Damien couldn't believe what he'd heard. Or rather, he didn't want to believe it. It couldn't be true. It wasn't true. Leviathan had made a mistake. He knew Ken'ichi better than that.
"You've got it wrong. Check again." He ordered. He felt his world spinning. He sat down on the floor to stop the dizziness.
"I'm sorry, my prince," Leviathan said in regret. "There's no mistake. We caught him meeting with Dana and telling her information about you."
Tears gathered in Damien's eyes and he shook his head. Leviathan wouldn't lie to him. She was the most loyal of all of Satan's archdemons. It had to be true. His best friend, the boy he had known and trusted for four years, had betrayed him in the worst possible way. He had been deceiving him the whole time. Damien gritted his teeth in anger. He wasn't going to let him get away with it.
He leapt to his feet and stormed to the door. "Leviathan, tell me where he is. We're getting rid of him."
Leviathan looked at him in shock. She had no choice but to obey, even though she knew it was a bad idea.
☽☾
Thanks to Leviathan's teleportation, they were in the Imperial City in no time. It was surprising that Ken'ichi was living here, but what was more shocking was the condition of his home.
The house was small, probably only a cheap to build bungalow, and rundown to hell. Bits of cardboard were the only things covering the windows. There was no glass at all. The roof was falling apart and had holes in it. It looked about ready to collapse. Had he been living in this shithole all this time?
Damien narrowed his eyes. He couldn't afford to feel any sympathy for an enemy, even one who used to be his friend.
"I think we should tell the king," Leviathan said. "I refrained from informing him out of respect for you and your situation, but I think it would be best if-"
"We're not telling him anything," Damien interrupted, scowling at the building. "This is my business. He doesn't need to know until it's done."
"I don't think it's such a good idea, my prince. What if you need back-up? What if something goes wrong?"
"It's my responsibility. I'm dealing with it." Damien said. "I brought him into everyone's lives, and he is–was my best friend." He corrected himself and sighed. "I should be the one to take him out."
Leviathan gave him a concerned look, but didn't push the issue.
They made their way up to the house, Damien tiptoeing and Leviathan floating behind him. He gripped the door-handle twisted it. The door creaked open, and Damien peered through the gap. There was no one in the front room, so they walked inside in complete silence.
The interior was as depressing as the exterior. The wallpaper was peeling off the walls. The smell of damp and mould hit him as soon as they entered. The carpet was soaked in places. Damien glanced up to see water coming through the ceiling directly onto it. A thick layer of dust covered the remnants of furniture and made its way into his lungs. He coughed a little too loud and froze. If Ken'ichi was home, he should have heard that. They waited for a few seconds, but it seemed he either wasn't here or didn't notice.
They travelled further through the house, finding it more pitiful as they went, until they came to the living room. This is where they found Ken'ichi, sitting on a torn-up old sofa reading a tattered book. As soon as his eyes met Damien's, they went wide and he jumped up, dropping the book. Damien glared at him.
"I never would have guessed you'd live here, in this fucking city." Damien said, glancing around the room. "Now I know why we never went back to your place."
Ken'ichi stared at him with sad eyes, then lowered his head. "You found me out then?" He muttered.
"No fucking shit I found you out!" Damien yelled. "Why the hell did you lie to me?"
Ken'ichi kept his eyes on the floor. "I'm sorry."
The rage Damien felt bubbled over. Why was Ken'ichi being so cagey? Why wasn't he acting cruel and treacherous with him? He even owned up to the fact that he betrayed him. It made it difficult for Damien to hate him, and he was so desperate to hate him. He wanted a reason to kill him. Maybe then the pain in his heart would stop, and he wouldn't feel any sorrow for destroying him.
Damien couldn't stand it anymore. He lunged at Ken'ichi, knocking him to the floor. He heard Leviathan yell in shock, but he didn't listen. He pulled his fist back to punch Ken'ichi, and he didn't stop him. He just lay there and waited.
He gave him a few whacks to the face, not strong enough to break anything but enough to bruise. After about four more punches, he stopped and glared down at Ken'ichi with tears in his eyes. Ken'ichi's face was the picture of guilt.
"Stop looking so sad!" Damien yelled.
"Sorry." Ken'ichi said. His sorrowful expression didn't change.
"Stop saying that! Stop looking so guilty!" Damien shook Ken'ichi violently, eyes pleading with him to act evil to justify what he had to do.
Ken'ichi stayed silent. He averted his eyes from Damien's face.
"Why were you working for her?" Damien asked, trying to hold back his sobs. "This whole time, you were laughing at me, weren't you? Laughing with that little bitch in her pristine little palace!"
"I wasn't laughing at you!"
"How can I believe anything you say? You were working for her the whole time, weren't you?"
Ken'ichi bit his lip and nodded. "I'm sorry."
A ferocious growl left Damien's lips and he punched Ken'ichi one more time before climbing off. He couldn't supress his grief any longer. He curled up into a ball, sobbing into his knees. He felt Ken'ichi put his hand on his shoulder and heard him say his name, but he slapped him away.
Despite everything he had done, Damien couldn't kill his best friend.
He got up, wiped his eyes, and instructed Leviathan to follow him.
"We're leaving," He told her, before turning to Ken'ichi with a face like thunder. "I won't tell Satan about this and I won't kill you, so long as you never come near me again."
☽☾
Ken'ichi nodded, and Damien and Leviathan left. He watched them go with deep regret in his heart. He only allowed himself to cry when he knew they were no longer in his house.
He never wanted this. When Dana had given him the mission of befriending Damien to spy on him, he didn't expect to become fond of him. He didn't want to spy on him, even before he met him. It wasn't fair. He didn't want to cause trouble for anyone. But he had no choice.
He didn't want to go in the box again, like she forced him to the first – and last – time he had disobeyed her.
When he had met Damien, they clicked instantly. Ken'ichi didn't have any other friends. His parents were dead and he had no other relatives. He was a typical street orphan. He had a genuine love for Damien and valued him as a friend or a brother. He didn't want to betray him, but Dana terrified him.
Ken'ichi never told her the absolute truth. He would always twist things and lie to protect Damien. He told her about Mammon, but only because she'd punish him if he didn't. There was no way Mammon could have killed Dana. She was always destined to destroy him. Ken'ichi knew that she would survive, and she'd be after him for not telling her when, as a demon himself, he was bound to know.
He loved Damien like he was family, but now, that was all gone. He would never be able to hang out with him, talk to him or even look at him again. Ken'ichi exhaled, suppressing a sob. He got up and headed to the kitchen. He needed a drink.
Once he got there, he intended to go straight to the fridge and grab the bottle of wine he kept in there. It was nasty, cheap stuff, but it was good for getting drunk. That's what he needed right now.
But when he entered the kitchen, he saw Dana standing there with two soldier angels on leads. The angels were sniffing the air. They could smell demon flesh. Ken'ichi felt a knot of anxiety in his stomach. Why was she here, and why did she bring them?
"What are you doing here?" He asked with a scowl.
"Just making sure you remember which side you're on." She said with a blank face. She tilted her head. "Has anyone visited today?"
Rage replaced fear, and Ken'ichi blew up. "Listen here, you little shit! I've just lost my best friend because of you! If you think I'm ever going to help you again-"
The hand holding one of the angels' leads let go for a moment. The angel lunged at Ken'ichi, teeth gnashing, and Ken'ichi fell to the floor with a yelp. Before it could tear him apart, Dana yanked it back by the chain.
The grotesque creature thrashed around, biting at the air in its desperation to eat him. Ken'ichi was shaking. The fucker's razor sharp teeth were inches away from his face. He could still smell its rotten breath. He swore he could feel their many eyes boring into him behind the helmets they always wore.
"Think about what you say before you say it if you don't want to be eaten alive." Dana told him. Her face remained emotionless. "You can never hide. My angels' eyes will always find you. They've got a thousand of those things. Trust me, you're fucked." She smiled calmly. "So, do you wish to betray me?"
Ken'ichi shook his head, trembling in terror.
"Good." Dana's smile was anything but kind.
The angels disappeared in a burst of feathers and light. Ken'ichi didn't know whether they had teleported somewhere or if Dana had killed them. He hoped the latter.
Dana strolled past Ken'ichi and stopped by the kitchen door. Without looking back at him, she said, "Remember, who was it who saved you all those years ago?"
A gasp escaped Ken'ichi's lips. He knew exactly what she was talking about. Their first meeting, when Dana executed an angel that was trying to eat him. He gulped. She would never let him forget that.
"You. I-It was you."
"Yes, it was." Dana chuckled. "I saved your life, and I can end it so easily."
Once Dana was gone, Ken'ichi broke down in tears. He didn't want this. He wanted to be happy. He wanted to be a normal teenager and have normal friends, but she would never let that happen.
He wished he had never met her.