Back when he was still alive and kicking, Mikazuki recalled a phrase that went: lightning never strikes the same place twice.
As uneducated as he was, Mika knew what that saying meant. Things, be they good or bad, would probably not happen twice in a row, especially in a short amount of time, and he had enough firsthand experience to know that much.
So that begged the question… why did lightning strike him four times in a row after he came face to face with that demon dressed in red…?
He had bumped into that spiffy looking fellow on three separate occasions after their first run in. Things couldn't get much more coincidental than that, and Mika ended up noticing how that demon seemed to have a knack for showing up whenever he was sent off to kill someone.
Every time Mika was done getting his hands dirty, that demon in red would always be present with that toothy smile on his face, a smile that was so malicious in appearance that even Mika would shiver at the mere sight of it. He didn't think much on it the first two times, though on the third, he made an attempt to confront the red demon, though before he could get close to him, the guy had quite literally disappeared, much to his surprise.
After the fourth time, the whole ordeal became rather unnerving, to say the least, and by then, Mika had opted to speak with Barbatos about this demon in red the moment he got back to his palace.
Though of course, his luck refused to let things be that simple as, by the time Mikazuki had gotten back to Barbatos' palace after his fourth encounter with that smiling demon, he found himself ready to collapse from exhaustion.
His most recently assassination/murder victim was someone who was associated with Leraje, a Marquise of Hell, for allegedly trash talking Sitri. Mika didn't bother asking Barbatos for anything more specific than that, as, by now, he knew that he'd get nothing out of the Duke when it came to Sitri. Besides, a target was a target, and the devil that worked for Leraje was just another wanker to add onto his list.
However, the pilot had severely underestimated just how fast his target could run, and that was more or less the reason as to why he was on the verge of collapsing right now. The guy had led him on a goose chase around the entirety of Pentagram City, and it took him the better part of ten hours to finally lock him down.
And as usual, that demon dressed in red was present in some way to watch him depart, his smile still present all the while.
When he saw him, Mikazuki, despite his exhaustion, still felt a shudder up his spine as he exhaled and got ready to leave. He resolved to bring the issue up with Barbatos now, with him finding the whole ordeal incredibly distracting at this point, as he headed back to the Duke's palace. Once there, he shut the palace doors and got ready to head towards the demon's office to file his report and to speak about that demon in red…
… only to be very quickly stopped in his tracks, however, when he heard some knocking on the door to Barbatos' palace, prompting him to turn towards it with a raised brow.
Rather blurrily, Mika stared at it for a brief moment, with him wondering if his fatigue was causing him to hear things. After a short while, he assumed as such and turned to walk off once more… only for several more knocks to be heard. Said knocks were much louder and more aggressive, and at that point, Mika realized that he wasn't just imagining things as he sighed and began approaching the door.
Thanks to his fatigue, Augus found himself ignoring most of his usual instincts as he nonchalantly extended his regular arm out towards the doorknob. He also found himself ignoring the static noise as he gingerly opened the door…
… and he quickly found himself staring up at the vaguely familiar smiling face of the demon dressed in red.
This was the first time Mika had seen him up close and personal, and dear Tekkadan, was he tall. At a distance, the demon in red always seemed to stand at Akihiro's height, though when he was all up in his grill, Mika realized that he stood close to two metres in height. His grey skin was a cause for concern, as was his genuinely massive and unnerving smile, though said smile was something that Mika had unfortunately gotten used to by then.
For a brief moment, Mika simply stared at the demon in red, seeming just a bit unsure on if he was just seeing things or if the guy was really there. In an effort to find out, Augus pinched the bridge of his nose with his regular hand, dispelling some of his sleepiness in the process, before turning his attention back to the demon before him. His shoulders noticeably slackened when he realized that he wasn't hallucinating, and as if on cue, the demon in red held a finger up in the air.
"Why hello there, little Hatchet Man!" greeted the demon with a voice that sounded rather akin to the people that spoke on the radio shows that Barbatos enjoyed listening to on occasion, with his smile still present as he twirled his microphone cane around in his other hand. Without missing a beat, he offered Mika a hand to shake, and the demon seemed just a little disappointed that he didn't accept as he simply stared at him with a confused and mildly irritated expression. "Alastor, a pleasure to be meeting you once more and-"
"You're that demon that I've been seeing for a while," cut off Augus, frowning deeply as he eyed the much taller demon, Alastor, as he had called himself. In response to that, Alastor gave a rather melodious laugh, one that should've sounded rather melodic… but as things were now, it did nothing but put Augus on edge as he slid his regular hand into his jacket. His fingers wrapped themselves tightly around the handle of his pistol as he watched for any potential signs of hostility from this Strawberry Pimp, and upon noticing his defensive nature, Alastor's smile widened as he held a hand up to his chest and leaned his head back dramatically.
"Ah, you remember me! Flattering, my little Hatchetman!" proclaimed Alastor as he straightened his back and took a step forward, only to be stopped by Mika, who pulled his pistol out just enough for it to be seen by Alastor. The demon in red definitely saw it, as evident by him raising a brow as a noticeable static noise could be heard. The static was very clearly a threat to Mika, one that served to warn him that he was punching above his paygrade with that threat display of his.
Unfortunately, Mikazuki chose not to acknowledge it due to a mixture of pride and exhaustion, and upon acknowledging this, Alastor chuckled briefly at his apparent bravery, something that caught Augus off guard as he continued to speak, with the static dying down all the while.
"Hm, is something wrong, my little Hatchet Man? Perhaps you do not wish for me to dirty the floors of the 8th Duke of Hell? My oh my, that man sure does love his places to be clean!" teased Alastor playfully as he leaned forwards and pinched Mika's cheek, surprising him with just how brazen he was before he swatted his hand away.
"We don't allow visitors in without Barbatos' permission,'' was all Mika said as he remained on the defensive. Meanwhile, Alastor tilted his head off to the side. While what Mika just said wasn't exactly true, he did remember Barbatos telling him that only other Goetial Demons or Overlords, such as Lucifer and/or Lilith, were allowed to waltz in willy nilly. This Alastor fellow appeared to be neither of the aforementioned ranked demons, and as such, he had no right to enter without the Duke's permission.
"Really now, such a shame, really!" quipt Alastor, with a mild laugh track in the background as he leaned forward to eye Mika in the eye, perhaps in an attempt to mock the shorter guy for his height. Mika didn't really care as he pulled his pistol out further, ready to whip Alastor over the head should he come any closer. Whether the Radio Demon noticed this or not, however, was up for debate, even if he did lean away from Mika as he continued speaking, prompting the pilot to loosen his grip on his pistol just a little. "I did wish to discuss some things with the Great Duke of Hell, though I suppose that can wait…"
And as if on cue, both Mika and Alastor heard the distinct sound of frantic footsteps, prompting Augus to turn his head back while Alastor peeked into Barbatos' palace with a somewhat smug look on his face. Shortly thereafter, Barbatos himself burst out of one of the doors leading to the main hall, causing it to explode outwards, seeming out of breath as he entered, though that didn't stop him from pointing a finger towards Alastor, whose smile visibly widened as he saw the Duke arrive.
"Well now isn't this just a coincidence!" quipt Alastor, with his smile morphing into a rather cheeky grin as he quite literally walked through Mikazuki, confusing the pilot greatly as the demon in red entered the main hall of Barbatos' palace. "Who knew that luck was on my side on this fine day! Or perhaps it is true that if you speak of the devil, he will appear!"
"Cut the crap with me, Alastor! You have ten seconds to tell me why the fuck you're here, or I'm sending you packing!" proclaimed Barbatos as he straightened himself out. On a typical Tuesday, the 8th Duke of Ars Goetia would be rather chipper, very laid back, so to speak. But the arrival of Alastor seemed to agitate him just enough to break his chill facade, as he wasted no time in giving off a massive surge of magical power to show Alastor that he wasn't messing around. Said surge of magical power was strong enough that even Mika, someone who usually didn't notice anything magic related, was able to feel it.
Alastor, on the other hand, didn't seem to notice or care about Barbatos' mild show of power, as he simply twirled his microphone cane around in his hand as he approached the fuming Duke. As soon as he was roughly five metres away from him, however, the ground in front of him began cracking, a mild warning from the Duke.
"You're not coming any closer, Radio Demon!" protested Barbatos as he clenched his fists. Alastor, as per usual, didn't seem amused by the Duke's mild display of power, though he did find it prudent to at least humor him as he shrugged and stopped approaching him, his smile not faltering in the slightest as he placed both hands atop his microphone cane and leaned against it lazily.
"Ah Hell, I'll play along and stay right here then," assured Alastor with a rather sly grin as Barbatos loosened up just a little, even if his glare remained hard. Off in the background, Mikazuki shut the main palace door before leaning against its frame to watch all this unfold. "But in exchange, my good Egg, you should at least hear me out!"
"... you have one minute, Alastor," groaned Barbatos, seemingly going passive as the Radio Demon smirked and adjusted his bow tie.
"Very well then, Barbatos. I shall keep this brief!" assured Alastor as he got up and spun his microphone can in his hand. And within a split second, he turned towards Mikazuki and pointed the tip of his microphone cane at him, prompting the Sinner to raise a brow while Barbatos appeared mildly confused. "I wish to hire your little Hatchet Man for a few weeks as a personal escort!"
"... come again?" was all Barbatos could spit out as both he and Mikazuki were left endlessly confused by his inquiry. Meanwhile, Alastor simply chuckled as he shook his head, rubbing his temple with his free hand in the process.
"Was I not clear, my dear Duke? My word, is this thing on?!" proclaimed Alastor sarcastically as he raised his microphone cane up to eye level and tapped it rather dramatically. "Testing, testing!"
At first, Augus thought that it was simply a sarcastic act, though he raised a brow when he heard the microphone reply with, "Well beats me, boss! I heard you loud and clear!"
"No… no, I heard you loud and clear as well, Alastor," assured Barbatos as he lowered his guard just a bit. The Radio Demon's rather… odd request had caused him to lose a small portion of his hostility towards the guy as he began speaking a little more rationally, though his distrust still showed as he continued speaking. "But… tell me, why do you wish to hire my personal assistant?"
His response was a rather hearty and mildly melodic chuckle from Alastor, one that sent a shudder up their spines, before he turned and smirked in Mika's direction. The pilot noticeably flinched a little at the sudden attention he was getting, just enough to be noticeable to the two other demons present, a sight that made Alastor's smile widen just a tiny bit while Barbatos tugged on his beard enviously. If only he had that sort of power to make Mika flinch… though before that thought could overwhelm his mind, Alastor spoke up.
"Ah… answer me this, my dear Duke," replied Alastor. "Why does anyone do anything? Why did you summon that loathsome Sinner to your palace? Why does he even bother to work with you? And why did I come for a visit?! Well, here's your answer!"
"I haven't even-" began Barbatos, only to be cut off by Alastor.
"Shear, absolute,unadulterated BOREDOM!" answered Alastor in place of Barbatos, clenching his fist tightly to emphasize his point. "You must understand, my dear Duke, that I've been feeling that way for centuries! It was sheer luck, I tell you, that I caught sight of your little Hatchet Man that one day! I've been keeping an eye on him for days after, and I must admit, his handiwork is most impressive indeed! It might be just the thing I need to liven up my afterlife!"
"...right," was all Barbatos could say in response to Alastor's explanation. Strangely enough, he wasn't making any effort at predicting the next line of this demon in red, something that unnerved Mika just a little. Barbatos never did let a chance to make fun of others with his future predicting abilities before. Allegedly, even Lucifer wasn't safe from his terrible jokes, so for him to make an exception with this… Radio Demon, as he called him… it meant that he was a pretty serious threat.
"So!" continued Alastor, twirling his microphone cane as he eyed Barbatos. "What's your price?"
"...say what now?" was all Barbatos could answer with as Alastor rolled his eyes, his smile still stuck firmly onto his face as he shook his head mockingly.
"Your price!" rephrased Alastor as he straightened himself back up and eyed Mika by the corner of his eyes, causing him to go on the defensive all the while. "I'll have you know that I am not unreasonable, my fine Duke! If I wish to borrow your personal assistant, then you surely must have a price for him, yes?"
At that, Barbatos simply stared past Alastor and locked eyes with Mika, who seemed somewhere between confused, annoyed and perhaps a little unnerved by this whole ordeal.
"Erm… hold that thought," was all Barbatos could really say as he swiftly walked past Alastor and approached Mika, who still looked a tad confused and unnerved. Without missing a beat, the Duke crouched down until he was looking Mika directly in the eye and began speaking to him in a hushed tone of voice, shaking him by the shoulders as he did. "Mikazuki, Mikazuki Augus… first of all, how'd you even manage to bump into this guy?!"
"It was an accident," responded Mika truthfully as he and Barbatos both turned to glance at Alastor, who had his back towards them as he hummed a catchy tune, tapping his foot all the while. "He just kept showing up from time to time whenever I killed someone you wanted dead."
"Even so, how in the name of SATAN did you catch his attention?!" whisper-shouted Barbatos. In response, Mika raised a brow.
"I… don't know," admitted Mika. "Who is this guy, anyways?"
"Wait, you don't know?!" proclaimed Barbatos as Mika shook his head mildly, prompting the Duke to facepalm. "Didn't I tell you about him quite some time ago?! During our chat about the hierarchy of Hell?!"
Mika replied with a sheepish shrug as Barbatos facepalmed even more.
"Were you even paying attention?!" demanded Barbatos, and Augus pursed his lips together rather sheepishly, answering the Duke without any words, prompting him to sigh in frustration. "Fucking… aurg, alright, listen close, cuz I'm gonna make this brief, you little shitstain!
"Long ago, a mortal died via unknown circumstances and arrived down in Hell. This mortal was Alastor back there," he paused briefly to jerk his chin towards the Radio Demon, who responded to the gesture with a smile as he flexed his cruelly sharp claws, "When he arrived, he showed a level of power no Sinner prior to him possessed. And with this power, he began toppling other some of the oldest and strongest Overlords that ruled Hell with ease!
"One of my oldest friends and the first and strongest of the 72 Demons of Ars Goetia, Bael, was killed by Alastor when he attempted to oppose him. To put it into perspective, Bael kicked my ass fifty times in a row in a single fucking day without breaking a sweat, even when I had Gusion and Flauros to help me! He's no pushover, not by any stretch of the imagination, and Alastor killed him within the blink of an eye!"
Admittedly, Mikazuki did feel a pit grow in his stomach when he let that thought sink in, though he didn't let it overwhelm him as he listened to Barbatos continue.
"As such, you must certainly see why I am very reluctant to trust or even be in close proximity to the Radio Demon! Though he is powerful, he is also a manipulative scoundrel who seeks to use others to further his own desires! If you wish for my assistance with him, then I am sorry, but I cannot help you any more than granting you a quick death!"
Though Barbatos had been rather brief, the words he spoke out did quite a bit to inform Mika about the dangers of this Radio Demon. With some reluctance, Mika peeked over Barbatos' shoulder and glanced at Alastor, who seemed to be minding his own business as he played with a fireball he had conjured up in his palm, tossing it up and down without a care in the (under)world.
"So he's a dangerous person," concluded Mika rather nonchalantly as Barbatos nodded direly. And that made Mika raise a brow as he stepped back and rubbed his cheek, and Barbatos' latest prediction caused a massive chill to go up his spine, prompting him to seize Augus by the shoulders and shake him around like there was no tomorrow.
And, considering the pilot's luck, that was very much on the table…
"Mikazuki Augus, please tell me that you're not thinking what I think you're thinking!" proclaimed Barbatos as Mika brushed the Duke's hands off his shoulders, inadvertently stopping him from shaking him any further, before he replied.
"I'll handle this, Barbatos," assured Mika as he waltzed past the Duke, who seemed ready to collapse at any moment as he watched his personal assistant essentially walk up to make a deal with the most diabolical Sinner he had the displeasure of meeting.
As for Mika, he kept his composure as he approached Alastor, his expression remaining as neutral as ever as he did, even if he did seem just a little more fidgety than usual. Dangerous though he may be, this Radio Demon was, at least according to Barbatos, extremely powerful… and if Tekkadan's run in with Teiwaz oh so long ago had taught Mika anything, it was that partnerships with potentially powerful companies or individuals could be beneficial in the long run.
Of course, making a deal with the devil was probably a bad move on his part, especially one that was as conniving as Alastor apparently was, though if he played his part well enough, Augus believed (hoped) that he could make it out of this in one piece…
As soon as Alastor noticed Mikazuki approach him, the demon in red clenched his fist, in turn extinguishing the flame in his palm as he turned towards the approaching pilot, who remained mostly neutral at the smiling Overlord.
"Well, am I to assume that you and your Big Cheese settled on an agreement?" inquired Alastor with a rather wide grin. Behind Mika, Barbatos grimaced at being called a dairy product while Mika simply shook his head, prompting Alastor to raise an eyebrow. "Really now? Then I suppose you're here to perhaps decline my request in his place? If that's the case, then I must admit, Barbatos should do his best to regrow the pair he lost to Sitri!"
Once again, Barbatos felt a massive amount of rage build up in his chest, though before he could unleash it and most likely get beaten up by Alastor in the process, Mika spoke up.
"Not that either," assured Mika as he waved his regular hand up in the air dismissively, prompting Alastor to raise a brow, inviting the pilot to continue explaining himself. Inhaling deeply, Mikazuki steeled himself for what he was about to say, and though he wasn't exactly one to feel nervous, even he had limits when it came to just how much he could handle, and making a bargain with someone as strong as the Radio Demon apparently was had brought him close to his aforementioned limits. "Alastor, you know that I'm a Servant of Barbatos, right?"
"Well of course! What kind of nonsense question is that?! If you weren't, then why would I even bother following you to Barbatos' humble abode?" replied Alastor sarcastically, laughing near the end as he leaned his head back just a little. Mika didn't exactly pick up on his sarcasm, however, as he nodded and continued.
"Ah. But I also remember telling Barbatos that he doesn't have my loyalty," clarified Mika, prompting Alastor to pause his laughter for a moment as he stared back at Augus and raise a brow, seeming intrigued by what he was getting at, with his smile remaining ever-present on his face as Augus spoke. "I've told him before that I have the choice to leave whenever I want."
"Mmhm, carry on," goaded Alastor with a grin that seemed to have predicted the future. Meanwhile, Barbatos didn't even need that ability to predict what Mika could say next, and he had half a mind to stop this, though he wasn't fast enough..
"Though personally I don't care much for him, I have enough respect for Barbatos to not want anything bad to happen to him…" muttered Mika as, behind him, the Duke seemed rather flattered by his words, though he didn't really care as he continued. "But Barbatos' jobs get boring after some time."
And at that, the Duke seemed to quite literally deflate as he frowned at Augus, though he quickly inflated back up when he saw Alastor bite his lower lip to hold his snickers in.
"So I'll accept your offer," concluded Mika, regaining Alastor's attention as Barbatos winced just a little. "But working with you had better be worth my time."
"Oh don't worry, little Hatchet Man! I never did say that I'd be taking you away from your current employer, now did I?" assured Alastor as he pointed his microphone cane at Barbatos, who raised a questioning eyebrow at that. "Here's the deal, little Hatchet Man. Your main head honcho will still be Barby over there, but your relationship is gonna have to be… how do we put this? Long distance?"
"And why's that?" inquired Mika, who seemed to get a feel of where Alastor was going with this, though he wished for some confirmation.
"Because, my good Egg, you'll be travelling with me!" proclaimed Alastor, smirking widely as he placed his hands on his hips. "Why, doesn't the term escort already imply that? Barbs is simply going to have to provide you with work over the phone while you entertain me on our various trips!"
As soon as he heard that, Barbatos perked up, not liking the idea of his personal assistant becoming a long distance contract killer, so to speak. Though before he could voice that out, Mikazuki nodded.
"Alright," agreed Mika with a mild nod as Alastor's smile grew to its widest, perhaps to celebrate his victory, while Barbatos suffered from a minor heart attack.
"Hm, then it's a deal, I believe?" inquired Alastor as he twirled his microphone cane in one hand while his other extended out towards Augus. And without much warning, a bright green, menacing aura began to emanate from the Radio Demon, accompanied by a rather noticeable static sound and several demonic symbols floating around the guy as he waited for Augus to shake his hand.
Barbatos didn't even need his future predicting ability to predict that Mika would turn down the deal as, without much hesitation, Mika outstretched his Lupus Rex arm and swatted Alastor's hand away, prompting the Radio Demon to quirk an eyebrow up in amusement.
"I never said this was a deal. As far as I'm concerned, you're just another client I have to deal with," clarified Mika, prompting Barbatos to chuckle a little at that. That was probably as nice as he'd get when declining someone, he reckoned, though by all means, he didn't wish for the term nice to be associated with the Radio Demon whatsoever. As for Alastor, he rubbed his chin before shrugging and giving his rather melodious laugh once more as he nodded.
"Ah heck, whatever you say, kiddo! I'll be doing my best to make this interesting for you!" quipt Alastor as he rested his arm around Mikazuki's back and reeled him in close, much to his dismay. "Don't worry about being bored though, kid! Travelling with me never gets boring, and who knows, you may get bigger fish to fry along the way! Such is life with someone such as I, little Hatchet Man!"
"... Mikazuki Augus," was all Mika could grumble out as Alastor raised a brow up higher on his face.
"Say what now?" inquired Alastor, sounding just a bit confused in spite of his radio-esc voice, which, curiously enough, seemed to sound less static-ey when he spoke. Augus took note of this as he filed it into his brain for future investigation, though he didn't care enough to think more on the issue as he scoffed.
"That's my name. Stop calling a Hatchet Man," insisted Mika, frowning as he had Alastor release him. Though terms such as Martian Rat or Criminal did very little to phase him, Mika found that he'd much rather be called a term that he knew the meaning of and not… whatever Hatchet Man meant.
"Hm, well I suppose I could do that, Mikazuki," replied Alastor as he twirled his cane in his hand. That name rolled off the tongue rather well, and Alastor decided that he liked it. Mika responded to that with a mild nod as the Radio Demon chuckled ever so slightly. "Now, tell me, when do you wish to depart?"
"You're the client," answered Mika reluctantly. "By default, you're the one choosing."
"In that case, let's get moving now!" was Mika's immediate answer from Alastor, who turned on his heel and headed towards the door. With a mild sigh, Augus nodded and followed him, though before he could even take a step forward, Barbatos stopped both of them.
"HOLD IT RIGHT THERE!" proclaimed Barbatos as he made his presence known once more. Alastor simply turned to glance at the Duke while Mika raised a brow in confusion. "Alastor, while you do hold much power, and while he is indeed your new escort, Mikazuki is still my assistant, and as such, I still command him and whatever he does regarding his clients! And though this may seem heartbreaking to you at least, Mikazuki requires rest! He ran across Pentagram City just to kill a bastard, dammit!"
"Hm, fair enough," quipt Alastor with a mild shrug as he waved a hand in the air, not even bothering to give Barbatos a second glance as he opened the door to his palace. "I'll be outside tomorrow. Don't keep me waiting, Mikazuki Augus."
And the way Alastor had said his name made Mika wish just a little that he stuck with Little Hatchet Man.
Oh shit it's Alastor
:0
