Disgaea: Gehenna's Holy Queen

Chapter 9: Onwards!

"I'm going to get to the bottom of the mystery that is Konoka Konoe... in the name of SCIENCE!"

There was a quiet pause for that. Luckily for Mao, none of the other two occupants really had any objections. In the week she had known him, Satomi could really resonate with this demon's work ethic. He was truly a demon of science, and despite all of his drooling over Chachamaru, he was even more impressed that Satomi was her creator. To see him with a new goal was both disappointing and awe-inspiring, but far more the latter than the former. "You really are amazing, aren't you? Throwing away the ethics of the White Wings for more scientific knowledge! I could cry rivers of happiness!" So while she didn't do that, her eyes did water while she smiled widely.

"I'm glad to see you haven't lost an ounce of spice! Boom!" Mr Eme—err Mr. Champloo added.

"Damn right I am!" Mao clenched his fist, grinning madly. "And I've got an open invitation to investigate! Someone wanting to end the world before I take it over is NOT going to fly!"

"End the world?.!" Satomi gasped. "What was in that letter?.!"

"Bad news, and I don't think Ala Alba is going to take it well," Mao answered, folding the letter back and putting it in his pocket. "As much as I'd love to drop some bad news on them, the last thing I need is all the interesting little humans throwing their lives away to save just one person. I need to make sure that person is worth it. So I need to depart to the Heart Bank—judging by the sound of things, Konoka should now have an account," He paused, as if another thought was wedging itself in. "Wait a minute, Cygnus is still on the loose! I still need to track him somehow..."

"Just tell Beryl to keep an eye out for him!" Mr. Champloo suggested. "There's nothing wrong with a little help from other cooks!"

"Easier said than done," Mao said. "Buuut I'll pass word anyway."

"One other thing, though," Satomi suddenly interjected. "The White Wings have ways of finding out things. The moment you leave off on your own to go look into Konoka's brain, they're going to be chasing you," She gazed evenly at Mao, and adjusted her glasses. "The whole way."

"I'd be an idiot to underestimate them, even if I managed to wipe out ninety percent of them with one hit," He griped, shaking his fist. "I need a distraction for them, too."

"Definitely have your work cut out for you, don't you?" Champloo observed, a grin growing on his face. "Don't give up! The most meticulous part of cooking requires that you gather all the right ingredients!"

"Speaking of cooking, do something about this place's cuisine. It's awful!" Mao raged. "I haven't had anything burn my tongue in awesomeness all week!"

"That's everybody, right?" Haruna heard Asuna hiss as she closed the door to the latter's dorm room.

"Not everyone. We're missing Kotarou and Natsumi," Chisame muttered, fixing her glasses. In three years, much of her personality had not changed—she was still the cynical, savvy idol under a hacker persona. However, she had rather taken her job as advisor to the White Wings, especially in absence of Eva. "And it looks like Ookouchi's skimping out again too."

"Good enough, we'll fill them in whenever the two lovebirds stop making out," Asuna concluded dismissively. Most of the Ala Alba had gathered, minus their acting leader Eva. In the ages since Konoka's now-confirmed-disappearance, Asuna and Negi had kept the dorm, despite the memories and the sorrow they held. With at least Konoka alive now, there was a bit of hope—and perhaps clues of final closure for Setsuna. But that wasn't the reason for their gathering here today.

Rather, as the small group of elite school-age heroes gathered around (and on) the couch, they had another person to discuss. Haruna sat down next to Yue as Asuna took center stage. "So what's the opinion on our demon duo Mao and Cygnus?"

"Lunatics," Yue supplied almost immediately.

"Dangerous," Ayaka added, beside Asuna. "But they seems to know what they're doing."

"Mao's amusing," Kaede remarked, small grin on her face. "But still a lunatic. No real opinion on Cygnus yet."

"You know," Negi said, arms crossed. "If he weren't such a pervert, I'd say he's not that bad."

"The hell are you talking about, big bro?" Chamo interjected from his perch on Negi's shoulder. "Being a glorious pervert is Mao's only redeeming feature!"

"Please be quiet Chamo before I'm forced to kill you in an act of mercy."

Chamo took one look at the girls in the room, nearly all of them sending him a dangerous glare, and promptly quieted himself.

"I think I'd rather second the 'lunatic, but knows what he's doing' part," Chisame Hasegawa muttered, arms also crossed, but expression far more annoyed than Negi's. "I mean, he actually taught us more about demons over the past week than we knew all during our trip to the magic world. But if I feel his goddamned eyes on me one more time..."

"And Mao may be a pervert, but Cygnus is... mysterious," Asuna added. "I can't find myself trusting either. I dunno why Mao finds us so fascinating, and even Eva-chan thinks Cygnus might have some sort of agenda. I don't know how we fit into any sort of plans. They're not even cannibals."

"But what effect could we have on any plan of theirs?" Chisame added. "Not seeing it. We might be jumping the gun on this one."

Negi also added, "And like it or not, they're the only connection we have to Konoka-san," The thirteen-plus year old teacher looked a bit forlorn. "We've got to get her back."

"I'm worried about something, though," came the quiet voice of Nodoka Miyazaki. All heads stopped and turned to her. While a bit shaken by this action, she continued. "Well, Mao-san said that Konoka-san was a demon, right? She... may not be judgmental of demons, but she hasn't been one before. Had her time as one... changed her?"

Ala Alba paused to consider her words. Negi exchanged looks with Asuna and Chisame, Yue looked on sadly, and even Asakura and Haruna lost their usual grins.

Asagi was clueless, as usual. "You mean there's that much of a difference? Most of the demons I've seen just act like humans with pointy ears and ridiculous power levels..." She got stares for that one. "Shutting up now." Was the response, even if said stares weren't even hostile.

"Like it or not," Yue said after a moment. "We don't know how we might find Konoka. I don't know many, if any, demon overlords aside from Mao, and well... we know how Mao is." Most everyone nodded in agreement. "Mao enjoys crowing about how evil he is."

"Like Master?" Negi asked.

"You could say that."

"You guys worried Konoka might become an evil overlord?" Asakura asked, eyebrow raised. She tried to imagine Konoka, embracing evil, and trying to become twisted. She was not having much luck.

Yue shook her head, a wry, semi-forlorn smile on her lips. "Not at all."

"I don't think she works that way."

"My brain hurts just thinking about it," Asuna moaned clutching her head in agony.

"Maybe if the only admission into being evil was mercilessly teasing Sakurazaki, she might stand a chance." Asakura cracked, and there was a mild pause of laughter.

"I dunno, there was that one time where she played Anya," Negi said, scratching his head.

"And she's messed with Asuna plenty of times!" Haruna crowed. This caused the twilit princess to scowl, making Haruna's grin that much wider. "What's the matter, Asuna? You mad?"

She was about to snap back when a whiff of... something stopped her. "Hold that thought!" Asuna froze as an unfamiliar smell crept up her nostrils. She sniffed once... and then twice. "You smell that?"

Ayaka paused and smelled it as well. "It smells like cooking..."

Ku Fei perked up. "Fine Chinese cuisine! Could it be...?.!" And without a second thought, she burst out of the door, not even caring about anyone else's opinion over the matter.

There was a moment of silence as Ala Alba, minus one Chinese girl, let the smell slowly permeate and invade their nostrils. "Augh, that smell is making me hungry too," Asuna groaned, and her stomach growled in agreement. "I think we're gonna have to conclude this meeting later..." One by one, they left Asuna's dorm, following the strong smell of Chinese food outside.

"You know, I haven't seen Mao-san all day..." Well, most everyone but Negi.

"Hyahyahyahyahya!" Boisterous laughter greeted the White Wings as they stepped into a wide sidewalk. A massive cart, decorated with reds and oranges, stood in the middle, and it had already obtained a small crowd of curious onlookers. At its center stood one man, standing tall in the center. "Come one and come all! Chef Champloo is opening up shop in Mahora Academy, and now's the time to enjoy a free sampler!"

Of course, Ku Fei was already there, pigging out.

"Whoa... he's serious!" Chisame gasped at the sheer variety and fervor the man displayed. "Spicy curry, Mu Shu Pork, Meat Buns..."

"It's got everything!" Ku Fei crowed, tears of happiness flowing down her cheeks as she pigged out over the variety of foods he was offering. She eventually reached her spicy curry, swallowing it...

...and belching out hot flames into the air. Spicy had apparently evolved into cartoonishly hot levels. "I haven't had food do that to me in ages! I want more!"

"I don't think your average cuisine is supposed to make you breathe fire..." Kaede remarked suspiciously. "Still, I can't help but be intrigued. Maybe this food would allow me to create a new technique..."

Asagi, a bit slower to catch up to the others, had already recognized the smell before she showed up, and took her sweet time in coming nearby. "So you're out here too, Mr. Champloo?" She asked, eyes alight with curiosity.

He paused for a moment, staring at Asagi as if he didn't recognize her. When her face switched from impassively curious to annoyed, he laughed. "Ah, Asagi Asagiri! Long time, no see! I was wondering where you escaped to!"

"Geez, don't joke around like that!" Asagi stomped her foot in annoyance.

"...you know him?" Came the questioning looks of the rest of the White Wings.

"Yep. One of Mao's little vassals," Asagi explained. "He was around when we were looking for... hey wait!" But alas, all of Ala Alba were way too hungry to pay attention past that first word. She sighed in annoyance, especially as her stomach complained that she needed the same thing as well. "Ah well..."

"This is a magnificent distraction if I say so myself," Mao crowed, enjoying Mr. Champloo's curry, as he had snatched a portion earlier. "Those poor fools! They haven't had a good home-cooked meal in years! I doubt they'll notice me gone before I'm halfway through Konoka's heart!" To be honest, it was such a good distraction, and there was so much camaraderie that there was actually a tinge of disappointment that he could not stay.

"Good luck," Satomi said earnestly. "Or bad luck, whichever demons like more. You'll need it." She and a few other scientists were making preparations to activate the seal. While Mao could travel along it on his own, making the seal active kept him from wasting his strength and making it super obvious to all the demons at home that he was returning.

Mao nodded, and finished his meal. From this point, he needed to get to the bank and investigate fast, and then return before Ala Alba got any bright ideas and tried to follow. They were not yet ready to see their friend. Not yet.

And then one voice ruined everything.

"Mao-san." There of course, walking into the lab as if he were about to face down a final boss, was Negi Springfield.

Mao shook his head in annoyance. "Why am I not surprised," He then pointed a frustrated finger in Negi's direction. "I don't remember shounen heroes being this noisy... or annoying!"

"Well, that's your fault," Negi said with aplomb. "You should know that shounen heroes go all the way for their friends, main character or no."

Mao grit his teeth. No dodging that. Still, he crossed his arms and stared Negi in the eye. "Did the others follow you?"

"They did not, but I wanted to make sure you sneaking off was a good reason," Negi answered. "So far, I'm still on the fence."

"Heh," Mao's grin returned, though not as sharp as it usually was. "You might not like what you discover about your Konoe friend. Judging by your reactions, the fact that she's a demon has already thrown you for a loop!" Negi's expression changed slightly, seemingly into dismay, but he steeled it back into determination. "Still, you yearn to know, yes?"

"I must," Negi answered, face stone serious. "She was—is, one of my precious students."

And then something clicked in Mao's head—letting Negi come by may be a good idea after all. "Fine! You win!" He made a show of throwing up his hands. "We're not packing any bags, though. Better hope your body odor smells good!"

Just as well, the portal was finally open. Mao and Negi paused as it flared to life, inviting them downward into the demon world. "Let's go. I'll introduce you to the demon world."

Negi smiled.

Both he and Mao stepped into the darkness.

In her room, Konoka wept.

In a pitiful attempt to shield herself from the world, Konoka's wings were fully extended around herself. Whatever strange influence that came over her at times could not be reached, and it was here she felt the full, awful weight of her crimes. "Secchan..." she sniffed, tears streaming down her face. "I still don't understand. Why would I ever...?" She lamented, curling into herself. "I don't want to end the world... but what if he's right? How can I live without you?"

Konoka did not know she was no longer alone, not until a voice spoke up. "But you must." The voice startled her out of her tears, but she did not move until it continued. "Otherwise, everything she did for you may be in vain." The voice was so familiar to her, and yet she couldn't place it—Konoka knew that voice came back from Mahora.

But when she turned finally, she saw herself looking at Prinny K. The squinty-eyed prinny had his flippers folded behind his back, very similar to someone she knew back at home—but yet she still could not place it. "Prinny K-han? Why are you here?" She asked softly, trying to wipe her tears away.

"Obviously, because I'm worried si—err I mean I came to discuss some matters with you, and here you are sobbing your eyes out! Ars Goetia will render you mincemeat if you show up like that," He chided.

Konoka tried her hardest not to cry again. "I don't want to be that weak, but what if I really do wind up losing control?"

"Hmmm..." Prinny K paused. He regarded Konoka for a bit before continuing. "I'm not sure where I heard this, dood, but a wise man once told me that 'Courage is the real magic.' Probably back when I was alive, dood." He grinned. "That, and some serious training. I know I had to do that to become as strong as I am now—these bodies are pretty weak at everything except surviving explosions."

Curiosity struck the overlord, and she blinked owlishly at him. "Really?"

"I should tell you about the time I came here, dood!" He added sagely. "To tell you the truth, I'm pretty young for a Prinny—I showed up here just a year and a half ago. I actually could have gone to heaven—or rather, Celestia, if I wanted, but something drew me here instead!"

Konoka was in awe. "You traded heaven for this place?"

"Good idea once I arrived here, dood." Prinny K answered. "It seemed that this place was in shambles, and a bunch of demons were running around looking for an overlord. I had to look, too, because I had no boss, and how could I pay for my sins and reincarnate without one, dood?"

Konoka remembered the prinnies and their explanation on how their souls worked the first day. Since they were such nice creatures to do her work, she ought to pay them somehow—she'd need a secretary for this!

"Well anyway, I learned that three years ago from now, some lunatic by the name of Zegnant ruled this place, all until a nasty blitzkrieg attack struck the castle, and in the confusion, a soul he tormented struck him down. Alas, this soul, now the new overlord, was hidden away. I had to fight a bunch of crazy demons, including succubi, baciels, this scout thief who looked a lot like somebody I knew when I was alive, a bunch of robot clones of Zegnant, all vying to find this overlord for their own ends..." He rattled off a list of various demons. "I even had to fend off this corrupted Super Hero! I didn't get the whole story, but it looked like the fallen Super Hero wanted to use this maid to create the perfect overlord—no way I was gonna let that happen! He might have gotten away, though..."

That sounded almost incomplete, and she was certain to go follow that up.

"And of course... the remnants of Ars Goetia."

"You fought them, too?" Konoka asked. "What were they planning?"

"They were in a bad mood from when their numbers got reduced, and this hunt for the current overlord wasn't suiting them well either. Andras wanted revenge. Yui was upset that somebody had beaten her to the punch. They picked up leads on where the current overlord was stashed away. I didn't like their plans... so I had to beat them to the punch.

"The King of Dust was much nastier then than he is now. He hoped to gain control over the castle, and by extension all of the souls that flowed through here. It was an incredibly tough battle, but I managed to win. Lo and behold, I found a tucked away hallway, leading me up to the sealed away chamber. Nobody had discovered it yet, due to a strange barrier that the King could not yet figure out.

"Imagine my surprise when I found you," Prinny K's voice was quiet. "You looked quite sad in your sleep—and alone. And yet I felt a presence that told me you were not alone. As long as you keep strong, you will never be alone. I too, remembered that, and I decided.

"I went back down, to the defeated Ars Goetia, and I named my victory prize for beating them—I wanted membership. While annoyed, I did kick their butts, and they saw no recourse but to agree. With that, I swore to keep an eye on you."

Konoka put a hand on her heart. To know that a single prinny had changed her fate... well, she was honored. But a question remained, "Why do so much for me?"

Prinny K simply huffed, a soft smile on his beak. "The Konoe family line never disappoints, dood!"

"You know of my family?" Konoka gasped.

"You could say that, dood," He grinned. Both of them could make out some familiar voices just outside her room. "Well, I suppose that will have to do for now. I'll tell you more about my past later, dood—though you might already know it." He gave a Prinny salute. "It might be counter-intuitive, but make Ars Goetia a little stronger. I've tamed the worst enough so they'll help! Later, dood!" And he hopped out of the window, just as Satsuki burst in, with Raspberyl, Asuka, Kyoko, and Flonne at her rear, holding onto the leading cook.

"Konoe-san!" Satsuki called out. "We need your help in cooking!"

Konoka blinked at the smattering of her close friends, and smiled. While she was most certain that Prinny was far too familiar for her not to know of his identity, she couldn't quite place it just yet. She shoved that to the back of her mind, and began to approach her friends with a good recipe.

The next day, Konoka met a familiar enemy, even if he wasn't an enemy anymore.

"Waaah!" Konoka shouted, point an incredulous finger. "It's you again!"

"Why young lady!" Count Hermann von Wilhelm, with his bowl hat and grizzled human form, bowed towards her. "I wasn't expecting you to have become a demon overlord. Rest assured, I'd be glad to serve on your dark assembly."

"Do you know him?" Flonne asked, once again sitting by Konoka's side.

"Yeah, he and Negi-kun fought once, and he put a stone curse on Negi-kun's village!" Konoka claimed.

"That's bad!" Flonne exclaimed.

"Ah, but you still have the power to change that fate back," Wilhelm said, his face serious, but his smile still present. "I suppose you have even greater ability to do that now, if you're not interested in ending the world, that is."

"I'm not interested in ending the world!" Konoka immediately snapped back. But she gave pause to his earlier words. She quieted down immediately, remembering his words that she had enough power to free the petrified villagers. She'd do well to remember that promise.

The knowing look on her face made Wilhelm beam quite brightly for a demon.

"Well then, I'm certain I'll be glad to see the results, young Konoe heir." And with some good-natured laughter, Wilhelm von Hermann departed the scene. Konoka and Flonne stared after him.

"He seems pretty friendly for a grand, evil demon," Flonne commented, and Konoka simply nodded in agreement.

"Wait a minute! I know you!" A startled Konoka pointed a dramatic finger in the direction of another new recruit.

And by new recruit she meant familiar face.

There was surprise in the newcomer's face as well, but it was far more reserved. As well, it quickly changed to a small, knowing grin. "I know it's been three years, but I don't think I'm that unrecognizable." She cast a glance at Konoka. "You've changed quite a bit yourself. Guess I'm not the only demon around."

"Well," Konoka looked forlornly at her tail. "I wasn't like this the whole time."

"You'll find that not a lot changes." Her visitor said with aplomb. "For instance, I still offer services for a fee. Of course, that means I won't be sticking to just Ars Goetia, so I can add a helping hand to your personal cabinet if you want."

"I see," Konoka cheered up. "When's the last time you've seen the others?"

"I paid them a visit a few months ago. They're holding out all right." She gave a knowing grin, and Konoka felt a weight lift off of her. The overlord smiled in turn. "They'll be relieved to see that you're still around."

Konoka's face fell, however, when she thought of her other half. "I wish I could say the same about Secchan..."

Her visitor's face lost most of its emotion. "My condolences." She took a sniff of the air. "Well, it feels like she's still nearby."

Konoka blinked at that, not even sure how to react.

"Well, I'm seeing how much Ars Goetia is worth. Later," And in full demonic glory, Mana Tatsumiya left further down the hall.

It was Flonne's blink. "Is this a small world for you?"

Konoka just stared back. "I don't even know."

It was about time.

Konoka ventured down to the concealed chambers, Gehenna's very own prison. It's about what she expected for a dungeon, though the prinnies' paint job made it much cheerier instead of the typical dank, black place prisons tended to be. But she couldn't help but notice that whitening the castle gave it a modern, yet empty feel.

Resolving to try and solve her own problems, Konoka decided that she'd confront all the people that tried to kill her on her own today. Stepping quietly, she decided her first visit would be the duo Koyomi and Tamaki. Dynamis would be unlikely to provide any answers—and the younger duo would likely more relate to her. Perhaps she could learn what happened to Ala Alba more, aside from Dynamis's interventions, and maybe help build a bridge with herself, and maybe her friends.

Of course, she was no fool. Digging around the library previously allowed her to try a small spell—Regen. It was stealthy, and it would negate poison subtly enough that mages couldn't immediately figure out what was going on. She cast it on herself, steeled herself, and then marched through the door. What greeted her was... surprising.

The two girls were sharing a kiss.

Konoka stared, shocked for a moment, somehow not registering on their radar for that moment. However, she could see the obvious romance growing between them, and she was immediately sparkling with delight. Of course, that's when they actually noticed her, turning towards the overlord with a frightened glare.

"W-what do you want?.!" Koyomi hissed, not letting go of the dragon girl.

"Oh, don't mind me!" Konoka said, her eyes sparkling with the notion of ROMANCE. "Please continue!"

"Super pervert!" Koyomi accused.

"Ultra pervert." Tamaki stated.

Konoka of course, was on the denial. "I-I-I'm not a pervert! It was totally about the romantic feeling!" When Koyomi and Tamaki raised their eyebrows, more incredulous than disbelieving, she continued, "Listen, I just wanted to extend to you an offer, and ask a question or two."

This got the duo suspicious. "Offer?" Tamaki raised her eyebrow.

"What purpose would you have for such a thing?" Koyomi said, leering at the overlord. "Are you trying to blackmail us?"

Konoka sighed. One think about Cosmo Entelecheia—they were always tense, especially the younger set. But well, she wanted to extend the olive branch, and that much she would. "No. Honestly. If you say that Negi-kun lived and perhaps saved your world, then I have no further issue with you guys either."

Their features softened. Koyomi looked slightly regretful. "He didn't quite save our world yet. But he was certain that he knew how. As did the Twilight Princess."

Konoka immediately remembered Asuna, and whispered her name.

"If anything, it was her," Tamaki quietly added.

"Yes," Koyomi murmured. "She, along with Negi, single-handedly turned the tides. They even convinced the Gravemaster to follow through."

Konoka wasn't sure who that was, but made mental note of it. "In any case, you were only doing what you thought was best, and I can't blame you," She gave a sad smile, and her voice threatened to choke up. "It's enough to hear that Negi-kun's alright, and me becoming...this didn't screw anything up." She lifted up her tail, a sad look on her eyes.

"We wonder..." the beast girls chorused, making Konoka flinch.

"Still," Koyomi continued. "I doubt your little transformation is at fault. I'm curious, however, on what kind of deal you want with us."

Konoka took a deep breath and sighed. "I was hoping you'd convince some others for my sake, that no, I'm not trying to end the world. I want you two to join Ars Goetia. Walk out of jail free, and serve in my cabinet. And yes, I'll look into helping you with the Magical World."

The girls paused. They were wary of such an offer—become Konoka's underlings instead? Really? They exchanged looks. Finally, they stared back. Koyomi gave a pointed glare as she concluded. "You're serious about that, aren't you?.! We'll be holding you to that, as well as Fate-sama!"

Konoka tried not to flinch at the glare, and stood strong. "I'm serious."

"Fine then," she and Tamaki bowed deeply. "Consider us members of Ars Goetia."

Konoka gave a soft smile.

Koyomi raised her head and gave a small grin. "If I'm impressed and you do half the stuff you say you'll do, you might even see more of this... romance." She held Tamaki's hand tightly.

"Really?" Konoka's eyes lit up like a kid at Christmas.

"No... not really." Tamaki drolly answered.

"Awww!"

"What's up with you? You look like you're deep in thought." Raspberyl's voice shook Satsuki out of her reverie.

The cook wasn't startled—she had been aware of Beryl's presence for some time. She turned to the diminuitive demon, a soft gaze of concern on her features. "Could you tell me more about... a Heart Bank?"

"Heart Bank?" Beryl blinked for a moment, before the idea cinched itself in her head. "Oh! Well, the Heart Bank is a place where demon hearts are stored. It's kind of like being able to tour your memories in real time." She had gone over it before, but it was always kind to have a refresher.

"Where's the closest one?" Satsuki asked. "Does... Gehenna have a branch?"

Beryl's face contorted in confusion. "I don't know."

"Of course it does..." Came the echo of a voice, and a swirl of sand came into view. Forming from it was none other than the King of Dust. That hollow red glow that represented his eyes leered at the duo. "I am a regular visitor there."

Satsuki remembered this monster—the leader of Ars Goetia, who basically tried to sand tomb Konoka and herself when her powers began to leak dangerously. She gave him her best leer, much like those hero types do when villains make their appearance. "King of Dust..."

Beryl, wary of the sudden change of atmosphere, looked between the two. "Umm, what's going on here?"

"Forgive me for that careless attempt the other day," The undead dragon said to Satsuki, smoothly ignoring the other demon. "If I really wanted you dead, there would be far better times and places for it, plus an actual benefit. I don't see any now or in the near future."

"Not exactly filling me with confidence," The cook stared back evenly, despite the awful fear she felt just for being in the same room. "I suppose you know where it is, then?"

"Of course," King of Dust spoke again, and now even Beryl could get a sense of fright from being nearby him. "I will escort you there. I have a little research I need to pick up there. I believe you want to see our current overlord's state of affairs in her heart, yes?"

Satsuki had to pause. The King of Dust had an obvious agenda—and she worried she may have been playing right into it. And yet, it seemed that she had nothing of worth to gain from harming either of them. Maybe as long as she didn't have or give him something to mercilessly take from her, she would be fairly safe. She turned to him. "I think we've been running on one huge assumption. Doesn't Konoka need to know about her Heart Bank account for us to visit it? Does she even have one in the first place?"

"Actually, she does not need to know," The King answered. "The heart will also trust anyone close enough to her. As for if she has one... I am almost certain she does. Personality changes do not come easy for many demons, let alone odd shifts in power. It merits an investigation, at least."

"He's right," Beryl said, now used to the chill effect enough to go on as normal. "If you're close enough to her, you can wander right in. Still have to deal with security, though. I did some sneaking around in Mao's heart before."

The cook rubbed her chin thoughtfully. Should she sneak inside there? She didn't want to sneak around Konoka, not with this girl being so busy and yet so vulnerable. But at the same time, getting to the bottom of what happened three years ago would be key to solving these ills about her powers and people being afraid of her enough to declare that she would end the world. And whether or not he was twisted, the King of Dust's logic was not wrong.

A firm decision came to her mind. "I'll go."

Beryl looked slightly worried about that, "Sure you can trust him?"

"Look out for Konoe-san for me. I'll survive this and get back here somehow." Satsuki gave Beryl a calm smile. She then turned around to the devilish King. "I'm ready to go whenever you are."

"Very well then," the King of Dust's snout upturned in a dark grin. "Outward, towards the back edge of this kingdom." As the both of them left, Satsuki traded looks with Beryl one last time. The short demon nodded in determination before barreling off back towards the depths of the castle.

Her second visit through the prisons that day would be the assassin. She had more questions for the mystery woman, the fallen angel that, she had believed at first glance, tried to kill Flonne. She learned it was a failed attempt on her instead, and she sought to ask why.

And Dynamis? Hell no. He was far too steeped in his ways to give her anything new. Konoka opted to visit Fate on that.

Of course, she kept up Regen. As much of a failure as that assassin was, it was certainly not because she had little experience with weaponry or accuracy; she merely underestimated Konoka herself. The demon queen steeled herself, and then marched through the door. What greeted her was... highly suspect.

Her prisoner was bound to a small chair in spider webbing. Her state of dress had not been changed since she clawed it away. And she was breathing hard, her face red with... shame, perhaps. Konoka's mind slammed the panic and concern button, immediately shouting, "What did Yui do to you?.!" And she was already checking her over, looking for wounds, though she oddly found none.

"...I wish not to speak of it," came the answer.

Konoka frowned. "Are you okay?"

"...more or less," came a much gentler reply. "I have survived much worse, like actual pain." She gave Konoka a cursory look, soft eyes alight with wonder. "I was expecting a crueler overlord, but you are naught but a healing class with exceptional power. To be prophesied to ruin the world is nothing short of ridiculous."

"...you know of that too, huh?" Konoka sighed sadly. "I don't understand this at all..."

"People fear what they cannot understand or grasp—and that goes for demons, too," came the soft voice of the assassin. "Perhaps they feared the power within you."

Konoka had to think about that. The only hint she ever had right then was the name "Amaterasu", which, if she remembered correctly, was the Japanese sun god. She didn't study very much of her family history, and now she was somewhat regretting she didn't—maybe they had a connection to Amaterasu as well? "I don't really know. I guess I'll have to figure it out." She looked down at the captive. "But why did you come after me in the first place?"

"I cannot say," the woman stated. Konoka frowned with her prisoner suddenly becoming uncooperative.

"Why not? You were so friendly before!" Ah, to be naïve, Ms. Overlord.

"I was never good at being stealthy, and yet they insisted that I—" She suddenly stopped, as if an epiphany had occurred. The prisoner fallen angel was silent, brewing on these thoughts. When she finally broke the silence, she said, "I see now."

Konoka paused, not liking the way the conversation suddenly shifted. "What? What did you see?"

"I see why I failed. They will come for me," Those earnest eyes looked back into Konoka. "But you know what? I believe you'll do the right thing, too. Hopefully they will see that."

"They? They who?" Konoka queried, trying not to raise the pitch in her voice too much.

"The Erinyes."

Somewhere else in the castle, the elegant maid Mei finally found her room. The sheer size of Gehenna never ceased to amaze her, no matter how many times she had been here. But judging by the way Ars Goetia was congregating, this would be an interesting stay.

Quietly, Mei picked up the old fashioned telephone she had just unpacked from her suitcase. While she could have easily used a spell or a cell phone (and the former actually comprised her methods of dialing out), she had an odd fondness of this type of technology, something that the person she was about to contact would always tease her mercilessly for.

She spun the dial on the phone a few times, then held the receiver to her face.

An elegant voice answered. "Yes?"

"I'm inside. This place is actually quite calm now."

"Is it? Well, if you say so, Mei." The maid could hear the other lick her lips, as quiet a sound that was. "I'll move everyone into position, and call you back when it's time to strike. I suppose I can finally inherit the throne meant for me a thousand years ago." And that was punctuated with an impish giggle.

"Yes, ma'am," And Mei hung up the phone. It felt good to take orders again.

-X-X-

"Oh no! Negi's been kidnapped by Mao and snatched into the demon world!"

"Ummm, Asuna-san, I have not been kidnapped."

"Of course you've been kidnapped! You wouldn't want to have gone there willingly without us, now would you? Otherwise we'd might have to do very bad things to you!"

"...errr of course I was abducted! SAVE ME ASUNA, I'M GONNA BECOME A DEMON!"

"A little too late for that."

"Mwaahaha! You are so busted when you get back!"

"Don't think for a moment you're getting away with it! Anyway, it looks like we'll have to fast forward our plans to catch Konoka, and figure out what Mao's up to! Next time on Disgaea: Gehenna's Holy Queen—the Heart Bank arc!"

"Dive into the Heart, and SUBMIT TO DARKNESS! Mwahahahahaaaa!"

"...that's enough Kingdom Hearts for you."

-X-X-

(So four months and this is merely a transition. My apologies for that... but well, I'm back. And a birthday update, no less. Still, don't expect regular updates. This chapter was just a pain to write for a few scenes.

Much thanks to Dark Dragon Dave for helping me out and beta-ing. Be sure to check my profile link for more detailed author's notes.)