Chapter Text
The day was cool and the breeze was perfect. The sunlight pierced through the beautiful and fluttering curtains. The halls and rooms all stood in their noble glory. The mansion was clean, not like they'd let the mansion go to waste. A day that Opera could relax and do their work in absolute peace. The break would be relaxing in the garden with their tea and snacks, letting themselves let the breeze cool them.
Yes, a perfect and relaxing day to do their job, yet Opera was forced to stand by. Standing completely still in the corner, forced to watch in silence without doing anything. It was getting irritating on how Sullivan was using this time to just fool around. Their ears are flat against their head. Still, as a Security Demon they can’t exactly complain. They just took a sigh, their face not changing at all as they saw the prideful boasting and playful aura in front of them. All of the Three Greats let out of their thoughts they've been holding in from their grandkids, bursting immediately when the kids left like a balloon.
“My grandson is the best! Look at how many awards he has, and he hasn't even reached middle school!” Lady Levi yelled passionately, her usual calm appearance was gone and replaced with much enthusiasm.
Lord Belial yelled back just as passionately, “Absolutely not! My grandson is much cuter, and plus academics don’t really work if his personality is twisted!” His eyes almost popped out from under his hat and over his mustache from how much he was yelling.
Lady Levi made an offended gasp as she heard that, “You can’t be talking about twisted personalities!”
“Sulli-chan! Tell the witch that she’s wrong!” Lord Belial yelled. Now both of their attention was diverted towards Lord Sullivan. He didn’t even flinch as he sat there in eerie silence. Yes, this was how it usually was when there was an “important” meeting.
He sat in silence, like usual, yet something seemed a bit off. A confident chuckle escaped from Lord Sullivan. His whole body was shaking as he only sat in pure confidence. His chuckle was deep and playful. A wicked and mysterious dark aura surrounded him.
The other 2 in the room only looked at him in confusion, still slightly worked up from their yelling fest. Eyebrows were raised from the strange behavior their friend was sowing. Maybe he finally got worked enough to get into his Evil Cycle.
“Hahaha, you both are overlooking something…” His aura was dark, like he was planning something. The darkness blanketed him like the night. Opera knew he wasn’t dangerous, but even he couldn’t help but shiver slightly as the room grew darker. The two other Greats only looked back, giving Sullivan their full attention.
He gave a giant smile as he put down albums full of all things Iruma, decorated with cute little stickers that seemed to make the scene even more jarring. The book was so heavy that it caused the table to creak under its massive weight. “Look at my grandson! He’s definitely so much, much, much, and much cuter!~” Lord Sullivan’s eerie and mysterious aura was broken by his now flowery and happy aura. His smile was large and a cute circle blush on his cheeks as he seemed more than happy to indulge into his love for his grandson.
The pictures consisted of Iruma eating, studying, helping with chores, and among other things. Some barely even had anyone else because it was just full on Iruma. Maybe some pieces of clothing, hair, or anything made it into the side of the pictures. Notably, his condition, like hair, teeth, skin, all started to look better. His blue hair shimmered brightly and looked more soft in recent pictures. His dull teeth, which were the color yellow, were now a bright white. The smile he wore in most pictures seemed to get brighter and brighter as the pictures progressed. A nervous boy slowly turned to a happy, well fed, and comfortable, Iruma.
Lord Belial and Lady Levi looked over the many pictures. This was an impressive amount for 2 months, but they both didn’t know that. Of course, both weren’t stupid or naive and had multiple questions on where this kid even came from. They knew Lord Sullivan didn’t have a love life, and pretty much devoted his life to Delkira. Maybe a bit too much, but that was a discussion none of them wanted to have.
“Well…” Lady Levi started, “He is pretty cute.” Lord Sullivan puffed his chest up in pride from that response.
“Though, where the hell did he come from?!” She suddenly yelled out. Her calm and soothing voice was gone. “We all know you don’t have kids, nor a wife, what in the world happened to the 2nd generation?!”
Lord Sullivan only giggled in response. Which, of course, annoyed Lady Levi. Lord Belial was forced to watch from the side. Of course, he wasn’t naive either. He had some questions as well, but they can’t deny that Iruma does somehow exist. Evidence from seeing him in the flesh. If he never saw Iruma himself, he would have thought that Sullivan started to hallucinate. Sullivan was always so lonely without Delkira here, and Poro didn’t help much either. Arguments and remembrance of spats made him inwardly sigh from exhaustion as he thought of the day things went wrong.
Actually, on that subject he thought about something. It was a strange thought that crept into his mind about Delkira. Comparisons were inevitable for someone who’s lived so long, but thoughts about Delkira were almost to none normally. For some reason the boy reminded him of the missing Demon King. Though Lord Belial could tell that Iruma was vastly different from Delkira, yet for some reason he kept thinking about him. Though, the last time Lord Sullivan seemed this playful and genuinely relaxed was with Delkira. Iruma and Delkira could make anyone smile. Maybe he was just getting old. A little too soft. Old age wasn’t fitting for him at all. Slowly, he was starting to miss his little little Razzberry-chan…
Taking a deep sigh, he stopped his 2 friends from starting another argument. “Alright, well then… I guess we will have to find someone else to judge who’s the better grandson. Maybe a vote?”
Both then immediately replied with, “Mine, of course!” Their hands shooting straight up, voting for their own grandson.
This caused more tension between them, and Lord Belial felt completely ignored by his 2 competitive friends. Maybe he should’ve done this by gambling. Actually, is this how Sulli-chan felt when he and Levi went at each other?! Still, he couldn’t help but think of this as an interesting game. His playful and happy attitude seemed to brighten the whole room. Giggling like little kids, all forgot someone very important. There was a notable gloomy atmosphere coming from the corner.
Sullivan’s Security Devil, Opera, seemed less than impressed.
Lord Sullivan suddenly remembered Opera’s existence. He had an unreadable face on, before jumping up and playfully started to lightly poke the Security Devil repeatedly. “Hey, Opera,~ can you judge, please?” He had a pleading type of voice on, and it was high pitched. Before Lady Levi could put in and say how unfair it was, Opera had started to talk.
“Sir… don’t you have work to do as both the principal and as a Thirteen Crowns member?” Opera replied rather monotonously, holding their tongue to not say anything ruder. Their ears drooped against their head, the only evidence they were unsatisfied.
Suddenly, all 3 paused and froze. Their gushing and prideful boasting about their grandsons were suddenly at a halt. Absolutely distraught, all 3 started to be depressed. Some grumbling and high pitched whining was to be expected from all 3. Opera only sighed at the sight of the 3 Greats absolutely depressed and whining like little kids from just being told to do work and to focus on something else then their grandkids. It was a surprise on how the Netherworld was still running and not a huge mess at this point.
Of course, Opera could never look down at them. They were the pillars of strength and one of the very few ties to the past of the Netherworld. The Netherworld could never be the same without them. A pillar of strength, but Opera could slightly tell that time was weighing on all 3. The cracks were slowly making themselves apparent and it was only until one day that someone would try and pry those cracks open. The Netherworld was falling into distress, yet at the same time there was some peace behind their walls. The only sense of happiness is with their grandsons. The red haired demon exhaled, as they dragged the 3 Greats to do some more work.
Today, they were not going to be able to enjoy the breeze today.
…
Iruma is screwed.
To be quiet, to be seen only in the shadows, and to practically disappear is a hard skill. Though very helpful, many weren’t blessed with stealth. This is especially true for demons. Reckless, full of emotions, and impulses, demons aren’t the best at making themselves unseen. Like, any demon who values pride would want to be unseen. Recognition and respect was to be earned in the Netherworld. Those who don’t want to be seen may not flourish to their full potential. Being shy is not an option. If you are, the Netherworld shall force you out of that shell and leave you opened and exposed to the dogs.
That is why Iruma is absolutely screwed. He is trying to sneak out with 2 demons who obviously stand out, even next to other demon children. One who is weak to their own impulses and desires, and one who values pride and respect. These 2 refuse to be quiet for even a moment. Only Iruma, the human, was able to be quiet for even a second. Walking hand and hand with those 2 turned out to be a nightmare in itself. His instincts told him he was vulnerable with both his hands occupied, yet he felt that he couldn’t let go at all.
“Unhand me right now!” Leiji yelled. His footsteps were like thunder, his loud booming voice wasn’t helping either.
Razzberry only giggled in response. His laugh felt piercing to the quiet atmosphere. His head seemingly empty as he hummed to himself, “Hey, hey, hey! How fun is this?!” His smile was toothy and blank, completely unaware of everything.
The 2 demons continued to argue and banter, despite the fact they were trying to sneak out. Razzberry ran all around the hallways and seemed to touch almost everything. His hand was still in Iruma’s, but he still had a free hand to touch whatever. Gently poking an expensive vase it seemed to roll in place. Both of the bluenettes didnt notice at first, but the ringing made Iruma look over. Stifling a yell, he ran towards the vase and gently made it stay in place with his foot. His relief was short-lived.
He was in an awkward position, but thankfully Iruma was flexible and had good pain tolerance. Guess that was one thing he could thank his parents for. It was to prepare him for the damn Netherworld itself. No, he couldn’t let himself think about that. He wouldn’t be here for long anyways. Iruma just needed to go with the flow and to just stop thinking about such pointless things.
Razzberry may be running around like a headless chicken, Leiji didn’t help much either, his stomps would wake or alert anybody in the entire house. He seemed to want to make himself present, only scoffing at Iruma and making the younger shudder from his piercing gaze. Despite his protests, Leiji didn’t seem to want to let go of Iruma’s hands. Like earlier, he seemed to grab onto Iruma’s hands like he would hold his grandmother’s dress. He could clearly let go at any time or overpower Iruma, yet he still never let go.
Maybe he isn't able to admit that he does want to explore more, Iruma pondered in his head. Giving a small smile to himself, he quickly came back to his senses when Leiji practically growled at him. Snapping his head away from Leiji, he let out a nervous and hurt sigh, Okay, maybe that’s not the reason.
Iruma wanted to speak up, but he just couldn’t speak. Words were stuck in his throat. The poor boy was so used to being pushed around that he was unused to dealing with such rowdy characters. Maybe not as rowdy. Though, still rowdy. They were much more than what Iruma could usually handle. Leiji’s piercing gaze and Razzberry’s sharp teeth made him so nervous like he was a balloon desperately not wanting to be popped from the sharp edge. With a terrified smile, he kept trying to reason on what he was doing. His mind drifted on how he even got here, and he felt like he suddenly wanted to return back to the comforts of his own room.
Taking a deep breath, both of the demons seemed to notice before slightly quieting. A slow and terrifying feeling slowly grabbing hold on the kids. A dark feeling suffocating all three.
His instincts came back in almost an instant.
The slam was instantaneous, his breath almost knocked out of him as he felt himself go back into the dark forests. Full body shivers as his grip suddenly got strong enough to bruise. The thumping in his chest was causing him to regret his choices. The silence was deafening, loud buzzing in Iruma’s ears as he refused to look away. His body wanted to run, but his mind didn’t want to be vulnerable. He knew, or his instincts knew, that he couldn’t run away. Whatever that was, it could easily overpower all 3. For once, Iruma seemed to do something demanding. His small and weak hands had a sense of urgency as he covered the other two mouths to stop them from talking.
Both were on edge, but seemed to be more unaware compared to Iruma. Their senses of danger were not as sharp or as in tune compared to the little bluenette. Only Iruma could tell that Opera was near. Not on guard thankfully, but it seemed Opera still could sense them. They both tried looking around the corner, but both were taken aback by the sudden hand covering their mouth. Leiji only tried to yell, but Iruma gave him a look that made him shut up quickly.
Clearly on edge, Leiji only shared the feeling with Iruma. Razzberry didn't seem to notice at first. He was fighting back some urges to start biting Iruma’s hand, his focus instantly shifting and only acknowledging the hand covering his mouth. Of course, this annoyed Leiji as he just stared down at Razzberry, but then he noticed something was off with Iruma. The white haired demon finally noticed before starting to gently gnaw on his hand, almost like he was trying to stabilize Iruma. Gentle enough with his sharp teeth to only graze on the hands and not draw blood. A shaky, but more calm breath escaped Iruma’s lips as it seemed to slightly work.
“Oi, what the hell do you think you're doing?” Leiji growled, his voice hushed but not any less stern.
Razzberry tried to speak, but his voice was muffled. Still gently gnawing on Iruma’s hand, it seemed that the white haired demon seemed oddly gentle and calm. (If you can call it that at least.) A creepy and blank smile still on his face, yet he stood oddly still compared to when he was running all over the damn place. The tall blunette tried to give a death glare, but failed to have its full effect with Iruma’s hand covering his mouth. Still, Leiji doubted it would work on somebody as carefree as Razzberry.
“Speak up, bug.” His voice was hostile, hiding both his concern and curiosity.
Still, neither answered Leiji. He was getting horribly pissed, but he had to calm down. It wasn’t befitting someone of his standing to be let astray from 2 bugs. Letting out a soft and low growl, he slowly looked over Iruma. Razzberry also slowly peered out of the corner, both their heads stacked as they looked over the corner.
The Security Devil.
“Huh, so that's why you're on edge!” Razzerry silently exclaimed, a bit muffled and unintelligible from the hand still between his teeth..
Leiji’s eyes slowly narrowed, but he scoffed. A bad feeling was bubbling through his stomach, but he would never admit that out loud, especially towards these two. “Hm. The Security Devil. Seems you picked on that quickly.” Too quickly, in fact.
Iruma didn’t say anything as his brows furrowed. It was strange to see him so… distrustful. The little blunette seemed to have not a single care in the world earlier, yet he seemed so intensely focused for no reason. As if Opera was a magical beast and Iruma was a small rabbit hiding in the bushes.
Something’s not right.
Razzberry seemed to share this sentiment for once. It was not the look of innocence that Iruma seeed to be the spitting image of, it was a look of survival. Yet, Leiji couldn't even think of what could make Iruma this tense. Almost like he was scared of something? Yet, there was nothing to be scared of.
The bad feeling was overflowing enough that it felt as if it was coming through his throat as he tried to speak. Yet what could Leiji even do in this situation? Comfort the blunette like he would comfort his grandmother when she got too worried? Hah! Don’t make him laugh out loud. Even the small monkey couldn’t say anything as he stared blankly at the Iruma. It was a miracle how there was no drool coming out from that mouth.
“How about we sneak from the back?” Razzberry suggested after a long and heavy silence. “We shouldn’t stay here for long, because we’re gonna get caught if we do and that isn’t fun!” Seems the monkey truly didn’t care, Leiji scoffed inwardly, he was only making a plan to escape. That makes sense. Nothing is wrong.
Iruma seemed to snap out of his trance, but a small frown still decorated that usually innocent face. With brows furrowed and lips tight, he only nodded. “Y-yeah. Of course, we shouldn’t let ourselves get caught.”
The three grandkids tried to walk off. The strange feeling bubbling through him was like paper meeting a flame. It burned and made his stomach twist and turn in unease. Yet, nothing was off. Maybe Iruma was just close to his Evil Cycle, it would be the first time Leiji has seen one up close, but he knew the signs well enough.
Something was off.
No one said anything as they tried to walk it off. Dark and heavy wordless tension made all three walk with slight light lips.
Nothing was wrong.
Leiji shook his head as he tried to stop overworrying. Maybe he was becoming just like his grandmother. Always so worried and always so caring. No, that wasn't right. Leiji didn't care though. Never did Leiji once care what others were going through, and this wasn't going to be different. He was too weak to care, too early. He honestly wasn't even sure why he was't running back to his grandmother, demanding to leave this place behind.
As they walked in uncomfortable silence, Razzberry rasied his hands high into the air. They all came to a halt as the bluenettes tried to gauge on what the small white haired demon was doing. Leiji only gave an unimpressed face, while Iruma seemed more confused but more than happy to indulge. His smile still bright and just as blank, as he let out a shaky breath. "We're close! I can feel it!" He exclaimed loudly, breaking the tension in the room slightly.
"Oh?"
Suddenly all froze. Time itself was now just a concept as they felt sweat drop down from their little foreheads. Breaths cught in their chests and in their throat.
"What's close?" The monotone voice questioned. They all knew that voice.
Uh oh...
Seems they have been found out.