At around seven o' clock the following morning, the peace in your room was disturbed by Konoha and Lev's sudden restlessness. You awoke to the tall, silver-haired man shaking your arm with a desperate grip, like a child waking up his mother in the middle of the night out of fear there were monsters under his bed. Except, in this situation, he was the monster.

"Lev, what is it?" you wondered groggily, (e/c) eyes struggling to open against the weight of your fatigue. When you peered past his figure, you noticed Konoha curled up into the fetal position, holding his head and rocking back and forth manically.

In a strangely raspy and strained voice, he answered, "Tell Asahi-san to make it stop."

"What?" you gasped, feeling a knot of worry settle into your stomach.

"The portal," he groaned, "Tell him to make it stop! It's moving. It's trying to take me back!"

As his tone grew more and more urgent, you grew increasingly worried. "Asahi!" you hissed, turning over to awaken your bedmate. When his brown eyes fluttered open and examined the situation, he seemed to already have an idea of what was happening. While Lev mumbled under his breath, refusing to relinquish his grasp on your arm--which had turned ice cold, as it had been yesterday--Konoha sank his fingers into his light hair, and even Terushima was starting growl with discomfort. Blood appeared on your skin beneath Lev's hand, but it wasn't yours. It hadn't been yours yesterday either.

Asahi quickly used his magic to relieve whatever tension they were feeling by placing his hand over each of their faces and transferring a strange, blue energy into their bodies. What he was doing you weren't sure, but his magic seemed to act as a tranquilizing dart that left each of the men a little dazed and confused, but calm. Once he'd finished, he threw on a robe over his nightclothes and headed to the other rooms to check on the other demons, whom he assumed were having similar reactions.

A unanimous decision found the entire group heading out of the small village on the road to Shiratorizawa as soon as possible. Though everyone was slightly tired, they had quickly been brought to attention by the sobering nature of the situation at hand. The fact that each of your friends had started acting out was a telltale sign of energy disturbances within the Other, most likely caused by movements or activity from the affectionately named Other Bitch. Because of the possibility that it could be planning another attack on the lands, Asahi had advised that the party head to Shiratorizawa as soon as possible.

Not only did the last hero you needed to complete your crew reside there, but their army was one of the best in the area. Naturally, the man you sought was the chief commander of their military as well as the practically indestructible guardian of the kingdom's ruler. He was a force to be reckoned with, and only those without a single ounce of intelligence dared to provoke him.

"Ushijima Wakatoshi. That's who we need to see."

When the hero's name rolled off your tongue, the tall, blonde-haired knight at his post in front of an excessively ornate gate at the bottom of a grand staircase narrowed his deep brown eyes at you.

Since there hadn't been enough horses for everyone, Asahi used another handy magic trick to reduce the forms of your friends into small animals. Kenma and Lev were transformed into two cats that you and Kuroo took the liberty of carrying, while Akaashi and Konoha were turned into owls that perched on Bokuto's shoulders. Despite his irritation, Iwaizumi allowed himself to be given the form of a small but angry hamster so he could lay in the feathery bed of Oikawa's hair and torment him during the journey. Terushima was also turned into a raven so he could sit on Asahi's unoccupied shoulder, though he lit upon the head of Sakusa's steed from time to time just to piss him off.

So, in front of the confused knight, you must've looked like a damn circus given all the animals you were carting around.

As he took in your appearance and examined the other heroes you had brought with you. He extended his arm towards you, and the two of you grabbed each other's forearms in a respectful acknowledgment that knights of the Order used to address one another.

After exchanging the same greeting with both Kuroo and Bokuto, he said, "Ushijima-san's with the King, but I can escort you to them."

Well, that was pretty straightforward, you thought as he barked at another, younger looking knight to take over his position in his absence. You'd expected him to ask more questions, given the status of those you were traveling with, but it seemed that the people of the kingdom didn't like to waste their time grilling their visitors. Or, he just didn't have the desire to hear your answers twice over, since he was going to be present while you explained the reason for your visit to Ushijima.

Once a frazzled, young man with a unique, black bowl cut had skittered to fill the knight's previous spot, seemingly eager to please and prove his worth, you were guided up the staircase and through the grand entrance to the castle that stretched higher up than any other building in the kingdom. Up close, the structure was even more formidable than it had been looming off in the distance.

Your journey took you through a series of grand hallways decorated with portraits and rare artifacts, gilded with precious golden accents, and tiled with what you assumed to be only the finest marble. They truly hadn't spared any expenses in building the place. It was Shiratorizawa, after all--the gorgeous and elegant swan that made any other regions aside from Aobajohsai look like ugly ducklings. You hated to love the place, since you knew how pompous and self-absorbed the population was, but, damn, was it beautiful.

Eventually, you reached another large room whose size seemed excessive given that there were only about four people in it. Seated on a grand throne at the center of the room was the King of Shiratorizawa, who appeared to be deep in conversation with the man you wished to see.

"Stay here," the knight leading you ordered before approaching the pair you had your eyes on. Once he'd reached them, he bowed deeply and called, "King Washijou, please excuse my interruption. I have travelers here who wish to speak with Ushijima-san."

The king's attention turned to the lot of you before he looked back at the man and uttered, "Well, have them approach and introduce themselves, Semi."

With a wave of the hand, Semi urged you forward, so you led your group down the elegant, maroon carpeting leading straight to the throne. Everyone followed with no hesitation, but you had to grab Bokuto and drag him along, since he was too busy staring at his surroundings in awe to pay attention. When you'd completed the annoyingly long walk to the throne, you noticed a certain, red-haired man in long robes eyeing your group curiously.

After taking a few minutes to introduce each member of your group, making sure to include that you, Kuroo, and Bokuto were members of the elite order--though your armor already clearly displayed that fact--you waited for a response from anyone in the room. The silence that befell everyone was rather intense, and wasn't made any less so by Ushijima's strong presence.

From where he stood at the foot of the king's throne, he regarded you with an unwavering gaze that he then turned towards another member of your group. Upon following his stare, you found that it was aimed at Oikawa, who was watching him with that shit-eating grin of his. Of course, Oikawa had told you extensively about his rivalry of prowess with the guardian of Shiratorizawa after you'd explained to him that you'd be heading to find him in the next leg of your journey, so the tension between them came as no surprise to you.

You were sure if Iwaizumi could glare with that cute and fluffy face of his, he would do so as well.

When he broke eye contact with the haughty demon slayer, Ushijima approached you to offer you, Bokuto, and Kuroo the same greeting Semi had earlier out of respect. Though his grip wasn't crushing, it was definitely strong enough to make you feel slightly overwhelmed. And, again, the intense gaze wasn't helping.

"What brings you here, (l/n) (f/n) of Fukuroudani's Elite Order?" King Washijou wondered, his eyes focusing on you.

The ruby-haired mage nearby sprung into action to add, with a flourish of his hands, "With a group of demons, no less?"

You pursed your lips and directed a rather sour expression at him for pointing out your unholy acquaintances before beginning your elevator speech. "So, I'm sure you've heard that there's a mysterious monster from a realm called the Other that's been attacking other cities and crown territories across the lands. We originally came here to request Ushijima-san's help--and we would still appreciate his accompaniment--but we now have reason to believe the monster will strike again soon."

Before the king could ask another question, the mage jumped in once again with, "How can we be sure you aren't the one who's going to attack us, what with all the demons you've brought with you?"

"You do realize the strongest warlock in the lands, Azumane Asahi, is with me as well, right?" you retorted, gesturing to Asahi, who shifted uncomfortably at being given such a title.

"I-I wouldn't say I'm the strongest warlock in the lands, per se," he mumbled bashfully.

Sakusa scoffed through his scarf at his lack of honorable mention. "Oh," you added, "and Sakusa Kiyoomi, the fabled Sorcerer of the Sun! Who, I might add, hates demons and making public appearances, but has chosen to travel with me!"

He corrected, "Coerced, rather."

"Doesn't change the fact that you have demons!" the king's mage sang tauntingly, pointing his long index fingers at you, "I smell a conspiracy!"

"Tendou..." King Washijou grunted, drawing the man's attention to his superior for a moment.

He bowed his head repeatedly before offering, "I apologize for my outbursts, Your Highness, but I'm merely trying to protect you. No matter how well-respected our visitors are, they still have evil entities with them. We can't ignore that! Don't you agree, Wakatoshi-kun?" Ushijima acknowledged him with a glance, but remained silent.

With the way they acted, you wouldn't be surprised if Ushijima and Sakusa were actually long lost siblings. Their detached attitudes, apparent love for brevity in their responses, and general disinterest with whatever seemed to be happening--though Sakusa did like to butt in from time to time, as he had done earlier--were uncanny traits they seemed to share.

"King Washijou, we do have demons with us, but they are not malevolent. I can assure you of that," you protested, (e/c) eyes flickering between his dark eyes and Tendou's garnet gaze.

"Non-malevolent demons?" he echoed incredulously.

Shaking his head, Tendou interjected, "Impossible!" Anger started to boil inside of you at his constant interruptions, but you tried your best not to look too pissed in the presence of royalty. "There's no way demons would ever side with humans! I think someone's lying!" he chirped with a sardonic grin on his face, as if he was getting amusement out of shooting accusations at you, "Why is it you wish to put our ruler's life in jeopardy?"

"Again," you grunted, "the demons here are not evil."

"Con-spi-racy!"

In an instant, you snapped. Damn your pride; damn it to hell. "You know what? Could you actually shut the fuck up for a goddamn second so I can explain what's going on? If you don't let me do that, you're gonna be putting the King's life in much greater danger."

A tense silence befell the entire group once more that was only broken by the sound of Tendou's laughter. "I knew you would be a feisty one!"

You growled under your breath through gritted teeth. As a reminder to you to keep your wits about you, Asahi placed a hand on your back and Lev nuzzled the underside of your chin with his furry head from where you held him protectively against your chest. Bokuto and Kuroo noticed the warlock's way of comforting you and shot each other a knowing look.

Finally, the ever silent and stoic Ushijima decided to offer something to the conversation. "Tell us about the demons you have and the monster," he requested, crossing his arms in front of his heavily armored chest and watching you expectantly.

With Asahi's help, you explained the situation at hand in the timeliest manner you could. He returned your friends to their human forms so you could show Ushijima, Tendou, and King Washijou that they were, indeed, your comrades who had fallen victim to the monster's attack.

Once you had finished providing as comprehensive yet concise a summary as possible, you said, "I am urging you to act now. Prepare your military and defenses. Guide your people to safety. Please, just don't underestimate this situation. Fukuroudani is one of the strongest kingdoms in the land, and even we lost many when the monster attacked us. We want to help you prevent your kingdom from suffering the same fate."

As everyone stood in silence, absorbing all the information that you'd just delivered, you felt Lev's grip around your hand tighten. You turned your (e/c) gaze to his worried, green eyes, and he whispered, "I think it's awake again."

"If that's the case, then we don't have much time," Asahi commented, his usually meek demeanor now overshadowed by seriousness. "We need to move."

Ushijima stepped away from his position at the side of his king's throne and turned to Tendou. "Tendou, take King Washijou to the safe room in the castle. Semi--" his olive gaze turned towards the blonde man standing beside your group-- "sound off the bell tower as a warning. I'm going to organize the troops. (L/n)-san, I need you and your party to help defend us. Do whatever you can. Survive so we can talk later."

"Yeah, sounds great. Will do," you replied sarcastically, though your tone went over his head.

With his orders given, he walked out of the throne room at a fast pace, the sound of his armor clinking against itself fading as he disappeared down one of the many corridors. After Tendou and King Washijou had vacated the large room, along with Semi, who had rushed off to issue a warning to the entire kingdom, you were left standing with only the members of your party. Since you were their leader, they each watched you expectantly, awaiting commands or suggestions on what to do.

You let out a long sigh and tried to slow your thoughts, since your mind was reeling at the realization that you would be coming into contact with the beast that had slaughtered so many of your people much sooner than anticipated. "Asahi," you began, turning your attention to the tall warlock standing beside you, "is there any way you could try to hold the portal between here and the Other shut as long as possible to delay the monster's arrival?"

He nodded, but admitted, "It will be extremely energy-consuming for me to do so, but I will try."

"Sakusa could help you," you blurted, your eyes meeting with his dark ones.

"I'm not practiced in evil magic," was his blunt jab.

Frowning, you elaborated, "What I meant was that you could try to bombard the monster with attacks and weaken it while it's focused on trying to break through Asahi's defense. That way, we could lessen the severity of its attack, if possible."

"I can do that. But what about the demons?" he wondered, examining each of their faces with his skeptical gaze, "What if Asahi isn't strong enough to restrain them after holding off the monster, and they turn against us?"

Asahi pointed to where Reo was standing nearby in his pure form as the terrifying monster you'd witnessed after the bandit attack along the road to Aobajohsai. "If I become too weak, Reo will lend me his strength. The demons must stay alive, since they will help us fight the beast."

Once you had finished developing a plan of attack, it was brought to everyone's attention that your revived friends no longer had their weapons. The only man who was armed was Iwaizumi, since Oikawa had retrieved his beloved sword from the site of his death and kept it on him at all times as a way to remember his dear friend. To solve this problem, Tendou, who had returned from his mission of escorting the King to safety, showed you to the armory and loaned you weapons for them to use.

"Say, (l/n)-chan," Tendou spoke, his garnet gaze narrowed as his lips curled up into a smirk, "how about we make a little deal?"

You crossed your arms in front of your chest and raised an eyebrow at him. "What?"

"If your little demons here manage to get through this battle without slaughtering the lot of you, I'll let them keep the weapons they pick forever. Of course, if they do turn against you, you'll be dead and I'll be taking the weapons back."

Without a second thought, you placed your hand in his outstretched one and gave him a firm handshake.

"You're insane," Sakusa muttered under his breath from where he stood in the doorway, watching the situation unfold with distaste.

Turning around and sauntering past him with your team of demons in tow, you retorted, "Well, so are you, since you're still here." Your comment gave him pause, and his midnight gaze followed you as you left the armory.

After taking a moment to ponder your words, he realized that you were right. Even though your mission and how you'd planned to go about it had baffled him, he could've said no to your offer to join your party in the first place, and just never had anything to do with all of this madness. Aside from past mentors of his, you were the only person that Sakusa had ever followed. Whether that was because he was insane, he was unsure, but if there was one thing he was certain of, it was that he trusted you.

He wouldn't have made the choice to stand by you or follow you outside to the front of the castle if he didn't, and he was sure that nobody else would've either if they didn't feel the same way.