Chapter 47: Save the bunnymoles
Izaya wasn't about to call the inside of another creature's belly cozy, but he couldn't quite deny feeling similar adjectives to the term as he moved towards the opening with the intention to leave.
Shizuo had long gone ahead and with a high jump he ascended the insurmountable wall with ease.
Eyes scanned the landscape surrounding the guardian and it was only then that Izaya realized that the crab had never stopped moving. Slowly of course, as the mountain was a huge burden to carry, but steadily. What kind of creatures were going to inhabit their new surroundings? Would they be hostile like the critters that had tried to eat Izaya whole, or would they be harmless as the anilas?
Curiosity mixed with a healthy dose of respect as he watched Shizuo's face display a variety of expressions.
Shizuo was looking out for demons.
Just because he had left Crysteria as quickly as he did, didn't mean none of his devoted and equally disappointed subjects would follow him. But relief quickly spread across his eyes as he sensed no real danger nearby.
"Is it safe enough for your defenseless human?" Izaya suddenly called from below with a hint of a sarcastic remark and Shizuo snorted.
He was making fun of his overprotectiveness, and Shizuo couldn't even blame him for it.
Jumping back down he circled Izaya by his hip in one fluid motion before sneering.
"Don't make fun of me, human."
It took a simple jump, executed by Shizuo, to leave the cavity.
Suppressing a yelp at the way Izaya's surroundings shifted he clung to the demon for at least a pretentious sense of safety as the ground below them shrunk at high speed. He was aware that Shizuo wasn't going to drop him, but his most recent fall to what he believed was his early death, remained a vivid memory he didn't exactly want to repeat.
It was when Shizuo's feet landed on even ground that Izaya's eyes pried of the sorry excuse that were Shizuo's clothes and looked around.
Wind breezed past his ears and the sound of water mixed with plants and animals soaking in it.
Izaya wasn't sure what he had expected, but it certainly wasn't such a pretty sight.
Bodies of water, captured by rings of tendrils ascended a steep slope. It was night and Izaya's sight was limited when it came to the huge shadows surrounding the area, but he could make out enough to know that they were shielded by massive wisteria trees.
As if holding their own heartbeat, fine lines of gold streaked up the side of their barks and pulsated in the rhythm of life. And they weren't the only lifeforms moving.
With ears longer than their bodies and silver fur that shimmered in dark stripes a sheer infinite amount of winged bunnies claimed the area as their own.
A few were swimming through the liquid and chasing each other across the pond, while some were floating atop the various waters. A soft glow emitted by the various liquids seemed to differentiate the various pools. Glittering like stars sprinkled across the sky the fluids' ripples reflected a faint taint of turquoise, pink and purple.
It was the presence of damp fog emitted by the purple ones that allowed Izaya to realize that the color was probably preset by the temperature of the water.
Long fur and relaxed expressions mixed with the cute sound of twitching noses filled the air with a soothing melody as most of the strange animals seemed to prefer the warmer regions.
It was one tree, larger than all the others surrounding it, that seemed to serve as the center of their attention. Like an umbrella its branches shielded the small region from any predators that might traverse the sky.
Right, the sky.
Compared to the various grounds the air struck him as the route with the least obstructions when it came to their journey.
Izaya looked at the crystal and streak of light pointing towards the shadows. Having grasped it from the guardian it had now found its place around his neck once more.
"How are we going to get there? Fly?" Izaya suggested and turned towards the demon.
Distracted by a couple of the elongated bunnies sneaking around his ankles, Shizuo met Izaya's glance before spreading his wings.
It was still a fascinating concept to have Shizuo's wings appear out of thin air, but by now Izaya had gotten used to it.
Unfolding they cast a soft shadow upon the ground and the small creatures quickly moved away with precaution.
Humming Shizuo looked at his left wing, still showing the cut that the demon had inflicted upon it. Three clear tears interrupted the leathery substance.
"Not yet," he hummed and a frown was cast upon Izaya's expression.
"Why is it not healing?"
He had seen the demon get injured, and he had seen how quick he had been to heal.
But now?
The cut looked no different to its initial state.
"Remember the substance I told you about?" Shizuo asked and Izaya recalled their conversation about dangers inside hell that even a demon had to be cautious around.
Mefitium.
That was the metal Shizuo had mentioned, but its use still seemed out of question.
"But he was a demon-" Izaya argued but all Shizuo had to offer was a laugh.
"And he probably scorched his hands holding onto the material."
So Shizuo was trying to tell him the demon deliberately injured his gand in order to wield metal claws that would injure the demon lord?
How desperate.
Concern lingered in Izaya's gaze as he looked at the three clear cuts.
"They will never heal again?"
He mumbled and a lump formed in the back of his throat at the idea. But thankfully Shizuo shook his head with a smile.
"It will just take some time."
Some time, huh? How long would that be for a demon? A day? A hundred days? Years, Or a millenia?
"Can you teach me a healing spell?" The question came as surprising as it was unwelcomed. Almost immediately Shizuo's forehead folded into a frown and Izaya quickly continued as he already knew about Shizuo's reluctance. "Just a small one. In case I need it."
Crossing his arms Shizuo seemed far from convinced.
"You can't heal yourself, you should understand that." Of course Izaya did. But that was not his intention.
"I wasn't thinking about me."
It was probably funny to hear a weak human worry about the well being of a demon lord. Even now, despite the training and learned spell he was weaker than the average creature if Shizuo wasn't nearby to slow down the time around him.
A soft snort left Shizuo's lips as his stance relaxed, "I don't think you will get the chance to heal me."
But that was exactly what Izaya wanted. "Then teaching won't do any harm, right?"
It was a skill he wanted to possess. Not only because of the powerful prospect of being able to cure an injury with no medical tools or medicine, but also because somehow Izaya had a feeling it would give him a strange sense of security.
He couldn't tell why, but the dream in which Shizuo had appeared so awfully out of reach had unsettled him more than he liked to admit.
And it showed in his expression.
Looking at Izaya, Shizuo quickly assured the human.
"A few days. That's what it will take to heal at most." But Izaya seemed far from convinced by his words.
It was the truth. Shizuo knew his body well enough to be able to tell. but he also knew Izaya well enough to know he wouldn't let the topic go as easily as this.
Eyes, too persistent to ignore, refused to break Shizuo's gaze and he figured that no argument he brought along would let him off the hook.
"You are not going to give up, are you?" Shizuo sighed and Izaya's expression lit up as he smiled.
"Of course not."
Protesting squeaks followed promptly as Shizuo let his body sink to the ground in a cross legged fashion and Izaya followed as he kneeled in front of him.
"So a minor spell?" he asked and Shozuo shook his head.
"There is only one spell," he announced and with the ease of a knife cutting through butter Shizuo drew a line across the inside of his own arm. "It's the intensity that controls the effectiveness," he explained while Izaya watched a single droplet of blood collect atop the wound. "The white flame. Build it and move it into the place you want to see an effect in."
Confused as to why Shizuo was creating an injury to treat when he already sustained the one to his wing, Izaya frowned.
"Why can't I try your wing?" Shizuo withdrew them quickly, as if to get them out of Izaya's reach.
"Healing a scratch won't kill you, you will just end up a little out of breath," he explained gently and searched for Izaya's eyes to make sure the human understood that this was a topic he would not budge on. "But I'm not sure about what my wing would do to you."
Care lingered in Shizuo's eyes and Izaya understood that this was not the time to argue. Plus, he had no intention to fuck up his healing spell and cause Shizuo's wing to get worse either.
Reaching for Shizuo's arm he circled the wound above and below as he tried to recall the sensations of the white flame.
Fire was something Izaya expected to hurt- a counterintuitive action, so instead Izaya tried to think of the flames as soothing water that just happened to move in the same way.
He wasn't sure how he came to the conclusion, but somehow, without Shizuo's instructions Izaya imagined the flames as they licked towards the droplet of blood. Towards the line of blood and the hurting flesh.
As if being attracted by a magnet he felt the air shift between his hands and suddenly the wound moved.
Flesh connected to flesh, blood sept forth as it was forced away and under a few seconds the cut had closed.
Equally surprised as proud Izaya looked at the healed wound and joy filled his veins.
He did it- wow. This was so much easier than casting blades-
Raising his gaze he met Shizuo's eyes, but somehow the demon lord looked anything but delighted.
"What?" Izaya asked and Shizuo twitched, as if only realizing now that he had been trapped in a mild stupor.
"It's… I don't want to say it's unsettling, but…" he paused and looked at his healed scratch. Not even a scar had been left behind and he looked at the human. "It's weird you are able to use these spells so quickly."
It was.
Looking at his hands and the cut respectively Izaya tried to come up with an explanation as to why he was so insanely capable, but no conclusion came to mind.
"Maybe I'm just the main character of this story?" he tried to joke and Shizuo smiled with doubting amusement.
"That or something is causing you to learn this quickly."
Or someone.
Feeling his expression slip, Izaya recalled his previous interactions before going to hell.
The goddess.
She had chased him. Interacted with him. His ability to handle hell's magic
… did he have an easier time handling it because he had been in contact with her?
Because he had seen her?
Maybe only looking at her did something to his body he wasn't aware of. If she truly was a god like she had said she was, then maybe coming into close proximity with her had already altered Izaya's body in ways that adapted better with this world.
None of those speculations left Izaya's lips, but Shizuo noticed his absence of arguments without them.
"You know something don't you?" he asked, and Izaya smiled.
"Not at all."
"Liar."
There was something Izaya wasn't telling him. Something related to the audience he wanted with the demon lord before finding out that Shizuo held the position. But he knew the human well enough to figure that Izaya wasn't going to tell him if it wasn't absolutely necessary.
"Can I try now?" Izaya suddenly asked, and it took Shizuo a moment to understand that he was talking about the tears in his wing. Eyes narrowing he quickly negated the question with a definite, "No."
It was then that their surroundings shifted.
Having leisurely rested inside the various ponds of colors the creatures suddenly moved. Quick flicks of ears and burrowing motions leading them towards the largest tree lead them away.
The noises of nuzzling peace stopped almost immediately and a rustling sound stemming from the shadowed bushes and trees caught Izaya's attention.
Turning his head, Izaya looked towards Shizuo in anticipation to see him move. As protective and guarding as he had been so far he would be the first to move between Izaya and any immediate danger. But so far the demon lord looked awfully relaxed.
Rustling louder, a couple large leaves shifted at the border of the darkness and Izaya laid eyes upon a creature.
Six legs, a set of large yellowed eyes featuring slit pupils and scales reflecting its surroundings as clear as millions of mirrors forced their way past the bushes.
A dark blue tongue split at the end devilishly licked across the ground as the creature's body rose a set of spikes attached to its spine.
It was as beautiful as it looked dangerous and Izaya took a cautious step back. Especially with its height slightly exceeding that of an average human hip.
"Perfect timing." Shizuo suddenly announced, as relaxed as he had been earlier and nodded towards the creature.
"Try to harm it."
The creature?
Looking at what appeared to be some kind of poisonous reptile, Izaya hadn't failed to notice how the bunnymoles had quickly left in natural fear. It was probably looking for food, and judging its predatory properties Izaya quickly realized what its usual meal consisted of.
"Only with one condition," he declared despite already being set upon helping those bunnymoles out.
A quizzical expression spread across Shizuo's eyes.
"Your wing. You will let me try to heal it if I manage to kill it." It was a challenge, as much as the one back inside the guardian's cavity, and Shizuo smiled.
He knew why he was sending Izaya to fight against the creature. And he knew about the unfair odds following his challenge. Izaya wasn't stupid either, he could tell from Shizuo's glance that killing it would be nothing short but extremely difficult.
But difficult did not mean impossible.
And the demon lord leant back with a nod as he prepared himself to watch this bet unfold.
"Deal."
to be continued~
Now let's see if Izaya will manage to win this challenge xD
On a small side note, I have been having some family drama this week and from the looks of it, that shit will breach into next week too. Due to that I haven't been sleeping a lot and my creativity is barely alive xDDD I hope none of it shows in this chapter, but yeah it's the reason I could only complete one update this week since I didn't want to toss out half assed updates on the other stories xD
Especially impostor is entering a thrilling stage now hahaha
Which leads me to the actual side note: I will take next week off from Shizaya xD So there will be no updates next friday. Sorrryyyy
Before struggling to not halfass more chapters over hours, I figured it would be better to catch up on some sleep and return with a refreshed mind and decent updates instead haha
Quality over quantity I guess xDDDD Which sounds kinda funny since I usually do 4 updates every week, but hey xDD Anyway just wanted to let you know in advance so you don't wonder where I disappeared to haha
But I can assure you, I'm not gonna run off or extend this to some endless hiatus xD So don't worry, I will definitely be back :3 I'm more than hyped to write the final parts of Sinful Desire and Impostor, and finally getting started on "Haunt yourself," and "Love knows no time." haha xD
With that being said, I wish you happy easter and see you again on friday the 25th C: