Chapter Text
Year 16XX
A broken sob resounded in the quiet night.
The young boy wiped his tears with his good wrist, holding the broken one close to his chest, trying hard to forget the pain pulsating from it. And the pain from his cheek. And the one from his shoulder. God, everything hurt. His pale skin was turning black and blue.
Another sob made it past his lips.
Of course, tonight had to be one of these nights. It surprisingly didn't take long for his father to beat him this time, not even using one of his lame excuses to cover it up ; they both knew the man only wanted to see his son suffer after drinking a beer or two. It had been the case for two years now, ever since his mother had died, the kind and sweet woman being ill for a long time. Deep down, the boy knew his father was taking his frustration out on him, and held him responsible.
As always, the man had thrown him out of the house afterward, leaving him in the cold night. Maybe the young boy would had a chance to find somewhere to sleep if they had lived in town, but unfortunately, his lumberjack of a father had decided to live deep down in the forest, where, as he liked to say when beating his son, no one ever came.
Everything was deathly silent, and the boy's fear of the dark was slowly making it's way in his chest, crawling in his empty stomach and making his breath shudder. Usually, he would sleep not that far from the house, nestled on the moss, under a tree, but this time it was different. This time, a fear, far more worse than the dark, had crept in his mind when he was kicked out, a simple statement from his father that changed everything, making him walk without rest in this forest he feared and loathed.
« You're such a useless piece of shit, he spluttered. 'Should have killed you 'long time ago. »
No way. His father couldn't do that, right ?
The young boy shook his head, but horrible memories were coming one after the other ; the large calloused hands turning into fists, the laughs coupled with the smell of booze, his fingers yanking his hair, and the dark, scary look his father would give him, the temptation to go take his ax and...
He didn't want to die, god no, he didn't, I didn't, DON'T WANT TO !
The young boy sped up, almost running, dodging the trees in his way, completely lost. Without the light of the moon to guide him, hidden by the leaves, he had the awful feeling that eyes were chasing him, claws ready to slice his throat. After all, it was a forest, of course there would be animals lurking in the shadows, preying on him like a wounded rabbit running away from the inescapable fate of being eaten alive...
ohgodohgodohgod
He had to get out of here, out of this house, out of this forest.
In his panic, he could almost hear footsteps behind him, following closely, almost catching him, the ghost of his father and his ax, that would slice him, cut his limbs one by one, laugh at him and nobody would save him, nobody would hear me, because there was no one there, no one for me, no one to protect me, only the dark, I'm all alone in that stupid forest and I'm going goi ng g oing t o d i e a l o n e i n t h e r e
Then, there was a root.
Suddenly, his feet got caught in it, as he was no longer really looking where he was putting them in his haste. Falling forward in a loud cry, he tried to protect his face with his hands, which was, considering his broken wrist, a really bad idea. It only made the pain in his wrist unbearable, and he tried hard to contain his screams, bitting on his lips until they bled, labored breathing escaping his nose, and an horrible fog clouding his mind. Curled on his side, the young boy cried, his whole body shaking and his lungs constricting.
He didn't know how long he stayed on the ground, but he blinked his eyes open, startled by a rustling sound on his right. In the bushes, hidden in the dark. It couldn't be a wolf, right ? I-I mean, I've been in this forest countless of times, and I never saw one, so it couldn't be, right ?
He slowly got up, wobbly legs carefully going to the source of the noises, holding his breath in an attempt to stay unnoticed. Why was I doing this anyway ? I should run. I have to run.
The gloom feeling in his stomach was growing at each second passing by, the sudden rush of adrenaline from earlier combined with his injuries making him sick. That's when I saw them, out of the shadows. Those eyes, burning red like the pits of hell, pupils dilated and fixed on me.
I couldn't help but scream this time, nearly stumbling backward. This is definitely not a wolf. It's way bigger, way hungrier and it's going to eat me ohmygodihave to r u n
''Hey hey, wait a sec', buddy !''
What ?
I turned around, my whole body trembling with fear. That was a human voice. A man's voice. Not an animal. There was more rustling, and finally, the eyes came out of the dark. And I couldn't help but shriek at the sight.
It was worse than a wolf. Way way worse.
''Yeah, yeah, I know, I'm not at my best right now, but hey, as they say, don't judge a book from it's cover, right ?''
The young boy wasn't really that religious. He was going to the church downtown every Sunday because his father forced him to, like a good catholic, but he never really understood the concept. It seemed too unreal, angels, demons, Hell, Heaven. And most of all, he couldn't believe, if there really was a God above him, almighty and kind, that he would let his father hurt him the way he did. But now, I had a living proof right in front of me.
At first, you could mistake him for a normal person. Black hair cut short, formal suit, straight back and open arm. Compared to his father, he wasn't that tall, but he didn't need to be to look terrifying. The pair of jet-black wings on his back, the horns on his head and the red tail twitching against his legs were enough. And those eyes, red as fire, looking at me like a prey, coupled with a creepy grin, glimmering under a ray of moonlight. I felt like throwing up.
As much as I mentally refused to admit it, the monster in front of me was, most likely, a demon. At least, I was pretty sure they were depicted like that at church.
''Please, don't kill me...'' I sniffled.
The demon tilted his head to the side, before an horrible growl came out of his mouth. I shrieked again. He held his ribs, laying against a tree and making a loud snort. Wait. Was he... Was he laughing ?
''Oh man, you really need to chill, buddy ! Did you look at me ? Right now, I wouldn't even be able to hurt a damn fly !'' He chuckled.
I studied him a bit more closely, but still taking a step backward just in case. A shift in the leaves given by a sudden blow of the wind let more moonlight fall on him. I gasped.
He was covered in blood from head to toe, his suit torn apart almost everywhere. Here and there, I could see the demon's flesh full of open wounds, black blood pooling from it. But above everything, what bothered me the most was his arm. His missing arm.
The demon's laughter had died down now, and his previous scary grin had been replaced by a thin, tired smile. None of us were moving, and I had to remind myself to breath when I felt my head spin.
His eyes trailed on me a bit, before a loud relieved sigh made it past his lips.
''Hey, what are you doing out there at night anyway ? Shouldn't lil' kids be sleeping right now ? 'cause you're like, 10 or something.''
I didn't answer, biting my bruised lips again, feeling fresh blood leak on my chin.
''Aww come on, I'm trying to hold a conversation here, y'know, like, you answering and all that.'' He whined.
I took another step back.
''Okay, okay, I get it.'' He sighed. ''I'm a demon, you shouldn't answer me, blahblahblah. But hey, I can't do much except that, so maybe just keep me company ? Or maybe...''
His gaze trailed off, and the grin made it's way back on his face.
''Maybe you could help me. And I'll help you back in return.''
He rubbed the underside of his nose.
''I'm a pretty powerful demon, y'know ? I could do anything you want me to ! I could, like, make you rich, or fucking handsome, or give you power, all the women you want, I could also kill for you if y'want...''
I swallowed harshly the lump in my throat.
''Oh ? The demon beamed. For a kid, you really know what you want, uh ? I wonder who's the dude you want dead that bad you'd make a deal with a devil...''
''I didn't... said I would.''
The demon stopped in his tracks. Why did I said that ?!
His grin grew even bigger.
''So I was right after all !''
The demon left the tree he had been leaning on, slowly getting closer. I had to run. Quick.
But my body wouldn't move. Instead, I slumped on the ground, shaking.
He lazily sat in a loud thump in front of me, eyes examining me close, frowning.
''Wow, seems like you're in a pretty bad shape yourself, mmh... Hey, you should breath, y'know ? I don't know that much about humans but I think that'd be best for you.'' He whispered before flicking my forehead.
I winced. We stayed like this for a couple of minutes, before I carefully inhaled. Apart from the blood, the demon smelt like sulfur, and, strangely enough, sage and... rosemary ?
The wind had stopped blowing, and the silence of the forest was being cut by a few noises, quick footsteps of animals, owls hooting.
I looked at his hand, big and veiny, with silver like claws that sent new shivers down my spine. It was covered in deep cuts, and I was pretty sure a few of his fingers were broken, from the weird angle of the knuckles. I wondered how he could move with that many injuries. Well, he was a demon, so...
''… at least... I'm not missing an... arm.'' I whispered, a small smile on the lips.
''Fair enough, he laughed.''
''… what... what do you want ?''
His eyes shone red, but the excitement was quickly replaced by... fear ?
''Yeah, well, to make it simple, I'm in deep shit...'' he sighed. ''I... may... had pissed off the wrong demon in Hell and I may... be chased... by said demon... and all the demons of Hell, in fact. I'm pretty much fucked, that's why I came here on the human realm to hide, but I think they'll find me in not that long, an hour or two. If I'm lucky.''
I felt like throwing up again.
''But ! That's where you can save my ass ! And I'll save yours afterward ! So it's a win-win situation, right ?'' He rubbed his nose again. ''Make a contract with me !''
''Why... why would I ?'' I asked.
''You didn't heard me earlier ?''
''No... that's not... why would I ?'' I swallowed. ''You're a... d-d-demon... so why... would I trust you ?''
''Riiiiight.'' He frowned, tapping his fingers on his knee. ''Well, except that I might die soon and I obviously don't want that, I don't have a reason to make a contract right now. I mean, you're the one who can negotiate the best part out of this, since I want only one thing of you right now, so I'm at disadvantage .''
''What... is it ?''
''Let me hide in your body.''
''What ?!'' I shrieked.
''Don't freak out, buddy. You see, the demons can track me down because they can feel my soul, like some kind of... scent. So ! I need to hide my soul under another one to confuse them !''
''I thought demons didn't have souls...'' I remarked.
''It's... complicated. But hey, I'm the first demon you meet, right ? It's not like you're an expert or something...'' he huffed.
''Won't... they... attack m-me then ?''
''Nope ! And here's why ! Your soul's scent and mine will get all mixed up, as if there were only one soul ! See ? No problem !'' He grinned, eyes shining.
''…''
It was too simple. Of course, he was scheming something. I mean, he is a demon !
A strong wind blow hit me on the back.
'Should have killed you 'long time ago.
Panic ran me over.
''… anything...'' I gulped.
''Mmh ?''
''You said... you could do... anything for me... yes ?''
''Anything !''
''… then that's what I want.''
''Uh ?''
''Anything. You will do anything I say.''
I looked him in the eyes. I was still shaking in fear, but the surprise I read in them made me feel a sudden surge of courage. I could do this. He said so, right ? I have the upper hand in the deal. He is pressured by time.
A loud chuckle escaped him.
''Jeez, you really are something !'' He snorted. ''Making things hard from the start.''
I gritted my teeth. The demon rubbed a stray tear on his cheek.
''Alright, I don't have that much time, so I'm in.''
He gave his thumb a hard bite, and pressed the black wound on my lips.
''Lick.''
I did as he said, surprised to find his black blood startlingly similar to human blood in taste. He then wiped some of mine off my chin before putting his finger to his mouth.
'' 'kay. You're going to feel a bit dizzy, so don't be surprised. Now, say my name.''
What ? What name ?
''Any name is fine. Your choice.''
I quickly cogitated. Something in the way he looked at me reminded me of mother, weirdly enough. Maybe the strong yet soft aura that emanated from him.
''O... Oso... matsu.''
Strangely, he looked surprised, his jaw dropping.
My breath got caught in my throat. Something was wrong. It wasn't dizziness. It had nothing to do with my head. It was my heart. My heart hurt, squeezed, god it's going to explode. I gave a sharp cry, tugging at my shirt. I felt like burning from the inside out, I'm burning ithurtsi'mburningi'mburning im b u r n i n g i m d y i n g i c a n t b r e a t c h
''Uh, I may have lied about just being dizzy. In fact, it hurts like a bitch, but no worries, it'll subside soon.''
It did. Pretty quickly in fact. I didn't remember when it happened, but when I opened my eyes, panting, drooling and in tears, I had my face buried in the demon's chest, his hands making gentle circles on my back. Wait, hands ?
I tried to sit up but I slumped right back in his arms. Now, I was dizzy. For real. Somehow, the little circles helped me relax, enough to breath slowly through my nose. I rubbed my eyes, and struggled to focus.
''How... your arm...'' I slurred.
''Oh, that ? All good ! You know what's cool with contracts ? They heal you ! Look ! I'm good as new ! Which is awesome because sincerely, everything hurt. Especially the arm. Or lack of thereof in this case.''
I sat up, mind foggy and tired. The demon hadn't lied. His injuries were all gone, and his arm back in place. I rubbed my bad wrist, but the pain was gone too. As if nothing had happened. Same for my shoulder, cheek and lips. Good as new. Good as new.
''You're a lifesaver, buddy !!'' He beamed. ''Now these fuckers will never find me.''
''You're... welcome ?''
''Well, that said, they'll surely come here since my scent should still be in the air, so, I think we should get out of this forest asap.'' His tail twitched anxiously.
''Can't... you use your... wings ?''
''For that, i'll need a field, or somewhere with less trees, 'cause I can't stretch them right.''
''… my house... there are no trees... around...'' So tired...
''Your house ? Why didn't you told me you lived here ? You have beer ? And I'm starving too !''
''… can't enter... inside...'' My head was spinning.
''Eh ? Why ?''
My head was becoming way too heavy, my eyes closing on their own. Suddenly, I felt my body leaving the ground, and it took me some seconds to understand that the demon was carrying me in his arms, my face slumped in his neck. Something inside me was screaming about how dangerous the situation was, his suit still damp in blood, but for now, I simply sighed, welcoming the warmth. The scent of sulfur had diminished, replaced by the sage and rosemary. It felt nice. I listened to his heartbeat, slow and steady, and let myself doze off a bit.
''Hey buddy, we're there.'' He whispered, rubbing my shoulder.
I cracked an eye open.
The moon made the night look clearer, and less threatening, but the scenery before my eyes made me shiver. We were arrived at the house. Inside, no lights, sign that father was asleep. He had left, as usual, his ax near the entry, against one of the girder of the porch. Instinctively, I grasped the demon's suit, my breath shuddering yet again.
''Uh ? What's wrong ?''
''… my father... is... inside.''
''And ? It's not like he saw us. We can just fly away if you want. I mean, you look like you don't want to go back, yeah ?''
''No... wait.''
I breathed in slowly. My father's words were ringing in my ears. I gazed at my wrist.
'Should have killed you 'long time ago.
''Anything.''
''Anything.'' The demon chuckled.
''…''
Slowly, a smile made it's way on my face. The fear was being replaced by anger. No, that's not it. It came from the pit of my guts. Something dark, that I had bubbled away for a long time now. Against a man I never considered as a father. Only a threat, always a danger.
Anything. I could do anything.
I recognized what that feeling was then. I had seen it many times before in his eyes.
It was pure black, murderous hatred.
''Kill him.''
The demon stopped, his red irises staring at me, surprised, before smiling. He made a joyful hum, ruffling through my hair with his fingers (weren't they claws before ?) and licked his lips, grinning wide.
He sat me down carefully on the stairs of the porch, and took the ax, swinging it a bit.
'' 'kay. Be right back. Oh, by the way, what's your name, buddy ?''
''Todomatsu. Matsuno Todomatsu.''
''Ah, so that's where my name comes from !'' The demon smirked.
''Mmh. A mix between... my mother's name and mine.''
He smiled at me, and I got the feeling somehow that he was sad. He then headed towards the front door. I tugged at his sleeve.
''Yeah ?''
''… make... make him suffer. Please...''
''No prob' Bob. Once I'm done, we'll get out of here.''
I nodded. He ruffled my hair once more, and entered the house. The door was never locked, since my father considered being safe here, in the middle of nowhere.
I leaned my head against the girder, looking at the night sky. The stars were glowing faintly, the moonlight illuminating everything. The wind was gentle, not too cold, although we were still in May, blowing the trees and the grass. It smelt like fresh leaves, and the sage and rosemary from the demon's scent that still lingered in the air. My fear of the dark was, for the first time in my life, not bothering me.
I was at peace.
Behind me, the silence had disappeared, replaced by a concert of screams, cries and gruesome noises.
I sighed happily, humming a little song mother used to chant to me, when I was too afraid to sleep.
''And in the nighttime, she's beautiful
She's got her mother's nose
But she won't remember a thing at all
Cause in your arms, she's home~''
The air was now filled with iron, but it didn't bothered me. I closed my eyes, smiling.
''Oh, baby, sleep until we reach much calmer seas
I'll take you away with me
To save you from this disease
It's clear to me that no one holds monopoly
She'll set your beauty free
And grant you your dignity
So baby, sleep, until we reach much calmer seas
I'll take you away with me
To save you from this disease
And in the nighttime, she's beautiful
I'm sure her mother knows~''