Another -1 feb '13
Disclaimer: G-boys are not saru's... and saru already forgotten the details of the anime too.
Warning: Here written some scenes that probably would not be to your liking (or perhaps you doujin-lovers actually like?); this is your only warning that it might get worse from here.
chapter 16
-he stands in the dark; unmoving-
there's nothing new in that.
Soon there would be long disproportioned claws of his Nightmare scraping at the space
making their ways to get to him.
even in the dark, he could see the black claws as clear as he could see himself standing there.
of course, this is his dream.
And there they come; with a muted sound deafening the stale air like always.
'-you...'
they call out with a heavy dying-like voice
between the muted-pause of their rapid movements
when their intermingling arms stretch out themselves thin and interspersed
in their efforts to get to him first
'-youu...'
Sometimes he hoped the voice would actually call out his name
'-yooooouuuu...!'
the agonized voice becomes desperate, and the elongated arms show their fused shape;
amalgamating themselves in dead-locks into a massive worm-like body.
he can hear the agonizing screams from it as it nears him,
as if each claw screaming in pain;
but they are muted in the same time.
He feels at ease and anxious altogether...
Usually some claws managed to stretch themselves longer than the others from the body and took plunges at him;
he'd just dodge them casually or swat at them when they are about to reach him.
But this time it's different, the body stops before him,
screaming and mutes the space and flailing, and stills, and staring at him blindly.
A bile forms in his stomach;
Why is his Nightmare coming at him with different approach now?
A little mind screaming inside his head telling him to wake up now; or he'll regret it later.
But there's an irresistible pull beckoning him to walk to the fused body and actually touch it.
He backs away a step when the intermingling arms unlock themselves
with a deep heavy wheeze and pose like an altar of arms and claws and-
...a sacrifice is needed.
A thought forms in his mind.
'-youu... -ant...'
the inhumane voice tries.
"...what?" he asks in disbelief with fear;
somehow he knows his Nightmare has actually seen through him.
He tries to back away but there's an invisible wall behind his back not letting him escape this time.
'-wannn...'
the voice sounds like it's shivering in satisfaction.
'-you wannnnnt...-'
the voice whispers in pained delight;
and he has to -wake up now!
his mind screams.
-wake up now!
-wake uuup!
A dim light shines in the hollow space of the open up arms -now screeching in impatience-
and slowly some colours show in his always black-washed dream.
First shows up glints of blue;
-WAKE UUUUUP!
and his mind is screaming hysterical, numbing his brain.
Then shows up specks of light brown;
and the screaming of his mind fused together with the screeches coming out
from the hollowed body-of-claws before him. Deafening him
and then pale white with reds shaping a body.
and then it suddenly turns awfully quiet-
and the black claws holding the thin limbs in tight grips, forcing them to spread open;
and gripping at the frail wings, pulling them backwards;
and jamming themselves into the wide open mouth that might be screaming in pain
-or pleasure...!
the alien thought jerks him in fright; but as it enters his head it begins to reveals things opposite of his own beliefs...
like arms encircling his head and digging their claws into his neck and chin forcing him to look closely.
and as the black claws scratch at the lithe body leaving traces of desire on the pale skin, his hands itch to trail them too.
and his mouth dries as his eyes watch the usually stoic face bent in pain/pleasure;
eyes narrowed with sheen of water making them gleaming, and the tears cling at the long lashes.
and he sticks out his tongue as if he could lick a trail of saliva dribbles from the violated mouth;
imagining he brush it along the pointy teeth and the pliant lips.
and his eyes trail down savoring the sight of the body bends erotically in the middle of a violent trash trying to get free;
but the left leg bends at an angle where it covers the crotch area
and he remembers he want to tear it away so he could see whether that particular spot is violated too or not...
-if not...
he would-
'-yessss... you waaaaaaant himmm...-!'
his Nightmare is embracing him from behind and smiles widely in satisfaction,
whispering victoriously into his ear-
A deafening boom shook the Palace and windows of the other rooms instantly shone with lights as the commotion stirred in the dead of the night. Alarmed guards marched up in haste towards the origin of the sound as bewildered servants stuck out their heads from their chamber doors with varied surprised and worried faces; the only resemblance on their faces was that they were questioning that very sound and their hearing.
Some of them heard a loud crash of a lightning, and broken stones; or was it various voices screeching in horror? Some said they heard heavy clunking of metals, like many chains hitting a hard object with a brunt force; some said it was a single inhumane voice howling to rip the sky open, and the shattering glasses. But then maybe they heard all of those but could only distinct parts of them?
The guards stopped and saluted several meters from the General who was likely had been there for some moment before them, trying to open the doors of the room where the explosion originated; and his familiar materialized closely by his side clinging with one hand at his robe, staring indifferently at the closed doors with inhumane stare. His six warriors stood guard in pairs at either side of the corridor and behind him, hands on the hilts of their weapons; the guards knew when The Sixth were already there then the General would dismiss them. They waited for his nod and left the corridor, exchanging worried glances between themselves and stealing curious peeks behind them.
Treize waited until the guards disappeared in the intersection before he called out again.
"Duo! May I come in?"
There was still no answer, only some muffled sounds of falling things heard from behind the doors.
"Leave...!" the-cat said apathetically tugging at the loose robe. Treize frowned at Rianka, noticing that the-cat was hiding his fear instead of admonishing him. One of the doors clicked open by itself and the-cat actually jumped, frowning indifferently still; but Treize knew that his -invisible- fur was on end for he felt it as surging energy around and inside himself.
He stroked the small head while nodding at his men, telling them to stay outside. The-cat cocked his head a little watching him got inside the doorway with imploring half-curious half-worried stare; Treize smiled at him a little before he closed the door. And he stopped short as he turned his head facing the inside of the room.
A small crystal bead fell from the torn chandelier to the floor with a tinkling sound welcomed him, then followed by another one and some broken part of wooden furniture hitting its other fallen parts.
Treize paused for a moment, adjusting his eyes to the dark room with only dim moonlight streaming through the broken window glass and ripped curtains. He knew there were broken furniture and scrapped things strewn all over the floor, but when his eyes adjusted to the dark he was surprised to find all the broken things were damaged with uncanny claw marks superimposing in crisscrossing weaving traces, from the floor to the walls and ceiling. Some claw marks were small enough to be the size of children hands, some were large enough to rip the armoire in two with a single scratch; and some were deep enough to penetrate the thick stone walls and floor, as he realized he heard the sounds of dripping water from a flower vase laid in pieces which repeatedly hit the floor of the room below.
He was expecting this to come, that was why he cleared the room around Duo's room; but he didn't expect it to be this much. A small shiver ran up his spine before he took a careful step forward towards the only standing -relatively unscathed- furniture in there; Duo's bed.
"Duo...?" he tried halfway into the room, fighting his way through the debris and sharp fragments.
His younger cousin was only sitting on the bed unmoving, like a solemn statue; his hands lied limply on his laps, back hunched forward a little, head down in an almost relaxed pose; apparently he bolted to sit and didn't move since then. The moonlight was half silhouetting his figure; and he had his eyes open, albeit unseeing, at an imaginary spot above his half-bent knees. The wind played with the straying locks swaying them as if stroking his face.
The lack of reaction scared Treize.
He tentatively caught a stray lock and slipped it behind Duo's ear; when he noted there was no threat to his life he sat on the side of the bed facing Duo, stroking his limp hands waiting patiently for his presence to register in Duo's mind.
It took over 10 minutes before Duo's fingers twitched. With a relief smile Treize moved his hand to cup Duo's cheek and stroked his temple.
"Need a drink...?" he asked when he saw Duo's lips tightened. Duo muttered something unintelligible for awhile and tightened his lips again.
"...alright." Treize answered with a smile. He didn't know what Duo was saying, but if his answer was wrong it should bait him to move. And Duo did move his head facing him, staring with a lost look in his eyes, as if not understanding Treize's word or just not recognizing his face.
"It's alright." Treize said again; he recognized such expression too much, having seen it on his sister's face too often when she was still alive, and almost every night when she conceived Duo, hugging her bulging stomach with fright and clawing at her own arms. The memory was still fresh that he could picture it behind his eyes. "You are here. It's alright..."
Duo frowned and faced down again.
"...-caught me..." he whispered with an accusative tone.
"...It caught me." his voice rasped and almost sounding like someone else's voice; "...-and I got him involved...!"
For the exchange of their powers, the Maxwells were driven insane by their Nightmares; Duo heard it whispered a lot behind his back. He knew that fact too, enjoying the hunting game in his dreams where his Nightmare couldn't even lay a claw on him. But not now...
-why?
"-I'm sorry..." he mumbled apathetically.
Treize frowned too, "Duo, there's nothing for you to be sorry-" he tried.
"Father... Mother... I'm sorry...!" Duo continued with a crying voice and Treize shut up; so Duo had realized it, he thought.
He sighed and slowly pulled Duo's body into a hug.
Their Nightmares turned their feelings against them; turning all logics upside down, turning recognition of familial ties into nemesis, safety into insecurity; and most of all, love into hate. There were known cases of the Maxwells killed each others in their episodes of nightmare, because in times the after effect of the nightmare just wouldn't dissipate even in their waking hours. The deeper the feelings they had for their loved ones, the deeper the effect etched in their minds.
He only thought he could get along with Heero and his Nightmare immediately sought it to become its weapon; and what a weapon it was...
"...-I'm sorry..."
He could only imagine what kind of a weapon it would have had if he was brought up in a family that loved him. The only reason why his Nightmare didn't use his family was because he didn't feel the love for them; and that's because they died before they could be used as weapons too.
"-I'm sorry!"
"... I shouldn't have been born...!"
"Duo, don't say that...!" Treize tightened his embrace, and the guilt came clawing at his heart again; he hadn't faced it for about 10 years now.
But they both knew the other Maxwells died for Duo's sake; if he hadn't been born they might still be alive... insane but still alive; perhaps until they kill each other or commit suicide for their own reasons. Yet they chose Duo to be their last reason.
"Their reason was you, Duo... don't deny your life!"
-NOOO!
He wanted to scream; he couldn't deny his life... for what it's worth, he's afraid of his Nightmare's clutch because he valued his life!
Now he couldn't deny his Nightmare, either...
-it caught me...
-my Nightmare caught me!
But Treize didn't know how frightening it was.
-the one denying is you, Treize...!
And he couldn't deny his Nightmare too for it knew what he felt before he even acknowledged it himself.
But he only thought that for having the chance of meeting Heero, then his life wasn't so empty after all; for wanting to know the reason of the demon's perseverance and loyalty, then he might not feel that self-loathing too much anymore. That he could find some strength in Heero's forbearance. That he might not feel that lonely anymore... It was only that.
But perhaps, it was all his Nightmare needed to use against him.
The sound of the explosion behind them deafened the air.
The flame bloomed like a monstrous flower.
The beast howled galloping faster with the boost of energy from the blast.
The man's cloak flapped violently in the air like a flag of victory;
the boy covered his head with both hands with a choked yell muted before it came out of his throat.
The man's large figure sheltered the boy's small body
seemingly ignoring the raging fire making their form looking like a quivering silhouette...
-and that sense of safety was nothing like he ever felt before-
Odin opened his eyes to the serene eyes of his demon on his chest. He thought he felt something familiar and unworldly that woke him up, and he blinked as he found one of the demon's wings stretched open brushing the ends of its feathers to his temple.
He frowned.
"You're peeping my dream!" he accused; "That's the first thing you do when you wake up...?!"
Heero didn't budge, didn't even move a single facial muscle to make an expression; though his eyes were still droopy in a marking gesture that might classified as longing... -or he could just still be sleepy.
They silenced for some moment staring into each other's eyes until Heero folded his wing back.
"...do you miss him?" Heero beat Odin before he could make another retort.
"Him who?" Odin asked back reflexively.
"The one in your dream."
Odin stared his demon for several seconds with uncertain frown.
"...like, 'for being the center of my life'-miss?"
Heero blinked once at the question his owner had asked with quite a serious face, which he hadn't expected.
"He's the center of your life...?"
Odin blinked at the apathetic face that asked him with an -almost- baffled tone.
"Wellll-..." Odin turned his eyes at anything but the demon's eyes, particularly at the closed thick drapes of his windows. "When I was younger... -you could say..."
"-Why are you asking?" he asked fast looking back at his demon.
Heero silenced for some time, he wanted to know where the signs that Odin drew on the ground while he was sleep-walking (sleep-fighting...?) on the single road of the peasant's house that other night came from, but he didn't want Odin to start asking questions that way either. Odin could tell there were some thoughts formulated in the demon's mind just by staring at his eyes, but recognized the dismissal flashed in them too.
"Bored." Heero said flatly.
Odin huffed cynically at the answer, and decided to stir the conversation to something more satisfactory. "How's your body?"
"Okay."
"Okay like what?" the man half grumbled in his impatient.
"Fine."
And Odin frowned deeper at how his demon reverted back to a single-worded conversation. But he gave in with a sigh. "Can you move?"
"-You really need to tell me how to treat you in some cases...!" he added, not wanting to hear another one-worded answer again.
"You did good."
Three words; still not satisfactory enough for his frown-o-meter.
"You're wet." Heero commented.
"You mean sweaty...!" Odin grimaced; "I thought if I'm hot, my energy would seep out of my body...?"
"Like when one does heavy exercise...!" and added as a second thought. "I can't do my exercise in bed, can I?"
Heero stared at Odin's serious face; others might point out that they could do horizontal-dance in bed as a joke, but Odin never brought such topic up; he respected the man for that. -Or rather, the man respected him like that.
It made him want to smile.
He softened his eyes a little.
"Aren't you bored?"
"For being your bed-warmer the whole week? I got my vacation early and some bonus from the General...!" Odin smirked.
"The General gave you bonus?" Heero frowned with distrust; it actually made Odin laughed.
"Yeah, an important job, he said...!"
"Oh." Heero should have known by now that his owner considered works as bonuses; whatever gave him reasons to busied himself and evade mingling with politicians of the Nobles. "Shouldn't you report to him?" -to say that you're available now.
"Naahh; he'll come to us when you wake up." Odin folded his arms behind his head. "Oh...!" he realized something. "Do you need more time-?"
"Go get bathed." Heero cut. Odin snickered and chuckled heavily but complied, got out from under the heavy blankets and put out the fire in the furnace and toned down the verve crystal in its vessel in the kitchenette, and walked to the window and slid the drapes open.
"Uwooooghhhhh... morning breeeeeze...!" he muttered to the cool air after he opened the window sash. Heero blinked staring at the man savoring the cooler temperature by closing his eyes with a goofy grin on his face; and imagined that there were visible fumes gushing out the open window...
"I stayed in the sauna for 7 days and the smell wouldn't even beat the battlefield...!" Odin suddenly barked at him.
"I smell like you and I'm not complaining." the demon said with ease.
Odin clamped his mouth with a mulling frown and a matter-of-factly pout.
"Fair enough." the man said after some pause; he then walked briskly towards the bathroom, snatched the towel from the hanger near its door, and called out. "Are you coming in?"
"I'm not complaining." the demon repeated.
"Okay; I don't mind, if you don't mind...!" Odin chuckled, halfway muffled by the closing door. Then there was a yelp Odin let out when he'd forgotten the steam source of his makeshift-sauna that whole week and unceremoniously put a foot into the boiling water in his bathtub. He cursed a few censorable words while opening the bathroom window and running the cold water from the tap.
Heero eased his stiff body once he heard the water sounds from the bathroom; closed his eyes with a long sigh and rested his head on the relatively damp mattress, smirked a little as it moistened his cheek. While a small part of his mind making notes about airing the bed and blankets and other menial things to do, the major part of his mind kept asking why Odin would have those dreams.
He opened his eyes again when Odin folded the thick blankets from on top of his back to the end of the bed, leaving the thin white cover still sticking to his body by the dampness.
"You're still sleepy?" Odin asked, noticing the demon was still having the same pose as he left him hidden under the blankets, only missing his larger body as his mattress.
"-...his windows are open, so he must be available now...!" Treize said passed his shoulder.
Duo huffed, trying to match his taller cousin's fast strides. "...I don't think I need bodyguards...!" he mumbled, mostly to himself for knowing that Treize wouldn't take no for answer. Mulling at his situation for the-nth time and considering his options again, Duo's mind kept reaching the same option which Treize always denied; so he thought he could say it just one more time (every day) just to make sure Treize didn't forget to reject his idea.
"Or I could just-"
"We're here." Treize stared him with that look in his eyes and Duo tsk-ed swallowing back his words.
He then pretended to watch the empty corridor while waiting for his cousin to do whatever he saw fit.
Treize's knocks were a couple of open-palmed pat on the wooden door; something about his position in relation with the Palace's ward that allowed him to do something insignificant to achieve his goal to a certain extent... or so something like that; Duo ignored him with a sigh.
"Yes...?!" the voice of a man answered from behind the thick doors.
"Odin, are you decent? I'm coming in...!" Treize called out but stayed outside. Hearing the name of the person inside made Duo spin so hard on his heel he was almost greeted with the previous scene he was facing before, and felt embarrassed all by himself. Treize glanced behind at him for making a flustered face for no reason.
"Yes...!" Odin answered and Treize pushed one of the double doors open, pulling Duo along with his other hand.
Duo kept his eyes on the floor the whole time, frowning at the nagging feeling that had yet formulated into negative sentiment. And Treize stopped suddenly in front of the double bed.
"I thought you said you're decent!" Treize almost yelled in objection.
"I have my pants on...!" Odin retorted matter-of-factly with a tone matching a child's objection to his mother's admonishment.
Duo looked passed Treize's arm to the bed; there was undoubtedly Odin -the same man he saw pulling Heero into somewhere inside the Palace the week before- and there was undoubtedly Heero on top of him.
"You're reading?" Treize passed his surprise -probably faked surprise- fast and saw the books beside the pillow.
"I can read." Odin objected flatly facing the open book in his hand again. He was lounging with his back on the headboard, using two pillows to recline; right hand holding the book, while his left hand draped to his front and was offhandedly stroking Heero's exposed nape.
"Are you alright, Heero?" Treize frowned when he looked down and asked, knowing Odin had made it clear that no-one to ever take advantage of his demon again the next day after Heero and Duo arrived at the Palace. He admitted it was partly his miscalculation of things, but only to himself.
Heero's visible eye opened slowly; it looked like it took him some time to register the situation and companies. He was lounging faced down on Odin's body, head rested on the man's midsection with his arms placed at either sides of the man's body on the bed; and with their height differences, his hips were around the man's crotch. Odin had his legs relaxedly open as if guarding Heero from toppling over from on top of him... like that could ever happen when the demon lied unmoving like a log in his sleep.
The thin blanket covered them loosely and the morning light from the windows made fading shadows on the white cloth, marking the lines and curves and bumps and- ...
Treize cleared his throat when he realized he was staring at Heero's butt cleft under the blanket. Odin smirked without needing to look at his guests knowing what had caught their eyes.
"...oh." was the demon's good-morning when his senses made it into his mind. His ear-wings stretched open from their sleep and folded back neatly with several light flaps. That was his usual 'yawn'.
Heero turned his visible eye at the General who was slightly frowning at him with his General-pout intact.
"...should I make breakfast so you could talk?" Heero asked flatly, while seemingly glued to the man's body.
"Yes, please." Treize's smile was stiff but his eyes shone instantly.
Heero pulled his head up and nodded slowly; then sluggishly sat up and took more time to pause, letting the white cover slid down from his naked back and pooled around his hips.
"You seem a little unwell..." Treize commented with a criticizing frown.
"Sleepy." Heero almost mumbled.
"He means his body is still sleepy." Odin explained before anyone commented again.
"It's not hib- ...sleeping-season yet, is it?" Treize asked.
"There's no sleeping-season, Treize; he's not a bear. If he sleeps more than three days, his body took more time to wake up than usual." Odin chuckled good-naturedly.
"Oh. Then..." Treize brightened. Odin knew where his train of thought heading to and cut him.
"But you can't ambush a sleepy demon in a hunt or a fight; mainly because they can stay awake for weeks until they reach a safe enough place to sleep. Not like us humans needing sleep nightly."
Treize pouted more. "I was going to say: you don't need to push yourself too much, Heero...!"
Odin chuckled at him, glancing at his expression and took a furtive scan at the person standing behind his body. The boy was shocked but he hid it well, Odin could tell from the boy's complexion. He was going to say something to let Treize introduce that boy but Heero moved, and his guests' attentions centered to the demon again.
Heero crawled on four to the side of the bed; the cover clung to his skin but slid to his mid-thigh when he put a leg down. He stood up and held the cloth at the front of his waist before it could completely show his nakedness, and drag its length on the floor towards the bathroom.
"Sorry, I messed up the bed...!" Odin called out knowing his demon was going to put it into the wash basket.
"Nothing unusual." Heero commented before the door closed.
Odin snorted and put the book down, getting off the bed and put a shirt on. Feeling the attention shifted to his bare back.
"You didn't seem to me like you're all about exercise or anything..." Treize commented halfway complimenting the man's physique.
"What?" Odin knew there's always an issue about his age left unsaid. "I'm young enough to be your older brother...!"
"-That's when my parents were still a couple of toddlers." Treize finished the sentence with some agreeing nods. But what others meant about Odin's age was that it unnaturally didn't show on his appearance, and it's unsettling to most people.
Odin showed his fangs and growled at him for that remark, but beckoning them while walking to the kitchenette, lifting the chair from in front of the desk and put it down with a couple of dining chairs circling the small round table facing the kitchenette; making a gesture to please his guests to sit.
Duo's movement was heavy and stiff; Odin noticed the lack of energy around that boy, like a person with no existence but felt too real that couldn't be ignored at the same time. He knew some people -and other creatures- with that kind of disposition usually held something dangerous inside them; and he already put the boy in his to-be-bullied-list because he just liked teasing dangers a lot. Odin felt a lick of energy from inside Duo when the boy sat down in front of him -that should be the farthest seat from Odin, before it disappeared in a flash when their eyes met; and the man smirked knowing the boy felt wary of him, and enjoying it.
Treize pretended he didn't notice the exchange and sat down near Duo; "This is my cousin; Duo." he started without delay.
"The Young Master Duo..." Odin appreciated with a lizard smile. Duo gave a nod of greeting keeping his eyes on the table and refrained himself from fidgeting; Treize would like it if Odin's smile was less teeth-y, but he understood the man's habit when he took a liking to a person or a thing; and he thought it didn't oppose his purpose this time, so he let it be; although he'd like it if Duo had some color back on his face.
"You've heard the situation from your Lieutenant Commander, I believe?"
"Cail might have said something, but I rather have you word it for my ears. And he's still a Lieutenant."
Treize smiled at that.
"I just need some capable bodyguards for Duo; until I can figure out who's behind all this."
"I have Heero-"
"Then you can work together with Heero." Treize said with a closing tone.
Odin's face turned neutral and he reclined to the chair's back, folding his arms at his chest. "...ooh." he let out low with an accusing stare. So that's why Treize told him to bring Heero along, and on such a roundabout outing; he did make sure they'd come across Duo's group. The only letdown was that he and Heero got separated into too parties. But knowing the General, Treize would still call it a succeeded plan.
Treize knew Odin's thought, and he mimicked the man's pose, challenging with his authority on the subject.
"Refused." Odin said flatly.
"This is an order-"
"Rejected!" Odin growled cutting Treize's words, and Duo blinked at their exchange.
"You can't do that!" Trieze accused.
"I can so if it concerns Heero; unless it's Master's order...!" Odin said louder.
"And if it is?!" Treize pressed.
Odin paused for a moment, staring at his guests in turns with cynical sullenness. "Really?"
"It would be to Master's benefit if-"
"You- put me- in the middle of your political bouts...?!" Odin asked slowly. Treize clamped his mouth with a stubborn frown; that's Odin's trump card, the politics; he always made sure he got nothing to do with those, or he'd drop the army and turn mercenary. And that's a blackmailing weapon, because Heero was in contract with Odin, not the Kingdom or the King. Odin usually didn't abuse that fact, so they made sure they didn't give him reasons to make him abuse it.
Treize huffed and loosened his posture and straightened up. "I ask you because you're my martial teacher; I trust you personally."
"-Both your loyalty and your skill." Treize added when Odin opened his mouth to refuse again.
"...and Heero?" Odin tested.
"You need to look out for Heero, that's something I can't change..." Treize left it there.
"So..." Odin straightened his back; "Is this about national affair?" he tried.
"Yes." Treize didn't look like he overrated his reasons.
Odin frowned; "...more than the Kingdom's safety?" -in relation with Heero's safety that could start a war, and so on.
"I would rather have this issue and the Kingdom's safety checked." Treize answered.
"So your safety is equal to the Kingdom's safety..." Odin turned to Duo. "Are you his war-tool?" he flicked his head at Treize.
"ODIN!" Treize raised his voice with his authoritarian tone, frowning with heated gaze at the table.
Odin snickered, wasn't fazed at all; if anything, he enjoyed it like a game. "So you're a potential war-tool." the man concluded, staring back at Treize when he flicked his eyes at Odin's words; and he used to think the General was not that readable. Odin chuckled to himself knowing he'd angered the General personally.
At that time, Heero came out freshly clothed from the bathroom and walked pass the kitchenette and opened the door to let the-cat in.
The heavy air paused and Treize turned with a disagreeing frown at his familiar walking briskly to him and climbed to his laps. "Rianka, I told you to stay-"
"I am let in." the-cat cut as fast as he could, that was only a contest to a sleepy person's slurred words.
"What do you want to eat?" Heero asked briskly when he reached the kitchenette, seemingly already awakened to his usual efficient pace.
"Anything is fine." Treize said half-caringly, eyes trained at Heero's hands skillfully fastened the apron ties behind his presented back.
Heero turned at him and stared. "I can cook you rocks." he said matter-of-factly.
"Really?" Treize's air got significantly lighter, and he actually beamed with curiosity. "Would they be edible for-"
"No." Heero said simply; and Treize's smile fell.
"Hm; I thought you have a secret technique to make even rocks edible. I'd sure like to try if you could actually make marbles into pudding-like texture...-" Treize muttered loudly.
"Just make something edible for our delusional General!" Odin said flatly passed his shoulder.
Odin chewed like he's really enjoying his food.
"...whaat?!" he asked with an offended frown through a mouthful of-
"I just thought you'd be too soldier-y looking to eat-"
"Pancakes?!" Odin snarled cutting Treize's mesmerized words, but the stacking pancakes on his plates covered with colorful fruits glistening with honey and cream and spiced by flowers and artsy leafs kind of making him look a lot tamer. And it was Odin's choice for Heero to make pancakes.
That scene actually brought Duo to land again, albeit with a dumbfounded look; he tried ignoring them by sipping the tea presented for him, and choked by the sharp smell.
"-what... -cough- iz'thiz-?" he tried between his wheezes.
Treize blinked at him, from behind his cup. "Good you made it back, Duo..." he commented and patted Duo's back since he didn't seem like he could speak again with his coughing fit. "Is it that strong? What's in this, Heero?" he asked Heero while stealing a sip from Duo's cup held precariously with a hand. Treize actually had an ulterior motive for visiting Odin, he liked it when Heero served him beverages and food with foreign spices; eventhough his warriors kept nagging him not to swallow anything made by someone who didn't eat.
"Traditional remedy to call back one's strayed spirit into its body." the demon said flatly.
BLURRRGhh! -and the-cat hissed to have his black mane wet from the spray.
"He's joking with you." Odin commented at the two blanched faces in front of him. "From the smell, it's remedy for vitalizing your body so as to treat your wounds faster..., Master Duo." Odin added the last part as an afterthought.
-cough. "J- ...just Duo, please." Duo tried. So Heero realized he was wounded despite him being unconscious when it happened; probably because the smell of the balm he used, he thought to himself.
"Since I won't be working for you, I'd like to keep the familiarization formal to state the distance..." Odin said and bit a mouthful of pancakes, and stabbed a black cherry.
"You're still saying that...?" Treize objected and mimicked Odin's action with his own pancakes and stabbed a blue grape, just for the sakes of intimidating; which both failed with those cheerful-looking pancakes, for Duo's standard -but he kept it to himself; and thought he probably shouldn't have declined those delicious looking pancakes in the first place... but Heero wasn't eating... That's why...
"If anything, being associated with us would only make him be more targeted by some ill-purposed people..." Odin tried his reasons.
"Exactly!" Treize stabbed his pancakes with his fork; "They'd flock around you, and you could vanquish them like flies when they swarm in. And I don't need to mind two parties of him and you, it's like hitting two birds with one stone." he pointed at Duo and Odin in turns with the honeyed fork, and the abused blue grape fell back to his plate.
"...I bet they'd think of the same phrase too." Odin rolled his eyes. "Okay, if logics didn't get to you then I'll let it bare...!" Odin stabbed his fork to his pancakes too. "It'd be awkward...!" he said matter-of-factly.
And they paused for some moments, each one waiting for the other to say something.
"Treize wants 24 hours, daily and nightly...!" the-cat decided to explain in words.
Treize blinked at his familiar munching a rolled pancake and the minty leafs with his clawed hand seemingly detached from the whole conversation, but it appeared to be the opposite.
Duo stared at his cup pretending he didn't change complexion again; his Nightmare already pointed it out to him what would happen if the bodyguards-arrangements were to be realized, about his desire and his paranoia; or perhaps it was his Nightmare's desire. And he already knew what Odin meant by his simple words, and he wanted to flee that place to avoid hearing the rest.
"Awkward like...?" Treize left it hanging urging Odin to fill in the blanks; and Duo wanted to paste his sometimes obtuse cousin of a supposedly tactician General with his chair, but tried to hide his thought, feeling as if a thousand pairs of eyes were watching him.
"Hmph! Why do you think I still got no wife, Treize?" Odin tried to evade wording his reasons, not wanting to say it in front of Heero.
"I told you to make babies...-" Heero sought the subject unexpectedly, before Treize reacted.
"-IN A BROTHEL?!" Odin asked incredulously, showing his depression over that matter again.
"I'll guard the door to-"
"I don't want their beds!" Odin slammed his hands to the table. "I like my own bed!"
"Then-" Heero shifted his eyes at the bed.
"My bed comes with you as a package!" Odin said matter-of-factly. Treize flung his fork at the man for his courtesy, which he caught easily in the air using his own fork; and Duo fidgeted in his seat.
"Alright; I get your point...!" Treize gave in; "Since you've so obviously gone through that length to show me physically...!" and he meant he's still objecting about what happened earlier concerning some bed and its package.
"But I will make sure you change your mind...!" Treize frowned seriously and Odin recognized his promising tone.
"Cail should be good enough." Odin muttered, holding out his fork so Treize could pull out his fork since they stuck together by the prongs.
"-! -I'll take your recommendation!" Treize said using too much force on his hand and almost let the fork slip because of the honey. "...for the time being!" and growled rather childishly at Odin.
Odin sipped his mug to hide his amused smile. "Want to tell me why you're so adamant about this, General?"
"Information only available to those concerned with the assigned job...!" Treize said uncaringly and continued eating while rolling another pancake for the-cat.
-a sacrifice is needed.
The breeze was cool through the stone corridor, making sounds like whining soft howls in its path.
Duo sighed deeply, chewing his lower lip. Treize walked briskly in front of him, leading the way back to his study; still muttering endlessly about his objection.
"...Treize-" Duo tried slowly. They walked several more long strides before the General reacted.
"...what?" for some reason he sounded gloomy, as if knowing what Duo was going to ask next.
"What happ-"
"I don't know." Treize cut curtly.
Duo frowned.
"I don't ask him things about his country; he doesn't ask me about mine. He knew that unwritten rule since the beginning." Treize added and slowed his pace.
"But those were not from fights..." Duo mumbled; he recognized abuse-marks when he saw them, and those red marks on Heero's back were undoubtedly made intentionally by someone who took their time doing it, even when those marks guised as spell-prints.
"Duo..." Treize stopped but didn't look behind; "Forget that you ever saw them, since you couldn't do anything about it!" -and that was an order.
They continued the walk in silence with a slower solemn pace after that.
"Good morning, General...!"
The greeting caught Treize off guard; he nearly jumped but still managed his composedness.
"Princess Relena... I didn't expect you to be here so early in the morning...!" Treize smiled.
Relena smiled back from the sofa. "Did not expect me so early in the morning, or did not expect me to be here at all? It's passed 9, by the way; it's not that early..."
"Right. I didn't hear any report about you coming back from your leisure castle...!" Treize pour himself a cup of tea, seeing that Relena already had some tea and snacks served by his attendant.
"I thought I'd greet you personally, so I told anyone to not bother you with lesser reports." Relena smiled formally.
"Ahahaa...-" Treize laughed sounded a little less merry than usual; "I assure you any report concerning you wouldn't be in my lesser-list, Princess."
Relena clapped her hands once; "That's great to hear directly from you, Treize...! So, can I have some moment with your cousin? I thought you'd inform me about his arrival, and yet you seemed to have forgotten about me..." Relena pouted sweetly.
"..." Treize knew her faked dejected face, but he couldn't find an excuse to slide from this. "This is Duo, he-"
Relena instantly sprang to her feet, "Nice to meet you again, Duo; you still remember me, I hope?" she smiled brightly at Duo.
Duo blinked at the sudden 'attack'; he still had his mind elsewhere. "-...I..."
"Oh, don't tell me you've forgotten?" Relena made a sad frown. "You came here once, in the mourning period of my father's passing. We played hide-and-seek together, remember?"
"...uhhh-" Duo seemed uncertain; he remembered he'd come to the Palace before, but didn't really keep the details because of its bitter air. In fact, he only remembered that last one in his mind; although it's probably because he came during the gloomy time.
"Hmph! I remember you were cheating, hiding under the maids' dresses while they fight on who's going to get to hide you...!" Relena giggled, "You little lady killer, youu...!"
Duo flushed a little; he seemed to remember hiding under some women's dresses while playing, but he thought it was the memory from the covenant. "I-... I kind of remember..." he admitted with an uneven smile. There was something unpleasant about the memory that made him decided to forget it, but he succeeded in the forgetting part too well...
"Then, why don't you join me for a chat; I'm sure the General has some business to attend to...?" Relena smiled sweeter. Duo flicked his eyes at Treize, recognizing his calculating stare.
"Yes, why don't you spend some time with her, Duo? She knows a lot more about the Palace than anyone else..." Treize smiled; he needed to have a word with Cail, and he didn't want Duo to hear if he'd have to sort to -half- blackmailing the man or abusing his authority for it.
"-...uuuhh..." Duo seemed helpless, and Relena snatched his arm instantly.
"Come on, let's go! I'll let you enter my private garden just for old time's sakes...!" she giggled again.
"So, are you going to stay here for good?" Relena smiled, clutching Duo's left arm with both hands; her shoulder rubbed on Duo's upper arm, and something unpleasant crept up his spine.
"-I... don't know...! Treize hasn't decided on anything long-termed yet." Duo smiled and tried to pull his arm free.
"Really? You could've fooled me with all those riots about your arriving here and outing and all that...!" Relena rubbed her left forefinger on her chin, making a supposedly cute innocent pose, no doubt; Duo took the chance and pulled his arms up in the air.
"Don't say 'riots' as if something big; it makes me feel nervous just walking anywhere in this place...!"
"-ah? You do?" Relena realized she lost Duo's arm but he swung his hands around to emphasize 'anywhere' so she couldn't take another clutch at it again. "But aren't you The Great General's cousin? You shouldn't be nervous about your standing; first of all, they'd see him 'behind' you before they see you as a person...!"
Duo slowed his pace a little, feeling somewhat down; she really knew how to hit someone's sore spot. "...that's exactly what makes me nervous...?"; he intended to detach himself from the Princess since she seemed like she didn't mind about her private space too much; but Duo did mind her title.
"Hmmmm-..." Relena stared at his eyes, and walked backwards facing Duo and kept her hands behind her. "If you're nervous, you'll make others even more nervous...!"
"Ummm... I guess so..." Duo realized she must have realized it that he felt uncomfortable for the closeness; and he felt a little guilty at her discreet dejected face. She might not have many friends being a princess, that's why she kept a good memory of him... of which he'd forgotten too.
"That said... You still remember about me..." Duo tried. "I was here when I was... around 4 of age...?"
"Ahahahaa...! It's 5; Treize was having a fuss about your coming birthday, but the 80 days mourning period cancelled the party." Relena turned her body and continued walking, albeit slower; still keeping her hands behind her. "I have a talent for keeping memories!"
"Oh..." Duo stared at her back; it was small and looked lonely.
"Too bad you moved out too soon, or else you could have witnessed the demon's arrival too..." Relena muttered conversationally.
Duo reflexively moved following her. "Heero-... he's here from that long ago...?!"
"Mm-hmm... for about 10 years now. It's not that long for a demon's lifespan, you know?" Relena glanced at him; Duo tried not to look flustered, he knew he was being too easy to read but he couldn't help taking that bait. "Oh, I heard you went astray somewhere together with the demon?"
"-ah... We kind of gotten into some situations in the way back...!" Duo tried, but averted his eyes from Relena's curious stare.
Relena giggled. "Say... you didn't have unpleasant mishap about it, did you?"
"It? ...you mean about the situation we had?" Duo felt something wrong and his little mind told him to back off from the conversation.
"-the de-mon...!-" Relena almost mouthed, getting into a gossiping mode.
Duo blinked and his steps faltered. "...what?"
"Ahaahahahahahaaa... Oh, you don't need to feel ashamed of yourself; it's not your fault!" Relena giggled and slapped his upper arm and continued walking.
The high-pitched giggle made him have goosebumps; and the way she was talking about Heero...-
"What kind of mishap do you mean...?" Duo fastened his pace to catch up with her.
"Oh, well... the maids were obviously held a grudge to that demon; you could ask-"
"Please?!" Duo snatched her right hand, pulling her to stop.
Relena studied his worried expression, and sigh; "Ahh... so you got infatuated too...!" She then pulled her hand from Duo's grip and walked away making a disappointed frown.
"Wait! Please tell me what you meant-"
"At this point, even if I were to say true facts about it, you'd just rule me out as a bad person...!" she said.
-Could she stop calling Heero 'it'? "Could you at least tell me the reason...? I really don't know what you're talking about; and I didn't experience any mishap too-" Duo tried.
"Really? It didn't do weird things to your head...?" Relena frowned at Duo.
"Weird things like what?" Duo sighed.
"Like..." she contemplated for a moment, and pulled Duo's upper arm again so she could whisper in his ear. "It enchanted men in dreams...!"
Relena let Duo pulled back so she could study his face. Duo blinked at her and gave her an incomprehensive stare. She giggled and pulled him again.
"The maids said that it seduced their husbands and male relatives with its body in their dreams; making those men gone crazy about the demon... all they talked about in their waking hours was dirty wicked things they did to it in the dreams, and they became useless-" Relena stopped when Duo pulled away from her.
All Duo knew at that time was that she giggled at the expression he was making.
"Oh, you know... I was too young to understand what they meant, but if they were talking about it furiously without having any regards on who could accidentally hear what they were saying; I got to understand after some studying...!" Relena's smile was not as innocent as before; the disdain in her eyes was too clear to see. "And who knows how many men it actually seduced; well, probably it knows... but it's not impossible it does that to keep its position in the Palace, right? Like seducing the Noble Heads too?" she whispered the last sentence.
She actually said 'does' as in 'in the present', Duo's mind pointed out.
She continued her walk with a faster pace. "There was almost an uproar about having it inside the Palace, but the ruckus died down after awhile; mainly because those men realized if it was chased out of the Palace then they wouldn't get to do nasty things with it in their dreams anymore, so they pretended that they have passed it. But if you know where to look or place your ears discreetly, you'll hear them still talking with each other about their 'mishap' the night before and-"
"PLEASE STOP TALKING ABOUT IT, IT'S DISGUSTING...!" Duo yelled; Relena stopped abruptly with widen eyes; and from the intersection Heero turned and walked passed them with his usual stoic face. And Duo felt the air around him was shattering like a glass being hit as he passed him close enough that their shoulders almost rubbed.
Relena stared at the demon's back as he walked away in his fast efficient strides; then gaped at Duo. "Oh, Goddesses...! Duo, that was like saying it to its face!" she slapped Duo's shoulder and laughed as if finding the funniest thing in her life.
Duo was so surprised he didn't feel the floor under his feet. He felt his lips moved and said something-
"Oh, don't worry about it. It can't do anything to anyone without Odin's consent, you know; something about its contract and all-"
And Duo had had enough. "Please excuse me I have to be somewhere else..." he mumbled fast.
Relena snorted. "Okay. Come find me if you want to see my garden, Duo." she smiled sweetly.
"-I will...!" Duo said while turning away from her; he didn't know where his feet were going, but he really wanted to flee her and her words. He couldn't take it after seeing his dream last night and the sight of Heero's sleeping arrangement some moments before; he couldn't stop his mind from picturing it no matter how much he tried to focus his mind to something else.
Relena stood alone in the intersection to the terrace, the breeze played with her hair and dress as she stared apathetically at the empty corridor where Duo had disappeared from her sight. She glanced at the other corridor where the demon had disappeared too.
"Hmph...!" she snorted. "So that's the last 'everyone's cousin', hm? I don't like him... Keep an eye on that boy, I'll see everything he does!" she gave an order coolly. A flapping sound of wings answered her words, disguised by the blowing wind that blew passed her.
Duo felt a strong cool breeze pushed him from behind, and the swing rocked a little, making creaking sounds until it stopped its movement. He'd found a long-seated swing somewhere in the garden, just when he thought his feet about to collapse; and he'd sat there staring at the swaying wildflower bud near his feet for a long time, despite it being a Palace garden; and probably some gardener would pluck it soon before it could bloom. And it reminded him of Heero...
His mind kept repeating Relena's words about some anonymous men, and his Nightmare crept up from his subconscious mind and replaying the dream it showed him last night and his conscience kept beating itself for being in the same level with those anonymous men and their frenzied lust... and Heero was so...
-domesticated in Odin's arms!
The thought said clearly in his head; the same thought that came out of nowhere last night...
No! He contorted his face in pain; it was the voice of his jealousy. And he felt worse for he didn't have enough reason to be jealous of... To Heero he was just a stranger; just another human his master had obligations to.
That's right... Heero was just carrying Odin's duty... That's why the demon didn't feel physical restriction of holding him. It was for Odin not for him-
"-damn it!" Duo muttered painfully and hugged his knees to hide his face, feeling shameful to that swaying flower bud; and letting the swing rocked freely in the wind.
There was some rustling sounds nearing him; he thought he couldn't care less about anyone right now...-
"Master Duo..."
Duo recognized that voice. It's the Lieutenant he had yet to apologize to in the past week since Treize made a fuss about him leaving his room alone after what happened.
"This is Lieutenant Cail; reporting for duty. The General had assigned me to personally guard you for the time being...-" Cail stopped when he realized Duo's rejecting air.
"I..." he paused to think; "...came personally to apologize for what happe-"
"Forget it!" Duo barked with a rasped voice.
"...but my men had also-"
Duo instantly covered his ears with both hands hugging his head. Cail silenced and waited for some time, and Duo almost thought he'd leave him alone, until the swing creaked with another weight on it. He glanced at the ground from under his hands and saw the man's boots jerking the swing gently. The slow swaying and cool breeze helped eased his anger a little, the presence of an older man beside him made him uncomfortable and calm at the same time; but he did grow up in a women-only environment...
"Is this about a friend's circumstances...?" Cail started. Duo paused his breathing unconsciously, but the Lieutenant had said 'friend'... he let out a quivering breath and barely nodded. Cail had thought that the Princess would have said something unpleasant to Duo; in the past ten years, she had chased away countless creatures that dared looking at the demon. That was, she even chased away pets from the Palace when she realized the demon had a soft spot for animals despite their fear to him. He knew she'd surely come attacking Duo when she heard about his outing with the demon. That's why the General had wanted Odin to shield him; she wouldn't dare visibly chasing away anyone from around the demon in front of the demon's very eyes.
But he kept some facts to himself, knowing his own place and standing.
"-...have it too?" Duo mumbled.
"Yes?" Cail missed the first words Duo said.
"Did you have it too?" Duo asked firmer, albeit whispery.
"Have what?" Cail asked back.
"...the ...dreams where-..." Duo couldn't word it out.
"Yes." Cail answered honestly. Duo snapped his eyes at the man's face; he stared Duo back openly.
"I was still Commander Odin's aide when the demon arrived; I was even there on his arrival..." Cail pushed the swing stronger with his feet. "I had never witnessed such an unworldly beauty before; and I didn't mean about his appearance, he looked almost the same as human without the wings- ...I meant his air and disposition."
Cail paused to take a deep breath. "To say I was in shock would be underrated; that presence... him standing unmoving like a serene statue of a god really shattered my core. I felt like nothing, and that's probably the legacy of our ancestors who first started the war with them..." the man smirked. "I bet everyone present there felt it too...!"
Duo stared with a frown; he didn't know where the man's words were heading to. Cail glanced at Duo and his face flushed a little.
"That is... what I'm trying to say is..." Cail cleared his throat; "Men are egotistical creatures, so... when we're faced with something too great for our egos to handle; we'd want to conquer it... or something like that-..." he trailed realizing it didn't sound quite the way he wanted to.
"I mean... -it might not be his doing, but no one would admit that...-!" and he trailed off again, minding whose ears might be listening to his words that could be counted as ruining some Noble's reputation and probably would make his name end up in someone's death-list.
Duo blinked and stared at the man's troubled frown, and blinked some more; clearing his mind from the dark thoughts, and he managed a small smile. "You're right... Thank-you for sharing that, Lieutenant...!"
Cail stared Duo back, "...anytime, Master Duo." He cleared his throat again and averted his eyes making an ill-feel expression. "Uhmm... just for your information; I did have dreams about him in a seductive way... but the Commander was always appearing in the buff with an oar in hand telling me to run for another mile or two carrying my battle-gears...-!"
Duo's frown froze at that.
"...and he kept bullying me with practice even in dreams until such dreams stopped...!" Cail face was turned from Duo's eyes, but Duo could still see his reddened ear.
"...-... ...I'm sorry..." Duo muttered, not knowing what else to say.
"-So, your mind would have its own strength to pull you from that shock too; mine just happened to be a bully-Commander...-" Cail tried a smile and caught himself. "That's when... I'm saying if you experienced such dream and bothered by it..." he cleared his throat again. "-I'm sorry."
Duo actually chuckled, and Cail felt awkward. And Duo thought the Lieutenant had just exposed how much he held the Commander at high and he didn't even realize he said it himself. So, if his subordinate looked up to him that much, he thought he'd try to trust that man too; for what's bothering him was the one man that could physically hold the demon in any way he wanted while the demon had no right to deny his wishes.
What bothered him was Odin's claim over Heero; the source of his jealousy.
"...ummm... would you be interested in some change of air, Master Duo...?" Cail asked tentatively, seeing Duo's eyes dimmed again; and stood up.
"...change of air?" Duo looked up at him.
"You haven't seen the town, right?" the man smiled.
Duo mulled at the offer; it's an option to escape the Palace's tight air, but he didn't have particular interest in anything in the city... even if it was the King's City-
Duo widened his eyes.
Myrica! She said she'd meet him in the King's City...!
And only then he remembered about the girl and her antler; having his mind worrying about Heero's condition the whole week he was out of sight. He slapped his forehead.
The Lieutenant seemed relieved. "Any preference...?"
"Umm... yes-" Duo massaged his temples. "I'm sorry; I have to look for someone in the city...!" he said and stood up.
"Right away, Master Duo...!" Cail nodded and made a way for him.
Duo paused.
And thought-
And looked up at the Lieutenant's face with a calm open stare-
"Please just call me 'Duo'?" he asked.
Cail was taken aback with the clear gaze that felt like penetrating his walls, but after seeing the demon's appearance ten years ago he'd learned to hide his surprise well. "It's a part of my duty to make sure everyone knows of your standing...-"
"I don't need their acknowledgement!" Duo said sternly.
Cail silenced for a moment; he felt that kind of power that rulers usually had in that boy, and he knew he didn't have the disposition great enough to stand against such power; he realized he'd only be some ruler's subordinate, and gave in with a smile. "Duo... then."
Duo chuckled at that. "Thank-you." and walked to find a door to get out from that place.
"...but I will have to call you 'master' in front of the General." Cail said following closely behind.
"I guess that can't be helped." Duo commented simply. "Oh... and I feel guilty for your men's condition..."
"They're alive and kicking. The General gave enough recompense for their wounds and their families didn't object for his generosity." Cail reported flatly.
"I see..." Duo frowned. "Treize bribed their families..."
The Lieutenant wouldn't have put it like that, but it wasn't his words so he didn't comment more.
A clear sound of laughter reached the lizard's ears, and it turned its head to the direction of the Palace's small gate.
Heero glance at the wall circling the stable area of the same direction, and continued rubbing the lizard's body with the washcloth. So it was Duo's voice he heard from when he departed with Odin that day; that clear laughter was really notable, he thought.
Lix turned its head again to Heero when it heard the gate closed, and continued its own way of washcloth-ing the demon.
"I will have to take another bath if you keep doing it." Heero objected flatly. The lizard let out a lizard's laugh and licked him again, pouring its relief and love for the demon.
"Hn. You're a worrywart." Heero snorted. "To make you even hyper..." he paused and looked up into the lizard's eyes; "I've personally asked the General if I could keep you at Odin's place for the time being- mph-". And he was instantly clutched by the lizard's scythe-forelegs and rubbed by its long neck and head.
"Okay. But you're staying outside!" the demon frowned when Lix licked him again with another slobbery frenzy. "And don't tangle yourself with the laundry ropes again."
The lizard laughed outright; but that happened when it was still the size of a cat, it thought.
It won't have enough space in the landing to be hyper, but it could keep watch for the laundry; with that in mind Lix walked behind the demon beaming with a wide lizard smile intact, and an endlessly wagging tail; making people who happened to be along their way and had never seen a Sauria before blanched thinking 'what kind of dog is that?'.
Sometimes Lix found the humans to be funny that way, and it didn't actually hate them.
x - - - - - - - - x
thx for reading (and for waiting...)
saru's note:
Oni-tan's going to go to Solo (a city in the other province, not 'solo' as in 'solo and duo', mind you XD) for a week attending her cosplay friend's wedding; and saru is left with works... just compensate with something purple, preferably something soft and fluffy or mainly something velvety, and saru'd forgive her... -but we're kind of short on money right now... soooo, at least something purple, alright? =_"_=; -kind of desperate-