A New World

He blinked slowly as Hibiki spoke, uncomprehending. Hold onto him? What was he planning on doi—

Kazuya made a small sound of surprise as he was suddenly lifted from the ground, and instinctively grabbed at Hibiki’s shoulders. What…was this? Maybe it had simply been that long since he’d engaged in any form of contact with another human, but it felt strange to him to be held this close. Him, a feared demon king…being held so delicately by a human, of all things…

Ridiculous.

Still, he said nothing as Hibiki carried him down the hall, and only held onto him as tightly as he could. He felt unsteady, being carried like this—so he was almost glad when he was finally set down on the bed. 

"…" He remained silent when Hibiki spoke up again, eyes trained on the man’s back as he turned to leave. Had his shoulders always been so broad…? Two years wasn’t a long time at all, and yet…

How horrible Kazuya was looking. It pained Hibiki to see him like that, but at the same time he couldn't repress the happiness which came by being able to hold him again. 

"Here. You should drink this," Hibiki said as he offered Kazuya the glass of water. "Is there anything you need? What can I do for you? If I can help you one way or another, all you need to do is ask. I'm by your side."

Don’t touch me like that. Don’t. Don’t—

Kazuya flinched when the man’s fingers moved to push his bangs from his eyes, turning his head sharply—and ignoring the nausea that came with doing so. He didn’t want this. He had to get out of here. He had to… He had to…

"Get away…"

He had to get away. He had to, but…how? Kazuya couldn’t even keep himself standing. He couldn’t summon a demon to whisk him away (too conspicuous and much too extreme), couldn’t open a portal, couldn’t even speak coherently, so—so how was he supposed to get away?

"...You need to rest. You're not going anywhere when in a state like this. Hold onto me."

Hibiki had hoped he didn't have to go as far as to actually carry Kazuya, but his shape was far more worse than he had thought. Hibiki made sure his grip on Kazuya was tight enough before he rose from the ground. It was surprisingly easy to carry Kazuya to the bedroom. Had the other always been this light? 

The bed creaked softly as Hibiki put Kazuya down. Hibiki knew he was doing the right thing, but felt bad for not accepting Kazuya's wishes nevertheless. 

He didn’t want to be here. He didn’t want to be here. He didn’t want to be here he didn’t want to be here stay away stay away Hibiki stay away stay far far far away—

Kazuya all but stopped breathing when Hibiki gathered him into his arms.

He could hear Hibiki speaking, but was too weak, too unfocused to really register the exact words. When was the last time he’d been this tired…? Hopping from world to world was never easy, but he couldn’t remember ever feeling so drained after other jumps. Maybe his journeys were finally taking their toll on his body… Or maybe…

"…"

Should he say something? He was probably worrying Hibiki with his silence…along with the fact that he’d collapsed in his hallway. Yeah… He should probably say something. Open his eyes, maybe.

"... Kazuya."

Gently, Hibiki moved his hand through Kazuya's hair to he could have a better look at his eyes. Kazuya's eyes were a little dull, but seemed to recognize Hibiki nevertheless.

But that just wasn’t possible, even for a fully-recognized King of Bel.

He could feel his breathing hitch when Hibiki’s whispered words reached his ears…and he could feel all the sorrow and pain and exhaustion that had built up come crashing down on him. His legs felt wobbly… His chest felt tight… His head hurt…

"H-Hey!" Hibiki's voice trembled slightly. It sounded odd. Was this how he had always acted around Kazuya? Was it okay for Hibiki to hold him like this? He couldn't tell. "Look at me, Kazuya. Open your eyes."

He’d have thought that two years would be ample time to forget someone completely…especially given the little time he had to think on anything other than the war against Him. Although time had passed and progress had been made in eliminating God’s influence over the many worlds in existence, many of His angels still lived on—as did He (a shell of His former self, with little to no sentient thought driving Him, but alive nevertheless).

The fragments of His being continued to wander the worlds, seeking to rebuild themselves, and Kazuya continued to track and destroy them. The King had thought of nothing else, had been so close to detaching himself from that person—

And then He had decided to revisit that world.

Kazuya had been hesitant to follow. He knew very well, after all, that the second he set foot in that place, the memories would come flooding back, and the urge to see that person would be stronger than ever. But even so… Even so, he had a mission to fulfill. He understood that, and accepted it.

What he didn’t understand was why he had ended up in Hibiki’s all-too-familiar apartment upon entering his world.

Why? Why? Had his subconscious so longed to see him again that he’d confused locations? He didn’t know. He did know, however, that he had to leave—preferably without being seen. Kazuya wasn’t sure if Hibiki was home or not, but—

"Hello…?"

No. No no no non onnononono.

Kazuya squeezed his eyes shut. He was too weak to even think of summoning a portal… World-hopping was never easy, after all. It took almost everything he had in him to do it, and a few days at least to recover.

"..." Hibiki's eyes widened slowly, not a word passing his lips. They both stood there, frozen. Hibiki didn't know what to say, or think. He didn't dare look away, afraid the other would be gone the moment he would be out of his vision. When Hibiki realized this couldn't be a dream, a gentle smile appeared on his face. After all those years, Kazuya was...

"These human gestures are beyond my understanding."

Humans were just so hard to figure out. He thought hard about his many observations of humans, and the only thing that came close were gestures of what he thought to be affection—yet still, none of them were quite the same as nose touching. What if what Hibiki had attempted was something completely different? …Though, Alcor would have been quite enthralled if Hibiki had been, in fact, attempting a show of affection.

"Hm… Turn my head, you say? Very well… I will try again, if you would allow me to."

He floated closer again, tilting his head as he was told. Alcor didn’t feel their noses make contact this time. Instead, their lips touched.

Alcor only lingered for seconds before he pulled away again. He realized, too late, what he had done, though the exact connotations of such an action escaped him as per usual. “…Oh. Hm… Did I overstep my boundaries this time…?”

"...There's nothing to worry about. I actually enjoyed that... I enjoyed that a lot," Hibiki said, smiling. This probably was confusing Alcor all the more, Hibiki realized. "I'm sorry, I'm just rambling now. Don't mind me."

Hibiki didn't know if he wanted to drop the subject. He had gotten his answers, but Alcor still seemed highly confused by the whole situation. Hibiki gently went with his forefinger over his lips. What a special first kiss that had been. 

Naoya considered, briefly recalling the incongruous amounts of money he sometimes received for his services. This boy did not seem to have access to the types of resources a larger cooperation had, and thus should not be expected to produce a proportional amount.

“If you wish to pay monetarily, you may present a down payment and pay the rest at a later date. However, it may be more convenient to simply say you owe me a favor. If you decide this is your preference, please leave your name, number, and address with me so I may call upon you in the future.”

Naoya scowled at the boy’s implications as he lowered himself into a seiza.

"...Really? That wouldn't be a problem?" Hibiki managed to get over his lips after a while. He hoped Naoya wouldn't take the long silence he had caused the wrong way. "In that case, could I say I owe you one? I will give you all the information you need."

Today was Hibiki's lucky day. He would need to thank the man which had given him Naoya's address would they meet again. He would need to thank Naoya too, but that much was obvious. His joy was showing through his smile.

He blinked in confusion when Hibiki tapped his nose before smiling. “I see… Yes, I suppose it would be hard to understand from simple observation. Hm…”

Now then… What exactly had Hibiki done? 

"Then…may I?"

His feet lifted off the ground slightly as he floated closer to Hibiki until once again, their faces were inches apart. When he was close enough, he leaned forward slightly and—

—touched his nose to Hibiki’s.

"…Hm."

"...That's a pity. Don't give up yet. I'm sure you can figure it out. If you just think a little harder you will know the answer in no time!"

They fell silent. Hibiki could see Alcor was thinking hard, but it didn't look like he was going to think of the answer any time soon. Hibiki did feel a little bad for making Alcor so confused, so he decided to give a little hint.