Author's note: First of all, I couldn't reply to some reviews for the last chapter because acted weirdly. So in general, a big thanks to all of you who like the story!

The night had been bad. Part of that was down to the room they had rented. The shabby hotel over the bar did not believe in ever buying new mattresses, no matter who or what had died on them. Additionally, all members of their little group snored, or at least accused each other of doing it. Finally, for some reason, Alaindelon had decided that he had to share a bed with Furuichi, even though his own bed wasn't any worse.

But all this paled in comparison to Beelzebub's nightmares. The baby had made an effort to stay angry instead of scared, just like his father would have wanted, but it had not been easy. In bed, with nothing to focus on other than his own thoughts, it had become unbearable. Hilda had tried to console him, and he did calm down a bit when he was in her arms. Still, it was obvious that he missed Oga.

So did she. It didn't make a whole lot of sense; after all, he had been gone for less than a day, and they did not normally sleep in the same room to begin with. It wasn't the first time they were separated, either. But the idea that he might not be coming back to her… she had never been very sentimental and she wasn't about to start now, but it definitely felt wrong.

Meanwhile, Furuichi was not too concerned. Oga was in trouble, sure, but that wasn't the first time and it would not be the last. They had won against all previous challengers, including an entire demonic army, before, hadn't they? True, technically, most of that was Oga, and even for the parts that weren't, Furuichi's own role was mostly getting the competent people to the fight and then standing back. Right now, the competent people were already present, so he had no job, unless they expected him to fight. Fight against a demonic system that seemed to scare even Hilda and had managed to beat Oga. Now that did worry him.

Kunieda was worried about saving Oga, but she knew they could do it. Or at least she hoped so. How bad could the demon world be, really? No, the thing that really frightened her was the aftermath of the rescue. When Oga learned that Hilda and her had freed him, what would he do? And who would he do it with? Wait, that sounded too much like… Gaah! She was starting to misunderstand her own thoughts now.

For all Lamia cared, Oga could die. At least that was what she told herself. After all, he never had a kind word for anyone… although to be fair, he was better with actions than with words. As far as his actions went, he was constantly out to save Beelze-sama and Hilda, which was a big plus in her book. And many of his friends were kind of nice. Oh, all right, she could probably be bothered to save him, but only because she liked Hilda.

Angelica wasn't worried. She was determined. They would defeat the bad guys, save the good ones, and maybe have a little party afterwards. With those many fighters at her side, what could possibly go wrong?

Alaindelon dreamt of the Beatles; mostly Yellow Submarine.

Their first stop in the morning was Dwojeduschnik, the demonic lawyer. Furuichi had seen enough american TV shows about vampires in Los Angeles to know what a demonic lawyer was supposed to look like. This one failed.

The entire office was decorated in purple drapes with orange frills. The desk was purple with orange sides. The chairs for visitors had purple cloth and orange frames. It created a stark effect, to say the least. And in the middle of it all sat Dwojeduschnik, wearing a purple suit and an orange tie.

"Alaindelon, darling, so good to see you again!" said he as they were let in. That part was also curious: Dwojeduschnik would not make room in his calendar for the son of the king, but the ugly old demon was let in without any fuss. The two men kissed each other on the cheeks.

"How have you been? And you brought so many friends, it's a pleasure! Angelica, my, how you've grown!"

"Have we met before?" asked Alaindelon's beautiful daughter.

"Oh, don't break your pretty little head, darling, it was a long, long time ago. There's no shame in forgetting it. But Alaindelon, love, I have to protest. Why haven't I heard of you in ages? Surely that contractor business does not keep you that busy?"

"More than you would believe. And may I introduce my companion, Furuichi Takayuki?"

Dwojeduschnik gave Furuichi a sleazy look that he did not like one bit, then extended his hand and said "Enchanté!"

"What the hell? I am not his companion, and I…!" the boy began to protest, but he was cut off by Hilda.

"You prepared the papers for the arrest of Oga Tatsumi, human contractor of Kaiser Emperana de Beelzebub IV. I demand to know who ordered you to do this."

"Ah, Hildagarde! I have heard of you, mademoiselle. Quite an impressive resume, I must say. Now, I'm sure you understand that there all sorts of demon laws about confidentiality. You cannot go barging in here and just demanding I tell you who my clients are, no matter how pleasant the company."

"I understand." Hilda put her hand on her umbrella's hilt, but before she could even begin to draw her sword, she was restrained by a monster that looked like, and possibly was, a cross between a giraffe and a gorilla. Furuichi was fairly certain that it had not been in the office a minute ago. Dwojeduschnik just smiled on. "Now, now, Hilda, do you really think I am not prepared to handle… unpleasantness within my own office? I dare say I am perfectly able to take on all of you, if anyone gets any funny ideas. As the french say, je ne parle pas français."

"I do not speak french?"

"No? What a pity. You should really try to learn, it's an amazing language. Or as they say, ma mère est un perroquet." He gestured to the demon, who let Hilda go.

This did not calm her down. "You have no idea what you're talking about, or who you're talking to, do you? This is the son of the Great Demon King, and I am his maid. You will treat us with the proper respect, shitworm."

"Oh, some people would probably say that I am already treating you with too much respect. But let's not go there. Now, you think that your protected by the Great Demon King, and that this protection is absolute. Frankly, cherie, I'm not sure who would give you such an outrageous idea. Who knows whether he even still remembers you? And why do you think he would value your loyalty to a traitor? I do not want to rehash all the important points that Akephalos already addressed when he met you last, I just…"

Hilda spat him in the face. "I know the threats you people make, and I'm not impressed."

He nonchalantly wiped the spit from his face, shaking his head. "You really aren't, are you? Don't worry, we'll change that soon enough if you keep at it. Oh my, you must love this traitor dearly. It's disgusting."

As usual, Hilda said nothing, but all of a sudden, Kunieda jumped in, her wooden sword drawn. "Stop accusing her! Hilda is not in love with Oga!"

The lawyer shook his head. "Maybe she manages to make you think that, and maybe she thinks it herself, but the facts speak a language of their own, darling. I'm willing to bet…" He stopped for a second and looked at Kunieda, who was starting to blush.

"Oh, I see, you're in love with him! That must be awkward. You'd have my fullest sympathies if it weren't so funny. La salle de bains est à la troisième porte à gauche."

"What? Why? Who? No! No, I'm not!"

He ignored her and turned to addressed all the others. "I think we have said all that needed to be said. Now, ladies, gentlemen, I would not want to keep you from your other engagements. Alaindelon, Angelica, please, why don't you ditch these idiots and come visit me for a little tête-à-tête? We can relive all the old times so much better without anyone there to rat us out."

Without another word, Hilda turned around and left. The others followed, Alaindelon with an apologetic look on his face.

It was not until five hours later that Dwojeduschnik realized that he hadn't bothered to keep track of the mu-mus that the pink haired girl carried with her.

Oga did not believe in sleeplessness. No matter what happened, a real man was always able to close his eyes and doze off. He certainly had no problems with it. Nothing could ever interrupt his sleep, except for Baby Beel. The dreams, on the other hand… On waking up, he did not remember most of the last one, but apparently he had been sentenced to being the victim. That was not how courts worked, was it?

It was all so damn annoying. How could he have let this happen? What if someone attacked Baby Beel or Hilda now? Oh, right, and what about his own sentence? And finally, that damn fan wasn't doing anything to improve his mood either.

The guy had introduced himself as Ferdinand of something-or-other, recounted all of Oga's adventures in perfect detail (except he forgot Furuichi. But that didn't matter, did it?) and then never stopped pestering him. Right now, in the breakfast hall, Oga had been accosted right before he could start eating.

"I already told you, I won't sign your stupid piece of crap. You're just trying to trick me into some sort of contract, aren't you? If I sign this, I bet I'll end up having to marry you or loose my shares in Ewing Oil or whatever."

Ferdinand shook his head. "I understand, Oga-san. Your caution is probably wise. I have no intention to harm you, but these are troubling times, when one can't even trust a demon."

"I'd never trust a demon!" said Oga. After a pause, he added, "Most of them anyway." Baby Beel was too young to be bad, and Hilda had always supported him - even after he announced that he would not help her goal of destroying the demon world. Still, for all he knew, they might be the exceptions to the rule.

"Aren't you demon guys there to hurt us or tempt us or steal our souls or anything?" Oga had never really thought about the reason for demons to exist. It had something to do with evil, and being tested, and having enemies for higher level characters, right? Humans had to fight their demons and all others, and that was that.

"Of course not. Who'd tell you that?" asked the demon indignantly. "That's what you humans do. You are the ones who always tempt and trick and hurt us. The story books are full of tales where demons work for humans, and the humans cheat them out of the payment. Then everyone calls them heroes for it. And the many demons that were killed in lore, just because there were demons… is it any wonder that we never show our face on the human world anymore?"

"Huh?" That was confusing. So demons were scared of humans? Wasn't that kind of backwards? He needed Hilda to explain it all. Sure, she'd always start and end with insulting him, but at least she could tell it so people could understand it.

"But you're like… our enemies! You want to destroy the human world!"

"Absolutely. You're dangerous. Just think about the many demons you sent to the hospital. Isn't that why humans exist? As the eternal obstacles we have to overcome?"

Oga's head started to hurt. Normally, this was the point where he would either go away or start punching people, but neither was an option right now. Stupid guards. There was one thing he did know, though.

"I don't care about demons or humans. It's all the same to me. If they need to be beaten up, then I'll beat them up. Beating someone 'cause he's a demon or a human… that's just stupid. Man, you're a sucky fan, asking so many difficult questions."

Wait a second. Ferdinand really wasn't good at being a fan, was he? There was no admiration, just all these questions.

"Oy, do you work for Ake…thingy? Are you trying to trick me somehow? I'll beat you up!"

The demon began to chuckle. That was worrying. Demons chuckling was never good, unless it was Hilda about Baby Beel.

"So you finally got that I'm not a fan? Took you long enough. No, I don't work for Akephalos, or the people who he's working for. There are more sides to this issue than just you and your friends versus him and his… friends. Congratulations, you passed the first part of my employer's test. And I am very confident for the next step."

That was quite a bit to take in. Lots of questions ran through Oga's head, but he knew this kind of guy from his mangas. He would not ever give a straight answer, and you'd only find out what was going on in a week or two. He didn't want to have to deal with any of this.

"Listen, asshole. I don't give a shit about your test. All I want is to be left in peace from all you demons. Now, tell me how I can leave here, or I'll hit you right into space."

The demon wasn't fazed by any of that. "I've always wanted to go to space, but no time for that right now, sorry. I have a task for you. You can reject it, but if you follow, it may help you escape. What do you say?"

Oga stayed quiet. Why should he have to be the one to do all the talking? All this mystery and tasks was just useless. He wanted out, back home, and if possible, catch the Gohan-Kun rerun. Besides, any task was a danger. For all he knew, this guy might still be working for Ake… was it phalos? Yeah, that sounded right. Ferdinand waited for a few seconds, then sighed and continued.

"Ah, what the hell, I'll tell you anyway. Not like I can tell you anything without my superiors getting their panties in a twist. The plan is this: Tonight, an event is going down here, organized by the other side. They'll try to hide it, but I plan to add a bit chaos to the mix. Now, you can stay in your cell and ignore it all, which will leave you off just as you were before. On the other hand, if you decide to intervene… let's just say that there may be some chances for you."

This was ridiculous. Oga was just about to punch the demon in the head, as punishment for being vague, but right then, the guy started to sparkle like a sucky vampire and started to fade out. His fist hit just air.

"Remember, Oga: Tonight will be fun!"

What if Dwojeduschnik was right? For the past few hours, this question had bounced around in Aoi's mind. There was nothing else to do for her at the moment, because right now, Lamia and Koma were busy translating the Mu-mus report about what they had read in the lawyers office. That would decide their next move.

Aoi had never really thought about Hilda's feelings one way or another. She had always just assumed that Hilda was evil and incapable of love. But that wasn't true, was it? She loved Beelzebub as if she was his own mother. And if she had feelings for Oga… Aoi was maybe a delinquent by some standards, and a bit more willing to use violence than the national average, but she was not a bad girl. Only bad girls stole someone else's boyfriend. But then, Oga seemed to treat her just as a good friend and… mother of his baby. Damn, this was all so complicated.

None of this was any different in the demon world, if the bar was any indication. Sure, most of the tables were full of shady characters doing shady dealings, but a lot of space was also taken up by the people who told each other how much they missed him or her and cried sadly into their glasses. At least two of them apparently used to be a couple and looked as if they should totally get back together, but Aoi did not trust her own experience on the matter enough to actually tell them that.

"I've got it!" shouted Lamia suddenly, making everyone turn their heads. Aoi glanced at Hilda. She looked unimpressed, almost bored… but she always did that. Maybe she was just hiding her feelings.

"Dwojeduschnik was billing his time for the entire operation to a certain Claudia Institoris. Does that mean anything to any of you?"

This one did got a reaction from Hilda.

"Are you sure about that? Maybe there's a mistranslation. Or he's just using this as a decoy."

"The Mu-mus don't think so. They are very good with such things, actually. Why, is that bad?"

"Very bad," said Hilda. "She is from one of the oldest and most influential demon families. A century ago, the Institoris fought in the Great Demon War against the Great Demon King and lost. Now they are part of his personal army, but they still have a lot of influence… if they decide that Oga is a threat to the king or to Beelzebub, then they will not stop at anything to remove him, whether the king agrees or not."

"But Oga isn't a threat, is he?" said Furuichi, but he was clearly not convinced of it himself. "He's just one human."

"Don't be stupid, you creep," replied Hilda. "You know what Oga is capable of. You were there for most of it. He controls the prince, and he defeated some of the top warriors of the demon world. The Institoris would be failing in their duty if they didn't worry about him."

Aoi thought about it. It was all true; Oga's power was impressive. But still, a threat?

"He isn't a bad man, though," she said. "He wouldn't just, like, attack the king or something…"

Hilda shot her a look. Oh yes, Oga would, and Aoi knew it. The demon king was out to destroy the human world, after all. So far, he hadn't been very competent about it, but still, he was a danger to Oga and to all his friends. The delinquent was just too lazy to do anything about it. If the demon king really pressed the issue, it would just be a matter of time until the two of them fought. And she had absolutely no clue what would happen then.

From the looks on their faces, the others probably considered similar things, except for Angelica, who looked as determined as ever.

"Oh, and of course, the fact that a human gets to protect the young master instead of them hurts their pride," added Hilda. "This must not be underestimated. Now, Lamia, did you find anything else?"

Lamia nodded, but before she could answer, there was a commotion at the door, and a group of uniformed demons entered. The first one had no head, only a white cloud with a smiley face. Based on Hilda's description, this could only be Akephalos. Behind him, three other demons were trying to give off a menacing vibe, with mixed success. All of them looked differently. One appeared like a huge dog, specifically a beagle. The other seemed to consist only of perfectly coiffured hair. The final one was about Lamia's height, but sported a lot more teeth in a lot more places.

"Hildagarde… and everyone!" shouted Akephalos, out of breath. "Is that everyone? Y'all are under arrest for… I'll think of something!"

"The young master, too?" asked Hilda nonchalantly, which made Akephalos look flustered.

"Erm… eh… official custody… look, I said I'll think of something. Y'all were at Dwojeduschnik's place earlier today, and you used Mu-mus as spies. I need to know what you found out and who you told. Don't worry, if y'all are helpful, your sentences…"

He was cut off by Hilda stepping on his toe.

"Listen good, you scum. You're in a hurry and didn't prepare properly. That always makes you useless, and you know it. Leave now, and you'll survive for sure. I cannot make any guarantees beyond that. You never could take me in a fair fight."

That only made him angry.

"Ma'am, while you've been off in the human world with your boyfriend, I've been training. Don't think this match will be a repeat of five years ago. I will tear you apart."

"Noted." Before anyone could say anything else, Hilda poked him in the chest with her umbrella. Akephalos cried out and clearly had trouble remaining standing.

"Sheesh… This old wound is the most obvious point of attack for anyone who knows about it. And you didn't even bother to protect it. Like I said; if you rush things, you get sloppy."

"You bitch! Guys, get them! Kill them all, just keep the baby safe!"

Aoi drew her sword, with enhanced demonic strength thanks to Koma, and began to hit onto the next demon. Hilda did the same. Furuichi hid under a table, and Lamia get out some dangerous-looking syringes. Angelica and Alaindelon, both not big fighters, quickly cleared out the way with Beelzebub, as Akephalos's underlings drew a variety of daggers and clubs. Within a few seconds, the battle was on.

The demons must have been strong once, but they clearly had missed out on their training lately. Their movements were sluggish, and Aoi was easily able to evade most of their hits and block the others. But they weren't easy opponents: The blows almost swept her of her feet.

Hilda focused on Akephalos, swinging her sword with a might and anger that Aoi seriously hoped would never face her. Black mist began to envelop the two fighters. Akephalos was keeping up, but not able to get through Hilda's defenses.

Suddenly, Aoi felt something sting her. She looked around and saw that it was actually Lamia, smiling and holding a syringue. "Something to boost your speed! Don't waste it!" she shouted. Aoi wanted to protest, but then found that it worked. It felt as if the world was going into slow motion. She saw the little girl throw one of her mu-mus at the dog-like demon. It bounced off without any apparent harm, but all of a sudden, the dog started to sneeze and fell over. Better put Lamia on the list of demons not to cross, too.

The hair demon tried to get ahead by picking up a bar stool. That was a mistake. Most of the patrons in the bar ignored the fight, but the one who had sat on the stool most definitely didn't. It was just a tiny old woman who looked as if she was at least two hundred years old, but a hit with her handbag sent the creature flying to the other end of the room, right into another demon. This demon's cowboy hat flew off, revealing huge and ugly horns.

"Sorry, Frank!" shouted the old woman in his general direction. Frank apparently didn't blame her. Instead, he started to demand a new beer from the hairy demon, in a very physical manner.

That left only the tooth monster in her way. She tried to hit it with her sword, but it managed to bite into it and pull it out of her hands. It took a step back and then started to charge towards her. With barely any room to maneuver, she ducked to the side and held onto the sword's handle, trying to get it free. Instead, she found herself yanked away as the monster continued running. The monster was as surprised as she was. The pull suddenly changed its direction, and it ran headfirst into the bar. Aoi saw the crash. On a conservative count, the monster must have lost at least a dozen teeth. It fell over, knocked out.

Meanwhile, Hilda and Akephalos were still fighting on. Akephalos was clearly tiring, reacting slower, and getting hit more and more. Hilda, on the other hand, looked as if she was actually getting faster. She was definitely getting angrier.

"You can do it!" shouted Furuichi, still under the table. "All the others are already down!"

Hilda looked around and saw it confirmed. So did Akephalos. With a quick jump, he got out of Hilda's reach and ran away. After a few seconds, so did his underlings, but he did not pay them any attention. The fight was over.

All of them were sweating. Hilda was still angry. "Again, just leaving his friends behind… No matter what happens, I will never let the likes of him teach the young master."

That made Aoi smile, but she tried to hide it. Beelzebub, meanwhile, replied with an enthusiastic "Dabuu!"

"Is it all over?" asked Lamia. Despite her good performance, she looked a bit shaken. Aoi made a mental note to ask her age some time. Lamia was scarily good at what she did, but she was still just a little girl anyway.

"I do not think so," said Alaindelon. "Akephalos has always been very persistent. I expect he will be back in the morning, with more soldiers and better prepared."

Hilda nodded. "That seems right. So, Lamia, it is more important than ever: Do you know where Oga is being held?"

The girl nodded. "It's in the Old Imperial Dungeons Corrective Facility. He will be there until the trial."

"Oh no!" said Angelica. "I heard of this place. No transfer demon can get there."

"Well, if transfer demons could easily get into prisons, there wouldn't be much of a point to them?" asked Furuichi. Alaindelon disagreed. "There are far fewer of us than you might think, master. The king keeps strict regulations on the training and use of our powers. In fact, transfer demons are sometimes used to move prisoners from the jail to the court and back."

"Don't worry about any of that," said Hilda. "The OIDCF? I know a way in…"

This raised a lot of eyebrows, but none of the demons questioned her, and the humans were just confused.

"Now, we have to act before Akephalos reaches us again. I say we attack tonight."

Akephalos sometimes wished for a real head with a tongue, mostly for sticking it out at people or licking… things. But right now, it was just to avoid the stupid jokes. "How do you lick your wounds without a tongue?" Yeah, thanks, he heard that one before. Quite a bit too often, actually. At least the ones about the nose weren't as popular anymore.

Of course, he was not about to tell any of that to Claudia Institoris. She paid the money and brought the political power. It was her plan. So Akephalos would chuckle at the joke as if he had never heard it before, and oh yes, it was hilarious, ma'am, much obliged.

Claudia was physically unassuming. She was about twenty years old, of average height, with perfectly average looks. Not ugly, mind you, but if you saw her on the street, you'd forget her immediately afterwards again. Her glasses were plain, nice looking, and cost about ten times of what you'd think. Her t-shirt and jeans looked as if she had found them on the floor of her flat this morning. Both were probably worth more than all of Akephalos's possessions combined. Instead of hair, her head was full of flexible, poisoned spikes, arranged in a pony tail. They were just for show, though. A person like Claudia had people to do all the dirty business for her. Akephalos was proud to be one of them. He was not proud right now, though.

"Four trained warriors against a maid, a researcher, a transfer demon, two humans, a degenerate and a baby. And you come back here, beaten bloody, with none of the information you were supposed to get."

She took of her glasses and started cleaning them.

"Now, the way I see it, there are two possible reasons for this. One is that we underestimated them. There's no shame; some maids and some humans simply are that good. Just use more warriors this time, right?"

Akephalos nodded emphatically. He knew it wasn't going to help; she had her speech prepared, and she would go through with it. But not replying would be even worse.

"The other interpretation is that I overestimated you, and that you lied when you said you could take them. Again, no shame. I simply find someone competent to do the job instead. Behemoth's guys got it done, so it can't be impossible. Of course, that would make you a liability. How do you like that plan?"

"Not at all, ma'am," he replied truthfully. He was worried, and needed to think of something fast. "I know them well already. I just need more time to prepare. On familiar territory, Hilda's group had the advantage. This will not happen again. Tomorrow morning, I will take twenty of my best warriors and…"

She raised her hand, and he stopped.

"That's something you decide tomorrow. First of all, we have tonight to worry about. Now, you've got everything prepared here? There was enough time…"

He sighed. For the moment, he was off the hook. "Of course, ma'am. You can trust me here. But I will not take responsibility for the prison staff. I told you before that they are all incompetent fools."

"Unlike you, right? I can understand why you feel the need to cover your ass prematurely, but don't get political with me. If I see my underlings playing games instead of doing their jobs, then I don't reward those who play best. You should know that."

"Yes, ma'am. I'm sorry, ma'am."

"Good. Then get everything ready that isn't yet. We've got a lot to do tonight."

My usual goal for a chapter is 2000-2500 words. This one grew to be twice that. I thought about splitting it in two and then release them a week apart, but that would be kind of mean, and the chapter doesn't really consist of two separate parts.

The main point is to get all actors to where the plot happens next week. But along the road, there were many minor character moments that developed into bigger things. I have my doubts about the action sequence. It is necessary, but I'm not good at writing them, and I'd be very happy about suggestions for this. I'm also wondering whether I'm introducing too many new named characters; right now we have four in as many chapters. I'll try to reduce the number in the future, but I cannot guarantee that everyone will get something to do all the time.