He was being really damn strange, today

She was really going to suffer this time, and he simply couldn't wait to watch.

It had taken him a little while to perfect his plan, and it would take a little effort, but the ends would most definitely justify the means.

He ran across all kinds of strange, wonderful and disturbing sites when he prowled through the cybernetic wasteland the humans called 'the internet', and the type that had birthed this new form of torture were particularly prolific, and their content particularly intriguing. Humans really were feral creatures.

None the less, it would be a lie to say the videos and images he viewed whilst researching for his little surprise didn't excite him, somewhat. He blamed his lengthy stay above ground for that. He'd definitely had too much exposure to humanity and their…urges.

The demon leaned back in his chair, linked his gloved fingers together and glanced out the window, smiling when he saw the familiar orange mop belonging to his little servant approaching the building. Everything was going as planned.

He checked his materials one more time, straightened his jacket, and awaited her entrance.

Yes, this was definitely going to be one worth remembering, and he was sure Yako wasn't going to forget it in a hurry.

--

He was being really damn strange today. Well, stranger than usual.

From the second she had walked into the office, she'd noticed a change in his demeanour. Instead of ramming her face into the wall, lobbing something at her head, or verbally abusing her, he'd welcomed her with a polite hello, and told her to sit down, as apparently, she looked tired.

But that wasn't the strangest thing. Once she had, in her confused haze, seated herself on the couch, he got up from his desk and brought her a glass of water, placing it on the coffee table with a pleasant smile.

He was up to something. He had to be. This wasn't Neuro. The demon was only nice and friendly when he placed on doing something utterly diabolical to her, and today he was being downright gracious.

It didn't bode well. It didn't bode well at all.

She refused to touch the water (surely he didn't think she was going to fall for that old trick?), choosing to simply sit and watch him out of the corner of her eye. He was examining her quite closely, still with that pleasant smile gracing his lips.

No, it was only a matter of time before he made his move, and just as she had predicted, Neuro crooked a finger at her, an unreadable spark appearing in his eyes.

"Come here, Yako."

Something in his tone (she wasn't quite sure what) encouraged her to stay put; that, and the fact that his eyes were glinting with excitement and a devious smile was coating his lips. That could only mean one thing was on the menu for her, and she was pretty sure she wasn't interested in ordering from this particular restaurant. But refusing would only make the situation worse, as usual.

Unconsciously gritting her teeth, the schoolgirl detective rose slowly off the chair, stepping robotically toward her assistant/boss/stalker/all of the above. She stopped a metre away from his desk.

Neuro tsked at her. "Now that just won't do." he said, smirking at her. "Come around here." And he pointed to a spot behind the desk, right in front of his chair.

She was right. Her life was over.

The schoolgirl winced, and slowly made her way behind the desk. Yako stopped in the spot where Neuro had indicated.

"Yes, Neuro?" she asked, flinching. 'Here it comes', she thought.

Just as she had predicted, hands clamped vice-like around her shoulders, and she braced herself for the inevitable pain that was about to befall her, expecting a multitude of nightmarish things to start devouring her, or something very similar.

So it was quite easy to imagine her surprise (and slight horror) when, instead of claws or blades of some description, she felt a pair of lips collide into hers. He was kissing her.

Neuro was kissing her.

NEURO was KISSING her.

The shock of feeling her demonic employer's mouth upon her own rendered Yako momentarily numb, giving Neuro ample opportunity to grab her thighs and pull her onto his lap, her legs poking out the sides of the chair.

This had to be some new, ridiculous form of torture he'd thought up. What, he was sick of physical brutality, and was now deciding to torment her mind? Play with her emotions?

Though, she had to admit, if this was supposed to be torture, he needed to rethink his technique. To say that she wasn't enjoying herself (once she got over her initial paralysing shock) would be lying.

He had one gloved hand under her skirt, sliding up and down her upper thigh, and the other buried in her hair, massaging her scalp. For a demon, he knew how to kiss; pressing his lips against hers aggressively, gently biting down on her bottom lip. She tried to not to gasp in shock as she felt his tongue probing against her teeth.

Feeling Neuro's tongue against her teeth (it wasn't covered in spikes, as she had feared) flicked a switch in Yako's mind, and she angrily pulled her mouth free.

"Neuro, what in the hell-"

He didn't give her the satisfaction of an answer; instead, he yanked her head back down to continue from where she had so tactlessly interrupted them, digging the tips of his fingers into her thigh and dragging them down to her knee. She thanked whatever god was up there that he was wearing his gloves; otherwise, she probably wouldn't have had any skin left on that leg.

He had somehow managed to get his tongue into her mouth while she was momentarily distracted with her leg, and was now happily running it along the inside of her cheeks with gusto. She shuddered, but she wasn't sure whether it was from horror or some other emotion that she didn't really want to associate with her demonic stalker.

'Maybe if I play along with his game, he'll end it sooner.' she thought desperately, annoyed that the thought of reciprocating didn't fill her with as much dread as she would have hoped. Hesitantly (not for the first time, Yako felt frustrated with her lack of experience with this sort of thing), she slid her hands into his hair, and felt surprised by how soft it was. She wasn't quite sure what to do after that, but he seemed pleased, judging by the noise that emerged from his throat. Perhaps this wouldn't be the end of the world after all.

Suddenly, Yako began to feel a burning sensation inside her mouth. A memory from a little while ago played in her mind. A visit to the Hot Springs. A late night conversation. A pillow, burnt by Neuro's acidic saliva.

A pillow, burnt by Neuro's acidic saliva.

…Oh god.

Yako tore her mouth away from Neuro's, yanked herself free of both his grasp and the chair and pelted over to the couch, leaping onto her schoolbag. Ripping it open, she grabbed her water bottle and proceeded to empty the contents into her mouth, which she swore Neuro had set on fire. Once she had drained all the water, she screamed at the demon, in ragged, gasping breaths, "What the hell was that?!"

"Oh no! My saliva! Yako, I forgot!" The demon who had been sexually assaulting her just a moment ago flinched back with a look of horror in his eyes, but he simply could not restrain the humongous grin splitting his face from ear to ear.

Yako was rendered speechless, and had to take a few seconds to get her words together.

"Y-you kissed me," she spluttered, and some area of her brain registered that it had been her first with a mixture of horror and excitement. "Knowing that…that…"

"Well, I did dilute it a little bit. Because I care for you so much." He was practically laughing in her face.

"You…you burnt my mouth with your spit. You did this on purpose, so anything I put in my mouth is going to hurt, didn't you? Didn't you?" she yelled.

Neuro was wearing his best 'screensaver' face. "I do not know what it is you are screaming about, Yako. I merely wished you show you the depths of my affection-" He was cut off as he was forced to duck the water bottle that had been lobbed at his head. Ooh, he'd definitely hit a nerve this time.

"You bastard! You slimy, sadistic prick!' Yako screeched, making the pain in her mouth intensify with every word. Normally, Neuro would have cut her annoying voice off by now, but since it was practically an admission of his victory, he was going to savour every shriek. "How am I supposed to eat!?"

"Your cruel words are breaking my heart." the demon whimpered.

"You don't have one!"

"I thought you said you passed Biology?"

Half screaming, half sighing with frustration, Yako collapsed backward onto the couch.

"You always have to have the last word, don't you?" she murmured, mouth and throat raw and aching. Oh god, did she want ice-cream. 777 scoops would probably do it.

"Naturally." Neuro replied, leaning back in his chair with a smirk. He didn't even have a hair out of place, while she was a dishevelled, red-faced mess.

"This was low, Neuro, even for you." she complained. "How would you feel if you couldn't eat?"

"To be honest, I'm shocked at how quickly you caught on," he replied smoothly.

Annoyed at how he had neatly dodged the question, Yako continued, "This is going to take at least a week to heal," she moaned (not that she really expected pity). "Do you know how much I need to eat in a week?!"

"Think of the money you will save on your grocery bill. You should thank me, slave; I'm such a benevolent master, always looking out for your welfare." Neuro said, and Yako swore she had never seen him grin so much. She was half expecting him to stand up and give himself a pat on the back. She sat up off the couch and glared at him, and got a maniacal grin in return. Suddenly, something on his monitor caught her eye.

"…Neuro, that red light…"

"Now now, don't think too hard; you'll break your brain cell."

Yako forced herself to ignore the jibe. "Neuro," she repeated slowly, staring at the computer, finally remembering what the light meant. "Why is the webcam on?"

A look of panicked sadness came over the demon's face, but his eyes were still gleaming diabolically. "Oh dear, I must have forgotten to turn it off!"

Yako turned to face him, and he made no effort to hide the evil smile spreading across his lips.

"Who was watching us, Neuro?" Yako replied, the burnt tissue in her mouth causing her voice to gain a heavy rasp. She combined it with the angriest, most infuriated expression her facial muscles could muster, and actually got a slight flicker of doubt to cross the demon's face.

"What's this? A slave, making demands of the master?"

"Neuro, I swear to God-"

"Stop being rude, maggot. There was no one."

"I don't believe you."

All she got for a response was a mischievous, extremely self-satisfied smile.

--

Higuchi sat rigid in front of his computer screen, on which Neuro was currently taking the prime position. His lips were moving, but Higuchi couldn't hear him; the video had no sound.

"I cannot believe he was telling the truth." he muttered, leaning back in his chair. He felt somewhat disappointed. Not jealous; no, definitely not jealous. Just disappointed.

Not disappointed enough, however, to resist the urge to save the movie he had just recorded.

"Might come in handy someday." he said to himself, grinning a very demon-esque grin. Satisfied, Higuchi made to stand up, when he remembered something extremely important.

"Hang on a minute!" the computer expert exclaimed, slamming his hands on his desk.

"The bastard, he promised me a panty shot!"