The Devil Himself (ManXBoy) COMPLETED

Ch.24: Akuji

**Short chapter, but short is better than nothing, right?**

Lucifer moves down the dirt road of the main village in Hell, demons of all sorts making a path for him. Lucifer eyes a small demon child, around the age of one, lick his little black lips as he stares at a loaf of bread at the bakery. The child is thin and poorly dressed in ripped and stained rags. Lucifer can smell the stench coming off the child as he approaches. The child doesn't notice Lucifer approaching as he trains all his attention on drooling at the loaf of bread.

Lucifer sighs as he goes around the child and steps up to the bakery. The male demon snaps his glaring eyes from the poor demon child to bow to Lucifer with a smile. Lucifer rolls his eyes. The demon doesn't need to be glaring at the child just because he is hungry and cannot pay for anything.

"The loaf of bread and a dozen sweet cakes," He requests. Then he conjures ten silver coins and slides them across the counter as payment.

The demon hurries to prepare his order before picking up the coins and pushing a bag to Lucifer. Lucifer nods his head and then takes the bag to the demon child. The child gasps and takes a quick step back and bows so low that the two five-inch horns on his head touch the ground.

"Look at me," Lucifer says in a gentle voice. The child slowly raises his head, his eyes not making direct contact but instead looking just to the side of Lucifer's head. "What is your name?"

"A-A-Akuji, m-m-m-my k-k-ki-king," The boy stutters terribly. Honestly, Lucifer is more surprised the child knows how to talk from how his appearance is. Usually, poor demon families have a harder time teaching their young.

Lucifer nods his head. "Do you have parents, Akuji?"

The child gulps loudly before shaking his head. "N-n-no-no, m-m-my-my k-k-king,"

Lucifer frowns at this. "What happened to them?"

"D-d-died, m-m-ma,"

"Your mother died. What of your father?"

"G-g-go-gone b-b-be-before b-b-bor-born,"

Lucifer holds in his growl. Lucifer knows he is not father of the year but even he knows not to abandon his children. Lucifer may have let one of his children get pulled into the river of Blood and Agony and let the Hell Hounds hurt another, but that was to teach his children who did not believe his warnings.

"How old are you, Akuji?"

"O-o-one-one, m-m-my k-k-kin-kin-king,"

"Here," Lucifer hands a sweet cake to the child. "Eat this and follow me,"

The child stares at the sweet cake in Lucifer's hand like it was the most glorious thing he had ever seen. The sweet cake probably was though since he probably hasn't eaten in days. Lucifer does this occasionally, he will feed a homeless family or feed the poor. Today Lucifer is having a good day so he is feeling extra generous.

Lucifer picks up the child's hand and sets the sweet cake into it. The child has cuts all on his hand, a few of them still bleeding out black blood onto his dark chocolate skin. Lucifer frowns as he touches the child on the head and sends healing magic to heal the child of all his wounds, internal and outer. The child scrunches up his face and makes an odd squeaking noise as the magic floods his tiny body.

Lucifer pulls his hand away and wipes it on his leather pants since the child's dark brown and orange hair was oily enough to coat his hand. The child's hair is all matted and clumped together and long enough to touch his shoulders.

Lucifer's frown deepens as he suddenly sees images flash across his vision. Visions of this particular boy doing great things one day if only he would be taken care of. Lucifer sees what the child will one day become if he finds someone to take care of him for the moment being. Lucifer also sees that if Akuji stays an orphan he will become a thief and cause chaos in the realm.