Author's Note: Hello everyone! I'm so sorry for going silent on you all of a sudden. I got really busy over the summer and then I just wanted to take a break from everything. Anyway, I won't bore you with details, so if you would like to know more (as well as what I have planned for the future) there's an October update on my profile.
New chapter updates for Ash will be a bit slow for a while, but I'll do my best!
..."I, uh... I sh-should go." Astaroth brushed by the two exorcists and escaped the dormitory through a back door at the bottom of the staircase. It led to a small, pristine courtyard where a few students sat enjoying the weather. Astaroth, however, was a little too worked up to care much for his surroundings.
Damnit, Ammon! What the hell have you gotten me into!? With an exasperated groan, Astaroth fell face-first onto the cool grass under a large tree.
When Ammon had told him he would be in the presence of exorcists, he didn't know it would be like this. Sure they were just kids—young and inexperienced, but Astaroth wasn't much older than them. He would eventually make a mistake: say something stupid, or let his temper get the best of him, or accidentally summon a giant naberius.
It was only a matter of time until his roommate discovered that Reiji Shiratori wasn't exactly normal by human standards. And then...
And then what? Would they execute him? Send him to the Vatican as a prisoner? Force him to betray Ammon and the Order?
"AHH! Damnit!" Astaroth tugged at his hair in frustration. Why did he ever agree to this? Was it really worth all this trouble just to live in Assiah for a while?
The Academy's first afternoon bell rang, crisp and clear in the quiet courtyard. Usually, the sound signaled the start of a lunch period. Today, however, (since normal classes have yet to begin), it signaled the start of a mandatory—and likely boring—preliminary exorcist class.
Reluctant, Astaroth stood and brushed the dirt from his uniform. As much as he despised the idea, he couldn't be late.
Mephisto was a clever little worm, and had hidden the cram school in some sort of pocket dimension. Only those who had access to an 'infinity key' could enter it. But, naturally, Mephisto wasn't the only demon with a few tricks up his sleeve.
Ammon had managed to steal his father's key long enough to have a shoddy copy forged from recycled iron. It was an ugly thing, and anyone who saw it would know it was a fake, but it worked, and that was all they cared about.
Astaroth glanced over his shoulder to make sure no one was around to watch, slipped his key into the lock of the nearest door, and entered a seemingly endless hallway. He wasn't the least bit surprised by the overly extravagant designs of the massive doors or the fancy engravings of numbers off to the side of each frame—this was Mephisto, after all.
He opened the door to his class, (room 1106), and immediately locked eyes with a pretty, purple-haired girl sitting at the table closest to the door. She eyed something above his head and then quickly looked away, pretending to be distracted by the girl beside her. He could only assume she was able to see the mass of buzzing coal tar emanating from his body.
"Hey, Shiratori!" Shima waved at him from the other side of the room. He was accompanied by his bulky friend from earlier and a smaller boy with glasses. "Feeling any better? We saved you a spot!"
"Ugh... No, thanks." he responded with a disgusted snort and seated himself at the center table in the front row.
"Trying to score extra points with the teach by sitting up front, huh? Gotcha!" Astaroth merely rolled his eyes.
Soon after, a welcome silence fell over the tiny group of strangers. Astaroth noted there were only seven other exorcists—certainly not enough to bring down a demon king, even if they worked well together. This should have made him feel better, but it didn't. He fidgeted nervously as he grew more anxious with each passing minute.
Just before Astaroth resigned to pestering the innocent coal tar that danced around his head, Yukio walked in, an air of business about him. He was the exact opposite of the prince: neat hair, pressed uniform, and a kind but firm expression.
Why couldn't Yukio have been the one to inherit the flames instead of his troublesome older brother?
Astaroth sighed and pushed the thought aside—it wasn't his problem now anyway.
For the next hour, the students were forced to sit quietly while the class dragged on. Yukio introduced himself as the demon pharmaceuticals instructor, went through the usual human pleasantries, and proceeded to safely distribute temptaint to those few students who had not yet been attacked by demons.
Yukio then went on to explain, (in excruciating detail), how the cram school functioned and how outside assignments would coincide with normal Academy classes.
Blah, blah, blah—words, words, words.
Finally, he passed out a few beginning worksheets and dismissed the class. Thankful for the promised reprieve, Astaroth stood and stretched his stiff legs.
"Oh, one moment Shiratori." He froze in his steps and slowly looked over his shoulder to find Yukio smiling at him. "I want to ask you about something, if you don't mind."
Astaroth's heart felt like it would burst out of his chest. Did Yukio already figure it out? Or worse, did he recognize him as the one who kidnapped his twin? He desperately wanted to refuse, make up some excuse that required him to be back at his room, but he couldn't—it would look too suspicious. Astaroth sat back down and waited for the students to leave, wondering what method of torture the exorcists would use on him first... Holy water? Blessed silver? Scriptures, maybe?
Once they were alone, Yukio walked up to him and tilted his head, examining something on Astaroth's cheek. His eyes were alight with sincere interest. "That is a very severe coal tar infection..." he contemplated. "How did you get this injury?"
"H-huh? Infection?" Confused, he touched his face, fingertips brushing against a bandage taped to his cheek.
Oh, that's right—Rin had landed a nasty left hook on his host the day before Astaroth possessed him. Yukio must think it was inflicted by a demon.
Well, technically...
"Coal tar like to infest old, open wounds," Yukio continued, "but I've never seen one this bad before..." He stepped back and held Astaroth's gaze calmly. "Your parents are rather famous as Tamers, correct?"
"Uhh..." What the hell was a Tamer?
"I had the honor of meeting your father once. He's a very intelligent man."
"O-oh, yeah... Dad's cool, I guess..." Astaroth never bothered to meet his host's parents and didn't trust himself enough to say more.
Yukio returned to the previous topic, brushing aside his lackluster response. "True Cross has a supply shop specifically for exorcists. I was planning on going tomorrow morning to pick up a few things and, if possible, I'd like you to come with me. I can buy you medicine that will repel the coal tar, but you'll need to be there so I can test if the mixture is effective. It shouldn't take more than twenty minutes."
"You're...going to get rid of my coal tar?" Hah! Astaroth suppressed the urge to burst out in laughter, but just barely. These coal tar would never disappear, no matter how much holy water he was drenched in. Being the king of rot meant he was constantly harassed by the little bastards.
"Unless you would rather keep them—but then I'd have to ask you to explain your reasoning." Yukio's composed expression remained unchanged as he spoke, and Astaroth couldn't tell if he was stumbling blindly into a well-placed trap or not.
All the sarcasm fled from his voice. "Uhh... N-no, I'm just...surprised."
His smile returned. "Don't worry—I may be young, but there's a reason I'm a teacher here. How does noon sound? We can meet up at the front of the Academy."
Astaroth was quiet for a while as he tried to collect his scattered thoughts and come up with a logical explanation. No human would ever refuse an opportunity to purge their body of demons, (much less these annoying coal tar), so he knew nothing he said would satisfy Yukio. Like a rabbit hunted by a fox, he had been forced into a corner. There was nothing he could do but lower his eyes in submission and reluctantly agree.
. . .
"This way, please." Yukio paused in the open doorway and glanced back at him. "Try not to look down."
Astaroth followed him for a few steps before curiosity consumed him and he glanced over the railing. "Wow..." The sight took his breath away—he was standing on one of the highest points in True Cross Town. Like all flightless demons, Astaroth had spent his entire life on the ground. Until now, that is. He could see the whole of Mephisto's island under his feet, an erratic maze of buildings and roadways with vehicles almost as small as ants. Birds soared below him and a seemingly constant wind whipped at his white hair. "Nice view..."
"Yes, it's lovely, but we really don't have the time to admire it now."
"Oh, right." He pushed himself away from the stone railing and continued following the exorcist, gazing down at the unfamiliar sights around him.
At the end of the bridge sat a building on a hill covered with dense foliage—a strange thing to see so high up in the air. There were so many different plants that it looked like it was floating on a cloud made of leaves. As they drew closer, he could smell pollen permeating the air, choking him. A passing breeze rustled through the plants and blew tiny dandelion seeds in Astaroth's direction. The intense scents caused most of his coal tar to flee.
A garden. There was a garden here.
There was nothing in Assiah Astaroth hated more than a blossoming, lively garden, (except maybe Amaimon, but, to be fair, all his brothers hated him.)
"This is Futsumaya," Yukio explained without looking back. "The family here has been helping exorcists since True Cross Town was built."
"It seems like most people become involved with exorcists because of their families."
Yukio hesitated, thinking. "That's true... There is a type of inborn ability that most talented exorcists seem to have."
Really? Ammon would like to know that...
The bridge they were on led to a staircase that forked in two: one path led to the shop, and the other to a closed, iron gate. Yukio waited at the door until Astaroth was standing beside him. "Only those with an exorcist rank or higher may enter, but because of the nature of our visit, I'll make an exception for you and your...friends." His lithe tone and mocking smile pricked at Astaroth's short temper—he was the only one allowed to insult his kin.
Astaroth's anger vanished and he immediately recoiled when Yukio opened the door. The pungent, earthy smell of burning sage hit him full force and almost made him vomit. His coal tar protested loudly, scrambling to hide in the crevices of his hair.
"Shiratori? Are you alright?" Yukio reached out a hand, concerned, but didn't touch him.
"F-fine," he waved the teacher's gesture away. "I-I...have allergies. Is it—ugh!—is it okay if I wait out here?"
"Yes, of course. I'll be back in a few minutes."
"Th-thanks." Astaroth turned and hurried back down the steps, a hand covering his mouth and nose. He coughed and struggled to breathe the cleaner air.
Okay, so...maybe there was something he hated more than gardens.
"Hah! What kind of demon flees from a plant!?"
Quickly forgetting the nauseous sensation in his stomach, Astaroth straightened himself and turned to the iron gate, expression vicious and eyes hard. "Who said that?"
Silence. Even the wind seemed to hide from his ferocity.
He sighed and climbed the steps to the garden. "Who said that?" He repeated, voice dark and saturated with anger.
"Me! I said it!"
Astaroth looked down and found a tiny purple pansy—possessed by a dekalp—glaring at him. He crouched low and stared at it for a moment, amazed. The dekalp stood tall, (well, as tall as a flower could stand), without trembling in front of earth's most powerful enemy. He didn't know whether to be impressed by her courage or amused by her stupidity. "You?" He scoffed.
"Yes, me!" In an attempt to appear confident, the pansy puffed up its petals, but this only made Astaroth laugh harder. "S-stop it! Why don't you come inside and I'll give you something to laugh about!"
He snorted. "Hey guys, get a load of this!" His coal tar emerged from their hiding spots, each eyeing the dekalp hungrily.
"AHH! R-rot!" She shivered. "G-go away! You'll dirty my soil!"
"Dirty!? I'm not dirty!" he snapped. "And I can go where I please!"
"Not here! This is my territory!" She tried to swat at him through the iron bars with her leaves, but couldn't reach.
Astaroth laughed again and, this time, the coal tar joined him. Frustrated, the dekalp spat a small amount of pollen in his face. His laughter instantly died. "Why you little..." She immediately regretted her actions as he bared his fangs. He reached between the gaps in the gate's design to pluck the little beast from her garden, and was promptly shocked by the hidden ward covering it. "Ouch!" He snatched his arm back and pressed it against his chest to relieve some of the pain.
"Hah! Fool! You think you can-" The gate creaked loudly, silencing her mid-sentence.
It leaned precariously and then, knocked free of its rusted hinges, toppled over, crushing the little pansy.
"Pfft—that's what you get!" Her presence was still prevalent, meaning she wasn't dead, just in a different part of the garden. She was probably rooted in something other than a flower—a clever tactic for such a low-level demon.
Astaroth stood, satisfied, and brushed invisible dirt from his pants. Only then did he notice that a young, blonde girl not far from him had witnessed everything. "Uhh... I was... It just... I-it was him!" He pointed accusingly at the flower.
She was seated before a freshly dug hole, a trovel in one hand and a purple pansy waiting to be planted in the other. Her outfit—a traditional kimono decorated with colorful butterflies—was splotched with dirt and grass stains. She eyed him carefully as he tried to compose himself, brow knitted in a frightened expression.
"I-I'm sorry—I didn't mean to scare you." He stepped forward.
The girl cried out and dropped everything. "D-demon!" She tried to scramble away from him, but the edge of her kimono snagged on her forgotten trovel and she slipped into the dirt.
"I-I'm not a demon! It was an accident! L-look, I'll put it back!" He lifted the gate and placed it back in its original place, balancing it against the hinges. It wasn't permanent, but it would do for now. "See?"
"Stay away!" She tried to move away a second time, and again fell to the ground.
It was almost as if she couldn't move her legs.
"Hey..." He pointed, his tone suddenly curious. "Is that dekalp rooted in your legs?"
"Wh-what?"
"Excellent observation, Shiratori!" The two looked up in surprise to find Yukio and an older woman emerging from a back door that led to the shop.
"Yuki!" The girl seemed to instantly relax at the sight of him. "What are you doing here?"
"We came to get ointment for Shiratori's infection," he nodded to Astaroth.
The girl turned back to him, a timid smile on her face. "Oh, you're a friend of Yuki's? S-sorry for calling you names." She reached out a dung-covered hand. "I'm Shiemi!"
"...Shiratori." He shook her hand and then quickly wiped it on his pants.
Yukio crouched down beside her. "May I have a look?"
Shiemi's face flared a bright red. "O-okay."
"Thank you." He lifted the edge of her kimono gently, revealing thick roots embedded in her flesh. "This is demonic temptaint. Although," he paused and looked at Astaroth with a strange smile, "I am curious how you know it's a dekalp specifically, Shiratori."
Astaroth scoffed, offended. "You're joking, right?" Even as a demon of rot, he knew dekalp loved to hide in gardens like this one. He gestured back to the pansies Shiemi had been planting before he interrupted her. "Common species of dekalp are more likely to possess small, inconspicuous plants." He stretched out his arms. "This garden is filled with tiny flowers, and owned by an impressionable girl who keeps planting more."
Yukio glanced around and nodded. "I see your point... Where did you learn that?"
"Uhh, wh-where?" He shuffled his feet uncomfortable as he tried to think. "I... I read it in a book!" Yukio quickly saw through his obvious lie, but, thankfully, decided not to comment on it and returned his attention to Shiemi.
"Hah! As if someone like you knows how to read!" The dekalp was back in one of the freshly planted pansies. "Hello, rot! Think you could get rid of me so easily?" She sneered.
Astaroth clenched his fists, his patience for the dekalp long gone, and stepped on it, grinding his foot into the soil.
"Hey! What are you doing!" He flinched when Shiemi grabbed the leg of his pants. "Stop it!" She tried to tug on the fabric, but was too weak from the dekalp and collasped.
"H-hey!" Astaroth took her shoulders and helped her sit up.
"Shiemi, that's enough!" The older woman finally spoke up, her expression a mixture of concern and anger. "He has the right idea! This place is too dangerous for you! Get inside! I won't have you ruining your health over this damned garden!"
"M-mom!"
"Don't listen to her." Astaroth perked up. The dekalp was whispering to Shiemi, its roots wrapped around her injured legs. "You want to preserve the memory of your grandmother, don't you?" It was trying to weaken her resolve so it could completely possess her body. "If you leave this garden, everything in it will die."
Apparently, Yukio could hear the dekalp too, and was unhappy with its empty promises to an innocent girl. "Shiemi, don't fall for its tricks!" He grabbed her shoulders firmly, as if shaking her would jostle her mind from the demon's grasp.
Astaroth felt obliged to do something. Not for the human girl, (naturally, he didn't care about her or her grandmother's garden), but for the safety of the dekalp. If she continued to speak so boldly in front of an exorcist, she would be killed. Surely a squirt like pansy princess here would pose no problem for someone as accomplished as Yukio. Astaroth could convince her to go with him, and then send her somewhere safe with one of Ammon's cohorts. "Hey!" He shouted to get Yukio's attention. "I've dealt with dekalp before—I can handle this. Give me a few minutes, okay?"
Yukio narrowed his eyes and raised a brow questioningly at him, but backed away nonetheless. Astaroth nodded once to show his appreciation.
"Hey, pansy princess." The flower glared, irked by the nickname. "Don't you think a garden this far away from land is a strange place for an earth demon?"
"Be quiet!" she growled. "You know nothing about earth demons!"
"Really?" he asked flatly, knowing he had found a weak spot. "So tell me—what kind of dekalp takes residence this high up?"
"I-I do!" Her confidence was wavering.
"Wouldn't you rather be on the ground? Connected to the earth? In a place where the spring rains will reach you?"
"I... I..." The roots in Shiemi's legs were beginning to retreat—she just needed a little more convincing.
"Listen, I can take you away from here. All you have to do is let the girl go." She eyed him carefully, trying to find the lies hidden in his words. "Let her go. It's not worth it, princess."
"You'll take me away from here?" She inched toward him ever so slightly. "You swear it?"
"I swear."
She lowered her gaze, considering his offer. Before she could come to a decision, a gunshot shattered the silence. Startled by the deafening sound, Astaroth threw himself to the ground and covered his head. It was a reflex reaction, one he had practiced many times under Satan's care. When he raised his head, the dekalp had completely enveloped Shiemi, transforming into a large demon shrouded by smaller flowers that spat toxin.
"My baby!" Her mother screamed desperately. "Help her!"
"Stop!" Astaroth struggled to get to his feet. Coal tar, panicked by his sense of urgency, buzzed around him in random directions, obscuring his view. "Don't shoot! You'll kill her!"
"I won't hurt Shiemi." Yukio spoke in a disgustingly calm voice.
"No, not her, asshole—the dekalp!" But no one heard him.
"Liar! You're working with them! I should have known! I'll kill you!" Wielding Shiemi's body as a shield, she charged forward blindly, determined to attack Yukio before he could fire another shot. "I'll kill all you damned exorcists!"
Astaroth tried frantically to compose himself. If he didn't do something, both human and demon would be killed in the confusion. He rushed to put himself in front of the dekalp's attack, but wasn't fast enough.
Yukio, seemingly having no concern for Shiemi, shot her in the shoulder, forcing the two to separate. Astaroth immediately knew it was a distraction, but the dekalp wasn't so lucky. As it turned in the air and rushed forward again, Yukio pulled out a second pistol he had concealed behind his back.
"No, wait!"
He shot it between the eyes.
She crumbled to the ground without a sound.
Yukio holstered his guns and hurried to where Shiemi's mother was holding her. Astaroth, on the other hand, approached the fallen dekalp. "P-princess?" He sat beside her, fists clenched in his lap, afraid to touch her. "Can you hear me?"
"R-rot?" She slowly opened her eyes, the effort almost too much for her. "Are we," she gasped weakly, "are we on the ground?"
He swallowed hard to keep his voice from cracking. "Yes. Can you feel the spring rain?"
"It's...cold."
"Everything is okay now. Close your eyes and rest."
"Ahh, the ash... It's...so pretty." As she died, her physical body was turned to ash, and she was blown away by a strong wind.
"Is it dead, Shiratori?" He turned back to Yukio, his face expressionless. He was beside an ecstatic Shiemi, who was standing on her own for the first time in months.
"Sh-Shiratori, look!" She jumped up eagerly, a smile brightening her tear stained face. "I can walk! I can walk! Thank you so much!"
"Yes—thank you for your help." Yukio nodded. "I'll admit, I underestimated exactly how much you knew about demons. I wouldn't have taken that dekalp down so easily had you not been here to soften it beforehand. Spectacular work today, Shiratori!"
Astaroth silently ground his teeth to keep his anger from boiling over.