Kimberly shook herself, embarrassed to have fallen over. She couldn't get over the fact that she had been hit with magic… it still felt tingly on her skin- but she was glad that it hadn't been more potent. If it had been, she was sure that she would be laying there sleeping.

As it was, it had hit her hard enough to cause her to fall, but the fall was what had shocked her enough to stay awake. Well that, and the pain of falling, she thought grimly.

She stood back up, and looked at her D.D.D. She wondered if there was a specific power to use against the sleepy desire she felt, but at the moment, she decided to stick with Mammon's power. It was the one she had practiced with, and since Diavolo assured her that her opponent was on the weak side compared to other demons, she shouldn't have a problem.

The issue, would be finding the correct amount of power to use- but as soon as she had that thought, the cramps in her abdomen started again. It honestly felt like her intestines were tying themselves into knots… or were ripping into pieces. She randomly pushed the buttons to release the power, before dropping the D.D.D. and clutching her midsection against the pain.

Diavolo watched in surprise as the magic from the device squarely hit the Little D, and knocked him out. It was far more power than necessary, and he wondered if the human was not as adept in using it as she had seemed. He'd have to mention it to Lucifer, to ensure she received the proper instruction. He didn't want to put his Little D's through this each time they tested her.

He looked back to the human, and his eyes went wide with shock. He moved quickly to her, even as she writhed on the floor in pain.

"Kimberly!" he urged, helping her to sit up as she lifted to hand to cover her mouth during a coughing fit. "Kimberly, are you all right?" he asked, beginning to panic. "Barbatos!" he called, knowing that his steward could help make sense of it.

Kimberly looked up after she stopped coughing, seeing the demon prince looking frantically at the door. She looked down at her hand, seeing the flecks of red on it, and quickly wiped it off on her pants.

The door opened, and Barbatos and Solomon came rushing in after seeing the prince holding the human, who looked to be hurt.

"Lay her down young master," Barbatos said, helping to get the human prone. "What happened?" he asked.

"I'm not certain," Diavolo replied, as the three of them looked at the girl who had curled into a fetal position. "She used the power in the D.D.D., and when I looked back, she was like this."

They heard her mumble something, and each leaned down silently to try and hear it again.

"What was that?" Diavolo asked.

"I'll be okay… just… need a minute," she muttered again.

"Ah yes, it's a common human ailment," Solomon said, giving the demons a reassuring look. "It causes abdominal cramping in human females, and I'm told can be quite painful for some."

They both looked to him in question, one skeptically, and one relieved.

"Yeah, what… he said," Kim got out unsteadily. Though what he said was true, it wasn't what was happening, but she didn't want to go into it with the prince.

"Very well, if you are sure," Barbatos replied. He had spent enough time in the human world to know of such things, but had never seen it first hand. It looked far worse than he was ever led to believe, but now he understood why he smelled a hint of blood.

"Solomon can… help me," Kim said, taking deep breaths in order to calm herself.

Diavolo looked from the girl to the sorcerer- who smiled innocently- and back again before finally nodding. "All right, we shall be right outside," he said. He went over to pick up the Little D, and he and Barbatos left the room.

"Kim if your, uh, menstrual cycle is this bad, you should have told me," he chastised her. "The demons wouldn't know what was going on, but they'd be able to smell the blood on you." He knelt down next to her, wondering how best to handle the situation.

"We'll have to explain to Diavolo, so we can think of preventive measures for the future," he thought aloud.

"Solomon," Kim spoke, shaking him from his thoughts. "It's not a problem," she added, shaking her head.

"Kim just take it easy," he argued, wondering why she looked so depressed. "This is not a big deal normally, but I don't think you're comprehending how bad this could have been. I'm just glad that we were with Diavolo and Barbatos, and not around other demons that wouldn't be able to control themselves."

"Look, can you help me up please?" she asked. He seemed surprised for a moment, and then grabbed her arm to assist her to her feet. "Look, I'm not willing to go into it right now, but it's not my per- uh… menstrual cycle."

"It's not?" he asked, surprised. He regarded her questioningly, but she didn't explain. "Something is wrong," he deduced.

"I'm honestly not sure," she told him. "I could have made myself ill from stress or anxiety, and that's most likely the cause."

"You should tell Diavolo," he pressed, confused when she seemed pained by the idea. "What aren't you telling me?" he asked.

"It's worse than ever before," she answered him honestly. "I'm not sure why, but it could be something about being in the Devildom." She gave in, and reassured him, "I'll talk to Diavolo about it."

"Good," he replied, as he turned and walked to the door. He opened it, seeing an anxious demon prince and his more calmly mannered steward.

"Everything will be fine," he answered. "Though Kimberly wants to speak to you, Lord Diavolo."

"Very well," Diavolo answered, looking relieved. "Barbatos, can you administer the test for Solomon?" he asked.

"My pleasure, young master," Barbatos said, giving Solomon a small smile that Kimberly found hard to read. He seemed almost excited about the opportunity.

"Come Kimberly, we can speak in my office," Diavolo said, putting a hand behind her, though not actually touching her, to guide her along. "Are you sure you are all right?" he asked.

"Actually, before I explain everything, can I ask about the test?" she asked timidly. "Did I pass?" He looked stoically ahead of them when he heard her add, "and is the Little D okay?"

He gave a warm smile at that, pleased that she cared enough to ask about the small demon. "He will be fine, he was simply overcome. The magic you used was meant to immobilize, and will wear off. And yes," he continued, answering her other questions. "You did pass, though I plan to speak to Lucifer about your ability to control the amount of power from the D.D.D. I believe you need to work on that."

"All right," she said in a small voice, feeling relieved. Everything will be fine, and now I know what to expect, she thought. Maybe I should wait to speak to him about the other stuff, since it will probably just go away now.

"Kimberly! There you are!"

She and Diavolo both turned at the voice, seeing Asmodeus hurrying over to meet up with them. "Hello Lord Diavolo," he added to his leader. "I need to take Kimberly here to the council room, if that's all right."

"We were just heading to my office actually," he began before Asmodeus interrupted him.

"Oh! But surely that can wait, can't it?" he said with a grin. "After all, everyone is waiting for the competition to begin!"

Kim gave herself a light slap on the forehead for forgetting the competition. "Wait, everyone?" she asked, aghast.

"Well, of course," he answered, giving her a wicked smirk. "We simply wouldn't miss this!"

"What competition?" Diavolo asked, intrigued.

"Our little human challenged Leviathan to a trivia contest!" Asmo practically squealed. "I didn't think anyone could even hope to compare to my shut in otaku of a brother, but apparently Kimberly here thinks she's up to the task!"

Diavolo turned to look down at her. "Is that so, Kimberly?"

She looked a little sheepish. "I believe something was said about seeing who was a bigger fan," she admitted. "I don't remember agreeing to a trivia contest though," she said with a frown.

"Actually, Lord Diavolo, we could use your help as well!" Asmo said exuberantly. "I'm already hosting, and have Satan and Beel helping, but Lucifer absolutely refused to participate."

"Lucifer is there too?" Diavolo asked, pleasantly surprised. "I suppose I can assist," he said with a smile. "That is, unless we should speak first, Kimberly."

"No, no," she waved the thought off. "It's nothing that can't wait."

"Wonderful!" he cheered, and turned and gestured to the Avatar of Lust. "We'll follow you then, Asmodeus," he said.

"Finally, the wait is over!" Asmo said to the room, performing as if there was a giant crowd instead of the brothers, the prince, and the single human. "It's time for Devil's Trivia Showdown, the show that pits demon against human!

"Today, our competitors will be testing their knowledge regarding that super- famous, super- popular fantasy series, The Tale of the Seven Lords!"

He threw his hands up and took a few bows, and Kim wondered if he heard applause in his head. Then decided he definitely did.

"Now," Amso continued as he walked back towards where they all sat in the council room, "it's time to introduce our competitors! First, he's a demon that freely admits to being the biggest TSL nerd of them all… meet, Leviathan!"

Levi laughed, enjoying the atmosphere of one who had nothing to worry about. "I am the G.O.A.T. None can oppose me!" he said happily.

"And his challenger," Asmo said, turning to her, "a human who just recently watched the DVDs! Say hello to Kimberly!"

She gave a little wave, wondering if he secretly had cameras filming or something. She put her hand into her pocket and rubbed the item that Solomon had given her. She wasn't exactly sure how it was going to help, but he insisted that Levi would recognize it. He had even skipped a class to go and retrieve it for her, so she knew it was important.

"It's too late to be getting cold feet now," Levi said to her, and she turned to look at him. "There's no turning back."

She didn't feel very confident, but she pasted a look on her face and gave him a nod. She wasn't going to back down now, there was too much at stake.

From his seat next to Diavolo, Lucifer's only reaction to the surge of pride was a slight lifting of one eyebrow. "This should be fun," Diavolo said to him quietly.

"Interesting to say the least," Lucifer added. He was fully aware of what Mammon and Kimberly had planned, they weren't exactly subtle. He honestly thought it would never work, but for some reason, he truly enjoyed watching the human try. She had absolutely no guile, and was pathetically easy to read. And yet… he thought, there's something…

He was there to learn the outcome, nothing more. He probably should have put a stop to it all, but a human with no magic was hardly a threat, even with one or two pacts with his brothers.

Not to mention he had observed how she had treated Mammon after she had gotten him into a pact. He was slowly starting to relax on that account, though he knew himself well enough to know that he'd never genuinely trust her.

"Serving as judge for today's competition is our very own Demon Lord himself, Lord Diavolo!" Asmo announced, and Lucifer tuned back in.

"Hello everyone," Diavolo said, standing up and giving a wave, which made Lucifer shake his head. "Happy to be included!"

Asmo introduced Satan and Beel as guest commentators, then went on a small diatribe about the host… namely, himself. Kimberly looked around, spotting Mammon lounging in a seat near Beel.

He was trying to seem bored, but in reality, Mammon was thinking- desperately trying to come up with a plan to get this whole competition canceled. He wasn't worried about the human dying, not with Diavolo and Lucifer there. He was more worried about the aftermath with his brothers, when this went exactly as they all knew it was going to.

Finally, after getting comments from the commentators, Asmo decided to start the competition. He turned to the human, his plan to make her feel like she could succeed, at least at first.

"Kimberly, what are the names of the first three Lords?" Asmo asked her.

She thought it odd that he would ask such a simple question, but decided not to complain when she could actually get it right. So she answered.

"That's correct!"Asmo declared with a sultry smile, and then turned to Levi to ask a question.

Kim's eyes went wide at the question posed to Levi, and then even more so when he answered it correctly. I'm doomed, she thought. There's no way I'm winning this. She thought again of the bet, and decided that while she didn't like the idea of getting Levi crazy jealous, she also didn't want to die.

She looked over at Levi, wondering if she should just jump up and interrupt, but then Asmo was asking her another question, and one that she could answer. So she did, content to let things play out as they were.

"Hey, is it just me, or have all of my questions been way harder than hers?" Levi asked suddenly. "Like suspiciously harder! Even though they're still so easy for me that I'm ready to just fall asleep over here." His eyes narrowed on Asmo. "How long are we going to keep this charade up?" he demanded.

"Agreed!" Mammon said, surprising everyone by jumping to his feet. "Show him your trump card!" he yelled to Kimberly.

"What?!" Levi sneered, annoyed at the interruption.

"Interesting," Diavolo mused.

"I'm glad it's to your liking," Lucifer replied, though he was also interested in what was coming.

"A trump card?" Asmo continued in his announcer voice. "It sounds like a gauntlet has just been thrown down!" He turned to his brother. "Satan, what do you think this could be about?" he asked.

"Well, it isn't too surprising that the human would come into this with a secret weapon," Satan said, his face a mild mask. "Even she knew she didn't stand a chance. It seems that my advice is about to pay some dividends," he continued as he glanced over at Lucifer, whose gaze was now narrowed on the blonde. "Excellent," Satan murmured.

"Are you saying you provided aid to the human?" Asmo asked, shocked. "How very wicked of you!" He turned to his other brother. "What do you have to say about this, Beel?" he asked.

"If you want to hear what I have to say, you have to feed me first," Beel said from his seat.

"How very Beel," Asmo said despairingly. "In any case, if it is true, it could mean something that would make winning against Leviathan possible!" He turned to the third oldest. "What do you think of all this, Levi?" he asked.

"ROFLMAO! LOOOOOOOOL!" Levi replied happily.

Asmo looked at his brother like he had grown an extra arm. "Right… I have no idea what you said, but I'll take it as you aren't worried!"

Amso turned to the human now, coming up close and peering into her face. "So, Kimberly? Spill those secrets!"

"Well," she began, "when I challenged Levi, it was to see who was a bigger fan, not who could memorize facts," she said, hoping to somehow legitimize what she was doing. "And any true fan looks ahead to what is coming!" With that, she recited all of the major plot points for volume nine, that weren't released yet.

Levi looked at her, sneering. "AS IF!" he shouted. "There is no way that the Lord of Masks would do that to the Lord of Shadow!" He glared, dismissing her with a wave of his hand. "You think you can make up random lies and pass it off as what is coming?!"

"Actually, Kimberly is telling the truth," Diavolo said, his expression impressed.

"Maybe as she knows it!" Levi denounced it all. "That doesn't mean it's right! Everyone online has been talking about how the Lord of Masks and the Lord of Shadow are totally going to make up! I won't believe anything you say!"

"Okay, how about this then?" Kimberly said, pulling out the pendant that Solomon let her borrow. She held it out in the palm of her hand, and the demons stood up or moved closer in order to see what it was.

It was shaped as a single wing, and made from platinum.

"I… I … don't believe it!" Levi said in a whisper, looking ill.

"What is it?" Asmo asked, sounding unimpressed.

"It's the Lord of Corruption's lost wing pendant!" Levi turned on him, scandalized. "And it's the platinum version! It's so incredibly rare that it's… it's… legendary!" He looked away, his hand up and covering his face which had turned red, but he kept speaking to her.

"H-H-How did you get that…?!" he demanded. "It was only sold in extremely limited quantities to commemorate the release of volume one! It's a veritable treasure! Any TSL fan would KILL to get their hands on that!"

"So why are you closing your eyes?" Asmo asked, confused.

"GAH!" Levi cried out. "I… I can't bear to look at it! It's just… too… beautiful!"

Kimberly glanced over at Mammon, seeing him grinning back at her.

"All right, um… I guess that really does settle who the biggest fan of TSL is…" Asmo said, still a little shocked at what had happened.

"NO!" Levi shouted, opening his eyes and stomping his foot. "I won't stand for this," he seethed. "All you did was watch the DVDs once! The idea that YOU are a bigger fan that I am… is… it's … "

"Whoa calm down Levi," Mammon said, still grinning. "You said yourself it was legendary, and the human has one, and you don't!"

"NO, NO, NO, NO!" Levi shouted, turning to face the human, and glaring at her, his eyes glowing orange as they peeked out at her from under his bangs. "I won't… stand… for this," he said, his voice dripping with menace.

She couldn't seem to move, or even look away. The intensity of his stare paralyzing her in place. She felt as if the very air around them was growing thicker, and it seemed as if there was a glow emanating from his body.

"Uh-oh…" Mammon muttered, just as Levi burst into his hybrid demon form. He could be grateful that he hadn't transformed into his true form, but this was bad enough. One touch could kill the human, and Levi wasn't exactly worried about being careful. "Kimberly, run!" Mammon shouted. "Get out of here!"

Kim could hear the voice, but not enough to understand what it said. She just stared at Levi, who had changed right in front of her.

She didn't think too hard about her roommates being demons, and was usually surprised whenever something was said to that effect, as if she forgot. Subconsciously, she started thinking of them as people with… extra abilities.

As she looked as Leviathan now, she knew she wouldn't think that again. He was much more than that. There were some similarities… his face and hair were the same, though now he had horns that resembled growing coral coming from either side of his head, and shimmering scales on his neck, that she found almost mesmerizing in their beauty.

His clothes had changed as well, and she blinked a few times, wondering where this Leviathan had come from. He stood up straight, held eye contact as he glared, and had the body of a swimmer- which he showed off. She could see the definition of his abs under the sheer black shirt that he wore.

She gasped as a serpentine tail rose from behind him to curl over his shoulder like it was looking at her. The look on his face was pure vengeance as he stepped towards her. She wanted to run, but her body wasn't listening to her brain.

"Dammit! I'm not gonna make it in time!" Mammon hissed as he tried to navigate between his brothers that just stood there watching.

Kimberly involuntarily shut her eyes and held her breath as Leviathan reached for her.

"That's enough."

The entire room was silent except for a gasp or two as Lucifer stood suddenly before them, his black wings extended on either side, his arms crossed in front of his chest.

Kim just gaped at the sight of Lucifer. As if he wasn't impressive before… she found herself closing her eyes again, and trying to keep her heart from jumping out of her chest.

"You were going to settle this via a quiz, weren't you? Violence aimed at our guest is not only rude, but unacceptable, Leviathan," Lucifer spoke as he stepped into the space in between his brother and his prey.

"L-Lucifer…" Levi shrank back, scared, his tail slinking back behind him in the face of his more powerful brother.

"Unbelievable," Asmo said, his voice full of charisma. "Just as Leviathan was about to strike, who should step in and stop him, but Lucifer himself!"

Satan looked to his eldest brother thoughtfully. "I haven't seen you leap to someone's rescue like that in a hundred years or so, Lucifer," he stated. "It's very surprising…"

Beel merely stared as he enjoyed a snack he found in one of his pockets.

Lucifer glared at his brothers who had done nothing, and sighed. "Levi, go back to your room and cool off." Leviathan didn't reply, just turned and slunk out of the council room without a noise.

Lucifer turned back to the group, seeing a dejected look on Mammon's face. "What is it Mammon?" he asked, wondering what was going on. "You look like you want to say something."

"...No, I don't wanna say nothin'," Mammon replied sullenly.

Kim's head was swimming, and she began feeling dizzy yet again, though she wasn't surprised. Her life had just flashed before her eyes. Maybe she was in shock, or maybe she had been hyperventilating- but either way, she started coughing, and this time, she couldn't seem to stop.

Mammon looked over, wondering if she was choking or something, since she wouldn't stop coughing. It sounded like she was choking, so he started moving to her, and was barely able to catch her as she fell over face first.

"Hey, what the hell is wrong with you?" he griped, though his brothers could hear the fear in his voice. He turned her over, shocked at seeing the blood on her face. "L-Lucifer!" he called, needing help.

"What is it?" Lucifer asked, as he and the rest of them stepped closer. He noticed the blood on her face- he could smell it- but when Mammon held up the human's hand, and her palm was covered in blood, he knew something was wrong.

A loud roar had everyone pausing, and Mammon glared at his brother. "Not helping Beel!" he shouted.

"I'm sorry, she smells so good, and I'm really hungry," Beel replied, backing away with a hand over his mouth.

Diavolo moved to kneel next to her, and Lucifer swiftly took charge of the situation. He collected his brothers, telling them to go and find Barbatos, and assured Mammon that Diavolo would take care of the human.

He herded them to the door and shut it behind them, then went back to the human and Diavolo.

"Do you know what it is?" he asked the prince.

"No," Diavolo answered. "But it isn't a curse. It's not magical in nature, so it is difficult to pinpoint. I could try to heal her, but without knowing the cause… I'm worried I may do more harm than good."

"It doesn't seem like a normal human illness," Lucifer stated, knowing the prince had already concluded that. "This could be an attack directed at you."

"Which isn't something she should pay for, if true," Diavolo replied, checking the woman's vitals. He wondered why she and Solomon had downplayed this earlier. "For now, she is unconscious, but we may not have much time."

"What will you do?" Lucifer asked, waiting for direction.

"I will take her back to the castle," Diavolo answered, lifting the small human in his arms. "Barbatos and I can determine the cause and heal it," he looked to his friend with concern. "But, until we know what happened, and why? We must be extra cautious."

"Understood," Lucifer said, nodding. "If I can be of any assistance…" he offered.

"Find out what you can from your brothers, and the others. Solomon seemed to have an idea of the problem earlier," Diavolo answered as he started off to the door, Lucifer beating him there to open it for him. "We will come to the House of Lamentation once we have finished."

"I will take care of things here, and then meet you there," Lucifer replied, getting a grateful look from the prince.

"Thank you, Lucifer," Diavolo said, and swept out of the room.

Lucifer took another moment, seeing that his brothers were watching the Demon Lord leaving with the human in his arms. He could tell by their faces that they were remembering things best left forgotten, but how could he tell them so, when he was feeling the same?

"We need to get back to the House of Lamentation," Lucifer announced, his tone brokering no argument. "Diavolo will come soon, and expect us to have some answers." He looked over to Asmodeus.

"Asmo, get Solomon and the angels to come too," he announced, almost wanting to crack a smile at the look of disgust on Mammon's face. "We need to question them," he added, before giving an order. "Move!"

"I hope I get to ask some of the questions," Asmo murmured with a wink to Satan, as they went through the school.

"I believe we all are wanting answers," Satan replied, looking back at his older brother skeptically. "And I have a feeling that you'll be disappointed."

"Diavolo said that you had an idea of what was ailing Kimberly?" Lucifer stared down at Solomon who was sitting in front of him.

"Am I on trial then?" Solomon asked, but seeing that Lucifer wasn't the only demon scowling at him, he paused. "What's going on?" he asked.

"The human passed out," Lucifer snapped, glaring at his brothers to ensure they didn't share anything else. "And since we can't ask her, we need to figure out a proper diagnosis." Lucifer leaned down a little, making eye contact with the sorcerer. "Diavolo seemed confident that you knew what was ailing her."

Solomon slumped in his chair slightly, giving a pout. "I thought I did, but she said I was wrong," he admitted.

"In that case we will need to hear the evidence, er, symptoms that you witnessed, so that we can discover the truth," Satan said as he sat up, now more invested in the conversation.

Lucifer stood up straight, and moved away, content to let Satan ask the questions now. He decided to make a list for when Diavolo came.

He listened as Solomon and the angels gave their observations of the human's behavior changes over the past week, and their conclusions as to what may have been the cause. He rolled his eyes as the chihuahua declared that being among demons would be detrimental to any human.

Though he would never admit it, he found himself grateful when Satan decided to show them out, thanking them for their help. His gratitude vanished as his angry little brother came back and demanded to know what he wasn't telling them.

"I'm sure I don't know what you mean," Lucifer replied mildly. He knew his brother was always trying to anger him, and staying calm was a surefire way to come out the victor in these squabbles.

"Why did Lord Diavolo want us to question them?" Asmo asked, seeming bored. "Why not just heal the human and be done with it?"

There was silence then, and Satan easily picked up on what he wasn't saying. "He doesn't know what's wrong, does he?" Satan asked. "So he can't heal her."

"It is merely precautionary," Lucifer snapped back at him. "He CAN heal her and he will. However he wants to know the cause."

"Isn't it just some human illness?" Mammon questioned. "I mean, she probably did it to herself, since she's such a dummy."

"You heard Solomon," Levi said with a withering look to his brother, still not happy about the events earlier in the day. "How does a human give themselves stomach pains? Sounds like you're the dummy here."

Mammon glared at Levi, not in the mood for name calling. "Oh yeah?" he jeered. "How about how since she hasn't eaten in days?! That would probably do it!"

"What are you going on about?" Asmo rolled his eyes. "We've all seen her at meals."

"With Beel cleaning her plate, sure!" Mammon declared, aggravated.

"It's not my fault, she kept pushing her plate over to me," Beel responded, though he felt bad. He didn't know she wasn't eating. "Besides, we had all that food when we were watching TSL."

"She had like a handful of popcorn, and that's it," Mammon said as he got up to pace.

"What, are you watching her?" Satan asked with a frown.

"It's my job, isn't it?!" Mammon said, trying to fight the heat to his face as he blushed. "I'm supposed to watch her!"

"It sounds more like you enjoy watching her," Asmo added with a leer. "Not that I'd blame you for having some fun, but this is sounding serious…"

"No it ain't!" Mammon argued.

"What else?" Lucifer asked suddenly, and they all turned to him. "I can figure this out before Diavolo gets here, so you all must tell me what you have noticed," he commanded.

"Well… uh…" Levi stammered, uneasy whenever Lucifer got angry. "She was online every night playing," he offered.

"So, not sleeping," Satan mused, determined to solve the puzzle before Lucifer.

"Definitely not eating," Beel murmured, still feeling bad. "She shared her food with me at RAD too, and didn't say anything about being hungry."

"Solomon said she was dizzy, and having headaches," Asmo contributed, still unsure as to why his brothers even cared. Well, except for Mammon… pretty sure I know what he's hoping to get out of her…

"Then the stomach cramps…" Levi added.

"And then today, she's coughing up blood!" Mammon pounded on the coffee table to prove his point. "and NOW she's out COLD!"

"Poison," Lucifer and Satan said at the same time, and then glared at each other.

"Wait, what?" Asmo said, as he sat up from where he had been lounging. "Someone poisoned the human? Are you sure?" He looked around the room, noting that Levi and Beel looked as confused as he felt. "Why would anyone bother with poison when it would be a simple matter to kill her in any number of ways? That makes no sense."

Satan watched his older brother, seeing as Lucifer was putting things together. It was obvious to him that Lucifer was holding back information… which was just so him. But, like always, he had no qualms about calling him out on it.

"Yes, Lucifer," Satan stressed, as he spoke with a thin smile. "Why in the Devildom would anyone want to poison the human?"

Lucifer's eyebrow came up, and Satan bristled. "I should think it apparent," he answered calmly, though they could all see his eyes glowing with malice. "It isn't about the human at all."

"No, it isn't," Diavolo agreed, as he stepped into the room. He looked around at the brothers, and gave them each a nod. "Kimberly will be fine, but she needs some rest, and some time to get the poison out of her system."

"So it was poison," Levi said in a hushed voice.

"Yes, it was Dragging Agony," Diavolo replied. "The name leaves much to be desired," he smiled tightly, "but is apt. It is so drawn out, that it is almost impossible to know when she would have been given it. Though at least in this instance, we have a smaller timeline because of how recently she arrived."

"So it wasn't too far along then?" Lucifer asked. "The symptoms seemed fairly severe."

Diavolo nodded. "Barbatos feels she was dosed with a large amount, perhaps in her food or something," he said, then gave a sigh. "I am sorry that I don't have more to tell you at this point. I should be able to return her here once she wakes, but we'd like to keep her in the castle until she is well enough to return to RAD.

"The timing works at least," Lucifer replied, eyeing his brothers, not wanting to give away too much. "With the break day tomorrow, no one will know that she is incapacitated."

"Wait just a second," Mammon said, as he stood up. "Are you tellin' me that someone at RAD did this?" he demanded.

"Obviously," Satan replied, rolling his eyes. "Where else has she been besides here?" he asked, then turned back to give Diavolo an appraising look. "Was this an attempt to destroy the exchange program?" he asked.

Diavolo sighed again, and Lucifer moved to his side. "You don't need to answer that," he told the prince.

"No, Lucifer, I think they should know," Diavolo replied wearily. Lucifer backed up a step, looking into his face.

"Are you certain?" he asked.

Diavolo nodded. "I trust you all to be discreet about this," he told the room. "Lucifer will fill you in." He looked over to Lucifer and gave him a nod.

"If that's what you want, I will see it done," Lucifer told him.

"Thank you Lucifer," Diavolo said with a small smile. "I believe your brothers will be just what we need to overcome this hurdle." He turned back to the others. "I must get back to the castle. Lucifer will tell you all we know about this."

With those words, Diavolo turned and left. The brothers silently watched him go, even hearing the door close before turning to Lucifer in question.

Lucifer stood there stoically, knowing that this wouldn't go well. He had kept it all from his brothers for a reason- to save them the pain- but now, he needed to open those wounds. He wasn't looking forward to it.

The room stayed that way for some time, everyone in silence before Mammon had finally had enough.

"What is it?" he griped. "I mean, do we even WANT to know?"

"I doubt it," Lucifer replied. "But Diavolo is right… you should know what we are up against."

"What we are up against?" Asmo asked. "What does that mean?"

Lucifer sighed, and took a seat in a high wing-backed chair. He crossed his right leg over his left, and steepled his fingers together.

"There has always been some opposition to the exchange program, even in the beginning, as you all know," he said, wishing he didn't need bring up their absent brother. "The problem is… we haven't been able to completely eradicate the opposition, and Diavolo is still intent on convincing them of its merits."

"He won't simply crush them?" Satan asked, frowning.

"No," Lucifer answered. "One, because we don't know who they all are, and two, because he believes that when the program yields results, they will see the error in their mindset, and eventually join with us again."

"While that sounds lovely, I doubt it would be that simple," Asmo commented.

"We have been preparing for an attack," Lucifer continued, "though we did not expect them to wait so long." He looked up then, looking into his brother's faces.

"Diavolo has received threats- anonymous of course. Not much to go on, just that he would pay… that all of us would pay."

"All of us?" Levi asked. "Why us?"

"Because we voted in favor," Satan deduced, and Lucifer nodded.

"This doesn't have anything to do with the human in the slightest," Satan continued. "Whoever poisoned her, wants US to fall."

"We were given the task of protecting her," Lucifer said wearily. "And if she were to die here… how could the exchange program continue… if the strongest demons couldn't even keep one human safe?"

"Let me get this straight…" Mammon said, as he finally looked up from staring at the ground. "Some piece of trash decided that they're going to hurt a human that THE Mammon has under his protection?! And they think that that will work?!"

"Not just you," Beel said, getting riled up. "If they hurt that human, they'll use it to try to take us all down, and the program itself." I just want Belphie to finish and come home, but not to another war…

"Pretty pathetic," Asmo agreed, his eyes twinkling as his power raged, and his brothers looked away from him so they wouldn't be caught up in his charm. "We're part of the council for a reason… or did they forget?"

"You know they are always trying for our positions," Satan said ferociously, even as he smiled. "Whoever they are, they will regret this."

"I can summon Lotan once we know where they are," Levi offered.

"We must go about this stealthily," Lucifer cautioned. "If Kimberly knew, I doubt she would have agreed to come, and most humans would be the same."

He could see them all deflating a little, and was glad. Perhaps he didn't need to tell them the worst of it after all… it seemed this was enough. Yet… Diavolo said to tell them…

"So we don't tell her," Satan said with a shrug. "We just reiterate how dangerous demons are."

"Agreed," Lucifer said, letting go of the rest. They didn't need to know how the dissenters were using their youngest brother as a symbol, nor how they claimed to be doing his bidding. After all, they all thought he was in the human world, and it would only cause more questions- questions that he wouldn't answer.