Chapter 83: Holy night
Warm. Soft.
Like a mother's hug on a gentle summer night.
That's what the atmosphere felt like upon entering the garden.
Multiple slim ropes had been attached to the opposing walls and served as something that might as well have been called decoration. White, beige and gray mixed in a pleasant manner as a light breeze combed across the space filled with children's laughter.
It was funny, the temperatures outside were those of late autumn to winter, but the sunlight encasing the space served as enough fuel to heat their surroundings to the point of comfort.
It was also the only reason why the kids were outside. Having been asked the favor of sister Monica they were helping her with the laundry. Wet shirts, pants, blankets and fabrics used for all kinds of purposes swayed from the strings and Mairu nodded to herself in mild satisfaction.
They were alone.
The kids and them that is. Just what Izaya had wanted.
Mairu was very well aware of her part in this game. They were children in sister Monica's eyes. Nothing to be vary of or worth watching over.
In other words, perfect to investigate the demon summoning executed by the priest.
"Nee-san." A soft nudge to her shoulder was what tore Mairu out of crafting a variety of spectacular plans to get the kids to talk.
Kururi was standing next to her.
Expectant eyes missing a bit of their usual glint met hers and she quickly smiled in recognition.
"Low?" She asked, and a simple nod followed by her sister.
Glances were thrown towards the garden, but the kids had yet to spot their presence and so she quickly dragged Kururi over to a corner.
The action was as speedy as it was problematic to be seen. It was just a soft peck to the lips, a matter of three seconds, really, filled with the sisterly love that Mairu was able to give.
In modern times people barely even bat an eyelid at their actions anymore. Especially considering no one knew that it was an incubi influenced action.
Almost immediately Kururi's eyes regained their usual brightness and she smiled.
"Better?"
Another nod followed and Mairu sighed relieved.
She loved her sister. She would do anything for her if it meant she could survive. Which was probably the reason why their small exchanges even worked in the first place.
The slightest frown crossed Mairu's expression for a moment and she glanced towards the kids. They were running out of time.
Not now. Not too soon. But at some point Kururi would need something else, something that Mairu wouldn't be able to give.
And Kururi knew.
Her own expression lost some of her usual ease. A quick ruffle going through Kururi's hair distracted the girl for a short moment as her sister smiled brightly.
"No worries. As long as I am here everything is going to be okay."
Knot forming in her stomach she quickly chased away the sensation and approached the net of strings and clothes.
They had to end this curse. As quickly as possible.
"Beware, for I am the great knight of Monicus!" Much louder than expected the announcement traversed the small garden.
It was one of the twin boys, holding a stick he just found on the ground he was clearly pretending to be a knight of great caliber.
And his brother-
"Hoh?" Approaching with powerful ease and slow steps he wore a grin made for villains as he approached his brother. "Never heard of that name before, weak human." Arrogance and a healthy dose of insanity reflected in his eyes as his opponent took a fighting stance.
"Then I shall make it memorable through your death!"
Mairu snorted as the two brothers went at it. Sticks clashed, a few little branches broke off the sides in what honestly looked better than most acts on an actual stage.
"Go demon, go!" quiet as a mouse the words flowed from the shy girl's lips who was sitting on the sidelines watching the scene. Aldith was her name if Mairu remembered correctly. A couple strings laid in her lap as she sat cross legged on the ground and Mairu figured she was fixing one of the ropes that had ripped apart halfway.
Maya was standing next to her, with her arms crossed, and clearly torn between telling the boys to cut it out and continue helping, and cheering them on.
"Fear not my dear, I will claim this world as mine and then you will sit by my side as my bride!" The villainous brother suddenly announced and before Mairu knew it he had already walked over and pulled Aldith to her feet.
A soft yelp along with a chuckle was all that left her lips as she quickly held onto his arm.
"Curses for you! How dare you charm the long lost priestess of the north!" the hero of the play announced and with quick improvisation skills he reached for one of the dried blankets dangling from the strings.
It was tossed over quite accurately and Adlith caught it unintentionally as it dropped right onto her head.
A moment of confusion rendered her speechless before the villainous brother quickly fixed the cloth in a manner that made it look like a robe made for saints.
It was the perplexion on Aldith's face, as well as the improvised humor of the scene, that caused Mairu to laugh a bit louder than intended and for the group of children, unaware of their presence to stop.
Embarrassment quickly claimed the hero's features as he abandoned his knightly stand.
"No, why did you stop?" Mairu whined, and quickly moved to Aldith's side. She was older then all four of them, but that didn't mean she couldn't join a game as funny as this. "You have three maidens to save now as we have been cursed as well," she grinned, and with those words she crouched next to the newly announced priestess. A flower was picked from the ground and quickly put onto the makeshift veil as Kururi joined the play in a similar fashion.
A bright grin drew across the hero's face and he quickly regained his knightly posture.
"Have you heard that? Demon?" He questioned his brother aloud, but his counterpart only offered tired smiles as his empty threats.
"My power is vaster than your remaining life, my friend."
And with those words they charged at each other once more. Mairu watched, partly amused, partly curious who was going to win. Because despite the hero announced boldly how he was going to rescue them all, it seemed his demonic brother was better at wielding his sword than he was.
It took a few moments at most, a few careful hits to the side and a ticklish poke to his stomach later the weapon fell right from his hands.
"Ah, wait-" the hero requested, but his demonic brother laughed.
"Ha, ha! I won! What about this brave warrior?"
Arms were crossed and his brother's expression soured for a second as he rolled his eyes.
"I thought the brave warrior was supposed to win."
But the demon merely shrugged with perfect arrogance. "Only if he is worthy."
Bad choice.
Eyes moving to the side the hero spotted exactly what he needed to turn this situation into his favor and a smile spread across his lips.
"Worthy my ass," he announced, and suddenly he bent down, grabbing the demise of this demon's pride. A grasshopper. It was huge and considering its involuntary adventure, slightly displeased and it showed such by moving its six legs in the grossest fashion possible.
"Ew- stay away with that-" the demonic brother's attitude faltered almost immediately and the hero laughed.
"Would you look at that? The almighty lord of evil, threatened by my familiar!"
"Kars! Stop it!" his demonic brother plied in mild disgust, but Kars only grinned.
"Do you swear to abandon all evil schemes henceforth?" he asked, while holding the poor insect up into the air and his brother sighed reluctantly.
"Okay, I do. You won. But please put it away."
Heroic as he was supposed to be, Kars actually did and the grasshopper was abandoned on top of a lushful growing bush before he extended his hand.
"Then you shall live under my guidance," he offered, and even his brother snorted at the mushy line as he took it with diligence and bowed.
Quick claps followed from Maya at what was obviously the end of their little play and even Aldith cheered, albeit very quietly. "Long live the great knight of Monicus!"
"Don't they seem silly?" Maya asked after a second as she glanced towards Mairu and Kururi. But the two only looked at each other for a second before smiling.
"Why would they?"
Maya laughed, "You are traveling with real knights. I bet you saw real battles up close, right?"
The word battle seemed to be an instant summon for the twin brothers as they made their way over quicker than expected.
"Did you see them fight?" Kars was the first to ask with expectant eyes and his brother seemed equally invested to hear some amazing stories.
It caused Mairu to both laugh, and wreck her head- because telling just any made up story had to fall into alignment with Izaya's plans. Coming up with something random on the spot might shoot them in the back later.
So she simply smiled, mysterious and ambiguous.
"Much more than that," she answered, which wasn't even a lie, considering what Shizuo did to save them from the police.
It was then that Aldith suddenly raised her voice much louder than Mairu was used to hearing.
"Ah! It's loosening!"
The rope.
She was talking about the strings used to hang up the laundry. The kids hadn't noticed the way the fabrics had lowered to the ground and now they were close to touching the dirty earth.
Stumbling over their feet they quickly scurried over, with Aldith falling in the process.
"Ketil!" Kars called, and his demonic brother quickly jumped to catch the linen just in time to hinder it from descending into the dirty puddles of thawed morning dew.
"Got it!" Quick as lightning and proud of his achievement he held the string above his head.
A soft round of cheers followed and Mairu quickly crouched down to offer Aldith a helping hand.
"Did you get hurt?" she asked, as the small child got back to her feet. The flower Mairu had plucked earlier and put onto her veil had fallen as the fabric had shifted.
Pulling the too large cloth off her head Mairu quickly folded it before putting the flower back into Aldith's hair. It appeared to be a lenten rose or something similar, considering it actually blossomed in the middle of winter.
"All good," Aldith replied quietly and looked at the girl with a mixture of embarrassment and fear.
It was when Mairu smiled that she heard her whisper. "So pretty." and she blinked for a second, a little perplex as the girl was still looking at her intently.
"Me?" she asked with a slight chuckle, and the girl jumped startled.
Had she not meant to say that out aloud? Probably. The embarrassment on her face was enough of a hint to realize as much and Mairu quickly got up from the ground to help Maya fix those laundry ropes.
Kars and Ketil were already at her sides and making sure none of the clothes touched the ground while she was trying to tie a tight knot.
"How long have you lived here?" Mairu asked as secured one end of the strings.
"At the church? Only a little over a month," Maya said and appreciated the help as the rope finally lost some of its tension and made room to actually tie the ends together.
"That short?" Kururi questioned and Mairu showed a similar degree of surprise.
"You are getting along pretty well for such a short time," she pointed out.
Having fixed the ropes Maya let go of them for a careful moment, judging whether her knot was going to withstand the weight of the laundry.
Mairu did the same, and so did the brothers.
"We are all from the same village, that's why," Ketil answered as soon as they confirmed their successful repair.
Only Kars seemed somewhat irritated as he spoke. "Yeah, until our parents abandoned us at least."
"Mad?" Kururi asked but the brother remained silent.
As lively and happy as the garden had seemed with the kids in it, right now the sudden silence seemed even worse in contrast.
"Disappointed, I guess," Maya tried to put into words what none of the others could. "We like it here, but…"
"It's not your home." Mairu concluded in her place and Aldith grabbed Maya's sleeve tightly.
From what Mairu understood they had all been chased out of their village. Because they had been possessed by demons according to the church.
Having their own parents turn on them like that…
"Would you like to return?" Mairu asked, but as expected the kids shook their heads in quick unison.
"Not really," Maya said, but this time she smiled while looking at her fellow friends. "We are having more fun here than ever before," she explained and Kars' expression lost some of its anger as he sighed.
"Just watch me, I will become an honorary knight and then the villagers will come crawling to me to beg for my protection!" he announced with a proud chest and the kids laughed.
"Missing?" Kururi suddenly asked, and turned to look for the one child that was not present at the moment.
Her manner of speech was as scarce in information as it had always been, but the kids seemed to understand her anyway with no judgement at all.
"Elaine is resting," Ketil quickly answered her ill formed question.
Ellaine. Mairu remembered her.
She was the one that had shown Izaya and Shizuo to their room.
"I thought you were all cured from your illness?" Mairu asked, boldly referring to the revival of what were death spoken children. Ellaine was the perfect excuse to start talking about the topic without any suspicion.
"She has a weak body. The angel helped her get better, but couldn't fix everything," Maya suddenly said and the twin sisters looked at each other for a short moment of surprise.
"Angel?" Kururi repeated and Kars smiled. "I bet you have never seen a real one." "Have you?" Mairu asked, and a prideful expression filled the brother's face as he confirmed what was probably his most amazing experience in his entire life.
"When priest Marcius prayed for us it appeared!"
to be continued~
xD Angels, demons, incubi, who knows what else might be lurking? Or are the kids just confusing something? C: Who knows~
See you next friday everyone! xD