Sake, wisteria and blood

All the excitement, all the sadness

Your troubled heart

Give it to the flexible willow.

BASHO (1644-1694)

      Demons.       Beings whose power borders on the divine. They are punishment and destruction, designed to rid the polluted earth of parasites that have impregnated the earth with human vices. Their preacher, leading the best nation to the light, is Mudzan—sama, the demon king and the Great Master in the soul of each of his subordinates. Mudzan-sama is followed by his highest retinue. Demons of 12 Moons. Powerful and capable of destroying the entire human population if their Lord so orders, but even they taken together cannot match his strength. One of the highest demonic warriors is Beelzebub, the 6th Upper Moon. This girl is death and destruction. Her power, unstoppable and insane, could frighten even demons who stood above her in rank. And only because of the fact that her power was unbridled, Beelzebub proudly sat in sixth place. Lightning and rolling thunder, cutting the canvas of heaven — that’s her path. She killed, devoured and destroyed, reveling in suffering and human flesh. But her blood was always solved with someone else’s, because her own power with the same ecstasy ringed its owner. Beelzebub is a pale demoness who controls electrical discharges. Giant thunderous hands created a roll — and all living things perished, along with a part of the girl herself. She was very silent, quiet and always worked alone. Other demons described Beelzebub as a dangerous enemy, an experienced warrior and a terrible demon in anger, but almost none of them had ever worked with her in pairs. Beelzebub is death. She herself has long since begun to perish, bent by her own peals. She’s punishment. She will cleanse this world of evil by merging with it. She is a crime-… - “Heather grove?” — Y-yes, madam, welcome to our establishment, come in, do not hesitate… someone else came with you? — a stout mustachioed man in a work suit and apron opened the door for a lonely girl. Apparently, it was the owner of a local bar. — No, I’m completely alone, — a girl with pale skin, purple hair and purple eyes smiled gently, awkwardly passing inside. — Let me put you at an empty table… — the man spun around, looking for a suitable place. The Heather Grove Bar resembled a typical two-story Japanese building of the current Taisho era. Quite small, the size of a very ordinary apartment building, with the asymmetry inherent in this time. Large curved roofs of dark purple bamboo are slightly curved, with windows and carved red partitions under them. A sign with hieroglyphs from the name of the bar is nailed above the bamboo door. Inside, it consisted of one spacious room, where low tables were placed. Nearby, separated by a thin partition, there was a small kitchen, perfectly visible to every visitor of the bar. The walls are hung with beautiful images of girls, bottles of sake and all kinds of vegetation: various trees, grass, flowers and small bushes. All the places were completely packed with visitors not of the most sober kind. The smell of sake, wine and stewed rice was everywhere. Only one table at the very end was occupied by just one customer. Unlike the other townspeople, he looked especially gloomy. The girl squinted attentively, noticing the katana in his hands. — I’ll sit with that man, — the girl nodded confidently, without even asking the visitor himself. — bring me a bottle of the most expensive sake. —G-good, mistress! — the man nodded and retired to the kitchen, on one of the shelves of which an alcohol warehouse was stored. The girl took a deep breath and began to squeeze through the crowd of men. Beelzebub. Here she is — a beautiful, but pale, like a forest toadstool girl, passing by drunks in a bar and waiting for a bottle of strong alcohol. The demon’s everyday life does not always consist of the same devouring of people. After all, you can also enjoy the spiritual needs of your exalted demonic gut by reflecting with some of the little people over a couple of glasses of alcohol. The girl is in this bar for the first time. In the past, she visited another one, on the very outskirts. However, just a couple of years ago, it was destroyed by fighters and a couple of demons, on which the 6th moon still wails in the soul. And now, after a long time, she will again feel the taste of expensive sake… What else could a spiritually developed demon like her dream of? — Have a nice evening, sir, — the girl approached the lonely man at the table and bowed in greeting. A formidable, sturdy-looking man in a beige-brown kimono raised his eyes from under his brows at her. A strange, white haori with a hood covering its head swayed slightly. I wonder why such secrecy… — Hello, madam, — the man nodded and pointed with his palm to the place opposite his own. — I would be glad if you would share this wonderful evening with me. I’m sorry, I couldn’t resist listening to your conversation with Mr. Wang, because I already know your order. The girl obediently sat down in the indicated place, bending her legs under her and looked carefully at the man. Long locks of brown hair fell from a shadowed face. On his spacious haori there was a light hood hiding his face, and therefore the girl noticed his bright amber eyes only when he looked at her point-blank. – What is your name, mistress? — the man’s voice is low, murmuring and velvety, immediately penetrating straight into the mind. The girl folded her hands on her dark purple kimono. — I'm Ei, - she answered. - May I ask your name, mysterious lonely gentleman? The man laughed and the girl involuntarily compared his soft laugh with the purring of wild cats. The waiter brought sake and took the money, the girl poured alcohol into two square glasses-masu: his and a new acquaintance. — I have many names, — the man smiled gratefully with the tips of his lips and sipped the drink without even wincing. - call me… Zhongli. Beelzebub nodded and sipped alcohol from masu, narrowing her eyes. This sake is really very strong… — Why are you all alone, Mr. Zhongli? I see you have a katana. Are you a demon slayer? — the girl asked. The man also smelled terribly of wisteria. Accompanied by Ei’s open curious gaze, the man poured himself sake and spoke softly: — The first question… I come here to drink wonderful sake and wine. Unfortunately, on my way I did not meet any comrades with whom I could share this drink, - he finished off the contents of the glass with a sip and looked into the face of the interlocutor. — and if I did, they won’t be able to come to me from the clouds. The girl noticed how slightly the cheeks of her interlocutor turned red from alcohol. He drank a lot more than she did, but his reasoning was so sound that Ei could compare him with a philosopher with confidence. – I’m sorry for you, Mr. Zhongli, - Beelzebub persisted, - but you didn’t answer my second question. It suddenly seemed to the demoness that some strange irony appeared in Zhongli’s frightening eyes, accompanied by a stony expression on her face. He was perfectly in control of his emotions, but Beelzebub could read them in the barely noticeable gleam in the depths of his pupils. He didn’t say anything, as if he was thinking about something of his own, looking Her straight in the eyes. – No, I’m not a demon slayer in the general sense of the word, - he replied, thinking over every word. — but also not one of those whom you can see here. The demon sipped her drink thoughtfully. — Why do you come to drink so late and all alone, Ei? — Zhongli suddenly asked and the girl almost choked. — Let's leave the extra ceremonies aside first. I really don't love them. — the girl waved off. The man nodded. — I'm here... For a drink too. This seems like a good place. And now I'm not alone at all—you're my companion Zhongli continued to carefully study her from under the hood. His gaze seemed too bright, too clear, too... Ei had a wonderful memory of the taste of sake shared with her sister. Oh, her sister… Poor Makoto… Even now, after so many years, it hurts her to remember her. And the reminder that darkened her soul hid all the people around from her eyes. The girl blindly poured herself the rest of the sake into a glass and drank it in one gulp, wrinkling her unusually pale face. Suddenly, the girl felt a strange pleasant cold on her hand. Beelzebub looked up and saw only bright amber eyes with an oblong pupil in front of her. The man looked at her attentively, as if he was not looking at her face, but cut through her black and viscous, like resin, soul. Ei raised her eyebrows and Zhongli gently removed his hand. —I’m sorry, Ei, - he said in an unusually soft voice, - I thought you were starting to fall asleep. — Nonsense. One bottle won’t put me to sleep, - Beelzebub was surprised by her own confident speech. — Zhongli, will you order some more sake? I’ll give you the money later. The man first looked at her appraisingly, doubtful, but still nodded and retired to a modest counter. Soon the second bottle was drunk. Already in the middle of it, the interlocutors suddenly felt much easier, as if something so wonderful had happened to them that they definitely needed to share. – ...oh, I’ve never felt so awkward before, - the girl laughed softly. — I can’t imagine how I would behave if I were in your place. Right in front of the boss to plop into the mud with leeches! — the man answered already unusually, but pleasantly uninhibited to the girl. Bathed in crimson blush and busy talking, they forgot everything around them. Ei didn’t remember anything since the last drops of the second bottle. It was then, fueled by ecstasy, that she did something she would regret. Regret every last part of your life. What a shame for a demonic soul... Ei got up on her knees, pushed the bottle aside and leaned across the table to Zhongli. Not expecting reactions and doubts, she enthusiastically bit into human lips, with pleasure she felt the taste of sake on his tongue. The man froze, as if in doubt, but only for a split second, continuing, deepening the kiss. He ran his hand hotly over the pale neck of the girl, gently stroked her shoulder. She answered him with short sighs, holding her breath and digging into him. Unaccustomed, she devoured him, there was no tenderness in her movements. But the man skillfully softened her, pulling away and sighing. That was the last thing the girl remembered. She did not direct her thoughts, she was drawn only to the desire to feel someone else’s blood on her lips. But for some reason she pulled away without even tearing off her tongue… Lips, frightening but alluring human eyes… Beelzebub wanted it in her collection. She wanted to dig into him again and again, to feel his terrible smell of wisteria, delicate osmanthus and human skin, blood… Zhongli… A weird man…

***

      Hours passed, long, lonely days. No, Beelzebub reveled in someone else’s flesh almost every day, especially those obtained as a result of the battle. Her body, huge, scarred on pale skin, rose up over the victim and destroyed her. Blood, the taste of human muscles and death have long been commonplace for her. However, every day the girl took a couple of hours to visit a small oblique house on an empty street… “Spring Grove” always greeted the demoness with a pleasant smell of alcohol. Ei was sipping sake on a lonely table at the very edge, closing her violet eyes. Opening them, she looked around at people, looking for another victim among them. And, it seems, someone else’s amber eyes with an oblong pupil… The girl did not know why she spends so much time on alcohol. Why do I have to come here so often, to the people. Something long ago, forgotten and hidden by demonic charms was hiding behind steel ribs and suddenly began to wake up in human form when she came into the thick of the crowd. Beelzebub would not lie if he said that she loved to sit so alone in front of the very last table in a human bar. Ei listened and listened to the words of the drunks. Sometimes the knowledge of rumors helped a successful hunt a lot. The only thing that for some reason touched the girl for the rotten remnants of her soul were traces of amber eyes hidden by a light hood. Wherever the girl was, she saw this frightening look everywhere. She herself did not understand whether she was afraid of him, or whether this little man, who smelled of wisteria, really bewitched her with something… Days passed, but the fighter was not here. Now his smell had completely disappeared from the building and Ei felt only the stench of fumes and soft notes of wine. Sipping sake from a small teko cup, her head was always immersed in dense thoughts. But one day the unexpected happened. A tall, sturdy man in a sophisticated kimono walked confidently into the “Spring Grove”, over which a light haori with a deep hood gently lulled his broad shoulders. Ei flashed her eyes, staring at him. The clear smell of blood and vile wisteria painfully hit the nose. With a confident step, a familiar figure walked straight towards her. Ei couldn’t help but half smile. —Zhongli, - she said with some relief. - you’ve been gone a long time. Where have you been? The man stopped, pondering, and then laughed briefly, sitting down opposite. — What questions, Ei, — Zhongli ordered two cocktails - and he looked at the girl, hiding his eyes, - you’ve already nailed me to the spot. As I said earlier, I am partly a fighter, and therefore I do not sit still. Beelzebub shyly looked away. And the truth is, the little man has just arrived, and she is already accusing him. – I can smell blood and rot, - she began softly. - are you hurt? The man said nothing. When two glasses with a drink were brought, the fighter silently sipped it. Ei frowned. – This demon was pretty strong, - he said in a low voice, as if justifying himself. Beelzebub nodded. Really… Apparently someone from the Lower Moons tried — the demoness clearly feels the smell of their blood. Did Zhongli kill him? — I can try to help, — the girl touched his palm without touching the alcohol. The man looked at her carefully and paused for a short time. Without pulling away, he quietly said: — Thanks, but I don't think you can help now. The girl frowned. — Are you challenging me? Unfortunately, Zhongli, I'm really very good at healing wounds. You can't even match me when it comes to bandaging! —Really not worth it, - he said and raised his head. Only now did Ei see his eyes so clear again. His eyes… Amber. A bright, sunny bark envelops honey drops, chrysanthemums have bloomed right in the pupils, cutting through the idyll of a floral, sun-drenched meadow. Around the pupil, two earthy rings intertwined in a single fiery dance… – I thought you weren’t coming anymore... -Ei didn’t take her eyes off his pupils. It seemed that if she looked somewhere else, he would evaporate and only a honey trail would remain. – Did you miss me? - the man seemed surprised. — What else. We only met once when we drank sake, - the demoness snorted. Does he think she’s a good-natured girl who fell in love with a fighter? Zhongli smiled. — I would like to see you more often, Ei, — the man took a teko teacup and poured sake, — you are… specific. Beelzebub gulped down the sake from the glass. Of course Ei specific - she’s a demon after all. It is unlikely that she will look like an ordinary girl. However… – What are you mean by "specific"? - Ei’s eyes flashed curiously. —Like sake, - he said after a minute of silence, pointing to teko with a drink. — you smell wonderful, but you’re filling up with iron in your throat. Only after the advent of time, a sweet aftertaste is felt... Ei raised one eyebrow, not quite understanding what she was talking about. The man smiled and sipped his drink, staring at her with his frightening eyes. — Better tell me, how was this week with you? And then there were conversations. Then there was sake and the vile smell of wisteria. Zhongli smiled and listened, and Beelzebub, a lone killer, a demon of the highest moon, capable of destroying the entire bar with one blow, told those only crumbs of remaining memories from the past, human life. She spoke knowing that the fighter wouldn’t tell anyone. Knowing that he could die every minute and keep her secrets for himself. It’s easy to trust unfamiliar people, it’s enough just to understand that there is simply no one to give out her secrets to a man. He was telling her something too. About flowers, the light of the sun and the aromas of the earth at dawn. Ei fell asleep with her nose buried in the sleeve of her purple kimono, feeling such a rare but warm smile on her face. This man was strange. Almost indifferent, like dry bark, but the emotions in his eyes were much brighter than many of the girl’s acquaintances. It seems that he is kind of kind… he looked like Makoto. Despite his young age, he was extremely wise and listened attentively to her short stories, commenting on them and sharing his experience. The demon had never thought that she would spend her holy life like this, bringing destruction to human parasites. And the worst thing is, she didn’t want to kill this little man. She wanted to keep him, so that he would remain alone on this earth, under her wing… Days, weeks, months passed. Time went by and once a week, Zhongli and Ei sat together, drinking sake and smiling at each other. The stories of Beelzebub were ending, but the fighter was only growing. They listened to each other, listened to every word, sometimes even briefly laughed at their own and each other’s embarrassments. There was less and less alcohol in the glasses, and more and more conversations…       But one day Zhongli didn’t come. Ei waited until dawn, missing the night of the hunt. Not once did she touch sake, waiting for her little man to appear. But he still didn’t come. Beelzebub clenched her fists, frowned, and was angry. She was angry that some stupid demon could take away her man. But Ei was insanely scared. A month has passed since that day. Ei will not forget such a betrayal of her Zhongli. He promised to come to her, share life and hot drinks with her, but he did not fulfill his oath. A person’s life is as fragile as a glass vase… no, her Zhongli couldn’t die… Ignoring her pride, the demon came to the Spring Grove every day. After midnight she left, leaving behind a bottle of unopened alcohol. The manhunt was particularly fierce. Beelzebub was especially insane. Blood was pouring down her animal throat, but it was unable to intoxicate her. She could smell the smells, but she couldn’t smell the vile wisteria. Ei was looking like a wild animal, tearing and throwing. The sinner and the greatest being, created to cleanse the world of rot, was looking for a particle of it. And I suffered when I didn’t find it. Half-dead, the demon fell to the damp ground, pulling the nichireen blade out of her chest. She froze, breathed, looked, but felt dead. All those five killed by her in these two weeks… Vile, vile people… Ugly… Disgusting… Honey-colored pupils were reflected in the eyes of her victims every time before death. Beelzebub spared no one, broke their eyes, just not to feel this look on her. But then she became afraid of him. To be afraid, like the worst nightmare, like your past. Every time Zhongli’s eyes looked at her with fear and she reflected their feelings like a mirror. Having assumed human form, the girl came to that bar again and again. But after midnight she stopped leaving. She slept like a guard dog on duty, pinned to a low table with a fresh, unopened bottle of sake. And now Beelzebub was sleeping quietly, forgetting about the pain in her whole body after a fierce battle and not caring about the loud voices and noise of visitors. A sudden, weightless, ghostly touch revived the girl. She barely opened her eyelids, staring unseeingly at the table. — Hey, — the male baritone seemed to dip the girl into a warm honey bubble. Where the young grass is swaying in a light wind, where the warm rays of the sun, which is murderous for her, suddenly gently cover the wounded, icy body… The girl raises her head sharply when she clearly begins to smell wisteria and osmanthus. Her purple eyes feign fear for a moment. Ei touched his palm, rose higher to her elbow. Then she lifted the body, held it with her other hand and gently touched his broad shoulders. Beelzebub, with a shudder of the heart, felt the torn fabrics of his previously beautiful kimono, touched it where possible, palpably, but without any vulgarity. It was as if the man in front of her was a ghost, as if he was about to dissolve, leaving behind traces in the form of hellish pain. —Hey, - he repeated softly, placing his big, worn palms on her delicate hands. Beelzebub got up from her seat, straightened up, looking at Zhongli. It was him. He, he, he, her little, weak man… The girl forcefully squeezed his shoulders, slammed him into the wall with incredible strength for a fragile girl. The conversations behind his back subsided, but Ei didn’t care about all of them. He... He       He       Zhongli… — Zhongli… — Ei? – I’ll strangle you, you little bastard! - The girl pressed him firmly into the smooth surface, her face contorted with anger. — traitor! I’ll grind you to powder! The girl slammed him into the wall again. There was a crash. Everyone immediately fell silent. — I’ll incinerate you, bastard! Where have you been?! - Beelzebub didn’t care anymore that she was using superhuman strength, that everyone was looking at her, at his frightening eyes. — M-madam, maybe you shouldn’t…? — timidly asked the owner of the bar, coming a little closer. In response, the girl hissed like an animal and only tightened her grip on the man’s body, feeling the claws pass through the fabric of Zhongli’s dirty clothes and his skin. — I thought you were dead! — at that moment, the girl looked up at his eyes for the first time. Zhongli… was smiling. Like never before. His eyes, warm and kind now, were looking at her… With tenderness? Ei expected to see everything, but not… this. Not his kindness. She was waiting for fear, anger, that he would cry in pain and mourn a broken promise… Zhongli gently touched her shoulders without pulling away, leaned his head towards her and weightlessly touched her forehead with his forehead. In surprise, Ei loosened her grip and her hands dropped dead from his shoulders. Beelzebub burrowed closer to him, not realizing what had happened. The man slid his hands and gently wrapped his arms around her small human body. – Let's go, Ei, we attracted too much attention... - Zhongli said, and the girl drowned in his voice. She herself did not understand how she ended up on the street. I didn’t understand what just happened. The girl forgot absolutely everything. The man was sitting on a bench, holding her palms in his, and Ei was standing in front of him with her head down. Zhongli gently pulled her towards him, and she didn’t even resist. Because of the overload of emotions and feelings, her brain completely ceased to be aware of what was happening. – Dear... Dear Ei, - said a soft voice. — it’s okay, don’t worry, I’m here… Please don’t worry… Beelzebub looked up. Her little man was sitting in front of her, holding her palms with half-bent hands. It was the first time the girl had looked at him so closely during this crazy evening. His clean, beautiful kimono is torn, some spots of fresh blood are visible here and there. There are brand new deep wounds on the shoulders from her claws. His neck was scratched, and his face, pale, thin, expressed excessive fatigue and tenderness. Ei felt her eyebrows rise piteously. She felt ashamed. For the scene in the bar, for all her stupid emotions that so unexpectedly splashed out on a man... On a man, tired and wounded by another demon, from whose shoulders blood flowed and soaked the light fabric. She’s a demon. She is a crime, she is a punishment. But now she is so pathetically reaching for a human neck, falling to her knees in front of him and embracing the body. Her eyes hurt horribly from the moisture that has not been shed, and the man hugs her so tenderly… Months together… Sake, the smell of wisteria… Not such a nasty wisteria… Ei sobbed loudly, burying her face in his chest. Zhongli picked her up from the ground and gently sat her on his lap, hugging her to his chest. Where the frightened heart is beating furiously… – I... think I missed you, — the girl’s voice is weak and quiet, barely distinguishable with a whisper. This confession was like this… So cruel to her demonic soul, as if she had confessed her weakness. The self-loathing was palpable, this acrid pain spilled under the skin. But the man’s hands gently holding her fragile body lulled the excited mind, calmed it better than herbal decoction. And at that moment she forgot about everything, concentrating on such an unusual warmth… –Forgive me, Beelzebub, - he whispered, nuzzling her purple hair. - I’ll never leave you alone again. Ei felt her mind moving away from her body. She felt so weak in his arms… Pathetic… Beelzebub…