FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Spoiler Warning! While this story is non-canon, as of page 873 of Slightly Damned, it also does not contradict canon. It is highly advisable to have read the comic up to at least page 873 before reading this, to avoid potential spoilers.

It may have taken six years, but St. Curtis and especially the Flower Festival appear to have finally recovered from the attack, Kazai Suizahn thought as he and his companions walked down the street. Trading booths and game stalls lined the road as far as he could see. People had flocked to the event just like they had in years past, meaning the streets were packed to the brim. Just looking over the crowd the Water Angel could pick out folks from all walks of life. Down the street was a local Jakkai, trying to sell some firebee honey. Over there was a Khamega from the coast, spinning tales of adventure on the high sea. Not too long ago he had passed a human browsing livestock, and right now there were a few fairies flying overhead. The only Median race not present were Mermaids, and that was simply because St. Curtis was landlocked.

Of course, there were a few definite changes too. After the tragedy that occurred six years ago, that was to be expected. The most useful change was the patrol of guards on every corner, ready to take care of any problem as soon as it started. Besides that, a few buildings still had damage from the fire, a mark of either survival or abandonment. Perhaps the most significant change though was the way people acted. Any non-Median, be they an Angel or a Demon, was given a wide berth and eyed with suspicion. He didn't blame them; both Angels and Demons had been part of the battle.

Kazai turned around and checked on his companions. Just like last time he checked, his twin sister Kieri Suizahn was holding hands and talking with her boyfriend, the purple Fire Demon Buwaro Elexion. He quickly returned to leading the way; while neither of them was likely to admit it, the way people avoided either of them had to be breaking their hearts. A few locals had come up and chatted earlier, but now everyone avoided them. It seemed like the reputation of both angels and demons was going to take longer than six years to improve.

The older brother sighed. Despite being a team of "Demon Slayers" for a few years, the three of them had gained little reputation. Perhaps it was the frequent expectation that they would return with the Demon's head that hurt their popularity. Just letting Buwaro talk to the accused demon was so much more effective though! Often, whatever village had asked for help ended up gained a new, productive member of society. Sometimes two! To make matters even more infuriating, the few times they had been forced to kill their quarry, the reward was pitiful and word barely spread. In all honestly, their work with the Helper's Guild normally paid the bills.

"At least the festival is nearly over," he thought. "Then all these people will leave and we'll be back to talking with people who know us for who we are. Tonight's party will help too." Since the Flower Festival was on time this year, their shared birthday came near the end of the event. That triple birthday party, which would celebrate Kieri, Buwaro, and himself turning 21, was tonight, and many of their friends were coming. That was why they were heading home, after all; they needed to clean and prepare their home for company. Then later they would all celebrate with gifts, food, and good times, and afterwards... A sudden anxiety gripped Kazai's heart. Maybe that could wait a week. Or a month. Or... No. The Water Angel forced that fear back down. He WOULD do that tonight.

The young male Angel was delighted when home finally came into view. Their shared home was a quaint little thing, but it fit their needs well. A parlor downstairs worked well for meeting people requesting their help while a pair of bedrooms upstairs fit their living arraignment. A family room, kitchen, and restroom, along with a couple of closets, finished the downstairs, while upstairs just had a few more closets and a bathroom between the bedrooms. They had a backyard with a small garden, but it was a tiny space. Looking the exterior over, Kazai decided it could use a new coat of paint, but considering how often they had to travel, it could wait. For now, the bit of exposed wood just gave it character, even if it did make him worry about the porch. For the festival, Buwaro had set up a small Rock Trading Table out front. While the strangeness of a Fire Demon being so interested in rocks had surprised a few folks, everyone who knew him well loved it. Including Kazai.

The party was great. Both the Tamis family and the Sinclairs had made it, as expected. Rhea had kept her promise to take a break from Guardian Training and came too, although the sight of a giant snake emerging from the ground scared a few neighbors. When Meeros pointed out the panic she caused, the Jakkai just laughed. Jake, Ramirez, and his mate were another pleasant surprise, as were many of the other friends who arrived.

Only a few gifts were exchanged. At this point in their lives, Buwaro, Kieri, and Kazai could care less about birthday presents; the presence of their friends was gift enough. Still, there were a few to exchange.

Rhea continued her tradition of giving Buwaro a large elemental crystal for his birthday. It had begun shortly after her assumption of the role of Moku the Snake, since she could easily collect them, After giving him a Water, Earth, Wind, and paired Fire and Ice in previous years, there was a now a cabinet proudly displaying them in the front hall, with each crystal getting its own display. The Ice and Fire crystals were an exception; they were kept together to cancel out their effects. This year's gift was a Light crystal, complete with a shade to block out its light. Buwaro loved it, as he always did.

Kieri and Kazai often got similar gifts. Clothes were common, seeing as their original clothing style was a bit of an issue now. Angelic robes had gotten a bit of a stigma after an Angel joined the Demon army. A set of weapon polish was practically guaranteed, and each year it was used on armor; their weapons from Heaven never dulled. Miranda Sinclair always gave them some blue hair dye, a cost savings they were grateful for. She also threw in some purple dye for Kieri.

They did a few individual items too. Kieri got some stuff for Crunky. After getting her to lose some weight, her figure finally resembled a normal wright wyvern. That let Kieri give her some wyvern accessories, like ribbons and collars. Each birthday now included a few gifts for Krunky. Kazai, on the other hand, received a bit of surprise. When Rhea presented him with a box she said was from Broxis, he was confused. Once he opened it and saw a collar, he understood the joke being played on him. He blushed and quickly put it away, but not before a few laughs at his expense. The Angel was still upset with the curse that had been put on him by the Wolf Guardian. Aside from that, he did not get any other gifts. It was hard to shop for Kazai, since many of their friends had less interactions with him; being unable to speak Lingo fluently had really hindered him for a while.

As the night continued, the party started to end. The Sinclair family was the first to leave, as the night's activities wore out little Florina. The Tamis family followed not long after as Tirol's bedtime drew near. Their older friends stayed later, but as the moon reached its zenith many of them had left, heading to their homes or an inn where they were staying. Rhea and Meeros stayed the longest, even helping with the after party clean-up. As that was wrapping up, Kazai made his move.

"Hey Buwaro, can I talk to you? Privately, in my room?"

Buwaro put the plate he was drying in the rack. "Oh, um, sure Kazai. Kieri, can you finish this by yourself or...?"

Kieri waved the question away. "No, there's only a few dishes left. Go ahead and talk or whatever. Just remember to come back down and say your goodbyes to Meeros and Rhea."

The trip from the kitchen to Kazai's upstairs bedroom was somehow both too short and too long. To the Water Angel, it seemed to take forever, like a trek up a mountain; yet when they entered his room he realized he was still uncertain as to what to say. He bought himself some time by sitting on the edge of his bed and getting Buwaro to join him. Still, he hesitated.

"Kazai, is something wrong?"

The Angel smiled. Of course Buwaro would notice. "N-no, there's just something I want to tell you."

The Demon put a hand on his back. "Take your time then. There's no rush."

A deep breath steadied his heart. "Buwaro, I've been... meaning to tell you this for a while. It has just been... so hard to actually say it. Buwaro... I... I have feelings towards you."

The naive Demon rubbed his head. "Well, yeah, I know. You've made it pretty clear that you aren't the biggest fan of Kieri and I being together, but-"

"No! That's not the feelings I mean. I... My feelings towards you are romantic."

The Demon leaned away from his girlfriend's brother.

"I mean, I think I do!" Kazai added, "It's just, my head is such a mess, I don't even know. And you and Kieri are together, so having these feelings is so wrong, and I just... Just... Tell me no, so I can finally kill this, or..."

A warm hug stopped him.

"You started speaking Angelic Kazai."

"Oh..."

"Listen, I... Kieri needs to hear this too."

"Please, no..."

There was a hint of light from Buwaro's eyes. "She needs to know."

The Angel both wilted and flushed red.

"So, here's what we're going to do. We'll both go back downstairs. We'll get Rhea and Meeros to leave. Then all three of us will go to the master bedroom and talk this out. Got it?"

Kazai barely nodded.

Buwaro squeezed him gently. "It's going to be alright Kazai."

The Fire Demon was taken off guard by Kazai's confession. He had been expecting a new boyfriend or something when Kazai asked to speak privately. What Buwaro got instead was quite the shock, and one that was going take some time to process. He was still working out how he felt about it when the three of them gathered in the master bedroom. Following Kieri's suggestion, they had sat down on the bed and arranged themselves so that no one was too close or too far away from the others.

"So, Kazai... what did you tell Buwaro?" Kieri enquired. Buwaro winced. They had been unable to tell Kieri what the situation was until now.

"I... have feelings for Buwaro."

"I... We know you don't really like him, but..."

"N-no, that's not... well, I'm not sure... I mean, I should hate him right? He is a Fire Demon, like the Demon that killed Sanjulo! I should hate them! I should despise him! But... that's not quite the way I feel."

"... So, how do you feel?"

The brother rubbed his head in frustration. "I... I am unsure. There is that anger, that hate... but... but every time I imagine... being with someone, that person becomes him.But he is your boyfriend! I don't want... No, I can't take him from you. So I tried to stop it. I tried imagining him doing terrible, horrible things to me. I have tried matching every arousing thought of him with real, physical pain..." He made a sound that was a mix of a laugh and a sob. "But it keeps coming, and I just can't stop it."

"Do you know when this started?"

"Not really... Maybe they started when we were rescued... Or maybe they came from watching the way he treats you and from getting to know him. I really don't know."

Kieri moved to his side and wrapped the hurting Angel in a tight hug. "Kazai... Is this part of the reason why your relationships have ended? Why you and Jay broke up?" Kieri asked.

"Yeah... He is a great friend and all, but it was not working with this... problem."

"So, why are you telling us this?"

"I... I just want to know what these feelings are. If Buwaro or you are uncomfortable with this, I'll try to kill it, or just go away.... But... I really would like to..."

"You'd like to act out on your feelings," Kieri summarized.

"Yeah..."

"Well...I think I am okay with this happening." Seeing her brother's look of surprise, she added, "Kazai, you can see that you're hurting over these feelings. If you think that this will help, I'll allow you and Buwaro to do it. If he allows it." Both pairs of eyes turned to the Fire Demon.

"I... I mean, I've never even thought about finding another guy attractive until now..." Buwaro fumbled, "And I only know what Kieri and you have told me about your relationships... And I'm scared about how this could change things between Kieri and I... And-"

"Buwaro... We'll figure things out afterwards. Right now, we just need to know if you'll be willing to help."

"Then... I guess I am... Sure, let's do it."

As soon as Buwaro said yes, Kazai had started to cry. As his tears fell, both the Water Angel and the Fire Demon supported him in their embrace.