Entry #9

Before I begin today's entry, I would like to provide you with some context. The Baal family has never really had anything to do with organized religion; this may be because we all happen to be named after demons, but I suspect it has more to do with simple indifference. The old man never even mentions church, none of us have any particular inclination to go, and no one wants to wake up that early on a Sunday morning, anyway. We're not really anti-religious, we just don't care about it one way or the other. Amaimon probably doesn't even know what a church is. However, I suppose you could say that we observe the Sabbath; no one ever does anything more strenuous than change the TV channel on Sundays.

So, you can most likely imagine my confusion upon being shaken awake at around seven o'clock this morning...

Mephisto moaned softly and cracked open an eyelid. "Ugh... w'ssup?" he muttered, blinking a couple of times to focus his vision. Gradually, the dark, blurry shape before him sharpened and revealed itself to be Yukio. The younger teen wore a suit and tie, and he looked a little hesitant. "I'm sorry for waking you," he whispered, "but could we go into the hallway and talk?"

Mephisto sat up and stretched. "I suppose... but if you're worried about waking up Lucifer, don't be." He motioned towards the other side of the room, where his older brother lay completely covered in blankets. "He literally sleeps like a log."

Yukio shot a slightly nervous glance in Lucifer's direction; he didn't seem especially convinced.

Mephisto sighed and rolled out of bed. "Fine, the hallway it is," he muttered, holding a hand over his mouth to stifle a yawn as he followed Yukio out of the room. Upon entering the hallway, he was extremely surprised to see Rin, awake and fully dressed. He raised an eyebrow, glancing back and forth between the two. "What madness is this?! Black magic? Impending doom? Conspiracy?" He pointed at Rin dramatically. "Why are you awake this early on a weekend, and furthermore, why do you actually look presentable?!"

Rin fingered the collar of his dress shirt self-consciously. "Look, Yukio made me wear this, okay?" He scowled. "And I can get up early if I want to!"

Mephisto smirked. "I'll believe that when Amaimon quits sugar." He turned to face Yukio. "Well, I must admit, I'm extremely intrigued. What's the occasion?"

Yukio looked a bit sheepish. "Um, I'm sorry for troubling you, but... could you take us to church?"

Mephisto blinked. He was legitimately taken aback. "Church?"

Yukio nodded. "We were raised in a Catholic monestary, so we've been missing it."

Mephisto suspected that Yukio felt most of the obligation to go, but surprisingly, Rin seemed to be pretty willing to go along with him, despite his attempts to appear indifferent. In fact, the two of them looked pretty excited; it was as if they were asking him to take them to the mall instead of Sunday Mass. Mephisto raised an eyebrow. "Alright, I can understand that. But why, pray tell, are you asking me?"

"Oh, don't get the wrong idea; I would NOT ask you to drive if I could help it, but neither of us has a license," Rin replied, fidgeting with his collar again. "And we didn't want to wake up the old man... we weren't quite sure how he'd react."

Mephisto smirked. "I see." To be honest, if he was in their position, he probably wouldn't have asked the old man, either. Satan Baal could be hard to read, and the consequences for misreading him were often dire. However understandable their situation was, though, Mephisto wasn't exactly keen on playing chauffeur this early in the morning. He folded his arms. "Look, I'm dreadfully sorry, but I'm afraid you're going to have to find another mode of transportation." He motioned towards the door to his room. "You see, my pillow makes a much more persuasive argument."

Yukio opened his mouth to speak, looking like he was about to give up, but Rin suddenly held up a hand to shush him. Turning to Mephisto, he glared at him with narrowed eyes. "Alright, what do you want?"

Mephisto smirked. Perhaps Rin wasn't quite as stupid as he appeared. "Well, that depends. How far away is this church you're planning on attending?" He stroked his imaginary beard, grinning wickedly. "Whatever you give me has to be worth about as much as the amount of gas I would use to get there and back, plus a little extra for my time. Quid pro quo, yes?"

Rin scowled. "Geez, you sound like you had this all figured out beforehand. Is that your standard fee or something?"

Mephisto ignored him and started mulling over the necessary calculations. "Let's see...the pedo-van gets about fifteen miles to the gallon, and gas prices are currently nearing four dollars a gallon. So one mile is worth about... um..."

"Twenty-six cents?" Yukio supplied helpfully. "And the place we have in mind is a couple of streets past the school, so it's about twelve miles."

Rin shot his younger twin a rather betrayed glare. "Don't help him with his math!"

Mephisto smirked. "Why, thank you, Yukio. So, twenty-six cents a mile for twenty-four miles is... six dollars and twenty-four cents." He thought for a moment. "Now to factor in the time I'll be spending... how about we round it up to seven dollars?"

Rin cringed. "Seven dollars for a ride?! That's insane! There's no way we're paying that!"

Mephisto shrugged. "Fine, don't accept my offer; it doesn't really matter much to me." He smirked fiendishly. "I guess you'll just have to go ask the old man..."

The twins exchanged glances; both looked slightly apprehensive. After a moment or two, Rin sighed, defeated. "Fine... let's just get going."

Mephisto grinned. "That's the spirit ~ !" He then turned back towards his room, opening the door. "Just give me a few minutes to change and we can be on our way!"

About eight minutes later, Mephisto reemerged from his room wearing a bright white suit and a pink polka-dot tie. Aware of Rin and Yukio's stares, he shrugged. "It would be a waste of gas to simply drop you off and then return home; that would actually increase the fee to fourteen dollars, and I don't think you'd be happy with that. Since waiting in the van would be dreadfully dull, I might as well join you."

Rin narrowed his eyes. "Have you ever even been to Mass before?" He folded his arms. "I'm just gonna take a guess and say you haven't."

Mephisto smirked. "You're right, of course, but might I point out that you haven't been to Mass here before, either?"

Rin grimaced. "So what you're saying is that we're all going to look like clueless idiots."

Mephisto huffed. "Goodness, no! You see, I can at least act like I know what I'm doing, and Yukio has a good head on his shoulders." He smirked. "You, on the other hand..."

Rin looked like he was about to let loose some angry retort, but Yukio literally held him back and cleared his throat. "We should really get going... at this rate, we're going to be late."

Mephisto snickered. "Oh, trust me; that won't be a problem."

"Attention all passengers, this is your Captain speaking. Please fasten your seat belts and stow all loose articles," Mephisto announced cheerily, placing the key in the ignition. "In case of an emergency, hold on tightly to the 'oh God' handles located above the doors on your left and right."

Yukio glanced around the van, one eyebrow raised. "Why are they called the 'oh God' handles? Isn't that taking the Lord's name in vain?"

Rin buckled his seat belt and shuddered. "Trust me, it's not in vain..." He motioned towards the handle above Yukio's door. "If you ever need to grab that, only God will be able to save you."

Yukio didn't look impressed. "Don't be so melodramatic, Rin."

"Fine, don't believe me," Rin muttered. "But don't say I didn't warn you..."

Mephisto smirked, a wild gleam in his eyes. "Alright, let's get going ~ !" And with that, he turned the key in the ignition, waited for the van to roar to life, and slammed the gas pedal.

About ten minutes later, the van flew into the church's parking lot and ground to a screeching halt. Mephisto whistled tunelessly and pulled the key out of the ignition. "Thank you for choosing Air Mephisto, we hope you enjoyed your flight ~ !"

Rin flung open the door and staggered out of the van, flopping to his knees and kissing the ground. "Land! Solid land!" he cried, tears of joy shining in his eyes.

Yukio slowly and carefully stepped out of the van, arms folded over his stomach and face slightly pale. "I didn't know it was possible to hit that many potholes," he muttered, looking shaken.

Mephisto hopped out of the driver's seat and slammed the van door shut with a flick of his wrist. "Well, we're certainly not late," he quipped, straightening his tie. "And we were only airborne twice, so I think that went pretty well, actually."

Yukio blanched. "You think that went well?" He sighed heavily. "Well, now I understand what the 'oh God' handles are for..."

Rin stood up and glanced around, eyes wide. "Wow... this place is bigger than I thought it would be."

Mephisto followed his gaze towards the church building itself. It wasn't really that big, truth be told, but it did have an impressive steeple. People were filing in through the double doors, most grouped together in families and all dressed in their Sunday best. The thought of the entire Baal family jostling through those doors caused Mephisto to let loose a soft chuckle. Maybe we should all come sometime, just to see how the congregation would respond. He gestured towards the church building. "Well, shall we?"

Yukio nodded, taking the lead and making his way across the parking lot towards the doors at a brisk pace. Rin scrambled to catch up with him, leaving Mephisto to casually stroll after them. The landscaping around the building was actually quite pleasant; the fall cold hadn't quite set in yet, and the pink hydrangeas were looking fresh and perky. There were also patches of lilies as well as decorative grasses... plants weren't particularly high on his list of interests, but time spent with Amaimon had taught him to at least recognize good gardening when he saw it. Mephisto stopped for a moment to admire the aesthetics, and suddenly found he'd lost sight of the twins. Shrugging to himself, he meandered over to the double doors and stepped inside.

An interesting scene greeted him upon entering. Yukio was nowhere to be seen; he'd probably gone into the sanctuary already. That boy sure moved fast. However, Mephisto spotted Rin standing near a small water fountain, bent over slightly and focused on something on the ground. He was scratching the back of his head the way he did when he was embarrassed, and there were papers scattered all around him.

Mephisto crept forward stealthily, trying to get a better look. The way things looked, there had to be... yep, there was another person. He or she was mostly hidden from view by Rin's back, but Mephisto was able to spot a pair of girl's shoes and the edge of a skirt resting on the floor.

Rin extended a hand towards the ground, still scratching the back of his head. "I am SO sorry, I totally did not see you there!" he sputtered. "Are you alright?"

"Um... y- yes, I'm fine..." A thin hand reached up to take Rin's, and the girl pulled herself to her feet. Mephisto could see all of her now; she had short blonde hair, large, innocent green eyes, and a soft, timid smile. In short, she was the epitome of the damsel-in-distress type. She was even blushing shyly and avoiding eye contact. Mephisto rolled his eyes. How very cliché...

Rin knelt down and started scooping up the papers. The girl gasped a little and rushed to help him. "Oh! Uh, you don't need to do that, really! It's fine..."

Rin smiled at her. "I'd be a jerk if I didn't help you pick these up after running into you like that." He held up one of the papers and studied it. "So what are these for?"

The girl blushed. "Oh, um, they're just flyers for our family's store... my mother and I are going to hang them around town after the service."

Rin snatched the last of the flyers up off the ground and handed the stack he'd collected to the girl. "A store, huh? What kind of store?"

"Well, it's mostly stuff for gardening, like seeds and equipment, but we also sell herbs and some organic foods," the girl replied. She smiled, but even so, she looked a little bit less than enthused.

Mephisto raised an eyebrow. Maybe she doesn't like her job? He shrugged, sighing. Creeping on other people's conversations was usually quite interesting, but for some reason, Rin's wasn't proving to be particularly exciting. Feeling a tap on his shoulder, he whirled around and found himself face-to-face with Yukio.

"Ah, here you are," the younger teen said, sounding slightly relieved. "I think the service is about to start… have you seen Rin?"

Mephisto smirked and jerked his thumb towards the water fountain. "He's over there."

Yukio jogged a couple of steps towards the water fountain and loudly cleared his throat. "Nii-san! The service is about to start!"

Rin whirled around. "Oh! I'll be there in a sec!" He turned back to the girl. "Hey, um, I never got your name…" He scratched the back of his head and smiled sheepishly. "I'm Rin, by the way."

The girl blinked. "Oh, um… nice to meet you. My name's Shiemi."

Yukio folded his arms and cleared his throat again as organ music wafted into the hallway from the sanctuary. "Nii-san!"

"COMING!" Rin snapped. Turning back to Shiemi, he smiled. "Maybe I'll stop by your store sometime." Without even waiting for the girl to respond, he turned and dashed towards the entrance to the sanctuary. "Alright, alright, let's hurry and find some seats!"

Yukio adjusted his glasses. "No need, I already saved some for us." He sighed. "Even with the time gained from Mephisto's highly illegal driving, we've somehow managed to be late…"

Rin pouted. "Well, excuse me for talking to people!"

Mephisto chuckled as he slid into the pew. Rin's shouting was beginning to attract the attention of the occupants of the pews around them, who started shooting the three brothers strange glances and raised eyebrows. Mephisto had to hold a hand over his mouth to keep from bursting into a fit of giggles; the idea of bringing the rest of the Baal family here just for kicks was rapidly becoming even more appealing.

However, as the service progressed, Mephisto found himself losing interest in even that. The chanting and singing was frightfully dull... mostly because he had no idea what the rites were and therefore was incapable of participating. Rin and Yukio seemed to be having a hard time of it as well, since much of the singing was done in English and therefore the exact wording used was completely new to them. Thus, for the three teens, large portions of the service were spent in mutual silent shame.

Mephisto might have been okay with faking the chants (mouthing the word "watermelon" worked every time), but the priest's sermon was also completely vapid and may have even been theologically incorrect. And he couldn't help but notice the blonde girl from earlier throwing the occasional hesitant glance in their direction from the other side of the sanctuary. This multitude of distractions, coupled with an insatiable boredom, ultimately led Mephisto to engage in the shameless practice of flipping through the hymnal and mentally adding "in the bathtub" to the end of every title.

The priest continued his sermon, his voice a dull monotone. "I would like you all to open your Bibles to Genesis, Chapter Thirty-Six, Verse Nine…"

Mephisto suppressed a giggle. Galilee's Waters are Raging… in the bathtub… Feasting with My Lord… in the bathtub…

"...Eliphaz, the son of Esau's wife Adah, and Reuel, the son of Esau's wife Basemath. The sons of Eliphaz: Teman, Omar, Zepho, Gatam, and Kenaz…"

Let the Whole Wide World be Taken… in the bathtub…

After the sermon concluded, the congregation sang The Lord's Prayer and began to prepare for communion. Since none of them were members of that particular church, Mephisto and the twins felt it appropriate to simply remain seated in their pew during the ceremony. Rin and Yukio both took the opportunity to close their eyes and say a few words in individual prayer. The soft shuffle of feet as the members of the congregation made their way to the altar filled the sanctuary, warm and muted like the light that filtered in through the stained-glass windows. To Mephisto, it seemed as though the peace so often mentioned within those walls was, in that moment, almost palpable.

He watched the twins' faces as they prayed with a sort of casual inquisitiveness. Yukio looked perfectly serene, eyes closed and head bowed. His lips moved ever so slightly, silently mouthing the words that were doubtless running through his mind. His expression was relaxed and completely detached; only the slight scrunching together of his eyebrows betrayed the hint of tension behind that calm exterior.

Dear God, please help me understand; there are so many things I don't know. It seems like this whole family is hiding something, about our mother, and... maybe even about Dad. I don't know… it feels like I'm caught in some kind of darkness, clueless and blind. Something's going on here, but right now all I have is this shady suspicion. I need to find the truth. Will you please help me with that?

In contrast to Yukio's outward serenity, Rin seemed about to physically explode. His shoulders were hunched, and he clenched his hands together as though grabbing onto something. His eyes were shut tight, and he appeared to be grinding his teeth.

Geez… why did I even come here?! All I can think about is how Dad could do a much better job than this guy… no, could have done a much better job. I… God, I still can't believe he's gone! Why did you let this happen?!

...Sorry. I guess I really suck at praying. But can I ask you something? Can you help me find out who killed Dad? That's… really all I want right now.

Mephisto folded his hands behind his head and sighed, leaning back against the pew. He could tell there was something important happening behind those two pairs of closed eyes; some sort of inner reflection. For some reason, churches seemed to bring out the pensive, existential side of people. He closed his eyes, faint traces of a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. He might as well join in the fun.

Hey there, God. Quite a nice house you've got here; however, I must say, the caretaker's really not quite up to snuff. I do hope you're not offended by what I did with the hymnal, but you seem like you ought to have a sense of humor.

Hmm, what to say, what to say? I don't exactly do this often… dear me, I must be that sort of son that only calls on your birthday. Well, I suppose I could ask for silly things like success on my Calculus exam or my long-overdue paycheck raise, but you've heard enough of that from everyone else here, I'm sure.

If I must say something, then allow me this. Rin and Yukio have probably already asked you about the truth behind Shiro Fujimoto's murder… would you mind holding off on letting them find it for a bit? There's a certain way that news ought to be told, I think.

After the conclusion of the service, the people in the pews started to gradually filter out of the church in much the same way that they'd come. Mephisto stood up and stretched. "Well, I must say, I have absolutely no idea why you two went to such lengths to come here. If I wanted to experience something as entertaining as that sermon, I could have watched paint dry."

Rin grimaced. "Yeah, no kidding. I almost fell asleep myself."

Yukio adjusted his glasses. "Yes, well, I'm sure that's the best he could do with the lineage of Esau." He glanced pointedly at Mephisto. "And you didn't really have to come, you know…"

Mephisto smirked. "Ooh, am I being scolded?" He wagged his finger. "Shame on you, forgetting who's going to drive you home."

Rin groaned. "If I had any money I'd call a taxi!"

The three of them gradually made their way out of the church building and over to the black van. As he climbed into the vehicle, Mephisto stole one last glance of the church's double doors. He smirked. Yes, I'll definitely have to find some way of bringing the whole family here sometime…

And thus ended my brief spiritual journey; any "peaceful" feelings that any of us may have had from that experience were immediately dissipated upon our return home. Surprisingly, the old man had actually woken up from his slumber in time to catch us in the act. Since he's never up before eleven and it was ten-thirty when we arrived back at the house, I can only suspect that a certain someone who enjoys getting me in trouble (and also happens to go by the name of Lucifer) specifically woke him up in order to snitch on us. And since I'm the oldest of the three, naturally all of the responsibility for our unapproved trip fell on me.

Luckily, though, I was able to escape having only suffered a violent lecture on "Daddy's" apparently eternal need for the van, which, as he stated, he only allows me to drive when it is convenient for him. The one positive side to having a possibly psychopathic father is that there is never any flimsy blathering about being "worried sick about you" or other such meaningless fluff. Still, I'd better receive my seven dollars from the twins with due haste, or I may have to resort to the old ways of punishing thieves and cut someone's hands off. This whole fiasco has just made that money hard-earned.

In other news, tomorrow is the day of the play auditions, and it is also the day that Lucifer will be leaving us. Obviously, I look forward greatly to both. I haven't seen Rin practicing the lines once since we made our bet, so there's clearly no contest here. Still, I'm excited to see what the ultimate results will be. The players have entered the ring, and it's time for the true contest to begin! Auf geht's, und wiedersehen!

Author's Note: This chapter is sort of a transition to the whole school-play thing (which has taken me, what, four chapters to get back to? So sorry…). I also wanted to find a way to briefly introduce Shiemi, because she will be popping up later.

Now, I happen to be a non-denominational Christian, which means my church has the lowest level of organization possible, so I have absolutely no idea what goes on during Catholic mass outside of what Wikipedia has told me. So if there's something wrong with what I've included here, feel free to correct me. In connection with that, I felt I should mention that the "in the bathtub" thing stems from personal experience…

In terms of what Mephisto does or does not believe, he seems pretty wishy-washy here. But I'm leaning towards having him at least believe in God… after all, canonically, he is a demon, and there's this handy little verse in James 2:18-20. So… yeah. I realized I've strayed onto sensitive ground, but hopefully the important thing here is the characters and their thoughts and feelings, not the issues surrounding the church itself. I broke out of my limited first-person POV to show their prayers for that reason.

Also, thank you very much to Fireminer for suggesting this, and to SuperiorDimwit for reiterating it.

(Gaah my chapter titles are so bad... *cries*)