Photo by ilya on Flickr
Assault warning ⚠️
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Pachester was... not what (Y/N) expected.
The town was flooded. Debris floated from building to building, moss accumulated in groups everywhere, and the roofs on vehicles could be seen poking through the water. How were they supposed to get around? (Y/N) didn't see any boats or roads that weren't submerged.
Tuca was on top of the cop car getting a better look at the town. (Y/N) stayed with him while the other two demons went off to find a better way into the city. The road they were on wasn't flooded but the water did cover the street. (Y/N) was sitting on the hood of the car to avoid getting her boots wet, she looked up at the demon behind her, he seemed intent on finding something. "Is this where your family is?"
He nodded, turning in a different direction. "Since demons don't usually come here because of the water, my dad set up a secret way for us to get in whenever we come back from hunting. I don't remember where it is though."
She felt relieved to hear that demons avoided this town. There have been some marine demons that were captured before, but those kinds are rare. She propped her head on her arm as she stared at the building Ki and Akai had to climb through. It was their only way into the city because the roads ahead were blocked and flooded.
*Honk*
She jumped at the noise in front of her, climbing up the hood and looking down at the.... she paused. What was that?
Tuca heard the commotion and looked down too. He saw how she scooted back down the hood to get a better look at the small white animal. "It's a goose."
"A goose?" She questioned. Now looking at the animal some more, she remembered learning about them back in middle school. The bird stared at her before waddling over to the side of the car. (Y/N)'s eyes followed it curiously and she saw that it was looking up at the roof. It opened its wings and started flapping while jumping, landing on a spot next to Tuca.
The demon looked down at the bird, he hasn't had goose in a while.
Quietly, he shifted his index finger to be sharp like a knife. While the goose waddle towards the back, Tuca slowly bent down towards it and reached for its neck. (Y/N) noticed what he was doing and widened her eyes. He was going to kill it!
Tuca's hand was just an inch from grabbing the animal's neck when the goose turned around and saw the snake eyes the boy had. In under a second, the bird was on top of Tuca whacking him with its wings and biting at his face, thinking he was an actual snake. He fell back while trying to get the bird off of him while (Y/N) watched from the hood, trying to hold in a laugh.
She got up and took off her parka to try swatting the bird away. That only enraged the small beast even more. It dropped its attention from its first victim and set its sights on its second.
"Uh oh."
*HONK*
Meanwhile, with Ki and Akai, the two were on their way back from looking over the town. It looked vacant enough but it would be hard to move around, the only reason they were able to get in was from hopping roof to roof and going through windows. It's too late to leave the town, they already traveled almost three hours to get here and it's getting close to evening. Luckily they found a bar that has a second floor that's still intact, the entire bottom floor was flooded to the ceiling.
The whole time they were out though, Ki has noticed Akai being more... cautious. The blond was more focused on the outside rather than in and from time to time, Ki has caught him staring out a window, deeper into the town. It could possibly be that he was being more aware of their surroundings but it was like he knew where to go and even suggested the bar that was a few buildings down and out of sight.
How could he have known there was a bar?
As they were walking back, Ki decided to ask him about this. If there's something that Akai wasn't telling him, he has the right to know, especially when they are bringing (Y/N) here. "Have you... been here before?"
"No." A simple answer, but Ki didn't believe it.
"You sure? You seemed to know where that bar was and what roofs to take."
Akai glared at the silent demon, his blond hair slightly blocking his eyes. "I've never been here before. Just drop it."
'He's been here before.' Ki thought as Akai walked ahead to a door they had already opened. If he's been here before, why was he trying to hide it? Did something bad happen? Ki wasn't going to press more but later when they get settled in the bar. If they're going to be working together to protect (Y/N), no secrets should be kept between them.
After they returned back to the road where they left the other two, they jumped from the building and looked out to the car they had parked. Where were they?
Tuca wasn't on top of the roof and (Y/N) wasn't on the hood. But there was a goose circling the vehicle menacingly.
The two demons looked at each other before Ki grabbed Akai's shoulder and teleported them to the vehicle. The goose saw them and honked at Akai, flapping its wings threateningly.
He looked at the small creature and shot a fireball at the bird, killing it in an instant while Ki went to look at the car.
Inside the car, Tuca's head popped up from the driver's seat and he looked at the blond before looking down at the dead goose. He opened the door and stepped out while cautiously avoiding his attacker.
Akai saw the bite marks and scratches all over the boy's face, what even happened. "The fuck happened to you?"
Tuca pointed down at the bird before sitting back down on the driver's seat. He forgot how aggressive the geese were around here. Now he remembers why he gets scared to see them when he's a child.
(Y/N) was in the passenger seat rubbing a bite mark from where the goose bit her. She remembered learning about how territorial they were but what the hell?! That one was able to draw blood! Ki opened the passenger door and his eyes immediately darted to the tiny wound she got and he instantly got mad. She looked up at him before her eyes started searching around him for the small beast that terrorized her and Tuca. "Where's the goose?"
Akai held it by its neck and it fell limp in his hold. "I found dinner for tonight."
After saving the two from the angry goose, Ki and Akai decided to take them back to the bar. With all the jumping they had to do, (Y/N) wasn't able to keep up with the demons. So she had to resort to clinging onto Akai's back and withstanding each jump he did. He landed so hard on each roof and through every window that she didn't know if he was doing it on purpose or not. Maybe hanging onto Ki wouldn't have been a bad idea? Oh wait, it would. Ki teleported instead and the icy cold effect she would get was much worse than Akai's rough jumping.
Tuca however, left the group but said he would return later.
Akai and Ki almost didn't let him go due to how suspicious they were of him. But they didn't get a chance to argue before Tuca disappeared behind a different building and out of sight. (Y/N) watched him go worried but she assumes that he's going to go find his family. Ki and Akai still aren't aware of them since they are never around when Tuca talks about his father.
Akai finally landed on the last roof to her relief and Ki appeared shortly after. So many jumps.... her head was spinning....
"Is she alright?" Ki gently poked her nose with his knuckles but she was seeing stars from the motion sickness.
Akai held onto her legs tighter and started walking to the hatch on the roof leading inside. "She'll be alright."
Ki pulled the hatch open and allowed Akai to jump down but gently this time. (Y/N) clung onto him as her dizziness started fading away and she took in the room they just entered. It's a... bar?
The room had a mini bar but there were other rooms too. This one looked like a lounge area judging by the old couches and broken tv. There was a staircase that led downstairs behind her, but by the way the water was up to the third last step, the entire downstairs was inaccessible.
(Y/N) slid off the demon's back and glared up at him for putting her through that roller coaster of a ride. "You could've been more careful?"
He smirked and bent down towards her, enjoying the little glare she was giving him. "You know I like to do things rough~."
*crack*
They both heard what sounded like a bottle opening and looked over at the minibar. Ki had his back to them but he was holding a bottle of liquor and took a whole swig of it.
"Ki!" (Y/N) was shocked.
He turned towards her, still drinking, and 'hmmed' to tell that he was listening.
She looked at the bottle and saw that he was drinking vodka like it was water. "Doesn't that burn?!"
Ki looked at the bottle before looking at her. He was confused. "Is it supposed to burn?" He's never had that effect with alcohol before. Maybe it's just a human thing.
Akai went behind the bar to find him a bottle while (Y/N) cringed at the drinks. "How can you guys drink that stuff?"
She wasn't a drinker and hasn't been since college. She was, unfortunately, friends with partiers and she can't count how many times they came back to the dorm rooms loaded and stumbling beyond control. She was like the mom of the group and had to put them all to bed with an icepack and give them water so they can sober up.
Hopefully, she won't have to take care of the demons like that.
Akai popped up from the bar with an unopened bottle of scotch in his hand. He smirked, holding it out to the Keeper before he claimed it for himself. "You want some?"
She waved him off and started making her way out of the room to explore the rest of the floor. "You two can go get wasted on your own."
"Wuss!"
"Asshole." She muttered as she entered a hall.
The hall went two ways, one towards the front of the building and the other towards the back. There were only two rooms in the back and they looked like bedrooms. Whoever owned this bar must've lived here too. One room was obviously for adults while the other had a more kid feel with the colorful wallpaper and old broken toys that collected dust. She hoped the whole family got away safely...
She entered the room towards the front and noticed that it didn't appear like a living room or kitchen like she had thought. Instead, it was an art room. Well... what used to be an art room.
The floor still had tarps taped down but they were torn in some places and canvases covered the wall everywhere to the point that you can barely see the actual wall. Whoever the artist was must've been serious about their work. Some of the paintings were a little worn down but otherwise still good and even one was still on the metal easel and seemed to be unfinished.
(Y/N) walked over to the painting and observed the brushstrokes that were on the canvas. It looks like the artist was trying to paint a field of flowers that (Y/N) doesn't recognize. The petals were yellow and had a huge brown middle, the leaves were big and each flower all faced the same direction towards the sun.
She felt so weird not knowing what these flowers were. She was taught about plants back in elementary but that was so long ago, after elementary, everything you were taught didn't really involve the surface unless it was about history or the apocalypse. The only way for people to actually learn about the wonders of the world was through the info that the lab at Zone 10 would put out.
Stepping away from the painting, she then moved over to the long window that stretched across the front wall. She could see the entire flooded street below that almost reached the second floor. It was too cloudy to see through but she can make out the shadows of cars and other rubble at the bottom. She sat down on the window seat and looked out at the limited view of the world.
Those dark clouds she saw earlier were beginning to cover the sky and darken the area.
Looking at the sky and knowing the cold weather was coming made her think about the date. Was it even still October? She lost track of time while focusing on staying alive up here. It's probably November by now... then it'll be December.
Was she really going to spend the rest of her life up here? With two demons who both love her?
She'll never get to see any other humans again. Axel, Angel,... Nora.
Does Nora even know what happened? Surely the lab must've contacted her. But would they know if one of their Keepers was kidnapped and taken above ground or just simply got eaten by a loose demon? The thought of Nora never knowing what truly happened to her baby sister scared (Y/N).
She couldn't imagine the pain of learning that your only family disappeared. Not knowing if they are still alive or not...
(Y/N) hugged her legs close to her chest. She missed her sister. It pained her that she won't ever see her family again.
Wiping away tears, she sniffed and leaned back against the wall behind her.
She has to go back.
One way or another, she's going to go back to the Zones, and if that meant leaving Ki and Akai... then so be it.
She doesn't love them like they love her. They dragged her to their world against her will for their own selfish reasons. She's being shared between them like some toy but when will that be over with. When will they start fighting each other? Who knows what the future will hold...
The Keeper has spent the next half hour sitting at the window, just thinking about her life in the Zones and the many possibilities of her future. She was so lost in thought that she didn't hear footsteps approaching the room she was in.
The door to the room suddenly opened and bumped into the wall, snapping the woman away from her thoughts. She looked over and saw a very tipsy Ki enter and look around the room for her. When he spotted her at the window looking at him with worry, he teleported over to her but when he arrived, he stumbled a bit and had to use the wall to hold himself up. (Y/N) stood up and she could see that he was obviously drunk. But where was the other one?
Ki took her arm and pulled her in for an embrace, surprising her as she was pushed against his chest and his hands found their way to her waist. He laid his head against hers and just relished her presence for the time he has her.
(Y/N) tried pushing away from him but he was holding onto her and didn't intend on letting her go. She moved her head away from his to look him in the eyes, they were droopy and he had a goofy smile that she's never seen him have. He looked eery. "Uh... Ki? Where's Akai?"
His goofy smile turned into a bothered look at the mention of the blond. "He's... passed out... somewhere."
Even the way he sluggishly spoke showed just how intoxicated the demon was. How many bottles did they drink?!
She needed both of them sobered up soon. Akai was already unconscious so Ki needed some rest too. "Okay. We're getting you to a bed. You need sleep."
"I don't... need sleep. I need you..."
"Wha-" Before she could question anything, Ki dove down to her lips and pressed his against hers. He pushed her up against the wall, trapping the poor girl between him like a rock and a hard place.
Her eyes widened quickly and she tried moving away but she could feel Ki's claws poking into her back, threatening her to move again.
The demon kissed her gently but also with force as his intoxicated mind led him to kiss her more. The feeling of her against him, the way her lips felt, it was too much!
Ki pulled away to allow the girl to breathe but immediately went to kissing her jawline and neck as his hands traveled up and down her back. He started to purr loudly while his tail repeatedly hit the wall and the easel containing the flower painting, leaving dents everywhere from where the spikes hit it.
Meanwhile, (Y/N) was stunned. Her (e/c) eyes remained wide open as she tried to fight him off of her. She felt Ki travel to a part of her neck that she didn't want him around. When he started kissing her roughly there, she... regretfully... and unfortunately... moaned.
Ki moved back to look her in the eyes with a dark look. He bit his lip and smirked, something that was so foreign for him to do.
"Ki-"
Again, she was cut off when suddenly the area around them became cold and dark, then a second later, they reappeared on a bed in the adult's bedroom. She gasped for a breath as her body was freezing and her mind tried to register where they were. 'Did he teleport us?!'
Ki climbed on top of her and went for her neck again, wanting her to make that sound again. It was like a drug for him.
"Ki!" (Y/N) placed her hands on his chest and tried pushing him away but her arms were freezing and shaking from being teleported. When his lips made contact with her neck again, she bit her tongue to keep from moaning and kept on trying to get him off her. Using her legs to kick his stomach or anything that'll stop him but he pushed his weight on her, hindering her legs from moving. He started grabbing at her clothes which made her begin to panic and scream against his lips. Why is he suddenly acting like this?! What did that alcohol do to him?!
"Ki get o-"
She felt his lips stop attacking her neck and his body suddenly become a dead weight on top of her. He stopped moving completely to her relief but it was like he had...
"Ki?" She shook his shoulder with some force but got no response. If he wasn't responding then... Did he die?!
The deadweight of a demon started snoring. He wasn't dead. But now she's stuck underneath him. Her heart was still racing but she began pushing him the best she could. No matter how many times she pushed him, it was like his body weighed a ton. How was she supposed to get him off her?!
As she was starting to give up, she heard footsteps back in the bar room that made her start to panic again. Both of her demons are unconscious and she's trapped underneath one of them. Her knife was back in the art room from where she dropped it during Ki's attack.
The footsteps started getting closer and closer and she could just imagine seeing an enemy demon, or worse, I9 walked into the room.
As the footsteps were just at the door, she covered her head and tried using Ki's body to hide her. Hoping his scent will keep her from any demons finding her.
"Ms. (L/N)?"
She opened her eyes at the familiar voice and looked at the door to see Tuca. He looked from her to the passed out Ki, then back to her while tilting his head. "What happened?"
"Nevermind that! Just get him off me!"
Tuca listened and walked over to the bed. He pushed Ki by the arm and off the woman so the unconscious demon was laying next to her. She quickly sat up and rushed away from his body, hiding behind Tuca when she reached him. Never did she expect the usually quiet demon to full on attack her like that. That was the complete opposite of how he acts. First Akai now Ki...
"I'll be leaving tomorrow."
(Y/N) looked back up at Tuca, confused. Leaving?
He didn't show it or express it, but he seemed happy. "I think I know where my family is."