It had to happen. It was probably going to happen eventually. Everything that has happened so far, and all that is to come, will be necessary. These sacrifices are needed.

This is what Mephisto repeated to himself as he spoke to the Grigori, as the room started to shake, as Rin stabbed through Amaimon's chest, as he heard that final scream.

That scream was not expected, though it was also not a surprise. He had thought his brother's last words would have been some sort of curse towards their new brother, the one who had defeated the Earth King. This final word, directed at himself, had went straight through him.

This scream echoed in his mind as his feet touched the soft ground of Amahara. Closing his eyes, he inhaled the sweet scents of all the flowers and other plants that surrounded him now. The smells brought back fond memories, memories of searching for his younger brother, not being able to distinguish his horn of hair from the grass he was hiding in. He remembers coming here to say goodbye to him as he left for Assiah. He remembers how he begged to accompany him, for him to take him up to the human world. He remembers how sad and angry he had gotten when was he denied, but how his face brightened as he handed him something. It was something he told him to take care of as he got strong, something to keep him company while he was gone, a friend. This creature was named Beheomoth as he left the young king for Assiah.

Opening his eyes, he could see the shadows of these memories all around this garden, everything that had happened here. As his eyes wandered he caught sight of a tree. Of course, trees were all around Amahara, but this one was different. He could never mistake that shade of green. With a smile on his face, he walked carefully towards it.

He admired the tree as he got closer. It was possibly the tallest and strongest out of all the ones there. The leaves were the most vibrant green he had ever seen. They were darker near the bottom, but at they got higher, they became lighter.

The smile that was on his face faltered a bit as he bent down to the base of the tree. He set down a small, plain white box right where the trunk of the tree met the ground. Inside this small box was a little cake, his favorite.

Stepping back, he stared forward at the tree, eyes unfocused a bit. The wind blew behind him, gently moving his cape forward. He had thought it was just this breeze at first, but he quickly realized that there was a slight pressure around his arms and back. His eyes widened as he noticed this pressure, but slid halfway closed after a moment.

A slight smile appeared on his face as he reached his hand up to meet the pressure on his arm, though it was met by only the feel of his own sleeve. He chuckled a bit and let his hand fall slowly to his side, looking down at the soft grass. The pressure seemed to tighten slightly.

"... Are you angry?"

It seemed that he was talking to himself, maybe even the wind. It was silent for a few moments and he thought there might stay silence. Then a familiar voice sounded from behind him, though it seemed faint and far away.

"I'm not angry, aniue."

He could feel the pressure on his back, his face, that horn of hair. The smile on his face seemed to widen, though his eyes has no joy in them at all.

"How could you not be? I killed you."

"You didn't kill me, our new brother did. He's pretty strong."

Another chuckle, but there was no happiness behind it.

"It seems he is..."

"Are you angry?"

He felt the pressure move a bit, like he had tilted his head up to look at his face, even though was pressed to his back. The question confused him a bit though and he turned his head a bit as if to to look behind him, though he knew he wouldn't see anything.

"Angry?"

He felt a nod at his back and looked forward again.

"No, more... Sad." His grip tightened on his sleeve, where he felt the pressure on his arms, though his fingers only felt his own fabric. "It'll be quiet without you."

"Ah," he heard on his back before more silence. The breeze blew again, this time Mephisto let his eyes slide shut as the wind move his hair. He was enjoying the quiet, the sweet smells, the breeze. It was all very relaxing, until it was interrupted.

"You could have stopped him."

He blinked out of his thoughts, caught off guard by the comment. The voice sounded... Angry? Sad?

"What?"

"You didn't have to let that happen."

He sighed and stared forward, looking almost annoyed.

"I told you to go rest, didn't I?" He remembered back in the woods where Amaimon and Rin had their last fight before the trial started with the Grigori counsel. Indeed, he had told the Earth King to rest. "If you hadn't come back to-"

"You knew I would come."

Mephisto went silent, again surprised by his brother's comment. He shook it off quickly; there was no way that he would have known. No way he could have seen what Mephisto had planned.

"How could I have known that?" He chuckled a bit, trying to play it off, "I thought he would have worn you out, and you would go rest quietly." He motioned a hand by his side, idly waving it once as if to shoo away any suspicion his brother had.

"I know you knew. You wanted me to come back so you could get the Grigori to trust you."

He tensed a bit, where was this coming from? There wasn't much time to think on it as Amaimon kept speaking.

"You needed me to come there. You had to have something happen so that you could show them a reason to take your gamble."

The elder stayed silent, a strand of purple hair slid onto his face. It seemed like the wind would blow again, but it was still. He was quiet for a long time, half expecting to hear more from his brother, half wishing he would disappear now, so he could have the silence again.

When he finally spoke, it was not in the usual cheerful tone he has, it was more somber.

"... And you still went along with it?"

More silence. He felt the pressure from around him slide away, but there was a new pressure on his back. It was a hand with long, slender fingers. He could also feel the tips of the long, sharp nails at the end of them lightly on his back. It rested there a moment before fading away.

Mephisto only waited a second before swiftly turning around. He knew nothing was going to be there, but part of him hoped to look down to see that green hair one more time. The wind blew again, but this time it moved his hair and cape away from him. He smirked a bit, realizing something.

"King of Deceit," a hollow chuckle, "you really live up to your name, don't you?"

The wind blew again, almost in a sort of response. He closed his eyes to let the breeze glide over his face, breathing in the scents it brought with it. As the wind dimmed, he turned to look at the tree one last time.

The box was gone.

Smiling to himself, he started away from that tree.

"Get some rest, Amaimon."

Author's Note: So, this series is really starting to get me back into demonology and such. My friend and I do a lot of research, and we found out that Amaimon (Sometimes spelled "Amaymon") in some texts, is labeled as "The King of Deceit." Mephisopheles is also sometimes referred to as the "King of Promises." It's really interesting stuff, I hope you all get the chance to poke around the Internet for more information. c: Also this is my first Ao story, hope you all liked it!;;

And thanks to my friend for reading through this and helping me with some things. 3