A Demon's Locket

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Shuten-dōji remembered perfectly the day they met. He was prepared to fulfil his divine task of taking care of a renegade angel, he expected someone deeply remorseful for his actions and wanting to return to those above him as soon as possible, that was the usual prototype after all.

However, there appeared before him a completely grinning angel who uttered out the words that would be burned into his memory: "Heaven isn't real after all". He knew that he would not be like other souls and also that he would have to walk a long path by his side.

The role of guide did not usually last more than a millennium, his duty was to make sure that the sentence was carried out, when the souls got used to it he was generally released and then it was back to square one. It was the fallen angel himself who had to set the demon free, Shinotenshi knew that rule perfectly well, but it would be no fun to let his beloved dark guide go so easily, he had kept him by his side for so many years that the decision to leave him to someone else became more and more difficult. The greed that made him somewhere between heaven and hell and ultimately betrayed him was welcomed in the place where he was banished. He concluded that those in heaven were rigid, moralistic hypocrites soon after he ascended there, the only thing he was grateful for was that it was thanks to them that he was able to meet Shunten.

Now the two had sneaked off to an area between the two realms that was not usually crowded. They called the place "The Abyss of the Fallen", for that is where souls who had given up their existence ended up. The mountainous landscape was shrouded in clouds of perfect white. As usual, Shunten-dōji and Shinotenshi were sitting on the edge of the cliff, the fallen angel was resting his head on his shoulder when he noticed that the demon was not paying attention to his words.

"Shunten, what's on your mind?"

The green-haired demon stopped playing with the object in his left hand to focus on the angel. With his right hand he reached for his hand to intertwine their fingers. His greenish eyes were still lost in the atmosphere as he went over a particular idea over and over again.

"Today five millennia have passed since you ascended, four since your fall." He murmured reflectively.

The celestials' time was malleable, it was not counted in the same way that mortal humans did, but they agreed on how ephemeral it was for both of them.

"Four since we met, the rest is history." This time he noticed the oni pawing at the strange metal object again. He could not tell what it was. "What do you have there?"

He reached out his clenched fist for Shinotenshi's free hand. He placed it on his hand, a round silver locket with symmetrical shapes engraved on its surface. The angel looked at it with full interest in his bluish eyes.

"It's a locket, I found it at the gates of hell a few years ago." He explained, before he started asking questions, he'd have to specify. "It's purified and empty, you don't have to worry about that."

A faint smile spread across the angel's face; it was Shunten who was picky about the unknown objects in case they were cursed, not him. He was sure that it had cost him just as much to get it out of there as to ensure that it was not dangerous, and also to have kept it a secret for so long.

"It's quite nice, is it for me?" the demon nodded as he ran his fingers over the cold metal, still distracted.

"Who else would it be for?" It was true, Shunten had no other celestial beings to give the gift to, he only had him "Let me put it on for you."

He had to let go of his hand so that he could more precisely pull the hitch, the angel turned on his back so that he could manoeuvre better, the demon passed the rope on both sides of his neck to join the ends together again by using the clasp. A breeze of air lifted his blonde hair, added to the beauty of the angel's smile, the demon felt a pang of guilt in his soul for what he would have to tell him.