Red Carpet [Sena]

As they lingered through the ebon rock hallways carved clean with the most expensive knives, but the cheapest Demon laborers one could find, so while it looked majestic, it lacked proper refinement and quality. But for a Demon King's palace? It looked rather daunting, and with the rumors of his Father that Sena didn't know about, perhaps she would be scared, noticing a slight shiver from her after his words on the third eye.

Great, she's already writhing in her skin. I really need to make this quick.

Arriving to the throne room, little to Sena's knowledge until the large doors of black steel whined open, the discussions inside stopping to make way and silence for their guest of honor, and the return of the Demon King's son- The Prince of Alaric. Before Kenjirou could say hi or introduce himself and Sena, however, his Father asserted his voice before anyone could initiate the conversation.

He was a large man, with short black hair, but a beard that suggested he once had a full head of long ebon hair. He wore a black and red outfit, and his crown, the third eye, could currently be seen open, a purple hue to it, while his eyes were red.

" Welcome home, Son. I hear you've finally decided to man-up for once in your life? Ah, and you even have your pretty human queen picked out and ready for you. You work rather fast, don't you? "

The words were, to some degree, sinister. Unfortunately for Kenjirou, he had no real idea if his Father was ready to hand down his crown, the years before he seemed content with it, what with his obsession for legacies and his family's lineage enduring the ages. It was fine if he liked to point out things about Kenjirou's past, but his new life, to mention Sena like that?

" I didn't pick her out, she isn't a flower. I met her one night..and from there, well..let's just say we were meant to be together. "

While his words tried to hide what happened, Kenjirou thought back on the moment, when he saw the words written in his journal. Then he thought about their journey to the hospital in the Spirit world. All the things they had done together, Kenjirou was reviewing in his mind, which allowed his Father to know the truth, almost first-hand.

" So where is Mother? I'm sure she has better things to say to greet Sena, seeing as your Highness is not pleased. "

OF course he poured on the guilt trip heavily and quick, his Father having so far ignroed the girl, exempt for his relatively rude remark. Of course, being the Father that he was, hi instincts to act nicer and more accepting kicked in, as he noticed the girl and Kenjirou together was nostalgic to his days of youth, with his human wife.

" Forgive me, Sena Park. I am Hanzō Okajima, King of Alaric, and Demon City. It is nice to know my son has good tastes. "

It probably was rather odd to Sena, especially if she looked at him. While his two normal eyes closed, a smile on his face as he bowed slightly and clasped his hands in a prayer-like gesture, the third purple one stayed open- As it always did, practically staring at them. Standing back up, he ushered the two of them to the nearby tables, which had only four chairs, two on each long side.

" Your Mother and the chefs are fixing us up a special feast, things Humans would eat. She's even taken the time to cook herself so it doesn't taste like carrion. "

A boisterous laugh boomed from the King, echoing into the room, Kenjirou smirking as he remembered how his Father hated eating some of the things the chefs would cook- He was a Demon at heart, and he liked his blood and flesh ripe, raw. Thankfully, as Kenjirou could see behind him, his many thirsts would be quenched with a specialty in the Demon world called Bloodwine. Fortunately, as Kenjirou sipped at the cup at his seat at the table, where Sena would be next to him, he noticed their chalices were filled with a normal fruity red sangria.

" It has been a while since I've had Mother's cooking.. "

While Sena may not have known or been told yet, his Mother was the inspiration to become as good as he was at cooking- But she was definitely better. She could probably tell by Kenjirou's reaction, getting a little jumpy, excited for the food, something he didn't usually do. That, or it was waiting for his Mother to arrive, since she was a Human like Sena, and would probably be much more sociable and understanding, as well as considerate of Sena.

SENA PARK

As Kenjirou drank his wine, so too did Sena, although she placed it down and gave him a look that expressed pain and discomfort. Then other doors opened, the King finally arising from his throne as he saw his wife carrying a tray herself.

" God dammit! My wife is no servant, why is she carrying the food?! "

Without warning another voice erupted onto the scene, a feminine voice that sent chills up your spine- Exactly like a kid who just heard his Mother yelling louder and more viciously than ever before. Kenjirou's lips curled into a smirk, and his Father, listening to the woman, still looked at his son, knowing everything he was thinking, the scrutinizing thoughts about how his Father was being rude in front of company- Important company.

If you didn't break the preferred hand of every chef who under-cooked your food, maybe they'd be able to do more than function with more than one hand! Now quite griping, we have company!"

While the elder blondes voice was once harsh, her expression cruel towards her husband, it all changed instantly as her head swiveled towards the girl, almost aware of her needs. She looked Human, exempt a slight cat-like slit to her pupils, and a presence that gave off a feeling of Yoki, or Demonic spiritual energy.

Hello my dear, I'm Kenjirou's Mother, Asuna Okajima. Oh, and I'm the wife to this loser."

Obviously his Mother was the one with a sense of humor, although while it didn't seem to funny to her husband, he seemed to settle down, realizing that this wasn't the time to just get angry and start an outburst- His family was together, and they had a new addition to it- Hopefully, at least.

" Here is the food, and some freshly acquired water from a place called Fiji in the human world. I'm sure it will wash things down better than your wine. "

As the King and Queen sat down, the servants placed the other trays of food down, one of them pouring new chalices filled with water, and setting the wine aside, Kenjirou clutching his to show the preference. After this, he'd have to have some of the famous bloodwine, something his Father had specially made- Because if there was one thing he cared about, it was his alcohol and blood. Little did Sena and Kenjirou know, this particular batch was Human blood.

" Forgive me my dear, I forgot to ask. What is your name? And how did you and my son come to meet? He hasn't been a trouble-maker, has he? "

Allowing her to answer for herself, since talking to his Mother would definitely prove easier than the Father, Kenjirou began digging in as the servants withdrew, the chef standing idly by with a nervous, worried expression. The King peered at him before taking a bite of his portion, taking a large chunk of the breast meat from a turkey. There was gravy, mashed potatoes, and plenty of other Human foods, including a desert-like food called cranberry sauce, which was cooled and cut into slices of something akin to jello, though more like jelly.

It all tasted rather good, and was steaming and moist as if it was as fresh as could be, Kenjirou looking at his Father as a certain topic came to mind. His Father noticed his thoughts, and the third eye stared at his Son while his eyes focused on eating his food.

Does this mean he's accepted me becoming the new Demon King?

SENA PARK

Listening to how Sena talked to her Mother, Kenjirou feasted while having his own discussion with his Father, which the King started when he realized Kenjirou thinking about how his Mother was the real boss, something that happened when the human girl whispered something he couldn't hear into the Prince's ear.

" So the heir to the throne is finally home, and his family, those remaining of it, anyway, are happy he returned. But how easy do you think it is to rule the Alaric region, let alone Demon City? "

Kenjirou smiled, thinking to himself how smart his Father was for being persistent on questioning his Son on his pursuit of the throne and crown, who knew what his Son wanted- But also what all the Demons around him wanted. After all he could read the mind of those around him, and he knew when someone was lying- Something he was known for, thanks to the third eye, known as a 'Jagan eye'.

" That's why I have you, Father. Your veteran status and first-hand experience, along with being someone I am on good terms with, makes you the perfect candidate to keep around, to make sure I don't make any mistakes, or do anything...drastic. "

He smiled at his Father, wondering about what all the Demons would say when the Demon Kign of Alaric announced his Son would lead them into a new era, where Humans were equals. While those of Alaric were some of the most cruel and powerful, so was his Father- Having kept them content, even though his wife was a Human when they married, and only converted to keep her youth about her.

" Whatever you do with the power, I'm sure it will be better than what your Father has done. He's always been a bias King. Sorry, honey, it's true. You don't help out the community as much as you should. Instead, you hoard all sorts of wealth and fortune. It's no wonder they still worship you. "

Slamming his chalice of bloodwine on the table, belching lightly as he did so, his eyes darted to his wife in a defensive manner. " Don't mistake their fear for respect and worship. They treat us like royalty, cause they know if they don't I'll smash their bodies into little bits and pieces, and feed them to the Cerberus. Oh right, Sena, you wouldn't know- That was Kenjirou's first pet, we got it when it was just a pup. Quite a beast he's turned out to be, but he still loves Kenjirou like the day they first met. "

As they discussions went on, Kenjirou looked at Sena, hoping she wasn't too creeped out by his first pet being a three-headed dog, that, though she didn't currently know, grew to the size of a small house.

" Oh right, I almost forgot about Clifford. How has he been doing? He hasn't been eating the communities livestock still, has he? He only normally did that when you weren't feeding him well. "

Yes, the pet Cerberus was named after 'Clifford, the big red dog', mostly due to it's red eyes, skin and fur color, but also the fact it would get just as big, if not larger. He was a true pet for a Demon, one that put the 'guard dogs' in the Human world to shame. they'd have them pissing with their tails between their legs running just with a boisterous bark, which sounded ominous and surreal due to the size of the lung cavity, and the amount of sound that bellowed from within because of it.

Well, I suppose that philosophically our lifestyles are the same...but not by appearances.

SENA PARK

Noticing that Sena looked away and grabbed a cup of bloodwine while looking away when she heard the dog was named Clifford, he laughed a little bit, and even though he was slightly reluctant to feel okay with it, his eyes turning a red hue, his other opinion on the matter was persuaded, and they changed hue to a blue iris.

" Yeah, Clifford was the best name I could think of at age four, with the help of my Mother and the Human books she read with me. Father wanted to call him something like..Duke, was it?"

His Father nodded in agreement as he once again laughed aloud, not afraid to hold back as he commented on her clutch on his life and it's choices, something his wife didn't really influence for him, apparent as he still drank blood, and often ate Human flesh- That was organs ordered from already dead or dying individuals in the Human world, and sometimes when horrible accidents happened to the Human world's known worst people, Demons told if they can find someone like a murderer, rapist or otherwise heinous criminal, that they would be wise to utilize the chance to harvest their accident prone friend.

" Wow Son, if I didn't know better I'd say she's controlling you. But I can understand, with this new age, such things cause us to look viscous- Feral, even. That is why this was the very last batch I had specially obtained from a blood testing facility. Let's just say some lab is gonna be missing some of it's testing materials, but not their lives. Nobody got hurt. "

As the King downed his chalice, and ushered for the other ones to be brought to him, Kenjirou stared in envy, his Father grinning at the fact, as he could tell what his son felt telepathically. However, there was still good food for Kenjirou to eat before him, making swift work of his entire plate, preparing himself another. Not to mention the fact that he was always hungry, Kenjirou also did a lot of running earlier, something that added to his famish. This gave room for his Mother to talk once again, just beginning to indulge in her first plate of food.

" So Sena, what do you think of the place? Could you ever imagine living here? "

It was a pretty stark question, and one that would serve meaningful for the moments, and possibly years, or perhaps not-so-long a time to come? After all, the Queen was supposed to be here, along with the King. Unless, there was some sort of proposition on the table? Kenjirou started to think just how much authority and responsibility he could take on soon enough, and more importantly- The crown.

" First Kenjirou has to become King, and I am not so convinced about him. This whole time I feel like he has no individuality, no backbone. If I didn't know better? I'd say you were controlling my son. You play a very dangerous game, Sena. Try to watch what boundaries you cross. "

His Father smiled towards Kenjirou, and then tried to share that smile towards Sena, although it was much shorter lived. The King wasn't exactly pleased to know the customs and traditions of their people would essentially be stripped from their culture for the sake of pleasing Humanity, another race who sought blood, in other ways, similar to the Demons. They weren't so much different than they thought, after all Humans ate just about everything else on their food chain, like shark, bear, and animals like that. It was simply Darwinism.

"Wow Dad, calm down. I don't need the bloodwine, the crown, or the throne yet- But I need to be considered a large political figure. Me and Sena, and knowing you and Mother were once Demon and Human? It's obvious there needs to be a change in the way we treat the Humans. I've always felt that he have as much a right to live as us, and that their lives as just as precious, if not more-so. After all, I've killed some Demons before, but never any Humans. I hope to keep it that way. "

" Let's all hope for that. "

Looking at Sena, Kenjirou smiled, trying to make light of what his Father said. The King could be quite an ass when it came down to it, and Kenjirou needed to assure his parents and girlfriend that, while he wanted to take on the perks, status', and titles- There was a real need to be patient with the ordeal. Thankfully, his Mother always seemed encouraging and supportive of her son.

SENA PARK