The words echoed in Amaimon's mind, a vibration that washed across him, consuming his thoughts and desires. Images of him biting the soft, supple flesh of Rin's neck flooded his mind. He couldn't escape the palpable taste of his blood, the strange sensations that came with this unwanted fantasy, no matter how hard he tried.

His body was a traitor, suddenly responding to the violent images. Shimmering need and desire flashed through him, and Amaimon found himself edging closer and closer to Rin's neck, licking his lips with anticipation.

Chapter Four
. . .
There's a Monster in Me

Amaimon woke with a start, his heart pounding almost audibly in his chest, his green fringe stuck to his brow with cold sweat. He sat up and looked around, noticing that he was back in his sick room at the hospital and dressed in the thin gown. Behemoth was nowhere to be seen. He frowned and fisted the blanket anxiously.

Why was he here? Had he done something to upset Rin? To anger him enough that he would bring him back to this wretched, deplorable place?

He glanced at the window, but a curtain had been pulled over it, blocking his view of the outside world. Amaimon slid out of his bed, green tail landing lifelessly with a soft thump at his feet. He picked it up as he walked, knowing that stepping on it would cause his lower back a great deal of pain.

The room was dark, the air cold and still. He brushed it off until he felt an uncomfortable, prickling sensation on the back of his neck. Goosebumps traveled up his arms, and suddenly the room was much colder—he could almost see his breath coming out in small, white puffs in front of him.

Something wasn't right. It was too dark, too quiet, too calm. There was a stillness to the air that Amaimon had never felt before, and it bothered him. He began to tremble, though whether from the cold or his uncertainty, he would never know.

Wrapping his arms around his chest in an attempt to quell the tremors attacking his body, Amaimon opened the door and walked into the doctor's private room. It, too, was empty, with no lights and, oddly enough, no discarded pizza boxes. The doors leading to the other rooms were all locked and no sound came from within.

And then, a strange noise caught his attention—like something large being dragged across the floor. It was coming from the door that led to the lobby, where the doctor's assistants normally stayed. He pressed a pointed ear to the freezing door, listening with breathless interest. Whatever it was growled softly, though he heard no voices.

Frightened, Amaimon took a small step back. "Doctor?" he called, unable to quiet his growing curiosity. "Hello?"

Against his better judgment, he opened the door slightly—just enough for him to peek inside. A few feet away stood a horrid, odious creature several times larger than him with light green, lizard-like skin covered in jagged, maroon swirls. Its large hands ended in sharp, red claws that matched the markings on its scales. It had a massive, thick tail that pushed aside chairs as it moved. And its face... The monster had an elongated snout that opened wide to reveal a row of razor-like teeth lining its jaw from corner to corner. Its eyes were big and round with slitted pupils, glowing yellow in the dark of the hospital lobby, and its tongue was long and forked. Strange, flat horns with swirled imprints jutted from the top of its head.

The monster held something up—a body—and sniffed at it. With a shudder, Amaimon realized it was holding the doctor.

It placed the unconscious doctor into its enormous mouth and slowly bit down, crushing him, ripping his legs from his body, and swallowed the corpse whole. Warm blood dripped from its open jaw, tendrils of steam rising around it. A pair of glasses were stuck between its teeth. The beast discarded of what was left of the doctor's limbs and turned to the door where Amaimon stood. He quickly backed away, hand over his mouth to silence his labored breathing.

But the monster already knew he was there.

FINALLY
WE MEET

The beast's words echoed in his head, guttural and deep—it was the same voice that spoke to him before, trying to convince him to kill. It seemed odd to pair the disembodied voice with a face, though one as hideous as this seemed to fit.

Amaimon nudged the door open with a foot—there was no use hiding now that he had been seen. "Who are you?" he asked, tightening his clammy hands around his unresponsive tail to keep them from shaking.

I AM YOU

What did that mean? Amaimon couldn't be the same as this...thing—it was impossible. Had he gone mad? Had the accident that caused him to lose his memories also provoke some strange insanity? Create a monster to inhabit the ruined parts of his mind? He clutched his tail tighter and found that he was holding his breath.

Having heard his curious thoughts, the monster inclined its long head.

YOU DID NOT IMAGINE ME
I AM ALWAYS WITH YOU

Fear bubbled inside him, but he swallowed hard, suppressing it. "No, you're not real," he insisted timidly, failing to hide the waver in his voice. "This is just a dream—a nightmare—and you're the monster who wants to eat me."

It chuckled darkly, stretching its thin lips over its jagged teeth, almost as if it was smiling at him.

"B-But I'll wake up," Amaimon continued defiantly, ignoring its derisive laughter. "You're not real and I'll just wake up before you hurt me."

THIS IS NO DREAM

The fear dissolved into a spiraling dread, and Amaimon found himself backing away as the beast crept closer, slaver dripping on to the floor from its open maw. "S-Stay back! Don't touch me!" With a small squeal, he tripped over his neglected tail and landed hard on his backside. He scrambled away as the monster took another step, panic enveloping his thoughts. "Get away from me!"

He shut his eyes tightly and buried his face into his hands, curling into a ball on the floor like a frightened child.

It's not real... It's not real! He told himself. It's just a dream. ...not real. He pressed his hands harder to his eyes, trying to ignore the sounds as the monster pushed its way into the room. Wake up! Please, wake up!

Suddenly, everything stopped—the noise, the stillness, the chill—it was all gone in an instant. Amaimon waited quietly, shivering, assuming he had managed to wake himself. But, when he moved his hands away, the beast was grinning down at him, large, round eyes glowing faintly in the darkness. The sight made him sick.

"Don't hurt me," he whispered the plea.

HURT YOU?
BUT AMAIMON
I AM NOT REAL

A massive hand closed around his legs before he could stand, dragging him back into the chill of the lobby. He kicked and twisted and fought to pry the clutching fingers off his legs, but, unyielding, the beast dug its claws into his flesh, making him scream.

It hurt and he didn't wake from the pain. Amaimon continued to struggle hopelessly against its grasp as it dragged him, laughing loudly in his mind, but it only seemed to make its claws bury themselves deeper, drawing a startlingly uncomfortable amount of blood.

Amaimon gave up and stopped moving, letting it pull him into the lobby, leaving a dark trail of blood behind him. It towered over him, tongue lolling out, as if it could taste the fear in his breath. He shuddered. "What do you want from me?"

FEED ME

"H-Huh?" He didn't understand—how was he meant to feed a beast trapped in his mind?

Realization slammed into him as the monster forced images and fantasies into his mind—Rin with his throat torn out, Yukio disemboweled, the sounds of the brothers screaming, begging for mercy. He understood what it wanted now. The creature wanted him to satiate its lust for death and destruction, to feed it blood and flesh.

"Stop!" he screamed, frantic, disorientated, terrified. "I won't do it!"

FEED ME
OR I WILL KILL EVERYONE YOU CARE ABOUT

"Let me go!" Amaimon landed a kick in its lower jaw with everything he had, but it didn't even flinch. It raised its head and roared, slaver and blood splattering on his face. The sound was deafening and all he could do was lay there until it was finished, clutching his hands to his ears.

It finally released its grip on him, claws stained a deep red.

YOU
ARE
MINE

The beast picked him up again with both hands—like he had the doctor—and placed him in his open mouth. Its tongue was rough and wet, and Amaimon felt like he would throw up. The right sleeve of his gown had snagged on one of its teeth, easily piercing the soft flesh of his upper arm.

"N-No, don't! Let me go!" he begged, tears stinging his eyes.

Slowly, it closed its jaw. Amaimon could feel its teeth digging into his arm, grinding against bone. He could taste his blood in his mouth and feel his legs being ripped gradually from his body. Using all of his remaining strength, he pressed his weight against the creature's tongue, punching and clawing at the roof of its mouth with his free hand to force open its jaw, but it only laughed at him.

The last thing he felt was his skull cracking. And then...

Behemoth squealed in surprise as he was knocked off the bed. Amaimon thrashed against his blankets, kicking and flailing and whimpering. He landed hard on the floor. Fully awake, Amaimon sat up and scrambled back until his back was pressed against the wall. He sat there for a moment, knees pulled up to his chest and tail tangled in the folds of his yukata—which was now hanging open inappropriately. Behemoth padded over to him, tilting his head as he watched his master struggle to calm his shaky breaths.

He was back at the dormitory, safe in his room among the scattered contents of his box. Amaimon sighed heavily and dragged a trembling hand through his hair, wiping the sweat off his forehead.

"Sorry," he murmured apologetically, patting the little animal on his head. "Bad dream..."

MINE

. . .
The Next Day

"Nii-san, wake up," Yukio called, shaking his brother's shoulder. Rin let out an unattractive grunt, waved his hand away, rolled over, and soon began snoring softly. "Nii-san," he sighed, but decided to let the half-demon sleep—he would try again after a cup of coffee.

He was surprised to find the kitchen lights on and Amaimon hunched on a chair in the corner of the dining room, sleeping soundly with his pet hobgoblin curled up against his chest and a cup dangling loosely in his hand. The young exorcist gritted his teeth, swallowing a growl. First he had to wake Rin, and now Amaimon? Mephisto better be grateful for this, where ever that clown was.

"At least you don't have to go to classes," he said to the sleeping demon as he took the cup from his hand. It smelled faintly of chai tea. Amaimon whimpered quietly and tightened his grip on Behemoth, brow knit together in a disheartened, fearful expression, as though something were attacking him in his dreams.

Yukio never thought he would see this face on a demon, let alone a demon king. It was strange to see Amaimon so full of humanity, fingers twitching nervously, lips moving to form incoherent words as he spoke in his dream. For an instant, he almost wanted to believe that, maybe, the earth king had truly lost his memories. But it passed quickly and the young exorcist narrowed his eyes. Yukio knew it was better to cling to his suspicions than be open and trusting like his older brother—besides, someone had to protect him.

Amaimon suddenly jolted awake, startling him. Yukio cleared his throat and messed with his tie to hide his reaction. "Good morning. Did you sleep well in your new room?"

It took the dazed and unsettled demon a moment to realize he was awake and regain his composure. He unfolded his body, letting his bare feet touch the cold ceramic floor. "No," he said, evading Yukio's scornful gaze.

From Yukio's experience, Amaimon seemed as stolid as he was taciturn, only speaking to people he liked or if a topic caught his interest. He frowned at his attempt to avoid conversation. "That's a shame," he continued regardless, making sure to give him a smile, but not a nice one. "Today is Monday—Rin and I have classes, so you'll be alone until Rin gets back later tonight." His eyes widened almost imperceptibly at this, and Yukio's haughty smile broadened.

"By myself?" Amaimon's voice was monotonous, quieting his grin.

"That's not a problem, is it?" he asked, preparing the coffee pot in the kitchen.

"I don't know..." The demon's answer was soft and solemn, but he still heard it.

A stab of pity silenced his arrogant response. Despite the fact that Yukio welcomed any chance to lash out or berate the earth king, he did pity him for the loss of his demon heart. Losing such an important part of yourself must be difficult to deal with. Maybe I should let Rin stay behind today—just to make sure Amaimon doesn't cause any trouble or burn our dormitory down while we're away.

"Amaimon..."

"I don't want your sympathy," he snapped.

His anger instantly returned. But, before he could scold the demon for his attitude, Rin walked into the kitchen, stretching his arms high above his head and yawning widely. "What do you want for breakfast, Yukio?" he asked, scratching the back of his head as he did every morning.

"Pancakes." Rin flinched at the sound of Amaimon's voice. Apparently, he had forgotten they had a guest for the month.

His stunned expression melted into a warm, benign smile that made jealousy lance through Yukio. "Sorry, Amaimon—we ate all the pancakes yesterday."

"Something sweet, then."

Rin made a face at his response. "Do you ever eat anything that isn't sweet?"

"Maybe... I can't remember. If Rin makes me something that isn't sweet, I'll eat it."

"Sure!"

Yukio ignored the fact that the demon conversed with Rin easier than him, and let their voices become a dull hum in the background. He turned away from the coffee pot when he heard his brother laugh, envy boiling his blood. When he did, he noticed something bright and red seeping into the right sleeve of Amaimon's yukata, blindingly obvious against the light blue fabric.

"Amaimon, you're bleeding." He pointed to his arm.

Rin's brow furrowed with concern when he saw it. "That looks bad—what happened? Did you hit your arm against something?"

The demon glanced down and instantly jumped to his feet in a panic, letting Behemoth slip to the cold floor with a startled yelp. "No! No, don't hurt me!" He scrambled back until he hit the wall, flailing, trying to shove something invisible away from him. "Let me go!"

"It's okay! Amaimon, calm down!" Rin approached him cautiously, unsure of what had caused him to react so violently.

"Nii-san, get away from him!" But his brother wasn't listening.

The demon tripped on his yukata, ripping it open, and slid to the floor in a writhing heap. Rin rushed over to him, calling his name and dodging his frantic swipes. "I won't do it!" he cried, eyes shut tight. "Get away from me!"

"Amaimon, stop—it's me!" He suddenly stopped struggling, Rin's hands tight on his wrists. Slowly, he relaxed, averting his gaze in shame. "Everything is going to be okay," he said softly. He released his grasp on Amaimon and pulled his yukata closed, tying it in place loosely. Behemoth purred and jumped into his arms. "Better?" The demon hunched forward, humiliated, and nodded stiffly. "Come on—let's go get that arm fixed up."

Yukio let out a soft sigh of relief and quietly placed the kitchen knife on the counter. He would have to carry a gun loaded with tranquilizer darts from now on—if only for Rin's safety.

Author's Note: Whoa, look, we finally get some drama! Anyway, Fox! I'm so sorry for ignoring your question last week – I wrote a response to it but I was in a hurry and forgot to attach it to the previous chapter. To answer your question about tails: Yes Amai does have a nice furry green tail. However, he doesn't know that demons exist (yet) and so he doesn't associate a tail with being a demon. I think he asks Rin about it somewhere around chap 6. Hope this answers your question and thanks for reviewing!

Thanks to everyone for reading and I hope you're enjoying the story so far!