Samael had Belial open the door to his giant pink manor atop True Cross hill. It was ostentatious and when looked at from afar really depicted the flagrant European man Johan Faust V was trying to be.
Amaimon (the only one always allowed inside the manor) was put in the forefront. Astaroth was slightly behind him. Next to him on each side were Egyn and Beelzebub.
Belial simply closed the door gently and called out to his master: ''Sir, your many brothers are here. I do not know what to do with them.''
Samael pressed pause on his Japanese dating simulator game and put on a pink yukata sisters robe as to appear proper when greeting practically estranged family. He opened the door and smiled condescendingly at them all, asking them what the fuck they thought they were doing while not asking anything at all.
Amaimon spoke because each brother knew that Samael liked him best.
''Father sent us to speak with you. To convince you.''
''Is this about Okumura Yukio?''
They all nodded. ''Rin remains with you.'' Egyn said to diffuse the situation because everyone knew that Mephisto had a lot riding on him. Satan could wait a few more centuries before claiming him as his. Right now he wanted Yukio.
Hearing that his plans would not be disjointed by this turn of events, Samael stepped aside to let his brothers in. Beelzebub tried to touch an anime figurine more expensive than the damned manor and was told if he wished to keep his hand he would touch nothing. All brothers obeyed this order to the letter.
Amaimon trailed next to Samael and began to tell him what the plan was. Samael listened. The words flowing from his younger brother's mouth were, at best, half-hearted. This passion surprised Samael greatly as any spoken word before this had been indifferent.
''Egyn is weak.'' Amaimon said even though Egyn was stronger than him and higher up than him in their Baal hierarchy. The demon king arrogance never failed to disappoint. Samael gave his little brother a fanged grin.
The rest of the brothers were trying not to piss off Samael by standing still in his abundantly decorated living room. Figurines and easily breakable merch lined every crook of the place. The couch had anime body pillows thrown on. Amaimon strolled through the place as if it were his home and sat on the couch with his brother like it was a normal thing to do.
Egyn felt his small shark body pulsating with dread. His whole plan depended on Samael's agreeing. Astaroth was there for moral support and to redeem himself after getting beaten by a priest. Beelzebub, however, was just there for the ride. It was better to go against exorcists than to stay in Gehenna with Satan.
Samael grabbed a sexy body pillow of a male anime character and hugged it close to his chest as he glared at his gaggle of brothers sweating profusely. Astaroth moved ungracefully and flailed his arm in frustration at the built-up silence, accidentally knocking down a priceless picture with Johan Faust V with Kamiya Hiroshi, his favourite anime voice actor*.
It clattered to the floor, shattered.
Astaroth fell to his knees to beg for forgiveness. Beelzebub and Egyn looked mortified and inched away from him, making tiny and careful steps. Amaimon bit his nail in anticipation for whatever was to come. He relished in violence, especially when none was inflicted upon his person.
Samael stared at them all like they were unimaginable idiots. Unfathomable. Truly and honestly should be disallowed to breathe the same air as him. He counted to three, snapped his fingers and turned back time for that picture, having it back on its table in mint condition.
''Holy shit I forgot he could do that.'' Beelzebub whispered, in awe of the second Satan's child's might. The bugs residing inside his body wriggled appreciatively at the magic he did.
''Egyn, you are in charge of this plan, aren't you?'' Mephisto called and the shark demon agreed wholeheartedly that he was.
The demon king of time and space crossed his leg over the other, threw the anime pillow at Amaimon, and ordered: ''Tell me about it. In better detail than what Amaimon attempted.''
''Well, if we all work together we can't fail father.'' Came Egyn's lame response.
''I hardly see why I should bother as this is your task.'' Samael brought up a very good point that split the interest in the demon kings. Astaroth looked wary of his involvement, wondering why he had agreed. Beelzebub grinned a smile full of larvae at Egyn's growing discomfort. Amaimon impassively watched. Everyone knew he was on board because of the impending rematch between himself and Okumura Rin.
''Let us look at this from father's perspective.'' Egyn wisely said. He had always kept a cool head during strategic meetings and brought Gehenna many victories. Battle he understood better than most demons present. Manipulation less, for that remained Samael's expertise.
''He wants Rin and Yukio both. It's always good to have a spare vessel.'' Astaroth pipped up with his unnecessary wisdom. All demon kings present ignored him pointedly.
Beelzebub leaned on a door frame while Egyn sat down across from Samael to better keep his attention. Amaimon was there on Samael's side even though he had arrived with the other demon kings, this everyone knew. If Samael forbade him from fighting Rin he would obey him even if his father had told him to fight.
''What father wants,'' Egyn began and all demon kings ended in unison, ''Father gets.''
Samael steepled his fingers and straightened out, towering over the half shark half humanoid demon king convincing him poorly.
''What would happen, say, if father decided that since you kept Rin and Yukio from him, sealed in the exorcists' clutches – he should instead focus on you? Do you think you could risk losing everything you've worked for in Assiah just because of one half-human runt that doesn't even have the treasured royal flames of Gehenna?'' Egyn pressed into Samael's fears like an acupuncturist.
The air between them all threatened to break into battle. Samael's demonic energy he neatly kept under wraps because humanity got uncomfortable easily by its might flared into a beautiful reminder. Beelzebub wished to run, being the closest to the exit. He inhaled deeply and tried to calm down. Amaimon bit his nail clean off and remained frozen, paralysed by the sudden shift. Astaroth didn't breathe for he knew any movement, any spoken word could tip their brother over the edge.
''We have a contract.''
''That either party can break as long as it proves counterproductive.'' Egyn remained undeterred on the outside. He continued speaking, fighting to keep his words calm and assured. ''If you allow us entry into True Cross territory we will keep the damage to a minimum. We swear on our demon hearts not to maim permanently or kill Okumura Rin. He is yours to use in whatever ploy you have cooked up. This is considered generous.''
''How,'' Samael replied in a eerily calm tone that left no room to be interrupted, ''do you expect me to explain the presence of four Baal on my territory? After my keeping secret of Rin's identity the Church does not trust me as much as before. I worked hard. I made my presence known in the exorcist world.'' His green eyes widened as did his manic grin. ''How do I explain my affiliation if you come to conquer and I let you in?''
Egyn let out a sigh of relief. ''Thank Gehenna,'' he reclined into his armchair and smiled his toothy grin. ''You are considering the offer.''
Beelzebub, who was the most tech savvy of the demon kings, called Belial to fetch a computer. ''Lucifer will explain this next bit. We need to Skype him.''
''Skype?'' Samael made his disbelief known. Amaimon nodded, apparently aware of what Skype was. He had thought the demon king of earth was above humanity's technology.
Beelzebub set up everything and when Lucifer's pained expression appeared on the screen nobody was surprised more by a trickle of blood dribbling from his mouth and onto the floor. He and Samael had a stare down immediately. It was to show dominance because they were eldest and second eldest and therefore acted like they wanted to fight all of the time.
Ah, brotherhood. That horrible thing nobody needed in their life.
Homare Todo's hand came into the shot to quickly and mechanically wipe Lucifer's face clean. Lucifer inclined his head in a thankful bow. Then he spoke to the demon kings present in Samael's mansion of extraordinary bacchanalia.
''If father wants Yukio Okumura we shall send him to Gehenna gift wrapped.''
''What?'' Samael laughed, seeing the plan before it was told to him in full. ''While we're fighting I pretend to have lost my concentration and the wards around True Cross fall just enough for this merry band of disgraces to fight school children?''
''That is the gist of it.'' Lucifer said and more blood came pouring out of his mouth then. Again the hand came out from beyond the camera frame to wipe it off. ''Thank you, Homare Todo, you really don't have to.''
Beelzebub laughed at him and asked if Lucifer was ready for them to meet his second in command. Astaroth joined in this immature joke-fest because they were all little shits that loved to make fun of each other.
The gears crunched in Samael's clockwork of a mind. He replayed what he'd been told today. If even Lucifer was on board with this plan of Egyn's it meant that they all realised how much Satan wanted to break Yukio. The promise of protecting the Okumura twins came to the forefront of his mind, then. He recalled Shiro Fujimoto's brilliant smile and good natured words right before he had adopted his half-brothers.
''I'll watch over them while I'm able, but it's your turn after. Got that?''
That was all made if his place in the world was not threatened. As it was the verbal deal they had made was void. Samael inhaled sharply. Everyone turned their attention to him. From Lucifer to Beelzebub the demon kings present peered hard and intense at Samael, waiting on his answer that could either break or make their plan.
''I agree''
When pressed to choose between himself and others around him, a demon will always choose to save his skin.
Kamiya Hiroshi is Mephisto's voice actor and that's just a bit of meta for you.
One more chapter and then I have this poem-like drabble I wrote as a prototype to the story I'll post as an epilogue.
Enjoy the chapter and thank you for reviewing
Alfirza – finger guns at you – thank you for reviewing! I'm thrilled you're happy I came back to this story I missed it and it's always cool to hear others missed it, too
Guest, always expect the unexpected! Also thank you for being sweet your review made me smile