Chapter 3- Instinct

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The volatile king of Earth stormed through his domain, knocking down towering trees with a cackle and a simple flick of his wrist. Oaks fell in a chorus of deafening cracks, roots uprooting in almost painful groans. The ground underneath him pulsed madly in time with his attacks, the miasmic energy of the forest feeding his demonic nature. It was as if the very lifeblood of the land was being poured out into the rocky terrain, fueling the chaos that the demon wrought.

"Hah... Run faster. I never want this to end!" Amaimon taunted, any semblance of humanity twisted away from his exaggerated features. The lines under his eyes had darkened to a near violet, creating a stark contrast between his cyan orbs and pale skin. His lips curled upwards to an almost impossible degree, revealing elongated canines. Even his claws which raked across the fraying tree barks in rivulets had sharpened, becoming talon-like in their destruction. His appearance rivaled that of a monster— and he relished in it.

Demons of varying domains continued to flock towards the green-haired prince in a mad scramble for blood. As soon as he destroyed ten another fifty followed. With another loud cackle, Amaimon leaped up into the tallest tree, feet leaving quakes in the rocky earth. In moments the ground erupted, revealing a gaping maw that swallowed thousands of demons. Their cries continued to rock the entirety of the forest as he watched with interest, seeing the crazed monsters meet their end in a storm of weathered rock and jagged stalactites. At the bottom of the crag he could just barely make out the sea of punctured corpses, black blood spilling from their bodies as they gave their final convulsions and growls against the piercing rocks.

With a sigh, Amaimon looked dejectedly towards his blood-soaked claws. The fun had lasted an hour at most, not even close to sating his bloodlust. While the wiggling corpses were novel, he knew that just like everything else, they too would lose his interest. His thoughts instead shifted to the little tamer girl still inside his castle.

What would her body look like pierced by numerous rocks? Would her emerald orbs remain transfixed to the miasma filled sky, milky and without depth? Or would they remain closed, akin to a restful slumber? He suddenly shook his head at the thoughts.

It didn't matter how Shiemi Moriyama looked like when she died; everything loses its value when dead. Even humans. And things without value were boring.

Amaimon's eyes narrowed. The blonde human couldn't die yet; he hadn't even gotten to play with her, after all.

Shiemi paced the room with uncertainty, fingers placed delicately under her chin. With her brows furrowed, she became so absorbed in her thoughts that she hadn't noticed the demon king's entrance.

Amaimon watched with mild confusion at the girl walking around barefoot, pink kimono sleeves rolled up to her elbows. Just what was she doing? Thinking of a way to escape?

"Oi, tamer." Amaimon called out when her behavior became boring and repetitive.

Shiemi bolted at the sound of his voice, nearly tripping on her face before turning back to stare at the demon who lounged lethargically against the vine-covered wall. He had one pointed boot pressed against the crumbling mortar, arms crossed as he gave the girl a blank look.

"A-amaimon? Are you alright?" The words spilled from her mouth before she knew what came over her. She covered her mouth with her hands a second after, hoping that she hadn't offended the strange boy. She had heard the cry of a horde of demons even from the interior of the tree-like home the moment he had left and could only imagine that the green-haired man had been ambushed. Even Behemoth had whined pitifully, torn between his current task of watching over the girl or going out and helping his master. Eventually, the hobgoblin opted to standing in front of the entrance, waiting patiently for Amaimon to return while still guarding the blonde.

Amaimon titled his head to the side. "…Of course."

The girl let out a breath she didn't know she was holding, the tension in her shoulders relaxing. Despite being brought to this hellish place, the demon had done nothing to physically or psychologically hurt her— minus the cut across her cheek. But, that had been an accident! And for now, her only chance at surviving was by being amiable to the King of Earth.

Shiemi took in the weathered appearance of the king, from his ash-covered hair and flimsy coat to the dark, almost bruise-like circles under his eyes. And finally, her careful gaze came to rest at his bloodied knuckles. It looked as if he had punched a brick wall, the skin torn and red and blistered.

"W-what happened to your hands?" She questioned without thinking, moving closer to the green-haired prince. To her surprise, the demon did not even flinch as she hesitantly took his right hand, inspecting the wounds. He remained completely still at the feeling of her warm hands against his fingertips, a strange sensation forming in his gut. It was a sensation he had never felt before— and it confused him.

"There were a lot of low-level demons of different domains. I had some fun." He responded curtly once the blonde had finished inspecting his hands, as if nearly broken fingers and black blood were normal occurrences. And for him, they probably were, the tamer realized. Settling back to her cot, the girl looked shyly from under her bangs, golden eyelashes fluttering.

"D-do you have any bandages? I could fix up your wounds… if you want."

Wordlessly, the demon disappeared into the recesses of his castle, coming back a few moments later with a roll of bandages and a bucket of water. Giving a quick thank you, Shiemi took the supplies, motioning for the demon to sit beside her. Amaimon complied easily enough, the cot dipping under his weight.

With a determined look in her eyes, the blonde started by dipping the cloth into the water before wringing it out. Wiping away the excess dirt and blood, she could see that the wound was already starting to close. The skin was stitching itself closed, the sinews forming together to close the wound. Still, Shiemi wrapped the bandages carefully around his healing knuckles, hands gentle and soft. Amaimon watched the girl's expression as she began to bandage the other hand. There was no anger or malice or even resentment towards him, which from what he knew of human emotions, was beyond odd. He had basically kidnapped her, plopped her into a world far more dangerous than her own, yet she showed no outward signs of distress. If anything, there was contentment in her eyes at the sight of the white bandages firmly wrapped around his wrist.

She was a strange human indeed… but it also made her interesting.

"I'll show you Amahara tomorrow." He stood up abruptly, coat flowing behind him. Dropping a green lollipop into her lap, he stepped out of the room. Shocked by the sudden display of kindness, Shiemi fell back onto the cot, holding the sweet to her chest.

Maybe there was more to the green-haired demon than his volatile personality, she mused.

On the opposite wing of the viridian structure Amaimon growled, biting his thumb till he drew blood. Just what was going on with him? Why did he feel a sudden urge to be kind to the girl? Torn between wanting to kill the human due to the perplexities she brought in her wake and just leaving her in the room entirely, the king left his lodgings yet again, this time with Behemoth in tow.

It was time he checked on Amahara; it had been a few centuries, after all, since he had stepped foot inside the garden. And he had to make sure his heart was still nestled safely inside the lush landscape. With these thoughts in mind, the green-haired man bounded towards the only place in Gehenna where flowers grew, unaware of the pair of bird-like demons that had perched on the top of the nearest tree. They cawed loudly before suddenly bursting into blue flames, black feathers singeing into ash.

Somewhere, a loud cackle could be heard.

A/N: Whoo, I finally got time to update! Too bad it's such a short chap -.- This was really only an interlude. The real plot's gonna kick in next chap with Satan and the Garden so hehehe, it should be… interesting XD As usual, thanks for being patient with me guys and I'll see ya next chapter!

Review?

-Isis