Chapter 17: Doused

Logic would dictate that Satan, ruler of hell and wielder of the azure flames, would hate water above all else. It naturally countered his element, and Holy Water was an annoying common weapon among Exorcists, what with how easy it was to make with the right know-how and materials. And that logic wasn't even necessarily wrong; Satan hated getting caught in the rain, hated being splashed, hated even being near a large enough body of the stuff.

The only exception were his hour-long soaks he'd take in water so hot that the shitty priest swore up and down he was going to pass out and drown one day. Satan scoffed and ignored him, sinking up to his eyes and letting the heat seep into his bones while he did his best to also ignore the fact that he was wet. Instead, he focused on breathing in the steam and pretending he was wreathed in his pretty blue fames again, fire chasing out the chill that never seemed to really leave him these days.

He was just a tiny bit of a contradiction, a fire demon enjoying water. But it was only on his terms, under ideal circumstances where the water was already practically steam.

So why, oh why, did the shitty priest think that he wanted to go on a trip to a lake?

The water in the wretched cabin was barely warm, the lake freezing even if it was suspiciously clear of minor demons, and Satan had to put Yukio's training on hold lest the Paladin of all people object to teaching (demonic) self-defense. The man would probably insist on watered-down human classes instead, and Satan wouldn't dare hand the safety of his child to anyone else. The sudden absence of the wards he'd grown used to sleeping under, pricking at his skin like an annoying reassurance, made him restless, even if the cabin itself was well protected relative to its size. He hadn't slept well the first two nights, the scent of weak demons in the surrounding forests taunting him. It was only after he'd snuck out and carved out his own territory via murder that he felt it was even remotely safe for Yukio.

Overall, he was miserable and in an even worse mood than usual. Satan had been in the lake exactly once in nearly seventy-two hours (only to make Yukio feel better, like this wasn't a terrible way to waste his time) and spent most of his time sprawled out on a towel on the grass, lazily keeping an eye on Yukio. It meant he wasn't as close to Yukio just in case something went wrong, but if he thought the shitty priest would let the boy drown for even a second then no one even would be in the lake. Besides, Satan was pretty confident in his sprinting abilities; he had plenty of practice chasing down prey, so getting from point A to B even when starting sprawled on his back wasn't an issue.

Besides, Yukio was finally getting old enough to actually look after himself somewhat. Sure eleven still meant puberty was a year or two away, but he could trust his child to not wonder off with what few bad people where left in his city. Hmm, he might have to change his tactics, since he couldn't pull off 'cute and ignorant child' that well anymore. Satan sighed and stretched out further from his place on the grass, feeling warm and lazy and could strongly empathize with any cat now. He'd figure it out later.

A creature abruptly darted up to Satan, inches from his nose, faintly shining. It was a pretty little thing barely a foot tall, with bright dragonfly wings and big, glassy, blue eyes. Its vaguely human body shimmered from the tiny, crystalline feathers that took the place of human hair and decorated its arms and legs like fins. The effect was dazzling and mesmerizing as it darted through the air nimbly, to and fro, catching the light off its jeweled body. Happily, it gestured for him to follow it, its voice a ringing bell to sooth the soul.

Satan was unimpressed- faeries were always annoying creatures. Oh sure, some humans were enchanted by their beauty, but they were spirits, demons, all the same. Just because humans now lived surrounded by iron, they suddenly forgot of the numerous changeling children and other ills.

"Come with me, child, I have much to show you!" It chimed, musically, even though a human wouldn't be able to understand it. It probably liked the sound of its own voice, the vain little thing.

Satan grumbled, eyeing its wings with just a touch of envy and longing, "Go away, you're annoying me."

"Come already, child! Follow me before the Exorcist looks this way!"

And let the faeries waiting try and possess his body? As if he was as stupid as their usual prey! Not that it'd ever work, even less so since he was naturally immune any and all charms (well, with one exception, because even if Yuri swore it wasn't magic, Satan knew better), but it'd be a waste of both their time and make his life a hassle. Probably because he'd have to track down every damn faerie and kill them all. No, he'd rather soak up the sun and enjoy the quiet that being away from the busy city brought. He might as well get something from this shitty trip.

Satan rolled away and lazily swatted the annoying fly.

"Get up, don't you care that there's a faerie here? You should!"

Not in particular. "You're fucking annoying, scram before I kill you."

"Such a rude child, you're so much worse than the other! Oh well, it's not a complete loss. It'll be easy enough to separate you when the Exorcists go searching anyway."

Go searching? What was the damn thing yapping about-

"I'll see you soon, wretched chilAH-"

The faerie's screeching ended as soon as it began, Satan's hand crushing and burning its fragile body to ash. He didn't take time to examine his work or admire his flame, throwing the crumbled thing to the wind and taking off at a dead sprint as if his life depended on it. In a way it did, for Yukio was nowhere to be seen and Yukio was his world. He was so stupid to not realize just how dangerous fairies could be to someone who wasn't immune to charms, and he'd been the very one who'd been trying to tell Yukio to be less afraid!

The piece of shit priest and his lackeys, only just now noticing that Yukio had gone missing, called out after him and his mad dash to the tree line. Satan didn't dare stop, didn't even slow, but he did shout back at them.

"Faeries!"

Satan, however mocked he was, trusted that the man was the Paladin for a reason and could understand what that meant and wouldn't waste time trying to question him now. How 'Rin' knew what fairies were could come later, and he felt his confidence soar as the sound of feet crashing through the forest with no calls to stop rang out behind him, only to slow down. Satan ignored them, just like he ignored the pain in his bare feet and the gnawing hole in his heart that threatened to swallow him and the world if Yukio was even so much as scratched. Instead, he trusted his primal instincts, catching Yukio's scent and chasing it down with unnatural speed.

Satan tore through a bramble bush without even slowing down and barely remembering to protect his fragile human eyes. Thorns and twigs ripped apart his skin, but he couldn't even pretend to care. A blood trail would make it easier for the piece of shit priest to follow him, and pain was something that didn't even matter, no matter how young he was supposed to be. Physical sensations were temporary and easy to block, he could understand and process and overcome them infinitely better than the screaming in his heart.

Appearances could go and burn if they in any way, shape, or form put Yukio in danger. He'd burn the entire fucking forest down, consequences be damned if that was what it took

In the end, Satan's worry was unneeded. Yukio, by virtue of either his own intelligence or the traces of demon blood in his veins, had broken free of the faerie's charms. He knew this because he practically trampled over the fleeing and terrified child, a swarm of lights chasing him. Satan barely slowed, sweeping Yukio up into a crushing embrace and spinning dizzily with momentum.

"Yukio! Yukio, Yukio, you're alright, you worried me so much! I should have realized something was wrong when I saw a faerie, no, I should have checked the forest more thoroughly! I'm sorry, are you ok, are they still trying to charm you? Don't listen to them, I'm all that matters, ok? Ok?" Satan knew he was rambling; sinking to the forest floor as his knees failed him from the sheer relief. He'd almost failed Yuri again (again, again, always again, it was always, alwaysalways-!) and if he hadn't been so deliriously happy he would have killed the lights that buzzed angrily around them, voices screeching bells. His sweeping flames could have cleansed the woods of such low level demons without even scorching the barks. He'd have to break the seal for that sort of power and control, but if he hadn't been so stupid, hadn't gotten so complacent and comfortable-!

"Are you hurt, did they do anything to you?"

(He was always failing when it mattered.)

"Rin, they're still there! Right behind you!" Yukio, beautiful child who cared so much for others (so much like Yuri, Yuri), sobbed, torn between hiding away in his twin's arms and trying to pull back and keep running. Satan just huffed, running his hands through Yukio's soft hair and reveling in the fact that he was still there, still hishishis-

He let Yukio's scent, his simple existence, wash away the madness for another moment.

"Ignore the stupid faeries, they don't matter anymore now that I'm here, ok?" Not when he was so much better than them, so far beyond them until they were nothing but the very insects they resembled. Oh he'd kill them, burn them until they were actually dead, for what they'd done, but he had things more important than swatting pests to take care of first. Yukio was shaking almost uncontrollably, seconds from sobbing, so Satan pulled him close and let his warmth envelop and reassure his child (his, his always, his only real-) that he was here. He'd kill anything that ever frightened him again, and he would have whispered such sweet promises of revenge to Yukio if he had the time.

The sound of fatal verses being chanted was hardly Satan's first indication that the useless humans had finally caught up. Hyper-aware of his surroundings and the dozens of faeries that circled his child like vultures, the Exorcists' noisy, and late, approach was as obvious as the crack of thunder. The faeries scattered, a few of their number dropping from the sky, bodies suddenly soulless, and crashed almost soundlessly into the bramble around them.

Satan let them go.

They would live for now, because, he knew from the grave look on the Paladin's face, that he had more important things to take care of. The first lie would have to fall apart, years of effort gone in an instant. But Satan couldn't regret a single thing, even as he slowly stood, never breaking eye contact with the Exorcist. Not even Yukio's gasp at the sight of his bloodied legs and arms could make the demon doubt his choices.

He didn't have room in his heart for yet another regret, after all.