Mammon walked into the bedroom, as he looked over the dvd sets. "You know if you wanna watch the full series, it's gonna be like twelve hours, right?" he asked. "You sure think high of yourself, basically demanding that I do this with you," he grumbled.
Kim looked up, seeing the smile on his face, and wondering why he was always complaining. "Wasn't this your idea?" she pointed out.
"And with tests tomorrow," Beel said from where he sat on the floor, eyeing the giant bowl of popcorn that the human held. "You must have plenty of time to study later then."
Mammon looked over in surprise, seeing his brother in his human's room, acting like he belonged there or something.
"No, I don't!" Mammon griped, giving his brother a glare. "What are you even doin' here, Beel?!" he demanded.
"I invited him," Kim spoke up, looking pleased. "He asked if he could have some of my popcorn, and I told him it was only for those who are watching TSL."
"If I stay and watch, then I get to eat too," Beel said, matter of factly.
"I mean, technically that's what I said," Kim agreed.
"So you're tellin' me that you followed the human here, and are beggin' her for treats like some kind of dog?!" Mammon asked incredulously.
"I'm telling you to hurry up and start watching, so I get to start eating!" Beel shot back.
"Ugh, this is so stupid that it's unreal…" Mammon complained. He turned around and put the first dvd into the machine, turning the TV on, and then turned back. He didn't quite understand what had him on edge, but as soon as he saw his human sit next to his brother and offer him what he wanted, all he could see was red.
"It's startin' so you'd better pay attention!" he snapped as he sat on the other side of Beel. What he really wanted to do was just leave, but he couldn't seem to make himself. "And don't blame me if Beel finishes all that and tries to snack on you!"
Beel could see the human eye him warily, but then gave a nod. "We'll have to make sure and make more during breaks then," she said, giving him a smile as she grabbed a handful of popcorn and turned to watch the show.
Kim became immediately invested, she couldn't deny that. The story was charming and funny, the characters sweet and compelling in their own ways. Yet she couldn't help but feel as if she had seen it before. She wondered if it was one of the stories that Jon had been watching while she was doing other things.
Maybe that's why it feels familiar, she thought.
She watched as the Lord of Fools ran into the snowy country to the North. He had hidden away his love there, hoping to keep her safe from the other Lords who would have no problem using her against him.
He pushed on, fear driving him, to find his beloved Geldie, desiring to be reunited once again. Kim could hear Mammon gasp along with her, as the Lord of Fools entered the small cabin she had been staying in, only to find that she had died from the freezing conditions. And that was where the episode ended, and the disc was done.
"Seriously?!" Mammon declared, gesturing wildly at the blank TV. "He finally found Geldie, and she's dead?!"
Kim paused, the similarities clicking in her mind, even as Mammon continued to rant about how the Lord of Fools should be able to use magic- something that would bring Geldie back to him.
She leaned forward, and turned to look at Mammon, seeing how upset he was. "He's gonna find a way, right?! Please… please say he saves her! She can't just die!" he continued.
"If you want to know, you'll have to keep watching," Beel said calmly. He looked over to the human. "And we need a refill," he said, looking down to the empty bowl.
She wanted to laugh, having only had the single handful of popcorn, but she should have known better. Beel could put away truckloads of food, so one bowl of popcorn, no matter how big was nothing in comparison.
"Probably should get some drinks too," she said with a thoughtful look. "Let's take a quick break then, and I'll go make some more."
"I'll get the drinks," Beel said, as he stood up. "I want to grab more snacks anyway."
Kim stood up, stretching her limbs as she did. "Mammon, will you change the disc, and we'll be right back with some more food?" she asked him. She could see an odd look on his face, but he nodded and stood, moving over to the dvd case.
"Thanks," she said, as she followed Beel out of the room and down the hall.
Upon entering the kitchen, Kim decided to try to talk with Beel again, hoping for an actual conversation. "So, how are you liking the show?" she asked.
"It's fine," he replied. "I can see why Levi likes it so much." He didn't mind talking to the human, especially since she was making him food. It raised his opinion of her anyway.
"Yeah," she said, though the similarities to the brothers were even more apparent now that she thought about it. "Do they… remind you of anyone?" she asked.
"Who?" he asked, as he was rummaging around in the cabinets, looking for snacks.
"The Seven Lords," she said. Beel brought over several bags of chips and cookies and set them on the counter.
"No," he answered. "Weren't you making popcorn?" he asked, looking pointedly at her.
"Oh, right," she said, getting back on task. "I think I've had enough popcorn, but I can still make more for you. But would you rather have something else? I could probably whip up some dip for your chips or something," she offered.
His eyes lit up at her words, and he nodded. "Which?" she asked. "Popcorn or dip?"
"Yes," he answered, nodding enthusiastically again, and she chuckled.
"I see, both then." She added the popcorn kernels to the popper, and turned to the fridge to find ingredients for the dip. "Can you handle taking all that back to my room?" she asked him.
Beel stepped up behind her and she froze, but he simply grabbed the drinks from a higher shelf. She gave a breath of relief, and brought out what she needed to the counter. Beel went back to the cupboard and brought her some seasoning, and then picked up all the bags easily, and gave her a nod.
"Okay, I'll be right there!" she said, happy that she seemed to be getting somewhere with Beel, and shaking her head at herself for thinking he had been about to eat her. She just figured she needed to spend more time with him, so that she wasn't so jumpy.
"You might be an airhead, but you at least can remember some stuff," Mammon said, though he looked pretty pleased with himself. "You should be able to convince Levi that you are at least on your way to becoming a TSL nerd."
"Since you're the one quizzing me," Kim replied dryly, "what does that make you?"
"Hey!" he snapped, glaring down at her, acting annoyed, though he was trying not to smile. He had originally thought that she would be a doormat during her time in the Devildom, and she was proving every day how wrong he had been.
More especially, he liked that his other brothers didn't know about this other side. She only showed it to him. And after having that thought, he berated himself for thinking it.
"I'll never be a TSL nerd," he declared.
"That's an understatement…"
The pair turned, seeing Levi coming down the stairs looking sullen. He rolled his eyes at Mammon, and gave Kim an icy look. "I've heard what you're up to, human," he said. "Sucking up to me, so I'll like you? Might work on pathetic demons like Mammon," he paused as Mammon yelled a protest. "But not on me."
"Who told you that?" Mammon demanded, angry that Levi had the upper hand before his plan could even get off the ground.
Levi turned his cold glare to his brother, and gave a smirk. "I heard it from Lucifer," he answered.
Levi tried to figure out what the look the human and his brother shared meant, but he couldn't tell much except that they were concerned. I wish Lucifer had just told me what they were up to, instead of a random comment about the human staying up all night watching TSL in order to have something to talk about with me… he thought.
He glanced at his brother from under his long bangs, not wanting to be caught searching for answers. He had been thinking ever since Lucifer messaged him, about why the human would do such a thing and he had come to a single conclusion. It was all Mammon's fault.
His stare turned hard. Nobody goes out of their way to speak to me, his thoughts following the same pattern as the night before.
So if the human is trying to now, it means that the whole thing is Mammon's idea. And the only reason Mammon would want the human to spend time with me… is if he was trying to pawn her off onto someone else! AND he thinks I'm going to fall for it!
"You know, it's said that the time a fool spends thinking, is wasted time, and in this situation, it seems apt," Levi said with rancor. "You're lucky you have so much time, that you can just sit around thinking up ways to rid yourself of responsibilities."
His fists clenched as he thought. "I've got anime to watch, figurines and trading cards to organize, games that are just sitting there, all piled up and waiting to be played. As much as I wish I could watch a marathon of every TSL DVD, I don't have the time."
His gaze swept from his brother, to the human, and back again. "So why do you get to have so much free time? It's so not fair."
Mammon smirked. "And there it is, Levi's signature line: It's so not fair."
"Shut up Mammon," Levi snapped back, looking over at Kimberly. "I'm not like Mammon, so get that through your head."
"I just wanted to borrow your TSL soundtrack," Kim started, before he cut her off.
"Not going to happen," he sneered, and turned back to Mammon. "I don't know what you're plotting, but I'm not going to get all buddy-buddy with some human normie."
"Hey! I'm not buddy-buddy with her!" Mammon bristled, causing Kimberly to turn and frown at him, but he avoided her gaze. "My body obeys the orders, whether I like it or not. It's not my fault!"
Levi and Mammon just stood there, glaring at each other, with Kim looking on, upset that everything had gone so sideways. She hadn't thought it would be easy to befriend Levi, but from the looks of things, it was basically going to be impossible at this point.
Yes, she wanted the record, but she also wanted to be friends. She and Levi had some things in common- and she would have loved to have someone to play video games with.
Mammon could see the pout on the human's face, and part of him wanted to shout- see?! I told ya! - but he held it back. It looked like he would have to execute his own plan, and the human would just have to follow his lead.
"The human isn't trying to suck up to you, idiot," Mammon said with a smirk. "She's trying to challenge you."
He could see Kimberly looking at him in shock, but he ignored her to focus on Levi. He knew his brother would give in if he thought he had the upper hand.
"What?!" Levi said, not believing it for a moment. "Don't be stupid."
"Well, whaddya expect?" Mammon asked, pushing to make him accept it. "Solomon is the only other human, and you took him away!" he took a breath and hurried on, not wanting her to spoil it by disagreeing, but knew it would resonate with his brother. "What else is she going to do, but prove that she's the better person to watch and talk about that stuff with?!"
This is not the plan… Kim thought. But maybe we can still make it work? I guess I'll just trust Mammon… he knows Levi better than I do.
"Uh, that's right!" Kim said, trying to sound like it was her idea. "So I'll prove I'm a bigger TSL fan!"
Levi looked at her like she was crazy. "How are you going to do that?" he asked, confused. "Like you want to compete against me or something?" He gave a small chuckle, as he realized what the human was saying. "Do you seriously think you could beat me in any sort of competition involving TSL? Lololol!"
Mammon tousled his hair, realizing that she hadn't realized that he was angling for a fight, not a contest. What was she thinking?! he thought wildly. There was no WAY she could win a one on one competition!
He looked over at the human, seeing her stubborn look, and deciding he might as well push for it too. She wasn't going to back down now anyway.
"Afraid of losing?" he asked, and Levi turned to him with a scowl.
"Excuse me?!" Levi answered. "I already know what the outcome would be! Why would I even bother wasting my time?"
"That's definitely it," Kimberly added. "He's afraid."
Levi turned to her, getting annoyed. "Excuse me? Excuse me?! Are you processing anything that I'm saying here?!"
"Levi's a chicken!" Mammon said with a grin, looking at Kimberly, whose eyes went wide.
"Hey, watch what you say!" Levi called.
"Levi's an otaku!" Kim added, and Mammon smirked at her.
"Can't argue with that one, can ya, Levi?" he said happily. "Though not really an insult. Try again, human!" he cheered.
"Levi's a…" she paused, trying to think of an insult that wasn't actually insulting, since she really didn't want to make him angry.
"FINE!" Levi shouted, breathing heavily. "I accept your challenge. We'll compete to see which of us loves TSL more, you or me."
"And if the human wins," Mammon said, his smile growing wicked, "you make a pact."
Levi stopped, suddenly realizing what was really going on here, and why Mammon was doing it. He wanted to rant and scream at how unfair it was, but he took a deep breath instead, wondering how Mammon convinced the human to go along with it. So, if Mammon wants a fight… he'll get one.
"Fine," Levi answered, seeing the surprised look on both of their faces. "There's no way I'm losing this." He stepped forward, ready to leave, giving his parting shot as he passed the human. "But," he cautioned happily, "know that if you lose… you won't make it back to the human world- alive."
He smiled to himself, as he walked out the door. It won't even be an hour before Mammon is begging me to let the human out of this, he thought to himself. Even he wouldn't risk Lucifer's wrath over the death of the human, just to get revenge. He chuckled to himself as he walked to RAD. It almost made up for having to go to the school that day.
If there was going to be someone waiting for her at the entrance to the school, her absolute last thought would have been Satan. In fact, she had been sure that he was there for anyone other than her, and started to walk past him.
"Scram Mammon," Satan said as they passed him, and the pair froze. "I need to speak to the human." He didn't even look at Mammon as he spoke, instead staring at Kim intensely, making her feel uneasy.
"Uh, but Mammon's supposed to take me to class," she said, even as she watched Mammon continue on, without looking back.
"I've accompanied you to class before, I think I can handle it," he said dryly, and she immediately felt bad for implying otherwise.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean… I'm not trying to upset you," she murmured, brightening as she saw Beel walking towards them.
Odd, not so many days ago, I was scared to be alone with Beel, and now I'd feel safer if he was here, she thought. Funny how things can change so quickly.
"Upset?" Satan asked, responding to her, slightly amused. "I am the Avatar of Wrath," he reminded her pointedly.
She looked up to him with a roll of her eyes, and he had to hold himself back from simply reaching over and snapping her neck.
"I know that," she replied quietly, and he noted that she didn't sound sarcastic, or afraid- which struck him as odd. "But that doesn't mean you don't feel anything else," she continued as Beel joined them, and she used him as an example. "That's like saying Beel is always eating," she concluded.
"Beel is always eating," Satan replied to prove his point.
Beel tilted his head in confusion at the statement. He looked down at himself, before looking back to Satan and replying, "I'm not eating now," and following it up with, "but I could, if you have something to share?"
Kimberly chuckled at the uneasy look that crossed Satan's face. She wasn't sure what he was thinking, but didn't want to aggravate him, so she turned to greet Beel.
Satan wasn't uneasy… no, it was more, surprised. He had never thought before of how his brothers dealt with their own natures, for it appeared that they simply gave in whenever possible.
That was practically the essence of being a demon… he thought. It's not like there are other options, and they could hardly perform their duties without doing so. How could I be the Avatar of Wrath without wrath?! The idea was ludicrous.
He shook his head, annoyed that he even had the thought to question himself in the first place. He tuned back in, to hear Beel ask the human if she wanted to discover what was in the attic, and both of them went silent.
His gaze narrowed as he realized that he wasn't the only one that knew something wasn't right with Lucifer's attic. Lucifer refused to even speak of what was in there, and had placed powerful spells that kept the rest of them away.
Satan personally thought that Lucifer kept all of his secrets there. Not only personal items that were undoubtedly powerful, but all the items he had confiscated over the years, and perhaps items that were banned from the Devildom as well. It was a veritable treasure trove, and was bound to be the downfall of Lucifer himself. Nothing gave Satan more pleasure than the thought of Lucifer's ruin.
"Uh, no not really," the human lied, and Satan rolled his own eyes. He was able to discern when most humans were lying after so many years of dealing with them, but this was pathetically easy.
"But you do plan to use Levi's TSL soundtrack to distract Lucifer don't you?" Beel pressed, and Satan saw the human blanch. "Mammon already told me. There's no need to try and hide it," Beel added.
Kim sighed, relieved. "Sorry, he's the one that told me to keep it a secret," she answered, uncertain of the look she was getting from Satan. Neither he nor Beel were very expressive, so it was hard to tell what they were thinking.
"Well, he told me about your competition, and I wanted to give you some information," Beel said, and Kim's eyebrows rose in surprise. "Levi is the demon of envy, right?"
"Yes?" she asked, not seeing his point.
"If you can get him into a jealous frenzy, he'll lose control of himself, and slip up somehow. That will give you a chance."
Satan noticed that Beel smiled slightly at the human then, and he narrowed his eyes at his brother in contemplation. He had been planning to assist her as well, though his motivation was more to aggravate Lucifer then to help the human. He couldn't help but wonder what Beel's motivation was.
"But," Beel continued seriously, "if you get him to lose control of himself, you'll be risking your life."
"Why are you helping me?" Kim asked, unable to hold back her curiosity.
"Just felt like it, that's all," Beel replied.
He and Satan exchanged glances, without saying a word, and Kim wondered what was going on. It was almost like they both wanted to talk to each other, but neither wanted to be the one to start.
"Well, I'm pretty sure Mammon is going to be there too," Kim said, grateful for the help, but still uncertain about why Beel was helping, and why Satan had wanted to speak to her at all. "So hopefully he will help keep me safe from Levi."
She was a little shocked at the unbelieving looks from both of them. "Besides, the two of them already decided the prizes for the winner," she continued. "If I win, I get a pact with Levi, and if he wins… he gets to kill me."
She looked back up to Beel. "So thanks, since my life is in danger if I don't do something, I'll try anything." She rubbed her forehead with her fingers, trying to stop the throbbing. "But I've got my first test today before that, so I kind of need to focus on that first."
He gave a nod, and walked away without another word.
Satan looked at her skeptically, and she could practically feel the judgement. "So anyway, did you need something?" she asked, as he just stared, silently studying her.
"Actually, I came to give you a piece of advice too," he replied.
"Wait, how does everyone already know about this?" she asked, exasperated.
"Levi enlisted Asmodeus to help," he said, though that wasn't an explanation in her mind.
"The DVD version of TSL is up to season seven now, meanwhile the books are currently on volume eight," he said.
"So I'm already at a disadvantage," she muttered. She thought there was a very small chance she could actually win this, but that hope was now gone.
"Volume nine isn't out yet, but…" she looked up again as he trailed off, waiting for her undivided attention. "If you want to know what's going to happen in it, you should ask Simeon."
"The angel, Simeon?" Kim asked with a frown. "Why would he know?"
Satan merely looked at her again, so she asked another question. "Why are you helping me?" she asked. "Not that I'm ungrateful, but I was under the impression that humans were beneath you."
"Don't read too much into it," he replied haughtily. "This had nothing to do with you. I simply enjoy making things difficult for Lucifer, that's all." He gave a smile that reminded her of when she had first met him, and wondered not for the first time what was underneath it.
"There's the bell, so you don't have to worry about running into demons on your way to class," he told her, as he walked off in another direction.
She didn't have time to think about it, as she rushed off to her first classroom. She wanted to tell Mammon everything they had said, and get his take on it.
"Let me get this straight," he said, as they still stood out in the hallway. He had been waiting for her outside of the classroom, and wanted to hear everything that had happened.
"Beel and Satan both gave you hints on how to beat Levi? How VERY interesting…"
"Yeah, but why?" she asked. "I don't get it."
He rolled his eyes at her. "Obviously, you've got me to thank for this!" he told her. "They're helpin' you out because they know that I'm the one in charge of you! They want me to be pleased with them, ya see?"
"Really?" she asked, not feeling that vibe from either of them… at all.
"Of course! It's clear how important THE Mammon is , and how much my younger brothers respect me now, right?" he responded.
Kim supposed it was as plausible as any reason, though it still didn't feel like the right answer, but it couldn't hurt to let him think so. "I guess you're right," she said giving him a smile.
"Wh- hey!" he snapped, stepping back from her with a pout. "It feels weird when you agree with me like that!"
"What?" she asked, perplexed.
"I mean, doncha think you should've taken the chance to put me down, or somethin'?" He saw the incredulous look on her face, and decided to change the subject before he said something really crazy.
"Eh, whatever… Just, let this be a lesson! From now on, you should respect me like they do!"
She felt bad that he was expecting an insult, but he seemed to want to let it go, so she followed suit. "Okay," she answered. "So, I think we need a strategy, asap," she continued on. "I've still got my first Devildom test today, and the competition right after, so I won't have time to plan anything in between."
"There's only one choice," Mammon replied. "What Beel told ya is right. If you can make Levi jealous, he'll lose his cool. But if that happens, he'll probably try to kill ya."
"Won't he kill me anyway if I lose?" she asked.
"I don't think so," Mammon said, pacing a little as he thought it over. "He knows how angry that will make Lucifer… not to mention Diavolo!"
"So he's just trying to psyche me out?" she asked, feeling better. "That must mean he's actually worried!"
He gave her a deadpan look. "No. There is absolutely no way you'll beat him over who the biggest TSL nerd is. Especially not if you fight fair."
"All right," she deflated back again. "So how do I make him jealous?"
He turned back to face her. "He may be the Avatar of Envy, but it's actually hard to make him give in to it. Usually he just gets negative about his own situation, and says it's not fair, or that you're lucky. So just bragging isn't going to work."
"Maybe I should talk to Simeon like Satan suggested then," she said. "I can probably ask Solomon for advice too. It's not like I don't need the help."
Mammon didn't often feel like he should comfort someone, but that didn't mean he didn't recognize the feeling when it came. He reached out awkwardly, and put his hand on her shoulder.
"Look hu- I mean, Kimberly," he said, and he could see the surprise on her face as she looked up at him, and he could feel his face heat up a little, but pushed it away. "It's risky, but I'll be there with you."
She gave him a smile that had him feeling warm all over, and he wondered what in the world was wrong with him. "Thank you Mammon, that means a lot," she answered.
The bell rang, and demons began to rush into the halls. Mammon took off to their next class without a word, and Kim followed behind him. She was glad that he wasn't watching her so closely now, and let the pain she felt show on her face.
I feel like my head is going to explode, she thought, rubbing the back of her neck, and willing the cramping in her stomach to cease. If this doesn't go away after today I'll need to ask Solomon if there are any diseases that humans are susceptible to here in the Devildom, she thought. It feels like I'm getting worse, not better.
She knew a lecture from Lucifer was inevitable, but she and Mammon skipped their second class so that she could find Simeon and talk to him, and then their third class so Mammon could show her how to use her D.D.D. in order to use the power stored there during her test.
He didn't know how exactly she would be tested, but assured her that even against a lesser demon alone, she didn't stand a chance. And he seemed pleased that she wanted to be able to use what power he had put into the device- instead of the others'.
He conveniently forgot the fit he threw when Lucifer made them all give some power to the human, and he had questioned at the time why they were bringing a weak and powerless human to be an exchange student. They obviously weren't going to learn anything from a human, but most especially one that had nothing to offer.
Yeah, so things have changed… a little… he thought as he walked her through the steps of the device. He couldn't help but return the grin she gave him once she had it working, and couldn't help berating himself yet again for doing so.
"Are you ready?" Solomon asked her as he walked with Kim to the classroom where their test would be held.
"I think so," she replied. "I'm glad I'm not going into this alone though, if I'm being honest." She glanced up at him with a rueful smile. "Though I know you'll do much better than me."
"I'm fairly certain the tests are based on our level, not standardized," he said with a smirk. "It would hardly be fair to give us the same test, since I have been dealing with demons for far longer."
"And have magic," she added.
"And have magic," he conceded. "Though I am hoping that you've learned how to use your borrowed magic," he said, though she could tell he was asking.
"Yep!" she exclaimed happily. "And just in the nick of time too!"
He gave her one of his small smiles, and a nod. "That's good then."
After making it to the correct classroom, Barbatos greeted them politely, and gestured the pair inside to where Diavolo was waiting.
"Solomon, Kimberly," he said, nodding to each of them. "Thank you for coming!" he boomed happily. He looked down at the humans, still excited and grateful each time he saw them and for what their very presence in the Devildom meant for its future.
"I hope you're not worried about our little test here," he said with a smile.
"Only a little nervous," Solomon replied, gesturing with a nod in Kimberly's direction, and Diavolo could see her hands were gripped tightly together.
He reached out, and grabbed her hands, his own seeming to swallow her smaller ones up. "Don't be nervous, Kimberly," he comforted her. "This is merely to see where you are, so we can know if we need to adjust your curriculum or not. Passing or failing will not reflect on you, you see. It is for our education in future dealings with humans!"
She smiled back at him, but between her nerves at the unknown, and the pain in her head and stomach, she knew it had only made him more concerned, not less.
"Come, let me explain what will happen," he told her, still holding her hand as he led them into the room. "Kimberly, have you met any of the Little D before?" he asked.
"No... at least, I don't think so," she replied.
"Well then, let me be the first to introduce you," he said with an exuberant smile, as he led her over to where a very short, round demon was standing. At least… she thought it was standing. Upon closer inspection, it was actually just floating there, with small wisps that come from it that could be mistaken for legs.
Its little body was basically a head with a small tail in the back, and it wore a hat that covered all of the top portion, with its horns sticking out on either side that were reminiscent of a ram's horns.
It was all black, darker than anything she had seen before, the wisps around it looking like oily smoke. The only other color it had was purple, both in a stripe on its hat and its eyes and horns.
Then it smiled at her, and she noticed that it also had large white teeth that looked razor sharp.
"This is one of the Little D," Diavolo said in introduction, and the little creature greeted her in a high pitched voice. "The Little D are the lesser demons here in the Devildom," Diavolo continued. "They are those that follow stronger demons, and embody their traits as they grow."
"Oh?" She asked, more curious than scared now, and Diavolo was pleased that his idea was working.
"They also serve those that they follow, until such a time as they can proceed on their own," he explained.
"So which demons have these Little D's helping them?" Kimberly asked. "I'm assuming you of course," she smiled, "but are there others?"
"All greater demons have those that follow them, though some more than others," Diavolo informed her. "Myself and Barbatos have more followers than any… run of the mill greater demon," he said, giving her a grin at being able to use her vernacular. "And of course, all of the student council members."
She stopped at that, looking up to him in surprise. "You mean all the brothers have these little guys that embody their… natures?" she asked.
He nodded. "But of course," he replied easily. "It would be nearly impossible to complete all of their duties without help."
"That… makes so much sense," she said after thinking it through. "They disappear at such random times, and yet seem like they are always around! This explains a lot," she told him, glad to finally have one of the things that puzzled her solved.
Diavolo gave a loud belly laugh as he clapped a hand on her shoulder, and she practically fell under the weight of it.
"Oops, sorry about that," he said, helping her stand up again. "So, basically what will happen today, is that the Little D will try to get you to succumb to it. You in turn will be trying to force it to give up." He threw his arms open and smiled at her again. "And we will see who will succeed!"
"Uh… like with words?" she asked, confused still. "Or am I supposed to fight?" She gave him a sheepish look. "I'm sorry, I'm not quite understanding."
"Hmm, let me try to explain it another way," he mused. "I think it is more like… a dance battle!"
Her eyes went wide at the horror of that thought. "I'm sorry, what?!" she exclaimed.
"Let me explain," he said holding a hand up. "You won't actually be dancing of course, but the idea is similar." She waved him on, and he continued. "Basically the Little D will start, and use his skills to attempt to overcome you. You then will be given a turn to do the same, and so on and so on until we have a victor."
"Okay, so we take turns," she replied. "But I guess what I'm wondering is, if I'm supposed to use a weapon or something?"
He looked confused. "You're supposed to use magic, Kimberly," he said seriously. "Your own willpower will help defend you, but in order to attack, you will need to use the brother's power. That is why it was given for your use, after all."
"Ah, I see," she said, feeling nervous again. My own willpower… against magic? She thought desperately, and looked over at Solomon as he gave her a reassuring smile.
"Shall we begin?" Diavolo asked. "Solomon, if you would be so kind as to step out with Barbatos." Waiting until the pair left, Diavolo watched, and then turned back to the human. "I am here to prevent anything from going wrong, so do not worry," he said, wanting to assure her that she was safe.
She nodded, and pulled out her D.D.D. to get ready. Just as she looked up, she felt an overwhelming desire to sleep hit her, and she fell to the floor.