Stepping over a log and crunching a stick underneath her boot, (Y/N) had exited a tree line and into the soft grass of yet another field. But when she lifted up her eyes, it wasn't just a field like all the others they had passed. It was a farm.
Dirt roads, several large pens for animals, a farmhouse tucked away in the back with a stable next to it. She found herself gazing a bit too long at the once animal farm, she hadn't noticed Yama enter the clearing behind her. He too took a couple of seconds to view the quiet and isolated area before pushing himself to continue on. She had to remember to follow him once he started walking but she kept her eyes on the farm's structures and how vacant it looked.
"Do they live here?" She asked. Is this where he's meeting the person he's visiting? It didn't seem like anybody was around.
"You can say that." He muttered but didn't give her a clear answer.
(Y/N) couldn't see his face but his tone sounded apprehensive. He kept quiet as usual but it wasn't the type of quiet she's been getting used to. It felt almost forced.
They wandered onto a dirt path that connected to the rest of the farm. The way they were heading was towards a small patch of trees a good distance away from a stable. It was an area further off from the rest of the farm so maybe the person is waiting for them there.
Her eyes moved to the stable once they started to pass it and a weird feeling began to wash over her.
She slowed her step and hovered her sights over the large front doors that were barely hanging on. Both had dozens on dozens of holes in them that chipped away at the wood and left large gaps that showed the dark insides. There was this need to go in there suddenly. To open the doors and walk inside to who knows what was in there. The more she slowly followed Yama the more she wanted to turn on her heels and go up to see.
But when her feet started turning, Yama's voice cut in that pulled her away from it. "Don't go in there unless you want to see him."
"Him?" Who did he mean? He didn't answer her and continued on into the patch of trees.
She gave one last look to the stable before going to catch up.
The center of the small patch of trees was a pretty sight. Shrubbery grew all inside that she had to maneuver around but she could imagine this spot on the farm would be nice to be in if it was still being maintained. She wondered if it was like this back before demons were around.
Yama's hand flicked around and made the shrubbery and weeds break away from his path. Some tore out the ground from the roots while others got flattened into the earth. (Y/N) stuck to the path he was making but she started to feel worried about him. It's like she can tell his whole demeanor had changed. Her eyes stayed on his back and saw that even his posture had changed. He normally walked with a straight edge but now he was slouching a bit. The further they got into the center of the trees the more she noticed these changes.
Finally, they reached the back of the small clearing and she looked around. But no one was here. She didn't hear anyone approaching or saw any signs that a person was even here. Just overgrowth and trees,
Her arms moved to hug herself while she kept her eyes peeled. "Are they going to meet us here?"
Silence was all she was answered with.
The sound of bushes snapping and weeds being pulled out of the ground caught her attention. She turned her head and saw her companion moving his hands around to clear out a spot on the ground until it was just grass. She watched him work on clearing the spot in front of him and ripped up plants that fell to the sides of him. Once he got to a particular bush that was leaning oddly in a way that wasn't natural, he ripped it up as well and she saw the reason why.
It revealed a makeshift wooden cross that it was covering. Two boards of old wood nailed together not perfectly but enough to still stand.
Her heart started to grow heavy and concern spread all across her first when she realized what it was. A grave.
When all the shrubbery covering the grave was cleared, Yama fell still. His face was devoid of any emotion but his red eyes stared down at the grave he hasn't seen in so long. The one he dug, made the cross for, then buried him in.
20 years ago.
'It had to be done.' He thought to himself. 'I couldn't watch you tear yourself apart for her. Not anymore.'
Yama completely forgot the girl standing next to him, her worries growing but not wanting to disturb the man who she can tell was grieving. She stepped away and decided to give him some alone time. This wasn't something for her to intrude on.
Leaving the male demon to his lonesome, she wandered away a bit, occasionally glancing back at Yama who finally moved into a sitting position on his knees in front of the grave.
He was going to pay a quick visit to someone. Someone's grave.
She fiddled with her claws and paced around, not knowing what to do until he was finished. She didn't want to be a bother during this time. Why did he make it seem like this person was alive and waiting for him? At least that's what she's been assuming this whole time. It must be why she's been sensing him acting so differently. It all made sense now.
She signed and pressed her boots into some old leaves while she paced around. The sun was still high in the sky but the trees surrounding the small clearing were offering some speckled shade that kept the two cool. Another leaf crushed under her boot until she started to see flecks of yellow from the corner of her eye.
Yama sat on the ground and just let his mind go lost. Canceling out the world around him, ignored all the dangers and stress it provided. He just kept his eyes on the grave and started to feel guilty.
He hasn't been back here to see him since he buried him. Not once in these 20 years. Every time he tried to come back it was like he couldn't. Only getting so far before turning around with his tail between his legs, not wanting to see the grave once more because it'll only remind him that he was officially alone.
Akai was his last family. He suspected their parents to have died during the start apocalypse and any other relatives too. Since then it was only just them. Having to grow up in a world like this when he faintly remembers the one before. And this is what the world did to his brother. His twin. His other half that routinely got on his nerves and pissed him off for the wild decisions that would only get him in trouble. But no matter the number of times the brothers went their own ways after disputes or simply being tired of one another, they would always manage to reunite thanks to that link that kept them truly from being separated.
He hasn't felt that link since it died along with Akai. It was like the theatre but only permanent this time.
He wished he was more thankful to have it when it was alive and strong because now it just left him feeling like there was a hole in his chest. Like an important part of him was missing.
But it was for the best. Despite how much he wished it wasn't.
At first, he thought his brother's obsession with that poor woman was another one of his lustful phases that he would just get over after a week. But then it just kept getting worse as time went on. Yama started seeing a side of Akai that he's never seen before. One that wasn't him at all. He wasn't the type to fall in love, he broke hearts. He didn't commit, he up and leaves. Akai made it a point time and time again that he wasn't a lover. He got what he wanted from unfortunate women then dipped before they could say anything.
But the love he thought he had for Yama's human friend wasn't love at all. Yama has never felt romantic interest in anyone in his life but he even knew that what Akai and the cold one were doing was not love in the slightest. It was obsession and pain that were going to drive him to such dark places that Yama couldn't stand the sight anymore.
He was going to abandon his brother for good. That was his plan after getting rid of the holds. But that changed and now Akai was six feet under. Leaving Yama alone in this world for good.
In a way, it felt better knowing he was finally at rest. He was gone but he wasn't torturing himself anymore. It was better this way.
Yama didn't pay attention to the careful footsteps approaching until something yellow was placed against the cross.
He looked up for the first time since coming here and saw (Y/N) place a bundle of sunflowers gently against the makeshift cross. She used a long blade of grass to keep the flowers tied together and made sure that each flower head was visible.
She picked flowers? For his brother?
Once she was finished she stepped away and moved to sit next to the man. She kept a small distance between them and refrained from saying anything, not wanting to break the silence between them. She kept her eyes on her hands in her lap but Yama was now watching her while still facing his brother.
Why did she do that? She doesn't know Akai or who he was. It's a good thing she'll never get the chance to meet him.
If she knew all the things he had done would she still put those flowers down? Did she do it out of respect for the dead? As something that you're supposed to do?
Or did she do it for him?
(Y/N) felt eyes on her and turned to meet her companion who was now watching her. It felt like he was inspecting her. Was placing those flowers a mistake? Was he mad at her? He didn't look mad. They both watched each other for a few more seconds until she gave him a small smile and turned away. "I thought... maybe they would like something that wasn't shrubs."
An act of kindness then while he grieved. She didn't have to do that. In his chest, the strange feeling from before was back. That same strange feeling he got from holding her in his arms.
Yama turned back to the grave, trying to ignore whatever the feeling was. Akai wouldn't have wanted flowers but the ones she picked did sort of fit his brother. "Thank you."
Relief washed over the girl once he thanked her. She thought she made a mistake. "You're welcome."
"Can you do me a favor?" He asked, his voice low.
"Sure?" What did he want her to do?
"There's another grave by that rock over there." He nodded towards a large rock a few feet away from them. "Can you check it for me?"
Another grave? He hasn't made any move to go over to it himself. She wondered who it was that he wasn't going to see.
She stood up and made her way just like he asked. When she started to leave his red eyes watched her back. He originally didn't want company for this trip but she was at least not making it too unbearable like he originally thought.
(Y/N) reached the large rock that she assumed must've been put for this grave in place of a cross. The shrubbery here wasn't as bad as it was for the first grave but when she stepped around a bush blocking her view, she almost gasped at what she was seeing.
A deep hole in the ground, deep enough and wide enough for a body sat in the earth. It must've been a while since the grave was disturbed by how grass and weeds grew inside.
But the more she looked closer the more she started to notice curving dents and sunken spots that didn't look natural. It was only when her eyes followed some of the dents and came across a skeletal hand that she realized the body is still there.
She yelped in fright and tripped over a root, falling onto her bottom as she stared horrified at the skeleton.
Yama heard her commotion and got up. He walked over and quickly saw the desecrated grave that wasn't like how he left it. His eyes narrowed at the scene. "The hell..."
(Y/N) got to her feet and watched Yama crouch down to inspect. Who would dig up a grave?!
This must've happened some time ago. Plants were already growing and the grave had already been reclaimed by nature. But the skeleton was still visible. The ribs had grass flowing between them, roots from the shrubbery twisted around bones, this was not recent at all. Yama tsked at the sight. He didn't expect to be seeing Ki's skeleton today.
But there was something missing. Yama looked around for any sign of a skull. Maybe it was buried? Fell somewhere. But nothing. Not where his skull was supposed to be and not anywhere around the small clearing. What happened to his skull? It was gone.
"We-were they-" (Y/N) muttered, wanting to know if this was someone Yama knew. But he shook his head. "No. I hated this asshole."
Her eyes widened but he glanced back to his brother and started having more questions. Why dig up Ki but not Akai? Who dug up Ki but decided to leave Akai alone? Yama couldn't help but feel glad that it wasn't his brother's grave that was desecrated but he wouldn't have wished it on Ki either. No matter how much the two despised each other.
If this happened some time ago then there wouldn't be many clues. Yama stood up and looked around just in case but the shrubbery and grass would've buried anything anyways. His sight fell on the exit of the clearing but moved up to the stable off in the distance. He wondered.
(Y/N) jumped when Yama started walking off. Particularly in the direction of the stable.
Once they reached it, (Y/N) felt hesitant to go inside. There was that same feeling again that was pulling her towards the large chipped away doors but at the same time, it felt ominous.
Yama however walked up to them and flicked his hand. Soon one of the doors began to creak loudly open with a whine that showed it hasn't been touched in years. Since she was closer she was able to see that the many holes littering the broken doors were also littering the walls too. They were small and had to have been created rapidly.
'Bullets?' Once the doors were open and light fell into the stable, she was once again taken aback.
In the middle of the stable lay a much larger skeleton than the one in the desecrated grave. The bones were larger and had a thickness to them that wasn't normal for a skeleton. There were small chips and some holes in the bones that matched up with the door. She stepped closer and felt her eyes become glued. Almost like she couldn't look away.
Yama trudged up to the skeleton and stepped around its leg and arm to reach the head. His red eyes narrowed at the new strange sight that was filling his head with even more questions.
The girl kneeled down to the ribs to get a closer sight of them. Her fingers traced over the ribs and felt how brittle they were. There was this sense that she was connected to this demon in some way. Familiarity? Something she was supposed to know? Whatever it was kept her from noticing Yama watching her, seeing how she was behaving from being near this demon's final resting place.
"This is Zankoku." Yama spoke, breaking her attention away from the skeletal remains as the name processed in her mind. "Or at least was him."
'This was the King?!' Another worried look graced her face and she pulled her hand away. "What happened to him?"
Yama's foot kicked the skull out of disdain. More should've happened to him from all the trouble he caused. "Filled with enough bullets that he couldn't come back. Died before he hit the ground."
But this only made things more complicated. Zankoku was nothing but a skeleton now so how would the Elitists have his blood if it was his blood they were using? And then there's the deer skull the tyrant proudly wore. That was gone too. If it wasn't his abilities that were a signature for him, it was that deer skull. But it's also nowhere to be found.
They should leave. Too much time was spent here and Yama wasn't feeling too safe standing around.
(Y/N) looked at the skeleton one last time before getting to her feet. This was who she was supposed to be? It didn't feel right.
"Let's go before it gets-" Yama spoke but was suddenly cut off.
She looked up. The spot her companion was just standing in was empty. He was gone? "Yama?"
She looked around for him and started to notice faint dark floating specks where he once was. They disappeared softly into the air and it was only then she realized it was from a portal.
"Now it's just the two of us."
She flinched and felt a gloved hand wrap around her mouth while she was pulled into the chest of somebody who was embracing her.
She freaked and tried pulling away but the person soon buried their face into her neck and she felt them take a deep inhale of her scent that sent shivers down her spine. The person moaned happily and held her so tight with a strong grip that she became trapped under them. One hand gripping her mouth shut while the other wrapped around her waist and squeezed her gently.
"I found you!" A male voice spoke like the happiest person alive. "You can't be running off on me like that, my little monster. You could've gotten hurt."
(Y/N) screamed against his hand in her efforts to break away but he started shushing her and nuzzling his face into her (h/c) hair, missing how soft it felt. He missed just holding her. These long days of no one to squeeze were beyond brutal. But after so long of tracking and stalking he finally had her.
"Oh just wait till the family sees you." He murmured, his voice muffled by her skin. "Mother will be so thrilled."
Who was he?! What happened to Yama?!
She started feeling the man place small kisses against her neck and the shock allowed her to wriggle her way out of his arms and escape. She jumped over the skeleton of the King and backed away into the opposite wall, finally being able to see who this was.
He was a tall demon, shaggy black hair that fell around his grotesquely wide grey eyes, and skin so white that it looked like ash after a fire. There was a skull mask with two black horns and a bandana tied around the mouth that rested on the side of his head and seeing that mask brought waves of memories back that tears started to form in her eyes. He was an Elitist. An important one at that.
"Xed..?" Her voice shook.
Hearing his name shiver between her lips made a wide smile appear on his face. Displaying his fangs that bit into his lip with excitement. She remembered his name! This made him so happy!
Xed made a motion to step forward and saw how the girl pressed herself even further into the wall. Why was she so scared? He found her! He was going to bring her home.
"Mother wants you back home. You're going to carry out her will just as she attends." He took another step forward. "There's so much work to be done and not a lot of time."
"Leave me alone." She mumbled, her voice shaking. She needed to run. To find Yama and get out of here.
"This is big for our family." He whispered. "She's going to bring demonkind into a new age. We're the superior race. Not the humans. They're beneath us. But you were a different human. You had to be cause' look at you now! You're beautiful!"
He took another step over the skeleton and slowly she inched herself in the direction of the doors.
"Our kingdom will grow until there won't be any humans left. They are a pest that must be exterminated until the only trace of them left is the world they left behind. You're our key to that."
He took another step closer, pointing at the skeleton behind him while keeping his eyes stayed on her. "That was Zankoku's will. Now it's Zankora's"
'Zankora?' A sharp pain hit her brain and suddenly she was back in her ravaged and burning community. Seeing a demon so tall and menacing. The one who did this to her.
She saw that mask again, similar to Xed's but it wasn't misshapen and covered in a bandana. His was just a copy.
Those cold claws that touched her face, the voice that whispered words filled with love and admiration, that was her. That was all her...
It was Zankora. She's the one who did all of this to her.