Return of the King (Rei no Kaado)

[mugenginga]

Seth seemed relieved that Abel hadn't reacted negatively. Well, in perspective with his nature and how he could react, in any case. Seth looked to the side as Abel blamed his revenge on his demonic heritage. Maybe it was true, but he was being narrow minded. Seth looked back at Abel after a moment, focusing on the papers rather than his eyes. He'd do what Abel said if he had to, but...

"You would have done the same in a reversed situation, your majesty," Seth said. Abel's less aggressive reaction had seemed to have encouraged him, "Can we afford to kill him out of a minor case of vengeance?"

And here he was pulling out what he'd come to understand about Bel. He seemed nervous both inside and out as he did so, "We have a bigger enemy, and we should take the allies we can get."

[Firebreath Fishslap]

Abel's face remained flat. He knew Seth had a point, but he would never admit it. He was aware of how much they needed allies. He was very aware of that. At the same time, he couldn't ignore what Hitoshura had done. Perhaps it was narrow minded.

Something about this conversation seemed off to Abel. He'd had... trouble reading Seth since he'd gained all of his memories, so he couldn't be sure. It didn't help that Seth had gained a major personality change after he'd gained said memories. But even so, Abel couldn't help but feel that Seth was being a bit too insistent about this...

"...And what about yourself, Prince of Bel? How much of your insistence about this is you considering the future of our war and how much of it is you just not wanting to see him killed?" Abel snarled. "You didn't give a damn about anyone else I've wanted killed. You wanted Enjin dead."

[mugenginga]

As much as Abel had trouble reading Seth, the Prince of Bel had trouble reading Abel. He knew he was in danger, and the ice he was standing on was razor thin. But he intended to keep to as word as much as anyone could, and he'd stand by Abel... or beneath him if the King of Bel considered it a better place for him.

Abel's expression had shifted again, and to complete the metaphor Seth was sure the ice he was standing on was now cracked. It wasn't just the obvious emotion change, it was the voice. Abel's demonic accent was slipping through at several points, and it reached a high point near the end, when Abel ever so delicately reminded Seth that he'd wanted Enjin dead.

"I don't want to see someone of that power killed," Seth said. He mentally cursed, his voice was betraying that he wasn't as confident as he wanted to be, "If you gave the word to ally with Enjin, I would follow it."

Seth shook his head, "That was before I regained my memories, before I came to terms with this... I don't want anyone to die that doesn't have to, especially not someone that could be such a strong ally."

[Firebreath Fishslap]

Abel did not notice his accent slipping like Seth had. He was more focused on Seth's reaction. Seth was already walking on thin ice, and Abel was quite interested in what Seth's response would be. When it was just what Abel expected, he stepped forward and grabbed Seth by the collar of his shirt. He actually managed to lift Seth up into the air a little bit with his grip.

"I am not quite trusting enough to do that, even if Enjin would agree to work with us, dear brother," Abel snarled. "And the same goes for Hitoshura. It seems you are more gullible than I thought."

He released Seth, thrusting out with his hand as he did so so that Seth would fall back upon being released. It was likely lucky for Seth that there was a bed behind him to catch his fall. It was an excessive show of force, but Abel really didn't care. He only continued speaking. "I would not mind Hitoshura or his master as allies of ours. But you and I both know that it will be difficult to regain the respect we have lost."

He leaned over and put a hand down on the bed next to Seth. The distance between them would likely be more than a bit uncomfortable. "Do you have anything else to say, dear brother?"

[mugenginga]

Seth's eyes widened as Abel grabbed the front of his shirt, and his pulse spiked in response. The shirt pulled back and clumped in Abel's fist as the King of Bel pulled Seth's feet off the ground. Seth winced as the back of the shirt collar dug a bit into his skin, the pressure more obvious around the lighter areas of scarring.

The Prince of Bel was painfully aware that the mattress in the room was a spring mattress as he was thrown down onto it. The bed creaked under the force, not his own weight. But he listened to Abel's continued words. He was pushing himself up when Abel's hand suddenly fell beside his head. Seth fell backwards again and pressed down into the mattress as Abel leaned over him and spoke. Seth could feel his breath on his face as he spoke... Seth realized he was smiling and that glint in his eyes was completely lacking in humanity.

Seth attempted to swallow and found his mouth dry. His voice sounded funny even to himself as he responded as a result, "N-no, your majesty..."

He hadn't meant to stutter, but he couldn't take it back now. And if Hitoshura showed up again, he'd have to try to kill him. See how far his "regenerative capabilities" went? It looked less like it would be Abel doing that at this point. Naoki had told him to not forget Abel was a demon... he hadn't forgotten it about Hitoshura either. Seth stayed there and waited for Abel to move.

He'd have to try to kill Hitoshura.

[Firebreath Fishslap]

Abel gave a smirk at Seth's stuttered reaction. The Prince was fearful of him, and something about that excited Abel. He was perfectly aware of why it excited him, and it really didn't change anything about that fact to him. He leaned down a little more and spoke into Seth's ear.

"Good boy, Seth." Abel straightened up and lifted his hand off of the bed. He walked away from his brother and toward the door, stopping at the door to take his human form. He turned back and looked at Seth. He was still smiling, and even in his human form his eyes had that inhuman glint.

"I'll be heading back out now. For your sake, you should hope that I find Hitoshura first," Abel said with a smirk. "I'm not sure if you can heal from having your head torn off, dear brother."

He opened the door and walked out, allowing it to close with a silent click behind him.

[mugenginga]

Seth's eyes shot to the side to avoid the eye contact he'd almost managed. Abel was smirking, and his breath was still falling on his face. The Prince of Bel tensed up as he felt Abel lean down more, and goosebumps prickled up on that side of his neck. He felt proud for not attempting to pull away despite every muscle in his body screaming for him to run as Abel whispered into his ear.

He remained laying in the bed as Abel pushed off. He could hear his heartbeat in his ears, but he could only just now attempt to bring it under control. His eyes were closed as he tried to control his breathing. His breath caught as Abel spoke up again, but he just continued laying for five minutes after the door clicked. He opened his eyes and looked at the ceiling, grimacing.

I should have told him to stay away, Seth thought. He slammed his fists down on the bed.

_"Dammit!"