This was it… the day I said goodbye to everyone in the exchange program. Packing away my belongings, I did one last sweep of the room I had called home for the past year. It was hard, seeing it so devoid of all the things I had filled it with, and closing the door for the final time was truly painful. Still, I did it, gathering my luggage before meeting the brothers in the foyer.
No one said a word as we walked down the stone path to RAD, the last time I would ever take this route. None of us were in any rush, and I took my time just admiring the surroundings. It was odd how the halloween-esque architecture had become so welcoming and familiar to me after such a short time.
Arriving in the Student Council room, Diavolo, Barbatos, Solomon, Simeon, and Luke were all waiting for us. Luke looked like he had been crying for a while from how red and puffy his face was, but Simeon had managed to maintain his composure.
"Alright, well..." Simeon began, smiling warmly but sadly at all of us, "thank you again for the hospitality you've shown us this last year."
"Hmph," Luke let out, wiping his eyes as he stubbornly tried to ignore his misery. "I finally get to go back to the Celestial Realm. I'm finally free of this… of this foul Devildom."
"Luke," Simeon lightly admonished, gently nudging his companion. "If you're sad to leave, just say so. It's okay, you know? You can cry and let it out if you have to."
"S-sad? Me?! As if! Actually, I'm relieved to go!"
"Look at him," Mammon snorted, gesturing to Luke with his thumb before shaking his head. "This is the first time I've ever seen a puppy tryin' to hide his own emotions." His voice picked up a bit as he called out to Luke. "Ya ain't foolin' anyone!"
"You have to admit, it's cute how he does that, though," Asmo pointed out, looking at Luke like one would a puppy in a petshop.
"Well, I for one had quite a bit of fun this past year," Solomon declared, sitting on a trunk that looked like it was pulled from a medieval castle.
"Solomon, I'm looking forward to hearing you tell me a lot more about your human world books in the future," Satan told the sorcerer.
"Oh, and while you're at it, make sure to keep me updated on release dates and stuff for anime and games coming out," Levi insisted.
"Will do," Solomon promised, holding up his D.D.D. "Diavolo made it so that I'll be able to use my D.D.D. up in the human world, so I'll be in touch."
"Wait, seriously?" I questioned, pulling my own D.D.D. from my pocket. "Any chance I can get in on-?"
The device was suddenly pulled from my hand by Barbatos. Before I even had a chance to do anything, or even properly react, he handed it to Diavolo. The Demon Lord waved a hand over it, and I heard the sound of it updating.
"There you go, Belle," Diavolo said, passing it back to Barbatos, who returned it to me. "I had a feeling I was forgetting something. I'm glad you spoke up. I'd hate to deprive Lucifer and his brothers a way to speak with their favorite human."
He smiled widely as I slipped the D.D.D. safely into my pocket. Beel then tapped me on the shoulder, handing me its charger. I blushed a bit, tucking it into a suitcase as Simeon and Solomon continued talking.
"Maybe I'll send you some of our more famous Celestial Realm delicacies as well," Simeon offered. "You know, pick out a few especially delicious items to send over."
"Oh, I'm looking forward to that," Beel declared, already drooling. "A lot."
"Make sure you don't address the package to Beel," Belphie warned. "He'll devour everything before the rest of us even have a chance to sample any."
"Alright then, I'll address it to you, Belphie," Simeon decided.
"Take care, Simeon," Lucifer told the angel, offering a hand to shake.
"Thanks," Simeon replied, taking the hand and shaking it politely before patting it gently with his free hand. "Take care of yourself as well, Lucifer. I think of you as a brother. And I'm glad I got to see a new side of you… a side I never got to see back in the Celestial Realm."
Lucifer's grip tightened on Simeon's hand and his face became somewhat threatening.
"You'd better not go telling Michael anything embarrassing about me..."
Simeon laughed, completely unphased by Lucifer's grip.
"I'm afraid I can't make any promises..."
Lucifer let out a small growl, then released Simeon, realizing he was getting nowhere. Simeon flexed his fingers slightly, but otherwise showed no sign of pain or discomfort. He then turned to me, giving me a similar, angelic smile.
"Well, take care, Belle."
"Till next time, Belle," Luke agreed, running forward and hugging me around my waist. "And no more associating with demons from now on."
"Luke, that ship sailed a long time ago," I declared, ruffling his hair. "But I promise I'll be careful."
"I hope we can get together again sometime up in the human world, Belle," Solomon told me as Luke finally let go of me.
"I'd love that," I told him, smiling warmly. "Take care, all of you."
"Thank you," Simeon replied, gently patting my arm. "And you do the same."
"Simeon, Luke, Solomon," Barbatos called, his expression serious. "It's time."
All three straightened up, Solomon grabbing his chest as they approached Lord Diavolo. The Demon Lord looked down at them all, eyes glittering with happiness.
"It's been a very special, enriching year for all of us here as well," he proclaimed, his smiling never fading. "Thank you… all three of you."
"See ya around!" Mammon called, waving an arm somewhat excitedly.
"Bye!" Levi cheered.
All off a sudden, a massive, golden light tore through the roof of the student council building, nearly blinding everyone. Angelic music filled the air as what I could only describe as pure starlight surrounded the trio. All three began to float off of the ground, lifting up towards the hole. Once all three disappeared from sight, the hole closed up and the lights
"That's it..." Asmo let out, shaking his head solemnly. "They're gone..."
I stepped forward, picking up my suitcase.
"Guess it's my turn..." I said quietly, letting out a shaky breath as I tried to will myself not to cry.
The brothers were all silent as I approached Diavolo, but I could tell that each one of them was fighting back emotion. The Demon Lord looked down at me, meeting my eye.
"To be completely honest, when I first met you, I felt both hope and anxiety in equal measures. I figured that two angels and a sorcerer could hold their own here… But I was worried whether I'd made the right choice inviting a regular human here, one without any special powers." Diavolo's eyes then settled on Belphie, who tensed under the scrutiny of his Lord. "Some were opposed to the idea of inviting humans here to the Devildom, and they made their opinions known."
I turned to see Belphie visibly wince at the words, rubbing his pact bracelet as he did. I fingered my own, phantom fingers on my neck for a brief moment before Diavolo spoke again, banishing those thoughts.
"If anything had happened to you, I would have been the one to blame. I knew that when I brought you here, and I was prepared to accept the consequences, come what may." Diavolo broke out into a grin, laughing merrily. "But as it turned out, I was worried over nothing. You've had a wonderful effect on all of us here, more than I ever could have hoped. You've brought change to the Devildom, to RAD, and most importantly, to each one of us."
I was blushing hard at the praise, rubbing the back of my head as I tried to keep my pride in check. The smiles from the seven brothers certainly weren't helping at all. Each one of them was looking at me like I was something sent from heaven for them. I suppose in a way, they were right, but it wasn't making my treacherous face any less red.
"The exchange program between our three world has been a success," Diavolo went on. "It really has borne fruit… and you're the reason why. I truly appreciate everything you've done for us. Thank you, Belle."
"Thank you for inviting me," I replied, finally finding my voice once more. "I've had so much fun down here, more than I could have ever imagined. I'll never forget this place, or any of you, for as long as I live. And maybe even beyond that."
"It seems this has been a meaningful, enriching year for you as well," Diavolo noted, patting me on both shoulders happily before perking a bit. "Oh dear. I can't stand here hogging all of your attention, now can I? After all, Lucifer and his brothers are waiting their turn to say goodbye."
I turned around, facing the brothers. I could already feel tears welling in my eyes as I approached Mammon first. For once, he kept his tsundere personality deep down, not wasting a moment as he grabbed me and pulled me into a large, greedy hug.
"Make sure you don't go doin' anything too crazy once you're back in the human world, got it?" he told me.
"How can I?" I quipped, holding him tight. "All the crazy came from you."
He laughed at that, almost refusing to let go. It was a far cry from the demon who had to be coerced into being my protector when this whole event started. Thinking back on how much we'd been through, I couldn't help but call Mammon a friend, no matter how often his greedy nature got him, or both of us, into trouble.
When we finally broke it off, Levi came forward. He didn't hug me like Mammon did, just smiled and leaned in close.
"Listen, I'm not gonna erase our saved data for the game we were working on beating together, okay?" he told me. "I'll make sure to keep it around, so it's there if we need it."
"Thank's Levi," I replied, hugging him as well.
Holding my favorite otaku close, I thought back to how much he hated me in the beginning. He'd abhorred the idea of even being seen with me, especially since I didn't exactly match his same level of obsession with manga and anime. Still, bonding over TSL, and just having a friend I could be a total geek with, it was worth the time it took to form that bond.
Parting ways with Levi, I turned to Satan, who held out a hand like Lucifer had to Simeon.
"Take care of yourself, okay?" he insisted. "Even once you're back in the human world."
"I will, just promise you'll try to keep your fights with Lucifer to a minimum."
Satan laughed at that, which made me think back to how much animosity and hatred there had been in the beginning. His entire identity had been defined by being Lucifer's wrath, and he felt that's all he was. Now, he finally recognized himself as his own demon, and so did Lucifer. I'm certain that there was always going to be some animosity and tension between the two, but now, they were more like brothers than bitter rivals. All in all, well worth all the drama.
Asmo was next, the fifth brother, spinning me around before hugging me tightly, kissing the top of my head gently.
"Take care, Bella," he insisted.
Being in Asmo's arms, I felt so loved and secure. It was a far cry from how squeamish he'd made me way back when. His flirtatious demeanor, his self absorbed narcissism, it all rubbed me the wrong way and made me feel uncomfortable. But now, I knew that there was more to him than just lust and debauchery. He made me feel special in my own way, and never once tried to make me do something I wasn't comfortable with. He had become someone I could rely on to make me feel better, as well as help me put on my best face.
"Listen," he whispered into my ear. "If you ever get lonely sleeping by yourself at night, just summon me, okay? I'll be there in a flash to wrap you in my arms and pamper you until the break of dawn. You'll be so well rested, you'll be positively glowing for a week after. So call me whenever."
"Count on it," I promise, giving him one last squeeze before letting him go.
Beel was next, rubbing the back of his head a bit before looking down at me.
"Remember to eat when you get hungry, got it? No ignoring your stomach like you do when you get too focused."
I laughed, remembering when I thought he was just a massive glutton that only cared about food. Boy had I been wrong about him. While food was indeed a big part of his character, he would always put his family first, no matter what. His heart was just as big as his stomach, if not more so, and whenever I was with him, I couldn't help but feel safe.
We shared a big hug, and I could feel him wanting to never let go of me. I didn't want to either, but I knew I had to. Slowly, we released one another, and I turned towards Belphie. The youngest brother didn't meet my eye, hugging his pillow close to his chest.
"I wanted to spend more time with you..." he lamented. "Proper time with you."
Belphie was a far cry from the manipulative demon I found in the attic. His eyes, once filled with so much pain and hate towards humanity, had finally softened. The hostile demon who had murdered me was now more like a docile puppy, napping in my lap and whining for affection. I would never regret disobeying Lucifer and venturing up into the attic. If I hadn't, I would never have met one of my best friends.
"Thank you for saving me, Belle," Belphie told me, hugging me close, his pillow discarded to the floor, where Beel quickly scooped it up. "And let me just say this: Even if you weren't Lilith's descendant, it wouldn't have mattered. I still would've been attracted to you. I love you, Belle. I love you, and I always will."
"I love you too, Belphie," I replied, squeezing him tightly. "And this is from me and Lilith."
We parted ways, Belphie misting up as he stepped back to join his brother. Lucifer was the final brother to approach me, smiling at me with a softness and warmth that almost seemed alien on his face.
"I'll never forget this year I've spent with you," he told me.
"Me neither," I replied. "I'm glad that we were able to continue. "I know I caused you a lot of trouble, but I'm glad I did, and I'm glad that in the end, we were able to become friends."
"As am I," Lucifer nodded. "You'll always be welcome here in the Devildom anytime you'd like to return. And when you do visit again, I promise that I won't try and kill you anymore. None of us will."
"I'll hold you to that," I joked. "Three choke outs and one reversed death is more than enough."
We both laughed, then we hugged, Lucifer clutching me tightly to his chest.
"It's time," Diavolo declared.
Reluctantly, Lucifer let me go, and I grabbed my suitcase. Diavolo drew a sigil in the air, and a large doorway appeared in the center of the room. It swung open, a blinding white light on the other side.
"The Devildom will always be here for you," he promised as he lowered his hands. "Always. We'll have to do this again sometime, Belle. Until that day, know that we're all right here, waiting for you and looking forward to your return."
I stepped towards the doorway, stopping just in front of it to turn around. Tears in my eyes and a smile on my face, I waved them all goodbye, the charms of my pact bracelet ringing like small chimes as I did. One by one, all the brothers raised their arms up, showing their pact bracelets proudly.
"Goodbye everyone!" I called out. "And thanks! Thanks for everything!"
With everyone cheering and calling out to me as I left, I walked through the doorway, letting the light envelope me and return me home...