Junya wasn't the quiet, gentle man that Subaru shared an apartment with right now though. There was something darker in him, something sadistic, something that Subaru had only seen a few times.

His eyes were red, brighter than the snack bar signs. He moved differently. Faster, inhumanly so. The woman was struggling against his grip.

He reached up, hand going to her jaw. She screamed. There was a sick, crunching sound. Maggots dropped to the floor. Junya's hand pulled away, her jaw secure in his grip.

Subaru couldn't tears his eyes away. It wasn't the first time he'd witnessed Junya killing someone, though rarely had he seen him so violent. Junya's movements had sharpened, so precise compared to the helpless flailing of the angered spirit.

She began to make a noise that couldn't be described as human. Subaru covered his ears, trying to block it out. Her hair lengthened and began to twist around Junya's arms, trying to pull them away from her.

Junya didn't even blink. His nails elongated and sharpened. He resisted the pull of the woman without his muscles even straining. He reached to grab a handful of her hair and tore it apart easily.

Then, so fast Subaru could barely seen the movement, Junya was in front of her. His hand slashed outwards.

There was a dull thunk as her head hit the floor.

Black smoke began to rise from her corpse as it dissolved into ether.

Subaru sank to his knees, clutching his cheek. Junya was there in an instant. His eyes no longer scarlet, his nails no longer talons. He was drenched in blood, however, his once white shirt now deep crimson.

"You're hurt," he said, reaching out to place a hand over Subaru's own. Subaru closed his eyes.

"I'm sorry. She cut my face," he said. A voice in his mind whispered that if it left a scar, Junya would not want him anymore. Who wanted an ugly pet after all?

Junya pulled his hand away and leaned forward to examine the cut.

"It can be healed," he said simply. "Unless you would like me not to?"

Subaru nodded his head. Junya didn't hesitate, biting into his own palm until he drew his own blood. Subaru felt Junya's fingers smear the blood over the wound gently before the burning began, like hot acid searing across his face.

But it passed. Subaru didn't raise his hands to check if he was healed, just staring at Junya's impassive face and waiting.

"I told you to wait," Junya said levelly. Subaru nodded miserably. "You disobeyed me. If it weren't that Sai had seen you from one of the bars, I would not have got here in time." Junya's voice didn't rise, didn't change at all.

"I... Please don't cast me away," Subaru pleaded, grasping Junya's bloodstained hand. For the first time that evening, Junya's expression twitched into something other than a stony mask.

"You are my pet. I will not abandon you," Junya promised. Subaru lunched himself forward, heedless of the blood, wrapping his arms tightly around Junya's neck.

"I love you Junya-sama!" he whispered fiercely. Junya rubbed his back soothingly and Subaru began to believe that maybe, just maybe, the most fearsome creature in this terrifying city might love him back.