There was a saying amongst humans that just before you died, your life would flash before your eyes.
Why this might happen was anyone's guess. After all, it didn't sound like a particularly useful way of spending one's final moments. Wouldn't it make far more sense to spend that time thinking up ways to, well, not die?
Egyn didn't get it, and with no reasonable explanation available at the time, he'd chalked it up to human peculiarity. Something he would likely never understand, let alone experience himself.
Or so he'd thought.
xXx
His first memory was of salt, carried on a warm breeze late one summer night, and when he opened his eyes to the world it was love at first sight.
The moon had replaced the sun in the sky, casting its cool light on everything and turning the beach a pale silver. Dark waters lapped at the shore, beckoning him closer and into the black expanse of the ocean that stretched on and on, seemingly forever.
His heart throbbed at the sheer beauty of it all.
He didn't notice the small crowd that had gathered at his back until later, when someone called out to him. Right away, irritation built within at the thought of having to share his utopia — beautiful and perfect and his — with anyone, but with time that initial malcontent faded, replaced with enjoyment at being fawned over by the almost overzealous islanders. They called him a god, and their sheer joy at his presence became a source of amusement, as did the near constant celebrations they threw in his honor. And so it was that he graciously decided to spare their lives, focus shifting entirely to the pleasures of finally having a corporeal body.
Egyn didn't waste time wondering who he was or how he got there or what he was meant to do. All he knew was his name and that every drop of water, be it in the ocean, sky, or coursing through the flesh of the living, belonged to him and only him.
The thought never crossed his mind that he might not be alone. Not until ten days after his 'birth', some of the happiest days of his entire 3000 years of life, when strangers set foot on his paradise, their very presence making his insides twist with rage.
A formal greeting, the tallest of the three strangers had called it, but whilst wearing a smile so fake it would have made a blind man wary. Garbed in unfamiliar clothes, he and his companions, both males, had appeared without warning, quite literally stepping out of thin air and oozing power that made Egyn's teeth ache.
These three weren't anything like the other creatures he'd encountered. Those hid away in the darkness, waiting until the cover of night before venturing out to enact their mischief. Those were small and weak, insignificant. But these-
"My name is Samael," the stranger went on, still grinning at a joke only he was privy to. The foreign syllables buzzed like flies in Egyn's ears. "And these two are Azazel and Iblis. From this day forth, you may think of us as your older brothers!"
Egyn gave the man the blandest look he was capable of. He wasn't unfamiliar with the concept of sworn family, but such relationships, as he'd come to understand it, were built on mutual trust and acceptance. How anyone but an imbecile could come to trust a snake like that was beyond comprehension.
Ignoring him for now, Egyn turned his attention to the other two. The white one he gave no more than a passing glance. That one felt fainter than smoke, and wasn't all there in the head if his apparent, child-like fascination with the seashells was any indication. It couldn't have taken more than two words to convince him of anything.
But as his eyes settled on the third and final member of the group, a youth not much older than his own vessel but with skin as dark as basalt and eyes like fresh blood, Egyn wondered how this one had joined them.
This one had not spoken a single word. Even Azazel (?) had spared a vacant greeting, though he'd quickly gone back to collecting shells. In fact, all he'd done so far was stand there with his arms crossed, scrutinizing Egyn's domain with a critical eye and a scowl that seemed to be permanently etched onto his face.
But when his gaze strayed to the sea, now turned a mesmerizing golden by the light of the setting sun, Egyn watched as discontent turned to blatant disgust.
Something inside him snapped.
The satisfaction he felt upon seeing the tidal wave slam into the Iblis' stupid, unsuspecting face was immense. It was also incredibly short-lived, lasting only a second before being eclipsed by a sudden and inexplicable feeling of dread, every instinct he hadn't needed before screaming in alarm.
With barely enough time to register the feeling — fear? I'm afraid? — let alone act on it, Egyn faltered as the air turned scorching, a burst of steam spreading outward. He flinched, eyes closing on reflex and preventing him from seeing a clawed hand shoot from the cloud to clamp down on his face like a vice.
The next thing he knew, he was being flung towards the tree line, wood splintering around him, then dirt as he hit the ground, momentum carrying him further inland before a well-timed twist managed to get him back on his feet.
What the hell?
Amidst the panicked screams of the villagers — noisy and pointless — all Egyn found himself feeling was confusion. And pain.
He didn't need to see his reflection to know there was a hand-shaped burn on his face, nor that it vanished almost immediately, the pain abating and steam rising from ruined flesh as his body healed.
His previous grimace twisted into a feral smile, wide and sharp as his fangs. His blood raced, excitement skyrocketing and awareness shrinking until all that was left was the overwhelming desire to obliterate the flame-clad being stalking towards him.
Later, much later, when his reason returned and his beloved island had been reduced to a scorched hellscape, Egyn was forced to re-evaluate the wisdom of his decision to antagonize the fire demon.
Because powerful though he was — and he knew he was strong, damn it — and despite the advantage he should have had — didn't water put out fire? — Iblis was stronger still.
Not to mention brutal.
Had Azazel not stepped in — and wasn't that a surprise, to see that dazed-looking fellow cow the raging beast — Egyn would most definitely have been killed. An experience, he was told by a not-unamused Samael, that would make his current state of internal bleeding, broken bones, and body-wide burns seem like a mere trifle.
Another thing he learned that day was that besides being strong, having a bad temper and a short-as-fuck fuse, Iblis was also damned good at holding grudges.
Just terrific.
xXx
Dragging himself back to the present lest he lose himself in his memories like some lowly human, Egyn dropped the empty canister.
It hit the tiles with a dull clang that barely registered over the rushing in his ears. His heart — not his Heart, but the organ pumping blood through his vessel — was thudding away like crazy in his chest, violently enough that Egyn wondered whether it might not at any moment break free from his rib cage and decorate the hideous cafeteria with vibrant red.
For the record, he hadn't meant for all this to happen. From the very start he'd been planning on doing nothing besides saying a quick 'hi' to the kid and then ignoring his existence. Nothing personal, Egyn simply couldn't care less about him. Not when he had siblings to spare and as interesting as the body thing was — pretty fucking incredible actually — it meant nothing when his own vessel could never be like that.
Envy wasn't a good look on anyone, and why waste time thinking about what he could never have?
No, instead he would spend the majority of this trip doing what he did best. Which was whatever, whenever, and with whomever, he wanted. Let Iblis concern herself with the rest. She preferred her own company anyway so really, by staying out of her way he'd have been doing her a favor.
Now, had the possibility of something like this happening crossed his mind? Of-fucking-course it had! It didn't take a bloody genius to know that Iblis' temper plus Samael's fuckery was a recipe for disaster. His sister's control over her emotions, while not nearly as bad as it had been in the past, was still tenuous on most days. Plus, them being half-breeds already had her feeling conflicted; her loyalty to Father warring with her inherent loathing for humanity.
So yeah, he'd expected some hiccups, some maiming and whatnot but hey, that wasn't so bad, was it? And much more importantly, it wasn't his fucking problem.
Except that it kinda was. Because his damned-in-more-ways-than-one Father had to go and make it.
'Do not let them die'
Those were the words whispered into Egyn's mind mere moments before he entered Samael's gateway. One stupid comment, thrown his way like an afterthought but loaded in a way that made Egyn physically ill.
The obvious favoritism aside — unlike some of his siblings, Egyn wasn't so much of a Daddy's boy that he needed Satan's approval, merely doing what needed to be done to avoid his ire — he resented that he'd essentially been told to go babysit his Father's spawn.
Egyn hated being told what to do. Especially when he had no choice but to obey.
So yes, leave it to Father to screw with his leisurely plans. It's what he did best, after all. The eight of them had been doing just fine for themselves before Dear Old Dad decided to barge into their lives and take a fucking sledgehammer to the thing they'd once called normalcy.
And for what? A human? For Love?
Talk about a fucking joke!
Egyn honestly hadn't known whether to laugh his ass off or drink himself into his next body when Lucifer — not Samael, because god forbid that guy ever told them anything of value — had informed them that, yes, they had a creator now, yes, they were to call him 'Father', oh and by the by, they had not one, but TWO new siblings, who, for some inconceivable reason, had been born and not incarnated.
In the end, Egyn had opted to do both, having the good sense to wait with laughing until he was well out of earshot at least. Although instead of a new body, all he'd ended up with was the mother of all hangovers.
...Gods, what he wouldn't do for a drink right now.
Drawing in another breath of too hot, too dry air, Egyn tried to calm himself. Panicking now spelled certain death. Or well, immediate banishment to Gehenna but those were close enough that a distinction wasn't really necessary. So yeah, self, time to think. What were his options?
Option one was pretty straightforward. Just stand there and let his sister kill him. Admittedly not that great but it wasn't like Egyn couldn't get a new body, it might just take a while. Option two was a classic, run away and stay out of sight until his sister's temper cooled enough that 'murder Egyn violently' became 'beat Egyn until he's a bloody mess'. He could admit it was a little cowardly, but he wholeheartedly invited anyone who had a problem with it to face his sister in an enraged state and try not to trip over themselves in an attempt to flee.
Somehow, though, he doubted that particular tactic would work right now. At that was because his sister wasn't just angry anymore.
She was embarrassed.
His little stunt might not have been what started it, the brat must have said something to piss her off after all, but it had exacerbated the situation and changed the rules for dealing with her. Now, all that running away would achieve was that she'd chase him and then obliterate him, thereby bringing the back to option one.
Moving on to option 3 then, which was…
Oh. No, that was pretty much it actually.
Shit.
xXx
There was a mad cackle building in his chest, one Samael barely managed to smother, lips clenched and shoulders trembling with the effort of keeping it contained.
Good Heavens, he'd forgotten just how hilarious Iblis and Egyn could be together! The former looked utterly ridiculous, covered in foam as she was and looking absolutely furious about it while the latter did a fairly decent job of looking wholly unaffected. That wasn't to say Samael had missed the minuscule, terror-laden glance he'd thrown the Time King's way, a reluctant and exquisitely desperate plea for help.
Help, which Samael was once again in a position to offer.
Forgoing all superfluous action — he just wasn't in the mood anymore — he simply reached out and plucked Iblis from existence, depositing her in one of his lesser-used pocket dimensions. A barren wasteland with air so thin the raging King would have no choice but to reign herself in or wind up losing consciousness.
The irony of which, Samael hoped, watching Rin greedily suck in oxygen, wouldn't be lost on her.
His other brother wasn't faring much better, to be honest. Egyn's shoulders had sagged the moment the pressure of the other King's presence faded, leaving him looking far too weary with life and all that came with it.
Poor thing, Samael thought, until he remembered all the times the little fiend had troubled him in the past and any pity he felt evaporated as quickly as his wine had.
"Off you go," he sighed, mournfully pushing the glass away before rising to his feet. "I'll call you when it's safe to return."
It spoke to the severity of the situation, and perhaps also Egyn's emotional exhaustion, that he couldn't even be bothered to put up his usual display of defiance. The water demon only offered a halfhearted glare, sparing a slightly more scathing look for Rin, before heading for the doors. When those fell shut, Samael turned his attention to the boy.
He'd stopped coughing at least, and the burns on his neck and wrists - two splotchy, blistering circles where the cuffs had melted off - were healing, albeit slowly.
Unsheathing Kurikara a fraction to aid the process, he said,
"So what do you think? They make for an interesting pair, don't they?"
A pair of too blue eyes came up to glare at him.
"…If by 'interesting' you mean they're both psychos, then yeah, I guess they do," Rin said, voice raspy and soft but quickly gaining angry strength as his flames roused. "What the hell was that?! You said you'd help!"
Samael tutted at the accusation.
"I also told you not to be rude. Iblis is a little sensitive about these things, I admit, but you weren't making things any easier. Anyway, you're still alive so clearly I did help. So let's end on that positive note, shall we?" Samael gestured at the table. "I have some things to attend to but feel free to help yourself. Though I imagine most of it is a tad overcooked by now."
"Huh? Wait! Where are you're going?"
Samael refrained from rolling his eyes but didn't bother to keep the derision from his voice, "Well, someone seems to have upset our dear sister." Rin's eyes, at long last, widened in recognition, mouth falling open. "And I need to go pacify her. No need to fret, I'll let you know when your tutelage is to start. Bis dann~"
Samael poofed away, chuckling at the reverberating yelp of 'sister?!'.
About bloody time he realized.
xXx
Outside, Kuro ran onto the bridge that led to the dorm just in time to witness someone leap off it and hear them splash into the water below. With autumn nearing its end and the weather growing colder, it was a strange time to go for a swim outside. Who was-
-the cat sith's stomach rumbled and any confusion neatly pushed aside in favor of getting his paws on some food. Pronto.
Sprinting the last hundred meters, Kuro skipped the steps entirely, slipping in through half-open doors and making a beeline for the cafeteria.
*Riiiiin!* he called. *Rin, I'm hoooome!*
"Eh? Kuro?"
A familiar mop of blue-black hair poked out of the kitchen and the smaller demon ambled forward. The teen dutifully crouched down to pet him and Kuro purred, rubbing his head into the affectionate gesture.
"Welcome back," Rin said with a smile.
Before scritches had a chance to devolve into a full belly-rub, however, Kuro pulled back, mewling,
*Rin, I'm hungry. Is dinner ready yet?*
The teen blanched.
"Oh...about that…," he said, and Kuro felt himself go faint. See, that's how hungry he was! How could Rin have done this to him?!
*But it smells like food!*
And smoke, but Kuro didn't care about a little charring so long as the inside was still raw.
The teenager made a complicated face, free hand coming up to rub at the pink skin just above his shirt collar.
"Yeah...but that's-"
A phone began ringing.
"One sec," Rin said, going off to the side. He rummaged in his bag, muttering to himself about 'too much paper' as the ringing continued. Giving up, he grabbed the entire thing and turned it upside down, spilling its contents on the floor.
"Ah! There...Yo, what's up, Shiemi? Huh? That was today?! Tch, that damn clown! No, not you! ...Okay. Yeah, got it. I'll be there in 10." Kuro's ears twitched, not liking the sound of that at all. "Yeah, see ya soon. Bye."
He hung up, turning slowly to give Kuro the most guilt-ridden look.
*Riiin* the cat sith whined.
"Sorry, Kuro but I gotta go..."
*But what about my dinner?!*
Rin thought for a moment.
"...There's still...that cat food Yukio bought you?"
Kuro's anguished cry was heard all across campus.
