How many times had Dantalion said it before?

"Don't push me away, William. I'm here to protect you. There are...others. They will come after you. Please, rely on me."

But it seemed like no matter times he said it even someone as smart as William didn't obey.

There were a couple of reasons of that.

The first, and one that Dantalion knew all too well, was that William didn't completely believe in demons and that he was the descendant of Solomon. God knows he had been attacked plenty of times before, and the effect of his words upon demons undoubtedly proved that he had Solomon's blood running through him...

And the second reason was that Dantalion made William feel strange. Why...William couldn't quite put his finger on it.

Everytime Dantalion would say something like "I'll be there to protect you", or "You're mine!" William would feel his heart starting to beat faster and his cheeks turning hot. Was it a fever? Perhaps some sort of disease? He just didn't know. But, it was because of that reaction that he started to push Dantalion away. He didn't hate the demon, no, but he was...completely confused.

But then, of course, there came a day when William learned the hard way that he couldn't keep doing this. It was only bound to happen.

It was in the middle of class during an extremely dreary day. The sky was black, the cloud menacing, and the sound of thunder could be faintly heard in the distance. Dantalion had deemed this to be some sort of omen, and asked William if he could attend his class. Of course, William sternly said "no" and raced off to class before Dantalion could make any sort of objection.

But, as he gazed out the window at the impending storm and felt a chill race up his spine, William began to wonder if he had done the right thing. He highly doubted anyone else in his class felt this evil aura he did. He began to tap his pencil on his paper quickly, glancing nervously at the clock. This class was almost over, and his next one was with Dantalion. He would be safe with him, he knew it...

But, of course, that didn't work out.

A large, dark figure rushed through the classroom window, shattering glass all about the front of the room. The teacher fell from his chair, and the class immediately erupted into a choir of screams leapt from their seats.

William couldn't move. He found himself paralyzed by the beast's golden eyes.

The monster unfurled itself from the cloud of dust surrounding it, revealing gossamer black feathered wings and a skeletal body composed of pure white bones. It glared at William and trotted over to him, its eyes never leaving his.

"Elector," it hissed, its voice causing William to flinch.

"...What do you want?" William asked, trying his hardest to suppress his wavering voice.

The beast chuckled; it was a grating sound that hurt William's ears. "You know why, Elector. Choose me!"

William shook his head slowly. "N-No, I won't, not someone like -"

"CHOOSE ME, CHOOSE ME!" the demon roared, its voice raising to a screech, its serrated teeth bared.

Now it was definitely time to go.

William raced out of the classroom, nearly jabbing his side into a desk as he did so, and hurried down the hall, his heart beating wildly.

He had to find Dantalion. He would protect him, he knew it...

"ELECTOR!" the demon cried again. William could hear its boney feet striking the floor, echoing throughout the hallway. It wouldn't be long before the demon caught up to him, he knew that. He had to find Dantalion right away...

I won't elect someone like you.

That was what William was about to say to this terrible demon.

Who would he choose, then? Well, if he had to choose someone, it would have to be a demon like Dantalion.

A demon who was powerful yet kind, a demon who would protect him no matter what. A demon who would hold him in his arms and assure him that everything was okay and that he would never leave his side...

William felt his cheeks flushing and he immediately pushed the thought out of his head. No, don't think about that now, focus on getting out.

Before he knew it, however, he was flying through the air.

Dammit! He had tried over his own feet and fell face-first into the tiled floor. "God...," he moaned, managing to heave himself off the ground. His nose was bleeding, he could taste the saltiness of the blood touch his lips, and he craned his head up to the demon slowly approaching him.

"He he, what now, Elector?" the demon cackled. "What do you think now?"

...This was all William's fault, wasn't it? If he hadn't been so stubborn, if he hadn't pushed away Dantalion's help...

He needed Dantalion. He wanted Dantalion.

Tears began to quietly pour down William's cheeks, obstructing his vision of the demon before him.

"...Dantalion," he sobbed. "Dantalion, Dantalion, Dantalion..."

He kept repeating his name, as though his quiet voice would somehow reach him.

The demon cocked its head to one side. "What, begging for that man to save you? What makes you think he'll come? He can't hear you, he won't rescue you..."

William clenched his eyes shut, feeling the demon's hot breath upon his head.

"...Dantalion," he whispered.

Death never came.

Instead, the demon's screams of pain echoed throughout the building. William the warmth of fire assault his face.

He covered his mouth with his hands and began to weep.

He was here, he was here.

"William!"

William cracked open his green eyes at Dantalion's voice. The demon was kneeling before him, his red eyes studying William's bloody nose and tears.

"...Are you okay?" Dantalion asked quietly. "I came as quickly as I could."

William couldn't respond. His mind had gone blank. All he could do was look up at Dantalion, tears continuing to stream down his face.

Somehow, he finally managed to shake his head.

Dantalion's expression turned pained and he gently embraced William, pulling him into his safety of his arms. William could feel the warmth of the chest, hear his breath as his body rose up and down...

Dantalion had him in his arms. He would keep him safe.

It was too much for the startled William, who began to sob and clutched tightly onto the demon.

Dantalion placed his head on the other boy's and began to whisper gently into his blonde hair, assuring him that everything was okay now, that he was finally safe.

"I-I'm so s-sorry," William stammered through his tears. "I should have let you come w-with me, I s-shouldn't have pushed you away..."

"Shh, shh, it's okay," Dantalion whispered, rocking William in his arms. "Everything's okay now, there's no need to cry."

"I-I won't push you away again," William continued. "I d-don't want to..."

That seemed to catch Dantalion by surprise, as his breath suddenly hitched and he didn't reply for quite some time. Finally, he placed a kiss on William's head, which the boy normally would have objected to, and smiled.

"Good," Dantalion said. "Don't push me away...I'll be here for you, always."