Gods and Demons Don't Mix. (Font Demon x OC)

Chapter 1: Decisions

My name is Zohra, and I am a god. I've lived in hiding since I was a little girl, eventually finding sanctuary in the sewers with Sandy, who has power over the waters and its inhabitants. We scavenged in the shadows, invisible and unheard of for years; but that all changed with the arrival of a monk and her servant, the Monkey King.

We set out, along with former demon hunter, Pigsy, to find and return the Sacred Scrolls to the Jade Palace; the legendary home of the gods that soon became the stronghold of the demons after the Fall. We were hunted by the demons' minions across the lands, eventually being herded to the mountain fortress when Tripitaka, the monk, was captured and forced to translate the Scrolls into the language of men. We fought valiantly against Davari, the demon who craved immortality and revenge against the Monkey King. Tripitaka, that brilliant monk, found reinforcements in Davari's own supply of underlings. He- I mean she (I'm still getting used to that)- worked out that Davari used god-hair to bind written orders to the demon realm, and so enlisted the help of the Font Demons in our battle for Jade Mountain. With the extra manpower, we defeated the demons in a final showdown between Monkey and his old friend, Davari.

And now we stand in the smouldering ruins of our ancestral home, with one last foe before us.

"Let me vanquish this beast, Tripitaka."

Snarled the weary Monkey King, pointing his staff aggressively at the pale demon who stood placidly in his inky armour in front of the young monk. I was still uneasy with being in such close proximity to this deadly assassin, but since Tripitaka gained control over the Underlings, he had been hostile only towards our enemies. Glancing over at the blue clothed human, I could almost see her primitive little mind working, cogs turning inside that shaven skull. Finally she spoke, though not with the answer I expected.

"Monkey, don't."

She commanded. We gods peered curiously at her, what was this mortal thinking? She soon answered our unspoken question.

"He could be a useful source of information on other demons, and he's under my control... for now" the last part she muttered under her breath, so quiet that it would have gone unnoticed if it hadn't been for my excellent hearing. I chewed my lip nervously, though this was hidden by my scarf. How much time did we have before this eerily fascinating demon broke free of Tripitaka's command? Unless...

I thought rapidly; my eyes darting from the monk to the demon then back to my feet, hands fiddling with the hem of my sleeve philosophically. The tiny motion caught the attention of the demon. Silver blue eyes studied me with a strange intensity that gave away nothing but an aloof curiosity. I froze, sensing his gaze travel across my half hidden features. Don't do it, I told myself, don't look at him. Instinct won my argument, forcing me to raise my head. Oh now you're screwed.

"Oh crap" I whispered. He was stunning.

I had never taken time to observe the demon, only half glances out of the corner of my eye. I started to wish that I had never looked up in the first place. I couldn't tear my stupid eyes away from him. Instead they traveled over that ivory skin, hungrily taking in the sharp cheekbones and angular jawline, the carved features, the long strands of white hair that blew over his broad shoulders. Black scripture tattooed on skin, crawling up his throat, spilling over onto a strong but elfin chin. Still disobeying my orders, my eyes flicked to his lips, watching as his tongue wetted them nervously. Instinctively I copied the action, my mouth tasting of ashes and the coarse material of my scarf rasping against the sensitive pink tastebuds.

The demon must have noticed the movement of the fabric, a twitch of a dark brow giving away his amusement at my fascination. And those terrible eyes dared me to make contact; teasing, baiting, almost... begging. This time I resisted, instead turning away, a frown creased my forehead. What was the demon's game? He didn't seem to play it with my companions. Perhaps he saw me as a weak link? But how? Why would he exploit me when all he'd seen of me was a blade-wielding, warlike god? We hadn't exchanged words, only motions for attack; soundless communication that came from the dangerous, beautiful dance that was war. Much like this demon, I thought with a strange bittersweet tone.

"Zohra!"

Pigsy's exasperated voice called me out of my reverie. It seemed that the other gods had been trying to get my attention for a while.

"Hmmm?... Oh, sorry; what were we discussing?" I reddened slightly, because I had been distracted by the demon it seemed that I had missed something important. Monkey rolled his eyes but made space for me to join the huddle that my friends had formed, backs to the Font demon of course.

"We're deciding what to do with it." He informed me unhelpfully.

"It? There are many its." I quipped, trying, and failing to lighten the mood. Monkey frowned disapprovingly at me.

"The demon." Clarified Tripitaka, who had her bony arms crossed over her chest anxiously,

"I- that is to say we, don't know what to do with it. We could kill it and avoid future incidents; Monkey, Sandy and I think that's a pretty reasonable solution, considering what that thing has done to us and to others."

"But you're not comfortable with that, are you?" I addressed the human. Funny that she had sided with this when only minutes ago she had spared the demon's life. The monk hesitated then shook her head. I turned to Pigsy,

"What do you think? This is your area of expertise, right?" He had been the former head of the she-demon's secret police, an expert in tracking and bringing non-humans into custody.

"Well... Font demons are pretty unusual compared to your run-of-the-mill Underling as they're reborn every time they die at the command of their master; thus this specimen could provide us inside information on the demon activity beyond Davari's territory from memories of previous lives. In sparing this particular subject, we could in fact, gain the inside knowledge needed to bring down the demons once and for all. Even so, that could be limited by how much this demon actually knows and whether we can get it to tell us. It's all gets pretty complicated when you consider the age of the demon, how many times it has been reborn, and whether Davari told it the crucial information we need to take the Demon network down... " The rotund god spared a glance at our prisoner. When Pigsy turned back he was met with stares of awe.

"What?"

Sandy fiddled with a loose thread on her sleeve, her dark eyes fixed on the thunder god. I had a feeling that something was going on between them.

"What you just said was... interesting..." she started. Monkey smirked a trademark smile, 

"I think that's the most intelligent thing I've ever heard you say." 

"I agree with Pigsy." I said quickly before yet another arguement started. My companions regarded me strangely.

"What?"

"Well... Pigsy has a point, and besides, Tripitaka has him under control right?" I glanced at the demon. Only a twitch of a nod and a look of thanks acknowledged my respect to his being. I looked back, a weird flutter in my stomach. Tripitaka shrugged her narrow shoulders indecisively,

"I guess..."

I clapped my hands together, the sound startling both my friends and the demon.

"Well that settles it then, the demon lives." With that I turned on my heel and walked quickly away from our huddle, my footsteps sending up clouds of ashes and embers as I went. I didn't even know where I was going, I simply needed to get away from the smoke, the heat and him. 

Raking my hands through my fiery hair, I struggled to rid the demon from my mind. I shouldn't think of him like this; he was the enemy. I paused. Was he though? A scowl passed over my face like a shadow. I hated this feeling in my chest, the way it made my insides squirm and my head pound. I hated the way that demon could freeze me with a look, and that I was the one he had decided was the weak link. Leaning heavily against a wall, I scrubbed my hands over my face and growled. I needed to do something with my hands, something that would quiet the whirling thought in my head. Running my hands through my hair again, I looked up to see some mortals already starting the clean up. They were hefting fallen timbers and bricks into piles by the side of the street, their soot smeared faces sweaty with the effort. I guess I'll do that then. I thought, walking up to them with an easy smile.