"Yes, my brother is the unholy offspring of the demon Lord and an angel"
Poor Rin felt like fainting. He didn't know how to react. Suddenly, Yukio opened the room's door. "I brought water!" Rin jumped right on his feet "Give it to me!" he immediately grabbed the glass and drank the whole content in two gulps. "Oh, Rin! I brought it for Sir Pheles! What's gotten into you?" Rin exhaled. "You don't wanna know, man... trust me" Yukio blinked a few times, not understanding. "Yeah okay nevermind... I'm gonna bring some more water but it's not yours this time" the poor boy left the room once more. Rin immediately returned his eyes to Amaimon who seemed to be quite entertained despite the fact that he was weak and tired. "You're kidding, right?" Rin almost pleaded for it to be a joke. A very bad one to be honest. Amaimon cracked one of his eyes open "I never play pranks when it comes to Samael. I may end up dead."
Suddenly, both males heard a little voice just behind Amaimon's back. "Rin..." the half demon bended over Amaimon and checked under the blankets for Mephisto. "What is it, little one? Do you feel sick?" Mephisto didn't answer. The only thing Rin could hear were muffled sobs. He exhaled and took him in his arms. He was feeling like a desperate dad. "You're burning up! You should take a cool shower..." "I don't wanna..." the young child couldn't even hold his head still on his neck and shoulders. The fever had drained him from his physical strength. "I brought w-oh, you're awake! Here, drink some" Yukio made his way in the room, handing the glass to Mephisto. Mephisto was making his eyes travel between Yukio and glass of water, trying to figure out if it was poisonous or not. "It'll help your fever go down" Rin said in a soft tone in Mephisto's ear, trying to motivate the tiny demon to drink the transparent, vital liquid. Mephisto drank two gulps of the content without taking his eyes from Rin as a confirmation of water's lack of poison. It was like he could trust no one but him. He handed the glass back to Yukio without drinking the whole content. Yukio then, fondled Mephisto's soft, purple hair as a reward. "C'mon, kid. Let's go. You should definitely take a shower." Rin took Mephisto to the bathroom. Yukio exhaled and returned his attention to Amaimon. "Now let's deal with your problem, shall we?" Amaimon despite the fact that he was centuries older than Yukio, not to mention way stronger, he felt a bit scared for not knowing what was going to happen to him. "Wh-what do you mean, human?" he sat up in the bed, ready to defend himself. Yukio smirked. "Well, what d' you know! A demon king feared by many exorcists, is actually scared of a single question." Amaimon tsk-ed in an angry manner. "Don't play with me, human. I'll crush you like a bug!" It was obvious, though, that he was a bit scared. Yukio, being a good man above anything else, didn't want scare him even more. He fixed his glasses and sat in a chair before him. "Relax, Earth King. I promise I won't hurt you." Yukio said in a taunting manner. Amaimon tsk-ed again. "Yukio extended his arm "Come a bit closer"
Amaimon approached the doctor, taking a deep breath, as if Yukio was about to cut his head off. The younger of the twins brought out a pair of scissors and that was more than enough to make the earth king shiver in fear. He was feeling so weak right now, he wouldn't be able to protect himself against the exorcist's mighty weapon. He shut his eyes hermetically... but nothing happened.
[…]
"And Done..." Yukio said cutting the old, blood soaked bandages around his injured arm. Amaimon cracked one of his eyes open. He immediately faced the young doctor. "Now what?" he asked, a bit anxious. Yukio showed him some new bandages. "We're gonna replace them with new ones so your injury won't get infected" he said in a matter-of-factly tone, taking his arm in his hands once again. Amaimon felt a bit strange about it. In fact, it was the first time in his whole life that someone took care of him, so he didn't really know how to feel...
"I uuuuh..." Yukio turned his head away from the injury to face him. He immediately understood that the demon was trying to thank him in his own way. He smiled secretly and let him continue. "I'm... I'm..." As an exorcist in trainning, Yukio had faced a lot of different kinds of demons, but Amaimon was a whole different category on his own. One minute, he was a feral creature, a killer... and the other... he was just a boy, scared, miles away from his home...
The young doctor didn't try to help him complete his sentence, because he knew, he could do just fine on his own. He just turned to face him, secretly entertaining himself with the other's goofy behavior. Amaimon's eyes closed, sealed under his long, green eyelashes that were touching his now wine-red cheeks. Poor thing! He was having a hard time trying to express himself.
"I... I'm... I'm feeling... a bit better..." well, that was a good start. Yukio didn't want to make him feel more uncomfortable, so he just smiled. "You're welcome!" Yukio couldn't help but be amused. Of course 'thank you' and 'sorry' weren't in the demon's vocabulary, but God! He sure was creative!
He finished his work by cleaning the wound and wrapping it up in new bandages. The demon king moved his arm up and down in order to test his arm's durability against the pain. "Does it hurt?" Yukio asked, kind of remorseful. "A little" said Amaimon in his usual, dull voice. Yukio smiled once again "Good... You shouldn't move it much, though. It won't heal up properly!" he gently took the demon's arm and placed it on his chest "let it rest for a while" he then grabbed a blanket from his closet and covered Amaimon with it. "Sleep. It will help you feel a lot better" Yukio was standind near the room's door ready to leave.
"What about aniue?" Yukio figured out that when it comes to Mephisto, Amaimon is a whole different person. More responsible and mature. Like it is his responsibility to take care of his older brother and not the other way round. "Yukio exhaled. "Oh, he's in good hands, alright. He's with Rin" Rin... It's always Rin... What's so special about him, anyway... Amaimon had to admit that he was green with envy. Well, more green than he already was... Yukio noticed the sad expression on his face. He felt kind of sorry for the male demon. He was like a cat mamma that misses her kittens... "Don't worry! He'll be right back. He's alright, I promise!" Amaimon lifted his head up, locking his eyes with Yukio's. Yukio gulped. "I'll... I'll be in the kitchen if you need me..." he left quietly, closing the door behind him. Amaimon turned his head, staring out of the window, while exhaling...
"Will I drown, Rin?" Rin held Mephisto's naked body just above the water's surface. "What? Of course not! You'll be just fine, buddy. Trust me!" He lowered his small body in the water, trying to keep his head just above the surface. "How's the water?" Mephisto exhaled, quite relaxed. "It's warm... I really like it!" young Mephisto smiled at him. Rin felt obligated to smile back. "I'm glad, bro! Let's wash your hair now, close your eyes" Warm water was poored on Mephisto's head, alongside with strawberry shampoo. Rin put his hands on the small demon's head and started rubbing it, gently. A certain, curly strand of hair was fighting against Rin's hand in order to keep itself upwards. It was so bizarre! It was like it had its own attitude and personality! "You sure are a bit peculiar..." Rin said to himself. Hearing that, Mephisto turned to face him, piercing through Rin's soul with his big, sad eyes. Rin immediately felt remorse. "I mean, in a good way. You're... different... But anyway, you're the greatest kid I've ever met!" Rin was on his knees, facing Mephisto's back. Mephisto, hearing those words, turned his head away so Rin couldn't see his face. He became quiet. Rin didn't notice and continued his work by washing the child's small back.
"Really..." a small, shy and soft voice reached the half demon's ears. "Huh?" Rin was taken a bit aback. "You really think I'm great..." Mephisto couldn't bring his eyes to face Rin. The half demon tried to make the child face him, by putting his hand on his tiny shoulder. "What's gotten into you, all of a sudden? You're the best brother one could ever have!.. Lucky me, I have you!" he still couldn't see the child's face but he knew that his little heart was overflowing with happiness. Mephisto, holding his head low, fell against Rin's chest. "No... Lucky me, I have you..." Rin laughed at those words. He patted Mephisto's head soflty and cuddled him against his chest. "You sure are something, little one!" Mephisto brought his small fist in front of his face, probably to wipe away his tears, without letting Rin see. "And you should really stop crying. For Heavens Sake, bro! You make me feel so useless when you do this. What makes you feel so sad, anyway?" For the first time, after 15 minutes, Mephisto turned to face Rin. A tear was rolling down his cheek. "I'm not *hic* sad... I *hic*... I'm... h-happy. I've never b-been so *hic* happy in my whole l-life!" Rin couldn't blame him. He could see very well that he was an unwanted child. His high fever was also making him oversensitive.
Rin finished his job in the bathtub and wrapped his little one in a soft towel, holding him on his lap. He then put the child's head in the crook of his neck, and started humming a lullaby, while rubbing his small back gently. "What are you doing..." the younger boy said in his tired, raspy voice. "When I was little, like you, my dad used to do this to me when I was sad or in pain. It will help you relax" Rin explained. Mephisto inhaled on Rin's neck. "I wish my dad was like yours..." Rin rubbed Mephisto's head with the towel to make his hair dry faster. "I can be whatever you want me to be, little one..." he continued with the humming until Mephisto was finally asleep and relaxed.
Yukio was sitting near the kitchen's window, alongside with his laptop, enjoying a cup of coffee. At last! What could possibly go wrong now...
KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK!
No... no more... please...
Opening the door wasn't even needed. The door was kicked open by the intrud- ahem... by the visitor.
"Ello!" Shura made her way in the room with big strides. A vein popped on Yukio's forehead as his eye twitched. "Good morning, Shura sensei... Would you like a cup of-" "Nah! I'm good! Tell meh... Have ya seen da clown? I've searched da whole campus for 'im! Seriously, dat jerk could be anywhere..." she put her hands on her hips, waiting for the doctor's answer. He gulped. He knew Shura wasn't on good terms with Mephisto and in his current state she would take the chance and kill him for sure.
"Well, aaahh... You see... I'm afraid Sir Pheles won't be able to talk to you right now... at least, not the way he used to talk..." he nervously fixed his glasses. Shura had a bored look on her face. "Yeeeah... okay... If you're drunk I can help you to your bed" Yukio's cheeks became redder. "Sh-Shura sensei! Anyway, I'm afraid you can't see him right now." A smirk appeared on her lips. "So you know where da clown is... Dat's cool. I'll search on my own" She started walking through the kitchen's door in order to enter the next room which happened to be the twins' bedroom. The only problem was that a certain demon was sleeping in it.
Amaimon! Oh no! "Shura sensei! Don't go in there!" She already had the door's knob in her hand. She laughed. "Relax, kiddo! What could possibly go-" she opened the door and her eyes got wide. In the darkness of the room a sleeping demon was snoring lightly. His green tail was hanging just under the covers. "Don't move!" Shura immediately ordered. Amaimon's eyes cracked open. The two adults entered their fighting modes. Shura brought out her snake sword and Amaimon bared his long canines and claws. Simultaneously, Shura grabbed his tail that was close to her and Amaimon grabbed her hand that was on his tail. But before she could chop off his tail and he could tear her arm apart...
"STOP!" Yukio screamed at the top of his lungs. The aggressive exorcist and the feral demon stopped dead on their tracks. Rin opened the bathroom's door a bit pissed off "Shhh! You'll wake him up!" Suddenly, awkward just got on a whole different level... Shura was looking at Amaimon, who was looking at Rin and Yukio, who were looking at Shura and Amaimon, who were also looking at Mephisto. Silence...
"He's not yer pet now, is he?" Shura said pointing at Amaimon, who just couldn't take his eyes from his brother's sleeping form. Yukio found his old self. "He's here because he was also in search of Sir Pheles" he explained calmly. Shura fixed her eyes on Amaimon, scanning his body from head to toe. "Aha... Alright, I'll bite that for now... So, any luck?" Yukio pointed at Rin's side. "As you can see, Sir Pheles is a bit..." Shura noticed the sleeping child in Rin's arms. "Mini?" She asked, finishing Yukio's sentence. "Well, that's not what I was going to say but it'll do for now" The young female approached Rin, forgetting everything about Amaimon. She focused on Mephisto's sleeping, child-like face. He seemed to be so weak and fragile... "What happened to 'im?"
"That sick joke of a paladin brought him to us." Rin explained, making his way toward his bed. "Angel... but how? Why?" Shura couldn't believe what she was hearing... It was wrong on so many levels. "Sir Arthur A. Angel said that the Grigori wanted to execute him for he was going to be the Order's greatest enemy. At least, that's what they think. But the Paladin said that he couldn't just leave him die like that, so, he helped him stay alive by transforming him into a small child so his body was equal to his powers. He then brought him to us, as Rin said, until he finds a solution. He said that he could persuade the Grigori otherwise, but that's too difficult. We keep him here, until it's safe for him to go out in the public." Yukio explained analytically and satisfactorily.
"Aniue..." everyone's thoughts were interrupted by Amaimon's oddly gentle voice. Rin, being a brother himself, could understand Amaimon's need to check on his brother's well-being, so, he lowered on his knees and placed Mephisto on Amaimon's lap, in his bed. Like an animal mother would do, Amaimon checked every inch of the child's body for injuries. The boy was still naked, wrapped in an towel after his bath. The earth king, still lain in bed, using his right arm (mostly), held the tiny male on his chest like a newborn baby. He breathed in the child's hair... Oh, so sweet and pure...
"How are you feeling now? I mean, you wanted to see him, right?" Yukio asked, gentlier than before. Amaimon wasn't always a killer. Well, no one could say that he was a killer on purpose... He was just a kid without manners. No one ever taught him the right way of interacting with other beings, so he never learned that respecting others' life was of great importance. When someone was boring or just ordinary, he was going for the kill. The only person that could ever held a whole different place in Amaimon's mind, was Mephisto. According to Amaimon, he could be boring sometimes because he usually doesn't pay him attention, but Amaimon could never harm him. Not only because he was stronger, but because Amaimon loved him. To put it simply, Amaimon wasn't a killer on purpose, he just never learned how to love. For Amaimon the rules were simple: Loving means protecting and caring, while finding something/someone boring, well, means death. He fixed his eyes on Yukio. "Yes. I feel good" was his simple answer. So much like Amaimon. The twins looked at each other, after finishing their job of making Mephisto healthier and Amaimon happier. Shura on the other hand, couldn't help but wonder. Her legs took her just in front of Amaimon, whose eyes were piercing through her very soul. For the first time in her life as an exorcist, was so close to a demon of the highest rank. Well, she had been close to Mephisto before, but Mephisto couldn't be classified as feral demon. He was a gentledemon as he used to say, so, he could always control himself and his insticts, making himself more health-friendly to be around. Amaimon on the other hand, had power that couldn't be tamed and that was making him unpredictable and dangerous. Deep down, she was really scared. Amaimon wasn't someone to play around. Despite her fear though, she looked in his eyes, reassuring him that she ment no harm. "Aaaahhh... I don't think you're really welcome there..." Rin said a bit anxious. Yukio nodded his head in agreement. Shura was so focused right now that she didn't pay any attention to Rin's words. Her eyes were fixed only on Amaimon's face. One wrong move, and she might lose her life. She slowly knelt down, near the bed. Amaimon's eyes were following her in every move. Her left hand started moving toward Amaimon's clawed hand. He growled, warning her to move it away. Shura, despite his low growling, placed her hand gently on his injured one. The twins stopped breathing. Amaimon's cat-like eyes fell on Shura's hand.
"I'd like to see 'im. I swear, I won't harm 'im! I only want to see 'im... Please..." Shura pleaded him. "Go away, woman..." Amaimon warned. No one was gonna touch his precious Samael. Despite the fact that he was angry, he didn't move his arm that was resting under her warm hand. She caressed his hand with her fingers. She could understand that even demons cared about their family, so, she wouldn't do anything to enrage him. "Why won't you let me?" she asked really calmly. "It's my duty to protect him" he answered like the perfect guardian. Of course she didn't like that demon but she had no other choice if she wanted to examine Mephisto's body and power on her own. "Please Amaimon, I beg of you!" she pleaded really hard. Amaimon studied her face, finding no ounce of wickedness or lie. He finally exhaled. "You're not leaving the room." Shura was truly surprised that Amaimon actually let her hold the child. She took him in her arms really gently without waking him up. "Thank ya! Ye'r not that bad after all, huh?"
Shura examined the boy's body. His skin was smooth and scarless, however, she could feel that there was something wrong with him. He was so small and seemed to be so unprotected... it was like he wasn't Mephisto. The boy moved and made himself comfortable in her arms. For his age, he was tall and thin. He was different from other human children, more beautiful and extraordinary. His aura was light and pure like that of an angel despite the fact that he was still having his demonic features. Weird...
But away from all this, he still had that something that Shura secretely loved. That mystery that covered his whole appearance was really appealing. He really was Mephisto after all... Shura would never say that out loud.
The twins looked at each other and decided that Shura wouldn't be leaving any time soon. "Would you like something to eat, everyone?" Rin (the cooker twin) asked. Shura finished her examination and gave Mephisto back to Amaimon. "Bring me a beer!" she shouted. "Candies. Oh, aniue wants milk" Amaimon said quietly. "Bring... me... coffeeee..." Yukio said not able to handle all those people any more. Rin left the room laughing.
Shura turned to face Amaimon. "I guess I should thank ya for trustin' me, demon" She said scratching the back of her head in embarrassment. "Whatever" answered Amaimon a bit embarrassed too. He tried to sit up, while still holding Mephisto's sleeping form on his lap. Shura helped him sit up while being extra careful with his injured hand. "That reminds me... What happened to yer arm?" Amaimon's cheeks got redder. "I did it." Yukio said. Shura turned to see his face. "I thought he was going to attack Rin. I guess I was wrong..." he sure wasn't feeling good about it. Despite the two facts that Amaimon was a demon (1) who tried to hurt his brother once (2), Yukio never felt good about hurting people, even if they deserve it. "Don't worry human. If you were to harm my brother, I would kill you." Yukio gulped. Well, Amaimon didn't really use the right words but Yukio translated it as "If I were you, I would do the same thing" so he immediatley felt a bit better. Silence filled the room. No one said anything... Then, Shura came up with the following words.
"We're not that different after all, huh... Humans and demons... we are all the same when it comes to beloved ones..." She said to herself, fixing her eyes on the floor really absorbed. Amaimon and Yukio looked at her simultaneously. Rin entered the room a few minutes later. "This is for you" he said putting a glass of beer in front of Shura. "Oh, thank ya, mate!" she said smiling. "This is for you" he offered a cup of coffee to his brother. "You just saved a person, Rin..." Yukio said in a dramatical tone. The half demon approached Amaimon. "Aaaaand, that's for you" he placed a cup of warm milk on the nightstand next to him for Mephisto, and a bowl foul of meatsoup. "What's that?" the earth king asked. "I said candies"
"Nah, candies wouldn't do any good to you. You need home made food if you wanna heal up properly." Amaimon looked at the soup angrily. "Home made?" he asked kinda confused. Rin smiled, holding the plate out for him to take. "Yeah, food made for you, by someone that cares about you" he explained in simple words. Amaimon looked at him still confused as Rin drove the spoon in his mouth. It sure wasn't sweet, but it tasted... how could he say it?
"Good" he simply said. Rin looked a bit surpised. Amaimon want to correct his comment a little bit. "It's warm... and... tasty" he finally said, proud of himself for his rich comment. Rin could see that he was struggling to become like other humans because he didn't want to be left alone. He wasn't in Gehenna any more so, he had to adapt in this new reality if he wanted to have company. He was strong, yet, he really needed someone so he wouldn't be alone. What was he afraid of? Rin couldn't really understand...
"Shall we wake Sir Pheles up? I need to run some check up tests on him" Yukio offered. "What? Is he sick or somethin'?" Shura asked concerned because she could feel that something was off. Yukio fixed his glasses. "I'm afraid so. He was literally dead and resurrected in one night...he didn't just hurt his knee!" Amaimon was hearing all that, pretty worried and anxious. He could do nothing but hold his (now) baby brother against his chest, tightly. Rin felt sorry for the poor thing... "Hey bud, don't worry! Everything's gonna be alright. We'll save him. If I know one person who can do almost anything, well, that's Yukio" Yukio smiled at his brother as thanks for his compliment.
"My brother..." Amaimon started. Everyone in the room turned their heads towards him. "My brother was always sick. There is no cure for his sickness." Yukio approached the demon in the bed. "What did you say..." he asked really, really interested. Rin quickly understood what Amaimon was going to say. The earth king looked up at him for approval and the half demon nodded for him to go on.
"My brother is the only child known in history, created by the demon Lord and an angel."
Shura's eyes got way too wide. Yukio's too. Rin was silent. "Is that... t-true?" Shura asked half fainted. Amaimon lowered his eyes. "Yes, though Father didn't like it. He wanted a pure-blooded son. Samael was too weak to be his offspring, as he said." Saying that, Amaimon instictively caressed Mephisto's red cheek. Yukio fixed his eyes on the tiny demon. "That explaines a lot of things..." he said to himself. "Do you remember anything from when you were younger?" he continued. Amaimon locked his eyes with Yukio's. "My brother was a really quiet and submissive child. In fact, he was the quietest and the most disciplined one among us. He was always following the schedule, he was always correcting our mistakes, he was always there when we needed him the most, he was always spotless and perfect, yet, our Father couldn't see this. Until the age of 300 (7, in human years) he hadn't shown a hint of his powers. You know, a demon's powers usually show up the time it enters the world. So, Father decided that a powerless son, is a dead son. From that time onward, Samael passed his whole life in Royal Family's shadow." The three exorcists stood there in silence.
"But what happened after those 300 years? Didn't he found out that he was a demon king as well?"asked Yukio who was really interested in the principal's early life. Suddenly, deadly screams filled the room. Yukio and Shura covered their ears. Rin and Amaimon on the other hand could withstand that sound thanks to their demonic ears. "Wha' da hell happened!?" Shura shouted scared.
The screams were coming right out of Mephisto's mouth. His brows' position made his eyes look like their owner was in a lot of pain. "HE'S COMING! HE'S COMING! PLEASE! FATHER NOOO!" in his dream, he could feel a warm hand squeezing his own, trying to make him open his eyes.
"..sto... isto!..." he was hearing dull voices. "Mephisto!" he opened his eyes. Rin and Amaimon were staring at him really worried. Amaimon was holding him on his lap and Rin was squeezing his hand. His heart was going to break its small bone cage out of fear. He looked around him. Four faces were looking down at him, studying him, foul of curiosity. "Hey, are you okay bro?" Rin asked anxiously. "Are you alright aniue?" added Amaimon. "I should run those tests immediately" commented Yukio a bit thoughtful. "Mephisto? Are ye sure he's not his kid or somethin'? He's too cute to be 'im!" exclaimed Shura. It took him a minute to understand where he was. "Here..." Rin held the cup of milk out for him to drink. The half demon supported his weak hands that were holding the heavy cup, making it easier for Mephisto to drink some gulps of the content. Of course, he didn't finish it but he was feeling a bit better now.
"Eat, aniue" Amaimon offered his meatsoup to the child. Mephisto turned to look at him. "No, this is for you! You should eat it." Rin said kneeling down next to the demon brothers. "Aniue needs it more" answered the earth king simply. "You know what..." Rin started. He took the child from Amaimon's lap and gave him the bowl of meatsoup. "You eat. I'm gonna feed him, okay?" Amaimon blinked a few times. "Hurt him and you're dead" was Amaimon's simple and friendly answer. "Relax big guy!" exclaimed the blue haired teen.
"I can help you" Yukio offered, approaching Amaimon. He sat in the armchair near the bed and took the bowl from Amaimon's hands. "I know your arm still hurts so, I'm gonna feed you." Amaimon blinked once more. He didn't protest. Shura opened Yukio's laptop. "I'm gonna make a research about our problem. There is solution. I can feel it!" Rin nodded and smiled. He opened the door and made his way through the kitchen.
"Rin..." finally said Mephisto in shy voice. "Yes, bud? What would you like to eat?" asked the teen happily. "I had a weird dream..." the child hid his face in Rin's neck. Rin laughed. "Yep! You sure had, bro! You were screaming like a banshee! What was it by the way..." the half demon said while searching in the cupboards for food. "It was scary, Rin! I thought I was going to die in the end" Rin wasn't really paying much attention to the boy. He continued by searching in the fridge. "Really... you don't say... what was it about?"
Mephisto looked elsewhere really embarrassed for being scared by a silly nightmare. He started playing with Rin's locks of hair to overcome his embarrassment. "It was about me and dad... he was chasing after me..." Rin turned to see his scared face. "Oh, Mephi! That's because you're afraid of him. Well, don't let him scare you." the child pressed himself on Rin's chest. "I was afraid because I couldn't fly away because my wings were broken..." Rin finally found some chicken nuggets. "Wings huh? You don't say..." Mephisto wouldn't let go of Rin's neck, as if it was a matter of life and death. "Yes! And they were big and white! Just like an angel's!" Rin forgot about everything he was doing. Suddenly, Yukio opened the door "Rin! Come here quickly! It's an emergency!"
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