PART 4: A TALE OF TWO BIRTHDAYS

"Lucifer, open up please." When he didn't answer, Simeon knocked quietly again. "I can hear your music, I know you're in there," he teased. Still, no response came from his room. He looked quickly at Asuna, and knocked a third time. "There's a birthday present out here for you that you don't want to miss out on!" Simeon pleaded. Asuna's ears perked up when she heard the small sigh from the other side of the door.

"Enter," Lucifer responded, sounding annoyed.

Simeon opened the door and beckoned for her to go first. A small click made her look back; the space where Simeon should have been was unoccupied, the bedroom door was shut behind her, and a small chuckle could be heard disappearing down the hallway. A chill ran down her spine as she turned nervously to face Lucifer who was sitting in a chair at his desk, a wide-eyed, angry stare and a small frown painted his face. She could feel beads of sweat forming on the hands that were holding his present behind her back.

"Asuna, what can I do for you?" he asked. He didn't seem upset or angry, despite his expression, but she sensed some annoyance. Too afraid to talk, she pulled the gift out and handed it to him, trying to keep a smile on her face. She prayed that he didn't notice her unease, trying her best to look at anything but his face.

Lucifer's expression didn't change as he undid the bow, ran his fingers along the seam, and pulled the paper off as delicately as possible. Asuna stared at his hands, her eyebrows raised in anticipation. Suddenly she felt like this whole thing was a bad idea. He clearly wasn't happy to have been interrupted. Why hadn't she just given him the gift next time she saw him?

The red gem glimmered as he held the necklace up to his face, Asuna's lungs refusing to breathe. A tiny, "Thank you, this is very lovely," escaped Lucifer's lips, a small, sly smile forming in the corner of his mouth.

"I-it reminded me o-of your eyes," she stuttered. Her smile had faded and Lucifer could sense tension behind her eyes. Those same eyes he had been scared to see. Because he knew they'd want an explanation. The same eyes he saw on Beel around food he couldn't eat, on Mammon around treasure he couldn't have, and on himself wherever he thought about her.

"I can't do it, Lord Diavolo. I can't ask her to give up her life to be with me," Lucifer had dismissed his query this afternoon. He had known that Diavolo would be asking about her after what had happened at the dance. But he still wasn't prepared to answer the questions he refused to even acknowledge in his own mind.

"Then why let her come back to the Devildom? Why dance with her?" Diavolo asked angrily.

"It was just a dance between friends," Lucifer replied simply.

"We all know that isn't true," Barbatos shook his head, disappointment written all over his face.

"I don't have time for this," Lucifer dismissed, turning around to face his desk, hiding the now annoyed expression flashing on his face. He wasn't annoyed with them. He was annoyed with himself for creating this mess in the first place.

Diavolo looked at his friend's slumped head. "You need to stop punishing yourself. Can't you tell that she wants to be with you as much as you want her?" he pleaded. When Lucifer didn't respond, Diavolo strode up to stand beside him. "You're not going to hurt her, despite what you think," he said sternly.

Lucifer turned slowly to face his friend, looking him right in the eye, the uncaring facade he'd worn completely disappearing in favour of a cold stare. "You and I both know that if I get even one small taste I won't be able to let her go." He turned back to his desk, unwilling to budge. "I'm not going to join them in the human world today. Just tell Satan I'm busy with work." There had been an icy finality to his voice that made Diavolo shake his head. With a sigh from Barbatos, they had left him in his room to wallow in his self pity.

"I-I'm glad you like it," came Asuna's shy reply. The colour that had drained from her face was slowly being replaced with bright red specks in her cheek bones. When she could stand the stretching, heavy silence between them no longer, she squeezed her eyes tight, expecting the worst, and blurted out, "Why did you leave?"

The half smirk on his face remained. "I had to say goodbye to the guests. Then I realized I'd forgotten to feed Cerberus. I knew Diavolo would understand," he lied smoothly.

"So that's all it was?" she confirmed, her expression softening, her breathing easier. But the pain in Lucifer's chest expanded, guilt threatening to engulf him.

"Thank you for the birthday present." There was a dismissiveness to his voice that Asuna took as her cue to leave. He turned his chair back towards his desk and away from the girl he wanted more than anything in the three worlds as she put her hand on the doorknob.

"Are you an idiot?" Satan's exasperated voice sounded from the hallway.

"I was under the impression that this was a private conversation," Lucifer shook his head, frowning angrily as Satan burst through the door followed by the rest of his brothers and Simeon.

"I noticed you weren't at breakfast this morning," Simeon interjected, crossing his arms and staring Lucifer down.

"I was busy with work. I'm still busy. Everyone leave," Lucifer commanded, looking at everyone but Asuna.

"We knew you would try to pull something like this," Levi said, anger bubbling in his throat.

"Would ya quit lyin'? How could you do that to Asuna?" Mammon retorted sharply.

"You two would make such a cute couple," Asmo pouted.

"I said…" Lucifer tried to cut in.

"And you couldn't even join us at the beach today. How ashamed are you? Is your pride so wounded that you can't even face us?" Satan asked, daggers shooting from his stare.

The room went silent, Lucifer's eyes narrowing in hatred, making Asuna feel as if he'd pierced her heart with ice, despite not looking at her. The tension in the air was thick enough to cut with a knife, and the longer the silence drew on, the more nervous she got. She stared at him, begging him to explain what all was happening, what she had done to upset him so much.

"I believe I asked you all to leave," Lucifer repeated impatiently, whirring around to hide his face from the crowd.

"A-Asuna!" Beel's shocked yelp made Lucifer freeze in his tracks. He could hear a whimper, followed by the heavy footsteps of someone running down the hallway. Without even looking he knew that she had left.

"I was hoping it wouldn't come to this," an exasperated voice sounded from behind the crowd. Diavolo and Barbatos entered the room. Barbatos wore an expression of judgemental criticism, but Diavolo looked as angry as anyone had ever seen him. "You know what you have to do. Or else I'll send her the recording."

"What recording?" Lucifer asked, spinning back around, his angry eyes growing wide.

Barbatos' white gloved hand reached into his front pocket and pulled out his D.D.D. "The young master asked me to record this afternoon's conversation."

"Either you tell her, or I will," came Diavolo's low growl.

Lucifer let out a long sigh, rubbing his temples. "Fine," he mumbled angrily. He knew when he'd been backed into a corner.

"She's in the garden," Simeon said kindly. "Belphie just messaged me."

The clear night, the calm waters, the beautiful devil roses all mocked her. It was a perfect evening, ruined by the petty squabble. And now, Asuna felt she may never know the truth. She should have known that he'd try to lie to get himself out of this situation since he wasn't one to spill his feelings. But she had been so close she could taste it, only to have it ripped away from her again. She watched as a shooting star streaked across the night sky, it's reflection in the water making her yearn to return home and just forget about everything in the Devildom.

"Mind if I have a seat?"

"Sure, Belphie," she responded simply.

"He's such an arrogant pinhead sometimes," Belphie sighed. "But he's not a bad person."

"So you're saying I should forgive him?" Asuna's hollow words floated quietly on the night air.

"No, I'm not. That's up to you. I'm honestly not surprised by his reaction either. He treats us all like that, thinking he's shielding us from something he feels only he can withstand. He cares for you, Asuna, which is why he's pushing you away."

Asuna squeezed her eyes closed, nodding her head quickly as hot tears began to flow down her face. Belphie put his arm around her shoulder, rubbing it affectionately, the way a parent comforts a crying child.

"All I'm saying is, don't take it personally. But if you decide you never want to see him again, I'm sure my brothers and I could arrange that."

"Th-thank you," she choked out, wiping her tears on her sleeve. They sat in silence for a while, the tears stopping and being replaced with a loneliness she hadn't felt since she left the Devildom the first time.

"If you need to talk, my door is always open," Belphie said, walking through the garden with her. Once again she found herself wishing the brother standing beside her was Lucifer, despite everything that had just happened, the sensation forcing her to stare at her feet in order to move forward.

"You're late." Belphie stopped walking.

Asuna froze as a smooth, low voice responded with, "I know." Lucifer let out a low sigh. "Belphegor, some privacy, please?"

"Yeah, yeah, I was just leaving." He flashed a comforting smile at Asuna before he disappeared through the doorway into the House of Lamentation, leaving her in the garden alone with Lucifer.

She refused to look at him, involuntarily taking a small step backwards. "Asuna," he started, reaching out for her. She managed to stave off the urge to run long enough to glance angrily at his gesture before staring at the water.

"I'm sorry," Lucifer sighed, his expression drooping. "The truth is, I left the dance because I was jealous," he mumbled, slowly walking towards her. He gulped nervously when he saw her pained expression. He had to make that disappear. He had to make her understand. "I saw how much fun you were having with Simeon and it drove me crazy. I thought maybe a dance with you would be enough to calm me down, but it turns out it made it worse," he concluded pathetically.

"I didn't want to go with Simeon," she admitted timidly. "I wanted to go with you."

"You… what?" came Lucifer's stunned reply. "I should have known. When you asked me if I was going to be there. I guess I just didn't want to believe it," he blushed.

"I have something to confess, too," she said, grabbing her elbow nervously. "I was only there with Simeon to make you jealous. It was a plan Lord Diavolo put together." Asuna felt a pit open in her stomach and swallow all the hope she'd had. Her eyes were brimmed with guilt as they continued to stare at the reflections on the water.

Lucifer was silent for a moment. "That devious bastard," he chuckled. "It definitely worked."

"Barbatos mentioned that we did it for you…" she trailed off. The grip on her elbow tightening.

Lucifer reached out and gently caressed her cheek. Her body froze in shock for a moment, until she closed her eyes and leaned into his touch. "He's right. Because the truth is, I want you. I want you so much that it hurts when you aren't by my side every second of every day."

Asuna turned to look at him, a forgiving smile full of hope and anticipation on her face. He dropped his hand, the longing ache in his chest being dwarfed by trepidation. "But, one of these days you're going to return to the human world. I want to ask you to stay forever, but I can't ask you to give up your life like that for me." Lucifer's desperate plea was unmistakable. He needed her to understand, from those few words, how much it would hurt to have her ripped away from him, just like the first time she'd left the Devildom.

"I'm not giving up my life for you, I want to share it with you," she replied affectionately. She watched as he rubbed the back of his neck, his lips parting for a sigh as he went to argue.

"I don't know what will happen when that day comes," she cut him off. A renewed sense of purpose was blossoming where the pit had been. She tried her hardest to display all her determination, in her words, on her face, and in the eye contact she refused to break. "But it seems stupid for us to give up before we even try. We have plenty of time to plan for that day, but for now," she said, grabbing his hand gently, "I want to spend my time in the Devildom with you, Lucifer."

He was still unsure, even with that warm, inviting smile on her face, her comforting words, and her delicate touch. But when he looked deep in her eyes, and found no doubt in her conviction, he could feel his own doubt slowly disappearing. Who was he to decide for her? And if there was one thing he wanted in this world more than to have her, it was to make her happy.

"Anything for you, my flower," he said adoringly. Before she even had time to react, he pulled her towards him and gave her a kiss filled with burning passion, aching longing, and his signature bold pride. He could feel Asuna's arms wrap tightly around his neck and in that moment he knew he'd made the right decision.

A familiar giggle sounded from behind them. Asuna immediately dropped her arms in embarrassment but Lucifer refused to let go of her. "Asmodeus, get lost," he barked.

"No," came Mammon's stern voice. "We still have to give you your birthday present," he said, gesturing for them to follow. He and Asmo led them back to Lucifer's room. A stylish black suit and a cute red summer dress were draped on the back of the door.

"Here, put these on. We found them in the tourist shops today. Good thing I know your size, Lucifer," Asmo sang. Lucifer and Asuna looked side-eye at each other, smiling sheepishly. He kissed her hand and disappeared into his bathroom to get changed while Asmo helped Asuna get into her dress.

"Wow, you look incredible," Mammon whistled, staring at Asuna.

"Yes she does. And now, she's all mine." Lucifer shot her a smirk that sent a tingle down her spine. Excitement. Anticipation. Comfort. All of these were reflected in her smile. "Here," he said, grabbing the necklace off his bed and giving it to her. She took it from his hand as he turned around, her nervous hands shaking as she did up the latch. "It's perfect," he grinned.

Lucifer held on tightly to Asuna's hand, neither of them saying a word as Mammon and Asmo led them through the streets of the Devildom. They stopped in front of a pristine looking white building with a red roof. A place that served only the wealthiest of clientele. Ristorante Six.

"Satan set everything up. All the food and drinks are on us tonight," Mammon commented happily as he led them to a private booth decorated with candlelight and a dazzling red sign that read, "Happy Birthday Lucifer" in elegant purple letters.

"I had Beel paint the sign for you. What do you think?" Asmo asked.

"I'll have to make sure I thank him later," Lucifer chuckled, taking a seat. He refused to let go of Asuna's hand as she went to take a seat across from him. He shook his head, patting the empty seat beside him and flashing her a comforting smile. She beamed, feeling high as a kite and nervous as a deer in headlights.

"Good evening, my name is Leviathan and I'll be your server for this evening," Levi said competently, handing them two menus. He was dressed in a waiter's uniform and looked very pristine. "Can I get you some drinks to start?"

"Levi, what are you doing?" Lucifer asked suspiciously.

"I'm working as a butler, just like Subanu in "Re: That Time I Got Transport to Another World and Was Forced to Die a Million Deaths in Order to Make Everything Work Out in My Favour"," Levi commented timidly.

Lucifer smiled kindly, surprising Levi. For once, he didn't care about his brothers being silly, he only cared about the girl sitting next to him. "Give us some Black Death champagne," he said.

"Very good," Levi nodded, leaving the table.

"What's good here?" Asuna asked, never having eaten at such a fancy restaurant before.

"I know of a few things you'd probably like," Lucifer commented, opening his menu.

She turned to look at him, his mind lost in those chocolate brown eyes. "Would you mind ordering for me?" she asked excitedly.

"Anything for you, beautiful," he chuckled.

"Here you go," Levi commented, returning to their table and pouring the champagne. "Are the master and mistress ready to order?" Asuna giggled at Levi's composure, embarrassed at being called mistress.

"I'll have the Hellfire Seared Steak and the lovely Asuna will have the Devil's Choice Platter. Some Spicy Crab Cakes to start, please."

"Very good, sir, those will be right out for you," he said, bowing as he left the table again.

"Make sure you take it slow, that champagne has been known to kill a man," Lucifer warned as she grabbed her glass, taking a small sip. The only way she could describe the taste was dangerous, yet exciting.

"It's delicious," she beamed.

"So, did you have fun with my brothers today? I hope they weren't too irritating."

"It was lots of fun, but," she stammered.

"But? Were they causing trouble for you?"

"N-no, they were good. I just found myself wishing you were there," she finished shyly.

"Next time, no matter what, I promise to be there," he said.

"I guess if you had been there, I wouldn't have been able to give you that as a surprise birthday gift," she giggled, staring at the necklace, her gaze slowly moving to his eyes.

"When's your birthday? Perhaps we could take a trip to the human world then? Just the two of us," Lucifer suggested.

She looked down at the table in embarrassment. "June 5th," she commented sheepishly.

"As in… yesterday?" He looked taken aback. "I'm so sorry I missed it. Too caught up with Diavolo's party," he said, slightly flustered.

"It's okay, I don't celebrate my birthday very often," she admitted. With all the excitement going on, she had mostly forgotten about it.

Lucifer stared at the sign beside him, an idea forming in his head. He whipped out his D.D.D., carefully hiding the screen from Asuna as he messaged Beel. "Come to Ristorante Six and bring some gold paint and a brush. Wait at the entrance until I tell you it's safe."

"I'll be right there," Beel's reply came in less than five seconds. A quick, "Here," came in less than two minutes.

"I need you to get Asuna away from the table for a few minutes," he messaged Asmo.

"You got it," Asmo messaged back.

"What are you doing?" Asuna looked at him suspiciously.

"Just work stuff, but it's all taken care of," he lied.

"Asuna, I need your help with something!" Asmo came over, sounding desperate. "Come with me!" Without waiting for a response, he grabbed her arm and swept her away.

"What is it?" she asked him, bewildered.

"I forgot to get you to sign Lucifer's birthday card," he giggled. "It's in the kitchen."

She picked up the pen and signed her name. "Come on Asuna-chan, you should write him a message. Say something like, "I want you to think of me in your wildest daydreams," or "I can hardly wait for your next birthday," something sexy like that."

"O-okay," she said, reading the other messages written there.

"Enjoy a little indulgence on us -Mammon."

"Happy level-up day -Levi."

"Hope you have the day you deserve -Satan."

"Stay beautiful -Asmo."

"Thanks for being a great brother -Beel."

"May all your dreams come true -Belphie."

"Have fun! -Simeon."

"Hope you enjoy my cupcakes -Luke."

"Happy birthday to one of my favorite people in the history of ever -Solomon."

"Enjoy yourself! -Diavolo."

"Well wishes for you on this lovely day -Barbatos."

Finally, she knew what she wanted to write. "No peeking," she teased Asmo. He theatrically covered his eyes as she wrote her message, then quickly sealed the card in the envelope. Hoping he had given Lucifer enough time, Asmo led Asuna back to the table.

The sign that had once said "Happy Birthday Lucifer," now had pristine gold words "And Asuna" painted under it, a little crown sitting atop the first A in her name. Beel stood beside the table, looking expectantly at Lucifer.

"You didn't have to do that for me," she blushed.

"I wanted to," Beel said assuredly. Lucifer's sly grin and Beel's beaming smile made her heart want to burst.

"It looks amazing," she assured him, taking her seat again.

"Spicy Crab Cakes for the happy couple," Belphie announced, walking to their table in a bright white chef's uniform. He stopped before setting them down, staring at the sign. "It's your birthday today too?"

"Hers was yesterday," Lucifer fielded smoothly. Asuna blushed. She didn't need everyone knowing. "You two know what to do," Lucifer looked expectantly at Belphie, who nodded slyly, and at Beel, who was eyeing their appetizer and drooling.

"You don't have to do anything for me. That amazing dance yesterday was more than enough," she dismissed embarrassingly.

"What if I want to do something? Hmm?"

"Ju-just keep it small," she stammered.

"I shall," he responded, stroking her long, auburn hair as they enjoyed their appetizer.

The night wore on, the restaurant buzzing around them with the busy supper crowd, but Lucifer had eyes only for Asuna, everything else around them was just window dressing. Even when they talked about the embarrassing adventures they'd had together, he found he didn't mind the slight wound to his pride that these memories often brought. He found himself mindlessly playing with the necklace, vowing to wear it every single day to remind himself of one truth: she had chosen him.

She giggled. "You should thank Simeon. He's the one who actually bought it." He looked at her with one eyebrow raised, a small smile on his face.

"That sly fox, he set this whole thing up, didn't he?" Lucifer sighed. Then he leaned in right next to her ear and whispered, "remind me to thank him later."

She giggled affectionately. "You're cute, Luci."

"It's not often that someone uses the word cute to describe me," he frowned. "Don't get me wrong, though. I'm not saying I don't like it." His face flushed, a rosy glow now appearing in his cheeks. "Compared to being told I'm not cute, I'd rather be told that I am."

Asuna blushed, feeling that spark of hope in her chest glowing brighter every second. She wanted nothing more in this moment than what she was experiencing right now. She wanted to always be by his side, whether it was for dates like this or when he was just being himself, playing music, studying, sleeping, anything.

"Before you depart, we have a surprise for you," Levi announced as he came to take their now empty supper plates away. "Wait here one moment."

"Uh oh, I don't like the sound of that," Lucifer mumbled, shaking his head as Levi walked away.

"No way…" Asuna said excitedly.

"They didn't…" Lucifer shook his head.

"Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you," the brothers all sang, coming out of the kitchen, accompanied by Diavolo, Barbatos, Solomon, Luke and Simeon. Simeon was carrying two delicious looking red velvet cupcakes with "Lucifer" written on one and "Asuna" on the other, a sly smile on his face. "Happy birthday dear Asuna and Lucifer, happy birthday to you," they concluded, setting them down on the table and lighting the candle on each cupcake. All their faces were beaming.

"Make a wish!" Diavolo laughed.

"No need," Lucifer said smoothly. Asuna playfully nudged him as she blew out her candle, wishing for nothing more than what she already had.

"We got you a card, too," Asmo said excitedly, handing it to him. Lucifer carefully opened the envelope and took a few minutes to read all the messages. And right there, at the bottom of the card, in the cutest handwriting, was all that needed to be said in five simple words: "Thank you. For everything. -Asuna."

"Happy birthday, Luci," Asuna smiled, her mouth full of cupcake.

"Happy birthday, Asuna," he chuckled, taking a bite of his own. He studied her cheerful face, that inviting smile of hers all he needed to be completely content with his life.

"I love you." He blushed, as surprised as anyone that those words had slipped out of his mouth. She turned her head to look at him and he felt himself grab her gently by the chin.

"I love you too," she beamed. He leaned down to kiss her soft, ruby lips, ignoring his brother's hoots and hollers. He knew he meant what he'd said. Because even though he was a fallen angel, she made him feel like the morning star he once was.

~THE END~