Worthless

Chapter Nine

Ichimatsu opened up his eyes, struggling to his feet as he immediately recognized where he was.
Directly in front of his eyes stood the familiar church, and off to the side, the comforting graveyard.

"I'm back..." Ichimatsu thought, a weight of guilt lifting off of his troubled soul. "I can finally say it..."

Ichimatsu weakly flapped his wings, flying towards the graveyard. There was something slightly off about this place. Then it hit him. There was a casket right in front of the cross gravestone.

"Karamatsu...?" Ichimatsu whimpered, sitting down by the pure white casket. "you really are dead..."

Ichimatsu leaned his entire body over the casket, crying once again. Nasty gross sobs, of course. He was such a broken soul at that moment.

"Back off!" an angry, yet also angelic voice yelled at the demon. "Get away from this pure soul! Your filthy hands will destroy him!"

"Who are you?" Ichimatsu croaked weakly.

"I am a god," the voice replied, and suddenly, a man dressed in pure white, silken robes stood before him on top of the casket. "My name is Choromatsu, and you are creating filth on this pure man's record. Back off!"

Ichimatsu was taken aback, yet he still obeyed, pushing himself away from Karamatsu.

"Leave this place immediately, you disgusting demon," Choromatsu ordered, "Or I'll make you regret your filthy existence."

Quickly, Ichimatsu flapped his wings with all his might, fleeing from the god. And just like that, his world went black, pulling him into another dream. Of course, this wasn't just any ordinary dream. It was a memory.

"Ichimatsu," Karamatsu muttered kindly, hugging the demon tightly. "you are very special, you know. Never forget that. You are special. Your existence matters to me. Please, promise me you'll never listen to the insults others may throw at you. You're not damaged. You're not weak. You're not a worthless demon. You are a special doll."

Ichimatsu rested his head on the priest's shoulder, not quite understanding what he meant by "doll", but he enjoyed the sound of it.

"You're never going to be all alone again, Ichimatsu. I am right here. My doll, I am right here. Even if it sounds strange to you, my brother, do not worry. Everything is going to be okay. I am here. I am here..." Karamatsu whispered, causing Ichimatsu to listen very carefully to each and every word he spoke.

A sense of calm washed over Ichimatsu as he continued to listen to the pure man speak. It was a feeling he hadn't felt in years. He knew for sure that he had felt it when he was alive, but never as a demon. He had forgotten how wonderful it felt to be loved.

"Will you forget?" Karamatsu asked, breaking away from Ichimatsu. The demon nearly fell to the ground, having stopped flapping his wings. Desperately, he reached out to the priest. And of course, he was caught safely in Karamatsu's arms.

"Forget what?" Ichimatsu wheezed.

"Will you forget the time you have spent with me? Will all of these new, precious memories, just fade away? I have missed you so much, Ichimatsu. Ever since you died. I have missed you every single day," Karamatsu replied calmly.

"Since I died...?" Ichimatsu echoed. "You mean, you're telling me, you knew me in a past life?"

"No, I knew you in this life. Just a long time ago before a tragic accident..." Karamatsu murmured.

"Oh..." Ichimatsu mumbled, suddenly feeling darkness wrap around his entire world, pulling him back into reality.

Ichimatsu awoke.