Mairimashita! Iruma-kun: Shadows of the Past, part 17
Evening had settled over the netherworld and Pandora was exhausted. Her physical therapy with Opera had begun in full swing. Everything hurt, but she was eager to regain her strength. She couldn't wait to stand proudly among her friends again. Her rank was another matter, but she didn't mind that so much. All she could think about at that moment was her lunch with Balam.
They had finally admitted their feelings and the sense of freedom that came with it was endless. She was putting in her all to recover. She didn't want him to worry and she knew Kalego was also waiting for her to retake her place beside them.
Her face reddened faintly as she smiled to herself as she looked forward to so much, inadvertently tuning out her cousin.
"Pandora, are you listening?", asked Persephone. "I'm sorry. Can you repeat that last part again?", said Pandora bashfully. Persephone sighed, annoyed. She was trying to get Pandora's head around recent history and the current political predicament with the missing king.
"You're distracted", she grumbled. Pandora apologized again. She knew she was taking up her cousin's precious time, time that could be spent defending the front lines or even chasing after a lost dream.
Knowing her cousin had left out details, she wondered what her relationship with Kalego was like. Was it painful to be around one another? Her own luck in love prompted her to support those around her. She couldn't help herself.
"Tell me again about Kalego-kun", she said, grinning hopefully. Her cousin sent her an exasperated look. "You know how we met. You were there", said Persephone, trying to avoid thinking about it all again. Her cousin's eager eyes were too much. Her innocent curiosity was really too cute, even for the generally serious demon.
Pandora's home, the past.
It was Pandora's sixteenth birthday. It was meant to be a small gathering, but several members of the student council crashed the party. Too polite to turn them away, Pandora invited them in. After while, annoyed by their noise, Kalego had retreated out to the garden to collect his thoughts.
Outside, he was surprised to see someone already happily reading alone on the bench. He'd met her when the festivities started. Pandora briefly introduced them, but they hadn't really exchanged any words beyond that. He knew she was a year older and lived pretty far away, so she wasn't a student at Babylus. Other than those few facts and that Pandora adored her as a big sister figure, that was all he really knew.
Without looking up from her page, Persephone said, "You can sit there if you're quiet", motioning to the bench across from her. Kalego smirked to himself. That was fine by him. Summoning his own tome, he quietly read nearby. After several minutes, she glanced up, curious about what he was reading.
A faint grin crossed her dark lips as her eyes settled over the title on the book's spine. Knowing he was being watched, he looked up to meet her deep red eyes. "Is that the new compendium?", she asked, intrigued. "You know this author?", he asked, impressed. Few demons bothered to read the underground gothic authors.
They ended up discussing the book and its writer for a while after that. After nearly an hour had passed, Balam came looking for his friend. He knew Kalego would seek out somewhere quiet, but he didn't expect to find him happily conversing obscure literature with someone. The two book lovers looked up at their intruder.
"Kalego-kun, have you been here the whole time?", asked Balam, surprised. Glancing at the shadows and seeing how far they had shifted, Kalego realized how long they'd been talking. He smirked to himself. It was unusual for him to lose track of the time.
Getting up, he grinned at his new comrade. "Don't forget, we're trading when you're done", he reminded, referring to their private librarian treasures. Persephone smiled subtly in response. "Of course", she said, returning to her reading.
As Kalego returned to the gathering, Pandora's eyes sparkled at his passing. She seemed eager to push them closer. She whispered to Shichiro as she leaned close. "Wouldn't they be cute together?", she grinned. Blushing faintly, he agreed. He was distracted by how close she was, but he could almost picture it, too.
Babylus infirmary, the present.
"Happy now?", asked Persephone. Pandora smiled brightly. She knew they had kept in contact after that. What she didn't know was that the next time Persephone and Kalego had seen each other was at her own funeral.
The netherworld, the past.
As the service ended, those close to Pandora gave their last goodbyes. It had been an emotional, yet lovely display of just many souls the departed had touched.
The last of her schoolmates shuffled home, leaving three lone, broken hearts beside the pyre as the recovered remains burned.
Shichiro stared, broken. He hadn't spoken all day. He wasn't even able to give his part of the eulogy, something that would eat at him for years to come. His parents waited in the distance, trying to let him achieve his own form of closure.
Beside him, his loyal friend, Kalego, silently cursed Victoria's name. His fists were curled so tightly at his sides that his nails were causing his palms to bleed. He would have his revenge.
Beyond him, Pandora's cousin, Persephone, quietly cried. She had lost her entire family. Her own parents had served in the war, never to come home again. Now, she was all alone.
Kalego was trying to fight his tears, to stay angry at the murderer, but he was losing. A gentle hand on his shoulder pulled him from his thoughts.
"There is no shame in crying, Kalego-kun", said Sullivan, misty eyed himself. Nearby, Opera watched in silence. There was nothing they could say to help.
"It isn't fair", uttered Kalego, tears starting to fall. He had tried so hard to be strong. "No, it isn't… But we can remember her for the good times", said Sullivan, the only adult to approach the grieving teens.
"It's all Victoria's fault!", shouted Kalego, giving in to both rage and despair. It was so heart-rending, even the hollow Shichiro glanced over sullenly at his outburst.
Sullivan could feel the young Kalego trembling beneath his fingers. Shichiro tensed visibly at the mention of her name. He looked back to the flames with intense sadness. His beloved Pan-chan was really gone.
The Victoria family crest had been clearly painted in blood over the bodies of Pandora's parents. Shichiro wanted to comfort his best friend, but he felt so heavy, he couldn't move. It was as if he'd been glued to where he stood. He'd grieved to the point of near numbness.
"If only I had been there", uttered Persephone bleakly, hugging herself tightly. Kalego looked at her in surprise. What difference could she have possibly made? She couldn't look at him, simply covering her mouth with her hand as the next round of tears fell. Surely they all felt that way. In time, he would learn exactly what she meant. Her rare familiar might have made all the difference.
"Lamya-chan, don't blame yourself. It's possible you could have fallen, too, had you been there", offered Sullivan. Setting his other hand on Shichiro's shoulder, he offered his sympathy. The young demon had nearly been destroyed during the horrible events that had played out. Balam already knew how precious life was and now he'd lost the light from his. The chair demon looked sadly over the trio. There was only so much he could do, but he would make sure Ai would never darken the halls of his school ever again.
Persephone wasn't a student at Babylus. She'd only come in for the funeral. She knew Pandora's friends, even if they didn't yet know the term. They had met under much happier circumstances before and her beloved cousin spoke of them often. Now, they were all she had left of her.
They would occasionally meet up over the years to reminisce, but otherwise rarely spoke aside from a call or letter here and there. Yet, she was closer to Kalego by the similarities in their personalities and interests. Somehow, spending time with Balam simply hurt too much. His kindness reminded her too vividly of Pandora and the sadness his eyes held when he looked at her was nearly too much to bear.
Years would pass before she really got close to Kalego, but it was fun while it lasted. Inevitably, he'd pushed her away, not wanting to lose her for good. At least if she hated him, she'd be safe from Victoria's claws.
Pandora's room, the present.
Persephone looked tense, lost to those somber memories. She hadn't told Pandora that part of the story, knowing it would only upset her. Looking at her cousin, Persephone was truly glad to see her cousin so happy. Pandora was finally experiencing 'love' for herself.
A subtle smile formed on Persephone's lips at that point. At first, Pandora had been worried when she'd suddenly gotten quiet, but now Persephone was grinning again.
"What are you thinking about?", asked Pandora. Quickly resuming her usual gloomy expression, Persephone replied, "Nothing." Her cousin smiled at her warmly. "Is it Kalego-kun?", she inquired. Persephone fought the pink from her face and said, "Don't be stupid."
Pandora chuckled at her defense. "It's alright. You can tell me anything. You know that", she said. Sighing, Persephone started to relax. "You're not going to leave this alone are you?", she asked pensively. "Nope", beamed Pandora.
"I already told you 'everything', remember?", ventured Persephone, mildly irritated by her probing gaze. "Not really", argued Pandora, "You kind of skipped all the good parts."
"The good parts", repeated Persephone flatly. "What do you want to know now?", she muttered, rubbing her temples to fend off a tension headache. Pandora smiled apologetically. "Please?", she asked innocently. Persephone smirked darkly, ready to mess with her cousin as payback.
"Like what? What his lips taste like or the shape of that birthmark he's so embarrassed of?", she teased. Pandora blushed and waved her hands. She didn't want to know just how much skin Persephone and Kalego had shared. True they were all adults, but she hadn't been down that road yet, so she was still pretty shy about it.
"You know what I mean!", she argued. Persephone chuckled at her discomfort. "All right", she ceded. Her cousin grinned in appreciation.
"I know you skipped the sad parts before, but don't worry about me. I can handle it. I just want to know what you two have been through. I've missed so much", uttered Pandora, a little glumly. Persephone's gaze softened as she gave in. "Fine, but I'm not going to humor you again after this", she said. Pandora nodded, listening excitedly.
To be continued...