Wow, two stories in one day. There's a first time for everything, I guess!

Anyways, this idea came to me yesterday, and ever since, it's been floating around in my noggin, flailing around to get out. Plus, there needs to be more Devil Survivor fics!

So yeah, this is just my interpretation of the results of the endings of Amane's, Naoya's, Yuzu's and Atsuro's routes and how they effect Naoya's and the MC's relationship.

This fic's central characters will be Naoya and MC. There's also bromance, so expect some snuggling. And perhaps some other good stuff. If that turns you off, click "Back" right now.

There's also a possibility of OOC-ness...although, how OOC you can get with a silent protagonist is debatable. So, OOC-ness from Naoya, I guess?

I also tried to keep the MC nameless, which is why there's such pronoun abuse. It might get confusing later on, but I hope it's not too bad...

Aaaand as usual, my writing suffers from massive degeneration throughout the whole story. This is actually the firs time I'm writing in the present tense... I'm also very tired, so there may be mistakes... Please bear with me? |D;;

And if it wasn't already obvious, there will be SPOILERS.

NAOYA and MC were designed by SUZUHITA YASUDA and are characters that belong to ATLUS. I DON'T CLAIM OWNERSHIP OF THEM.
...if I DID own them, Naoya would've appeared much more often and would've had more sprites and would've visited the MC at night to do stuff Imeanwhat. Though, his sprites DO go with what he says, and I suppose him disappearing for five days kinda adds to the mysterious "what is he planning" feel to him... But seriously. Keisuke has more expressions than he does, and that's saying something.

NOTE: This chapter takes place after Amane's route.

~*Kingdom of Saints*~

In a just world, a world where crimes are no longer committed, where sin is punished gravely, there can only be lasting peace.

He had sifted through many human souls, discarded of the ones that were tainted. He had purged many people in the name of God. He was creating a world where there would be no strife, no conflict, only peace for the pure-hearted.

And yet, he doesn't feel fulfilled.

His friends are all with him, though he feels a steady gulf growing between them—the more humans he judges, the less human he becomes. He knows that, because of the power of Bel, they will eventually leave him, eventually ascend to the higher plane, perhaps to join the ranks of the angels.

Is that why he feels so empty? Perhaps. But there's something else…

Piercing red eyes and beautiful silvery hair comes to mind. The man that means more to him than life itself… His cousin. His brother.

The man who hadn't hesitated to attack him once he knew he had aligned himself with God.

His real name was Cain… The man who had taken his life—the life of his own brother—eons ago. But to him, he would always be Naoya.

There were times when his humanity briefly returned, when the millions of lives he took came back to haunt him. His friends knew nothing about this—all they saw was the boy who had discarded his identity to be the Messiah.

He had never killed before becoming the Messiah. In Tokyo, he didn't take a single life. And suddenly, he finds that his white cloak is stained with the red of human blood, so much like the colour of the eyes of the person he loves so much.

He wonders if his own blood is red anymore.

As of late, he has wanted nothing more than to throw himself into his brother's arms, like he used to a lifetime ago. Not as Cain and Abel…but as the cousins they are supposed to be.

But does Naoya hate him for opposing him, after everything Naoya's done to nurture and protect him?

These are the things he ponders as he walks around the city, a shadow of its former self—everyone is afraid to sin, afraid to live.

The moon is bright tonight, despite borrowing its light from the sun. Its light scours the shadows, purges them, much like how he purges the shadows of humans.

But there is one shadow that the moon misses.

His heart skips a beat as he stares into the shadow.

Red eyes stare back at him.

His desire to throw himself at the silhouette is strong, but he can't bring himself to move. Instead, he can only whisper his name.

"Naoya…"

With a swish of his cloak, the figure turns and heads off into the shadows once more. It is then that he finds the feeling in his legs and gives chase to the person he's longed to see.

"Naoya!"

He follows Naoya through a network of secluded paths, situated so that it is like a labyrinth—easy to get lost, impossible to escape.

Much like how he has lost himself in his messianic duties.

Eventually, Naoya stops, and they are in the light of the moon once more so that he can clearly see Naoya's back. He still looks the same—same haori, same white hair, same sandals…

It reminds him of when everything was normal, when there were no demons, when it was just the two of them. But those times are long gone.

For a while, the only sound is the soft, cool breeze rustling the leaves of nearby trees. Then, Naoya breaks the silence.

"Why did you follow me?"

Why did he follow him? He doesn't know how to answer. Simply saying "I wanted to see you" doesn't seem to be appropriate.

Naoya continues. "Have you come to judge me for my sins as well?" Contempt is evident in his smooth voice, and it hurts, hurts so much that he can barely form the words in his mind.

"…How have you been?" he asks, when he finally finds his voice. Naoya turns around, scrutinizing him with his red eyes.

"Really, cousin. I asked first, so you should answer first."

He gives in and blurts, "I wanted to see you!" He longs for Naoya's arms around him, yearns to bury his face against Naoya's chest so he can listen to his steady heartbeat, just like how he used to.

"Oh? And why would God's judge want something like that? I'll ask again; have you come to judge me too?"

He shakes his head. He doesn't know why, but his eyes are stinging, and he feels a lump forming in his throat. "Nothing like that! I've just… I've just missed you, Naoya…"

"Hmph." Naoya says nothing else, but in a flash, he is in front of him, the point of his knife at his throat.

He gasps when he feels the cold steel against his flesh. "N-Naoya…"

"…What's the matter?" he asks, sneering at him. "You're strong enough to finish me… What are you waiting for?"

"…You sound like you want to die," he replies, barely keeping his voice from shaking.

"Perhaps I do. And when I wake up again, maybe your wretched rule will be over."

He shakes his head again. "I won't kill you…"

Naoya's face darkens, and he presses the tip of his blade against the boy's neck, so that a trickle of blood falls. Naoya leans in—frightened, he tries to pull away, but Naoya grips his shoulder tightly.

"I killed you before…" he whispers into the boy's ear. "I stabbed you until the ground ran red. I made you suffer… So won't you hate me?"

"No…"

Naoya grits his teeth, gripping the boy's shoulder even harder. "Hate me, brother…"

"I can't hate you, Naoya!"

"Why not?" He drags the blade along his neck, causing a thin, shallow cut. The boy whimpers.

"I just can't… I can't hate you! How could I hate my cousin…"

"…So, what is it that you feel for me, brother?" He narrows his red eyes. "It can't be love…"

"No, you're wrong… I do lo—"

"Don't lie to me!" He digs the blade deeper into his neck, deep enough to hurt, but shallow so that it misses his artery. The boy cries out.

"I killed you once," Naoya says, whispering again. "And I will do it again, unless you stop me."

"S-stop it…" He can't stop the tears anymore. "Stop it… It hurts… Onii-chan…"

At this, Naoya tenses, and the hostility in his eyes fades. "…What did you just say?"

His emotions, which had died with the first human he judged, suddenly return with his tears. "Onii-chan… Onii-chan…!"

Naoya grits his teeth. "You…" He removes the blade from his neck and raises it above his head. The boy's eyes widen, but he eventually resigns to his fate and braces himself for his own cousin to stab him.

But the blade never comes. The sound of metal clattering to the ground resounds throughout the place. When he opens his eyes again, the pale hand gripping his shoulder is gone, and instead, he sees Naoya, who has turned away. His hand is over his eyes, and his silver hair is like a curtain, obscuring his face.

"Damn it… Why do you have to look at me like that?"

He can't stop himself anymore—he throws himself at Naoya, flinging his arms around the man and hugging him tightly, trembling.

He hears the man sigh. "Come on, don't be like that." He cups the boy's cheeks, wiping his tears away with his thumb. "You're the judge of humanity. There's no room for tears."

"How can I be the judge of humanity when I no longer have it?" he sobs, burying his face against Naoya's chest again. "I don't know what to do anymore…"

He feels Naoya's fingers stroking his hair. It's consoling, and it reminds him of how it used to be. "What are you talking about? I think your humanity's perfectly intact." He hears the man chuckle wryly. "It's probably mine that needs to be worked on."

The boy just shakes his head, but he can't bring himself to say anything else and just continues to let out his tears as Naoya holds him, the tears that he's held back for so long.

Eventually, he stops trembling and the wetness in his eyes dry. The cousins stay like that for a few moments, before Naoya whispers into his ear again.

"I have to go."

Before he can stop him, Naoya pulls away and turns around. The boy suddenly feels cold.

The man begins walking, but stops when he hears the boy's voice; "Wait… Naoya…"

He sighs. "What is it, cousin? I don't have a lot of time, you know."

"…I want to see you again, Onii-chan…"

His response is another sigh. "Don't you remember who I am? The angels are after me, so I have to keep a low profile. I can't be careless." He speaks this so freely that it almost makes the boy feel guilty. "Besides, what would they do if they saw you with me? Probably nothing too pretty—you could be seen as a traitor, at best."

He can't seem to find the words to answer this, and he can only watch as Naoya continues walking.

And then, Naoya turns so that he can see his face. "…I'll make it easy for you to find me." This is the last thing he says before he disappears into the shadows once more, leaving him by himself.

The sun is beginning to rise when he decides to return, and the light warms him. He feels like a heavy burden has been lifted off his shoulders—deep down, Naoya still loves him and the thought of seeing him again makes him feel light-hearted.

He stops for a moment to enjoy the sun's warmth, and he notices that his white cloak has been stained with blood from his wound.

His blood is still red.

NOTE: Onii-chan is Japanese for "big brother." I'm usually not too big on the bilingual bonus kinda thing, but I just think that "Onii-chan" sounds a lot more endearing and cuter than "big brother" or "big bro". Or "mon frère". (*tomato'd*) So yeah. Just in case you didn't know.

I hope that wasn't too confusing. |D Anyways, read and review? You'll make me very happy.

The next chapter will be Naoya's route.