Solomon had always imagined what it would be like if he ever revealed the truth to the demons. What it would be like when he returned their memories of a sweet nymph they had let die. He'd expected wrath. Fury
He'd expected them to tear down the walls, for foxfire supported by heavy winds to consume everything. Haizaki would try to swallow him whole. Murasakibara and Kise – now absent- would try to drive him mad. Of course, in his imagination he murdered them all and the blood staining his hands would be a soothing balm to the gaping wound on his soul.
He didn't expect the soft gasps and the quiet oh's. The relief and gratitude on their faces was as unexpected as the snow Ayus had once bestowed on hell.
Akashi's golden eye turned to the same ruby hue as its companion and then the demons were gone.
Solomon remained standing in the quiet room for a few moments before he understood.
"Oh."
Kiyoshi remembered now. They all remembered now.
Ayus. Ayus Ayus Ayus. Their lithe mate. Tortured. Dead. Because of them. He'd been so quiet at first. They didn't think anything of him till the nymph had been a close friend of Ryouta.
After Ryouta followed Daiki. He'd challenged the nymph to a match. The boy had regained just enough spark to accept. He won.
They weren't really sure when Shibiku had been won over. It had been slow and unnoticeable. A candy here, some chocolate there, a few quiet naps together in between and that was that.
Shintarou was more of a surprise than it should have been. Yuuki-onna's and Nymphs shared their element after all. Species with the same element tended to get along. They had such contradicted views it still came as surprise. Apparently Shintarou had been won over after a discussion about Oha Asen. Apparently, she'd been an ancestor of the Nollets.
Kiyoshi and Akashi had been watching their group's interaction when finally, Kiyoshi gave in. He'd been charmed by the mindful care the nymph treated the others with.
Seijuro had been watching all the time and somewhere along the line he had already become the nymph's.
Remembering everything was strange. The memories stood stark like they had just happened. It took effort to remind themselves that that wasn't the case. That what had happened had taken place centuries ago. He wondered if Tetsuya even knew of his previous life. If he remembered his death. He hoped not.
They're headed to nymph's room. Kiyoshi knew it wasn't a good idea for them to go all at once but another part of him doesn't want to deny the others of seeing their mate.
When they entered the room, their eyes were immediately pulled to the small form hidden under a large pile of blankets. Only blue hairs were apparent from beneath the covers. They almost didn't dare to breathe. A small movement in the corner of the room pulled their attention away from their mate. Lucifer was sitting in a chair in a corner of the room. He didn't say anything but his eyes spoke for him. Don't ruin him again.
A part of Kiyoshi wanted to snarl at the other demon. The rest of him wanted to curl up and whimper because Lucifer had every right. They had failed to protect their most vulnerable mate. Their ocean. A safe haven that accepted all of them. Seijuuro had been the leader, Kiyoshi the second in command, Shintarou had been the information gatherer, Ryouta the one to keep things light while Shougo, Daiki and Shikibu were the fighters. Ayus had been powerful but the sight of blood shook him up, he had to be hidden away without any outside contact and his bouts of depression kept him from cracking a joke. It was him they had gone to for a kind word, an affectionate touch, a warm hug and a listening ear. Or at least they had.
It was Ryouta who had found Ayus in a puddle of his own blood. The incubus had lashed out at the rest of them when they had stumbled across the scene. The blond had always been the most protective of the nymph. Ryouta had chased the boy first out of lust but infatuation had been quick to follow. He had blamed them for Ayus's murder. The others hadn't been able to deny it. They had blamed themselves as well after all.
The idea that the nymph had been reborn was baffling. Odd. He tried to ignore the part that held that thought. The little mate was reborn and that was all that should matter.
Kuroko's frame looked terribly small even beneath all the blankets. As if the flesh on his bones were pure muscle instead of the healthy amount of flesh one needed. When he blinked it was a normal body hidden beneath the blankets. He wondered if he imagined it. Except Shikibu looked bemused and Akashi disquieted as they stared at the nymph. As a nightmare and Kistune respectively they have a talent for illusions. For creating them. For seeing through them.
His throat tightened. Tetsuya was actually that thin. Was he ill? Stressed by what had happened? Akashi had mentioned Kuroko being distressed over his father being killed. Was this their fault?
They spread through the room quietly. No one disputed Shikibu sitting by the bed. He looked distraught. Quietly they settled down to wait.
Shougo looked troubled as well but then they all did.
They never get to speak.
Tetsuya dies. Between one pained breath and one that never sounds his soul dissipates from his body. The young reborn nymph dies one more because of their actions.
Kiyoshi almost chokes out a laugh as he looks at the frail body. It no longer has any illusions to hide the disease that carved out the life of theirs…
Their what though? In this life they'd been nothing to the boy. A pack of demons who'd ruined any chance at a happy life, at a life at all, by making a contract with his father.
Monsters that swept in, corrupted his father, were responsible for the death of his mother and killed his father.
Mukuro offers one comfort only and it's the same that allows the illusionist to let go of the wisp of a soul he sees in the corners of his eyes.
He's no longer in pain.
After that he leaves, and is never seen again.
He wishes he could say he'd washed his hands of it all. The truth is that Tetsuya had been kind and inviting. Everything he'd been promised Tsunayoshi would be. Except Tsunayoshi dies far before they were meant to meet, because guards didn't like magic and flames looked a lot like magic.
Mukuro thinks the chance of kindness wasted on him, lost, shakes off the pain of what-ifs and bares his teeth at the world.
Tetsuya knows a life of pain and chooses kindness instead. Honest and sincere.
It's a slap in the face and even now, with the boy dead, it continues to sting.
So Mukuro does what he knows best. He falls back into paranoid schemes and grasps for power.
In the middle of possessing Kor Salai, king of Abbadon, treasured member of the council he pauses, a snippet of a thought catching his attention. A familiar name has him diving in.
He filters through, breaking out in laughter by the end of it.
Mukuro tries to wash his hands of it. Tries. When evidence of a scheme falls in your hands, it's an honorbound duty to take revenge.