The setting sun cast it's final glow across the land for the day, dimming to nothing more than darkness with a few peeks of color as the moon started to rise
The animals of day retreating to their area of slumber, the creatures of the night appearing before the starry sky itself
Yet, Something was afoot
A trail of fire flying through the air, weaving between the bushes and trees as it climbed the mountain
Once near the entrance, it formed into a familiar figure
Dissipating as it set foot on the ground, puffs of smoke floating until they couldn't be seen
It was the red boy himself, 9yrs of age and fixing his hair with a simple flip
He scanned the entrance of the cave with his eyes before thinking to himself for a moment, resting his finger under his chin with a hum
Before long, he started to draw something out on the ground next to the water with a stick
Concentrating and then smiling once the drawing was complete
"YES!
Now to see if it works..."
He spoke to himself before getting into position
Not too far away though, His voice echoed through kito's ears
Causing the 8 multi-colored ears to twitch as their eyes returned to it's former pumpkin spice colors
Looking over their shoulder in surprise
"Red..?"
The young half-breed demon wiggled his bull tail, getting into a runner's start as he smirked
Sharp teeth showing as his body began to spark
"Alright, HERE WE GO--!"
But as the bull child was activating the sigil he drew, the waterfall split open and revealed kito who then had their fur on end as they saw what red boy was doing
"WHA-
Red WAIT-"
But it was too late as both parties panicked and red son was launched forward from the magic he casted, turning into a fireball that vanished and reappeared before Kito
Crashing into one another that caused an explosion before both children rolled down the hall, scaring the nearby and local animals as the monkeys ran for their lives
Covered in debris and groaning as red son was over kito, he sat up a bit and saw kito in a yamcha pose looking dead
He was alarmed and rolled kito onto their back to check on them
"GAH!
KITO?!
Are you alright?!"
Red boy exclaimed in question as kito's eyes were sprialing with slurred speech, covered in soot and their fur a bit charred
"Whooo meee..?
Yeah, I'm alright-
Just need to close my eyes for a--
bit-"
Was the last thing kito said before the young simian fell unconscious, Red freaking out and the noise drowned out for just a moment...
Kito's eyes then fluttered open
Having woken up a few minutes later, seeing they've been moved to a bed made out of leaves and a wet rag on their head
They groaned quietly which made a certain bull ear raise up a bit, foot steps rushing over as kito saw red son come into view
He kneeled down next to them and cupped their face gently, Checking for any missed injuries
Kito feeling guilty for making him worry before taking his hands into their paws, sitting up a bit and looking up at him
"Red, I'm okay.
Really."
"Promise?"
"Promise."
Red simply sighed in relief and slowly let go of their face, holding their hand as he went to sit next to them on the bed of leaves
The other monkeys hopping around here and there, some observing
Some doing their own things
Red moved his bull tail to tap against kito's, Kito accepting the invitation and wrapping their tails together
It was a good moment of comfortable silence as the sounds within the mountain and around the area had filled it, Looking up at the clouds that passed by as some birds were flying high
Kito noticing some mature babies in the flock, a glint of a memory passed by their mind before they dismissed it while closing their eyes
Red noticing kito's odd movements and turning their head fully to look at them
"Something on your mind?"
He asked which caught kito's attention, they opened their eyes as they glanced over at him
Smiling softly and shaking their head a bit at the question
"Not really, Just kinda wondering why you're here-
Don't get me wrong!-
I'm glad you're here."
Kito reassured and red simply chuckled, Leaning against them as he looked back up at the sky
"We haven't exactly seen each other in a long while,
I tried requesting mother and father to visit you but...
They both seemed...strange, with their responses..."
They were surprised by his answer before realizing something, their fur fluffing up
"Wait-
Are you saying you're not supposed to be here right now?!"
Red grinned with a chuckle and looked back over at them
"I'm saying EXACTLY that, Blue."
The young simian grew worried for their friend as punishments aren't exactly the best thing to recieve, Their ears drooping as they spoke
"Why would you-"
"Oh please, You've done the same for me.
Even when i never ask you to...
Plus, You're my best friend...
I had a feeling something was wrong, So I came."
Kito's 8 ears perked up at that as their eyes glimmered for a moment, smiling once again and nuzzling into him
"I missed you too.."
Red felt a bit of an overwhelming amount of emotions as he got a bit flustered, his hair sparking up into flames for a second before scoffing and nuzzling back a bit
"Yes, yes..
Now, Tell me what happened."
Kito nodded and started to recount what happened while they both were apart, The good moments, the bad, everything in between
Red son baffled by when kito mentioned them fighting their own father
"But it was-!
I didn't mean to hurt him-
I just...
Wanted no one to get hurt..
And I guess..
I felt-
Upset...
Like-
VERY upset at him, for a while now..."
Red listened closely to their explaination, having blurry flashbacks to when he felt like he was out of control...Which was very often
Kito went on and on how they knew it was wrong, how it felt wrong and bashing on themselves for acting that way
Red bringing kito into a sudden hug which muffled their words, ruffled fur on end
causing them to stop talking as they froze for a moment
"It wasn't your fault...
It never was...
You were put into a situation you didn't know how to deal with, Out of all people: YOU should've be upset with YOURSELF."
Red told softly as he began to pet their head softly, Kito's ears slowly moved up as he spoke
Before their ears slowly moved back down, Their face expression being one of pain as their eyes filled with tears
Squeaks emitting from their throat as they didn't know what to say or do, Their fur becoming less ruffled and wavy again
Do they dare to ask him?
In this safe space that was established...
"Are you...
Not afraid of me..?"
He was bewildered by the question, lifting kito's face gently as he cupped it
Wiping their tears with his thumbs, stroking their cheeks gently as he looked into their eyes
"What do YOU think...
Kito?"
Their eyes widened a bit as they could see their reflection in HIS eyes, not an ounce of fear nor judgement in them which made kito's ears perk up
Their eyes sparkled and watered as they saw his answer, Trying to hold in their tears before going back in to hug him
Red resting his chin on their head as his tail wrapped tightly around kito's
Kito returning the same gesture with a purr
The other monkeys witnessing the bond between the two demons, some poking their heads out and even making some quiet noises amongst each other
Though... this moment was interrupted when a powerful force shook the earth
Both demons and the monkeys yelping, spooked from the suddenness before kito's ears twitched
They instantly got up and ran over as far as they could before the barrier appeared again, ears twitching and their eyes shon gold
Enabling them to see far and wide, It was...
The demon bull king..?