Here's Chapter 10! I hope you enjoy this one!

Disclaimer: Beelzebub belongs to Ryuuhei Tamura, not me.

Chapter 10- Closure

(Yumi's POV)

Remembering Hecadoth's words, I stand up, glaring defiantly. "No more!" I shout, sounding more firm and composed this time. Right then, the memory fades away and the hallway comes back. I breathe in and out, trying to collect myself as I take out my fan.

Mare looks at me in surprise and anger. "What?! My Memory Recall never fails! How did it-?!" he demands.

I glare at him coldly. "It's called willpower, bitch," I tell him, removing the knife from my fan and surrounding myself with demonic energy. "I may feel intense remorse for what I had done, but you must know this. I'm not the same as I used to be."

Hecadoth holds his spear out towards him, Yolda gets her mop ready, and Naga takes out the baton. At that moment, all three of them surround themselves with demonic energy, glaring at Mare. "And besides," I continue. "Bringing up the worst memory that a person has as a way of weakening them? That's really cowardly."

"Yeah." Hecadoth charges towards Mare, raising his spear up as he jumps up. "Now, eat this!" he shouts as he slashes his spear at him.

Mare narrowly avoids it and he jumps backwards. "Is that all you got?!" he taunts. "Try and fight this now!" He suddenly waves his hand around, causing us to look up, only to see several gargoyles near the ceiling.

Right then, they come to life, flying towards us with stony, stiff movements, screeching horribly. Hecadoth manages to spear a few of them, destroying them quickly. Naga uses his Snake Dragon Palm to destroy several of them as well, while Yolda knocks the rest down with her mop.

Using this opportunity, I materialize into demonic energy and fly behind Mare, quickly materializing into my physical form again, holding the knife up. I quickly slash the chain of the pendant, causing it to fall off his neck, allowing me to grab it. He turns around and glares at me in rage. "Why, you little-"

"Bitch? Freak?" I ask defiantly. "I've been called that so many times, it's not even hurtful anymore."

"Nice, Yumi!" Yolda calls as she knocks down another gargoyle.

I use my fan to summon a single tendril of demonic energy and start surrounding myself with it. "Moonless Night, Cruel Insanity!" I shout, stretching my arm out and sending it towards him. However, he's prepared for this and he blocks it with his palm, much to my shock.

Mare sneers at me. "Sorry Konketsuji, but it'll take more than that to defeat me," he taunts.

Are you kidding me?! I think to myself in shock as he raises his axe above his head. Right then, Naga appears behind him, suddenly jabbing the end of the baton into his back.

"No, it was perfect," Naga says, his face still stoic and emotionless. Mare glances back in shock.

"Too late." Naga presses down on the button on the handle of the baton. Mare's eyes widen in shock as the baton drains him of his power and he falls face-forward onto the ground, unconscious.

Yolda glances down at him, looking disappointed. "That's it? How lame," she pouts.

"We should leave as soon as we can," Hecadoth says, picking up a letter from a destroyed gargoyle. He also takes Mare's axe, probably just in case.

I glance down at the pendant in my hand before putting it into my pocket. At that moment, I suddenly feel a variety of different emotions: sick, disgust, hurt, and even worse, paranoia. "Let's go guys," I tell them, avoiding eye contact.

This doesn't go unnoticed by them. "Tanaka, is everything okay?" Naga asks.

I give them a cheery, close-eyed smile, trying not to show any negative emotion I'm currently feeling. "I'm okay," I reassure them. "Don't worry about me. I'm just feeling a bit shaken." They're not convinced by this, but they don't say anything else.

We arrive back into the living room, where everyone is eating some food that's out on the table. "We got the pendant," Yolda announces as Hecadoth closes the door, which dissolves into the wall.

"Okay, good!" Lamia says as I hand her the pendant. "At some point, we lost contact with you guys and the monitor went fuzzy for a while. But we managed to get it to work, and we got to see you guys fighting against those gargoyles."

"How about you guys have some dinner?" Furuichi suggests. "There's plenty of food to go around."

"Not now," I mumble distractedly, walking past them.

"Yumi, is something wrong?" Hecadoth asks, slightly concerned.

I shake my head. "I just need some time to think," I say as I open the back door. "I'm not too hungry right now."

I step outside and lean against the wall beside the door, folding my arms across my chest. I let out a sigh as I stare up at the night sky. I just had to witness the death of Daisy the kitten again, something I had been trying so hard to move on from. Even worse, Hecadoth, Yolda, and Naga saw the memory of me losing control of my powers. They saw me becoming a monster. Now what?

At the memory of Daisy's cruel death, I feel tears in my eyes. I never told Hecadoth or Laymia about this part of the incident because just thinking about it makes me want to cry. Having to hear her helpless mewls and whimpers of pain as her life was brutally ended with a rock being repeatedly thrashed on her little body, while I was being held back and forced to watch… it's just too painful.

In addition to hurt, I also feel… afraid. Hecadoth, Naga, and Yolda just saw a memory in which I lost control of my powers and beat several girls within an inch of their lives. They saw an alternate side of myself, the side that no one ever thought I had. They saw the sadistic, bloodthirsty, deranged side of me, in contrast to my usual calm, gentle, composed, kuudere/dandere demeanor. They won't be able to look at me the same way anymore now.

What do they think of me now? Am I helpless and weak to them now? Will they call me careless for not taking better care of Daisy? Am I just a monster in their eyes? I wonder helplessly.

"Is something wrong?" I turn in surprise and see Hecadoth standing next to me.

"Hecadoth?" I ask. "What are you doing here?"

"I could ask the same to you," he tells me. "What's wrong?"

"I needed time to think," I tell him.

"You've been unusually distant ever since we completed the task," he observes, standing next to me, giving me a concerned look. "It's about the memory, isn't it?"

I turn to face him. "Hecadoth, answer me honestly," I tell him. "Am… Am I a monster?"

He looks a bit taken aback by this. "No, you're not," he tells me. "You're far from a monster."

I sigh. "That memory… I'm still affected by it to this day," I admit. "I'm not proud of myself for beating those girls up, no matter how much I hate them. I know it was a result of my demonic powers taking over me, but I can't help but blame myself. And even worse… you, Naga, and Yolda saw it." I hide my face in shame. "You must see me as a monster now."

I suddenly feel his hands remove mine from my face and I look up. He has a firm, yet empathetic look in his eyes. "Listen to me, Yumi," he starts, taking my hand and gently squeezing it. "That wasn't your fault. Those girls pushed you too far. They brought it upon themselves the moment they beat the kitten to death. We were equally shocked by that action. Besides, you've gained control of your powers now."

"I know, it's just…" I shake my head. "Why? Why did I have to relive it again?" I turn to look at him. "I never told you about the kitten because it was one of the most painful things to talk about, and every time I think about it, I…" I trail off when I feel a tear fall down my face. I let out another wry laugh, except it sounds more like a choked sob this time. "Dammit… why am I crying again?"

"Oi, Yumi," Hecadoth tells me. "I know that it's tough, I know you feel terrible about it, and that's enough proof that you're not a monster. You're able to feel guilt, and you know what right and wrong is. You're nothing like those fucked-up girls. In fact, in the Demon World, your actions would be justified, especially if it was a friend, relative, or master who was killed."

I look at him in surprise. "Really?" I ask.

He nods, a smile crossing his face. "Besides, those girls more than deserved it," he adds. "Not even demons would beat an animal to death for our own pleasure. Also, I have to admit, the fact that you managed to put up with those girls for so long is quite impressive. If I had to put up with whiny brats like them, I don't know if I could control myself for so long."

I laugh softly as he takes my hand, kissing it. "Seriously?"

He nods. "And also, I really like what you said to Mare. That was very impressive," he compliments, kissing me briefly. "Now come on, how about you come inside and have some food. Lamia will read the next task soon."

I nod. "Okay," I say. As we walk inside, the feeling of guilt is slowly going away, and I start to feel a bit more reassured. It's not my fault. I'm not a monster, and I never will be.