Demise Game

i. interlude: shiki

Shiki knew that he was practically useless in his cat form.  While he could slowly feel himself growing stronger, it was nowhere near enough to break the wretched curse that his brother had inflicted upon him.  This meant, unfortunately, he had to seek help from an... outside source.

        "I know yer out there," Shiki sighed.  "So you can come out, Amaranth."

        The cat waited impatiently in the park before the air seemed to shift.  Floating and sitting cross-legged upside down, a person — no, another demon — with long hair appeared.  It was pastel green this time.  It was certainly better than the neon orange they sported when Shiki last saw them.  Their ears were long and drooped slightly downwards, pointing out, and their eyes were equally as droopy, giving them the appearance of sleep deprivation.  Black ram horns curled out from the top of their head, and they were dressed in a simple black kimono.

        "My, my.  Long time no see, my darling little kitty cat."

        "Don't call me that."

        The demon giggled, righting themselves but still floating in the air.  "What brings you to seek me out?"

        Shiki's tail flicked in irritation as he met their singular seeing eye, a fashionable eyepatch covering the one that was clawed out ages ago from himself.

        ". . . I need yer help," Shiki admitted gruffly.  The demon continued to smile, but it became sharper, their eye narrowing slightly.

        "If I recall, last time you requested for my help, you wound up betraying me and taking one of my eyes.  It's only befitting you're not trapped in the body of a little feline, ehe."

        Shiki was unamused.  "If I recall," he repeated, "you betrayed me first by attemptin' t' kill two humans under my protection.  And killin' another one under my protection.  Say, how did you enjoy yer Hanako disguise, again?"

        Amaranth was unfazed.  "It was quite fun.  I'd recommend you trying it, but you can't even get into your normal or human form, can you?  Poor wittew kitty cat," they cooed mockingly.  "But, I'll bite.  What wish can I grant you...  Hm.  It's still Shiki, right?"

        "It's not a wish.  You owe me, and I'm cashin' in that favor," he snapped, tail swishing.  "I need ya to break the curse.  It's been deterioratin'...  Surely, a demon of your caliber can finish the job."

        The smile slowly died down, a look of contemplation crossing Amaranth's face.  "Hm...  Shuuen's magic is still pretty strong.  I could partially break it down, but you won't be able to go back to your demon form.  It will just allow you to revert back to your human form for short periods of time."

        The cat ground his teeth together.  "God yer useless.  Fine.  I'll take it."

        "Oh my.  I forgot you had quite the temper," Amaranth chuckled, before waving their hand.  Shiki could feel his spine elongating painfully, his limbs stretching out and feeling like he was being pulled apart.  Moments later, he was on his hands and knees, a thin layer of sweat coating his face. 

        Amaranth giggled, hiding their mouth demurely behind a raised hand.  "So bold, Shiki.  I applaud you, although most humans might not appreciate your confidence."

        Shiki swore, realizing he was completely naked as Amaranth begin to disappear in the air.

        "Oh, and a word of advice...  Drop that Western accent.  Your normal accent was a lot better."

        And then, the demon was gone, leaving Shiki in his birthday suit.  His limbs ached, and he tested the mobility of his hands before he stood up, wiggling his fingers and toes.  God...  It had been decades since he last was in a human form.  It would take some time getting used to.