Anxiety. That's why I disappeared. I'm feeling up to updating this now, so I'll hop back on the workhorse. Sorry about that. For your trouble, here's an extra long chapter.
Chapter Four
Nightmare Fuel
Just as Amaimon was about to clear the area, he suddenly found himself trapped as a great dome engulfed him in complete darkness, rendering him blind.
"Did you see that? I got him!"
"Why is it just running around like that?"
"The headmaster's gonna be pissed!"
Several more voices joined the cacophony and in a sudden flash of blinding light, the prison of darkness was removed only to be replaced by the firm grip of a hand. He was hoisted impetuously from the ground, surrounded by the curious and amused faces of several True Cross students as they peered down at him from above. Amaimon scoffed, the sound seeming more like a tiny sneeze than a gesture of condescension, and a chorus of ooh's and aw's soon followed. He hated being looked down upon, and even more so by a flock of weak little children; He resigned, however, remembering the very real threat of what killing them would bring. Amaimon squeaked in surprise as a finger came down upon his furry head, teasing the tiny lock of fur that stood stick straight upon it.
"He's so cute! Maybe we should return him..."
"It's obvious why he's out here! He was trying to escape! Maybe we should help him!"
"No, don't! We'll get in trouble! Maybe even expelled!" A hand suddenly shot out of nowhere and he was flung upwards as his captor attempted to dodge. Amaimon took this opportunity of weakness to make his escape and easily wiggled out of the hand, eliciting a rather feminine shriek from an obviously male student. He quickly scrambled down his sleeve and leaped to the ground, continuing his journey...
...into the hands of a girl.
"And where do you think you're going?"
Amaimon had been certain he had lost his captors in the crowd and was home free, but hadn't been prepared for the second trap he would fall in. He froze briefly as her hands closed around him, and he began squirming about in an attempt to escape. Oh, how he wished he could change back right about now
A hazel eye and messy bangs appeared between the gaps in her fingers and he stared up at the girl, attempting to assert his dominance. It didn't quite work as well as he had hoped as she simply smiled, closing her hands off to him once more.
"You want to get something to eat?" The sounds of footsteps scattering in all directions caught his attention and he realized he was moving away from the campus. Perfect. It was just what he wanted. Seeing as the events were playing in his favor, he curled up, making himself comfortable until he reached his next destination.
The girl's fingers parted, revealing her face a second time. He barely gave her his attention, instead seeming to be staring at nothing as he maintained the shape of a small ball of fur, his wiggling nose, the only sign that he was even still conscious.
"You're really kind of sweet, aren't you?" Her hands flourished, giving him the perfect opportunity to escape. It was the ultimate sign of trust. Amaimon finally looked up at her, garnering another smile. "Thanks for being so cooperative. Anything you like to eat in particular? Granola? Sunflower seeds? ...Alfalfa? Sorry. I've never had a hamster before, so I don't really know what you guys can eat." Amaimon could eat anything he so pleased, but he knew what he wanted: something sweet. The problem was attaining it. If she was really taking him to to get food, she would be the perfect vehicle to find that. In one fluid motion, he scurried out of her palms and up her sleeve, perching proudly on her shoulder, causing her to freeze in surprise. She was his vassal now and she would serve her king as needed.
Her head twisted towards Amaimon slowly like a second hand on a clock, unsure of herself as she eyed the hamster on her shoulder, standing proudly on its hind legs. She found its behavior unusual and a tad frightening, warming up to her so easily, but she didn't question it. Seeing as how agreeable he was, it would be a simple matter to find him something to snack on before, and if, she returned the little rodent to his office prison. Her mind was just as unsure as she wondered how she would explain to the headmaster how she had come across the hamster. There would be no way he would believe he just ran straight into her hands. She sighed, hoping it didn't mean the end of her high school career.
Amaimon's beady eyes scanned the streets as they passed building after building, though the majority of shops were nothing more than florists or salons. He was soon surprised to see that they had arrived at the train station, the girl coming to a stop at the edge of the dock.
"There's not much in the way of pet stores around here, so you'll have to bare with it a bit."
He had no idea where they were actually going nor did he care, but remained patient in spite of that. Out of frustration he had begun to gnaw on the collar of her shirt and was soon bumped on the nose with a sudden fingertip.
"Hey, quit that! My clothes aren't food! Think you can hang on just a little longer?" He huffed before curling back up in a ball.
Amaimon had drifted off into a light sleep to curtail his hunger and awoke some time later, feeling slightly more agitated than he had started out. His ears twisted and twitched as he scanned his current surroundings. The loud clacks and screeches of the train against the rail mixed with the bustle of voices and hushed tones on the train, and he spied the sight of several more high schoolers, all staring back at him with smiles and looks of disbelief.
"Hey, he woke up."
"Aww, he's so cute!"
"He kinda looks like the one in the headmaster's office."
"That's cause he is," the girl whispered, to which she received several shocked gasps in reply.
"Did you steal him?!"
"No! He was running away!"
"Why didn't you take him back?"
Why wasn't she taking him back? She frowned, looking down at her lap where her pale hands intertwined with themselves. Amaimon looked at her curiously, not understanding her reasoning nor her motives, Not that it meant much anyway, humans were completely pointless to begin with. His head rose slightly when he heard a quiet whisper escape her.
"He's cute."
What did cute have to do with anything? He was Amaimon and his will to eat was absolute. Of course she would do as he commanded and find him food, even if it was a bit troublesome. A slew of quiet giggles arose from across the aisle at her response and she blushed, looking away in shame. Mephisto had mentioned that Japanese girls had a deep love of all things "kawaii." By all accounts, he certainly fit that bill in that moment. He looked down at his furry body, wondering what was so appealing about small rodents? Maybe it was their tiny fragile claws, or their cold, remorseless eyes, or their disgusting, gluttonous appetites- now that he thought about it, hamsters were the perfect creatures. He would begin recommending them to all his goblin kin. He was surprised to hear the disembodied voice of a woman interject his thoughts as the train came to a stop and he steeled himself as his new human retainer got to her feet, pulling her bookbag onto her shoulder. She exited through the large throng of passengers as they pushed through the open doors and she smiled, checking the signs.
"Almost there." Almost where, exactly? He was a bit further out than he usually went but it still felt unfamiliar to him. He typically followed the crowd in order to learn more about Japan, but this place was particularly quiet. She sprinted towards the wide stairwell, leaving the safety of the train station. The sight that awaited him was very demure and peaceful. The streets were mostly dirt roads, the homes old fashioned, and the view of the sea was all around. It was a small prefecture, no doubt hidden away due to the lack of tourism. Amaimon found it to be really boring, but if there was food here, then it didn't really matter. The girl turned down a rather cluttered alleyway, filled with clotheslines and stray cats which eyed the hamster warily. She reached down to pet one only for its ears to flatten suddenly as it backed away, retreating in fear.
"Huh. I wonder what that was all about." She cast a glance at Amaimon who sat quietly upon her shoulder. She found the uneasy feeling she had gotten earlier harder to shake then as she exited the opposite end of the alleyway, an entire new row of houses greeting her on the other side. The girl picked one, rushing up to the side and quickly pulled off her shoes, exchanging them for slippers as she slipped inside. She dropped them at the door where they fell flat to a stop with a dull clap and she shut the sliding door behind her before seeking out the kitchen.
"Kaasan, I'm home!"
"You're home early." The older woman was deeply involved in her work of washing the dishes and neither looked up nor offered any formal greeting whatsoever.
"Classes ended early today for some reason. Looked like most of the teachers were pretty busy. It's just been a strange day in general."
"Strange, huh? A lot happened? There's been a few oddities here as we- Orihime!" Amaimon froze as the accusing hand of the girl's mother sent a barrage of soap suds and water flying towards them. Amaimon scrambled to stay perched as the girl, apparently named Orihime, took a quick bow.
"Sorry! It's not what it looks like! I only need to feed him! I promise it's only temporary!"
"You know how I feel about rats!"
"It's not a rat, it's a hamster!"
"What's wrong with it? It's an unusual color..."
"Really? He looks normal to me. Maybe he's dirty," Orihime gingerly plucked the hamster from her shoulder, examining him. Amaimon stared back with his beady eyes and she frowned, finding him to be even more unsettling than before. Though he appeared to be nothing more than an ordinary hamster, she couldn't shake the feeling he was anything but.
"Dirty, my foot. That thing's cursed or something. You should put it back where you found it," her mother wagged a finger in warning at her as Orihime turned away, making her way to her room.
"Don't be so superstitious! He'll be gone by the end of the day." With that, she was gone.
Moving to her tiny room, she shoved past her rickety door that refused to budge more than a few inches and she dropped hard onto the tatami mat before allowing Amaimon his freedom. In the corner on her desk was a large cage where a black and white rabbit sat staring at him from afar. Its brown eyes affixed to him and he stared back, sending the lop-eared animal into a small frenzy.
"Hey! What's the big deal?! You act like you've seen a ghost or something!" She groaned, getting to her feet and popped open the cage, the rabbit pressing itself to the back and refusing to taken out. Orihime sighed and gave up, closing the door once more. "Sheesh, what is going on with all the animals in town today? It's like it's Go Berserk on Orihime Day. Oh, right! I totally forgot about your food! Sorry!" She dashed from the room without another word, leaving the thoroughly frightened pet with the Earth King.
On the inside, Amaimon felt a sense of satisfaction. Though he was still unable to change back, his influence and power over the weak species of Assiah were returning to him and he reveled in that fact until the heavy footfalls of Orihime caused him to look up. A barrage of small bottles and bags careened to the floor along with a number of colorful objects. Amaimon perked at the treasure and dashed over to examine everything, unsure of what to mess with first. She laughed as she sat down more gently now, watching him with a smile.
"I got some sunflower seeds and some fruit from the kitchen-hey! That's mine!" Amaimon had punctured the foil of a small bottle of Yakult, chugging the beverage without a care. It was pleasantly sweet and he found himself wanting more by the second. He casually tossed away the empty bottle, pulling another one over. Orihime watched the hamster with furrowed brows and lied down on her stomach to watch him.
"Just what are you, anyway? I thought you were just a cute, hungry, little hamster, but the longer I keep you, the more I second guess myself. Even Okaasan noticed how unusual you are." She paused, her eyes narrowing at the Earth King as he chugged his third bottle of Yakult. "Are you the one scaring all the animals away?"
Amaimon stopped at that, the now empty bottle of Yakult falling from his tiny hands as he turned back to stare at her. Even with his ominous disposition, he maintained a slightly cute demeanor, his fur covered in yogurt. She warily allowed herself to laugh at that as he attempted to clean his face.
"I'm being stupid, right? You don't talk. Right." She sat up with a sigh, grabbing her clock from a nearby table and checked the time. "Guess I'll get a bigger snack before we leave." Orihime grabbed the remaining bottles of Yakult and returned to the kitchen.
Her mother was carefully tending to the rice in the rice cooker, looking over her shoulder as Orihime dragged her way to the fridge, putting some bottles back.
"Why so sullen? You're not actually regretting bringing that rat home, are you?" She laughed before turning back to the stove.
"N-No! He's just... kind of weird. He definitely belongs at school.
"Oh? Why the sudden change of heart? I figured you'd hold him captive for a while longer."
"Probably not a good idea. Keiko hates him and practically climbed the walls of her cage just to get away; that, and he practically drank all my yakult."
"Eh? Say what?! That stuff's expensive around here!" Her mother's expression softened, her eyes carrying a look of worry. "You know, they say animals can sense things that we can't. They're more in touch with the spirits than we are."
"Spirits? Right," Orihime nodded, stabbing the foil of one of the remaining bottles and taking a drink.
"Deny it all you like, but that's bad mojo!" Orihime scoffed at that, giving her mother a smile.
"I get it mom. You're always talking about stuff like that. If it means that much to you, I'll take him back." Orihime guzzled the last of the tiny bottle, tossing the empty container into the bin. Her mother smiled, sighing softly.
"I just don't want you getting into trouble," she chuckled, placing her hands on her hips. Orihime faked a pout but then smiled again before going back to her room to pack up.
Orihime had only managed to push herself halfway through her doorway before she was struck dumb with fear at the sight of an unusual male crouching brazenly on her desk. In one of his grotesquely clawed hands was Keiko, held by the scruff of her neck as she hung in fear. Her paws were curled close to her body and she emitted the faintest of whines. He simply stared at the rabbit with a dull expression, his head tilted to the side, almost as if he were were examining it.
"You're kind of pathetic, you know." Amaimon looked over, spotting the girl who was stuck between the wall and sliding door. "Oh. You're back. Your rabbit was giving me a funny look so I was thinking about killing it, but I guess I'll put it back." He carefully dropped the rabbit into its cage, taken aback as it quickly recovered and darted to the end that was farthest from him. He gave off an almost non-existent smile that was tinged with a hint of malice before turning back to face Orihime and he hopped to the floor, making his way over to her.
Whether or not she was aware of it, her body had begun to shake and the sliding door rattled in its frame against her. The sound had apparently brought Orihime back to reality and she began to struggle against it, attempting to get out. By the time she was able to shake free, a firm hand snatched her wrist, pulling her cleanly back through the narrow opening and she stumbled back into her room. Orihime shook off her dizziness and the warmth coming from her arm forced her to look over at the bored looking demon who still held her by the wrist, the only thing standing between her and collapsing to the floor.
Out of instinct, she shrieked, snatching her arm away and to her surprise it broke free of his grip to which he merely replied with lowering his own arm.
"Who are you what are you where'd you come from what do you want from me what are you going to do to me?"
"Do humans always ask this many questions at once?"
"Oh god you're the hamster aren't you my mom was right why didn't I listeeeeeen." She ended her breakdown with a whimper that threatened to become crying but Amaimon simply stared at her, baffled.
"I'm Amaimon, the Earth King. It's nice to meet you." His tone told her he felt indifferent, however.
"Earth...King?"
"Do you have any more of that yogurt stuff? I've never had anything like it before."
"I never woke up this morning, right? This is a dream," she slapped her face with her hands a few times, hoping the pain would wake her.
Amaimon had altogether lost interest in the True Cross student and contemplated going into the kitchen to find the Yakult himself but weighed the pros and cons of dealing with her mother. The appeal of free yogurt was a definite pro, but an already suspicious human was a con. The thought of an oversized fly swatter flattening him into submission if he were caught came to mind and he slowly shook it off, remarking to himself that he was spending too much time with his big brother. Only Mephisto could produce such strange punishments. Still, the temptation was great and he eventually rationalized using the girl to his advantage.
"Bring me more of that yogurt drink and I'll let you live."
"What," she froze, her hands in mid slap.
"I really only want something tasty and I like that yogurt drink of yours, so bring me more and I promise I won't kill you."
The way he spoke told her who or whatever he was, he did this often. Whether or not he actually existed, she didn't dare upset him. She'd seen the American horror films where a horrible killer invaded teenager's dreams and brutally murdered them in their sleep. Her own life meant little to her when she thought of her mother. Her body became numb at the thought of losing her mother to this so called king of earth, and whatever sense of preservation that welled up within her made her back out of the room, her arm bumping against the door on the way out.
Orihime flinched, rubbing the spot as she mechanically made her way to the kitchen and her eyes met the disapproving gaze of her mother as she entered the room.
"What's up with you? What was the screaming all about? Did that rat of yours get into something?"
"S-Something like that. I-I just bumped my arm is all."
"Tsk. Is that damn door stuck again? I keep telling your father it needs sanding, but he never listens to me! Oh, dinner will be ready in a few minutes so- Hey! Are you listening? If you keep drinking that stuff you'll lose your appetite! We're having your favorite tonight, grilled unagi. Orihime?"
She had barely registered her mother's words as she departed, her arms full of the remaining Yakult and she navigated back to her room, hoping her rabbit wasn't the first of his victims. To her relief, the rabbit remained in its cage, huddled in the same far corner with its same glazed eyes of fright, and Amaimon sat patiently in the middle of her room, staring straight ahead with a tired looking expression. He slowly looked up at her, his expression gaining some life when he caught sight of the yogurt in her arms.
"Good. How many are there? One, two, three..." he counted the drinks as she allowed the bottles to tumble to the floor and she watched Amaimon with disbelief. He seemed like such a child. The way he dressed gave her the impression he simply wore whatever caught his interest. He lined each bottle up next to each other as he counted them off one by one and actually smiled once he was done. It was a frightful smile, that expression people got just before they did something horrible and she felt what little warmth she had leave her body.
"There's eight bottles. I think I'll start with," his clawed finger hovered over the assemblage before settling on a bottle somewhere in the middle. "this one."
Orihime sunk to the floor, her legs crumpling beneath her as she watched him stab his long nail into the top of the bottle, piercing the foil, and he quickly swept it up, allowing the liquid to pour into his wide open mouth haphazardly.
"Want one?" He waved another bottle at her in offering, and it took her a moment to realize he was even talking to her as she had been trying to process just when he had picked it up. She quickly shook her head no at him, attempting to mimic her rabbit in moving as far from him as possible. Just as she had managed to move close to the wall, the sudden hand in her face made her jump and she stared for a hard while at what was in it. It was the bag of fruit slices she had left behind. Amaimon waved it at her like the bottle of yogurt.
"It's "healthy," right? You should eat something, too."
"Okaasan is making dinner. It'll be ready soon." Amaimon's dreary smile returned at that and she shrunk back. Though he was curious about what they were having, he knew better than to go and see for himself.
"Bring me some," he commanded, and she complied.
Orihime nodded and got up, a bit more independently this time. She slid past the door almost perfectly as she darted back to the kitchen and she quickly bowed, obscuring her nerve-wracked expression behind her hair.
"May I eat in my room, please?"
"What's gotten into you all of a sudden? First you ignore me and now you want to eat in your room. Are you hiding something from me?"
She launched upwards in protest, "No! Of course not! I just want to look after the hamster. Keep him out of trouble, you know?" Her eyes shifted to the left with her little white lie. It wasn't entirely untrue. She didn't want to know what would happen if she disobeyed.
"Well," her mother paused, contemplating her decision. She hadn't yet finished what she was going to say before she finally began scooping rice into a bowl. "I'll let you eat in your room just this once." Orihime smiled, thankful she didn't pry any further. She watched impatiently as she carefully layered the bowl with the salty fish and the smell of her favorite meal briefly erased any feelings of fear and anxiousness she had. She carefully took the bowl from her mother as she turned back to her, the two exchanging smiles as Orihime bowed, a little more politely this time.
"Arigatou, Okaasan!" She then departed, marching back to her room.
It didn't take long for the feeling of hopelessness to return as she remembered it wouldn't be her eating it and she sighed, wedging herself between the doors again.
Amaimon was lying on his stomach this time, his legs kicking back and forth as he popped the previously discarded sunflower seeds into his mouth one at a time, expertly spitting the shells out one after another. He had already devoured the fruit and its empty crumpled wrapper was tossed lazily to the side. She grimaced at the mess he was making and almost decided against even giving him the bowl. Amaimon snapped to attention once he noticed her and stretched out flat, his hands making grabbing motions at her like a toddler.
Orihime found herself smiling at that against her will as she carefully handed him the bowl and he stared at the contents with the same bored look as usual.
"I've never had this before," he sat up, taking the chopsticks that lied across the bowl into his hands and recited a childish "Itadakimasu" before quickly taking a bite.
The look on his face was something Orihime hadn't thought he was capable of producing and she stared in wonder as he continued shoveling bite after bite into his mouth. It was something between a genuine smile and a look of scrutiny, his eyes seeming to scan a nonexistent palate.
"It needs something though," his eyes wandered around her room before they narrowed onto the last two remaining bottles of Yakult and he stabbed the foil with a chopstick before dumping the yogurt into his bowl. Orihime nearly had a heart attack when she saw the yogurt make contact with the rice and she held her hands over her mouth in shock.
"What are you doing?! That's disgusting!"
"It's good," he simply stated. The bowl was nearly empty when she heard her mother's voice coming down the hall.
"I'm coming in. I hope you have all your laundry together."
"Oh! Uh, just a minute! Gimme a sec!" She scrambled to her hands and knees in a panic, unsure of what to do. Would he kill her mother on sight if she walked in? The both of them? The sound of the door rattling as her mother attempted to enter made her squeeze her eyes shut and she awaited whatever horrible fate she was destined to.
"Oh, it looks like he made a mess. Where is that little rat anyway?"
Those words brought Orihime back to reality as she looked at the empty spot before her where the earth king had been sitting. There, before her was her open window, and all the proof that remained of his existence was an empty bowl, an excess of sunflower shells and a single bottle of yogurt. She felt both a sense of relief and despair.
"He got out."