When He Fell

Coincidence is a Bitch

(AN: Hello! Welcome back to the fic, y'all. I've been promising to get this chapter out, so here it is! As always, constructive criticism is welcome and thanks for reading!)

     It was officially two weeks before the school festival, and the school was alight with excitement. Even Abeno had to admit that he was looking forward to it a little bit, if only because he was going to be working the booth with Ashiya. Since the passing of the Miki situation, everything had gone back to normal between him and Ashiya, and they had spent the weekend together doing odd jobs for the Mononokean. Abeno was feeling hopeful as he walked into the classroom and sat behind Ashiya.
     However, as Ashiya was turning around to face him, he spotted something in the doorway that made his face blanch. Abeno turned to see what it was and saw a petite girl standing in the doorway. Her short, black bob framed her slender face, whose sickly pallor was highlighted by the dark color of her hair. The source of this illness wasn't hard to spot, as there was a small, hamster-like creature on the crown of her head. A demon, Abeno thought to himself. He stood up to go and help the demon (and the girl by extension, he supposed) but was halfway across the room before he noticed something was off. Ashiya wasn't following him. When Abeno glanced back at him, he was surprised to find a streak of anxiety on his face. This made little sense to him, especially since Ashiya had helped with the Mononokean's work all weekend without a trace of fear.
     Abeno slowly walked up to Ashiya before leaning down to whisper, "Are you okay? It's just a demon, Ashiya, and one quite similar to Fuzzy, too." He could feel the heat radiating off the side of Ashiya's face, and he almost leaned closer before he stopped himself.
     "I—I know, Abeno! Please don't think it's the demon I'm afraid of! It's just, I kind of know her..." Ashiya trailed off with a quick glance around the room.
     And the puzzle pieces clicked into place. Miki.
     "You don't have to help this time if you believe this will be a problem," Abeno told him. He did this for Ashiya's comfort, of course, but also for more selfish reasons. He truly did not want Ashiya's to get too close to this girl. His original judgment was still maintained—she was confident and most likely not easy to dissuade.
     Ashiya looked scandalized at the mere suggestion of not coming with him. "I can't let you do this by yourself! What if something happened?"
     "Like what? I get snuggled to death?"
     Ashiya let out a snort of laughter and mumbled a "whatever" before standing to join Abeno.  Their faces had remained close as Abeno bent down to discuss with Ashiya, so he had to quickly back up as his space was invaded, Ashiya getting much closer than before. He headed for the door, somewhat dazed and still reeling from the brief proximity.
     Making their way across the room, Abeno happened to glance at Fushimi. He knew that his ruffled appearance and slowly fading flush were plain to see, judging by the smug smile that stretched across Fushimi's face. Abeno turned on his heel with a huff, now following Ashiya to the one person he had hoped to never see again. The one person in this school that was currently possessed by a demon. Coincidence is a bitch.
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     Walking out into the hallway, they saw that Miki was now heavily leaning against the wall, her strength clearly abandoning her. Ashiya's posture remained stiff as they approached, but a growing concern was present in the furrow of his brows. Abeno elected to ignore this, though the knot in his stomach said otherwise.
     He briskly approached the girl, feigning ignorance as he coldly asked: "Who are you?"
     "I'm Miki," she said between labored breaths.
     "Oh," Abeno responded, faking shock. "I was actually talking to him." He pointed at the demon. Miki's eyes followed his finger, and she let out a light scowl before quickly hiding it. Abeno knew it was needlessly malicious, after all, she had no knowledge of him, but he still felt gratified by her reaction.
     "M-Me, mister Master of the Mononokean, sir?" the hamster timidly asked. "I'm, um, Ryo, sir!"
     "It's very nice to meet you, Ryo," Abeno said. "There's no need for you to be nervous. Would you like me to send you to the Underworld?"
     Ryo shook his head vigorously. "N-No, please don't!"
     "Why not?" Abeno looked on, confused.
     Miki stepped forward forcefully. "Listen, I don't know who you think you are, but I've been with this guy since the end of last week. I think I know a little more than you about what's up."
     "Really? Then, please, enlighten me," he shot back, just barely keeping a grimace off his face.
     "He's being harassed by someone where he's from—the Underworld, I presume?" At a nod from both of them, she continued. "So, he can't go back there, at least not right now. There's this guy that follows him around glaring all the time, and it's not like I can do anything about it! I don't even know where this place is." She finished by crossing her arms, daring them to question her. Abeno caught her shooting a brief apologetic look at Ashiya.
     "I appreciate your assisting him for this long," Abeno pushed past slightly gritted teeth, "but we can help him from here. This is our job, and we can figure out this situation with him in the Underworld."
     Ashiya stepped up behind Abeno. "Ryo, is it okay with you if we take you to the Underworld? I promise we'll watch out for you!" Abeno faintly smiled at the mental image of them standing as a unified force against Miki.
     "Hey, I've been with him for days now, I'm not going to just leave him with you," here, she pointedly singled out Abeno. "I want to go with you." She stood firm, her arms crossed in front of her.
     For the hundredth time that day, Abeno gritted his teeth together before responding. "I can't just let humans into the Underworld. There are rules and regulations, as well as the fact that it's just dangerous—"
     "I'm not some delicate flower, I'll be fine—"
     "I didn't say that it would be dangerous for you, did I?" Abeno asked steelily.
     "Are you accusing me of being a danger to them? Listen here, you son of a—!"
     "Guys!" Ashiya yelled, stepping between the two. "Stop acting like children—both of you," he added when he caught the accusatory glances they were sending each other. "This is ridiculous! Abeno, why don't we ask Ryo what he wants? After all, the Justice has to accompany us regardless."
     Abeno felt shame rising in him as he realized Ashiya was right. Seeing the disappointment in his face made Abeno look away, unable to meet his eyes.
     "My apologies, Ryo," he said as he bowed. "Would you like us to bring along your—friend—to the Underworld?" He managed to only add the slightest hesitation before the word friend, which was as amiable as he could be.
     "If it's not too much trouble, sir, I would appreciate it!"
     "Then it shall be done. Please, won't you follow us to the roof?"
     "But class is starting!" Miki exclaimed.
     Abeno glanced at her over his shoulder, the lightest smirk in place. "Oh, I'm sorry, I thought you wanted to be a part of this? You can feel free to go to class if you would like, but I feel it important to complete this as soon as possible for both your health and Ryo's."
     Miki strode forward, passing Abeno and not looking back. "I said I wanted to come, didn't I? Try to keep up!" Well, she got her energy back.
     Ashiya lingered behind for a moment and lightly touched Abeno's arm to make him wait.
     "What was that all about? I know you don't like people, but you're not usually that, I don't know, confrontational?" He let out a light chuckle, and it was finally clear he wasn't actually upset with Abeno. A wave of relief washed over Abeno's frazzled nerves, and he smiled softly at Ashiya.
     "It seemed like she upset you when we were in the classroom, so I suppose I was a bit predisposed to dislike her," he answered simply.
     The fond astonishment on Ashiya's face lifted Abeno's spirits, and he moved forward with a new determination to make it through this day with Miki.