I shook my head to clear my thoughts, setting down the cat food after the café closed, trying to push aside the memory of the woman that I had seen last night sitting next to the smiling man with the same face as Osomatsu. The more I tried to ignore it, the clearer his image became, as if to taunt me with his wide smile.
"...watch yourself..."
A strong grip yanked my right wrist above my head, the majority of my weight held aloft by whoever was holding it. It took a few seconds for me to realize that I had slipped and nearly hit my head on one of the counters in the kitchen, looking up my arm to see a male hand wrapped around my wrist. The pressed purple sleeve gave away who it was instantly before I met his hooded gaze, a frown forever pressing the corners of his lips down.
"Sorry..." I tucked my feet back under me and stood back up without assistance, feeling the pressure from my wrist tighten a little before Ichimatsu released his grip. A silent question was held in his stare, but I looked away before I could acknowledge it.
"You were distracted," He didn't move from where he was, tucking his hands into his pockets while watching me carefully as I straightened myself out.
"I need to ask you a question, Ichimatsu," I swallowed my nervousness and turned to face him, seeing the same neutral face as before. He slightly narrowed his eyes in reply, and I took a slow breath in, "What happened between you, Karamatsu, and Osomatsu?"
"You don't need to know that," His expression didn't even shift.
"I know what you are, as well as your other brothers," I lowered my voice, "I know that Osomatsu did something to anger you and Karamatsu. I just want to know what it was. Was it killing my foster father?"
If I struck a nerve, Ichimatsu didn't show it. The silence lasted for a few seconds before he took a breath.
"My office, five minutes."
Uh-oh.
He walked out of the kitchen, maintaining eye contact until he passed the door. I felt my mouth dry instantly in worry.
Had I taken this a step too far? Should I not have mentioned anything at all?
The smiling man wearing Osomatsu's face resurfaced in my head, the grin twisting into an ugly sneer. I covered my eyes with both of my hands and pushed in slightly, causing colored static to dance in my head. After a few seconds, I released the pressure and took in a breath, turning back to the last bit of my job duties and powering through them.
The smiling man no longer appeared in my head.
----
I sat on the couch while Ichimatsu and Karamatsu sat on folding chairs in front of me. Karamatsu had somehow come in without detection, despite the front door being locked and no one came through the back door while I was finishing my chores. If he really was an angel, then I wasn't going to question how he did it. They both had a serious expression on their face, but didn't move to speak.
I felt like I had to break the ice, essentially.
"I want to know what happened between you two and Osomatsu," I looked between the two men, holding their gaze as I did.
"You mean to say that you want to know about the incident," Karamatsu crossed his right leg over his left.
I only nodded. The air in the room seemed to grow heavy, pressing down on me like a weighted blanket. Seconds felt like minutes underneath the brothers' weighted gaze.
"I need you to clear your mind," Karamatsu quietly requested, my body slightly shivering from the sudden drop in temperature within the room, "Close your eyes and relax."
I took a breath in and released it slowly as I closed my eyes, following Karamatsu's instructions before finding myself standing alone in a grassy field, the full moon overhead lighting up the flat landscape as the visible stars dotted the night sky. The long grass gently swayed in the light breeze before I heard something swoop over my head, looking up to see a dark shadow flying low in the sky, the moonlight revealing its winged outline.
The shadow landed in the field only a few meters away from me, its form twisting and pulsing before containing itself into a more humanoid shape. The dark hair was swept back and revealed two deep red horns on either side of its head that pointed upwards, complimenting the glowing red eyes as the figure collapsed into its hands and knees, panting heavily as if it had just finished a race. The dark clothing on its body was almost like camouflage in the night, the full moonlight barely revealing the red color in some places.
I moved a little closer and bent down to see the figure's red eyes snap to me, making me freeze in fear.
"You picked a hell of a time to show up..."
The voice was familiar but there was a dark undertone to it, as if two different people were speaking at once.
"I--" I stammered.
"We heard what you've been doing," A younger male voice called out from behind me, making me turn to see two other figures moving closer to the one on the ground. As they came closer, the moonlight exposed their facial features.
Karamatsu and Ichimatsu, clearly younger than when I had just seen them.
I looked back down at the figure on the ground still, seeing the shadow leave his face.
Osomatsu...!
"What rank are you now...Archangels or something?" Osomatsu laughed out, struggling to stand up. He seemed completely exhausted.
"It shouldn't matter to you," Karamatsu spoke as he took a step forward. The field began to hum with some kind of energy, one that told me I shouldn't be between them, "We gave you a warning a while ago."
"Fuck your warning."
The foul language Osomatsu spat out startled me. I've never heard him say anything like that before!
Ichimatsu followed Karamatsu's example and approached Osomatsu, holding out his right arm and making a fist. Mist gathered around his closed hand before expanding into a staff, the top curling outward as it hardened into a scythe. Suddenly, Ichimatsu swung the blade down towards Osomatsu, chuffing in annoyance as Osomatsu found the strength to roll away from the weapon.
"You've killed too many people, Satan," Karamatsu held out his hand as a white staff formed in front of him, pure white vines emerging from his hand to twist into a shaft-like shape before sharpening on one end to create a glaive, "Slaughtered too many of ours."
I stumbled back as the two men advanced on the exhausted Osomatsu, struggling to take in the words Karamatsu growled out. Osomatsu...was Satan...?
"They're the ones that attacked us first," Osomatsu huffed as he finally stood up on his own two feet, "You need to have a talk with them about engaging us if you want to keep them from dying."
"We told them to meet with you peacefully," Karamatsu raised his glaive before thrusting it towards Osomatsu's chest, the priest staggering back again to avoid the attack, "You were the one that attacked without provocation!"
"Hold the fucking phone, you damned Principality!" Osomatsu grabbed the blunt edge of the glaive as it missed him, a sharp sizzling noise emanating from his hand as smoke began to rise, "I was minding my business! You cannot put their deaths on me when I witnessed them attacking first!"
"Where are Belphegor and Asmodeus?" Ichimatsu asked calmly, leveling the scythe towards Osomatsu's neck, "They are responsible for this, as well."
"They're innocent in this," Osomatsu gritted his teeth and shoved the glaive away, his dual-voice almost a deep growl, "Leave them out of the problem you clearly have with me."
"You slaughter an entire legion of angels, and that's the excuse you come up with?" Karamatsu raised an eyebrow, "How low you have fallen..."
Both Karamatsu and Ichimatsu suddenly rushed forward, their speed faster than any human I've seen, their weapons aimed towards Osomatsu. He twisted out of the way as his right hand flickered alive with crimson flame, his fingernails growing out and hardening into talons. Throwing the flame towards Karamatsu, Osomatsu backed away again as Ichimatsu closed the distance, angling the scythe in a sharp degree that embedded the blade halfway into the ground when he missed.
I huddled to the ground as the three rushed towards me, attacking and dodging the entire way. Ichimatsu's scythe swung out a few inches above me as Osomatsu jumped away from the weapon again, the three moving past me. My mind was torn between running for my life and figuring out what was going on.
Ichimatsu had mentioned a 'Belphegor' and an 'Asmodeus'...and Karamatsu had called Osomatsu 'Satan'. I vaguely remembered the first two names as belonging within an upper echelon of demons called the 'seven princes of Hell', the books that I had looked through in the library barely referencing them. Was Satan also a part of those ranks?
Osomatsu yelled in pain as Ichimatsu's scythe found its mark, the blade sliding through his left shoulder. Karamatsu closed in quickly, reaching for Osomatsu's throat with his free hand. Osomatsu's eyes burned with a fiery heat before he pulled the scythe out of his shoulder, throwing it in Karamatsu's path before rushing forward, his talons glowing a crimson red again. Distracted by the throw, Karamatsu diverted from his path and was met with Osomatsu's talons, his right hand burying itself deep within his chest.
Ichimatsu didn't waver from the counterattack, using the scythe's momentum to swing in another wide arc and successfully slicing into Osomatsu's right leg as the eldest pushed Karamatsu into the ground. Osomatsu's uninjured leg swept wide and collided with Ichimatsu's waist, pulling his hand out of Karamatsu's chest before pivoting around to fling Ichimatsu away from the fight despite the scythe still embedded in his right leg.
Karamatsu coughed harshly, and I could smell the rich scent of iron in the air. He clutched a hand to his chest as he shakily stood up, clinging to the glaive and using it as a crutch to lean on. Someone was losing a lot of blood, and I couldn't tell if it was Osomatsu or Karamatsu.
Osomatsu glanced over at him and flicked his right hand downward, flinging his brother's blood off before reaching down and yanking the scythe out of his right calf. The sizzling came back as his hand touched the weapon, groaning as I could hear the metal scrape against bone as the blade was removed from the leg. Ichimatsu recovered from the kick and held out his hand, the scythe flying from Osomatsu's grip and settling into Ichimatsu's outstretched hand.
"I don't have time for this..." Osomatsu stood up as tall as he could, switching his red glare between his two younger brothers, "Your Fallen infestation became our problem, and you want to get rid of us for pointing out your lack of punishment?"
"No...officially, we're here because you've turned your back from God, dealing with demons and siding with them," Karamatsu spat out a glob of blood, breathing heavily as something dark dribbled down his chin, "We just want to know why...as brothers..."
"It's a little late for that kind of sentiment, isn't it? You have no idea what we've been through, what we've seen others go through...and you think that we're just gonna warm back up to you because we're family?" Osomatsu hunched over, his talons extending even more as the horns on his head grew a little larger, "No. Fucking. Way."
Osomatsu rushed towards the staggered Karamatsu, the injured brother's free hand pressed against the wound on his chest. Karamatsu didn't move at all, staring down Osomatsu before a loud 'CLANG' rang out as Ichimatsu intercepted the attack with his scythe, his glowing appearance drastically different from before.
Ichimatsu's dark hair had lightened to a very pale lavender color, mimicking the milky white in his eyes. His clothes had shifted from a loose hoodie and sweatpants to a pure white robe and cloak, the brilliant color catching the moonlight and reflecting it in an ethereal pattern.
But what really caught my attention were his wings.
Two pairs of strong, feathered wings flared from his back, the upper pair larger than the bottom pair. I could see some kind of material mixed in with the feathers, just as bright as his new clothes. He used them as if they were weightless, maneuvering the wings to dodge strikes and parry other hits.
"Heal, Karamatsu..." Ichimatsu's voice had taken on an odd echo, sounding both masculine and feminine at the same time, "He's made it clear that there's no room for discussion."
"But--" Karamatsu moved out of the way as Osomatsu charged him, anger heavy in his red eyes. Karamatsu grunted as he stopped his backward momentum, taking in a small breath before releasing all of the air in his lungs, his form shifting and expanding as I watched.
His dark hair paled into the image I had glimpsed earlier, almost white with a touch of blue as the same color reflected in his eyes. His leather jacket shredded away as two pairs of wings unfurled from underneath, spreading wide before closing behind him. The gaping red wound on his chest swirled shut before it was hidden by a long white wrap twisting around his neck and torso. A simple wave of his hand brought the discarded glaive back into his possession.
"Finally!" Osomatsu yelled out with a laugh, his voice no longer sounding like him at all, "Let's have some fucking fun!"
The tearing of fabric brought my attention to Osomatsu and Ichimatsu, the latter being thrown away by a pulse of crackling, red light. The cassock fluttered around his thin frame as if it was battered by opposing winds, the pellegrina barely holding on by its pin.
I brought both of my arms up to shield my face from the foliage debris that was flying around, taking a few steps back. If this was what happened when they were teenagers...then what would a fight of theirs look like now?
"Let's see what two little Principalities can do against a Prince!" The laughter in Osomatsu's voice chilled me to the core, another violent wind blowing against me and pushing me back a meter or so, the balls of my feet digging into the dirt to try and gain traction against the force.
The unnatural wind suddenly stopped when both sides rushed towards each other, the gusts from the wings creating a strong draft as both Ichimatsu and Karamatsu maneuvered around the wingless Osomatsu, using the air and open field to their advantage.
I could barely keep up with the fight anymore, their movements faster than I could track. One moment, Osomatsu had Ichimatsu pinned to the ground by the throat, and in the next, Karamatsu had Osomatsu tossed into the air.
The grass around me caught the splattered blood from the fight, the visceral spray not even touching me.
Karamatsu screamed in agony as Osomatsu grabbed one of his wings from a block, switching his grip and throwing Karamatsu into the ground, jumping on the downed Principality and pinning him against the dirt. Maniacal laughter erupted from Osomatsu's lips as I heard a large 'pop' followed by the sound of something being ripped apart, the eldest's laughter barely drowned out by Karamatsu's pained screech. One of Karamatsu's larger wings bent at an odd angle before Osomatsu completely raised it above his head in victory, the winged limb fully detached from Karamatsu's back. I could see the ripped skin, torn muscle, and bloody feathers hanging from the shoulder joint from where I stood, my eyes staring in horror as my mind processed what I'd seen and heard.
Somehow pushing past the pain, Karamatsu twisted underneath Osomatsu and caught his neck in the crook of Karamatsu's remaining large wing, using the smaller two for stability as he spun in a circle, throwing Osomatsu off while pulling himself up into a kneeling position. The wing in Osomatsu's grip dissolved into a flurry of feathers, disappearing before they touched the bloody grass.
Osomatsu landed heavily on the ground, rolling to a stop and struggling to stand up before Ichimatsu descended upon his form, a spinning fury of blade and wings.
It was like a bird of prey mauling its food.
The scythe spun in endless circles as Ichimatsu used his wings to keep Osomatsu within reach of his weapon, despite being pushed back several times by the eldest brother. Somehow using the scythe's momentum, Osomatsu launched himself into the air above Ichimatsu, gathering a large fireball above his head before throwing it down with both arms. The heat from the fireball was tremendous, making the cool night feel like midday in summer.
I heard Karamatsu yell in fury as a burst of blue energy rippled across the field, curving the fireball back at Osomatsu, who barely managed to twist out of the way in midair. A flurry of wings appeared behind him, and a scythe cut upwards through his injured left shoulder completely before he could turn around.
The scream from Osomatsu was primal.
His left arm fell to the ground a little ways away from where he landed roughly, blood spurting from where it used to be before he held his right hand up to smother the exposed wound. His glowing red eyes stared down at his arm in near disbelief before settling on the two brothers across from him, both of them leveling a glare in return despite how damaged they were. Osomatsu's body shuddered as he reached down and picked up his severed arm, looking slightly impressed at the wound.
"Then two is his limit for now..." The deep voice sounded like a pleasant purr, completely disconnected from the pain he should've been in. Both Ichimatsu and Karamatsu tensed up as Osomatsu looked back at them, "It won't happen again."
Osomatsu jammed his severed arm against the exposed shoulder before a ring of fire swallowed the wound, fading into the skin to reveal that the limb had been fully reattached. I stared in disbelief.
"Next time, we'll be fully prepared," Karamatsu growled, his remaining wings slightly puffing out in a threatening posture.
"Please..." Osomatsu raised both arms in a shrug as a smug grin spread across his lips, "You'll need to bring an army to beat me down."
Before either Principality could retort, he vanished in a column of smoke and fire, leaving behind a small circle of burnt grass.
The moonlit field faded from my eyes, falling away to reveal Ichimatsu's apartment...or rather, its ceiling. I felt something wet slide down my left cheek, bringing up my hands and wiping it off, only to see that the wetness was from tears. Pushing myself into a sitting position on the couch, I only looked over to see Karamatsu still sitting down in the folding chair, his gaze sweeping over my form before closing his eyes. Ichimatsu had moved within the room, from the folding chair to lounging on the window sill with one of his cats in his lap.
Sitting in Ichimatsu's place on the folding chair was the smiling man.
The fifth brother.
Jyushimatsu.