Chapter 18: Human buffet

"... what are you talking about, I am-" the force that jerked his arm forward caused Izaya to shut his eyes on instinct.

He had fucked up-

Shizuo was going to kill him. Eat him. Tear him apart, scatter his guts in a fit of rage-

Izaya's stomach did a backflip at the image and yet his body remained oddly intact.

"Bastards. They bring you near death instead of admitting they can't make you immune to the toxicity," the demon suddenly spat and Izaya's eyes snapped back open.

Shizuo was mad. His eyes held deep anger and his body had tensed more than it had whilst fighting the creatures he called mere critters.

Izaya was confused.

That was until he followed Shizuo's gaze, and his heart stopped right then and there.

Shizuo hadn't hurt him.

Only his right hand sleeve had been shoved up all the way to his elbow.

It was an action Izaya himself had not executed even whilst drawing the magic runes.

And somehow he was glad he didn't because what he saw now made his stomach churn.

Maggots. Black, elongated and unbelievably fast were traveling beneath Izaya's skin. As if they had replaced his blood and veins the pulsating creatures multiplied on the move.

Yes. Multiplied. Because upon covering a short distance they suddenly split in two. Over and over and over. A centimeter was covered in under three seconds.

The nausea hit Izaya hard and he wished for nothing more in the universe than for his arm to cut off as his stomach dropped and eyes widened.

These maggots were crawling towards his elbow- towards his shoulder- if they reached his head-

Izaya was torn between screaming, throwing up and cutting the hell out of his skin.

Had it not been for the sudden fire blasting past Izaya's face he would have rather grabbed one of the spider's fangs to cut the maggots away than to sit here and watch them eat him alive.

Turning his head unbelievably slowly he looked at Shizuo. Everything seemed like a haze.

Of course.

The adrenaline from the spider mixed with the shock of seeing his own blood turn into maggots caused his senses to spike in a way that made him feel dizzy.

Blood splurged to the ground and for a second Izaya thought hallucinations were the next horror that was going to be bestowed upon him.

Shizuo had bitten his own wrist.

Having blown heaps of fire across it first, the fluids the spider had left on him had disappeared and made room for clean, black demon blood instead.

Spitting away some of the life liquid, Shizuo's frown only deepened as he met Izaya's gaze.

Shoving his injured wrist towards Izaya the demon glared and doubled Izaya's confusion.

"Drink."

Hellish blood of black dripped onto the ground as Izaya stared bewildered at the self-inflicted wound.

"Huh?"

Shizuo's tongue clicked in an expression of anger, "My blood, it will kill the maggots in your veins," he answered, rushed, and oddly anxious.

"You are kidding- I'm not going to-"

"Die in a few minutes!? Yes, you are!"

The blow that statement dealt to Izaya's guts was unreal.

The hesitation he showed was nothing but humane, but too long for Shizuo's taste.

Before Izaya knew it his shoulder was shoved back into the crystal he had leant on and the injured arm pressed into his face. Eyes glared and brows arched into

demise as Izaya was unsure whether to bite, retch or swallow as he was told to.

But the presence of the maggots was still awfully real and the fact that Shizuo had just saved him from that arachnid creature was a simple truth.

Shizuo had only held the best intentions towards him- until now.

But did that fact still apply despite him having found out that he was humane?

Suppressing the urge to throw up on the spot, Izaya reluctantly swallowed a few drops of the dark blood.

There was only one way to find out.

To Izaya's appreciation the arm jerked away as quickly as it had been shoved into his face.

Coughs wrecked Izaya's body as soon as he regained control over his lips and the immense urge to retch and throw up what he had just swallowed screamed at the back of his mind.

And had it not been for the immediate relief he might have.

The weights.

Having blamed odd gravitation down in hell Izaya bitterly realized that he had been wrong all along. As if someone had torn the string connecting the heavy objects to his body the pressure dissipated into thin air.

Quick, thin, just like that.

The exhaustion he had felt prior to simply walking and following Shizuo was suddenly gone.

And something else changed in ways he hadn't expected.

The colors of his surroundings.

The sky suddenly showed a clear blue - stars even and creatures mimicking lanterns circling the air.

Izaya had thought it was the ground that provided the light in this realm- but now looking at his surroundings Izaya realized he had been looking at an inversion of colors.

Gaze flickering to his arm Izaya dared to look at the gruesome sight displayed before - but it was gone.

The maggots were gone. His veins had returned to their supposed color of light blue and his skin to the beige it was supposed to represent.

Shizuo saved him.

Gratitude of a mixed kind displayed in Izaya's eyes as he faced the crouching demon.

Shizuo was still kneeling in front of him, avidly scanning Izaya's body for any remains of maggots it seemed.

"I didn't think you would care that much."

Izaya wasn't quite sure what part of his words had irked the demon, but it was apparent that he had as he rose to his feet in light anger.

"What? Just because I'm a demon I can't be nice?" he mumbled between tight lips and Izaya swallowed.

Ah.

He seemed to have hit a sensitive topic. As if on cue vivid pictures of how Shizuo had slain all these monsters, but also how he carried the sugar gliders resurfaced in his mind.

The fact that Shizuo had been traveling alone suddenly made an awful lot of sense.

Shizuo was too strong. Too strong for hell. He wasn't traveling alone by choice but because he was shunned.

It was a wild guess, really, yet somehow as Izaya looked at the offended demon he couldn't help but feel the truth of his assumption.

He was impulsive. Straightforward. Strong.

He handled himself with no care but seemed to treasure certain things even more. Like the pendant that wore his name and the human souls.

His eyes turned to slits as he had gotten mad and his horns showed pulsating crimson light. It was oddly attractive in a weird way and Izaya couldn't help but snort.

"Rather than that I'm a complete stranger."

Calming somewhat in his fit of rage, Shizuo spared Izaya a doubting glance. He had expected a lot, but not a laugh.

"I would hardly call you a stranger after the time you spent following me," Shizuo argued and somehow his voice had turned awfully docile.

Gentle almost compared to the way he bellowed times before.

Because Izaya was human? Was he being extra careful?

Izaya couldn't tell, but it seemed he had hit the jackpot. This demon clearly had no intentions to hurt him.

Almost the opposite.

"True," he agreed and met the blond's gaze. "Thank you."

Surprise reflected in Shizuo's expression and within the blink of an eye all madness seemed to dissipate in front of Izaya's eyes. "You saved me," Izaya continued with a sigh, because right now there was no point to continue any grand pretenses. "Trice in a row."

"Trice?"

"The critter from before," Izaya explained and recognition flared in Shizuo's eyes. The creature Shizuo had slain so casually upon their first meeting would have been his end had he had to face it alone and the demon seemed to slowly understand that fact.

Pushing himself up from the ground, Izaya continued his speech. "I'm not going to ask you why you did it, but I'm not enough of an asshole to not show gratitude when someone saves my life."

Doubt grazed Shizuo's expression for a second.

"But I'm a demon."

"So?"

It was a funny thing really.

Because judging Shizuo's actions the demon had known from the start that Izaya was merely putting on a brave face.

Izaya wasn't quite sure how, but seeing as demons were depicted as creatures capable of identifying underlying desires he suspected Shizuo could tell he was being honest.

And that honesty? It seemed to have struck a cord.

Because he really wasn't afraid of this demon and that unimaginable fact alone seemed to render Shizuo stupefied.

More arguments laid bare in Izaya's mind but their use had to wait.

A blow to his head- more internal than external suddenly submerged his mind into heavy water.

Blinking once Izaya tried to disperse the wave of dizziness assaulting his eyes and limbs- but it was no use.

"What-" he wanted to ask Shizuo what was going on, but words failed him.

Feeling his knees give away and seeing the floor rush towards his face he prepared himself for the impact.

An impact that didn't come.

A bloody arm circled his waist with no visible effort or rush as Shizuo kept Izaya from his collapsing fate.

"Ah- Sorry." Shizuo uttered quickly, "That's a side effect of drinking my blood."

As if never having done anything else, Shizuo quickly maneuvered Izaya onto the ground.

Awfully close and careful he placed Izaya upright against the backrest. Izaya wanted to ask about the specifics of mentioned side effects, but it seemed his lips were next to succumb to the numbness as he was rendered silent.

An awkward air circled the demon as he seemed unsure how to handle his newfound human. "It's better than dying I guess, but yeah," he added quickly and within seconds he had risen to his feet and jumped-

An average human was probably able to cover a meter or possibly two maximum- but this demon?

Barely lifting his gaze to follow Shizuo, Izaya witnessed an easy rise of what must have been ten to twenty meters surpassed on repeat.

He had already witnessed Shizuo's tremendous strength, his blinding speed, so the jumping should be just a cherry on the cake. But to Izaya it somehow finalized an impression of might.

Of power.

This demon caring for his well being was perfectly capable of ending his life with the casualty of swatting a fly.

Odd excitement paired with the adrenalin rush of thrill clouded Izaya's mind as quick as the demon returned.

A mushroom paired with colors of turquoise and green rested in Shizuo's grasp and with a quick flick of his wrist the demon tossed it into Izaya's lap.

"Eat."

The order was as confusing as it was gruesome. This shroom certainly looked anything but healthy to human bodies. Glancing at the slimy cap in question and touching the hairy stalk, Izaya looked upwards from disgusted eyes.

"Will this kill me?" he joked- and for once Shizuo seemed to share his humor as the corner of his lips tugged upwards into a mischievous smile. "Who knows, only one way to find out," the demon shrugged and Izaya snorted.

Trust was something that didn't come easily for Izaya usually. And yet right now there was somehow not a shred of doubt lingering that would keep him from doing as told.

Ignoring the stench of iron and chloride he shut his eyes and held his breath as his teeth sunk into the surprisingly smooth texture of the nushroom's cap.

Spices of nuts, soft fiber and a pleasant warming sensation filled his mouth upon what appeared to be better than it looked.

It was good. Actually Izaya would go as far as to say even tasty.

His own surprise reflected in Shizuo's expression as the beforeheld smile had been dropped.

An eyebrow arched and Izaya snorted.

"What? You saved me. I doubt you would kill me right after expending that energy." It was a valid conclusion in Izaya's book, but the demon seemed to disagree.

Crouching in front of Izaya's face quicker than he liked, Shizuo's eyes had narrowed to dissatisfaction.

"You shouldn't be so trusting."

It was funny, was this demon trying to contradict himself or did he really not realize the paradox of his orders and words?

"Why? Did you poison it after all?" Izaya asked quickly, ignoring the scolding altogether and Shizuo's mood soured even more.

"Many demons use food to bind their prey. Like a seal, or contract to do what they please. I thought you were aware of that in the human realm."

Heh.

So the fairy tales and religions of his own world had pretty much nailed a demon's behavior after all. It aligned with everything Izaya knew, yet contradicted this one demon he was facing in all points.

"I am but-", sighing softly Izaya put the mushroom down, "Honestly I couldn't care less about that right now."

With the goddess at his neck and everything out to kill him his life choices had bottled down to making his trust in Shizuo the only truth.

Because if even Shizuo was against him then his life and any future plans would be void anyway. There was no one to rely on, no sources of information, no games to be played or moves to be made.

Izaya was alone.

Well- or not.

Not anymore.

Meeting Shizuo's gaze he saw what he expected. The demon seemed quite perplexed.

His declaration had obviously come as a surprise.

"You have no problem being made a mistress for a lusting demon?" Shizuo frowned a second later as his mind had apparently processed what Izaya had said.

Izaya snorted.

"I'm a guy."

"Demons don't differentiate." It was funny, the way Shizuo said that almost sounded like a scolding and Izaya snorted. "You truly are a barbaric kind."

Shizuo frowned, "Might be. But you can't blame us if you run around smelling like you do." Offense swayed in his voice and Izaya blinked in mild curiosity.

"What do I smell like?" It was probably a weird question to be asked by a human and apparently nobody had ever voiced it as Shizuo's gears started turning in the most obvious ways.

"I don't know. Earthly. Sweet. The leaders of your church are the worst."

Leaders of their church?

Priests?

What did priests specifically smell like that he mimicked?

It was then that Izaya remembered the way the maniac had dowsed him in myrrh before sending him to hell with the intention to fend off demons that burst him into quick laughter.

Myrrh.

Priests used a smell that made them seem tastier on their believers.

Didn't that mean they were basically creating a desirable buffet for demons?

"What?" Shizuo asked, slightly offended, thinking the laughter was directed towards him and Izaya quickly shook his head.

"Nothing, just realized humans have quite a few misconceptions about your kind."

It might have been karma, maybe just coincidence but it was right then that another wave of nausea crashed into Izaya and the laughter he had exhibited choked in his throat.

Tender fingers reached for his lips as Izaya covered them in a meaningless attempt to suppress the nausea it brought.

But arguably this wave was less intense than the one before.

Due to the shroom? He couldn't say.

"How long will this last?"

"After poisoning yourself? Weeks if you are unlucky." Shizuo snorted, but upon not receiving an amused response in return he seemed to realize this was not the time for jokes and bitter prospects. "A few days if you aren't," he added quietly and Izaya nodded.

"I see."

Days, huh? A bitter prospect. Shizuo found out he was human and his cooperation or help was nothing more but an awfully optimistic assumption.

"The mountain," Izaya started, nodding towards the second largest entity behind the one they were residing on. "You are heading towards it. Why?" Information was crucial to obtain at the moment and gladly it seemed Shizuo was willing to give it.

Gaze traveling into the distance, Shizuo looked towards the mountain peak. "There is a certain event I need to appear at," he discerned slowly, but seemed awfully uncomfortable doing so.

"Demons hold events?"

"Crysteria," Shizuo sighed, "Every demon attends it. It decides the ruler for the next millenia."

Huh? The ruler?

The maniacs' words still rang in Izaya's ears about how the demon lord needed to be defeated.

"I thought you had a demon lord," he said, and Shozuo showed a bitter smile.

"Yeah. Had."

Oh.

So the rise of the demon lord wasn't talking about a current claiming power, but the new one being elected. And Shizuo was taking part in that election. With his strength and charisma Izaya wasn't really surprised he was one capable of voting.

And so he hummed, "You must be quite the powerful demon if they let you attend that." And Shizuo blinked.

Surprise of much greater magnitude than Izaya's words should have triggered crossed his face and Izaya blinked. "What?" Had he said something odd?

Apparently he had, considering the genuine stupor on Shizuo's face, but as quick as he had shown his perplexion his expression relaxed into a smile.

"Nothing." Brimming curiosity unlike the bland one shown before, burned in Shizuo's eyes as he met Izaya's eyes.

"... where are you from?"

to be continued~

We are getting to the good parts now people xD I hope hahaha