Chapter 32
"Are you sure that'll work?"
Dana glanced over at God as he stared out of the window of the Imperial Palace. He had informed her of Satan's escape. She never would have guessed that Damien of all people would have helped him.
"It seems he's no longer afraid of you." God said. "If he has the temerity to save his father in an act of defiance against us, he'll probably agree."
"He doesn't really have much of a choice anymore, does he?" Dana fiddled with the straw on her juice box.
"No, he doesn't." God smirked. "All the more reason to fight for his life. You trap a spider, he'll bare his fangs. We just have to crush him before he bites."
He already had bitten. Dana frowned and touched the scars on her face. She had managed to regenerate after Damien made her head explode, but she couldn't prevent the hideous marks it left behind. Slashes all up her face. It made her look tough, she supposed. She was glad her hair had reformed.
All the more reason to kill Damien and mutilate him, like he had done to her.
☽☾
Damien lay on his bed, watching a horror movie for the thousandth time. He was trying his best to relax, but it wasn't working. He had seen the film so much now that it bored him. Besides, he had other, more important things on his mind.
It was only a matter of time before Dana retaliated. She never stayed away for long. Her narcissism and pride ruled her mind, festering until she couldn't take anymore. She had always been a violent person. Even as a child, she would trap and torture small animals. Birds, mice, fish. Anything she could get her hands on. Tova encouraged her, so she began to see it as a positive thing.
So here Damien sat, twiddling his thumbs, waiting for her to attack him. He had recently been training with Satan to improve his abilities, but he still didn't know if he could win against her. He tried to pretend he wasn't scared, but he couldn't even convince himself. He had to push that fear to the back of his mind and ignore it before it consumed him. He couldn't continue to be a coward. Not when the lives of those he loved was in danger.
The only way to save them was to agree to his and Dana's fated battle. He couldn't back down. He had to win.
As he thought that, a massive bang resounded from outside, followed by angry shouting. Damien leapt to his feet and threw the window open.
On the garden, Claire, Carrie and Richard stood fighting someone. Damien stuck his head out the window to get a better look and saw their enemy was Dana. His blood ran cold, but he ignored it and left to go downstairs. He had to stop this.
He stormed outside just as Dana had sent Carrie flying towards him. Damien caught her and held her small plush form to his chest, glaring daggers at Dana.
"Devil Child?" Carrie exclaimed. "Thank you very much, but you should not be here! The mad girl is back! She is here for you!"
"I know." Damien placed Carrie on the grass and patted her head as if she were a cat.
Dana studied his face. "This is unusual." She said with a frown. "You never confront me. Have you suddenly grown some balls? Or are you still afraid of me?"
Damien pursed his lips, but didn't respond. He didn't want to admit that he was. He had to be strong. He couldn't show any weakness.
"If you leave my family alone, I'll fight you." He said.
A manic grin broke out on Dana's face. "Wonderful. Took you long enough." To Damien's surprise, Dana actually turned to walk away. "I'll arrange this with father. Goodbye, my dear Aoi. You'll be all mine soon."
She left with a menacing chuckle. Damien felt sick, but he knew there was no other option. He was afraid, yet determined to end her.
☽☾
A month passed, and the date for Damien and Dana's final fight was getting nearer.
The night before the big event, Damien was in bed, unable to sleep. He felt too nervous to sleep. This would backfire on him tomorrow. Yet, the time had ticked by. It was already 3:35 a.m. and he was no closer to sleep.
He was about to get up when he felt Kitty stirring beside him. He glanced over and saw him snuggle up to him, fast asleep. Damien smiled. Even when he slept, snoring lightly with unkempt hair and a streak of drool down his mouth, he was the most beautiful thing in existence.
Damien let out a content sigh and stroked his hair, careful not to wake him. He couldn't believe how much he loved this guy.
Despite his effort not to disturb him, Kitty woke up, eyelids fluttering open to reveal sleepy green eyes.
☽☾
Kitty rubbed his eyes and yawned. His eyes met with Damien's for a moment before he turned away with a blush. Kitty smiled. He knew Damien had been staring at him. He hoped he hadn't been doing anything embarrassing while he slept.
"Can't sleep?" Kitty asked.
The blush on Damien's cheeks eased off, and he turned to Kitty with a smile. "No." He sighed. "I'm just… anxious."
"Are you scared of fighting her?"
All Damien did was nod. Kitty could see how frightened he was. He rubbed Damien's arm to show his support.
Kitty noticed he didn't cover his arms in bed anymore, not since he showed him his scars a few weeks back. It was nice that he trusted him so much to see the real him. Kitty interlaced his fingers with Damien's. The feel of his burns were rough against his skin, so he stroked his hand as if this could heal them. He wished he could heal all his scars and make him happy again.
"I-" Kitty swallowed the lump in his throat. He knew he could voice his fears without making Damien angry. "I'm scared that you're going to die." He whispered, caressing Damien's hand. "I've already lost Jack and dad. I don't want to lose you, too. I lo-"
He stopped himself before he said it, those three important but nerve-racking words. He couldn't tell him. What if he didn't feel the same way? Kitty would be setting himself up for humiliation. And, even worse, he might lose Damien forever.
He'd never felt this way about anyone before. Sure, he'd had crushes on other guys, but it never progressed to something as intense as this. He knew he was in love. The internet confirmed it. He had researched on the internet, typing into the search engine "is it love or a crush?". It told him what he had expected but feared – he was in love with Damien. He'd already suspected it before he looked it up, but he wanted to make sure.
He could never confess to him. He wasn't sure if Damien liked him back. They cared a lot for each other, and they'd even kissed. But this could be a case of flirting with friends for him. Kitty had heard of friends with benefits. Maybe this was all Damien wanted. He did dump his boyfriends and had been sober since he first entered the hospital. He said he wanted to become a better man. Did he do that for Kitty, or for himself? Kitty didn't know. He'd never had a boyfriend before, so he didn't know what to expect. He didn't know how to read the signals.
What if he wasn't good enough for Damien?
Interrupting him from his melancholy, Damien smiled and tucked his fringe behind his ear.
"I'm not going to die." He said in a gentle voice. "I'll face her and win, and I'll come back home. I promise."
It didn't ease Kitty's fears, but he appreciated it. He smiled back and snuggled up to Damien, closing his eyes.
Damien kissed his forehead and wrapped his arms around him. He drifted off to sleep again, praying in his heart that Damien would be OK.
☽☾
Later that night, Damien paid a visit to Daisuke's grave in the garden.
For the first forty minutes, he sat on the grass, staring at the wooden headstone. There was a slight breeze and the moon was full. He could hear the leaves rustling in the wind, a silent song of lamentation.
This could have been the last time he ever spoke to Daisuke.
Even if he died, he wouldn't be able to see him again. If Dana killed him, he wouldn't go to the Afterlife nor the Underworld. If an antichrist or a child of God killed the other, their soul would disintegrate. They would become nothing but a memory.
Damien had to accept that this may have been his last day of life. Silent tears fell from his eyes, and he uttered the words he had been desperate to tell Daisuke since he died.
"I'm sorry I couldn't save you."