Angels, Humans & Demons

This Unusual Company's Friendship Strengthens through Other Unexpected Events

Emi and Ashiya were on their usual shopping trip on Saturday, and while it was filled with more small arguments than before, it could be felt that the two now really considered each other friends. Both of them seemed happier than usual.

'You know what, Alsiel?' Emi spoke after a couple of minutes in silence. They were already heading home. 'You were the last one I could imagine making friends with.'

Ashiya sighed annoyedly. Actually, he would have really liked it to stay unsaid.

'The last one?' he asked. 'What about my lord?'

'I hate to say that, but even he looked more normal than you. Sorry, but that's the cruel truth.'

Ashiya sighed again, but then smiled, half-consciously. They stopped in front of a zebra crossing.

'But now we could be called friends, huh?' Emi continued, and they looked at each other. She looked a little bit more serious now. 'Or maybe even... more than friends.'

And Ashiya woke up, breathing heavily, thus waking up Maou as well. Urushihara just turned in his boxes.

'What happened, Ashiya?' Maou asked, and he sat up too. 'Are you all right?'

'Yes... yes, sire,' he said. 'I just had a strange dream, that's all.'

'Okay, then. Oh, it's just five in the morning.' With that, Maou lay down again and put the blanket on his head. Ashiya lay down too, but he was wide awake. Actually, his dream wasn't that strange. At least it wasn't really a dream either. It had happened last Saturday, and Emi said 'comrades' afterwards.

Why did I dream about something that happened two days ago? And why did it have... and ending like this? She said comrades back then. But in my dream, she didn't, and I am completely sure I had the word... lovers in my mind. No, I am just overthinking. He smiled slightly. Fortunately, she would never mean that. I just had a dream.

He couldn't fall asleep anyway, so he decided to get up and start preparing breakfast – as quiet as possible of course. This dream came to his mind a few times during the week, but he didn't tell anyone about it and there wasn't any change in his behavior either.

Next Saturday the shops were very crowded, and they could only walk one after the other in the supermarket. Emi walked in front of Ashiya and he soon became distracted by her long hair. He had never noticed it looked that soft and shiny. And her scent was... pleasant. He became so distracted that he unconsciously leaned forward to hug her from behind.

And that was when Ashiya woke up panting.

I can't believe it! I dreamed something like that... again! What happened with me? No... no, I am completely not myself in these dreams. There is no way I could do these things.

It was pitch black in their apartment now, but a few minutes later he could see the clock on the wall and tell that it was half past one in the morning. He sighed and turned to his side – that was when he realized that Urushihara wasn't at his place.

He immediately got up and went closer to the boxes. No, he wasn't there. Then Ashiya knocked on the bathroom door, and after no answer, he opened it. No one was there either.

'My lord! I'm terribly sorry to disturb you at this hour, but you need to wake up!' he rushed to his master.

'What's that... Ashiya?' Maou asked sleepily, and rubbed his eyes.

'Urushihara is neither in his boxes, nor in the bathroom!'

Maou got up, completely awake now.