"You didn't have to put three holes into her side to subdue her, Ki."
"I did what I had to."
(Y/N) cringed in pain while Yama stitches up her wound. The faulty bandages Akai had put on her barely held anything. She was lucky she didn't bleed out completely. But didn't expect much from Akai's bandage work.
(Y/N) barely spoke after her encounter with the King. Even when Ki and Akai tried to get her to talk to them, she didn't say anything. She held this defeated look on her face that made Yama feel sorry for her. All that work to get away from those two only to end up back in their hands.
"The fucker, Zankoku. I'll kill him when I have the chance!" Akai grumbled to himself, watching his brother work on the woman he loved. Yama rolled his eyes. "You won't even get a yard close to him. What damage could you do?"
"Oh, you'll see once we get his hold off of us. Then it's game over for him~." Akai spoke with venom at the thought of slaughtering the big brute he calls his leader. "And speaking of hold, how further are you with the surgery?"
Yama started applying bandages to (Y/N) while she tried to listen. Zankoku had a hold on them?
"I'm almost done with it. I just need more time."
"How much time do you fucking need?! It's been two years!" Akai questioned. "Any longer and I'll go fucking insane."
"You try creating a combatant against someone like Zankoku and see just how hard it is!" Yama snapped back, tossing the bandages harshly into his bag.
(Y/N) sat up and pushed herself further into the corner of the dingy bed she was on. They had took her to a sort of cell with three padded walls but bars on the last. The room was dark with its only light source being Yama's lamp and the candles outside.
The doctor groaned and started gathering his things from the bed. "Shouldn't you two be off doing something instead of pestering me? I need room to work here."
"We have time."
(Y/N) flinched at Ki's dark voice. He stood near the bars and kept his eyes only on her. The light from the candles in the halls reflected off his white hair and eye giving him a ghostly look that (Y/N) found unsettling. But since she's had time to actually look at Ki and Akai, she noticed just how much they changed.
Akai looked pretty much the same as how she remembered him but instead of his shorter hair, he kept the shoulder length look and curved red horns instead of the spiky ones. But they were the only differences she can tell. But she has seen how he's been flinching every now and then since they put her in this room, handcuffed to the bed...
Ki, however, changed the most. Of course, his white hair and eyes stayed. That was a sign that he was completely feral but when looking at his eyes, only one was visible. The other was underneath bandages that covered the entire left side of his face and neck. Even bandages on his tail and hands. He kept his hair up in a ponytail with some streaks falling down that made him look unkempt.
Yama didn't change as much since she last saw him 6 years ago. He looked the same, just in different clothes. But he seemed more stressed. Being in this type of environment, (Y/N) could understand if he was.
"I need to finish checking her for injuries you two may have given her and can do so without being hovered over." Yama waved for them to leave but Ki began to growl. "I said we have time."
"And I said you need to get to work. You of all people should know just how impatient Zankoku is, Ki."
The two had a sort of deadly standoff that made (Y/N) push herself deeper into the corner.
A low growl emitted from Ki's throat before he finally got up to leave. "Akai, let's go."
Akai tsked and looked at Yama while following his partner out. "You better not do anything."
Yama shook his head and watched them leave finally. He waited a few seconds, listening to them walk away before looking down at (Y/N) who stared up at him. "I'm sorry."
She looked away and wrapped her arms around her legs or at least as far as her chained hand will go. "It's not your fault." She whispered.
"I did believe they were dead. I never lied to you." The doctor spoke as he placed his tools into his bag. "But then one day, my brother miraculously shows up when the link was restored. But you were with your people so I wasn't worried. I just never thought you would come back to the surface again."
"I had to." She muttered. "It was my job."
They sat in silence while Yama pulled out smaller bandages to cover the small cuts on the woman's face. It felt bittersweet seeing him again. Yama protected her until she could find her Zone but now he's working for the enemy. It was the same feeling for the doctor. She did earn his respect and would ever dare consider her a friend.
"I bet you're wondering how they're alive."
(Y/N) looked up to him while he placed a bandage above her eye.
"Before the explosion happened, I was with Akai. He was tracking you down and I was trying to convince him to let you go. Not for you but for his own good. You can't say I never looked out for him."
"We got into an argument and he ran off. I lost him for a minute but followed the link to that theatre. I saw everything that happened. I saw you pull out that bomb and I knew you were doing what was right but-"
(Y/N) waited for him to continue. He started sounding guilty.
"I used my abilities and tried to pull him out of there. Right at the last second. I pulled him through the foundation of the building and almost had him out but the bomb went off. The link disappeared soon after and I thought he was dead. I know he's your abuser but I put my family first in that moment. I'm sorry."
(Y/N) didn't know what to say. Yama tried saving Akai? They had a terrible relationship. Always arguing and purposely leaving each other. They were the exact opposites and couldn't get along for even a second. But they were twins. They shared their lives together. She can understand why he would put his family first before some human he only knew for a few months. "You don't have to apologize. I don't blame you."
Yama felt some relief but still held guilt. "Yeah well if I had never attempted to save him he would've actually been dead. I only pulled him deep enough into the foundation to where the bomb didn't kill him. But he does now have permanent brain damage that causes him to have severe migraines often. Almost to the point where he can't move. It's almost sad seeing him writhe in pain on the floor. I believe that's all thanks to you."
That's right. She did stab him in the neck. The blast must have escalated the injury to damage his head. But what about Ki?
"You explained Akai but how is Ki alive? You wouldn't have tried to save him." They hated each other, there's no way Yama would keep Ki alive.
"I see you're still smart. Good. You'll need your intelligence." He complimented. "I'm not completely sure how the quiet one got out. He doesn't talk about that day. But I assume he teleported."
"But the bandages?"
"3rd degree burns coupled by the effects of the bomb. He must have teleported just in time to avoid the full blast but even the impact followed through his portals. Got burned so bad he couldn't move for months and became partially blind in one eye. And then there are the freezing temperatures of his portals. I believe you can tell how that played out for him."
She did and it didn't sound pleasant. They both received serious damages to their bodies due to the blast that it made (Y/N) feel a teeny bit better knowing they didn't get out completely unscathed. But they got out alive either way. Now she's stuck with them all over again...
"I have to go but I'll try coming back soon. Just hold on for me, ok?" Yama reassured and received a small nod in return.
As he turned to leave, he was stopped by another quick question she had. "Where are you going?"
He sighed and pulled his black gloves onto his hands. "Well surprise surprise I'm the King's personal doctor since no one else in this hellhole knows basic medicine. I'm constantly patching up these creatures." He groaned.
"What was Akai talking about before? Zankoku had a hold you're working on breaking?" (Y/N) asked. Maybe this hold is how he controls demons or at least keeps them in his power. Was this hold affecting Ki and Akai as well?
"Yes that." He sighed. The very bane of his existence. "Zankoku keeps a hold on every demon here by manipulating their blood. I believe he used it on you."
Manipulating blood?! What demon can do that?! If that's the case Zankoku must be an unknown type. This only just gotten worse.
"But for the demons, including myself, he's inserted blood clots into our hearts that he uses as a fear tactic to control us. A demon misbehaves, they'll receive a nice ol' heart attack on a silver platter, Dead in a second." He snapped his finger to emphasize which made (Y/N) jump a bit. "I'm working on a surgery to remove it and once I do, me, Akai, and the quiet one plan to escape this place. I plan to go on my own after that. I'm done with demons." The doctor grumbled.
He grabbed his bag again and began to head out. He can't be staying near (Y/N) for long like this if he doesn't want eyes on them. He'll have to include her into the escape plan now which may be hard but he'll think of something. Knowing Ki and Akai are gonna want to take her with them.
(Y/N) watched his back before going back to her corner. She still had that defeated look on her face and tried making herself as small as possible.
Before Yama left, he stopped at the bars and clutched his bag. "Don't let them get to you. No matter what."
With that, he left and closed the cell behind him. Hearing the lock click in the barred door just made (Y/N) feel even worse. Her head fell into her arms where she silently cried to herself, doing her best to listen to what her only friend in this entire place told her.
————————————————————————
Author's note
So how we feeling? Lol
I managed to knock out three chapters today so I feel accomplished. Since we're now on what I call the Demon King Arc I'm really excited to write out this part of the story since we're already almost halfway through the story I believe. There are certainly parts I wanna get to that you guys will love and since I'm on spring break currently I have time to do them.
I hope you guy's enjoyed and have a great morning, afternoon, evening, or night!