Kaminari's head ached as she started waking up. She felt comfortable, though. The blanket that was on her was heavy and warm, then she was literally in a box which helped her feel safe. She sighed as she curled up a bit. She didn't care where she was. She just wanted to stay in this weird, safe cocoon. It felt like it was keeping the bad dreams away. She poked her head out of the box to find Ashiya quietly looming over the stove in the dark.
"Ashiya?" She called quietly.
The pale haired Demon looked over his shoulder, searching for the source of the sound before looking at her. "Kaminari," he greeted with a relieved smile. "How are you feeling?"
"I...I don't really know," she replied as she pushed herself out of the box. "Ashiya, can I talk to you about something?"
He turned on the light and brought some tea to the table for the two of them and sat down across from her, "Of course. Did something happen?"
She sighed as she ran her fingers through her messy hair and stared at the tea in front of her. "Something like that."
Ashiya sat silently while he watched Kaminari take her shirt off. He wasn't sure what was going on until she had taken it off entirely, revealing a tank top she wore beneath her shirt. His golden eyes focused on all the strange designs on her arms. They were scars, sharp and thin, jagged and deep. On her wrists were wrist bands that she took off to reveal a large scarred over dent on the top of her wrists.
"Something happened many years ago," she began as she swallowed hard, tears already starting to fall from her eyes. "There was this girl that had a crush on my brother, almost as bad as Chi's on Maou. She asked my brother to the dance, but he turned her down. She didn't take the rejection so well. A few days later, she broke into our house with three others." She placed her head on the table as she tried to catch her breath. "There...there was so much blood, so much pain, so many screams." She finally sat up, her terrified eyes focused on Ashiya, her only anchor in her sanity at the moment. "They separated us. While they were trying to tie my father down to a chair, my mother made a run for it. She had my brother in her arms..." she tried to calm her breathing, closing her eyes and swallowing before panting more and repeating the process until she could finally say what she needed to say. "One of them tripped her... she...she dropped Yamato." She buried her face in her hands as she tried to control her sobs. "He was only one, Ashiya! He was too young to die! He...he was just a baby." She sniffled as she wiped the tears from her face, "He's the only one that didn't feel any pain. The impact of the fall killed him instantly. M-my mother landed on top of him..." She took a few deep breaths before continuing. "One of them took my mother and another took my brother. The girl went with the guy that took my brother, but one stayed with me and my father. He spoke with my father about why this was happening. Once he finished talking, he shot him in the chest. They said it was internal bleeding that killed him. The, uh," she sniffled some, "the bullet exploded. Shrapnel tore apart his organs." She shivered some and put her shirt back on. "T-there was nothing I could do. I was tied up on the other side of the room, listening to my mother and brother scream and beg for their lives. This guy decided he wasn't done."
Ashiya shifted slightly at her change. Her pale eyes were like a freezing storm on the horizon, dangerous and angry, ready to destroy whatever was in its path. He had seen that look in Maou's eyes before when Lucifer was destroying the city, and he had seen it in Lucifer's eyes before he left for work. "He took four knives and stabbed them to my wrists and ankles, pinning me to the floor another knife he used to just cut me in whatever ways he seemed fit for the situation. He kept telling me how beautiful my screams were and how he couldn't wait to hear them when I was older. One of the others didn't want to take that chance, so they stabbed me in the chest." She was seething, barely understandable as she spoke through her teeth, tears of rage and hate rolling down her cheeks as she glowered at Ashiya. "The three teens that had gotten my mom and brother were caught when the police arrived, but the man that tortured me got away."
They sat in silence while she tried to calm down. She rested her elbows on the table, living the event by telling someone had awoken more emotions than she thought. She had her head in her hands. She was focused on trying to stay conscious. The emotions were going to rip her apart if she get control of herself. The amount of anger she had just experienced was too much for her small body to handle. She could feel the pain all over again, hear the screams. Besides her dreams, she had never really relived the dream, but she was reliving it, and she was angry. There was little sadness left in her, only fury that one escaped. One that she would find, or he would find her. If she ever saw him again, she would destroy him.
After Ashiya took a sip of his tea, he gently put the cup down and sighed, "After fighting humans for so long and knowing what demons are capable of, it's hard to say whether those people were truly human."
With Kaminari composed once again, she managed a logical response, "In your world, you were at war. Each side was doing what they were told, both fighting for what they believed in. People die, homes are destroyed, that's just war. They did that for no reason."
Ashiya raised an eyebrow, "I thought you were more complex than that."
"Complex?" She questioned as she sipped her tea. She never considered herself complex. If Chiho didn't exist, she would consider herself to be one of the more simple minded people in the world.
"Your views on war are rather simple for you to have avoided us for two weeks."
"This world has wars. I had a lot to consider. I knew I would have to accept you one day, but I didn't know how."
He nodded, understanding where she was coming from as far as that mentality went. "The man that tortured you, do you believe he will come for you again?"
"He might," she replied sadly. "I try to stay around people, even though I don't like it." She smiled slightly, "But I have two Demon generals and King Satan himself to help me out if I get in trouble."
Ashiya smiled, "I don't know if Satan will allow us to fight humans, though he may make an exception for you. We will be more than happy to assist you in whatever ways we can."
She smiled slightly as she took a sip of her tea, "So, how did I get here? I thought we went to Bell's."
"You got sick after looking at something then passed out on the sidewalk. Urushihara brought you here."
"Yeah, I guess he doesn't know where I live," she muttered while looking at her tea. "Well, here is just as nice, though he didn't have to do all of that for me." Both of them looked at the strange bedding the fallen angel had given her.
"He likes having you around," Ashiya replied with a smile. "He's finally acting like himself again."
"What was he like?" She asked.
"He was an incredible general. Of course, some demons never considered him a demon, since he's a fallen angel, but he was well known for how sinister he could be. He was very strict on his forces, more than King Satan was. Urushihara actually took part in raising him. He's one of the reasons my king is such a strong leader." The general looked at the computer for a moment before returning his guilt stricken gaze back to the emotional girl. "Lucifer was doing research on you when he found the truth. I've seen the pictures. In all my years, I never imagined something so horrible."
Her eyes moved to the table, trying to process the correct reaction. She was angry that he had found out, but at the same time, she had no right to be. She had snooped on his life, and it was only logical he would do the same.
The door opened to Maou struggling to walk. "I got sent to the amusement park," he groaned as he fell to the floor. "Why is Urushihara's box on the floor?"
Kaminari looked at Ashiya for a moment before releasing a shaky breath, "He got it out for me to use. I-I passed out earlier, and he brought me here and...put me in a box."
"Passed out?" Maou asked as he crawled to the table to join them at the table. "What happened?"
"She told me about the pictures Lucifer showed us," Ashiya replied. "Sire, are you alright?"
"Yeah," he groaned as he fell onto his back. "Just really tired and sore."
"Water park?" Kaminari asked.
"Water park," he affirmed, tired and in agony. "I never want to go back."
Kaminari finished her tea then stood up, "I should head home. Thank you for taking care of me."
"Ashiya can walk you home, if you want," Maou said shamelessly volunteering his general. "The last thing we need is Lucifer jumping down our throats for letting you walk home alone."
"That's a bit extreme," Kaminari replied as Ashiya stood up to join her.
The Demon king rolled to his side where he was staring up at her. "Look, he's been a total pain since he got here, and it only got worse after I became his legal guardian. Now that he has a job, he's starting to act like himself again. It's actually kind of nice. He's happier now that he's able to freely roam the city. He has you to thank for that. He never leaves a debt unpaid, even if it takes him over a year to make it up. You gave him his life back. He's not just going to forget that." His red eyes moved to Ashiya, "Is it too much trouble to take her by the theatre so he'll know she's okay?"
Ashiya groaned, "I was hoping to avoid the subway."
Kaminari stood silently by Ashiya as the annoying metal tracks screeched to a halt at their stop. He followed her as she led the way to the theatre nearby. "I don't see a reason for us to be here," Kaminari commented. "Does he need to know that badly?"
"If the king says it's important, then it's important," Ashiya said firmly.
"Yeah, but it's going to be weird. My ex is the manager here," Kaminari muttered as they approached the theatre. The moment they stepped in, Kaminari heard her name, or what Jaden used to call her.
"Hey, Kay," the tall, blond haired man greeted as he walked up. His dark eyes shot a piercing glare toward Ashiya before he smiled down at the girl. "What brings you here?"
"Oh, hey, guys," Lucifer greeted as he swept the floor. He paused a moment, his intense violet gaze moving slowly over Kaminari, checking for any injury or blemish that would show any signs of her being even slightly bothered. "Are you feeling better?"
"Yes," Kaminari confirmed with a smile. "Thank you for taking care of me, Urushihara. It means a lot to me."
"Whatever," he grumbled as he went back to sweeping, a ghost of a smile on his lips.
Though no one else noticed, Ashiya could tell the change in the fallen angel. It had been no accident that he had shown up when he did. Maou must have told him that Kaminari would come by when she was better.
"Kay, can I talk to you for a moment?" Jaden asked.
"Ashiya is taking me home," she replied as she smiled at the tall general next to her. "Maybe next time."
"Uh, sure," he replied lamely. "You want to get coffee Friday?"
"Sure, I guess," Kaminari replied with a shrug. "I open at the park, so I can't stay long."
His dark eyes lit up as he smiled. "Awesome! I'll pick you up?"
"Yeah, whatever," she replied, her eyes going back to Urushihara who was dumping out the dustpan into the trash can. "Thank you...Hanzo."
Her purple haired friend looked at her and smiled, "I'll see you later."
With a wave toward Jaden, she left with Ashiya.
"You are aware you agreed to go on a date with him, aren't you?" Ashiya asked her as they headed to the train station.
"Yeah, but I didn't want to get Urushihara fired," she replied.
"Turning him down would have gotten Urushihara fired?" Ashiya asked in shock. "Why?"
"He's always been a very jealous person. Even his other exes can't come to the movie theatre with other guys because he will up the prices of their tickets and snacks. It would have been better to text him that I was fine. He might get sent home early, or have a few days taken from him."
"I hardly see why that boy should be a manager," Ashiya grumbled as they boarded the train.
"It's his theatre. Well, his family's. His sister was supposed to be the manager, but Jaden volunteered to take her place so he could see all the girls that came in to see the scary movies and invite them back to the theatre at a discount or free."
"Oh? And women actually buy that story?"
"He managed to convince Chiho," she replied with a smile. "But, what kind of sister would I be without ruining a date?"
"You dated him as well," Ashiya pointed out.
Kaminari sighed sadly, "I'm not proud of it, but I might still be with him if I hadn't gone to Europe."
"Are you not planning on dating him again?" Ashiya asked her.
"He made it a point we wouldn't be getting back together if I went to Europe. He didn't want me to experience something like that without him, but I wasn't going to miss the opportunity. Chances to explore the world don't come often enough, Ashiya. You have to take them when you can."
"You are very different from your sister," he smiled. "I truly believe if Maou went home, she would waste the rest of her life away trying to find a way to Ente Isla."
"She has an innocent mind," Kaminari said solemnly.
"What do you mean?" He asked as he peered down at the girl who had been cheerful enough to dreadful melancholy, her eyes focused on the floor.
"She hasn't considered her own mortality. I don't know if she plans to find a way to become a Demon or something bizarre like that, but she hasn't taken the time to think about how she will die one day while you continue to live on. We will die, Ashiya. Our own mortality will be the end of us. You don't have to live by this human curse. You can live longer, maybe forever in Ente Isla. Here, in this world, there is only death."
Ashiya studied her for a while. She really believed all that existed in the world was death. She had good reason, but even the Hero Emilia wasn't so morbid. He finally smiled and placed his hand on her shoulder, "If you focus on such dark things, you will be engulfed by them. Try to focus on the happier things in life."
"I think that's what's wrong," Kaminari replied as she looked up at him. "I've been looking at the happier things for too long." She finally smiled, "I know what to do. I'm not going home, so you head back. I think it's time to be alone."
"That isn't safe," Ashiya said firmly. "You shouldn't be alone right now."
She shrugged, "I'll be fine." When the train came to a stop, Kaminari got off, leaving Ashiya. "I'll let you know when I get home."
Ashiya waved with a defeated frown on his lips. "Be careful, Kaminari. Urushihara is more dangerous and more protective of you than you think."
She left the train station, heading to a nearby cemetery where markers for her parents and siblings graves lay, though they had been cremated. She had never been before. After stopping by a small florist, she slowly made her way to the field of stone. Angels and crosses loomed over the still grass plain. Frequently walked paths formed strange dirty veins that moved through the stone rows. There were others visiting the memories of their loved ones making her feel more awkward, but less crazy. As she roamed the silent yard, she couldn't help but wonder if anyone had been forgotten with time. Had people stopped visiting them?
Her feet came to a stop in front of a somewhat tall cross, two angels facing each other, both holding swords as if to protect those they were placed over. Though the stone was over thirteen years old, it still looked new, like someone had been taking care of it all these years. She placed the bouquet of lilies in front of the stone and pulled one out, placing it on the area between the angels.
"I know I've never visited," she said as she sat down and stared at the stone with the names of her family members. "I've met some people recently. They aren't human, if you would believe that. Some of my closest friends are demons and angels. Chiho is in love with the king of demons. Of all people, she fell in love with King Satan. I don't think the feeling is mutual. You see, he's trying to take over the world by becoming the CEO of MgRonalds." She wiped a tear away, "He's just like you, Reiji. He's so goal oriented, nothing else really matters, but he cares about his friends and family. I would like to think you would be proud of who I've become, but I'm not much of anyone right now. Today, I told someone the truth about that night. He's actually the Demon general for Satan. After talking to Lucifer, my angel friend, I realized I could trust these guys with the truth. They would listen and not show any sort of pity. I know that sounds ridiculous, but I've had too much of it. I didn't want to see that...that look again." She sighed as she out her hand on the stone. "He's still out there, and I know he's coming for me. You don't need to worry about me, though. I have the king of demons and his two generals to take care of me. They've all been especially kind since my return from Europe."
She continued talking to the rock for hours, not really paying attention to her surroundings or the time. She told them about her life so far and her adventures in Europe. She tried her hardest not to cry as her shell began to crack. Ever so slowly, she started crying as she told all of them how much she missed them and what she missed about them. She missed her father's strength when he held her at night, and her mother's warmth when she hugged her. She missed Reiji the most, how he would protect her and make her laugh when she cried. She missed Yamato's giggles and helping learn how to walk. She missed them so much...
Lucifer stood a few feet away, leaning on an obelisk, his arms crossed over his chest. He had been behind her the whole time, watching as she laughed alone and sobbed alone. He didn't understand, but it was obvious the girl needed to do this. Jaden's jealousy had gotten the best of him, and he sent Lucifer home to keep him from working more hours. Ashiya had left a message about Kaminari wandering off alone somewhere, and Lucifer had seen her just as he walked out of the bus.
Topic after topic, Lucifer began to learn more about the strange girl who had set him free. Her life choices were based on her own mortality, choosing to be adventurous and less caring, because deep down, she didn't want to be alive at all. She missed her family to the point of wanting to be dead just be with them, but not having the nerve to do it, because she didn't want them to be disappointed in her.
He checked the clock on his phone. 10:30. They had been there for nearly five hours. He walked up to her and gently placed his hand on her shoulder. He quickly covered her mouth when she screamed. Her pale eyes seemed to glow in the pale moonlight, what little there was from the waning moon. The fear slowly melted away as she started to breathe more calmly.
"C'mon, it's late." He noticed the flowers at her feet then looked back at her, "Why did you bring those?"
"It's just what people do," she replied with a shrug. "Why?"
"Don't give dying gifts to the dead," he told her as he pulled another lily from the bouquet and stuck the stem in the ground. He placed his hands on the ground, a gentle purple glow coming from his hands.
He dusted his hands off as he stood up, "Your family will be worried. Let's get you home."
He slowly helped her to her feet, knowing her legs were probably asleep, which proved be true when she stumbled back to the ground and laughed. He smiled some as he watched her just stare at the sky, a smile on her face. "Have you ever seen Earth's stars?"
When he looked up, he noticed he couldn't see them at all. "Do you even have stars?"
"Yeah, but you can't see them in the city. The lights are too bright."
She finally got to her feet and stretched, "I didn't think I would feel better, but I do." Tears started to fill her eyes again as she put her hand on top of the tombstone. "It was almost like they were actually here to hear me." She wiped a tear away to try to keep herself from crying more. "I'm sorry. I've been a wreck since Bell's, I think."
"You haven't eaten, have you?" He questioned.
"Yeah," she lied. "I ate when I got home after Ashiya dropped me off."
"Good, you'll be fine with getting something else to eat, then," he replied as he turned to leave. Before he could take a step, Kaminari was suddenly at his side, glued to his arm, her entire body shaking. The genuine fear that was coming from her body made him want more, but he also wanted it to stop.
He glared at the man that stood in the shadows, far from them. He couldn't see details, but he knew from the corrupted, twisted joy the man radiated as he lusted for Kaminari's screams. It was the man that tortured her all those years ago. The one that caused her pain. The one that took every drop of happiness from her body. He destroyed her soul. And to Lucifer, that was unforgivable.