Work Text:
It’s been almost two years since he and Ashiya’s farewell. The underworld and his job does not let him meet his old partner and former employee of Mononokean. Finally after quite a while since Aoi’s comeback, he’ll get some leave. Since Aoi also about to be fully recover.
“What would you like to do with your first day leave in two years, Itsuki?” The Legislator cheerfully ask the young man across him.
“Well, since it’s been a while, I think I will visit mundane world and stayed for a bit.” The Legislator could see a little shade of pink on the young boy’s face that he tried so hard to hide. Made him chuckled a bit.
“Alright then. Let’s quickly finish our business here. So you could get your vacation and meet that ‘someone’ hm~.”
Abeno about to protest but he stop when they arrive to their destination. It’s outside a chamber of the palace in the middle of underworld. In front of the door, there’s already stand Executive and Justice.
“Took you guys so long.”
“Haha, sorry we just have a little chit chat.” Legislator lightly walk past Executive and Justice, followed by Abeno. The servants open the doors and Abeno could see the interior of the room. It’s almost empty, but there is something that captivating his eyes.
***
He looks at the divine figure in front of him. Fading blue locks of a young man hit by the light of the dusk shine brightly like a halo of an angel. The young man, with a peaceful sleeping face, looks like he’s about to emerge from inside the tree. But it never happen.
Another young man but with a bright golden hair and also fierce golden eyes kneeled in front the figure. His heart broken to pieces the moment he set his eyes on the divine like figure in the middle of the room. His old partner, that he thought should be save in the mundane world, joyously living his mundane life, is in front of him, in the core of underworld.
“What’s the meaning of this?”
“…”
“O’ THREE MAJOR POWERS! WOULD ANY OF YOU FUCKING EXPLAIN THIS FOR ME?!“
“Watch your language, Master of Mononokean. For a mere human you—“
“Executive, stop. It’s normal for him to be lose his calm. After all we did THIS to his old partner.” A man with medium length hair tied with a golden ring accessory in a low ponytail, stand in between them.
“HE’S NOT JUST A MERE PARTNER NOR HE’S JUST AN OLD PARTNER OF ME. HE’S THE SAVIOUR OF THE UNDERWORLD AND HUNDREDS OF DEMONS. HE RISKED HIS LIFE TO SAVE AOI.”
“And he’s also the main ingredient for mass producing the cure for parasite shrub illness.” Another man in kimono walks to the tree Ashiya being hold. The handsome man gently cups the face of Ashiya as if admiring a goddess sculpture, yet his eyes hold darkness with a cold expression.
“Just for that reason…”
“You realize it’s not a mere reason, right? My sister’s life and a lot of other demons’. Besides, other demons already know about Aoi’s recovery from an incurable illness for demons. They surely will target Ashiya to monopolize the ingredient.”
He only thought Ashiya as an ingredient.
“When did you… and how…? the parasites shouldn’t be able to grow on human.” Abeno’s voice trembles a bit.
“There’s plenty of time when you guys didn’t met. Don’t you remember the big package that I asked to deliver from mundane world on the spring last year?”
“And the method, well.. it’s a new type of parasites that Miss Kora developed, it doesn’t completely attracted to human, but specifically to Ashiya. When he received ‘Influence’ from Aoi, he received a little bit of Aoi’s demonic power. The parasites attracted to those and able to grow on him because of a lot of alternating made by Miss Kora.”
“That being said, there’s another difference with a normal parasites shrub for demons. There’s another condition for it to grow. The host has to be alive.” Abeno’s shocked face looking at the Legislator.
“Yes, he’s alive. To be exact, we FORCED him to stay alive by alternating some stuff. Until now the tree able to provide nutrition for it and it’s host to stay alive on its own.”
“THAT’S JUST TOO CRUEL FOR HIM. AND WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM TELLING ME THIS?” Immediately, Abeno shuffles to Ashiya to try freeing him from the tree. But his movement held when Justice point a sword at him.
“We want you to take care of the precious ingredient as well as guarding it from both enemy or the host himself.”
“So you want me to make sure he never awake.” The Legislator doesn’t answer but that itself is an answer.
“NO WAY IN HELL I WOULD—“ Abeno tried to use his ‘Influence’ but again, stopped by Executor’s sword. This time come from behind pierce through his heart. He fall onto the top of the tree’s exposed roots.
“Then go with the boy and be the nutrition for the tree.” Said the Executive, as Justice pulling his sword from Abeno, letting him losing a lot of blood.
Soon, the tree roots enveloping Abeno’s bloodied body with its roots. He looks at Ashiya’s sleeping face. Guilt also filling him as he is one of the perpetrator of this scheme.
“Ashiya, forgive m…” Not long after, he lost his conscious, falls into a darkness.
***
A long time has passed. The servants that guarding the palace all know a legend that lingering in the palace. It’s said that there’s a tree that guarding a prince or an angel in one of the chamber. Holding him because his beauty. The prince or angel for once in a while flutter his pretty eyelashes to shed some diamond tears and mutters something in a really faint pitiful wails.
Of course no one knows for sure the truth behind the legend. Each day there’s only one person that going in and out the tree’s chamber. Looking at the tree or young man in it with possessive eyes. Cupping the young man’s face and chuckles. Remembering the time that the young man still moving and laughing cheerfully till he screams in agony at the time when there’s only them together experimenting. Oh how much he would give up to relive that moment again. The laughs last to his heart content after that he leaves.
“I’ll leave for today. Just to reminds you, there’s no time in my life that I don’t miss your pretty screams and gorgeous despaired face. Oh, we also thankful for your help providing our precious medicine, so don’t worry we will take care of you for all the eternity.”