They called us monsters part 7

Chapter 7: Demon that wasn’t

‘’I have truly missed you nosing around my things.’’, the doctor’s voice was heard and Ketsu smirked lightly before averting her gaze from one of the manuscripts she had been reading. It was already past noon and she was currently in her third one. She really enjoyed traveling and gaining information from all sorts of people and friends, especially her late friend Rego, but Elise had really impressed the black-haired demon with her progress.

‘’Your work is up to his level.’’, she couldn’t help but comment sincerely, noticing the bittersweet smile on the redhead’s face and the tears that welled up in her eyes.

‘’I hadn’t visited ever since we separated from him.’’, Elise muttered to herself and Ketsu lifted a brow, before sighing.

‘’Rego was a clever and compassionate man. He was satisfied just by receiving your letters, knowing that you were alive. He treated us like his kids after all.’’

Elise smiled for a brief moment and straightened up, as if the conversation had never occurred, and took a few steps into her own office. She went through one of the binders in the lower shelves, where she kept records of her patients throughout the years. The office was well stocked with all sorts of paperwork and notes, located in the second floor of the building, right next to the bedrooms. Ketsu had barely gotten any sleep last night, her mind too overwhelmed by the change of pace she was experiencing. Elise had been kind enough to bring a second mattress in her own room and share it with her.

‘’Is Nero taking care of your patients now?’’, the black-haired demon asked, a glimpse she took of him as he came out of his room way too early in the morning flashed in her head.

‘’Indeed he is.’’, Elise murmured, while reading through a file. She frowned lightly and placed the file on the desk, beside the books Ketsu had opened, forcing her obsidian eyes to land on the papers. As Elise took a quill in her hands, scribbling down a few lines, Ketsu had the opportunity to read through the patient’s file, seeing how her friend didn’t bother to hide anything from her.

‘’So young too.’’, she blurted out, interested in the situation. Elise chuckled and after finishing her notes, writing deceased at the bottom of the file, she closed the binder and placed it back on the shelf.

‘’Carry on, Ketsu. I will see you at dinner.’’

By the time the two female demons and the doctor’s apprentice, Nero, all ended up in the same room, the sun had disappeared behind the horizon, swallowed up by the sea. They all dined, while the two women conversed casually about one of Elise’s past experiments on organ transplants. After they were finished, Nero took the dishes and approached the basin to clean them up, while the redhead demon sat on a low stool beside the fire, rubbing her hands together and preparing a long pipe.

‘’We are running out of organs.’’, Nero suddenly commented while wiping his wet hands on a piece of cloth. He approached the fireplace, placing a kettle on the iron surface beside the fire, in preparation of tea. The black-haired demon sat beside the open window, considering the fact that by approaching these two, she might become intrusive.

‘’Sir Kolt will visit to take some medicine tomorrow. I’ll ask for new bounties.’’, Elise commented and took a long drag of her pipe. Ketsu’s black eyes were focused on the two, teacher and student, demon and human, observing their dynamic with much interest. She’d have to find a place of her own soon enough and start building a front business.

‘’Perhaps lady Ketsu would like to join me in the hunt.’’

The sound of her name from the young male forced her attention away from her future plans and on his blue eyes that gazed back at her. There was no emotion in those eyes, something she had never seen in a human before. It was the first time in her life that the demon felt frightened of the human.

‘’Join you?’’ A smile cracked on his lips at her words and her eyes narrowed.

‘’Doctor has told me about an old friend of hers, so vicious, that even demons feared her. She loved to hunt on her own and was proud of her nature, eating her humans as fresh as she could get them and never growing hungry.’’, he spoke with mirth and Elise smirked beside him, staring at the flames nonchalantly, as if not wanting to comment on the matter. ‘’Am I wrong to assume that this person is you, lady Ketsu?’’

The black haired woman sighed and closed her eyes for a split second. When she opened them once more, Nero widened his, upon witnessing the crimson coloring of a well fed demon’s eyes.

‘’I could use some hunting.’’

The female demon was more than glad for being able to research in the private office of her friend, since it helped time pass faster. She was looking forward to hunting tonight, being informed by Elise herself that her student, Nero, was going to work later this day, only to sleep more and prepare himself. Ketsu was curious about the male. She had fought hunters before, some of them too formidable to face head on, some of them even half demons, true warriors and specimens of human kind, that she chose to avoid.

When night fell and the black-haired female entered the main room of the house, her eyes fell on Nero’s back. He was preparing food once more, only this time there was no raw organ meat to accompany the usual meal. They dined quickly and this time the male did not pick the dishes up, his teacher did.

‘’I have the bounties in my coat pocket.’’, she mumbled while washing the dishes and with two strides, Nero had reached the hanging by the chair cloth, retrieving a piece of paper. A frown altered his handsome features.

‘’Just one?’’

‘’It’s a group.’’

A scoff escaped him and he stuffed the paper in his pocket. He walked to a locked trunk at the side of the room and with one of the keys that hang from a string around his neck, he unlocked it. In a few moments time, Nero had fished out leather armor, a belt with numerous daggers, as well as ropes and a chain. He fastened all the equipment on him with dexterity and speed and Ketsu couldn’t help but admire him. She had no need of preparation, since all that she required was on her at most times. He took a cloak in his hands and it was the demon’s signal to wear her own, covering her figure. Before he wore it though, he approached the pantry, where, beside the various fruit, vegetables, dry herbs and spices, three vials were placed, filled with red liquid. Ketsu frowned, realizing that she had just noticed their existence.

‘’I extracted it today, so it will be stronger than usual.’’, Elise commented, her attention focused on the male as well. He took one of the vials in his hand and unscrewed the lid. With a few gulps he downed the crimson liquid. He pursed his lips, clearly having a tough time keeping it down and then went for a second one. He drunk it all as well, his eyes shut tight as he did. Ketsu noticed how tense he appeared, a few veins protruding on his head and sweat drops falling down his forehead. Suddenly, he sighed and seemed to have relaxed.

The moment he looked at them though, Ketsu felt her very being shiver as there was no blue left in his eyes. His iris had turned red and shone abnormally bright, like a regularly well fed demon that just had another snack.

‘’What have you done?’’, the black haired one commented and Elise crossed her hands in front of her chest, tilting her head upwards with pride.

‘’My boy Nero is the best thing I have even created. He is an upgrade of the human race.’’

The demon narrowed her eyes in disbelief, a number of questions roaming in her mind. With a nod from the redhead doctor, Nero lifted his hood up and shifted his attention to his companion for the night.

‘’Shall we, miss Ketsu?’’