Wow, it's only been like...half a year since I last updated. Egads. And despite this I'm still getting reviews? I love you all!
I apologize greatly for letting my fanbase down. I'm going to dust off my PS2 and see if I can finally finish this fic. Again, thank you so much for caring even though it's such an old fic. Thank you!!
And without further adue...
Dear Diary: Chapter 3.
~*~
It was just another ordinary, boring, depressing day. Well, actually it wasn't. He had plenty of vassals to look after, but he decided to let them govern themselves that day. And the day didn't seem depressing at all, though it didn't have any sign of optimism either. And the day was far from ordinary, for it was the day of the Red Moon -- that is, the day the prinnies would be reincarnated, and a new batch of prinnies would be ready for the picking. Yet, it all seemed so normal. Normal that is, if you are the youngest Overlord that ever ascended the throne.
It had only been two hours since he woke up, and already he was tired of barking orders to his servants. Couldn't they do anything right by themselves? He needed a break. A hush fell over the room as the prince rose from his seat, pointing towards the brightest demon in the room -- a blue Nekomata.
"You. Take over command of these idiots until I get back."
"Meow." The catgirl saluted, and Laharl took his leave. Any change of scenery was good, he decided, even if it was a room full of rotting flesh. He set his sights a little bit higher of course, choosing to spend his time alone in the shops. He had time to think there. And his first thought was what happened a few days ago.
He had danced with her. It was the most awkward experience he had ever felt, yet he kinda liked it. He hadn't been able to put his arms around her since that one birthday... but he had always felt so strange around her after that. It wasn't that he didn't know what love was. He was just...afraid... He was afraid that if he opened his heart to love, Venus would sit in her heavens and laugh at him, turning her back on his desires and letting him down once more. All in spite of a certain angel's constant efforts to get him to open up...
...And speaking of which, he noted, her efforts were currently set on buying equipment from the weapons saleslady. Flonne was standing up at the counter, a newly recruited prinny at her side, and she was browsing the selection of claws, paws and jaws. What a bummer for that prinny to have just arrived on the same day that good portions of other prinnies were leaving. It stood solemnly by the angel's side, listening to their bargaining, as did Laharl.
"What about this one? This is a Cobra's Fang. It's dripping with deadly venom!"
"Oooh...that looks scary..."
"Or maybe this? It's a lizard's tail, still wriggling!"
"Eww..."
"Okay, how about this then? Tentacles! Great for groping in all sorts of places!"
"Um..."
"No? Alright, alright, I'll give you the cutest item in stock. A bat parasol for 1,200 HL, take it or leave it."
"Aw, it's cute! We'll take it!"
They exchanged the goods, Flonne giving the bat-shaped umbrella to an equally happy prinny. Laharl rolled his eyes. Of all the butt-whoopin' weapons in stock, she had to pick the lamest and weakest one of all. Alot of good a freakin' parasol would do against a Majin, he thought.
That was their problem though. He had problems of his own, like trying to figure out how to assess the current status of his...love...
Wait a second! That's it! He would ask Flonne. As much as she rambled on and on about such things, surely she would have some helpful advice for him. But he couldn't just ask her flat out... What was he going to go, trot up to her and ask her the best way to get some nookie? Entertaining as the thought was, it wasn't gonna happen. But...he didn't have to tell her what reasons it was for. He could ask a perfectly innocent question and get an innocent answer.
"Hey, Love Freak."
The Celestial's head turned immediately, unfazed and unoffended by her less-than-respectful nickname. She was used to it by now of course, but only when Laharl or Etna called her that. Anyone else would get a first-hand lesson in Beatdowns 404.
"Hello!"
"Tell me...what do you think is...romantic?" The prince spoke normally, as if it didn't matter what the angel trainee responded. A wide smile spread across Flonne's face as her first thought was that he was in love, but she immediately thought better of it...But then she decided she was right the first time.
"Aw, Laharl-san, you're finally opening your heart to the one you truly love, aren't you? Tell me, who is it?"
"Don't jump to conclusions like that. Love is stupid. I was just curious, that's all."
"Oh...that's too bad." Flonne sighed, then perked up as her naive mind set to romance stories that her angel friends had told her back in Celestia. "Well, let's see...dancing...nice dinners by candlelight...long walks on the beach...Oh...and the Stellar Graveyard is so beautiful, too...watching the sunset... That's all really romantic...don't you think?"
"...Such a waste of time..." The young Overlord sighed, walking away without so much as thanking her for the suggestions. In all actuality, dancing was a nice experience. Dinners by candlelight wasn't his thing though, as he would much prefer chicken wings infront of the television. But that last suggestion... it gave him an idea. Not so much a sunset, but...
He felt sorry for that prinny...It was going to miss out on all the fun.
~*~
He hadn't seen Etna all that much since she ran off three or four days ago. It was only yesterday that she had appeared again, still kind of quiet and depressed. He found her where she normally was found -- sleeping on the job, of course. The right corner of his lips twitched a little before stretching into a smirk, and for a moment he almost didn't have the courage to wake her up.
Almost.
His red sneaker levitated just over her tail, lowering itself until the prince could feel it underneath his foot. His weight shifted, and the demoness jolted awake with a howl, causing him to burst into a fit of laughter. Cruel as that was, he thought, she always looks so cute when she's surprised like that. He would make up for it later.
"What's the big idea?! I was having a nice dream!" The demoness spun around in her seated position, her tail between her legs. It took a second to realize just who it was that woke her up, but when the gears finally clicked, she calmed down.
"Oh, it's just you."
"What a way to greet the Overlord," Laharl chuckled, "Anyway...I need you to meet me at the dimensional portal at midnight."
"...What for?"
"You'll see. Now get the hell back to work."
He walked away, leaving a clueless demoness to wonder what in the Netherworld would he have her do at midnight.
…
Him..?
Er, that was a nice thought, but it probably wasn't going to happen. Most likely they were going to the Lunar Snowfield. It might be that he wanted to have another duel with Death… but then, why would he invite her to come, too? Nevertheless, the feeling of being wanted soon overcame the bombardment of questions, leaving her a little bit light-headed. Her usual cat-like smile appeared. This…
…This could be an opportunity!
But what could she do for him that would be considered romantic? She didn't want to go through another agonizing, day-long practice session, even though she had more than enough time to do so. Now, if somebody could just give her some ideas…
~*~
'I can't believe I'm doing this,' thought Etna. And indeed, it was an appropriate thought, for the one she was visiting was permanently number one on her Black List, due to his actions the other day. But who would know better about what guys thought was romantic? If you were to ask about guy problems, you would ask a guy, right?
Still, the last thing she ever thought she would do was ask advice from some dumb Earthling. As she approached the hospital, that familiar scent of fresh blood became noticeable. Vassals that were unsuccessful in their missions; warriors coming home after a long battle, and even just normal, everyday demons with a fever were all gathered there, waiting to be treated by that ronin-turned-nurse.
Said nurse was currently amputating some demon's arm. The screams of agony piqued her interest, and for a moment, Etna stood by and watched the ordeal. The arm to be removed was almost completely black, rotting away even as its owner was alive. Poisoned, most likely - the condition having gotten to the point where even the strongest cleric could not help. The nurse came with a blood-stained axe, marking the spot where the arm was to be severed.
The heavy blade was raised over the nurse's head, and in one fell swoop, the job was done. A foul-smelling slime oozed out of the blackened limb, followed by a thick, red gelatin-like substance. It was in fact his blood, curdled by the venom. Her eyes traveled up to the demon's face. He was out cold from the drugs he was given, much to her disappointment. She had expected such a horrible cry of pain… Oh well.
Etna walked away as a crowd gathered to place bids on the arm. She found the injured human she had come to visit immediately, mentally grinning as she looked him over. He had bandages all over his body, sans most of his black-and-blue face, and a brace on his neck. Jennifer gave him quite the ass-kicking, obviously.
"Did it hurt much?"
"It's so unlike Jennifer to do something like that." Gordon spoke to no one in particular, Etna rolling her eyes in response. Not four seconds and she was already sick of him, as if the amputation was like watching clouds go by. Still, she came here for a reason.
"Gordon, what do guys think is romantic?"
"Romantic?" the American repeated, "Why on Earth would you-"
"It's for a book."
'A documentary, perhaps? Certainly she would not be one to write something so far as a romance novel. Well, let's see… Of course!' He motioned for her to come closer, as if it were some big secret that no one should ever find out.
"There is one thing that no guy can possibly resist…"
The demoness was all ears.
"…Teriyaki Pizza Shack."
"DROP DEAD."
Her reaction was instantaneous and logical, for you see, fist plus face times force equals Gordon smashed through a stone wall. Etna stomped off angrily as the nurse and her attendants paid no attention whatsoever. Then again, it was true. Guys love food. Still, she wasn't about to go through her last cooking fiasco.
But... he might get cold...
~*~
It was rather warm when she walked over to the Dimensional Gatekeeper, small bag in tow. Midnight was fast approaching, and though she was early she found Laharl already waiting for her. He had the cutest smile on his face as he watched the gatekeeper take up her staff and slice it through the air, opening a portal that lead to who knows where.
His hand took hers, and the two jumped into the vortex as they had done so many times before. The drop in temperature was sudden, her cue for her wings to start flapping as to slow down their descent. They landed softly on the ice, standing before a tall cliff. She could see the normally pure snow tainted with a crimson glow, the moon's blood red color reflecting off of the entire landscape. The first thing anyone would notice, however, is that they were completely surrounded by prinnies.
"Come on, it's going to start soon." The prince bounded up the slippery rocks in little time, motioning for his vassal to follow. She obliged, wings opening once more, each flap sending a black feather or two down onto some prinnies' heads. Surprisingly, the clifftop bore no snow, though it was just as cold up there as it was at the bottom.
What a sight it was, indeed! That icy platform ahead, overlooking the rest of the Netherworld, though its view was nothing compared to the view from the cliff. She could see a phantom dressed in red, calmly waiting for the prinnies to reach their destination. And above them all was that glorious red monolith in the sky.
"I thought we could, you know, watch..." The prince trailed off as his vassal sat beside him, opening her bag and taking out a container. She gripped it with both hands, focusing on it in a way that a red mage focused before she cast a spell. After a few seconds, she gave it to him with a smile.
"I thought you might like this, in case you get cold or something."
He could feel the heat from the hot beverage even through the plastic. He took a sip, careful not to let it burn his tongue, and smiled. 'Hot chocolate. How thoughtful...and out of character.'
Together they watched and waited until the prinnies arrived at the platform, gathering around Death as he counted each and every one of them. When it seemed that no more would arrive, he raised his arms into the air; his robes beginning to float as if a gust of wind came up from underneath him. All at once the prinnies opened their mouths wide, the glints in their eyes leaving shortly before their souls did. Balls of pure white began their ascent, their short-term bodies collapsing to the ground as if they had merely been dolls without stuffing.
With the red moon as his witness, Death himself floated upwards, guiding the souls to the upper world to be reincarnated. As the light disappeared into the light of the moon, it seemed as if the entire snowfield was a field of fireflies, peace disrupted by a child and sending the glowing insects into the sky. Yet as the life of a firefly ends so early, so did this event. The only evidence that this event ever took place was the formless prinny suits that littered the platform.
Silence swept over the snowfield as the two were brought back to reality. The surrounding cold came back to mind, and the demoness leaned against her better half, leeching off of him for warmth. He wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her closer to him. She turned to face him, the prince embracing her as his hand traveled down her back, lightly grazing over her bottom and diving down to her tail.
"I'm sorry…" He felt her flinch as his fingers reached her bruised spot, still sensitive from his earlier prank. He fondled it for a moment, massaging the sore spot gently before he rested his hand on her back, its counterpart sliding up her bare skin, over her tight leather top, until he could feel her soft crimson hair underneath his fingertips.
"Laharl, I wanted to tell you-"
Pain suddenly overtook him. He released Etna from his embrace, his arms wrapping around his stomach as it growled loudly, the prince doubling over in pain.
"What's wrong?!"
"I have to go-!"
The demoness watched cluelessly as he raced down the slope, stumbling through the portal they had come in. Her eyes drifted down to the container of hot chocolate that he had dropped, picking it up and bringing it into the moonlight to look.
"This expired…two months ago…"