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Lance

I stood nervously in the doorway, hesitant to knock. I didn't know what would be behind the door, nor did I really want to know. I was terrified and I couldn't get my wings to retract. But I had to do this for Keith. I had to make sure that he was alright and if he was actually serious about taking those damned Trials. I wanted him to know that I would love him no matter what he chose. 

Steeling myself, I knocked twice on the door. This time, thankfully, it didn't have an evil door-knocker like the one that had been in my dream. After a moment, the door swung open silently and I was met with possibly the most intimidating sight I'd ever seen. 

Three thrones stood in the center of the room, a white, grey, and black, the grey being the largest and studded with gleaming obsidian stones in a constellation pattern. The three men who occupied the seats were individually threatening.

 In the white and black seats, an obvious set of twins who I knew had to be Shiro and Kuron, the Gatekeepers. One sat neatly, regarding me with an interested gaze, legs crossed, his head of white hair matching his throne. The other twin, black-haired, lounged in his own seat, looking bored. His legs were thrown over one of the armrests, leaning against the other, and his sultry gaze slid up and down my body with vague boredom.

The grey throne held Mister, who was looking at me with an expression halfway between a glare and a smirk of amusement. I sunk to a kneel, bowing my head respectfully. I heard the black-haired twin giggle mockingly and flushed. Mister spoke up. 

"Hello, little angel. What are you doing in my Kingdom?" His voice was deep and gravely and I couldn't quite place his accent, but I could hear the slight tone of a threat behind his voice nevertheless. I'm sure he didn't want me here just as much as I didn't, but I had a job to do. 

"Hello, your majesty. I'm here to see Keith," I replied, looking up but not standing. Mister's black eyes bore into my own and I couldn't help but flinch. 

"Aren't we all," the king muttered, frowning.

"Pardon?" I asked. I'd assumed that at least Keith's father and brothers would have seen him.

Mister sighed. "Keith is taking the Trials as of now."

I felt my stomach rise to my throat. I was too late- it was up to Keith now. Life or death. 

I rose to my feet, wings shivering. "How long has it been?"

"Long enough," the black-haired twin commented lazily. 

Mister shot a glare at his son. "He should be out soon enough. Are you here to..." he paused, sneering, "escort  him back up to the Midworld?" 

I hesitated. Was I?

"I'm here for Keith to make sure that he's alright. I don't plan on taking him from his home. He can do that when he's ready."

Mister tilted his head to the side. He seemed to accept my answer.

"Well then, will you just stay here until he's done?" 

"I'll wait for as long as it takes," I replied fiercely. 

"And where will you go? Does your mother know you're here?"

I shook my head. Mister sighed, running a hand through his hair and standing up. "Well, I'll show you to Keith's room. You can wait there until he finishes the Trials." He walked down the stairs and passed right by me, breezing into the hallway.

Before I followed him, I looked to the white-haired twin. Shiro, I presumed. "Adam says 'hi'," I told him before turning around and following Mister out. 

Mister and I walked side-by-side in the hall, his black eyes glancing at me every so often. 

"I have to say, little angel, I think we got off on the wrong foot. A bad first impression that was probably more my fault than yours." 

He looked down at me with a curious expression. "I'm not one to apologize, but I'd like you to know that I do recognize that Keith has feelings for you. And that must mean that you can't be that bad." 

I offered the King of Darkness a smile and the edges of his eyes crinkled like he wanted to return it. 

"I understand," I replied, but really, I was over the moon that Mister was actually talking to me and didn't seem to hate me anymore. 

"Leaving the Upperworld without your mother's permission..." Mister clucked his tongue as he led me down a narrow hallway that branched off from the main hall. "That's pretty devilish, don't you think?"

I laughed dryly. "She's gonna kill me," I groaned. 

Mister grinned, "You'll get to stay down here then!"

Rolling my eyes, I began to see who Keith got his dark humor from. 

"Up here, on the right," Mister instructed me as we approached a door on the side of the wall. It was tall and round, painted a dark, navy blue with stars and landscapes on it. Mister hesitated. "Keith painted these," he said proudly. 

I leaned closer to the door, taking in the brushstrokes and individual streaks of colors. "I didn't know he could paint," I murmured. It was a beautiful piece of art. 

"You learn to do a lot of things when you're down here, angel."

I nodded slowly. I supposed so. 

Suddenly, I heard the echo of footsteps coming down the hallway and labored breathing. A young man, maybe in his thirties, came running down the hall, his eyes alert and wide. "Your majesty!" he cried, "Keith is awake!"

Mister snapped to attention, throwing his shoulders back. "Lead the way," he said in a low voice, eyes set. I made a move to follow him, but he held out a hand. "You stay here, angel. Once Keith has been examined, he'll likely retire to his room rather than the infirmary. I will bring him back here as soon as I can."

I nodded, then watched Mister and the young man hurry down the hallway to Keith. 

I collapsed against the wall, letting out a deep sigh of relief. He was awake. Keith had passed the Trials. Did this really mean that he would be able to love me now? That I could apologize for whatever happened to him in Kyoto and finally be with him? Did he even want to be with me, or did he take the Trials for another?

I had so many unanswered questions, but the biggest one was, 'Will he be okay?" I was stressed, nervous, relieved, and excited all at the same time. 

Feeling a little lightheaded, I slowly opened the door to Keith's room.

It was plain, to my surprise. Generic. Like the other room that I'd seen in the Underworld so far, and the hallways, the space was like a cave with a smooth, slate floor and rocky walls that sloped up in a curve to form a cozy little room. 

I saw Keith's bed (which was made, of course) two big trunks, a bookcase, a mini-fridge, the like. I liked it- however small and plain it was, it was still a part of Keith. 

As I sat down on the bed, the blankets poof-ed up around me, bringing with it the intense smell of Keith with it. Pine. Smoke. Mint. I felt my heart speed up at the scent and immediately fell back into the bed, burying my nose into one of the pillows that lay on the mattress. 

I felt like crying- I'd missed the way he smelled. The way his voice sounded in the morning. His hands on my face. His dark eyes. It had only been a few days apart from each other, but our harsh separation had brought with it the feeling of heartbreak and loneliness. I just wanted to be with him again so he could assure me that everything was okay. 

That everything was going to be okay. 

I wasn't sure how long I waited for Keith on his bed. Seconds, minutes, hours. I just stayed awake, looking up at his ceiling, pacing the room, finding little scraps of unfinished paintings on his walls, running my fingers over the spines of the books on his shelf. 

The only thing I really knew was the sound of heavy footfalls coming down the hallway outside. I turned from my spot at the bookshelf and watched in wonder as the door opened. Mister came inside with Keith in his arms, followed closely by the Twins. Mister glanced up at me momentarily before hurrying over to Keith's bed and setting him down on it. 

I noticed that his eyes were closed and I immediately began to panic. As if sensing my stress, Mister looked up. "He's okay. Just exhausted."

I moved closer to the bed, kneeling beside it and taking one of Keith's hands in mine. To my horror, he was covered in bruises. "What happened?" I asked worriedly. 

Mister grimaced. "The Trials did not best him, but neither did they leave him unscathed. He will heal, though." 

I looked down at Keith and smoothed his hair away from his forehead. I was just happy being near him, touching him, feeling his slow, pulsating aura gather around me like a blanket. 

"Come on, boys, let's give them some time," Mister muttered to the Twins, who nodded and followed their father out. 

Grateful for the privacy, I moved from my place on the floor to lay down next to Keith on the bed. He was breathing deeply and it didn't look like he was in too much pain, for which I was relieved. 

Finally able to relax, I settled down next to my devil, contentedly placing my head to his chest. 

Thu-thump

Thu-thump

Thu-thump

I grinned, my own heart beating in time with Keith's. It was cliche, but I couldn't help it. 

"I love you," I whispered. I always would.