whyyyy

Saburo's hand held onto the doorknob firmly, though he wasn't the being holding it. He sighed to cover a quickening in his breath. This was not an unexpected incident, but now that he was here, there wasn't much he could do for himself. So, if he didn't have the ability to act, he would just have to do what he could to keep the demon in a similar position, even if it was nothing more than stalling.

“Wait.” He requested politely. It did, because it was really more knowledgeable about this situation than Saburo, and it was more than confident that it was in power here. It only had direct control over the boy's body, but it would obtain more promptly enough; it mostly wanted the boy to keep independent awareness long enough for him to see the life ripped from his friends, as the blunt course of its own thoughts put it. It wasn't as if it was a complex issue, it merely had to catch the Keronians for the necessary amount of time to seal them in its gaze, and through the boy's eyes, they would be ended. Whether or not he was privileged with outliving them for awhile would depend on his mood, but it imagined that it would be feeling well enough to provide the boy with some extra torment.

“What?” It responded, the tone of a patient parent to a young child, perhaps a child on the way to get a shot it didn't want, but of course they would have no choice but to take the needle.

“Tell me, what do you want? Or, I guess I know, but it's revenge, right?” Saburo inquired, though he seemed at a distance from his words, perhaps more focused on how he would address the implications of the answer, rather than listening for what answer he would actually be given. The demon entertained this, gently impressing its impatience on the boy with a twist of the door handle. He shifted at the quiet click, a more striking noise than any gunshot, and more dangerous, given the situation. Still, if he had time, he was hardly in a position to not use it. It was not as if this issue called for a great deal of debate, there was simply one important detail that he had to act within. He could not do anything for himself. However, there were other people, two in particular, that he placed more concern on, and he believed he might be able to do something for them, if he would yield a little. Stubbornness would allow him to fight, but brute force had never been something he regarded highly, and any fighting on his part would be counterproductive, based off what he had decided. He smiled contentedly, and the demon made his declaration smoothly, almost more in answer to that expression than to the question.

“I do want revenge. That's only natural, after being so dreadfully wronged.” Its own smile grew viciously wide, as the predator granted its prey a glimpse of the rage he faced. “I want revenge against you, really.”

“Okay. Then take it.” Saburo shrugged, he might have just as easily been agreeing to let someone borrow a book. However, he was fully certain of the fact that anything he lent to this demon would be returned in torn bits, if he was ever able to recover it at all. He swallowed before pressing on. “You can do whatever you want, and I won't try to stop you.”

He didn't complete the bargain verbally, because it wasn't needed. If the demon accepted, then he would play as its scratching post for however long it wanted, and it would not have attention free to focus on Kururu or Pirarah. That was fine, in Saburo's opinion. This was something he could do, and merely having that ability in his possession, having any ability, meant that he should use it. The demon cackled, a noise that hardly seemed to be made of sound, it was pure menace and malice. This was a fresher challenge, it presented the opportunity to break Saburo on its own, and ultimately, that was what it wanted to do. He didn't know how much he would have to rend and cut the boy's spirit for him to regret asking for this, but the attempt became more appealing the more it was considered, the thought of that casual tone sobbing and begging and pleading and desperately crying could not be called musical, it was far grander than any song could be.

“That sounds good. We'll see if you understand as much about this as you apparently think, hmm?” His body released the doorknob, and in Saburo's mind, the demon grabbed his hand instead, shaking it. “I believe this is a deal.”

It twisted the thing in its grip once again, and the snap of his wrist resonated in his ears, ringing in them long after it had faded. He gasped faintly, regarding the demon with an expectantly sad gaze. “I definitely understand. Don't worry, I was expecting the short end of this stick. Don't think you've cheated me out of anything.”