurai. The problems I have with your ideology. In my world it would have gotten me killed. In fact, it would have lead to my demise in many worlds, not just the one I was born in. And just because I do not follow it, because I was not raised to follow it, because I do not understand, much less accept it, I, along with so many others, am immediately painted as 'evil'. As something that is to be exterminated for the good of everyone else. And yet you still claim to 'respect' everyone, to 'value' all life. Tell me, is it not somewhat hypocritical of you to say one thing and yet do the complete opposite?"
"Aku has killed hundreds, no, thousands, even millions of people, Satina!" The human warrior finally snapped, rising angrily to his feet and towering over the much smaller creature, onyx eyes glistening in the dim light with unshed tears of frustration and old grief. "Are you seriously trying to excuse all those atrocities?! Are you genuinely trying to convince me right now that those actions were not abominable?! Is that where this conversation is leading to?!"
"Do not put words into my mouth, samurai," the reptile hissed back with equal fury, eyes flashing in the dim light of the darkened hallways. "What I am trying to tell you here is that nothing is as simple as you make it out to be! Aku may have done many terrible things, I do not deny or excuse that, but he has also accomplished many good deeds as well! My life and gratitude to him are sufficient proof of that! What I am saying is that you have little right to judge him, to classify him as 'pure evil' while you hide behind your ideology, paint yourself as a hero, despite the fact that you and your family have done so many detestable things in the past as well!"
The woman broke off to take a deep, steadying breath.
When she spoke again her voice was calm and quiet, carefully controlled.
"Nothing is ever just black and white in this world. And there is simply no such thing as pure evil, however much you wish to believe otherwise. That is what I've been trying to tell you, what Aku has been trying to make you see this whole time."
Sighing heavily, the reptile turned to face the other fully, green eyes hooded with exhaustion and at the same barely concealed contempt. "That is also why I dislike you, samurai. Because you knowingly refuse to see the world for what it really is, and label those who disagree with you as creatures made of pure evil." Satina's lips quirked in a grim sort of smile. "But... Like father, like son I suppose. Nothing you can really do about it in retrospect."
Jack's onyx eyes narrowed into tiny slits of confusion and rising anger. "What do you mean by that, Satina?"
Sensing that they were getting nowhere and that speaking up now would only lead to another argument, one that could be easily avoided, the reptile shook her head, reaching for the smooth handle of the bedroom door, ready to rejoin her sleeping master. "Nevermind that, samurai. Now, will you be joining us, or are you going to sit on the cold floor for the whole night? Can't imagine it's too comfortable, even a wooden chair is a far more pleasant alternative." She glanced at him from the corner of her poison green eyes. "But then again... You are known for even finding a pile of boulders suitable objects to rest against."
Surprise flashed briefly over the human's face at the unexpected offer, almost instantly replaced by suspicion and lingering fury. Even so, his concern for the demon and the hope of being allowed to stay at his side were obvious. "You are inviting me inside? I thought you did not trust me."
Satina shot him a sharp look.
"I don't, believe me. But.." Here she appeared to hesitate, some unknown emotion flickering over her face, there and gone before the human warrior could even try to identify it, needle-like claws clenching tighter around the door's handle. "For whatever reason, Aku does, and he seems to feel better whenever you are near. So for his sake at least, I will do my best to tolerate your presence. Believe it or not, samurai, we are currently in the same boat and I do not have any desire to fight you even though I might dislike you. Let's try and understand each other here, hm? For him."
Sighing, the human reluctantly nodded in silent agreement, rising slowly to his feet and grimacing at the wracking ache that instantly radiated up his spine from the uncomfortable position he'd been sitting in for the past several hours, moving to enter the small room behind her.
"Very well. Lead the way, Satina."
=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=
Aku wasn't eating again.
To be completely honest, Jack couldn't say he really blamed him. Dearg's traditional Scottish food was difficult to stomach even on a good day, but when you were busy recovering from what would've undoubtedly been a mortal wound? Coupled with several other stab wounds that had only begun to heal before the suicide attempt? The task became next to impossible.
No, it wasn't the fact itself that the demon wasn't eating that worried Jack. It was the reason behind it.
Aku was staring out of the single window now, had been for the past hour. At this angle, Jack couldn't really see the demon's face, much less glimpse the no doubt haunted look still glistening within those dark eyes. But even so, the samurai knew what the other was probably thinking about. There was only one thing that the former lord could think about nowadays..
The wind whistled sharply outside, the branches of surrounding trees bobbing up and down and occasionally colliding against the small bedroom window, smearing the clear water that had only begun to rain from the darkened clouds above mere minutes ago.
Even though he knew the rustling and cracking sounds of tree branches and leaves were largely thanks to the storm currently going on outside, Jack couldn't help but get the feeling that the surrounding trunks were actually.. speaking to them. Reaching out to the wounded demon trapped inside the building and far out of their reach, desperate to offer whatever comfort they possibly could to a creature who had once been one of them so long ago now.
Heaving a heavy sigh, he put aside his own half-eaten plate, suddenly losing what little appetite he had had to begin with and instead taking a small sip of his near scorching tea, onyx eyes never straying from Aku's hunched form.
The demon had shifted during the few minutes that the samurai had been lost in thought, stretching out easily now that Satina was no longer taking up the entire area at the foot of the bed, obviously enjoying the extra space. To Jack's great surprise, however, Aku never voiced any true complaints whenever the lizard came to settle next to him besides the occasional irritated growl, shoving lightly at her with a clawed foot to get her to move over, the self-proclaimed assistant hissing at him in retaliation but doing as she was told nonetheless.
The former tyrant had later explained to the baffled human that there was simply no point in arguing with her in order to get her to sleep elsewhere. In the end, Satina would always do what she thought was best and if that meant staying to watch her injured Master 24/7 then she would. Complaints and glares be damned. Allowing her to do as she pleased spared the other an intense headache.
But Satina wasn't here at the moment, gone on her periodic trips outside the protection of the Scotsman's home. None of them knew where she went exactly besides the fact that she never strayed too far from the building itself, scouring the nearby woods for possible game or snatches of conversations from oblivious hikers. Worried and still somewhat suspicious of her motives, Jack had followed her a few times, only to wind up with nothing and to return to the large house ruffled and significantly covered in dirt, stray leaves and twigs sticking out of his black locks of hair and gi.
Idly, he had to wonder if she knew that he'd been following her, although how would be a great mystery. He was trained by the best in the art of stealth, after all.
Heaving another heavy and worn-out sigh, the man stared into the amber depths of his black tea, watching the dark leaves swim lazily within the warm colored substance and draw elegant patterns into the mirror-like surface.
Aku still wouldn't look at him, lost in deep and likely depressing thoughts, his black eyes now falling to his covered lap and the dull claws clasped tightly within it. The cold glimmer of golden shackles just barely peaked out from beneath the edges of the clean bandages that had been rewrapped around the other's arms, the demon having recently been caught clawing at them during what appeared to be another highly distressing nightmare. One that only Jack had been able to pull the other out of.
The wails of the howling wind and pouring rain only grew in volume as the minutes slowly ticked by, but neither of them were too disturbed by it, far too busy focusing on their own problems to care.
The sight of the transparent droplets splattering against the chilly windowpane did remind Jack of something though, a small smile pulling at the corners of his lips as an idea suddenly bloomed within his mind.
He'd been able to lift Aku's spirits back in that wooden tub, when the demon had been surrounded by water that he feared so much. Surely he could do the same now. Even if the method he would eventually end up using was less than.. conventional. To say the least.
Memories of playing with the baby he'd accidentally stumbled upon in that peach orchard during his long travels flashed before his eyes.
Perhaps Aku would be just as receptive to such methods as little 'Momotaro' had been.
With that thought in mind, he brought the cup of tea back to his lips, tilting the delicate object until the liquid was just barely brushing against his mouth.. and blew.
Aku sharply looked up at the sudden, loud sounds of bubbling water, his black eyes fixing on the human's form in a questioning (and at the same time quite alarmed) stare, ears twitching and pressing flat against the smooth surface of his skull in palpable confusion.
"What... Are you doing, samurai?" Despite the other's obvious incredulity, the smile in that deep voice was all too obvious.
Jack pretended not to hear him, fighting to keep his own delighted grin from spreading across his face and instead remained as serious as possible as he continued to blow bubbles into the amber colored liquid, filling the small room with the almost indecent (there was simply no other way to describe it) sounds of bubbling substance.
From the corner of his eyes, he could just barely glimpse the demon openly smiling now, green lips involuntarily curling in an amused grin and black eyes brightening, finally losing their dull and glassy look completely.
"What foolishness is this?"
Dark claws scrabbled at his shoulder and he leaned away, no longer able to keep himself from grinning as well and continuously blowing into the warm liquid, warmth flooding his chest at the faint sounds of laughter within the other's vocals as Aku reached for the cup clasped tightly within his fingers and tried to pull it away, all the while fighting to keep himself from chortling, his gray chest heaving with the force of his quiet chuckles.
"Samurai, stop."
Blowing a few more times and enjoying the way the demon clawed more insistently at his arms, claws reaching for the cup of tea grasped securely within his pale hands in order to yank it away, ears twitching in what Jack had already learned to recognize as delight and the same jagged, but not at all unpleasant grin spreading uncontrollably across his green face, he finally drew himself away from the warm tea, turning to face the chortling lord instead.
Idly, he had to note to himself that he rather liked the sound of Aku's laughter. When it wasn't malicious or filled with savage joy at the sight of suffering that is.
"Is something the matter, Aku?" He asked as calmly as he possibly could, just barely managing to keep the broad smile off his face, his tone almost coming off as teasing.
The demon shoved him with surprising gentleness, not hard enough to get him to spill his drink but just strong enough for the action to be felt, black eyes twinkling with unconcealed mirth. "Fool," he muttered, settling back comfortably against the multiple pillows cushioning his form, smirking as the human beside him sputtered with feigned indignation at the insult.
Setting his cup of tea aside, the samurai reached for the demon's untouched and abandoned bowl, taking the silver colored spoon into his fingers and gathering up the still warm broth, carefully holding it up in front of Aku without spilling.
The former tyrant sent him a withering look, muzzle scrunching up in disgust at the mere sight and smell of the brownish liquid and swimming vegetables.
"Eat, Aku," Jack prompted gently yet sternly, leaning forward and bringing the spoon even closer to the former tyrant, onyx eyes becoming serious. "You need to eat."
The demon's lips curled in a snarl of disgust and great reluctance, but one look at the man's face seemed to be enough to convince him that the human would pry open his jaws and forcefully pour the broth down his throat in the event that he continued to resist, and so, rather wisely, chose to take the less painful route, allowing the samurai to approach him with the offered food.
Had he not been so busy trying to actually feed the other, Jack would've almost certainly took this opportunity to chuckle at the startling way the other's behavior resembled that of a fussy child.
An irritated growl left the tyrant's lips as the warrior pulled the spoon out of his reach when he tried to grasp at it with his dark claws, mouth pulling into an unamused glower. "I thought you wanted me to eat, samurai." The human allowed himself a small, cheeky grin.
"I did not specify how, did I?"
Aku gaped at him, fury and indignation and horror flashing over his face all at once at the sheer implication behind the human's words and Jack couldn't stop himself from openly laughing this time if he tried, broad shoulders shaking beneath the soft fabric of his gi. The former tyrant, on the other hand, failed to see the humor in his own predicament.
"I-I am perfectly capable of feeding myself!" He protested, black eyes wide and pale fangs flashing in the dim light of the somewhat darkened room. The man sitting beside him only shot the demon's shaking claws a pointed look, slowly lifting his utterly unimpressed gaze to meet Aku's, a single dark brow rising in quiet reproach.
Aku sagged where he sat propped up by the numerous pillows, ears held low and tense and muzzle contorting in a small unhappy grimace. If Jack didn't know better, he'd say that the other was almost.. sulking.
Smiling softly in barely concealed amusement and relief at the return of the other's overly dramatic mannerisms, the human lifted the spoon to the demon's lips once more, Aku very reluctantly parting his jaws for him and clamping them around the metallic silverware with a little more force than was strictly necessary, looking like he was in great pain all the while.
Try as he might, Jack couldn't quite stop himself from warily watching the other whenever he fed him another spoonfull, his onyx eyes seeming to be automatically drawn to the sight of those sharp, curved and overlapping fangs so close, so near to his pale digits, some easily exceeding in length and thickness that of any of his own fingers.
He'd never seen them in this much detail. Never got a very good look at them during their clashes and so had never quite experienced the terror the mere sight of them brought with it, his hands shaking imperceptibly as every instinct instantly began to scream at him to get away.
It would be so very easy for the demon to rip out large chunks of his pale flesh with those teeth... If he ever decided to do so, that is.
Aku seemed to notice his stare, because a small smirk played at the corners of his green lips, the former tyrant making sure to flash his fangs far more than was perhaps really necessary as he ate, but.. The human suddenly realized that it was not only wariness and fear that were prompting him to suddenly pay so much attention to them. No, if anything, he was also driven by.. fascination.
He hadn't really had the time to truly study Aku's appearance during their numerous heated clashes. Neither had he even been remotely interested in doing so while visiting one of the many large cities, those where you could usually glimpse the demon's commercials splattered practically around every corner. It was only now that he got to truly examine the other's looks, up close and personal and without immediate threat of violence, his onyx eyes suddenly appearing to be unable to tear themselves away from the other's green face.
Aku wasn't hideous. That he realized almost instantly. No, he was not at all as repulsive in the animalistic sort of sense as he had imagined for so long, the dark memory of seeing him towering over his burning village forever ingrained within his mind. Just like a dog or a cat for example could not be called repellent in their appearance, neither could the demon himself be really classified as such. Despite the sharp fangs, the forked tongue and beastly muzzle giving off the appearance of a mixture of several animal features being present at once, Jack knew that he wasn't repulsed, not even close. Instead, he almost found such characteristics.. endearing, in their own special way. When he wasn't being snarled or growled at, that is.
But even though he'd never seen Aku's face in great detail right up until this moment, the blemishes left from his time spent in captivity were not at all that difficult to spot.
A small scar, pale green and barely visible, marred the underside of the demon's right eye, as if highlighting its curvature and stretching almost all the way to the other's cheek, joining the two cuts already existing there. Jack did his best not to wonder about the possible meaning behind its placement, stomach roiling with nausea at the mere thought that they had perhaps tried to gouge one of the tyrant's eyes out while he'd still been able to regenerate, or at least threatened to. He really hoped it was only the latter.
Several more scars, even more difficult to spot than the ones on the other's cheek, turned out to be present in the corners of the demon's mouth, considerably tinier, but undeniably present nonetheless. Anger welled within the human's chest at the mere sight of them. He knew from personal experience just how painful being cut in that particular area actually was.
Aku's 'beard' was also much shorter than he ever remembered it being though he could no longer tell if it had been cut or if the demon had just willed it to be so, having finally grown tired of its cumbersome effects and thus bringing it to a more manageable length.
There were many other scars scattered across what little he could see of the other's neck, shoulders and arms, but he forced himself not to pay attention to them for the time being, softly placing the now empty dish back on the bedside table and helping the injured creature to settle more comfortably against the pillows, Aku grimacing in slight pain at all the jostling, dark claws bracing themselves against his bandaged chest.
The human didn't even notice that he was suddenly moving until he felt something warm against his palm, his hand gently cupping the other's jaw and thumb subconsciously tracing the small mark left beneath the former tyrant's eye, jaw clenching in suppressed anger and sorrow. Aku shot him an alarmed look at the unexpected touch, ears twitching and flattening against his skull in a tense manner, but surprisingly did not pull away, allowing Jack to touch him even though he was now watching him carefully, open wariness evident in every line of his body and claws curling in preparation of striking out if the situation called for it, digging slightly into the soft blankets beneath him.
"I'm sorry," Jack suddenly found himself whispering, voice choked and quiet, barely more than a whisper, features contorting in unconcealed pain, the turmoil of emotions he'd carefully kept back and hidden for the past several weeks finally pouring forth, the human no longer able to fully control them. He didn't quite know what he was apologizing for, didn't know what he was actually trying to tell the other, to convey. But he could not stop the apologies from pouring past his lips regardless, tiny and barely visible tears prickling at the corners of his eyes.
Satina's words echoed bitterly within his ears.
"I'm sorry.."
He couldn't agree with everything the reptile had told him. Not fully. Couldn't accept cruelty with the same ease and lack of care that she had, as if it were no more than a neccessary and, frankly, unavoidable part of life. Would never truly be able to accept the murder of others, or fully forgive Aku for what he had done to his home. But... He could perhaps begin to understand. Could finally teach himself to see. Understanding was not the same as forgiveness, after all. And there was indeed no such thing as 'the ultimate evil'. It simply did not exist in its purest form and never truly did, despite his late father's assurances. Not even in Aku.
"I'm sorry."
Even though he offered no explanation about what he was trying to say, Aku seemed to understand what he was telling him regardless.
A surprised breath wrung itself past the human's lips as the demon cautiously leaned into his tender touch, black eyes still watching him closely but losing some of their alarmed edge, dark shoulders sagging and abandoning their stiff hold, the thin body relaxing fully against the soft pillows and blankets cushioning it now.
A rumble of content and pleasure escaped the gray chest as his fingers brushed gently against soft, pointy ears, a small smile pulling at the corners of the man's mouth as they twitched beneath his digits, flicking in the warm air of the tiny bedroom, Aku baring his fangs at him in feigned displeasure and annoyance and the samurai chuckling as he finally withdrew from the other's personal space, leaving him entirely to his own devices.
They sat like that for what seemed to be hours, simply enjoying each other's silent company, the mutual understanding that was finally blooming between them after so many years drenched in bloodshed and hatred, Jack soon returning his attention to his cooled tea and the demon settling comfortably against the much stronger form beside him, reveling in the sense of safety that it provided, swiftly lulled to sleep by the peace and quiet and faint sounds of a receding storm.
When Satina returned to the guest bedroom several hours later, exhausted and only slightly damp from the light rain outside, she found the two fast asleep next to each other, the samurai's arms held loosely crossed over his chest and head drooping until his features were no longer distinguishable beneath the inky black curtain of long hair and Aku leaning heavily against the human's shoulder, chest rising and falling evenly for perhaps the first time during the entire day.
Unwilling to disturb them, she turned off the light and softly slid the heavy door shut behind her as she stepped back into the empty hallway, deciding to retreat downstairs for the time being.
Perhaps, Dearg would be willing to share a drink with her again. Despite his brutish behavior and rather radical views, the man was quickly turning out to be a wonderful conversationalist. Who would have thought?