Mending a Shattered Heart
Thick black clouds blanketed the eastern city of Aderu with a dismal mood that was increased as drops of rain splattered against the cobblestone streets and onto the local residents that were hurrying to their homes. Traders grumbled as they pulled their wares underneath outstretched roofs that hung over the sidewalks and watched as people hurried by and tried to get home as quickly as possible. Flashes of lightning streaked across the sky and bellowing rolls of thunder echoed through the sky as the clouds became ever darker.
The street lights were lit for those brave few who dared to wander the dark streets during the darkening dusk. Savage winds ripped through the streets and tore through both flesh and bone. Cold droplets of water stung the exposed areas of flesh as the wind pelted the rain on pedestrians like missiles. Anyone who was out at that time of night would be thoroughly soaked within half an hour, if not sooner.
Raenef, covered in a long white cloak, which was embroidered with silver stitching, and a hood covering his face, slowly trudged down the sidewalk. One hand held the two sides of his cloak together, for the clasp had long since broken from the force of the wind, while his other hand clung to the leather sack that he had put his few personal belongings in. Strands of hair were matted down to his forehead and in his eyes, which made it increasingly difficult to see, not mentioning with the darkness. The demon's small body shook from the oppressive, cold wind that cut through his lean body every time it swiped at him with its ethereal claws and the rain had drenched him completely. With the weather conditions, Raenef wasn't sure he'd be able to find the particular inn which the guild had previously used as meeting place.
Abruptly, as he passed the alleyway, which led to the Silverton Inn, the demon felt someone grab his shoulder and rip him into the darkness of the alleyway. His leather sack flew down the narrow side street as he blindly swung it at his unknown attacker and lost his grip. A young man snickered as he stepped out of the shadows and backhanded Raenef across his face with such force that the demon was thrown into the wall. His slender body crumpled onto the ground and Raenef shuttered from the pain that coursed through his bruised body. The demon's hand suddenly went to the back of his head and he groaned as he felt his hair becoming sticky from blood that was bleeding profusely from a small wound.
The man's voice scolded him, "Little rich boys shouldn't be wandering unknown streets."
Moaning, Raenef swore he recognized that voice and he squeaked, "Kei? Is that you? Please say that's you."
His attacker dropped onto one knee and peered into the demon's eyes with sharp, baby blue orbs that immediately were filled with horror and shame, "Rae! I'm sorry, what are you doing out here of all the times of night?"
Kei helped Raenef up to his feet before sprinting over to the discarded sack and returning to the demon's side. Shaking his head a bit, the blonde haired boy held the back of his head and replied, "I was looking for our inn, but I've been gone so long, I'm not sure where it is anymore."
"Ah," Kei chuckled as he slung the sack over his strong shoulder. "After what happened with the guards and all, we moved. Now we stay in the Silverton Inn. Yea, it's a bit rough, but nothing that we can't handle, eh Rae?" he laughed lightly as he hit the demon in his shoulder playfully.
Rubbing his shoulder a bit, Raenef nodded and followed Kei down the alleyway despite the dizzy spells which were taking hold of him. The young man, who was a bit more muscular then Raenef, glanced over to him with concern, the corners of his mouth tugging downwards in a distant frown. He ran his fingers through his short, dirty blonde hair as he led the way through the dirty alley and onto the sidewalk.
Without warning, Raenef's knees buckled underneath him and he collapsed onto Kei, his hands desperately trying to grab a hold of the other thief, who wrapped his arms around the demon's waist tightly. Pulling Raenef to his feet, Kei found himself struggling to keep the leather sack over his shoulder and the young, unconscious thief off of the ground. After he tossed the leather sack onto the sidewalk, the thief hoisted the boy over his shoulder before picking up the sack and hurrying across the empty street to the dimly lit inn on the other side.
The Silverton Inn was a dimly lit place with shadows cluttering every inch of the rickety wooden boards except for near the tables which had lanterns dangling above them. Young women hurried through the maze of tables, chairs, and people to deliver drinks and food while strangers flowed in and out, some familiar, others, not. Shadowy figures were slumped against walls, watching the commotion of the inn as it proceeded on with its daily routine while men tried their luck at gambling and playing cards to pass the time. Gold changed hands in rapid succession; between gambling customers and between bartenders and their customers. The flash of gold and occasionally silver attracted the lower crowd, the thieves. In the Silverton Inn, if one didn't have a good hand on one's gold, it was more then likely that someone else did.
The fireplace on the wall opposite the entrance burned lowly; its flame danced slowly; monotonously across the smoldering logs that gleamed with dark reds and oranges. Shadows danced around its light, their curves moving up and down, and twisting to the silent beat that pulsated through the inn. Each silent note drove the inhabitants of the small building onwards through their tasks and guided the drunkards out front to retch and eventually start small brawls.
When Kei entered the inn, everyone's eyes fell on him. The bright white clothing of the young man, who appeared to be a girl to the rest of the inhabitants, contrasted sharply with the dark, brown leather that the thief wore. A few of the other thieves from the guild slowly detached themselves from the crowd and approached Kei with curious, questioning eyes. The rest of the inn turned back to their business as the young man met up with three other thieves who immediately began to interrogate their fellow member of what had happened.
Kei ignored the three others as he brushed past them and slithered through the maze of tables. He nodded at the innkeeper before ascending the stairs which led to the bedrooms; of which, half were taken up by the guild. Shouldering open the door at the very end of the narrow corridor lit with small candelabrums, Kei entered his room. His roommate's head shot up at the sound of the door opening and the thief's eyes widen in surprise as he watched Kei lumber over to the bed and gently lay the wounded boy on top of the covers.
"What's the meaning of this?" The man bellowed as he tossed the book he had been reading aside.
Kei lifted his gaze and glared at the considerably older, and stronger, man before growling, "It's Raenef, you idiot, and if you had any common sense, you'd go room with one of the other members."
The sound of Raenef's name frozen the other thief in his tracks; he stared warily at the boy who had been practically disowned by the guild after what had happened in the city square with the demon and the guards. It was well known to all the guild members that Raenef was a demon lord -in training-, and that his servant would most likely behead any who dared to touch him in a way that was considered improper.
The other thief rushed out of the room and down the hall demanding to see the head thief of the guild, Nato. A thin smile brushed across Kei's lips before he glanced to Raenef and tucked a pillow under the young boy's head. Raenef moaned and rolled over onto his side, leaving a small, bloody stain on the robin egg blue pillow case. His beautiful hair was matted down around the medium size cut in his skin and blood trickled down each strand, slowly and painfully.
Kei, panicking, ran to the adjacent bathroom and, taking a towel off of the side of the tub, drenched it in warm water. Wringing the excess water out of the towel, the thief hurried back to Raenef's side and wrapped the towel around his friend's head. The demon groaned as he flipped onto his back and slowly opened his eyes. His black pupils dilated as his vision gradually adjusted to the lighting. A pale, slender hand went to his forehead before he tried to lean forward.
"No," Kei said as he gently pushed Raenef back onto the bed; in return, he received a blank look of confusion.
"Just lay down. I hit you a bit hard back in the alley," Kei whispered before sitting down next to Raenef.
The demon just nodded before suddenly giggling and, turning onto his side and propping his head up with his hand, whispered, "Kei, can I have some cookies and milk? Or at least some juice."
Kei smiled, "If it makes you happy."
Raenef threw himself forward and half glomped the other thief. Kei chuckled as he ruffled the other boy's hair and rose to order some juice since milk and cookies was obviously out of the question that night. Raenef watched him go with puppy dog eyes before curling up in a ball and stroking the mattress with a contemplating index finger. His green eyes were fixated on the folds that were created when he pushed his nail along the sheet covering the mattress. Sighing faintly, he snuggled into his pillow and closed his eyes.
As Kei reached the bottom of the stairs, his baby blue eyes shifted around, watching for Nato or any of the other thieves who wanted to press him about the rumor that Raenef had returned to the guild. Stepping up to the bar, Kei ordered some juice. The innkeeper simply nodded and turned around to retrieve his order. However, before the innkeeper could come back with the juice, Nato stepped up next to Kei and stared at him, his face unnervingly disgruntled. Two others surrounded him as though trying to keep him from slithering away.
"So," Nato whispered, his rough voice slipping through his smooth, tan lips. "I hear you brought Raenef back."
"It's not your business, Nato," Kei replied sharply enough to cut.
"I'm practically running this inn and if he's here, it is my business." Nato responded harshly as he towered over Kei.
"Just... let him be, okay? He saved your skin, remember that," Kei replied before grabbing the juice that the innkeeper had slid towards him. However, before he could turn around and leave, Nato grabbed his shoulder roughly and pulled him back.
"If that black haired demon comes back here, ever, or Raenef slips up, you're both dead," Nato warned, his voice calm, but nonetheless threatening.
Tugging away, Kei ignored the threat as ascended the stairs quickly and returned to the room. Raenef had curled up in a cute, little ball with his legs pulled up to his chest and one arm underneath the pillow while the other lay alone on the bed. Kei bit his lip as he sat down next to Raenef, his blue eyes running over each and every inch of the young demon. Brushing a few strands of blonde hair out of Raenef's eyes, Kei smiled as the other's eyes fluttered open and he flashed a brilliant grin.
"Thank you, Kei!" Raenef chirped as he leaned forward and took the juice slowly. Lifting the cup to his mouth, Raenef glanced over the silver cup and his gaze locked with Kei's for a moment or two before the blue eyed thief looked towards the window across from the bed. Smiling, he crossed over to the small window and bent over to look outside. The rain had stopped pouring, the dark clouds had cleared up somewhat, and a few stars peaked through the ever drifting clouds.
"Remember when we used to sit on the roof at night and watch the stars?" Kei mused as his eyes searched the stars for the answers he would never receive.
Raenef giggled and nodded, "And we'd always try to beat one another and find the first one and make a wish."
Kei nodded in response and watched the stars. Suddenly, he felt uncomfortable with the quiet that had fallen over them. When he looked over his shoulder, he arched his eyebrow at the young boy questioningly. Raenef was twirling his finger around his hair as he held the cup of juice in his free hand. Precious emerald hues watched the juice as Raenef tipped the cup back and forth.
"Did any of your wishes come true, Kei?" he asked innocently.
Shaking his head, Kei whispered, "No, Rae, they didn't."
"Why? What'd you wish for?" Raenef asked after finishing his juice and scooting over to the edge of the bed.
"I... can't tell you," Kei stuttered as he walked back to the bed and sat on the opposite edge. Raenef scooted closer and hugged him. A faint tint of red flushed through Kei's face as the demon's hands held him around the waist.
"You said they couldn't come true, so what's the harm?" Raenef persisted.
Smiling, Kei whispered, "They could, some day."
"Mkay!" Raenef replied as he gave his friend one last hug before scooting back over to where Kei had originally laid him.
His fingers brushed over the wet towel that the thief had wrapped around his head before he inquired timidly, "Can I take this off now? Or is it that bad?"
Startled, Kei looked at the partially blood soaked towel. He shrugged before moving behind Raenef and slowly peeling the towel away.
"Well, let's see how bad it is," Kei responded as he brushed a few strands of hair away from the wound. Upon seeing the site of the wound, he winced and bit into his lip. A bad, but shallow, gash ran a good two inches along the back of the demon's head. It wouldn't take long for it to heal for the demon, and it probably wouldn't scar him, but it would require a bit of bandaging before the boy went to bed.
When Raenef noticed the silence, he whimpered, "Is it that bad, Kei? Will I be okay?"
Kei almost smiled as he envisioned the other boy's worried smile and big kawaii eyes that pled for good news. Rising, the thief returned to the bathroom after giving a simple, "Don't worry. Just a head bandage will be good, Rae."
When he sat back down at Raenef's side, Kei had a roll of clean clothe in hand. Slowly, he unwound the clothe from the roll and began to wrap it around the demon's hair, careful not to trap any hair or make it too tight. After finishing, the thief pulled a small knife from a sheath hidden on his back and cut the end of the clothe. He tucked the loose end in the wrapping so that it wouldn't come undone during the middle of the night.
Raenef just giggled and touched the bandage carefully. Suddenly, the demon bounced up and glanced around the room before spotting his leather sack. He ran over to it and, picking it up, sprinted into the bathroom to change. Kei watched with faint interest as he ran his fingers through his dirty blonde hair thoughtfully. Nato's threat lingered distantly in the back of his mind and the thief had to wonder why Raenef had come back when he was a demon lord that could have anything he so chose. Gold, power, love maybe. Kei couldn't see why Raenef would revert back to something so low and poverty filled such as thieving. Then again, Kei thought, Raenef never had an eye for those things. Something bad probably happened with the dark haired demon who took him away. The young boy, who was about seventeen years of age, felt a small tide of anger churning within him.
Stepping out of the bathroom, Raenef smiled as he walked over to Kei, dressed only in a loose, white nightshirt that came down to his mid-thigh. Kei forced his eyes to remain on Raenef's face instead of wandering downwards to the edge of the nightgown. Indeed, the young demon had a rather beautiful body, slender but not twiggy. Puberty would probably add a bit more muscle to the demon's body in a few more years, but even that wouldn't change the boy's figure by much.
"So..." Raenef said thoughtfully as he looked at the bed, "Are you staying in here with me?" It almost sounded hopeful.
Nodding, Kei tilted his head, "Why?"
"Oh, I... just haven't slept with anyone else since I left the guild," he explained simply.
"I... see. Guess that isn't right for demon lords, right?" Kei mumbled.
Raenef bit his tongue before crawling over the bed and slipping under the covers. The thief watched him, not understanding Raenef's lack of comment. Usually the boy had much more on his mind to say then just tensing up and going to sleep. Kei sighed at the awkward moment before pulling off his rawhide jerkin and unbuttoning the loose sleeved, white shirt to reveal a rather well toned, tan chest. Kei took off the bandanna that had been wrapped around his head to let short, dirty blond bangs fall over his baby blue eyes. Despite the temptation, Kei kept his pants on and slipped in bed next to Raenef.
Lying on his back, Kei watched the candle that had kept the room lit, slowly die away. Raenef's slow, shallow breathing echoed through his mind as he remembered the last couple days he had spent with the demon before Eclipse had taken him away. Closing his eyes, he whispered, "Rae, when you were gone, did you ever think about me?"
Raenef shifted his position a bit before rolling over and peering through the darkness at the other, "Yep!"
"Do you remember what I asked you before you left?" he inquired gently with no persistence found in his voice.
"Mhmm," he confirmed softly.
The answer wasn't what Kei had been expecting, but then again, he knew that Raenef was naive and innocent; nothing would change that about him. Kei only wanted a chance, just one. If it meant going to hell itself and then coming back, he would do it. Kei had known Raenef longer then anyone else; he had been the one who found the boy wandering around the streets, cold, in rags, and utterly confused about who he was and where he had come from. About the only thing that the demon had known was his name.
Giving out a faint sigh, Kei rolled over and tucked his hand under his pillow as he stared at the closed door across from him. Suddenly, he felt Raenef's hand on his bare waist and heard the demon whisper, "I still don't know. I-I once thought that there might be someone else... but..."
"What happened between you and that demon?" Kei asked without trying to sound jealous or protective.
Raenef stopped and sighed, "We kinda got into a fight. I guess I was getting on his nerves for being undemon like... he's right though... I am just a child, just a... burden."
Flipping over, Kei suddenly pressed his lips to Raenef's. However, the demon pulled away almost immediately; the thief let it go, he wouldn't force him to do something he didn't want to.
"I-I can't Kei! It's not right!" Raenef gasped, as though the kiss had taken his breath away from him.
"Then... can I at least hold you?" Kei pled, his hand cupping the side of Raenef's delicate face.
Touching Kei's hand with his own, Raenef slowly nodded, but it was filled with uncertainty. The slightly older boy wrapped his strong arms around the lean demon and pulled him close to his own body. As he closed his eyes, Kei buried his face into Raenef's silky blonde hair before sniffing it dreamily. His body had longed for that moment for almost a year; he had so longed to hold and adore Raenef in a way that was considered obscene by society. It didn't matter to him. In one way or another, he'd make sure that it was kept a secret so that not even nosy Nato could find out.
Part three |
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