RN: Hello, readers. If you're reading this you've decided my story is good enough to continue. I'm flattered. Really I am. I didn't know what to expect with this story, but apparently you like it. So... :D.

One thing I feel I must inform you of before I continue. This story is non-canon in many parts, and is my own deviation into my plot starting from the intermission after the battle with Gabriel. If any characters do not match up to their design in the original novels, that is because I have not read that far yet #internethasfailedme.

...the # was kinda fun, actually. In any case, if the character deviations make it hard to read, please let me know. I'm quite familiar with the pains of balancing being appreciative of the blood, sweat and tears an author has put into her work, and the intense, OCD need for all the characters to stay canon. But hopefully I can paint a picture captivating enough that it won't matter how embellished the characters are, just that they work with the story.

Anyways, that's my little disclaimer for the day. Along with waiving my rights to claiming ownership with the series, of course. Stay awesome, and enjoy.


"So?" Lucifer continued. He took a moment to eye the door, somehow having been fit perfectly back into place. Ashiya's going to have a fit when he finally finds out. And right after we fixed it, too…"Who broke you out, Asbeel? Last I heard you'd been thrown into Heaven's prisons to rot until Judgement Day. Don't tell me you busted out to get revenge or something like that."

Asbeel gave a long, heavy sigh. "You are as blunt as always," he said, his voice slow and somber. Though he was forced to hunch in the small room, he looked as if something were dragging him downwards. His eyes, crystal blue and streaked with grey, looked tired and worn. "These past few millennia have not dulled your tongue."

"Well, that's just part of my charm," Lucifer replied. He cast a distasteful eye over Asbeel's form. "You look terrible. I guess a few thousand years in the dungeons takes its toll even on angels. Still—" He drew the corner of his mouth up in a smirk, "—I'd say you deserve a few thousand more. I mean, defiling yourself with a human…If I hadn't already fallen by the time I heard, I would have had you disgraced myself."

Those piercing blue eyes opened. "Enough, Lucifer." Asbeel cut across him with the force of a sledgehammer, and Lucifer immediately fell silent, to his disgust. "You know why I'm here."

Lucifer gave a light snort. "Yes, and if Heaven's resorting to a monster like you just to pick up one measly girl, they must be desperate enough to not care about showing their true colors."

Asbeel's features hardened a little, though his monotonous tone didn't waver. "I have been authorized to use any means I may in order to retrieve the fragment," he said, and Lucifer's chest tightened. Had Heaven lost its mind?! He guessed they would up the force on the next wave, but they should have known who they were dealing with…!

"Do not attempt to stop me; no matter what you do, you cannot defeat me and prevent me from taking the girl."

"Okay."

The giant blinked, confused. "What?"

"I said okay. I won't stop you, feel free to take her."

"And you will not oppose me?"

Lucifer shrugged. "Like you said, I can't defeat you. Besides, you'd be doing me a favor. She's annoying, a nuisance, and to be frank I've been just about ready to move out of this house if I have to keep listening to her screaming."

Asbeel's eyes narrowed. "How do I know this is not a trick?"

"Do you have any reason to believe otherwise?" Lucifer asked pointedly. "Even if it did turn out to be a lie, would that make any difference?"

The massive angel regarded him with an unreadable expression, but answered, "You speak truly. Then if you are so willing, reveal the girl and hand her to me. I promise no harm will befall either of you."

"She left a few hours ago, so I can't do that. But you can find her at the park, I guarantee it."

Asbeel seemed to ponder this, and Lucifer felt the sweat drop just a little down his neck. Finally he nodded. "Heaven will be pleased. Though I feel no comradery between us, Lucifer, this time you have my thanks for your cooperation."

"You have such a way with words," Lucifer muttered sarcastically.

The giant turned slowly to the newly-made hole in the wall. But before he could take a single step, energy suddenly crackled around him, and a piercing bolt of magic struck him hard at the nape of his neck. Asbeel's eyes widened as his body went rigid, then rolled up in his head and the behemoth keeled over in thunderous crash onto the floor.

Lucifer let at a long, slow breath, and gave a shaky smile. "Finally," he whispered.

He walked over and peered down disdainfully at the fallen behemoth. "Sorry, Asbeel," he said, in a voice that would have sounded bored if not for the slight tremor in it. "I forgot to tell you about her parents: The Great Demon King Satan and the Hero of the People, Emilia. As much as you make me nervous, I'm far more terrified of the thought of what they might do to me if they ever found out I willingly gave up their daughter to Heaven. I don't think I can take another of Maou's punches." He rubbed his check at the thought of it.

"Besides," he added quietly, disgust thick in his tone, "it's about time somebody got rid of you once and for all."

He stumbled, suddenly light-headed. It had taken nearly every drop of magic he had left in that one shot, and he had to make it count. It was a gamble saving enough energy so that he didn't pass out right then and there, but miraculously it seemed to have worked. Now if only the room would stop spinning…

"Where's that rope?" he muttered. "I know I left it somewhere…maybe the closet…"

It would certainly take a lot of explaining, not to mention a lecture from at least one other demon about the door, but that was all right; the threat was over. The others were safe, and he'd…

Lucifer let out a nervous giggle. He'd done it. He'd taken down the Beast himself. Asbeel, who before his imprisonment had split through an army of 1,000 demons alone, who was rumored to be so powerful even the original Great Demon Satan had been impressed, and considered him a worthy adversary. Asbeel, who had conspired with others to corrupt the minds of humans with knowledge they were not yet ready for, and who was currently passed out on his floor cold as the ice cream in his freezer.

It was his time in prison that weakened him, Lucifer reasoned. Otherwise there's no way that would have worked that easily. Even now, I still can't believe that I—

"So, the great demon Satan is here."

What?!

Lucifer whirled around to see the massive angel stirring, slowly getting back to his feet. He tensed as Holy energy began to collect around Asbeel, generating a yellow glow that gave off a faint hum.

"I'd heard he'd disappeared during my time of imprisonment, but all this time I'd assumed he perished. Now you are telling me that he lives, and what's more, he's been hiding among the humans all this time."

"Well…actually…" Lucifer licked his lips, slowly backing away. There was nowhere to run, nowhere to hide, he was spent on magic and he was up against possibly the most powerful angel of all time. Whom he had just shot in the back of the head.

"I really must thank you again," Asbeel continued, his voice becoming lost in the groaning of rising power. Magical circles began to appear all around him, all of them aimed at Lucifer. "Though I now have two tasks I must complete, you have given me a chance to once and for all finish the battle I started thousands of years past. Today, the world might finally be rid of the greatest evil to ever walk the Earth."

He finally turned around, a ball of energy ready in his hand to fire at the purple-haired teen, but he was met with only an empty room. Surprised, all signs of magic died down, the ball sputtering out with a pathetic whimper.

"Where…?"

A pained grunt came from outside, and Asbeel looked at the window. Five seconds ago, it had been closed. Now a gentle summer breeze gently blew the curtains aside, and the sounds of cicadas could be heard clearly. Beyond the balcony, a shadowed figure dashed beyond the gate and disappeared down the street.

Asbeel frowned. "So, you have chosen death," he murmured sadly.

Great black wings, matted and hanging in patches, slowly lifted in the cramped space. Stepping carefully out to the balcony, Asbeel rose into the air, feathers showering beneath him. A few of them caught on a tiny, blue and white striped dress hanging right next to him, still wet from its washing.

"Do not think you can escape my sight," he whispered, and disappeared, the sound of wings flapping fading into the night.


Damn it, why don't I walk more often!

Lucifer cursed his weakness as he ran, ran as fast as he could, somewhere, anywhere. His arm ached from where he had banged it against a branch when he jumped down, but it was lost in the burning of his legs and the growing stitch in his side. It had only been a short while, but already his breathing was ragged and labored, sweat from the humidity was plastering his shirt to his back, and if his body weren't shaking from the spent magical energy already, now it was threatening to collapse, if only it weren't for the merciless orders for it to run, run faster, run until he was certain he was in a spot where he could be safe for the time being, and think of a way to keep himself alive for just a little longer.

He had to get to a place with people. Lots and lots of people. The only problem was the streets were just so damn empty for whatever inconceivable reason. Every corner he turned he saw the same picture; bare, except for a few who were taking an evening stroll. Those he did pass he barely noticed, though he heard several gasps and cries of surprise as he dashed by. He didn't blame them; he must have looked like a maniac, tearing down the sidewalks like the Devil was on his heels.

Well, as close as Heaven came to, anyways.

Don't people have parties to go to?! He thought desperately. If only he could reach a crowd, find someplace with enough negative energy so that he might gain power to at least stand his ground…then maybe, just maybe, he might come out of this alive.

The highway! Traffic was still bad in that area, and during rush hour people would be especially stressed. With any luck, he'd get there while it was still thick…

He stopped at a corner, barely supporting himself up with one hand against a light pole. His throat ached each time he drew in breath, and his chest felt as though it were filled with lead. Swallowing, Lucifer listened for the sounds of traffic. It didn't seem too far away…if he could just get his legs moving again…

Taking a deep breath, he sprinted off.

Only a few minutes later, a giant man landed atop the very same light pole, eyes as blue as the summer sky scanning the streets below. No one saw him as they passed underneath, but the gaze of the Watcher missed nothing. Sharper than any hawk, it narrowed when a flash of purple caught its eye, and focused on its prey. The predator began to descend, but stopped himself.

"I know what you plan to do," he said quietly. "I admit I do not enjoy a one-sided battle. But it will not work, Lucifer. None can defeat me save God himself."


Up on the highway, a tow truck was hooking up to a steel platform, upon which lay a dented gasoline tanker. Two workers finished tightening the straps holding the container to the platform while they waved for the third driving the tow truck to continue backing up.

The remainder of the terrible accident had already been cleared save for the tanker and the hundreds of scattered bits of plastic and burnt metal lost on the pavement below. But the tanker had fallen from the truck across all three lanes of the highway, and as a result, all traffic had been redirected to the frontage roads. Though a detour further up the highway managed to clear a good chunk of the congestion, cars still tended to pile up in the lower level lanes while work crews labored to clear the highway as quickly as possible. This evening, the traffic was especially bad, and though the heat had lessened considerably, the air was filled with the smell of sweat and gasoline, and the sounds of honking and angry shouts.

Lucifer soaked it all in from where he crouched, hidden, in a nearby alley. The negativity coursed over him felt like a warm salve, soothing his shaking limbs and sore muscles. He felt a spark of his magic return, and he inched closer.

"C'mon," he muttered, wiping away the perspiration that dripped from his forehead. "Hurry up, hurry up…"

His energy was building up, but not nearly as fast as he'd hoped. Perhaps human frustration just wasn't strong enough, but he hoped he might at least be able to fly by this point.

Lucifer cursed. Human fear, on the other hand, would have recharged him in no time flat. But as tempting as it was, Maou had forbidden him from doing anything that might cause harm to the humans he had grown so fond of. Damn his king's foolish sentimentality…

"Oi, Yoshida, what the hell do you think you're doing?!"

A nearby shout broke him from his thoughts, and he looked up at the highway. His returning magic had granted him sharper senses, and though the sounds of car horns were now blasting in his ear, he could also pick out the words of the workers above. One of the workers strapping down the tanker was picking his way hurriedly to the other side of the platform, where he promptly slapped something from his co-worker's hand.

"OW, Saito, what'd the hell you do that for?!"

"You idiot! I told you about smoking while you work! You can't light a cigarette here, there's gasoline everywhere!"

"Who're you calling an idiot? I'm not stupid, I'm not anywhere near the leak! Besides, gasoline's probably all evaporated anyways."

"Outside, moron! There's still a whole puddle inside the wreckage, look! You just stepped in some! You had your lighter out, and you just stepped in some gasoline. You really are just a whole new level of stupid, aren't you? I'm telling the guys when we get back, they'll love to hear this."

"That's water, genius! I poured some on my head earlier to cool off. Besides, they drained all the gas from this tank anyways."

"And how do you know they drained all of it? You can't take that chance! What happens if there's still some left, and you drop your cigarette or something, huh? I'm not going to go to your wife and be the one to say her husband's an idiot who burned his own face off."

An idea suddenly popped into Lucifer's mind…A desperate, crazy idea, after which Maou would definitely kill him. But what was he, if not desperate? Besides, maybe, considering the circumstances, Maou would be willing to overlook him, just this once…

After all, it wouldn't matter that much. He was about to be killed one way or the other.

"All right, all right, if it'll get you off my back, I'll close it. There, see?" The disgruntled worker made a show of putting away his lighter, and the man who lectured him gave a satisfied nod and went back to the other side. As soon as he did, however, his co-worker immediately ducked and snuck the lighter out again, secretly lighting his cigarette and taking a puff, then straightening when his partner shouted something again.

"Look, it's out, okay? Look, I'm putting away the lighter, and I'm putting out the cigarette. Geez, man can't have a second to smoke even if he needs to—"

BOOM!

Something exploded right next to where the cigarette was dropped. It was small, like a firecracker, but the man shrieked and jumped away; at the same time, his co-worker sprinted away from the tankard, yelling at the driver to get out, who didn't bother to open the door but instead shoved himself through the window and crawled to his feet as quickly as he could.

"See?! I said so, didn't I? You and your smoking, you said you'd quit last week!"

"Hey, shut up, all right? I didn't think anything would be left there after two days!"

"Damn it, I'm radioing this in, this thing isn't safe to move yet…"

"Wait, are you kidding? Our boss'll have our heads if this takes any longer than it's supposed to!"

"We won't have a head to give him if we keep this—!"

Anything further was lost in a KA-BOOM! as a massive explosion suddenly engulfed the tanker in flame, and all three threw themselves to the ground, their arms flung over their heads. The fire reached the tow truck, and as the workers began to tentatively peek upwards, a final explosion from the truck's own gas tank sent the vehicle skyrocketing, and all three workers fleeing for their lives.

Lucifer winced. He hadn't meant to actually cause that big of a detonation…

But it worked. Below, people were screaming and honking in utter pandemonium, and many were abandoning their cars in favor of getting away as quickly as they could. Some stood transfixed by the awful, impressive sight of black smoke spiraling away from the remains, followed soon by the growing fire which soon spread along both the truck and the tanker, consuming them in a wall of orange and white. Others fled in whatever means possible, running away from the traffic or, refusing to leave their cars, mounting the curb in effort to cut past the build-up.

A tidal wave of negative energy suddenly slammed into him, and he bathed in it, soaking in every drop. An exhilarated laugh escaped him as he felt magic surge through his veins, and black wings suddenly unfurled from his shoulders. He flapped once, and he shot through the air, soaring above the chaos.

He'd nearly forgotten how wonderful it felt—all of his exhaustion gone, his bruises already healing themselves. And his wings…he hadn't realized how much he'd missed them until he was gliding along the currents. A part of him marveled why Ashiya and Maou would willingly wait so long to regain this feeling, then throw it all away as soon as they did.

A shriek, louder than the rest, broke through his bliss, and he looked down to see a man and woman lying on the ground, having flung themselves aside to avoid a burning hunk of metal. As they lied there in shock, the truck that it had fallen from, having landed on the edge of the highway, tipped back and forth dangerously, then finally fell forward, straight towards the couple.

They noticed it too late, but as they screamed and cringed, the truck suddenly slowed, then stopped inches away. It bobbed there a moment before gently floating besides them and dropping to the ground with a crash, safely out of the way of anybody.

Lucifer exhaled. That had been heavier than expected…After over a year of no magic, he was sorely out of practice. But at least he'd managed to save the couple.

Not let any humans die, he immediately corrected himself firmly. His demonic self would have slapped him for protecting them in the first place. He didn't need anyone to think he was going soft as well. It was logical, he told himself: if any humans died, forget Asbeel…Maou would punch him so hard he'd fly twice around the world before slowing down.

The small, apprehensive shudder going down his spine at the thought helped distract him from the slip-up, and he turned his attention down to the couple. They hadn't gotten up to run, instead opting to stare at him, both opened mouthed. It took him a moment to realize that he was still floating in the air, black wings outstretched, illuminated by the city night lights and in full view of both of them.

Crap. The last thing he needed was publicity, and something reminded him with an icy feeling in the gut that he was still a wanted fugitive. Nearby, some others who had yet to escape were also starting to stop and stare, and one or two were pulling out their cellphones.

He had only one option to contain this, before his face was suddenly plastered all over Facepage and Chitter. Haven't had much experience with barriers, but…He snapped his fingers.

Instantly everyone in the nearby vicinity adopted a strangely sleepy look, and one by one they collapsed to the ground. The city for a mile all around turned a gray, monochrome color, and the flames still flickering on the bridge slowed in their movement, then stilled.

Lucifer grunted as exhaustion washed over his body, and he drifted slowly until he was only a few feet off the ground. That had drained him of a huge chunk of power. Still a great deal remained, but he hadn't expected the barrier to take so much, and he wasn't sure if his reserves were enough to repair the damage done in the explosion as well as erase everyone's minds of the incident. He humphed, rising in the air with another, straining flap of his wings. Maybe if he begged, he could ask Maou to do the fixing and mind-erasing.

"You bewilder me, Lucifer."

Lucifer shot around. Damn it, he'd been so caught up in regaining his energy he'd forgotten the reason for it in the first place.

Asbeel floated not a hundred feet from him, looking about the scene with a measure of amazement in his stony features. "Considering your recent demonic history, I thought I might find you causing some sort of destruction, perhaps to gain power, as is the way with all cowardly demons."

Lucifer gritted his teeth, but listened as Asbeel continued, "I did not, however, expect to see you saving the lives of humans. Perhaps a part of you is still angel, and cares for God's children as do the rest of us."

The angel fell silent, eyebrows raised, when Lucifer started cackling, doubling over in the air and bringing his knees to his chest.

"I…I don't need…a rapist lecturing me about loving humans," Lucifer chuckled, grinning wickedly. "Besides, don't bother giving me that crap about the other angels caring. We both know Heaven doesn't give a damn about what happens to them, as long as they worship God and his clerics. Do you even know what's going to happen to the girl if you hand her over to them? Or," he added, a mocking gleam in his eye, "maybe you do know, and you're more than ready to jump in with them when they steal her power. After all, this wouldn't be the first female you've violated."

Something blurred in front of him, and he suddenly shot backwards as Asbeel slugged him across the face. He flew through three buildings before crashing a crater into the fourth, and lay there, groaning. Briefly it registered that he had left his barrier, but had no time to think about it as Asbeel appeared at the mouth of the hole, energy building at his fist. Several beams of energy shot at him, but Lucifer barely managed to avoid them, shooting past Asbeel out of the hole. He fired bolts in return, far stronger than the ones that had sliced clean through Maou's human body, but watched in dismay as they merely rebounded off the angel's skin, leaving it unmarked.

BOOM.

Lucifer flinched as a gigantic crackle exploded in the sky, followed by a burst of blinding red light. He dodged to the side, thinking that perhaps he had narrowly escaped a retaliatory attack by Asbeel, but when his ears stopped ringing and he could see more clearly, he saw the giant had not moved.

Another BOOM, farther away, startled his attention once more, and he realized the explosions were fireworks, lighting up the sky in an array of color. The reason the explosion had been so loud was that they were practically on the same level in the sky.

Asbeel turned slowly. His icy blue eyes were narrowed in rage, and Lucifer actually felt a tremor of fear at his look. Clenching his fists, Lucifer glared in return, and with a yell, he threw himself at the monster.

They exchanged a fierce volley of hits, Asbeel blocking every one. Their fight took them all about the sky, their wings whirling around them. Lucifer wished he could have even a second's breather, but it was impossible; every hit kept Asbeel's hands busy, and at this proximity, he knew it would take the ancient angel only one more hit to kill him. As they fought, their blows seemed to mirror each firework in the sky, so that their battle seemed a cacophony of deadly light.

Suddenly Asbeel closed his hand around Lucifer's fist, and the fallen angel jerked to a stop, horrified to find he could not move away. Summoning a surge of energy to his other hand, he threw a powerful punch to Asbeel's face, one that created a shockwave strong enough to blow the glass out of buildings half a mile away.

Asbeel floated there with his face cracked to the side, Lucifer's knuckles still buried in his skin. Shocked, Lucifer slowly drew away his throbbing hand, and Asbeel turned his head to look at him directly. A dribble of blood ran down his lip, but beyond that he seemed unfazed. A tremor of despair flickered through him. This…this creature was…

He cried out as he was jerked forward, and a fist was slammed into his stomach. Lucifer's eyes widened as he heard his ribs crack, and his vision flashed black and red. A pained choke left his throat along with a spurt of blood, and Asbeel let him hang, still holding him by the wrist, as he coughed and wheezed for breath.

His wheezing turned into a sputter as Asbeel seized him by the throat, pulling him upwards so that his face was inches away from Lucifer's.

"Understand, Lucifer," the behemoth hissed, and Lucifer could only gurgle pitifully in reply. "I loved Abigail. She was a woman worthy of respect and adoration, and I gave her both with all of my heart. Never once did I do wrong by her. You say I defiled myself, rather I defiled her with my unworthy presence. Do not lecture me about something a filthy demon like you could never understand."

"Y-Yeah?" Lucifer rasped. "Well maybe…this demon…knows more than…than you think."

"I doubt that," Asbeel sneered. "What could you possibly teach me?"

"This." The air suddenly light up brighter than the sun, and Asbeel threw up his hands to shield his eyes. When it faded, the fallen angel had gone.

Asbeel scanned the city, but Lucifer was nowhere to be seen. He ground his teeth, then let out an enraged yell that was drowned out only by the crack of gunpowder, signalling the glorious finale. Underneath the fanfare, his fury traveled far and wide, and promised great agony on his escaped prey.

When the echoes had faded away, Asbeel swore under his breath. "I was told to merely incapacitate you, Lucifer, to keep you out of the way of our plan, but you have made it personal," he growled. "The next time I see you, you will die."


RN: Hey, you. Yeah, you, the person who took the time to type in The Devil is a Part-Timer Fanfiction, scroll downwards, click on this link, and read my story. The person who thought, 'good chapter' and was about to just click the back button to go find something else, leaving my poor plot in the Fanfiction wilderness with little reviews to defend itself with. You can take just a little more time to type in a review, right? It honestly won't take much of your time, and it does a world of good. Seriously. You have no idea what one review can do. It's like...it's like...the ambrosia of writing. All writers look for that one good review. Maybe yours could be it! Could be. Just sayin' (I honestly don't like that phrase, I think it's maddeningly disregarding of feelings, but meh)