Fuck.

Fuck.

This was the exact reason for why Osomatsu never made plans in the first place: Nothing went according to them, ever. He hadn't expected that his father was this strong. He hadn't expected that he'd actually…

His vision blurred at the sides. The church around him seemed unreal, even as he still held the stranger tightly by his collar. It took him a few moments to react properly to what he had said, in which he threw the man violently back to onto the bench. He stumbled inelegantly as the bench tilted backwards and he fell with it.

Osomatsu paid no mind. His heart hammered as he strode towards Tougou's office. Surely he wasn't there right now. He had to get a hold of those Teleportation Gems to get a quick way out of there. He'd been an idiot. Why had he just expected that Tougou would fail? Of course, it had been the most realistic outcome, but he hadn't even taken into account that there was a chance for this to happen.

His father wasn't dead, but Osomatsu sure would be if he stayed here any longer.

He pushed the door open and went straight to the desk. He pulled the drawers out, searching desperately through them all before moving onto the closet in the corner, and went on like that until he in the end found the stones in a chest in the last drawer of a commode. Shaking, he picked them up, bringing them closely against his lips, whispering the incantation rapidly – and then he got to the part where he had to say where he wanted to go.

Where could he go? He couldn't do this alone. He needed help.

The name was out of his mouth before he had the time to think twice about it. "Choromatsu."

Just then, he heard approaching footsteps. He slammed the drawer shut, stuffing the stones into his pocket. He stumbled away from the commode just as the door opened, revealing none other than his father behind it.

Osomatsu willed his breath to even out, putting on his best poker face. "Father." he said. "I was coming to see you."

"Osomatsu." Tougou walked towards him, a smile etching itself across his face. "You're back. How did it go?"

His blood froze. Right. Choromatsu. "U- Um…" he started, looking at the ground when Tougou's eyes narrowed dangerously. "You- You see… You said it was an angel, but it wasn't. It was a goddess." He forced himself to look back up at his father. "A- And since I was prepared for a normal angel, he was just… too strong."

"As if you've ever taken down a simple angel." Tougou's voice was pure acid, and Osomatsu swallowed. "How many chances do I have to give you, Osomatsu? You useless, insignificant moron."

Osomatsu looked away again, his face heating up, from both anger and embarrassment.

"Come." Tougou then said, taking a harsh grip around Osomatsu's upper arm. He pulled him forcefully with him, out of the office and through the hall. He stumbled after, trying to match his father's long strides. "You've heard the news, surely? If not you really are daft."

"I am aware." Osomatsu mumbled.

"I'm taking you to the capital."

Osomatsu frowned. "What happened to the war?" he asked.

Tougou grinned maliciously. "Do you wish to fight, boy? You wouldn't last a second out there, as you've proven countless of times already," he snarled. "No, I'm taking you the crowning ceremony. Better do it now while the protestors are busy."

His father picked a Gem from the pocket inside of his jacket, and smashed it to the ground. Smoke surrounded them, and the next thing Osomatsu saw was a gigantic, gold covered hall. There was nothing in there except a mighty throne standing on a podium in the end of the room. There was a red carpet stretching across the floor, ending right before the stairs that led up to the throne. The roof was so high above them, Osomatsu was sure it could fit at least five stories in there. Beside the throne stood a tall, skinny man clad in a black suit, holding a pillow with an object resting on it – An object Osomatsu had only before seen in pictures. Lucifer's scepter.

There was no one in the room except the two of them and the black clad man. Osomatsu felt nauseous.

"Why do I have to be here?" he asked quietly. He looked up at Tougou, but didn't expect him to be staring back at him with such an intense light in his eyes. Automatically, he tugged his arm back, and Tougou surprisingly let go.

"Osomatsu." his father droned. "Do you think I'm stupid?"

Osomatsu blinked, the question catching him off guard. "What? No." he stammered.

"Then why do you think I don't know of your thoughts about the Surface? How you long for it? You've never been interested in my ambition to take control of it, because you don't want it to change."

Fuck.

He clenched his fists to stop them from shaking. "You're wrong."

The words were barely out of his mouth when Tougou struck him across his cheek, sending Osomatsu stumbling to the side. His vision blackened, and he struggled to find back his balance.

"Don't talk back to me!" Tougou snarled.

Osomatsu had to take a moment to will back the tears threatening to spill. It wasn't like he hadn't taken a punch before, but even if Tougou was a terrible father figure, it was still different when he did it. He felt helpless, even scared. "I'm sorry…sir." he breathed, unable to raise his voice.

"Your childish dreams about being able to live on the Surface should've been stilled years ago. Don't you think I know how you avoid killing the angels I send you after?" Tougou threw out his arms. "A puny angel is no match for a devil like you; you just don't even bother because it's not in your interest. You're a disgrace."

His words echoed in the vast hall until there was only silence.

His next words turned his blood to ice.

"And the King of Hell won't have any of that. How embarrassing wouldn't that be?"

Osomatsu looked up, alarms ringing in his ears. He didn't like his father's tone – This one was more dangerous than the ones before. It was calm, degrading, full of disgust, as if Osomatsu was merely an insect he wanted to step on.

"Suspicion of betrayal," he continued. "Punishable by imprisonment. It would be scandalous if word got out that the king's son might be a traitor, so I'll have to get this over with before I take the throne."

Osomatsu froze. "What are you saying?" he asked, hoping that his voice would come out unwavering, but the fear shone through it like a flashlight.

"My dear son," Tougou said, taking a step towards him. Osomatsu backed away. "You're going to the Fields of Punishment."

It didn't take more than that to make Osomatsu bolt to the nearest exit- But just then, two guards entered, blocking his only way out. He swirled back to his father, stumbling away from him as the soon-to-be king of Hell slowly made his way towards him. "You can't do this – I haven't done anything!" he protested, although that was a lie.

"Don't try to fight me, Osomatsu. Do as I say." Tougou said, ignoring his pleas.

Osomatsu gritted his teeth. "Fuck you!" he spat, before he could stop himself. Tougou's eyes flashed red, immediately sliding into the more demonic, monstrous part of him. Black veins surfaced across his skin, his teeth growing into hideous, pointed ivories, and his hands curled into claws. Osomatsu drew back, crouching down into a guarded pose just as Tougou flung himself at him with a shrill battle cry.

Osomatsu jumped away, rolling sideways before landing on his feet again.

Alright, then. It was about time he revealed just how good at being a devil he could actually be. He spun around, shoving his elbow to Tougou's side, but it was easily blocked. As he retreated, Tougou slashed Osomatsu's skin open, leaving a deep scratch mark over his shoulder. Osomatsu cried out in pain, but managed to block the next attack coming. He threw a punch straight into Tougou's jaw, but then Tougou wrapped his hands around his arm and twisted it, as if Osomatsu hadn't at all affected him. Again, Osomatsu was the one giving a strangled cry, kicking Tougou in the knees to free himself. His father grunted, before throwing another blow against his son's temple.

Osomatsu staggered backwards, stumbling over his own feet before he fell to the floor, scrambling away from Tougou while trying to blink the haze out of his eyes. The taste of cobber filled his mouth. Tougou threw himself on top of him, crabbing his arms in an attempt to stop his now desperate punches: Osomatsu had known he couldn't possibly win over Tougou in a physical fight, but he didn't have any other choice. Tougou forced Osomatsu's arms into a cross over his chest, before growling something under his breath. Suddenly, his whole upper body felt limp. His arms stayed in place where Tougou had put them, but it felt as if all the muscles in that part of his body had disappeared.

An immobilization-spell.

But he wasn't done fighting yet. With the last strength he got, he kicked up with his knees, sending Tougou sprawling to the side. He knew the winner of this fight had been decided, but he wasn't about to just give up. When Tougou tried grabbing him again, he tried kicking him in the face, but his father caught his leg, and used his other hand to pin the second one to the ground.

Just then, an emotion crossed Tougou's face, as if catching Osomatsu's foot had revealed the secrets of the universe. "You…" He said, turning his wild eyes to Osomatsu's. "I sense the magic of the Heavens on you." A grin spread across his face at Osomatsu's horrified expression. Tougou was gripping the foot Choromatsu had healed earlier. Fucking damnit.

"Involvement with creatures of the Heavens," Tougou said, before snapping Osomatsu's shin right in the middle. His scream echoed against the walls. "Punishable by death."

With those words, he hoisted Osomatsu off the floor, but he had a last escape plan in mind. He hoped crushing several Teleportation Gems at once didn't have any bi-effects. With a strangled sob, he kicked violently, making Tougou lose his grip on him. Osomatsu made sure to land right on his thigh when he fell to the floor, crushing the gems in his pocket under his weight. Just as the smoke enveloped him, he could hear Tougou's furious "No!"

Then he was gone.

He landed in a pile of garbage bags.

Though the smell wasn't so great, at least it was a soft landing. His throat closed itself, strangling his gasp as pain shot up through his leg. He gritted his teeth, and clenched his eyes shut as tears welled up in them.

Oh, he was deep in it now.

Carelessly, he hadn't even bothered covering Choromatsu's fingerprints, but then again, he hadn't gotten close enough to any angelic being to need it before. He cursed loudly.

Above him, the sky was blue and free of clouds – at least as far he could see from this alleyway. He had to get out of there. He had to get to Choromatsu, and- and what? Obviously Tougou's army was much bigger and powerful than he'd thought, it wasn't like Choromatsu could help him with any of that.

However, maybe he could get a word to the Heavens – Bust Tougou's plans so they'd defend the Surface from the demon army that would come sooner or later. So, Choromatsu.

However, broken leg.

His leg hurt like hell, no pun intended, almost drowning out the pain he felt from the other wounds Tougou had inflicted upon him. His upper body still felt numb, but at least he could move now, with a little difficulty. He knew that if he didn't put it right, it would never properly heal, and he knew he was just procrastinating the pain he still had to endure. He stifled another groan as he sat up in the garbage pile, grimacing at the sight of his snapped shin.

It was just to get it over with. He reached for his leg; his arms shaking as his muscles slowly built themselves up again. Damn immobilizing spell. He tenderly pulled up his pants, wincing when he saw the sight underneath. He took a shaky breath as he wrapped his hands around each of the broken pieces, paused, and then clicked the bone back into place. He tried keeping his mouth shut, but a choked wail still made it across his lips.

Then he sat still, breathing in and out for a few moments. His healing factor would shoot in any moment, so he might as well start walking if he wanted to make it to Choromatsu in good time. With a deep sigh, he slowly got to his feet – well, mostly just foot. Leaning on the broken leg sent intense waves of pain through his whole body, but he'd just have to endure for now.

Damn his father's stupid ideology. This whole situation was such a pain in the ass.

He barely remembered disguising his demonic traits as he limped out of the alleyway, taking a look around. He could see the coast in the distance, and started making his way down there, trying his best to avoid any humans. Some of them were way to kind for him to handle right now. Sure, in their eyes he looked like someone who needed a hospital, but that didn't make it less annoying. So on his trip down towards the coast, he'd had to dismiss at total of four strangers asking if he was okay, getting progressively more annoyed each time. The last one, a young man walking his dog, stopped to ask him if he was okay, but was interrupted when his dog went crazy upon seeing Osomatsu. The man had excused himself, stressing that "she doesn't normally act like this, I'm so sorry!" in which Osomatsu had sent him a strained smile and answered with "It's alright, I'm a devil, after all." The confused look on the man's face had quickly turned to fear when Osomatsu's face contorted into something hideous, and he'd scrambled off so hurriedly it was almost laughable. At least that made his day a little brighter.

He was nearly at the coast when his luck inevitably turned on him. From around a corner, a figure suddenly came running, and by the time they'd noticed Osomatsu, it was too late. They crashed right into each other, sending Osomatsu sprawling backwards.

"Oh, Christ, I'm so sorry, I didn't-"

"Oh, give me a break!" Osomatsu groaned, the C-word feeling more like a poorly set syringe this time. He grimaced as his broken leg threatened to re-break, clasping his thigh until the pain numbed a little.

"Y- You're wounded." the stranger said, and Osomatsu sent him a scowl.

"Really? I didn't notice."

"You need medical attention! I'm so sorry about this, Mr-"

"Hey, hold on." Osomatsu frowned when he noticed what the man was wearing. It was a dark colored tunic, reaching him down to his ankles, and he wore a cross around his neck. "You're a priest."

The man looked beyond puzzled. He couldn't really blame him, giving that he looked like he'd just risen from the dead. "Uh, yes, I am." he answered after a few short moments.

Why didn't he notice that there was something off about Osomatsu? Religious people, the type that devoted their whole lives to their belief, often had the ability to sense when evil was close by, but this guy didn't seem to pick up on that.

"Please," he said, reaching out a hand for Osomatsu to take. "Let me help you. You look like…" He trailed off, probably not knowing what to say without offending him.

"Like Hell?" Osomatsu offered.

He looked at the hand offered to him, and wondered what would happen if he took it. Would the priest notice, then? He decided to try. Taking the stranger's hand, he helped him up, and nothing out of the ordinary happened.

"Look- I must repay you for crashing into you. I have a medical kit, and where I'm heading is just around the corner there." He pointed past him, but Osomatsu didn't bother to turn around. "Please. Those wounds doesn't look good at all. What happened to you?"

Osomatsu tilted his head to the side, feeling the ripped skin on his shoulder stretch underneath his ruined clothes. His shin felt like it was on fire. Maybe a bandage wouldn't hurt. "Okay." he said. "And – You wouldn't believe me if I told you." Or maybe he would. He was a priest, after all. He turned and started limping in the direction the man had pointed.

"Let me help you."

Osomatsu felt hands on his arm, and he almost pulled away, not being used to that kind of contact. "Oh, thanks." He let the priest move his arm to his shoulder to lean against it, so that he didn't have to put as much pressure on the broken leg. It felt kind of weird getting help from a guy who would probably piss his pants if he knew the truth about him.

The two of them walked in silence for a few long seconds, and Osomatsu could practically hear the questions soaring through the man's brain.

"I was in a fight. Long story short." Osomatsu said, answering the unspoken curiosity.

The priest glanced at him. "What is your name, if I might ask?" he enquired.

Osomatsu hesitated. "It's… Oso, for short." he said. "And yours?"

"Karamatsu."

"Oh." It didn't strike him that this was probably where he should say "nice to meet you" or "that's a nice name" or something. Fortunately, Karamatsu wasn't done with his interrogation.

"What was it that led you to such violence, my friend?"

Osomatsu wrinkled his nose at his choice of wording. What a strange man. "I, uh…" My father tried to kill me. "We had a disagreement."

Karamatsu looked at him with concern in his eyes, his eyebrows furrowing dramatically. "Are you prone to such disagreements?"

Osomatsu hummed. "Nah, I wouldn't say that," he said. "It happens, but … Maybe not as intense as this one was." He gave a half-hearted laugh.

It was Karamatsu's turn to hum, and gently stopped Osomatsu in his tracks. "Let's cross the road. The church is right over there." he said, nodding towards their destination.

Hold on. Church?

Nobody had said anything about a church.

If Karamatsu noticed Osomatsu newly found reluctance, he didn't mention it. "The church isn't open today, but I tend to be there to study and pray," he explained, as if Osomatsu had asked about it. "Besides, I have a friend who's currently taken shelter in there, and I feel responsible of taking care of him."

"How kind of you." Osomatsu said absently, wondering if he was telling him this only for the sake of getting praise. They stopped in front of the gates as Karamatsu started fumbling with a keychain. Osomatsu bit his lip nervously, because when Karamatsu started walking through the gates, there were, as expected, an invisible barrier hindering Osomatsu's passage.

Holy ground.

Osomatsu pulled away, earning a questioning stare from Karamatsu. "Is there something wrong?"

"U- Uh…" He desperately searched his mind for something logical to say. "The- The thing is, I… I feel like I haven't been properly, uh, praying lately. I feel like I haven't paid enough attention to… God. Is it really right of me to be inside His house when I haven't been as devoted to him as I should?"

Karamatsu blinked at him. "I didn't realize you were religious." he said, a smile forming at his lips.

"It's complicated." Osomatsu nodded.

"But fret not, my brother!" he then exclaimed, the new nickname making Osomatsu cringe a little. "God is forgiving! You're welcome inside this church whenever you want!"

Did that sentence count as an invitation? He took an experimental step forward, and was mildly surprised when he no longer felt the barrier. He sent Karamatsu a grin. "Thank you." he said.

"Don't thank me, thank God!"

"Ah, sure. Anyway," Osomatsu leaned on Karamatsu's shoulder as if they were buddies already, but also because he needed the support. "I have someone I need to meet, so if we could hurry with this, that would be really great." Even if Karamatsu had invited him inside, he still felt uneasy walking on holy ground. He didn't belong there. Besides, he really did need to get to Choromatsu.

"Naturally." Karamatsu answered, leading them across the yard. "I'll be as swift as I possibly can."

"Awesome."

They entered the church, and Osomatsu wrinkled his nose a little at the scenery before him. Jesus was of course hanging on the wall, all big and mighty, shining in the otherwise dim lighting. The windows were decorated with scenes from the Bible, and on the walls there were framed pictures of various Bible verses.

"Just sit wherever you want, and I'll go get the medical kit." Karamatsu said. "Make yourself at home, brother." He flashed him a smile, before hurrying off.

What a painful guy.

He sat down at one of the benches, looking curiously around the room. Make yourself at home. Sure thing, Karamatsu. Although his actual home wasn't really his home anymore now, he supposed, he probably should try to look for somewhere to stay, but this wasn't the place. Sorry.

The man who had apparently thought the opposite of him on that matter then chose to show up. Osomatsu noticed his presence immediately, his eyes darting over to where he stood. He was wearing what Osomatsu recognized as a nun's uniform, literally just standing there, staring at him. He shuddered a little. Was he going to say something? What was with that aura? What a creepy guy!

"Good day, eh?" Osomatsu called, only with a slight sarcastic touch to his voice.

The nun remained quiet for a few moments, and then he slowly opened his mouth. "Ah." he agreed. Then he was silent again, before he started making his way towards Osomatsu. He was really giving him the creeps. Why wasn't it the other way around? Osomatsu was the devil here.

The man's face looked worn out, as if he hadn't slept in two days. He had bags under his eyes, and at first notice, Osomatsu would describe his expression as "dead inside", but on a closer look, he thought he could see something that looked like mistrust in there. Maybe he didn't like strangers.

"You…" he started, but just then Karamatsu reemerged.

"I have the- Oh, Ichimatsu! You're awake." Ichimatsu. The nun stiffened at his voice, but didn't take his eyes from Osomatsu. "I was going to go get some Indian food, but then I met this poor man on my way."

Ichimatsu only then seemed to take notice of Osomatsu's current physical state, and he narrowed his eyes. "So you brought him here," he said flatly. "Why didn't you take him to a hospital?"

Karamatsu dramatically shook his head while he put out the supplies he thought he needed to clean Osomatsu's wounds. "Our meeting was… slightly unlucky. I need to repay him with my kindness," he said, and Osomatsu thought he saw Ichimatsu's eye twitch. He couldn't blame him.

"I see." Ichimatsu said, swiftly picking up something silvery from the medical kit. Karamatsu didn't notice. A kleptomaniac, maybe? Either way it was hidden away in his clothes before Osomatsu registered what it was. "Well, I guess there's nothing better for him right now than the power of Jesus Christ, right?" He didn't sound like he believed that sentence himself. It rather seemed like he was asking Osomatsu, staring intently at him like he was trying to convey some secret message.

Osomatsu was confused. And for some reason the J- and C-word hurt more than before.

Karamatsu seemed perplexed with this behavior as well, but since he didn't show any bigger reaction, Osomatsu speculated that this was more or less his normal attitude. "Of course." he said. "Ichimatsu, could you be so kind and take this money to go buy some food for us? I need to patch Oso here up."

"Oso?"

"Yes, that's his name."

Ichimatsu stared at him for a few seconds longer, before he took the money Karamatsu was holding out to him. "I'll be quick." he said, and headed out the door.

The moment the door closed behind him, Karamatsu sighed quietly. "He's not very good with strangers," he explained. "He's sort of like a cat, that way. Takes a long time to warm up to you."

"And he's warmed up to you?"

Karamatsu hesitated. "We're getting there." he mumbled, but didn't sound that convinced. "Alright, we'll have to start on your leg, is that okay?"

Osomatsu nodded. It was all he needed help with, really. The rest was bearable. He studied the other man while he gently pulled up the legs of his pants, seeming calm and collected about it all until-

The priest made a choked noise. "Sweet baby Jesus!" he hissed. Osomatsu let out an exasperated grunt. He was almost getting used to the annoying pain in his chest at this point. "It's- It's completely-"

"Yeah, it's kinda bad." Osomatsu nodded.

Karamatsu gave him an incredulous look. "Kinda? It's snapped right in the middle! How did that even happen?"

Osomatsu gritted his teeth. "Long story." he said dismissively. He couldn't think about Tougou right now.

Karamatsu shook his head, examining the wound, which was now decorated in all kinds of nice colors. Blue, yellow, red. "Did you … Did you set the bone back yourself?" he asked faintly.

"Oh yeah, that sucked." Osomatsu snickered. "I'd rather not do that again, to be honest."

"Oh, gee." Karamatsu started rolling out the bandage. "And you've been walking on this… You're crazy."

"I'll take it as a compliment."

After that, a silence settled between them as Karamatsu worked on his patching. He fastened the bandage around his leg with such intense concentration, as if he had to do it with absolute perfection. Osomatsu leaned back in his seat, feeling restlessness bubbling in his chest. He'd have to excuse himself after this, before Karamatsu got to the other wounds of his. He just needed something to support his leg for the time being, and then it would heal itself, given enough time.

"Right, that should do for the bandage part." Karamatsu announced, reaching for something on the bench. He frowned. "Weird. I was sure I saw the scissors in there earlier. Well, I'll just go downstairs and get another pair. Sit still, I'll be back in a second!" He stood up.

"You can just rip the bandage, you know?" Osomatsu reminded him.

"Nonsense! You deserve the highest quality bandage!"

He didn't really understand what he meant by that, but the priest scurried off before he could ask.

It wasn't before Karamatsu exited through a door on the other end of the room that Osomatsu remembered something. He had seen the scissors earlier as well: Ichimatsu had stolen them.

Just as Karamatsu closed the door behind him, he heard a click right by his ear, and something cold touched the back of his head.

"A sound and you're dead, demon," a dark voice said. Osomatsu stiffened. He knew there had been something off about that guy.

Ichimatsu moved in front of him, the barrel of a gun pointed at Osomatsu's head without the slightest hint of uncertainty. Osomatsu tilted his head to the side in contemplation.

"So that aura wasn't just you being creepy. Man, that surprised me!" he said, smiling sheepishly. "Also, you know that won't kill me, right?"

"But it will knock you out long enough for me to get the job done." Ichimatsu retorted easily.

Osomatsu pouted a little. His luck wasn't on his side today, but then again, coming into this church hadn't been a very smart choice. "You're not like I imagined nuns to be like."

"Shut up." He pressed the barrel against his forehead, where a bruise had bloomed beautifully. "What are your intentions for being here? Or should I say: what reason do you have for me to not shoot your right here and now?"

Osomatsu stared back at him. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you. But of course, it would be hard to explain for poor Karamatsu if he comes back up again to see you've murdered the man he was trying to help." he said. When Ichimatsu didn't react, he sighed. "Fine. If you must know, I honestly came with Karamatsu because I could barely walk, and I need all the help I can get right now, so…"

"Help for what?"

"Yeah, that's the complicated part." Osomatsu grimaced. "Basically I'm on the run, because To- uh, the king of Hell is planning on taking over the Surface. That means here, on Earth, in demon-lingo."

Ichimatsu narrowed his eyes. "You're lying."

"Oh, I wish." he groaned, rolling his eyes. "Why do you think I look so beaten up?"

"Then say you're telling the truth-"

"I am."

"Then what are you going to do about this problem? And why are you running?"

"One, I was hoping to get the word up to the Heavens somehow, and two, that is really none of your business, is it?"

The man pushed the gun harder against his head. "Just answer my question."

"Don't tell me what to do."

"Somehow, all the scissors in this church has disappeared!" Karamatsu called as he opened the door. Ichimatsu swiftly hid away the gun, his expression morphing back into the same, flat one he'd seen earlier.

"There's a scissor right here, Shittymatsu." Ichimatsu called, crouching down as if picking up the scissors from the floor, and not from his pocket. He handed the scissors to Karamatsu when he approached them.

"Oh. It must have fallen on the floor, somehow. Wait, Ichimatsu? What happened to the food?"

Osomatsu sent the man an impish smirk, the type siblings often do when they know the other is going to get scolded.

"They open in an hour or so. They had some problems with electricity or something," he said. What a nicely delivered lie.

"Ah, I see. Then I'll go over there after I finish this." Karamatsu said, crouching down to cut off the bandage. He seemed thoughtful for a second. "You really should go to a real doctor with this," he said.

"Nah, it'll be fine. I just need some support for it. Like a splint or something." He waved his hand lightheartedly. "I don't have time for a hospital."

"Okay, whatever you say." Karamatsu murmured worriedly. "Ichimatsu, do we have any splints?"

"We can use a cross," the nun proposed, still looking at Osomatsu. If Osomatsu hadn't been so tired of everything, he would've found the guy funny.

Karamatsu laughed. "But seriously, I think there's one in the cabinet downstairs. Didn't think I'd ever need it, but I bought it, just in case." He looked at Osomatsu. "Maybe it was God's will."

Behind him, Ichimatsu facepalmed.

Osomatsu grinned, giving a hearty laugh. "Sure, it was." he said, patting Karamatsu on the shoulder. Karamatsu's eyes lit up, like a dog getting praise. Osomatsu hummed. Maybe he wasn't used to that kind of affection either. Living with Ichimatsu must be a hardship…

"Right, Ichimatsu – Ah, I'll go get it myself. You're a guest after all." Karamatsu said, and made to pat him on the shoulder as well, but then seemed to think better of it. "Back in a second!"

The moment he shut the door behind him, Osomatsu leaped to his feet, momentarily ignoring the pain as he twisted the gun out of Ichimatsu's hand before he had the time to point it at him again. Then he pushed his hand down on his shoulder, forcing him to his knees in a swift motion: Everything all too quickly for a human to react in time. "Look, Ichimatsu. I'm not here to hurt anyone right now, okay? I'm here to help, actually, believe it or not, so could you stop playing tough for one second and just let me do my thing?" he snapped. "As you might have noticed, I'm already having a shit time, so I don't need you to come threaten my life when it's already being threatened by the goddamn king of Hell, okay?"

Ichimatsu blinked up at him. "You're for real about this?" he asked, after a few moments of heavy silence.

Osomatsu sighed deeply, and sank back on the bench. "Wish I could tell you the whole story, but I don't have time for that right now. I know they're looking for me. My f–" He paused, looking up at the ceiling. "Um, I was sentenced to death, kind of."

"Kind of." Ichimatsu echoed, as he slowly got to his feet.

"Yeah." He shrugged. "So I had to leave, but I got a little messed up along the road." He gestured to his body. There was a few beats of silence between them, before Osomatsu frowned. "How did you know what I was? You don't seem nearly the typical religious person as Karamatsu, and he doesn't know a thing."

"Shittymatsu is a little too occupied with his own appearance for that." Ichimatsu explained. "I just knew."

"Sounds like a secret to me." He grinned at the other.

"Even if it was, I'm not telling you anything." Ichimatsu replied, though his voice had gone back to the usual monotone one. Had Osomatsu managed to be accepted by this guy too? Nice.

Karamatsu came back just in time. "Here it is!" he said. "It wasn't exactly where I thought it was, but I knew I had it. Let's patch you up."

Pretty soon after, the splint had been tied around his shin, and Osomatsu stood experimentally on it. It still hurt as fuck, but it would have to do.

"What are you?" Karamatsu suddenly asked, and Osomatsu gave him a surprised look.

"Excuse me?"

"How can you bare that pain? You're incredible."

Oh. He grinned and rubbed the underside of his nose. "I guess I'm just that incredible." he snickered. "Well, thanks for having me here, Karamatsu," He paused, before looking pointedly at the nun. "Ichimatsu. I'll be on my way then."

"No problem, brother!" Karamatsu said, doing some sort of weird pose, which looked horrible, but was probably supposed to be cool. "Come back here if you ever need anything."

"I'll keep it in mind," he said, his hand already on the door handle. "Ok, bye, bye, then." He gave a last, impatient wave to the priest and the nun, before opening the door and heading out, finally on his way to Choromatsu.

The scene unwrapping before him certainly was one way to start the day. And it was the start of his day, since Ichimatsu had a tendency to sleep into the late hours of the morning, and if Ichimatsu did it, he would as well.

The moment the devil had stepped beyond the borders of the church, chills had run down Jyushimatsu's back. After so many months being bitter about having to stay out of sight from Ichimatsu, his invisibility had finally come in handy.

Walking behind Ichimatsu as he made his way up from his bedroom, the feelings of uneasiness just grew stronger the closer they got to the devil, and to Jyushimatsu's satisfaction, Ichimatsu had noticed as well, when he finally laid eyes on the man.

How Ichimatsu handled the situation reminded Jyushimatsu of why his brother was down here in the first place, as he pointed a gun to the devil's head.

He followed the scene silently, except for a few excited gasps and comments here and there, even though nobody could hear him anyway. He walked around the two men, looking closely at the devil's face every time he spoke.

"Basically I'm on the run, because To- uh, the king of Hell is planning on taking over the Surface. That means here, on Earth, in demon-lingo."

Jyushimatsu's eyes widened, and he looked from the devil to Ichimatsu to see his reaction. Unsurprisingly, his brother accused him of lying. He was far from stupid when it came to these kinds of situations – devils were masters at lying after all – and Jyushimatsu thought he'd been punished too hard by the Heavens, but he had to admit, Ichimatsu's methods were … questionable.

Angels were creatures of the light and everything good. Ichimatsu had always had a few problems with that.

"Then say you're telling the truth-"

"I am."

"Then what are you going to do about this problem? And why are you running?"

"One, I was hoping to get the word up to the Heavens somehow, and two, that is really none of your business, is it?"

At those words, and idea began forming in Jyushimatsu's head. Even if the devil was lying, something he'd progressively started to doubt as he followed the conversation, just telling the headquarters of the Heavens and making them aware of the might-be threat couldn't hurt, right? The devil said he wanted the word to the Heavens. He could help with that.

So when they finally let the devil leave – which probably wasn't a completely good idea but then again, he hadn't seemed hostile, and it was an angel's duty to forgive – Jyushimatsu turned to his brother.

"Ichimatsu-niisan. I'll be right back," he said, as if Ichimatsu had ever known he was there in the first place.

He closed his eyes and breathed in through his nose, feeling a warmth spread from his chest and throughout his body. He spread his wings, and a light surrounded him. When he opened his eyes again, he was standing in front of the headquarters of the Heavens. He leaped from the ground, flying to the entrance before plopping down again to push the door open and go inside.

"Jyushimatsu." he said when approaching one of the administrators. The other angel, a pink haired girl, looked up with tired eyes, nodding, and made a hand motion as if turning a page. The book lying in front of her flopped open to a page somewhere in the middle.

"Here you are," she said. "What's your business here, Jyushimatsu-san?"

"I want to report an upcoming war!"

The girl raised an eyebrow. "A war?" she echoed.

"Yes!"

A few seconds of silence passed.

"Alright… Just let me make a call first, please wait." She closed her eyes, putting two fingers to her temple. After precisely 47 seconds, she opened her eyes again. "You're awaited on floor 6," she said.

"Thank you!" He turned away from here and quickly shuffled over to the elevator, which opened for him as he came closer to it. When he went inside, it closed automatically and went up to his desired destination.

When the door opened, he was met with an empty room with the exception of a desk right by some big windows, framing a great view of the busy square down on the ground, with three angels sitting behind it: two women, and one man. As he approached the desk, he was about to say something, but one of the women, the one sitting in the middle, beat him to it.

"Jyushimatsu-san." she said.

"Yes!"

She frowned slightly at the enthusiasm in his voice, before quickly collecting herself. "You've reportedly been absent from the Heavens for an extended time, without registering your purpose for that to the headquarters. Where have you been these past…" She glanced down at the paper on the desk. "…months." she finished, looking up with one eyebrow raised.

Jyushimatsu's smile faltered slightly. He gave a nervous laugh. "I… was…" He swallowed. "I was watching over my brother."

The three angels studied him, all of their faces stone hard. The woman in the middle laced her fingers together. "Jyushimatsu-san, you are a guardian angel, but you do realize guarding without authorization is against the law?" she asked.

Jyushimatsu's eyes darted around the room, as if there was something in there that could help him out of this uncomfortable situation. This wasn't supposed to happen. He cleared his throat, trying to put on a more professional exterior. "I know, but…my brother has some dangerous tendencies, and-"

"If I'm not wrong, your brother is Ichimatsu-san, right?"

"Y- Yeah."

"And you are aware of the many offenses he has committed?"

Jyushimatsu gave a small nod. "But I thought his punishment was a little strict."

The three angels all reacted slightly to that: The woman in the middle narrowed her eyes, and the other two both looked a little offended. "Are you suggesting the headquarters don't know how to do their job?" the man asked, his voice carrying a dangerous undertone.

"O- Of course not." Jyushimatsu quickly answered, waving his arms frantically. "But still I wanted to make sure that my brother –"

"Jyushimatsu-san," the woman in the middle interrupted as she stood up. "You've been away for several months, not giving a peep. This is, as you are aware, against the law. Your previous sloppy missions at guarding also suggests that you are not quite fitted for this job. You will be sent back to training, and as a punishment for your crimes, your wings will temporarily be taken from you."

Jyushimatsu's heart skipped a beat. "But-"

The elevator gave a chime as the door opened, and Jyushimatsu turned to see a couple of guards coming out of it. He automatically stumbled away from them.

"W- Wait-"

"Please remain calm while the guards restrain you," the woman said.

His heart hammered. They'd take his wings. He wouldn't get to see Ichimatsu.

He backed away from the guards, looking frantically for an escape. His eyes landed on the windows.

"Jyushimatsu-san, place your arms behind your back." one of the guards demanded.

No.

Jyushimatsu turned on his heal, darting towards the three angels. All of their eyes widened and they took cover, but he simply jumped over them, crashing through the windows quite painfully. Suddenly he was surrounded by the roaring wind, rapidly descending towards the ground. He spread his wings, changing his course just in time. For a moment, the ground was merely a couple of meter's bellow him. Angels jumped out of the way, giving panicked shouts, and then he was ascending again. When he looked behind him, the guards were closely on his tail.

Fortunately, Jyushimatsu was a skilled flyer. He'd been on top of his class in school, at least when it came to physical challenges. He was fast, strong, steady – It was his powers that wasn't all that impressive. Which did make him a pretty shitty guardian angel, they were right about that.

He shot towards the other part of the city, where a gigantic streak of light were coming up from the ground. Angels could teleport into the Heavens whenever they wanted, but the only way out of it was there.

He could hear the guards shouting something behind him, and judging by the muffled sounds, he was steadily leaving them behind.

Soon enough, the portal to Earth was beneath him. He dived down towards it, letting himself fall while yelling excitedly.

"Thank you, king-sized, game-winning home run!"

Choromatsu was dozing off again, looking up at the water surface glittering as the light shone through it. He was resting at the bottom of the lake, all of his limbs as well as his wings spread lazily in every direction. He wasn't particularly tired, but there wasn't much to do in his lake but to sleep. Sure, he could project himself some place, but he'd just projected himself to some baptizing ceremony, and although it was beautiful to see people so devoted to his Father, one synod in a day was more than enough.

He'd just started drifting off into sleep, colorful images flashing through his mind, when a sound woke him.

"-omatsu! Choromatsu! Are you there?"

The words were muffled from the water, but he immediately recognized the voice. Not that it was that impressive, since it was the only voice he'd heard in years. He blinked his eyes open, trying to make out the contorted shapes through the water. When he realized couldn't see much, he sat up, making the water push him up to the surface.

The moment Osomatsu caught sight of him, he motioned in a way that made Choromatsu's worried he was about to jump right into the water. But he seemed to think better of it in time.

"Osomatsu." Choromatsu said, not noticing his own excitement until he heard it in his voice. Roses bloomed in his cheeks. He frowned down at him. "What happened to you?"

The devil, who was previously mostly just smiles and friendly teasing, now looked like he'd been in the middle of a war zone. His smile wasn't anywhere to be seen, his brows were knitted tightly together, and there were exhausted bags under his eyes. His left eye was blue, as well as a part of his forehead, and his lower lip was swollen. He was wearing the same suit as the last time he'd seen him, but this time it was tattered, and stained with blood on the shoulder. His posture was a little off, and Choromatsu realized it was because he wasn't putting any weight in his right foot.

Osomatsu avoided his eyes for a moment. "Uh… Remember when I told you about the relationship between me and my dad?" he asked, giving Choromatsu a lifeless smile as he shrugged. "It's most likely beyond fixing now."

Choromatsu ascended, stopping right at the end of the lake with only his feet under the water. He narrowed his eyes, studying the wounds closely. Osomatsu let him, though he could see he felt uncomfortable under his intense gaze. When he made to move away the tattered pieces of his suit to take a look at the wound on his shoulder, he abruptly pulled away. Upon meeting Choromatsu's confused look, he laughed sheepishly. "Sorry, old habit." he said.

"Do you want me to heal them?" Choromatsu asked.

"That would be nice."

He tried keeping the worry off his face – A goddess shouldn't care about a devil after all – as he put his hands over the other's face, warmth filling his body, radiating through his palms. When the bruise was gone, he moved on to his lip. When it came to the wounded shoulder, he asked Osomatsu to expose his skin so he could see that the wound healed properly.

"If you want to see me naked you can just ask." Osomatsu said. Upon seeing Choromatsu's disturbed expression, he scrunched up his nose. "…Yeah, that felt wrong, I agree."

Choromatsu gave a small, exasperated chuckle, as Osomatsu pulled away the tattered fabric. Underneath it was a big, red scratch mark, deep and angry-looking. It had stopped bleeding, but if Osomatsu wasn't careful, he was sure the wound would open easily.

"You should've seen what it looked like when it was fresh." Osomatsu said with a grin, although his voice didn't reach the cockiness he'd spoken with on their first meeting.

"You have to tell me what happened." Choromatsu said as he started healing his shoulder.

"Yeah, that was the plan, actually." Osomatsu sighed.

He raised an eyebrow. "Really? Where did that willingness come from?"

"It's a long story."

Choromatsu frowned. Although he and Osomatsu had had a nice chat earlier, Osomatsu was still a devil. Choromatsu was highly aware of this, and therefore held onto his skepticism when it came to the devil's words. Even if his wounds had been bad, and his exhaustion seemed authentic, knowing the creatures of Hell it could all be just a set up for a trap.

Though while he thought this, he couldn't help but feel sorry for the man.

"What's wrong with your leg?" he asked.

"Shin's broken." he grumbled. "Some priest helped me patch it up, which is another funny story."

Choromatsu's eyes snapped back to Osomatsu's. "A priest?"

Osomatsu snorted before laughing loudly. "Oh, man, I know, right. It's crazy. I'll tell you if you heal my leg. It hurts like hell."

Scoffing, Choromatsu motioned for them to sit. "I was going to do that anyway."

"It's kinda weird that you wanna help a devil, you know." Osomatsu commented as he sat and carefully revealed his broken shin.

"Oh, I do know." Choromatsu retorted, studying the leg. He wrinkled his nose. "Ouch."

"Well said."

"I'm getting quite tired of your sarcasm, you know."

"Oh, I do know."

He sent Osomatsu a scowl, forcing the smile playing at his lips back to whatever strange place it came from. He hovered his hands over the shin, and it didn't take him long to register how bad the wound actually was. "You've been walking on this?"

"Yep. Kinda badass, right?"

"You're an idiot." He shook his head, closing his eyes in concentration. As the bone healed back to normal, he could hear Osomatsu sigh shakily. He looked back up at him, and saw that the devil had closed his eyes, his face completely relaxed. It brought a warm smile to his lips.

"All done." he said, taking off the now unnecessary splint. "Now would you tell me what is going on?"

Osomatsu wriggled his foot, an amazed grin spreading across his face. He looked much more awake now, probably because the energy coming from the healing magic. It would give him a few more hours of vigor, but the man seriously needed rest.

"Why can't devils do that?" he asked, the envy clear in his voice though he didn't really sound irritated by it.

"Osomatsu."

He looked back at Choromatsu. When he saw the serious look in his eyes, his smile wavered for a moment, before he sighed, repositioning himself so that he was facing Choromatsu, with his legs crossed in front of him.

"You know who Lucifer is, right?" he started, and Choromatsu sent him a look that said "are you seriously asking me that?" Osomatsu chuckled. "Of course you do. Well the thing is: He's no longer the king of Hell."

Choromatsu blinked. "What?" he exclaimed.

"Yeah, it's pretty big." Osomatsu said, taking a deep breath. Choromatsu noticed he looked more and more nervous as the seconds went by. If this was a bi-effect from telling the hard truth, or from lying, he didn't know. He didn't meet his eyes while he spoke. "He was defeated… b- by my father. And, uh, when I came home after hanging out with you, I was caught it the middle of the chaos. I expected my father to be immediately crushed under Lucifer's forces, but he's much stronger than I ever thought. Luckily I managed to find his Teleportation Gems before he got to me."

"Got to you?" Choromatsu frowned. "What do you mean?"

"I mean that he's been following up on all my 'failed' missions," he explained, making air quotes. "A.K.A. the ones where I didn't kill those angels because I chose not to. He deemed me useless and an embarrassment, so he accused me for suspicion of treason. Which, to be fair, he wasn't wrong about. I never liked his stupid ideology."

"Which is?" Choromatsu pushed.

"I'll get to it. So, I tried to escape, you know, but there were guards in front of the doors. And my father has always been stuck up, so of course he wanted to arrest me himself. But I fought back, of course, but h- he…" He grimaced angrily when his voice wavered and shook his head. "He was too strong. He used an immobilization spell on me, making my whole upper body go limp, so I tried kicking him… w- with the foot you healed earlier."

Choromatsu suddenly felt sick.

"Um, so when he caught my foot, he sort of noticed your fingerprints, or so to say. Involvement with angelic beings is, of course, punishable by death."

A small, horrified sound escaped Choromatsu when he realized he, in a way, played a part in the situation Osomatsu found himself in. "Oh G- I'm sorry." he whispered.

Osomatsu gave him a blank look, before he smiled lopsidedly, reached up and ruffled Choromatsu's hair. "It's alright, buddy. It's not your fault." he said, chuckling at Choromatsu's baffled expression. Did he really just do that? But more importantly, did he really just enjoy that?

"I managed to escape, though, by falling on my pocket where the Teleportation Gems were." he continued. "Then – Oh." Osomatsu widened his eyes as if he had an epiphany. "Fuck."

"Language."

"Choromatsu-" Osomatsu suddenly put his hands on his shoulders, staring intently into his eyes. "Listen. My father's plan is to take over the Surface. He's forming an army, and I need to get the word up to the Heavens so they can get ready to defend it. Can you do that?"

Choromatsu stared back at him. He opened and closed his mouth a couple of times, before he exhaled shakily. He couldn't meet his eyes when he spoke. "How do I know you're not lying?"

There was silence. Then Osomatsu removed his hands, and Choromatsu looked up at him too see he was giving him an incredulous and defensive glare.

"Right," he said. "Of course. I'm a devil, so you doubt my words. Okay." He didn't look okay with it.

"Osomatsu-"

"Don't sweat it." he interrupted dismissively. "Besides, there's another problem at hand, so you actually have to trust me at the moment." The offended look was partly replaced by something that resembled … guilt? "My father sent me to kill you because he felt your presence coming from here. He knows I didn't kill you, so he most likely will send someone else to finish the job. Wanna bet on that?"

An icy feeling spread throughout his body, all the way to his toes, as the information sank in. When he didn't say anything, Osomatsu's look softened.

"Please come with me, Choromatsu. You're not safe here anymore, and I need your help." he pleaded.

"Why do you want to oppose your father?" Choromatsu demanded. "Why don't you like the idea of Hell taking over the Surface? You're a devil!" He abruptly stood up, unable to sit still any longer. He started pacing back and forth, clasping his hands together by his face and muttered silent prayers under his breath. He registered that Osomatsu stepped away from his as the water splashed beneath his tramping.

"I like the Surface." Osomatsu said, but that just made Choromatsu scoff indignantly.

"Is that supposed to convince me? You like the Surface? Why do you like the Surface when you're a devil?"

Osomatsu gave a growl. "Believe it or not, some of us actually don't like how things are in Hell that much!" he spat. "Why do you think I keep accepting missions I know I'm going to purposely fail? It's because I prefer being on the Surface. I'm tired of living in a society where I'm just expected to do something, because 'that's just the way it is'!" He threw out his arms. "It's a fucking pain in the ass, okay? Whether you choose to believe me or not, that's up to you, but if you stay here, it's your funeral."

Choromatsu stopped in his tracks, staring down at his feet while trying to steady is breathing. "…I'm thousands of years old. I've never taken a step out of this lake. Not even when I was alone for hundreds of years in between each short visits of company. I'm …" He hesitated, clenching his fists. "…scared."

It took several moments before either of them said anything.

"We're sort of in the same boat, then." Osomatsu said, voice soft. "Except I'm trying to escape from those 'responsibilities' that were given to me when I was birthed. Don't you want to do that as well?"

Choromatsu looked back at him uncertainly. It took a long time for him to be able to form his next words: "Do I have a choice?" His voice was quiet, just a shaky whisper.

Osomatsu didn't answer, but looked back at him with steady, serious eyes. Slowly, he reached out a hand, urging him to take it. Choromatsu looked doubtfully at it, dreading the part of him that wanted to accept it. Osomatsu had a point – He'd never questioned why he had to stay in this lake. He knew that it was the source of his life: If the lake was destroyed somehow, he would die. He didn't know what would happen if he stepped out of it, because he had never dared to, but he knew God didn't wish death upon his holy creations. If he stepped out of this lake, he wouldn't die. Slowly, he started moving his hand towards Osomatsu's. He was being tainted by his words – Letting yourself be tempted was a sin, he knew that. This might all be a trick, a way for Osomatsu to lure Choromatsu out of the safety of his lake, so that he could kill him. He didn't know if being alone for all these centuries had made him naïve, or if it had made him too mistrustful. Maybe … maybe some devils weren't that bad.

His hand was shaking violently when it met with Osomatsu's. Slowly, the devil started leading him out of the water. Choromatsu held his breath as he hesitantly took a step forward, screwing his eyes shut, and then-

His foot touched the ground. A gasp escaped him.

"Are you okay?" Osomatsu immediately asked.

Choromatsu blinked his eyes open. "Y- yeah." he said. He took a deep breath, and then lifted his other foot.

That was when the world tilted sideways.

Osomatsu reacted just in time, clumsily catching him before he hit the ground. "Choromatsu?" he demanded. "Choromatsu, are you alive?"

He tried forming a sentence, but the words came out jumbled as he tried to make the forest stop spinning. "I'm 'kay." he managed to garble, holding onto Osomatsu's arms as he tried to steady himself. "J'st dizzy."

Osomatsu gave a laugh. "Wow. Do you need me to carry you?" he teased, earning a weak slap from Choromatsu.

"It's fine." he said, concentrating on making his words sound intelligent. He let go of Osomatsu and tried taking a step forward on his own, before promptly tilting to the side. This time Osomatsu was prepared, and steadied him easily.

"Yeah, totally fine," he said, grinning from ear to ear.

"Stop finding this funny." Choromatsu ordered, which only made him laugh harder.

The devil wiped a tear from his eye. "Here, hop on my back." he offered, crouching down a bit.

Choromatsu scoffed. "No!"

"Do you wanna get out of here or not?"

The pair stared at each other intently for a few seconds, before Choromatsu groaned. "Fine."

Osomatsu snickered as he helped Choromatsu perch himself on his back. When he started walking, Choromatsu stopped him with a quick "wait."

He stopped, turning his head in an attempt to look at him. "What?"

"Can you turn around for a second?"

He seemed to understand, and turned around so that Choromatsu could take one last look at his lake. Seeing it from this perspective was downright surrealistic, and he felt a weird mix between fear and excitement churning in his gut at the sight. "Thanks." he mumbled, and Osomatsu just nodded before turning around again.

"Oh great, now I have to climb this fucking rock with you on my back as well." he said in a tone that suggested he was happy about it, but the sarcasm was thick enough to touch.

"Do you even know where to go?" Choromatsu asked, his head resting limply on his shoulder.

Osomatsu took a moment to answer. When he did, his voice wavered with laughter. "I think I know a place."