Still In There

The sound of emergency sirens drifted through the neighborhood at the crack of dawn. Japan was still adapting to this new world, cautious with every decision.  

Sayaka had called them a few hours after she had calmed herself; when there were no more tears left to fall. 

Though they refused immediate transport. 

Their safety was feared, she was told, they would set out the moment they had Seraph escorts. 

And so, the siblings waited the entire night. 

A cold dry night in mutual silence. Sayaka stepped out of the room once she calmed, refusing to look back. She turned the corner to her own room, not allowing herself one more glance that might shatter her again.

Ren stayed. 

He stood before his mother’s lifeless body, staring at the pale, smooth patches of her skin trying to hold onto a memory of who she once was.

Ren didn't look away.

He was burning the image into his soul itself, letting it be his source, his reason.

__________

Sayaka returned toward the room just as the first edge of sunlight touched the horizon. Ren was exactly where she had left him, unmoving, unchanged.

"The MPD is finally on their way," she murmured, inching toward him. "They also have two Seraph escorts. They’ll ask us a few questions."

Ren gave no response.

Sayaka raised a hand, landing it hard across his face.

"Wake up Ren!" 

Pain shot up her fingers immediately. She shook her hand repeatedly, wincing in pain. Ren remained frozen, only a faint red blooming on his cheek. 

Sayaka turned toward the door, looking back once more.

"When they come to take her..."  Her gaze drifted to his clenched fists. "...I'll do the talking."

She walked out of the room, leaving him there once more.

Moments later, she opened the front door.

The MPD walked inside first, followed by a medical team. The same "SL" insignia was also attached to their uniforms. Behind them approached a mismatched pair.

The much older man quickly bowed as he walked passed Sayaka, calm and focused. He wore a matching cap over thin hair. An attached beard and mustache sprinkled with early grey. An unlit cigarette locked between his lips.  

The other one behind him was very different. She held a small notebook and bounced with restless, polite energy. Her form was even smaller than Sayaka's. Her pink hair laid down to her shoulders, adorned with clips shaped as butterflies. She tucked the notebook in her front pocket, and closed the distance mirroring a hop more than a step.

She smiled energetically at Sayaka.
"Sorry we took so long," she reached for Sayaka hands, lifting them in hers. "It looked like you had a bad night. Don't worry. You're safe now."

The girl released her before spinning into the house. 

"They must be the Seraphs." Sayaka muttered, before closing the door behind them.

The air in the house felt stale. The Seraphs stood near the entrance studying the home. The MPD had already escorted the medics up the stairs toward the room. 

The older Seraph pulled out a notebook from his coat pocket, wrapping his fingers around a pen. Then he turned toward Sayaka, pen pressed on paper.

"Sorry, miss. You called last night, right?"

Sayaka nodded.

"And do you remember what time it was when the demon appeared?" The sound of pen strokes meshed with the footsteps above.

"Around seven," she answered.

Her eyes lifted toward the second floor. Two men slowly carried out a stretcher from the room. A top of it held a dark shape wrapped in a black bag.

Ren walked out after them, stopping at its entrance. He watched them carefully as the medics moved toward the stairs.

"Is that your brother?" the Seraph asked.

"Yes..." Sayaka whispered, then looked toward the covered body descending down the stairs. "...and my mother." 

The Seraph followed her gaze and sighed. He realized he wasn't very warming in such a heavy situation. He briefly put his notebook away, slipping the pen behind his ear, and turned to her with an offered hand.

"I am detective Noboru Kurose, MPD Unified Branch, Seraph Legion Division."

Sayaka stared at his hand for a heartbeat, then reached for it.

He gestured toward the other Seraph now standing near the base of the stairs, her eyes fixed on Ren with gentle concern. 

 "And that," he continued, "is our newest addition to the force, Yuna Hime." 

Yuna waited for the men to pass before bouncing up the stairs toward Ren. She reached his frozen body, gaze still following the stretcher below.

Yuna leaned low, trying to catch his eyes. A frown crept on her face when he didn't react. 
"He must still be in shock."

Sayaka’s jaw tightened.
Shock wasn’t the word.
Conviction was.

But she kept that thought to herself.

Yuna blinked, opening her eyes to Ren's staring back at her.

She fell backward, caught off guard.

"What's you're problem?" she snapped. "I'll have you know, I am a level eight Seraph." Her fingers clung to the wooden floorboards.

Noboru sighed from below. "Sorry about her behavior." 

He grabbed a lighter from his jacket and lifted it toward the end of his cigarette. His hands paused before he tucked it away. 

"Almost forgot we were indoors." A low, short chuckle left his lips. "Forgive us both."

Sayaka blanked out the noise, her eyes focused on Ren. The pressure he emitted suffocated the room. His eyes, an empty void that felt like even the smallest push could cause the destruction of the world. 

Her lips parted, almost telling her brother to calm down, but he turned away from the girl, returning his gaze toward the stretcher exiting the front door. Some of the MPD quickly walked out with them, as if they too felt the pressure.

It was like he realized that Yuna wasn't the enemy. 

Sayaka thought, glancing at Noboru as he slipped the notebook back in his hands.

"A few more questions." he stated, clicking the pen once more. "Are you sure the Spatial Zone covered the house?"

She nodded.

Noboru scribbled on the paper. "Okay, last question. Who killed it?" 

His gaze shifted from Sayaka to Ren.

"...I killed it," Sayaka quickly said. "I was downstairs when it happened. If Ren didn't scream, I would have never had known... and I might have lost him too."

Noboru studied her face before letting out a deep sigh. He jotted something down before folding the book one last time and placing it in his coat. He pulled out his phone and tapped the screen.

"Sayaka Kurosawa, huh?" His finger swiped up as he read. "It says here you are level five on the Seraph Legion database. Your brother doesn't seem to be on it. Is this information accurate?"

"Yes..." she paused. "....except I am level seven now."

"Oh?" Noboru's eyes lit up. "You must have encountered quite a bit of demons since your last declaration."

"Something like that." 

Yuna was back on her feet, dusting her uniform before descending down the stairs.
"Makes sense that you are a Seraph and not your brother."

She pranced toward Sayaka, seizing her hands once more. "You should totally come work in our department. We are short-staffed on Seraphs, and the few we have aren’t taking leveling seriously. We can be Seraph sisters."

The air felt still after her words, Sayaka dared not look at its source.

"It's... fine." she pulled back her hands. "I need to protect my brother."

"Tch," Yuna whispered under her breath. She turned toward the door.

"Don't mind her," Noboru said. "Even when I was chosen to be a Seraph, I tried to keep up with her for her sake. But as you can see, I am not as young as I once was. I am only level five after all."

He placed his phone into his pants pocket, turning toward the door. "Anyway, we will call the number you provided for next steps regarding your mother, and we will take this information to SL headquarters."

The two stopped at the doors edge, before Yuna turned toward Sayaka, a bright smile etched her face. "Bye-bye! We’ll handle the rest, okay? And the offer still stands, Sis!" 

They bowed and turned away from the house. 

The morning sun poured in behind them, its warmth cutting through the night’s leftover chill and filling the doorway with a quiet, golden calm.

Sayaka closed the door with a quiet thud. She took in a deep breath before turning to her brother.

His face was unreadable.

"…Ren? Do you want breakfast? I know I haven’t cooked in a while, but I can try again."

He moved.

He stepped toward the railing, arms lifted on its surface.
"You’re forbidden from entering the kitchen," he said flatly. "Are you trying to kill me too?"

His voice was cold, but the dry joke held a trace of the old Ren.

He turned toward the stairs, descending with purpose. Sayaka watched him until he vanished into the kitchen.

A small smile touched her lips.

He's still in there.

The smile faded. She lifted her head toward her mother's open door.

"…There’s still so much we don’t know," she whispered. "I need to get stronger too."

__________

Fun Fact: The growth of a demon depends on the strength of their victim.