Author's notes: After those three hard chapters, we'll finally reach the climax of this fic. Thank you everyone for supporting this fic, especially Kizzi-chan and Bella (But where are you Bella?). You have been reviewing this fic since day one, I'm so happy you two spent your time reading my fic. Of course, the other reviewers must be thanked, so thank you everyone. Also, I'm sorry for not updating Nostalgic Feelings, but with Aku no Tsubasa heading closer and closer to the end, I cannot stop now. I have to keep going. Once Aku no Tsubasa ends, I'll start updating Nostalgic Feelings more frequently.

I'm happy to tell everyone that the chapter is going back to another humorous romp (with some drama/angst on the side), and just in time for we're finally closing in on the big climax (dun dun dun)! When we last left off, Mid Boss and Kirei were having a word with Setsuna, who had just recovered from his battle with Laharl. What will happen to our favorite demons next? And what happens to Setsuna when he finally finds the one he's been searching for?

Disclaimer: Once again, I own Setsuna, Chiriko, Kuroko (changed it from Kuroyami), Yuki, Katy, and Miyuki. Otherwise, Nippon Ichi owns everything else in Disgaea. Note that the name I gave Etna's spear is the other name for Mt. Etna, a volcano over in Italy (which her name was based on).

Warning: Slight Yuri in this chapter (Sorry, but it's only for a humorous scene) and lime scene (or at least lime style writing)! Oh, and sorry for making the pendant into a plot device.


Episode 11: Strike Through the Nightmare, Fly to Your Dreams

"We're a bunch of bastards, aren't we?" Setsuna drearily asked Mid Boss. It had been several hours since the conclusion of his battle with Laharl. Even after using his final attack and receiving heavy damage from Laharl's Meteor Impact, Setsuna seemed to be fine, especially after Flonne's healing. As Setsuna got to his feet, he found Mid Boss and Kirei standing beside him, awaiting his awakening. Now that everyone had left, he was alone with the sassy duo, discussing Laharl and Flonne's abilities, as well as their ties to their mission: to reunite both worlds. "Putting them through so much pain just for our own ideals…"

"I know how you feel, Setsuna." Mid Boss said to him with much remorse. After all, he too was putting them through all this pain. And not just anyone, this was his own son. "Sometimes, I feel guilty for putting those two through so much, but it if you want to complete your mission, then you'll have to go through it."

"But I worry about them too, koishii." Said Kirei, the reincarnation of Laharl's mother. "We may want our goals to be accomplished but…it just doesn't feel right…doing this to them all the time…"

"You're right…" Mid Boss had to agree. Seeing that putting them through more tests at this point would be way too hard on them, especially after the whole ordeal with Setsuna, he came up with a solution. "We should limit ourselves to one final test. After all, there is something out there that might destroy them. We're going to have to strengthen their bond further…for the sake of all beings…and for their sake as well. Does anyone have any objections?"

Setsuna felt no need to object, and so agreed with the plan. "No, but I must leave now. Now that I have tested Laharl-kun, I must find someone else."

Mid Boss nodded in agreement. With that one person on the loose, there was no need for idle chitchat for Setsuna. "Ah yes. Well, good luck with finding him."

"And good luck to you too, Krichevskoy-san. Same to you Rayne-san." Setsuna politely bowed to the two reincarnations and went his separate way.

"Oh and don't get lost!"

Setsuna chuckled. "I'll keep that in mind."

"Right…in a few seconds, you'll end up wondering where we are again." Kuroko sarcastically said within Setsuna's consciousness.

'I hope we can find him.' Chiriko worriedly said.

Yeah. We'd better put all efforts into this. We have to find him before he causes any real damage. And so, Setsuna set off in hopes of finding that one person.

As Setsuna left the couple, Kirei turned to Mid Boss with a very playful look on her face. The type any girl would give to their boyfriend whenever something big is about to happen. "Kioshii, we're going to use that place, aren't we?"

"Yup. We've been going to him a lot. Now it's time that he came to us."

A few days later at the Overlord's Castle…

"HOW WAS I SUPPOSED TO KNOW THAT WAS THE ITEM GOD?" Gordon exclaimed loudly through the halls. His body was covered in scratches and bruises, and a large bump was protruding out of his slick hair. The other vassals, however, seemed to receive less damage.

"I TOLD YOU NOT TO RUSH IN!" Laharl snapped back in annoyance. During Etna's battle with Kuroko, the spear her father left for her, which she later named Aetna was destroyed. She could've taken it to a blacksmith, but it would make the spear weaker and would probably lose its glow. The only other way to fix a broken weapon was through Item World. As long as it was a legendary weapon, which it was, it was repairable. However, there was only one problem: in order to fix a broken weapon, two Item Gods had to be subdued. Those two Item Gods are pieces of the original Item God when the weapon was whole. In order to repair them, both had to be subdued, which means going into both pieces. This proved to be difficult since Laharl's forces would be split in two, but luckily, despite Gordon's brainless charge, they were able to subdue the Item Gods. Once both gods were subdued they became one and the pieces of the weapon reunited. In addition, since they were able to subdue many item generals, kings, and other important residents, Etna's spear became even stronger than before.

"You just have the attention span of a small fish…" Kurtis muttered. Of course, Gordon always has a good ear when it comes to someone putting him down.

"WHAT THE HELL DID YOU SAY, KURTIS?"

Before they could shout further, Flonne put her arm in front of the bickering rivals, trying to calm them down. "Now now, at least we defeated the item god, and thanks to us, the spear Etna got from her father has finally been fixed. It's even stronger than before, right Etna-san? …Etna-san?"

However, Etna's eyes were glued to her spear. Her expression seemed a little different as well, because Etna wasn't oblivious to anything, but it seemed like she was lost in thought. However, those thoughts briefly left her mind as Flonne began to wave her hand in front of her. "Eh? Oh yeah, thanks."

Everyone noticed something different about Etna today, and usually different things meant something was up, especially when it comes to Etna. Being a little concerned, Jennifer asked her, "Are you alright?"

Etna nodded her and then yawned. "Yeah…I'm just a little tired…" Obviously no one bought it, but then again, everyone else seemed to be tired anyway. After all, they have been trying to destroy two item gods, which takes a lot of hard work.

"Yeah, I'm feeling a little tired myself…" Laharl yawned. "Well, we'll retire for tonight, agreed?" Everyone nodded their heads and headed off to their rooms, resting their little heads for the next day.

"Ah, another beautiful day in the Netherworld." This was always Flonne's get up line. It was the usual routine in the morning: get up and leave the coffin early, gaze out into the Netherworld and look at the stars until everyone starts moving, make breakfast, and then finally start whatever everyone had planned for the day. While many demons would rather shoot themselves than do something so stupid, Flonne actually enjoyed every minute of it. She was, after all, a Love Freak so in turn she learned to love most things, with the exception of anything that goes against love itself or tries to hinder others. The only weird thing is that she's been sleeping in Laharl's coffin for over a month now. During the night, she has the awkward sleepwalking problem that could not be stopped. Laharl had been trying to prevent her from reaching the coffin, but it was impossible to go against her nature, and so he tried his best to get used to it.

Now that she was up, she went to open the coffin and go outside. However, as she tried to get up, she fell back down onto the cushioned floor of Laharl's coffin. She tried again, but only ended up falling back down, making her wonder what was causing her to fall. Then, she saw a small hand across her waist, which caused her eyes to widen at first but then she sweetly smiled and giggled. Laharl was clinging to her in sleep. It was kind of funny to see Laharl holding on to her, considering that this was Laharl we are talking about. Aw…he's so cute when he sleeps…it just makes me want to k— Then, Flonne's eyes began to widen as his face started moving closer towards hers. Flonne almost shrieked as his body began to overlap hers, preventing her from squirming out of it. With his face getting closer, the distant between their lips began to disappear. Flonne stared long into Laharl, almost in a trance as Laharl was about land a kiss on Flonne's lips. However, Flonne snapped out of her trance and began to feel a little more reluctant of it. I can't! It must be a dream he's having! It's not right to for me to do this while he's sleeping! …and what's going to happen when he wakes up…I don't want that incident to happen again (refer to episode 5)However, Laharl was unaware of what was going on, and continued to move closer to her. With each second, Flonne's heart was pounding, for she desired his kiss, but couldn't do it in these circumstances. However, their lips were almost touching now. It was now or never. Their faces had closed the distance. In that moment, Flonne placed a small tender kiss…

…on Laharl's forehead, leaving Laharl kissing nothing but air. After her lips parted from his forehead, Flonne awaited a response from Laharl, hoping that he wouldn't wake up. After a long pause, Laharl ended up falling on top of her. Flonne breathed a sigh of relief as she wiped off her sweat. Phew…that was close…I don't want Laharl to get mad…but…I still wanted to kiss him…I guess a kiss on the forehead is all I can do… That's when Flonne noticed something else. When Laharl's head dropped on top of Flonne, it dropped around a certain place. His head on that spot was making Flonne blush furiously, in both embarrassment and anger. Why? Because his head fell on her chest. She wanted to whack him, but his cute sleepy face kept her from doing it. His cute childish features drew her eyes on him as he continued to roll in his sleep. Suddenly, a small sound was uttered out of Laharl's mouth.

"Flonne…please…don't leave me…" Suddenly, Flonne's heart began to race as tears filled her eyes. She brought Laharl into a warm loving embrace. She knew how much her life meant to him, for he had been risking his life for her all this time. No matter how much Laharl denied it, Flonne was starting to see Laharl's true feelings. Finally, she decided to let go of him and leave the coffin. Don't worry, Laharl-san. I'll never leave your side… At this time, she headed for the balcony, only to find someone already waiting for her.

"Etna-san…?"

As she turned around, Flonne was able to see the huge crescent grin on Etna's face. Unfortunately for her, Etna was able to see the pink color on Flonne's face. "You and the Prince are up to something, aren't you?"

"No! It's nothing like that!" The color of Flonne's blush deepened, which would only make the teasing worse.

However, Etna didn't seem to be around to tease her. "Are you sure? You two seem to be getting along a lot better lately, and he did do everything to save you from Setsuna." Flonne avoided her eyes from Etna, knowing that Etna was right. "Well, has the Prince told you about his true feelings?"

Flonne didn't know how to answer Etna. Etna didn't seem to be teasing her. In fact, her tone sounded more serious. In the end, she had to shake her head. "Well…no. Not yet. All I know is that he has been worried about me…that's all."

"But you love him, don't you?"

Once again, answering Etna was difficult for Flonne. Even if she was a Love Freak, disclosing her true feelings towards Laharl was difficult for her. It was embarrassing for her to tell Etna about her feelings, especially considering this was Etna. However, Etna sounded very serious about it. Flonne was too shy to tell her, but she didn't want to lie to Etna or anything. In the end, she decided to tell her. "…yes…yes, I love Laharl-san. Ever since I came to the Netherworld, I have been trying my very best to get Laharl-san to understand the meaning of love and friendship. I know that there were some failures, but I always gave it my best. But then…that one day we tried to get the Prinnies back…when you told me about how his mother died…every time I looked at him…I saw the eyes of a child who had lost a part of him. The more I stared at him…the more he got to me…and then…"

Flashback-

"GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING, LOVE FREAK?" This was two years ago, when Laharl was hunting the Prinnies, who escaped in order to be reincarnated. At one point, he and Flonne were arguing, which ended up in him telling her to never speak to him. However, Etna had told Flonne about Laharl's dark past, in which his mother died, saving him from a disease. That story drove away Flonne's anger at Laharl, filling her heart with pity for the recently crowned Overlord. She wanted to drive that sadness, but Laharl would never face her after their argument. As they continued onward, Flonne's heart became heavy with the guilt of scolding him earlier. Then, in a desperate attempt to make amends to him…

"Laharl-san…I'm…so…sorry…" …she wrapped her arms around him so tightly, bring him into a warm embrace. Laharl, however, could not stand being hugged by the Angel Trainee and tried to squirm himself out of it.

"What the hell are you talking about now? Stop crying already!" However, Flonne just wouldn't let go of him. She kept her firm grip on him, which started to make him feel nauseated. "Get off me now before I—!" However, when he looked at Flonne again, he saw the face of a saddened little girl. Normally, he wouldn't care much about it, but this time, he felt his heart racing, which was a first for him. The more the tears streamed down her face, the more his heart began to ache. However, he didn't want to believe that he had one. No, he knew that he didn't have one to begin with…but then…what was this pain in his chest? Suddenly, he shoved Flonne off him, but his face was filled with both shock and confusion. He didn't know what was wrong with him. Instead, he ran towards the site of reincarnation. However, that first feeling of that heartbeat never left him.

Flonne watched Laharl head for the site of reincarnation, using the red moon as his guide. For the first time in her life, she felt love. Not the love she has been preaching, but a love that hid deep within her heart. Laharl-san…

End of Flashback

"I knew I felt something back then." Etna said, smirking as she reminisced earlier adventures.

"Tease me all you want now, Etna-san." Flonne murmured.

However, Etna began to chuckle. She seemed kind of different today, not like the usual Etna that always finds ways to bug her friends. "Don't worry, I'm not here to tease you. I'm just glad you were able to tell me." This really caught Flonne's attention. Normally, Etna would've run out of the room and scream it out for everyone to hear. This time, however, she seemed to act…more mature about it. "The thing is that ever since that time…I've noticed it too. While I didn't know exactly what love was, I just kept looking at you two. Originally, I didn't think it would happen, because I know the Prince. I know, he would never fall in love, because…he's too different from his father."

"You mean Krichevskoy-san?"

Etna nodded. "Yeah. Krichevskoy-sama, as I told you, fell in love with the witch Rayne, however, that was love at first sight. He, unlike the Prince, never started out as an obnoxious brat, to my knowledge at least. But then that time in Celestia…that battle with the Seraph…allowed me to see his true feelings. And then what Mid Boss said to us about you two being the knot and how there were two people involved in the plan to you unite you two. When he said that, I knew, for some reason, one of those two people was Krichevskoy-sama. When I kept thinking about it, I kept saying to myself, 'I want to help them too…to thank him for all he's done…' So I kept watching you two, hoping that there would be any progress…but the Prince is always very stubborn and denies his feelings, which you sometimes do as well. What I'm trying to say is…to not be so offended when I tease you and Laharl-sama, because teasing you two is my only way to get you to stop denying your feelings…" That's when everything became deafly quiet. Flonne was astonished to hear all this from Etna. From the beginning, Flonne thought of Etna as like an older sister, who would tease her and Laharl every time they were together, but what she didn't realize was that she was really supporting them from the beginning.

That's when Flonne realized something. "Etna-san…is that why you keep pairing us together?"

'Hm? What do you mean?"

"Now that you've told me how you really feel, it's starting to make sense." Flonne looked out into the Netherworld horizon. The demon world arose from its slumber once again. "Pairing me up with Laharl-san during the teamwork training, making Laharl-san take me out during Thankstakings Day, even letting me sleep with him…it was all a plan to bring us close together, wasn't it?"

Etna nodded her head. "Yeah, I can see why you would be so suspicious over it. I'm sorry if I'm pushing you guys too hard."

However, Flonne didn't seem to be offended by Etna's plans to get her and Laharl together. In fact, she almost wanted to hug her for it.. "No, I'm actually glad that you're helping us. You see…after the battle with the Seraph, Laharl-san acted as if nothing happened. In a way, I'm glad that's how he feels, because I don't want him to continue to dwell on his painful past…but…after that…I couldn't tell whether or not he really cared for me. However, your plan to bring us together is starting to work. I can see more of Laharl-san's feelings fluctuating. It's as if half of himself was asleep during his two year nap. Now that other half is starting to awaken…so I want to say…thank you, Etna-san.

"Flonne-chan…" Soon Etna began to smile again, happy to see that Flonne was more gracious of Etna rather than angry with her, as well as seeing that her plan really was working. "No…thank you for understanding what I am trying to do. Hopefully…"

"Hopefully…what?"

"Oh nothing." Etna nervously replied. "I just want to let you know that even if you two get together…" Etna paused for a second and began to grin. Uh oh, not good for Flonne. "I will continue to tease you two until the day you two die."

A wave of panic suddenly rushed up Flonne's body, but she didn't want to shriek or scream too loud, since Laharl was still sleeping. In the end, she held up her pointer finger and, with a confused look on her face, said, "…you really scare me, Etna-san…"

Etna giggled, seeing the look on her face. "Hehehe…it's so much fun scaring you, Flonne-chan."

Soon, Flonne started remember something else from earlier. "Hey Etna-san, you were a lil down today when we came back from Aetna's Item World. Are you okay?" Etna, however, did not respond. She remained completely silent. "Was there something wrong with Aetna when it was fixed?"

"Oh, of course not!" Etna tried to reassure her. "The new Aetna is great! I can't thank you guys enough for fixing it…though I'd rather not say it in front of everyone else…" Flonne nervously giggled after hearing that last comment. "But really, I am grateful for it. It's just that…" Before she could say anything…

"GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" A loud, ear piercing, hair raising scream came from within the room. The startled Flonne and Etna jumped in surprise as the scream continued to echo through the sky, shaking the ground.

Etna then eyed Flonne suspiciously. Her teasing senses knew that something was up and Flonne had the answer. "Flonne-chan…you didn't do anything naughty to the Prince, did you?"

Flonne waved her arms around madly in a panicky motion as her face began to flush again. "I didn't do anything to him! All I did was kiss him on the forehead!" That's when Flonne realized what she just said. She tried to hide her blush, which became a deep pink color.

Unfortunately for her, Etna was able to catch that last bit of information. Luckily, Etna decided not to talk about it. "I'll tease you all about it later. Let's go check on the Prince."

Since they were nearby, getting to Laharl was easy. However, when they got there, Laharl was in a panic as he darted all over the room. It seemed like he was in a frantic search for something as the two demons girls watched him race back and forth within the room. Finally, Flonne decided to ask him, "Um…Laharl-san, did you have a bad dream?"

That's when Laharl paused, and looked to see Flonne standing near his coffin. Suddenly, steam started spurting out of his ears. "Of course not, you Love Freak! Speaking of which, you kissed me on the forehead, didn't you? That's disgusting! You're washing that off once we're done here!"

Soon, Flonne's eyes began to light with angry fire as she snapped back at Laharl. "Well I wouldn't have done that if you hadn't tried to kiss me in your sleep!"

Laharl just stared at her for a minute before snapping back. "Y-yuck! W-why would I do that?"

"So you two have been having fun while we were fast asleep?" Etna finally jumped into the conversation.

As expected, Laharl was not happy to see Etna, especially considering the situation he was in now. "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING HERE, ETNA?"

Etna winked at Laharl as she began to tease him again. "Now now, don't try and hide it now. Now I know you really are crazy over Flonne-chan!"

Suddenly, the ground began to shake as Laharl vented his anger at his head vassal, though his face was reddened. "I AM NOT! STOP INSISTING ON IT! THE TWO OF US ARE NOT COUPLE, END OF STORY! NOW TELL ME WHERE YOU'RE HIDING IT, YOU THIEF! "

"Eh? What do you mean?"

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN 'WHAT DO YOU MEAN'? I'M TALKING ABOUT MY CAPE! YOU STOLE MY CAPE, DIDN'T YOU?"

"I didn't steal your stupid cape!" Etna snapped back.

"IT'S NOT STUPID!"

"Now now…" Flonne began as she attempted to calm Laharl down. However, it only made him even angrier.

"STAY OUT OF THIS, LOVE FREAK! I BET YOU WERE THE ONE WHO STOLE IT!" Suddenly, Laharl felt a sharp pain on his cheek. When he felt it, he noticed that there was a bright red hand mark on it. Laharl looked up at Flonne's face, who just kept glaring at him. Seeing the angry look in her eyes, Laharl sighed and groaned, "Alright, sorry about that. Now do you know where my cape is?"

"Thank you, Laharl-san." Flonne cheerfully said, happy to know that Laharl has learned a bit. As for Laharl's question, Flonne didn't really have much of answer. "No, but I'm sure if we go out there, we can find it." Before she could go anywhere, she heard something slam shut. When she turned around, Laharl's coffin was shaking. "Laharl-san…?"

"G-go look for it. I'll be waiting…" Laharl nervously replied. This time, his voice sounded really shaky. There was obviously something wrong and Flonne knew it.

"Is there something wrong, Laharl-san?"

That's when Etna remembered something. Something very important as well as confidential. "Oh yeah, now I remember! It's the Prince's third and final weakness! Probably the biggest weakness of all!"

Of course, Flonne only knew of the first two weaknesses, so she was a little surprised to find that Laharl had one more, especially after the first two have been solved. "A third weakness?"

There was a large grin on Etna's face, meaning that this third weakness must really be Laharl's ultimate weak spot. "Yeah, there's one more weakness, and this was one that I was sworn not to tell. Only the closest of vassals were allowed to know this weakness. The Prince was lucky that I couldn't remember that one when Maderas stole my memories, nor could peer into them."

Curious in knowing this new weakness, Flonne asked her, "So what's the third weakness?"

Etna took a deep breath, knowing that Laharl would probably kill her if she were to say it. It was a good thing only Flonne was in the room though, so it was time to reveal the secret. "The Prince, unless Krichevskoy-sama, the queen, or myself are the only ones in a room with him, can't go out without his cape."

"Why is that?"

Etna peered to the side to see if anyone was around, and then whispered into Flonne's ear, "It's because he doesn't want anyone to see his back…"

This only led to confuse Flonne a bit as she rose her index finger and two small dots replace her big rose-red eyes. "Um…but why can't Laharl-san show his back? Those wings are cute!"

Suddenly, the coffin lid busted open, and coming out of the bed was a very disgruntled Laharl. "THEY ARE NOT CUTE! THEY ARE STUPID, DISGUSTING, AND WILL MAKE A LAUGHING STOCK OUT OF ME!"

Seeing that Flonne was confused, Etna decided to explain it more clearly. "The thing is, because the Prince was born from a demon and a human, his wings don't develop as quickly. That's why his wings are so small and don't seem to look like a demon's wings." This was pretty much true. Unlike the wings of demons such as Etna or even a Fallen Angel like Flonne, Laharl's wings were much smaller in comparison. What made this even worse was that it drooped down and not stick out, making it seem like his wings were dead. "In order to hide this problem, the Prince wears his cape at all times. That way no one really gets a glimpse of his back."

Still, Flonne seemed to disagree with Laharl's comments about his own wings. "But I still think they're cute!"

"Well apparently, not every demon is a Love Freak!" Laharl snapped back. Now he was pacing back and forth in his room, trying to come up with a way to leave his room without revealing his back. "What do I do? If this gets out, my title as Overlord will be ruined. I have to find some way to cover my back."

That's when Flonne finally got an idea. However, she was a little hesitant in telling Laharl her plan, but she had no choice. "Laharl-san…I have an idea, but you might not like it. Are you willing to go through with it?"

"I'LL DO ANYTHING TO COVER MY BACK! JUST TELL ME!"

Flonne took a deep breath. Laharl was definitely not going to like this. "Alright then…"

It's already been two hours in Glacial Terror. Everyone knew this spot as the coldest point in the Netherworld. Few enter this area, and even less reside here. Getting lost was almost a simple task in it's blanket of snow. However, getting lost was cake walk for one person.

"Crap…I'm lost…" That person was none other than the Dark Priest Setsuna, who has once again lost himself in the Netherworld for probably the eleventeenth time.

"YOU'RE ALWAYS LOSING YOURSELF! CAN'T YOU AT LEAST GET A MAP OR SOMETHING?" (Kuroko)

Sorry, but sometimes I like getting myself lost like this. It's kinda fun sometimes.

"YOU IDIOT!"

Before they could start an argument, Chiriko dove into the conversation with some surprising news. 'That energy, it feels so familiar…'

Kuroko closed his eyes and agreed with him. "Yeah, I feel it too. It feels too familiar…"

Can it be…?

"Long time no see…shishou (master)…" Setsuna jerked his head to the side. Standing on top of a peak was an angel with snowy white hair and a white vest and baggy pants. The coldness of his features were unable to hide the fire in his amber eyes. The fire of

Yuki…

Back at the Overlord's Castle, there was a bit of a change as Laharl, Flonne, and Etna walked down the halls. Everyone they passed by seemed to be giddy with laughter. Even the serious one's like Ravens, Motoko, and Pailong couldn't hold their laughter in. . No matter who they passed, they all seemed to have the urge to laugh at the Overlord, which obviously did not please Laharl one bit. Finally, after passing all the other demons, they finally reached the one person they needed to see, Pleinar, his Dark Assembly secretary.

She, as everyone else did, took one good look at Laharl and covered her mouth to hold in her laughter. "My my Laharl-sama, you look so cute…or maybe I should say 'Flaharl-sama'!" Pleinar couldn't keep it in, and soon rolled on the floor laughing all the while.

Laharl gave Flonne a demonic glare. Flonne, who seemed to be missing her silk coat, simply shrugged. "I'm sorry, Laharl-san, but that's the only way we can cover your back. You do look very cute though in my silk coat."

Just as Flonne said, there was only one thing that could cover Laharl's wings, and that was her silk coat. Though Laharl kept refusing to put it on, there was no other item of clothing that could hide his wings, and walking around in his coffin would be silly, so he had no choice but to accept the silk coat. However, the silk coat looked almost ridiculous on Laharl, which of course led to laughs coming from his own vassals. Still, Laharl had to be thankful, since it would've been worse if his wings were revealed. "Okay, I know that much…but…WHY THE HELL DID YOU DO MY HAIR IN A RIBBON? I DON'T THINK I NEEDED A RIBBON ON MY HEAD!"

"Oh, I just thought the ribbon would match the silk coat. They make you look sooooo cute!."

Laharl was now fuming with anger. Nothing could keep him from destroying the blonde demon in front him. "YOU LOVE FREAK!"

Before he could do anything, Pleinar, getting up from the floor, stopped him and handed him an envelope. "By the way, I got another letter from someone. It's addressed specifically to you, and the dimensional portal leading to its origin has been opened, so if you would like to meet the sender then you're welcomed to do so." Laharl snatched it from her hands and began to read the letter to himself.

Dear Overlord,

I'm sure you're wondering where you cape is by now. Well guess what? We stole it! That's right! We now have possession of your cape, and if you ever want to show your face in the Netherworld again, you must meet us in our secret hideout in the Marsh of Nightmares. We wish the tradeoff of the cape to be fair and civilized. We look forward to seeing you there.

Love…

Laharl took one good look at the sender, and soon a fiery red aura surrounded his entire body. His eyes were now blazing red, with fury. Laharl's blood was boiling as rage soared over its limit like a malicious meteor ready to strike anyone in a wide radius. These features could only mean one thing: someone was going to die and Laharl isn't going to give that someone any mercy. "'FAIR AND CIVILIZED?' EVEN IF IT IS THE DEMON WAY, THIS CROSSES THE LINE! IT'S TIME TO SETTLE THIS ONCE FOR ALL! WHEN I'M THROUGH WITH THEM THEY'RE REGRET EVER CROSSING! NO MERCY TO THE ANYONE WHO STEALS MY CAPE! As Laharl stomped away in probably his greatest outburst yet, the message slowly fell in front of Etna. She caught it, and began reading it to herself. Soon, Etna let out a sigh.

"You won't believe who wrote this…"

"Who is it?" Flonne asked, curious to know who it came from.

"Take a look…" Etna handed Flonne the letter, who read it over. The final words of the letter detailed, in beautiful penmanship, the names of the two thieves:

Love your beautiful friends,

Vyers 'Mid-Boss', the Dark Adonis and Kirei, the Mysterious Aphrodite also known as the Duo of Darkness and Beauty

About an hour later, Laharl and everyone was at the Marsh of Nightmares. Everyone except Gordon, Jennifer, Kurtis, and Thursday. Today was obviously not Laharl's day. In just a few short hours after waking up, he got his cape stole, had to wear Flonne's silk coat, got laughed at by all his vassals, got his hair turned into a bow, and worst of all, let Etna know that he kissed Flonne. Even now, it seems that his run of bad luck wouldn't stop, for his vassals couldn't stop laughing, even if the bow was gone, and four of his vassals were missing, and they were some of his best.

"Those were nothing but excuses…" Laharl groaned, as he smacked his forehead. "That friggin Slayer and his group are probably lounging around…"

Flonne, however, disagreed. "I don't know about that, Laharl-san. Didn't you see the pain of Jennifer-san's face?"

Flashback

"Alright everyone! Today, we're gonna storm into the Marsh of Nightmares and…STOP LAUGHING ALREADY!" Laharl, however, couldn't control them. He was announcing the target of this special 'mission'. He had already gotten rid of his 'hair-bow', but he still had the silk coat, which he needed to hide his wings. Still, this caused his own vassals to continue laughing. The childish Magic and Missile Squad, including Hiroshi, and the Earth/Netherworld Defenders were already bursting in laughter, while his more disciplined Youkai Suicide Force covered their mouths to hold their laughter in. Etna and Aramis were able to hide their laugh, but the big grins on their faces couldn't stay hidden. The only one not laughing was Flonne. She just had a cheerful smile on her cute face as always. "Okay, forget the plans! Flonne, Etna, Aramis, the Slayer of the Netherworld and his troupe, and I will go in while you guys surround the base. If needed, commence a siege on the base, got it?"

However, Steilhang couldn't hold it in anymore. "Okay…L-laharl-s-sama…prrrrt…" Soon, everyone burst into laughter once again, angering Laharl once more. Laharl began to think that wearing Flonne's silk coat might not be worth it, when suddenly, he heard a low groan. Everyone heard it, but didn't know where it was coming from, until they saw a blonde haired woman kneeling on the ground.

Gordon, concerned about her, kneeled down to check on her. "Jennifer, are you alright?"

Jennifer tried to smile a bit, trying to hide her pain. "I'm fine, Gordon. I guess I'm tired or something…"

Gordon couldn't assume whether she was telling the truth or not, but Thursday obviously knew the truth. Being concerned about his creator, Thursday turned on his scanner. "Blip beep! Scanning for any anomalies, bodily dysfunctions, or possible threats to body." Suddenly, a small alarm began to beep on Thursday. "Scan complete! Jennifer is…" However, Thursday paused as he looked at Jennifer. There was a grim look on her face as she shook her head, pleading Thursday to stop. Though he was a robot, Thursday practically had a heart and knew exactly why Jennifer doesn't want her secret to be let out. "…going to be alright. She just needs rest, blip beep."

"Are you sure?"

That's when Kurtis also noticed the pain on Jennifer's face, so he tried to reassure Gordon. "Yeah. She's going to be fine. She just needs some rest and something to eat." Kurtis was all too familiar of what Jennifer was going through, for the same thing happened to his wife…

Gordon sighed, but he agreed with them. "Fine, but I want to stay with Jennifer too. I'm not going on the mission."

As expected, Laharl did not really approve of this. "You're my vassal, Slayer! I won't allow you to get out of this even if—" However, he was interrupted by the one person who believes in love and caring.

"Laharl-san! Don't you understand that Gordon-san! is deeply concerned about Jennifer-san?"

"Shut up, Love Freak! We have to get my cape back no matter what!" Laharl shouted back at Flonne, not wanting to give in. "Besides, I have to give you back your silk coat!"

However, Flonne still rejected Laharl's demand. "You can keep it if you want, that's fine with me, but Jennifer-san is ill and Gordon-san is worried. He needs to stay by her side because…"

"…of love, right?" Flonne nodded in reply, just as Laharl expected. Laharl sighed, knowing that he was wasting his time here. "Fine, we'll leave you here, but I'm going to double your chores when I get back, got it?"

"Fine." Gordon replied. The chores didn't matter at this time. The only thing that mattered was that his sidekick was ill and he needed to be by her side.

"Well Prince, is that everything?" Etna finally asked him.

"Yeah. Let's go!"

End of Flashback

"It's a waste of time arguing about this again." Etna told the two. "We should just head to the base."

"Yeah, but we have to find it first." Laharl said.

That's when Flonne spotted something. "Hey, is that it?" Everyone turned to where Flonne was pointing. Several feet away, in the dark and damp Marsh of Nightmares, was a humongous fortress. It was a dazzling royal purple colored castle with lights strung all over it, making it illuminate in the darkness of the gloomy swamp. It was surrounded by a huge walls, but the gate seemed to be open. On top of the oddly bright fortress was a sign that read 'Welcome to Castle of Magnificence: Home of the Dark Adonis and the Mysterious Aphrodite, the Duo of Darkness and Beauty' Everyone looking at the fortress in front of them nearly fell over, though each one had a big sweat drop on their heads.

"Wow… they're arrogant, aren't they…?" Etna sarcastically said.

Laharl, of course, started to lose his patience with the two. Now that he had been made a laughing a stock thanks to their thievery, they were now mocking him by acting like fools. "Those fools are just mocking me! We'll just have to run in there and bash their heads. Remember the plan everyone. Stay outside and wait until Steilhang gives the signal. Flonne, Etna, Aramis, let's go in and kick some ass!" With everything set, Laharl charged in with Flonne, Etna, and Aramis trailing behind him. Little did they know, Mid Boss and Kirei had something in store for them.

The four demons quietly sneaked into the fortress, taking their time to see if there were any traps. They hadn't encountered anything yet, but they still took their time, knowing no demon would leave their castle unguarded. The fortress, however, looked just as magnificent as they sign said it did. The halls were coated in a royal purple gloss and everything just seemed to be beautiful…well to Flonne that is. Etna only like the place because the goods were ripe for stealing, and Laharl began to have a headache as he experienced some kind of déjà vu. Finally they reached a suspicious door. They slowly opened it to see what was inside. However, two familiar demons were waiting for them.

"Come on in!" A sassy voice called from behind the door.

However, Laharl was reluctant to charge in there, knowing that there still might be some traps. "Forget it! You're planning something, aren't you? You probably have a trap door in the floor or something."

"Prince, that's the oldest trick in the book! No one would be stupid enough to fall for it, much less use it!"

"Oh shut up, Etna!"

Soon, the sassy voice began to speak up again. "What trap? We just built this castle. We didn't even have enough time to create any traps or even get enough guards." The instant the voice finished his sentence, the door busted open, and standing in the way was Laharl, with eyes full of anger. He stared angrily at the two demons in front of him: Mid Boss and Kirei.

"You send a letter demanding that I waste my time here with no traps? What kind of demons are you?"

"A beautiful bishonen-like demon!" Mid Boss arrogantly replied. Soon, rose petals began to fall from the sky as a lively glow covered his body. "But being beautiful is too easy for moi, for I am the Dark Adonis!"

Soon, Kirei entered the fray. "And I too am beautiful! It's in my name after all (Kirei means 'beautiful' in Japanese btw). Smart, pretty, and down right sexy, I assist the lovely Mid Boss in his affairs! Who am I? I'm Kirei, the Mysterious Aphrodite!"

"And together…"

"We are…"

"THE DUO OF DARKNESS AND BEAUTY! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" In that instant, both Mid Boss and Kirei posed together as light illuminated their bodies and burst forth. Soon, some flamingo music began to play as they continued to pose until they pulled off a final pose that made the light shine at it's brightest. It was almost as if Mid Boss and Kirei were having their own concert within that room. After their little light show finally finished, Mid Boss turned to Kirei and dully asked her, "Did you have to use 'Mid Boss' again…?"

"But I like that name!"

"And I, the Overlord, gave it to you, you fool!" Laharl finally interjected, not impressed by their flashy flamboyant show. "And did you make us come here just to see your little light show?"

"Aw…but I thought it was cool!" Flonne exclaimed with the burning eyes of fan girl on her face.

"You are just stupid as they are…" Etna muttered with a sweat drop on her head.

"Let's not forget dense…" Aramis added.

"Quiet back there!" Laharl demanded. "We have something to settle!"

"Yeah, like how magnificent we are!" Kirei exclaimed as she winked at Laharl.

"NO! I'M TALKING ABOUT MY CAPE!" Laharl vented out his anger. Today was definitely not his lucky day.

"Cape? Ah yes, your cape. No wonder you were wearing that cute silk coat. I thought you were planning to cosplay the mademoiselle. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Mid Boss and Kirei began to laugh at Laharl's current attire, which of course angered Laharl very much. Now even Laharl's enemies were laughing at him.

"THAT'S NOT FUNNY! GIVE ME BACK MY CAPE NOW!" Laharl tried to go over and slice Mid Boss, but Flonne, Etna, and Aramis did their best to repress Laharl's rage.

"So you want your cape back?" Mid Boss asked him.

"YES!"

Kirei then brought out a red cloth. Pieces of it were tattered and it was extremely long, but Laharl knew what it was. It was his all too famous cape. "Okay, we'll give it back to you."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"No tricks or blackmail?"

"Of course not, that would be underhanded and dirty."

"Wow, that was easier than I thought." After Flonne, Etna, and Aramis let go of Laharl, he walked towards the two sassy demons. Flonne, Etna, and Aramis followed him. Then, a few feet away from Mid Boss and Kirei…

"Okay maybe we lied about something…" …a trap door opened in the floor. A trap door that was right under Laharl, Flonne, Etna, and Aramis' feet.

There was only one thing that Laharl could say in this situation as he hovered in the air for the remaining seconds of air time he had left. "I hate you…" In that instant, Laharl, Flonne, Etna, and Aramis fell to their doom, screaming all the way.

Mid Boss and Kirei watched the four of them fall, listening to the falling whistling sound, which ended with a loud thud. The two kept looking down that large hole, trying to spot the four. A smile crept upon their faces, confident about their opponent's abilities. This test may be one of the most difficult challenges you'll ever face. We hope…no…we are confident that you can make it through this so prove us that we are correct…Laharl, Flonne, Etna…

"Great…I fell for the oldest trick in the book…" Laharl groaned from his fall. He checked himself for any injuries, but there didn't seem to be any. However, there was an odd feeling in his body. That's when he noticed something by his feet. He kneeled down and picked it up. It looked very familiar. It pure white petals, just like… Flonne's flower… He surveyed his surroundings. There were fields of flowers, surrounded by the cherry blossom trees. Over him was the bright sun, shinning in the blue sky, which was covered in puffy white clouds. This scene was all too familiar to Laharl. That nightmare I had…

"Laharl-san…" That's when his antenna hair began to stand on it ends. The voice he heard was familiar, but it was more of a seductive coo coming from behind. Laharl feared what was coming, but decided to look anyway. What he saw was probably the thing he feared the most. It was a monster with blonde hair and red eyes with the intent of strangling him to death. Those eyes of hers spelled nothing but trouble. Her hands and legs, while soft and beautiful, were her tools to destroying purity. And then there was the greatest weapon of all. The two rounded melons that were covered by her silk coat. These features belonged to only one person.

"THE SEXY FLONNE FROM MY NIGHTMARE!" Indeed it was. Probably his biggest weakness of all time, this vision of Flonne had a much more sexier body, which included a bigger bust, and a sly seductive attitude, not to mention platitudes. Even though he conquered his weakness, he still cannot stand against the two of them together, especially since they are on Flonne. Laharl did not want to believe it. "IT'S A DREAM, ISN'T IT! TELL ME IT IS FLONNE!"

However, the wink they sexy Flonne gave didn't reassure Laharl at all. "Of course it is Laharl-kun. It is our Eternal Dream. What am I now IS exactly what you wanted."

"IT IS NOT!"

"Oh c'mon. Don't be shy, Laharl-kun. However, I think it's about time we turn this dream into a reality. After all, you don't want to be a little boy any longer."

However, the sexy Flonne was making Laharl inch away from her even more, fearing that he might lose something important to him. "N-no, that's fine!"

"It's time that you learn the true meaning of love, Laharl-kun. It's time I make you mine." There was nothing Laharl could do at this point. He was against his biggest weakness, after all. There was only one thing left for him to do.

"GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" And it was to get his ass out of there. However, if Laharl thought he could get away, he had another thing coming.

"Etna-san! Etna-san wake up!" Etna slowly opened her eyes. When her vision began to clear, she was able clearly see the boy at her side, Aramis. "Good, you're finally awake."

"Nnn…yeah…I can't believe we fell for such a clichéd trap…" Etna groaned as she tried to get herself up from the ground. That's when she noticed surroundings. "This place…" Her current environment was bleak, with no signs of life, only chaos. An occasional volcano erupted from beneath the earth. It was desolated land, that was stained by the blood of many.

"I'm just as confused as you are, Etna-san. I don't know how we got here, but this is obviously the Eternal Apocalypse." It's only been a few days, and Etna found herself back in this dreadful land of unprecedented terror.

That's when Etna noticed a couple of demons were missing as she looked around. "Hey, where did the Prince and Flonne-chan go?"

Aramis shrugged. "Sorry, but I don't know. All I know is that we were falling together and then somehow got separated."

"Well, we have to find them and get out of here!" Just as Etna was about to leave, a dreadful feeling crept up her spine. A familiar presence was lurking around the place, and it was giving Etna the chills. "Who's there?"

"It's only been a few days, and yet you have already forgotten me?" Her eyes widened for that voice was all to familiar. This mysterious figure was now standing before her with the vicious intent in his devious amber eyes. Matching his demonic appearance was his fiery red hair and blood red scarf flowing through the air. In his hand was the vicious katana, one that sliced through the bodies of many. It was the legend that caused an era of chaos to the Netherworld.

"Kuroko!" It was indeed Kuroko, the great legend that brought an era of chaos to the universe and almost destroyed Etna in battle. This demonic hitokiri was now headed toward her.

"Stay away from Etna-san!" Aramis tried to charge at Kuroko, but Kuroko simply smacked him away with his sheath. It was only one hit, but it was strong enough to knock out Aramis.

"If you value your life, you will stay still." Now Kuroko's full attention was on Etna. "Etna…this time…you WILL be mine." Rather than staying still, Etna started to run. Normally, Kuroko would easily catch her, but he decided to play along and simply walk towards her, trying prolong the torture. Etna knew exactly what was going on. It's just like the dream…if I let him catch me then…

"Nnnnn…what happened…?" Flonne's eyelids slowly opened. As she tried to pick herself up, she felt the ground. It was cold and hard like obsidian. She held her forehead, running her fingers through her blonde bangs as she tried to remember what happened. "I remember I was with Laharl-san…trying to get back his cape from Mid Boss-san and Kirei-san, then what happened? …oh yeah! We fell down that trap door!" However, Flonne noticed something as she took a glimpse of the place. "But if that's true…then…where is everyone?" Then she noticed something else. "This place! It can't be…this is the Sacred Altar…" She looked around again. It was definitely the Sacred Altar, the final chamber in Celestia where Laharl and Seraph Lamington dueled to the finish. It was the place where both Flonne and Vulcanus received their punishment and caused Laharl to draw out a vengeful monster. It was here that Flonne had been transformed into a Fallen Angel, thanks to Laharl's mercy. "But what am I doing here? I was supposed to be in the Castle of Magnificence in the Marsh of Nightmares." Suddenly, her eye spotted something. There were two figures in the distance. One was on the ground, lying in a puddle, the other was standing over him. Flonne, however, could easily recognize the standing one, for his antenna-like hair and red scarf was too much of an indicator. "Laharl-san!" Flonne ran up to the young Overlord, glad to see that he was alright, and now wearing his cape again. "Laharl-san, you defeated Mid Boss-san and got your cape back! I'm so happy for you!" However, there was no response from Laharl. It was deafly quiet. "Laharl-san...?" Flonne touched his shoulder, but Laharl forcefully shrugged it off. "Laharl-san, what gotten into you?" That's when Flonne realize what that man in the puddle was. It wasn't a puddle of water, but a puddle of blood, and that man wasn't Mid Boss. It was an angel with long silvery hair and a very baggy attire. His wings, however, were cut off, but Flonne knew exactly who it was, for this was someone she truly admired. "Lamington-sama! Laharl-san, why are you…?"

Finally, Laharl made a response, but it was one that made Flonne dread in fear. "…die…all angels…must…die…"

Flonne was utterly shocked. Not only did Laharl kill her mentor, but he was now uttering a dreadful thought. She shook Laharl, in hopes to snap him out of it. "Laharl-san, what's wrong?" Instead, Laharl pushed her away. When he faced her, she couldn't believe her eyes: Laharl's eyes had become a terrifying bloody red and his entire body glowed with an ominous aura, a rage with the intent to kill. Now, he pulled out his sword, and brandished it in front of Flonne.

"All you angels took her from me…now you must all perish…."

"But Laharl-san, it's me! Flonne!"

But not even Flonne's voice could reach him. "You're not Flonne…Flonne was an angel trainee murdered by that friggin Seraph! All I see before me is nothing but a Fallen Angel blocking my path, and since you're an angel, I WILL kill you!" Terrified of the monster before Flonne ran away from Laharl as fast as her legs could take her. However, Laharl wasn't going to let up. "I'm not letting you get away! Overlord's Wrath!" The summoned fireballs smashed a few inches in front of Flonne. The force of the attack blew Flonne backwards near Laharl. Once in range, Laharl swiped at Flonne with his sword. Flonne was able to roll out of it, but it able to nick her shoulder.

She didn't want to fight him, but there was no other choice. With Laharl's mind blocked out, her voice could not reach him. Flonne pulled out her angelic staff once again as she gripped her wounded shoulder. With no choice but to fight, Flonne charged holy energy into her hands. Once she had enough energy, she let out in numerous arrows of light. "Holy Arrows!" As just as the arrows were about to reach him, Laharl took his free hand and simply deflected the attack. His tactic surprised Flonne as her Holy Arrows simply scattered away. With Flonne distracted, Laharl charged at her grabbed her by the neck. His eyes narrowed dangerously at the young angel.

"Don't worry, I will not torture you." Laharl groaned as his body began to burn in crimson flames. "I will make this quick and painless."

Flonne stared into the eyes of her executioner. What she saw was a boy who had lost the one who touched his heart years after it was broken. The sadness of losing a love one had brought out his full rage, turning compassion into hate. However, within his rage lied the deep sadness and regret. A glimpse of the red moon was still in his eyes. It's not too late…I can still… With his grip on her neck, it became hard to speak, but she tried her best. "L-laharl-s-san…p-please…r-remember the love she showed you…"

However, it only caused Laharl to snap back at her. "Love? Love is the reason why Flonne and mom are dead! A demon like me doesn't need nor deserve love! Why should I care about it?"

"B-because…it was love…that allowed you defeat the Seraph…" Suddenly, Laharl released his grip on Flonne and clutched his forehead, crying out in pain.

"SHUT UP! I DON'T NEED ANOTHER LOVE FREAK TO TELL ME ABOUT IT! FINE, I WON'T KILL YOU! JUST LEAVE ME ALONE!" However, Flonne refused to. Instead, she brought him into a warm embrace. His face, pressed against her chest, emblazoned in confusion. Suddenly, the crimson flames started to disappear as well as the ominous glow in his skin. Then, a new type of warmth swam through his body: passion.

"Laharl-san, if you love her so much, then you will discontinue your rage. If you continue to do this, she will get upset."

"Does it even matter…?" Laharl drearily replied. "With her gone, there's nothing I can do. I'm sure I'm gonna be killed once the angels find out I've killed their Seraph. What's the point in going on with that love crap…?"

"I know how you feel…" Flonne sadly replied. "Losing a loved one would be hard on anyone…but even then, you should continue to believe in it. If you continue to bring yourself down, you'll bring down the people around you. Etna-san and all your other vassals want you to continue to rule as their Overlord. If you rule with love in your heart, you will be a great Overlord. I should know. Even though you deny it, ever since you saved my pendant, you have always fought for my sake."

At that moment, Flonne felt a tear around her chest. She looked down at Laharl. His blood red eyes were gone. What was left were the shinning red moon eyes, the pools of red that he was meant to have. "You really are the Love Freak…Flonne…"

"Don't worry, Laharl-san." Flonne reassured him. "I'm here for you." With that, she pressed Laharl against her chest, giving him a warm hug. However, even if it was Laharl, she knew that this wasn't it appeared to be. I'm beginning to remember now. About a week after the incident in Celestia, I've been having a nightmare similar to this. Laharl-san would lose control and start going on a rampage in which he killed many in his path, including myself. Every time I'd wake up, my cheeks would be damp from tears. Then, one day Laharl-san came into my room and told me…

"Look, if you stop crying, then maybe I'll tell you why I didn't lose control. As I was about to kill the Seraph, your annoying voice started ringing through my head, telling me to give your dear Seraph mercy. What I'm trying to say is that you kept me from killing him, so stop crying already and get up! I'm hungry!"

Even if Laharl-san said that to make me cook, I'm still grateful for what he said. After that, I never had these nightmares again. So maybe, the Laharl-san I'm hugging is not really him. Either way, I'm glad to help him realize who he is. He will turn out to be a great Overlord.

Suddenly, everything around her became white. Then, at that moment, Laharl uttered one last thing as a soft smile graced his lips. "Thank you, Flonne…now please go find the real me…"

Flonne opened her eyes again. This time, her surroundings were murky. In fact, she was covered in some mud, but it didn't seem to stain her clothes or hair. "Now where am I? I was just in the Sacred Altar and now I'm in this swamp." She searched for sign but there was none. It looked like Flonne lost herself, but she kept wondering how she got here. That's when she realized something. Wait, didn't the Seraph say something about this place?

'The Fountain of Dreams is one of the most mysterious places in Celestia. Those who swim in the fountain's waters allow them to feel their most precious dreams. It is place where anything a person can wish for can happen, but only within those waters. However, where there are dreams, there are nightmares, and the Netherworld has a place of its own that is opposite of the Fountain of Dreams. This place is known as…'

The Marsh of Nightmares! Of course! That's why I ended up in the Sacred Altar! It took my worst nightmare and turned it into a reality. So this must be Mid Boss-san and Kirei-san's true trap. They want to keep us in here and let our thoughts destroy us. But why…? Flonne took a minute to think about her current situation, but she couldn't make sense out of it. Was there a reason why Mid Boss and Kirei would do this to them? Then, it finally hit her. Wait, Setsuna-san said…

'Lamington-san once told me that you and Laharl-kun are the knot that will unite the two worlds. I'm here to test the power of your bond…'

It was actually Mid Boss-san that told us that…so then they must be trying to test us too! Well, it looks like I passed that one. If we want to pass this test, I must find Laharl-san, Etna-san, and Aramis-san quickly…but how? It's so dark and murky. There's no way I can find him through this place.

It was true. Her current predicament is set in place where the floor is made of mud, and it was surrounded by weeds and scary willow trees. There was hardly any light, which made it even harder to find anything. Then, something occurred to her. I can feel the power of my pendant nearby. It must be Laharl-san! I should find him first! She looked around until she found a lump of mud nearby. The shape was very familiar she couldn't be sure if it was him…that is until she saw something glowing. She could easily tell what it was. "It's the pendant! Laharl-san must be under the mud!" She tried to shake Laharl, but he wouldn't budge. The mud was too hard. "But how? I got out of my nightmare so why can't Laharl-san get out of his? …maybe…he has to conquer it in order to get out! Of course! That's how I got out of mine! Maybe if I were to help him, he might get out faster, but how do I get inside his nightmare?" Suddenly, the pendant began to glow again. A smile graced Flonne's lips, for she knew exactly what the pendant is trying to say. "Thank you for helping us so much, my pendant." Flonne then placed her hand on the pendant, and awaited the entrance to Laharl's nightmare.

"STOP IT! FOR THE LAST TIME, I DON'T HAVE FEELINGS FOR A SEXY DITZ LIKE YOU!" No matter how much Laharl yelled, the erotic Flonne before him kept inching towards him.

"Oh c'mon Laharl-san, you're going to make me cry. If you keep doing that, I may leave."

"That's exactly what I want you to do!" Laharl snapped back, backing himself against a tree.

"The more you deny your feelings the more distant I'll become, until I'll finally be gone. Is that what you really want?"

That's when Laharl was caught in total silence. Even if this was nothing but a dream, what she said could be true. If Laharl were deny his true feelings in further, he may end up losing someone so precious to him in the end. However, he felt that if kept denying his feelings, the sexy Flonne would leave him…but even though she had sexier body, he had no idea of knowing whether or not this Flonne was the real one. Suddenly a voice started ringing through his head. The voice sounded familiar, almost alluring. That's when he realized who it was.

'Laharl-san…please don't leave me…' I remember saying the same thing in my dream…it was about both my battles with the Seraph and that Dark Priest. In both those battles, Flonne was taken from me. In my battle against Seraph…I had almost lost her because of his punishment…I was only fortunate that I spared his life…but then I became even more horrified when I destroyed Setsuna…because unlike the Seraph…I was unable to bring her back…as their bodies dissipated…I saw Flonne enveloped in a strange light that pulled her away. I kept holding on…but I knew it was futile. I remember now…at the end of the dream…I said… 'Flonne…please…don't leave me…'

"No…I don't want you to leave me, Flonne. Even if this is a dream…" Suddenly, the sexy Flonne pounced on Laharl. Her body was now on top of his, sending chills down Laharl's body. "I SAID I DIDN'T WANT YOU TO LEAVE! I SAID NOTHING ABOUT LOVE OR ANYTHING!"

"Oh c'mon, Laharl-san…I told you stop denying your feelings. Just let me give you one small kiss." Laharl was about to object, but Flonne's face was getting closer to his. Soon, her lips were a few centimeters away. Laharl tried to squirm out, but he was restrained against her body. Then a sudden feeling of passion filled his entire body. Soon, he was trapped in a trance that even the Overlord could not escape from. Their faces were closing in as they chased away the distance between their lips until the impact finally occurred. However, there was something awkward about the kiss. Even though he had gotten used to Flonne's alluring scent, he knew that lips didn't feel like a soft hand. Wait a minute… That's when Laharl realized what he was really kissing. It was someone's hand, a soft one. When he looked up to see who it was, he reacted in confusion.

"Hey, how come your dream gets to be a good one, Laharl-san?" A sweet voice whined. As his eyes moved up the slender legs, he came across something that looked like a bathing suit, similar to the character who he was supposed to be kissing. The difference was that the chest area was flat. However, as his eyes moved further up, the face was the same. Those ruby red eyes, the long flowing blonde, and the big red ribbon on her head belonged to only one person.

"FLONNE? BUT I THOUGHT…THEN…WHO…WHAT…ARRRRGGGGH! WHAT'S GOING ON?"

"My my…you two were having fun…weren't you?" Even though Flonne was smiling, Laharl could tell that there was anger in her words, which was especially indicated by the popping vain on her forehead.

"YOU DITZ! HOW WAS I SUPPOSED TO KNOW THAT SHE WASN'T YOU?"

Then, the sexy Flonne interjected, entering the conversation. "Hey, that wasn't very nice! Why did interrupt our moment?" However, her only response was the real Flonne grabbing her by the tail and tossing her to the side. In response, the sexy Flonne pulled out her staff and whacked the real Flonne with it on the face. The real Flonne then pulled out her staff and began to whack the sexy Flonne repeatedly, until the Sexy Flonne pushed her off.

The ensuing cat fight only confused Laharl even more. "Before you two beat the flowers out of your heads, can you please answer my question and TELL ME WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE?"

Both Flonnes then paused for a second, and discontinued their brawl. They decided to tell Laharl what was going on…starting with the sexy Flonne. "Well, you know, after our kiss, we were about to continue with something else until SHE came!" She waved her finger at the real Flonne, who simply stared at her with a dull look on her face.

"Well, I wanted to protect Laharl-san from losing his innocence to a fake me!"

"FAKE!"

Just as the Sexy Flonne was about to burst out in anger, Laharl interjected into the conversation. "Wait, what do you mean fake?"

Now that she finally had Laharl's attention, the real Flonne told him what this place really was. "The place we're in is the Marsh of Nightmares, right? Have you ever heard of a secret place in the Netherworld that allows your nightmares to become a reality?"

Laharl thought of it for a minute, and then nodded. "Yeah, so what about it?" Then, Laharl finally got exactly what Flonne was saying. "Wait…so you're saying that this is all in my head?"

"Yeah, we're still in the Marsh of Nightmares! This is Mid Boss-san's trap!"

That's when Laharl began grit his teeth. His blood was now boiling red, which indicated by his the redness of his skin. "GRRRRRRR! FIRST MY CAPE NOW THEY'RE USING MY NIGHTMARES! I'M GONNA KILL THEM! C'MON, LET'S GET OUTTA HERE!" Just as he was about to leave, he heard some sniffling. It was coming from the Sexy Flonne. "Hey, what is it?"

"So…you're not going to stay with me?"

"Get real, Sexy Love Freak, you're not even real! The true Love Freak is the one standing next to you, since she's the one who doesn't have her silk coat and has the flattest chest!" Flonne cringed when he uttered that last comment but did her best to remain composed. "Now c'mon Love Freak!"

However, the real Flonne was reluctant to join him. Instead, she bent over to the tearful Sexy Flonne, who now had a puddle of tears around her. "You may not be the real me, but you care about him just as much as I do, don't you?"

The Sexy Flonne nodded as she used a part of her silk coat to wipe off her tears. "Yes, even if my memories are fake, I've always wanted to be with him…but now that's not possible…I keep trying show him my love…but he keeps rejecting it…"

"I really envy you, my other half." That's when the Sexy Flonne put her attention on the real one. She didn't expect such an answer to come from the real Flonne. "It's just that…unlike myself…you can clearly show your true feelings…I can't…even though I'm a Love Freak…I can never show him my love for him…I can never…"

"Don't say that!" The Sexy Flonne interjected, grabbing hold of the real Flonne's shoulders. "If I know myself, I never give up on anything, even if Laharl-san was rejecting love. I knew from the moment I declared that I would observe Laharl-san and try to change him, it was going to be a difficult mission. At one point, I almost gave up, but I kept going, and now he's feeling less resistant towards it, so please don't give up!"

Flonne couldn't believe it. She was teaching herself not to give up. It was almost confusing, but she listened to every word her counterpart said. Soon, her sweet smile graced her lips once again, and her eyes began to shine. "You're right. I should keep going no matter what happens. That's who I've been from the very beginning."

The Sexy Flonne then began to smile as well. "Good, now you'd better go." As Flonne stood up and began to follow Laharl, the Sexy Flonne stood up and called out to Laharl, "Laharl-san, please take care of my counterpart, alright? Otherwise, I'll haunt your dreams forever!"

Since Laharl did not want that to happen, he turned to the Sexy Flonne and gave her a thumbs up. "Fine…don't appear in my dreams again."

The two Flonnes giggled. Before they left, however, the Sexy Flonne ran up to them with a mischievous smile on her face, and it looked like the same one Etna has when she has a plan. Uh oh. "Oh Flonne-chan, one more thing!" Just as the Real Flonne turned to the Sexy Flonne, the Sexy one started locking lips with the Real one. Her eyes widened in both shock and insecurity as the Sexy one's tongue drove in her mouth. Rather than pulling back, the Real Flonne let her continue it for a few minutes. Laharl, on the side, watched them with widened eyes, his jaw dropped, and his face totally flushed. Though he didn't want to show it, there was something odd about that scene that made him feel a little weird. Almost as if he were…turned on by it. However, the scene he had just witnessed was probably the one thing that will haunt him forever. He had been scarred for life.

Soon, their surrounding scene turned white and then brown. Suddenly, something had risen from the mud. "YUCK! THAT WAS GROSS!" Laharl began to use the mud to wash face and eyes, hoping that it would cleanse of that scene, but all it did was make his eyes sting. "AAARRGGGH! MY EYES! THEY BLIND!" Luckily, a certain someone was around to wipe it off his face. "Oh thanks, Flonne. But seriously, did you have to do that?"

"But that wasn't my fault! She was the one who kissed me!"

"Still, that was gross!" Laharl shook his head, trying to get that awkward scene out of his mind. After finally recomposing himself, he tried to observe his surrounding. "So this is the true Marsh? The one that makes all nightmares a reality. Heh…so those fools think they can scare me into giving up? Well they have another thing coming, cuz now I'm pissed off and ready to grind them into dust!"

Of course, our love loving angel did not approve of that one bit. "Hey, that's very cruel!"

"Ugh…fine, I MIGHT grind them into dust. Better?"

"Yeah, a little better, but we still have to find Etna-san and Aramis-san."

"True…but how can we find them?" Laharl wondered. "It's not like we can find anything in this damp swamp."

"But I can feel them around here." Flonne said as she looked around for a sign. "I know they're nearby. Something is giving off some energy, so I'm able to sense it."

"Hey, you're right, but what could it be?" Laharl and Flonne kept searching for its origin. Since the place was so dark, the only thing they could use was their ability to feel the follow of energy. Then…

"Laharl-san, I found them!" Flonne called out to him.

Laharl ran near her. Suddenly, he felt a much greater concentration of energy. It had to be Etna. He looked around for the possible source, and pinpointed to two lumps of mud on the ground. However, those lumps had a very familiar shape. "That's definitely Etna and Aramis, but what could be giving off the energy?"

"It's Aetna!"

"Aetna? As in Etna's spear?"

"Yeah, it's the only item that could radiate energy like this. However, we cannot pull them out. They have to get up on their own."

"Great…who knows how long that will take." Laharl groaned, being the impatient brat he was.

"We can help them though." Flonne explained "We can enter their dreams and talk to them somehow. I can't explain how."

"Well since you were able to enter my nightmare, I'm sure we can enter Etna's. Well, let's go!"

Before Laharl could go in, Flonne stopped him to ask him a question. "Can I ask you one thing? Was that really a nightmare? I thought it was so cute!"

"WELL I DIDN'T!" Laharl snapped back. "THAT PLACE WAS HORRIBLE AND YOU WERE…WERE…"

"Cute?"

"NOOOO! I TOLD YOU ALREADY, EVEN IF I'M MORE TOLERANT OF IT, I STILL HATE SEXY BODIES, ESPECIALLY IF SOMEONE IS TRYING TO SEDUCE ME!"

However, a small giggle escaped Flonne's lips. She knew that it wasn't the whole truth. "Teehee. Are you sure? I know you said you hated it when you told me about it before, but it seemed like you really wanted it."

"MORE LIKE YOUR SEXY SELF WANTED TO DO IT! LET'S JUST GET ETNA AND ARAMIS OUTTA HERE! I'M HAVING A BAD DAY TODAY!" Ain't that the truth.

"Teehee. You're right." After composing herself, Flonne then turned to Laharl to explain everything to him. "Alright, place your hand on the spear and try to focus yourself inside of Etna's mind. Try and make yourself light headed and feel for her mind and then you should be able to enter."

"That's easy for you to say. You're the light headed one…"

"LAHARL-SAN!"

"Hey, it was just a joke. Alright, let's go." Laharl did what he was instructed to do and placed his hand on Etna's spear. Flonne did the same. What they didn't know, however, was that Etna's nightmare was possibly the most dangerous one of all, for the person they were going to meet was someone too quick to be caught and too heartless to be tamed.

No…I can't let him catch me… Etna kept pumping her legs as hard as she could, hoping to outrun Kuroko. Just about an hour ago, he appeared before her and Aramis. Aramis tried to protect her, but it was a futile effort for Kuroko simply smacked him with his sheath. Now Etna was running full speed away from Kuroko. 'I'm gonna make you mine.' That's what he keeps saying…if he catches me he'll…no, I don't even wanna think about it!

Etna kept pumping her legs as hard as she could, hoping to outrun Kuroko. Just about an hour ago, he appeared before her and Aramis. Aramis tried to protect her, but it was a futile effort for Kuroko simply smacked him with his sheath. Now Etna was running full speed away from Kuroko.

However, no matter how fast Etna ran, Kuroko was always a few steps behind her, and he was in a simple jog, unlike Etna's panicky sprint. Yes…keep running…it'll make it more enjoyable when I catch you. And so, Kuroko continued his game of cat-and-mouse.

Suddenly, Etna started to remember something. It something that she had forgotten long ago, back when her father was still alive. It was something that she thought she would never say…

"Father?"

"Yes Etna?"

"Why does everyone hate the legendary Kuroko so much? I mean, he was out to destroy the angels that look down on us."

"Not just angels. Us demons as well. You see, he was fighting to control everything. The Netherworld, Celestia, Earth…he fought so he could become the ruler of all by having the three worlds destroy each other. That is why he is looked down by the Overlord, the Seraph, and many others."

"But…it's because of him that there's no more fighting…shouldn't he be thanked for that?"

"You're so naïve, Etna-chan, but please don't let your grandfather hear of that. He'll have a fit once he finds out. After all, he is the…"

Why did I say that about him? Why am I always thinking about him? Why… Suddenly, Etna began to stagger until she fell onto the cold ground of the Eternal Apocalypse. She tried to get up and run away, but there was already someone standing in front of her. The devilish demon with the glowing amber eyes.

"Do you give up now?" Kuroko devilishly grinned at his victim. Etna grabbed her spear, but Kuroko had his foot on it, preventing her from using it. "Would you like me to destroy it again?" After all the work they put into fixing it, she did not want to destroy her father's memento again. Instead, she tried to crawl away, but Kuroko stepped on her tail, making her wince in pain. "Sorry, but you won't be escaping this time." Then, with his sword, Kuroko sliced off Etna's ribbons, allowing her hair to flow freely once again. Kuroko now had Etna exactly where he wanted her. The normally arrogant and confident vassal had lost all confidence, her eyes showing nothing but fear. However, Kuroko's eyes were filled with devious intent. He was almost pleased to see her cowering like this. He bent over to Etna and used his thumb and his pointer finger to hold her chin, forcing her to look into his demonic amber eyes. "There is no escaping it, Etna. I want you, you want me. No matter how scared you are, I know that there is something you want from me. I can give it to you right now, just close your eyes and relax yourself."

Etna shyly looked turned her head away from him. "I-I can't…" Her voice sounded awkwardly timid, which was definitely a first for Etna.

However, Kuroko forced her to turn her head back to him so she could stare him in the eyes. "Don't deny it any longer. In just a few minutes, everything will be a dream, and your true desire will be revealed. Now…" Suddenly, Kuroko face started moving closer towards hers. Etna began shriek and resist, but she couldn't stop him. Everything was going to be taken by legend himself. She truly was going to be his. His face chased away the distance, and soon impact finally occurred. Etna tried to pull away from insecurity as part of her innocence began to leave her. However, he had a firm grip on her and couldn't leave. In addition, a new tingling sensation surged throughout her body. Before she knew it, she began returning the favor by letting her tongue tangle with his. The taste caused them to drive the kiss into a deeper and more passionate one. Soon, her reluctance waned, and soon, she became a slave to her own body. Finally, their lips parted. Kuroko's eyes haven't changed, but Etna's have, now that they were filled with nothing but passion and worst of all, lust. Kuroko's torture wasn't over yet. "Good, now relax, Etna-chan, you'll be feeling more later." Kuroko's hand began to message Etna's back, causing her to moan. He kept messaging her until she found he placed a hand on one of the straps of her bra. There was no escaping it. In a few seconds, she was going to belong to him. She awaited for her true defeat…but then…

"AWOOOOOOOOOOO!" Before Kuroko could do anything, all his movements had been restrained. Unlike before, Etna knew exactly what was holding him back, for there was only one type of demon that could make a low growling sound.

"Etna-san, are you alright?"

A smile graced Etna's lips, for she knew exactly who her savior was. "You get an F for efficiency, but I have to give you an A+ for perfect timing, Aramis!" Once again, Aramis had saved Etna, and in the nick of time as well.

However, the low chuckle coming from Kuroko meant that it wasn't even over yet. "Hehehe…you're not gonna defeat me this time. You only have one zombie on me. What can you do with one zombie?"

"This! Hidden Zombie technique: Poison Spike Trap!" At Aramis command, the zombies stomach all of a sudden began to sprout spikes, and since that zombie was clutching Kuroko, each and every one of those spikes stabbed him with a deadly force. Etna in awe watched as more spikes began to sprout and pierce Kuroko with every stab, for this is the first battle Aramis truly participated in. Aramis, confident that his zombie was locked onto Kuroko, felt that he could really defeat him.

However that confidence waned the minute Kuroko freed his hand and grabbed the hilt of his sword. In an instant, his blade reduced the zombie into pieces of meat on the ground. Since zombies usually come back to life when they are cut, Aramis didn't have to worry about his zombie. However, Kuroko was now free to dash anything into cold cuts. "You're making me mad, kid. I showed you mercy and now you come and attack me? You'll regret ever crossing me!" Now that Aramis had double crossed him, Kuroko was in full rage. He was now dashing towards Aramis, ready to end the child's life. "Once I'm through with you, I'll cut you up so much that no one will be able to recognize your carcass!"

However, Aramis tried to remain calm, despite his knowledge of Kuroko's legendary power. He knew he had to make a quick decision, and this was it. Time to pull out my trump card. Then, Aramis put his lips together and whistled into the air. By the command of the high pitched sound, two zombies appeared by his side, ready to obey his command. "Alright zombies, attack Kuroko and give him no chance to retaliate!" Then in that instant, the two zombies charged at Kuroko at full speed.

Kuroko, of course, did not think of his opponent summoning ability as a threat. "More zombies for me to kill! You're only delaying the inevitable, kid! Watch as I tear these two apart! Serpent Blade!" With his katana in his hand, Kuroko sliced at the air, sending energy in the form of a blade at one of the zombies. The attack connected and soon, that zombie was sliced in half. Despite that, Aramis' confidence didn't seem to falter. "No matter what zombie you put out, I'll continue to take them out one by one. Go ahead, send your next zombie so I can continue dicing them!" Etna, however, started to worry about Aramis, for she knew that if Kuroko got in too close, he would have absolutely no chance. Aramis, stop it. You can't beat him alone, and my spear is too far from me. If you die…I'll… Suddenly, a flash of light began to shine in the sky. The light illuminated the murky skies of the Eternal Apocalypse and stopped Kuroko in his tracks. Before he could contemplate on what it was, a loud voice echoed throughout the skies.

"Holy Arrows!" At that moment, Kuroko a stinging pain surged throughout his body as arrows of light pierced him. He started clench his teeth, knowing that Aramis wasn't really alone. Etna, then, started realize who it was as a figure started to fall from the sky. She was angel yet a demon, but was also the one who came to aid her friend. "Etna-san, are you alright?"

"I already asked that, you blonde ditz…" Aramis dully said.

"Hey, I'm just as concerned as you are, Aramis." A sweet voice scolded the young demon boy.

A small giggle escaped Etna's lips, knowing that the Fallen Angel had aided her once again. "Don't worry, Flonne-chan. I'm alright! Are you?"

Flonne happily nodded towards Etna. "I'm fine, Etna-san!"

That's when Kuroko came to one realization as the second zombie grabbed him. "Wait…if that zombie was that damn Fallen Angel in disguise, then does that mean…?"

However, Kuroko was interrupted by a fiery glow coming from the zombie, which started chuckle. He was about to get his answer. "The kid is not alone, cuz now the Overlord has come to beat your ass down again! Blazing Knuckles!" In that instant, a wave of fire engulfed Kuroko as his body went flying through the air. The zombie that hit him, began to crumble, and standing in his place was none other than the Overlord of the Netherworld, Laharl. Kuroko landed on his feet, but had taken heavy damage from Laharl's attack. He narrowed his eyes at the Overlord, who only seemed to smirk at him. "You may have been a formidable opponent, but there is no way a fake can defeat me."

Those few words caught Etna's full attention. "Fake? This Kuroko is a fake?"

"Etna-san, we are not really in Eternal Apocalypse." Aramis explained to his superior. "When Kuroko hit me, I was knocked out for several minutes until Flonne came and healed me. Then, the Overlord told me what was really going on: what we are experiencing is our dreams and nothing more. Everything here was created from our deepest darkest nightmares and brought to life. In reality, we are still in the Marsh of Nightmares!" Etna's eyes flew wide open. All this time, the demon who kissed her was nothing but a fake. She almost wanted to scream, for she felt that her emotions had betrayed her into thinking the devious demon was attempting to please her. Her anger was rising…

Kuroko, however, did not notice it and continued to glare at Laharl. "Whether I am a fake or not is none of your concern!" At that moment, Kuroko accelerated towards Laharl at a vicious speed. Nothing could stop him from unleashing his terror upon the Overlord. "Once I'm through with you, it won't even matter!" Suddenly, just a few feet from Laharl, he felt a stinging pain in his stomach. He glanced downward. What he saw were numerous fiery energy arrows piercing his abdomen. He turned his body towards the one who would bring the end of the nightmare. "ETNA!"

Etna simply winked at her opponent. "Sorry, but like I have said a million times 'come at me with a better pick up line'! Chaos Impact!" Kuroko experienced déjà vu as Etna fiery orb of destruction slammed into Kuroko. The impact rocked the entire Eternal Apocalypse as the energy radiated outwards into the sky. Soon, the murky Eternal Apocalypse was no more. It was replaced with an infinite white background and soon…

"Looks like we're finally out of that nightmare…" Etna murmured as she surveyed her surroundings. They had once again returned to the swampy grounds of the Marsh of Nightmares.

"And it looks we're all back together again!" Flonne cheerfully exclaimed.

"And now we can finally beat those fools asses to the ground!" Laharl angrily shouted into the air, the fire replacing his eyes. With the nightmares finally over, it was time for him to do what he came here to do: get back his cape.

"You know, we have to find a way out of here first…" Aramis muttered. They all looked around, seeing nothing but swamp. Since continuing onward would be impossible without finding a way out, they all agreed to search for an exit.

As they searched, Flonne ran over to Aramis and asked, "How come your nightmare was the same as Etna-san's?"

Aramis hesitated for a moment. His face was a little red, but he decided to answer Flonne. "Well, when I thought about how Etna-san was originally fighting Kuroko, I was getting worried about her. Even though she is stronger than I am, I couldn't help but worry, and soon, those formed into nightmares…"

Unfortunately for Aramis, Laharl was able to pick on the conversation. The odd face he was making did not make Aramis feel any better. "That's disgusting…a kid like you falling for someone like Etna."

Aramis' blush only brightened. "S-stupid, why are you suggesting something like that?"

However, Aramis' comment only seemed to anger Laharl. "STUPID? HOW DARE YOU TALK TO ME LIKE THAT!"

"Well, it's only right for him to say that to you." Etna slyly said, with that ol' twinkle in her eye. "You shouldn't be eavesdropping on other's conversations."

"THAT'S VERY FUNNY COMING FROM YOU, ETNA! YOU KEEP SUGGESTING THAT ME AND FLONNE ARE A COUPLE!"

"And I'm sure I'm right." Etna replied back, poking her head forward and grinning at Laharl. "After all, if the Marsh of Nightmares used your worst nightmare, then I'm sure you experienced those naughty thoughts again." Before Laharl could open his mouth, Flonne responded to Etna.

"It wasn't actually naughty. His nightmare actually had a cute flowery field with me in it…of course there was some alterations to me but yeah!" Both Etna and Aramis set their eyes on Laharl and Flonne with huge grins on their faces. Flonne had just blurted out the one thing Laharl would never ever let out.

"YOU LOVE FREAK! WHY THE HELL DID YOU TELL THEM?"

"But it's the truth!"

"So there was some alteration to Flonne-chan, eh? I can't wait to hear the rest of it." Etna's grin grew larger by the second. Now she had a lot more to tease Laharl about, and Flonne was going to tell her the rest.

However, Laharl had a comeback of his own. "Yeah, well I can't wait to tell everyone that you like that demon hitokiri!"

Suddenly, Etna's grin turned into a frown. Laharl had turned the tables and Etna was now on the receiving end. "You wouldn't dare…"

"Ha! You admitted, you fool!" Just as another big argument was about to erupt, Flonne called out to them.

"Everyone, I found the exit!" Everyone now placed their full attention on Flonne, only to find that she wasn't even there. She called out to them again. "I'm down here." They did as she instructed. What they found was Flonne standing in a hole, right next to a door. On top of that door was a sign that read in bold letters 'Exit'. The other three demons nearly fell over, wondering how they could've missed such a thing. Now that they have found the exit, it was finally over. All they needed to do was get the cape back and then go back home.

On their way to the door, Etna whispered to Laharl, "Hey Prince, let's make a deal. I don't tease you about your nightmare, and in return you can't tease me, deal?"

Laharl, however, let out a sigh. "Why am I afraid of making a deal with you…? Well, whatever, fine, but you'd better stop teasing me from now on, got it?"

"Yup."

Meanwhile…

"Sir, we have confronted the Overlord's vassals and have taken action!" A male hero reported to his superior as he entered the room. "We will make sure they don't enter the castle."

His superior smirked as he wiped off the wine on his lips. "Well done Youkai. Once again, you have served as well." The demon then tossed his violet hair over his shoulders. His superior was none other than Mid Boss, sitting at the dinner table with his lovely partner, Kirei. Mid Boss then snapped his fingers towards Youkai, motioning him to come over. "Now, please join us in our feast."

Youkai, however, got onto one of his knees and bowed to his superior. "I am sorry Adonis-sama, but my little brother's forces are much stronger than we thought. I must get back and aid my fellow comrades."

"You and your brother, Steilhang, are so modest." Kirei giggled, with a wine glass in her hand. "You are so loyal and are always helping us in our cause. However, you are our soldier, not a slave. It wouldn't be fair if you didn't get a reward. We have treated all your other friends, please partake in this feast."

The male hero, however, kindly refused. "I'm sorry, but I must help my friends out. I will take a drink from the refrigerator as my reward, if you don't mind that is."

"Of course we don't. Go ahead."

"Thank you, Adonis-sama and Aphrodite-sama." Youkai then hurried off towards the refrigerator to grab his drink. Then, as he opened the door, his eyes began to bulge. Apparently, he saw something in that refrigerator that didn't belong there. He then slowly closed the door and turned towards his superiors. "Um…Adonis-sama…?"

"Yes, Youkai?"

"…I think…someone wants to see you…"

"DAMN RIGHT HE DOES!" Suddenly, the refrigerator exploded, sending the hero flying across the room. Luckily, Mid Boss was there to catch him. However, Mid Boss and Kirei's fridge had exploded into millions of pieces, with the smoke taking its place. Soon, several silhouettes began to form within the smoke. "You're not getting away this time! No more of your lame excuses! So you think you can use my nightmares against me? Well, now you'll be facing the greatest nightmare you'll ever face, for am I Laharl, Overlord of the Netherworld! Hmhmhm…hmhmhmhm…HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" The silhouette disappeared and soon, Laharl stepped out of the rubble. The other silhouettes, could not handle the smoke as they tumbled out of the rubble and began to cough. Definitely not a good thing for Laharl. "YOU CALL THAT AN ENTRANCE?"

"I'm sorry, Laharl-san…" Flonne coughed. "There's just too much smoke…" Laharl could not argue with that. The smoke was a little too much for them to handle.

That's when Mid Boss began to laugh. "HAHAHAHAHAHA! You cannot threaten moi with a failed entrance and that costume!"

Being reminded of his current attire only pissed off Laharl even more. "THAT WAS YOUR FAULT! YOU STOLE ME CAPE!"

"Here we go again…" Etna dully said.

"Well if you wanted your cape, you didn't need to threaten us." Kirei told the young Overlord, hold the cape in her hands. She then tossed it to Laharl. "Here you go!"

Laharl caught the cape, but he still had a funny feeling about this. "Wait, we don't have to fight you for it?"

Mid Boss waved his hand in front of him, signaling a negative. "Nope. There's no need."

Any normal person would be overjoyed to get their prized possession back without any confrontation. However, Laharl was not a normal person, for this only pissed him off even more. "SO WE WENT THROUGH ALL THAT MESS WHEN YOU COULD'VE SIMPLY GIVEN IT BACK?"

"Yup."

Laharl's rage had finally erupted. The fire was blazing all over his body. "I WANT A BATTLE NOW! FACE ME, YOU FOOLS!"

"Normally I would." Mid Boss said with a smirk on his face. "However…let us all dine on this feast! It's been awhile since we've had company!" He extended his hands over the lavish dining table, filled to the brim with all kinds off food. The type of food not even the Overlord's Castle could contain.

Kirei was just as chipper as he was. "Yeah, I made all this food myself. I don't want it to go to waste."

Laharl, however, wasn't going to fall for it. "Nice try, but you're not tricking us this time, right guys?" Flonne, Etna, and Aramis, however, could not resist themselves. They all headed for the dinner table and began to eat. "WHAT ARE YOU FOOLS DOING? STOP EATING AND AID YOUR OVERLORD!" No matter how many time Laharl scolded them, they could not obey. The spread looked too delicious and the taste seemed to match.

"Come on, Prince!" Etna called out Laharl, happily munching on a rice ball. "It's just too good!"

"I'm gonna pass, thank you very much!" Laharl arrogantly replied. He pulled out his sword and brandished it viciously in front of Mid Boss. "I'm gonna destroy this fool and then take all the goods! We can bring the food back to the castle later if you love it so much!"

"But I need to know the recipe!" Flonne happily replied as she took a piece of cake. She then turned to Kirei with a favor in mind. "You must tell me how you did all this! It's so delicious!"

"Thank you, Flonne-chan." Kirei politely replied, letting out a small giggle. "I'll tell you everything."

"GRRRRRR…STOP EATING ALREADY AND HELP ME DESTROY THEM!"

However, when Flonne came up to Laharl, she was armed with only a sundae in her hands. "Please Laharl-san, you should try it!" Before Laharl could object, Flonne stuck a spoon full of ice cream into Laharl's mouth. Laharl was about to yell again, until he finally started to taste it. A satisfied 'mmmmm' escaped his mouth as he savored every last bit of it. When he finally swallowed the delicacy, Flonne asked the demon, "Well, what do you say?"

Defeated by the taste of Flonne's sundae, Laharl let out a long sigh. "I guess I can't win…fine…let's eat!"

After Laharl finally gave up his resistance, Mid Boss ordered Youkai to bring in all of Laharl's vassals so they could share the meal together. Soon, the dining room was filled with noise as all the demons ate their fill. Laharl remained wary, feeling that there was still one more trick Mid Boss and Kirei had planned, but nothing was happening. Also, the food made it harder for Laharl remain vigilant, and so he gave up and continued to eat with his fellow comrades. In addition, everyone was hungry since none of them had anything to eat the entire day. In the end, everyone was a winner, and filling their stomach was, in a way, their reward.

Soon night began to fall and everyone started to feel sleepy. It was expected, though, since Laharl and his vassals had been out all day without any rest or food. In addition, since the Julietta, Laharl's female cleric and dimensional gatekeeper, was already out of energy, she could not summon a dimensional portal back to the castle, and it was already too dark to travel back anyway.

Being the caring hostess she was, Kirei gave Laharl and his troop an offer they possibly couldn't refuse. "You all look so tired. Why not spend the night here? We got enough room."

However, Laharl continued to resist the duo's graces. "Alright, maybe you didn't set anything with the meal, but there's no way I'm sleeping here! You're properly buttering us up so we can let our guard down and then attack in our sleep!"

"Do you really thinking I'm so conniving? Moi?"

"YES!"

Before Laharl could say anything, a small hand touched his hand. It felt soft and warm. It gave off such a comforting feeling. He turned to side, seeing the young angel next to him. "Laharl-san, I know that you can't trust them, but everyone is so tired. Couldn't you just try to accept their grace?"

Laharl, however, smacked his forehead in disgust. "You know sometimes you are incredibly gullible, Love Freak…but I guess we have no choice. Everyone's too tired anyway, but everyone has to keep their guard up, alright?" Everyone nodded to Laharl as they all yawned, indicating their current insomnia.

Later, inside Laharl, Flonne, Etna, and Aramis' temporary room, Laharl took off the silk coat that had draped his shoulders since morning and handed it to it's true owner, Flonne. "Here, thanks for letting me borrow…I guess."

A smile graced her lips as Flonne let out a giggle. "Tee hee. I'm just glad I could help. I'm sorry if it caused any trouble."

"Heh…it wasn't your fault." Laharl casually replied.

"Trying to act cool again, Prince? You know, it would be a lot better if you told her about your feelings."

Normally, Laharl would've snapped back at Etna, but he was too tired to do anything. After all, he had a really bad day. "Geez…even if I know one of your secrets, you still continue to annoy me…" Etna chuckled to herself. Then, Laharl to fix his cape…only to end up tangled in it. "AARRRGH! I CAN'T BELIEVE I CAN'T PUT IT BACK ON!"

"How the hell did you get it on in the first place…?" Aramis finally spoke out.

"Well it's been awhile since I took it off, and the last time I had to place it back on was when Mom was alive. And no…I'm not a momma's boy…it's just that…" Before Laharl could say anything else, he felt a warm cloth drape his shoulders, wrapping around his neck until it nearly reached his chin. He checked to see what was put on him, only to realize that his cape was around his neck once again. Though he felt joyful inside, Laharl simply let out a sigh. "Thanks Flonne, but I'm sure I could've figured it out myself."

"Eh? I didn't help you put on your cape."

"You didn't? Then who did?"

"Don't look at me, Prince."

As the three contemplated on the current situation, the Mysterious Aphrodite, Kirei, peered into the room, watching every moment of their time. In her mind, she was enjoying the scene in front of her. The three began to argue, but their bodies were tuckered out from everything that occurred today, so they decided to go to bed. Laharl tried to glance around the room to see if there was anything suspicious, only to find nothing. He, the last person awake in the room, got into bed and closed his eyes, drifting into slumber. Seeing the young Overlord sleep, brought a sudden nostalgia to Kirei, as her cunningly devious eyes suddenly became warm and comforting. Like those of a mother…

"Are they sleeping?"

"Yes, kioshii."

"They've had a rough day. They deserve the rest."

"Yeah…"

"Hm? Is there something wrong?"

"No, it's just that…it's been awhile since I've seen my son…sleep together with someone."

"Yeah, I know. Well, we must retire for tonight."

"Right. Good night, kioshii."

Later that night…

Laharl…

Eh? Who the hell is trying to wake me up at this hour?

Laharl…

Yeah, what do you want?

Meet outside…we have things to discuss…

After grabbing his sword, Laharl got out of bed and headed for the door. He hadn't had much sleep, so he was pissed to find someone waking him at this hour. Yes…we do have things to discuss…like how to beat your ass for waking me up… Before he left the room, he glanced over to Flonne, who was fast asleep. Her unbearably cute snore escaped her lips with every breath. Those very same lips were curved into a smile, indicating nothing but pleasant thoughts in her sleep. Laharl obviously did not want to know what those pleasant thoughts were, but he walked over to Flonne and softly whispered in her ear, "Sweet dreams, Flonne." Laharl began to smile as he watched Flonne's smile widen. Now that Flonne was fast asleep, Laharl headed out the door in order to meet his next broken alarm clock.

After going through a few doors, Laharl found himself within the castle walls. The gate leading to the outside had been closed off, possibly to block out any intruders, though Laharl kept thinking it was an attempt to keep him inside. His paranoia hasn't left yet. However, that wasn't on his mind. What he needed to know is who the hell was calling him. "Alright, whoever you are, get out here and say something?" And soon enough, he was about find out…

"So you're Overlord Laharl? You're a lot more childish than I thought."

A vein began to pop on Laharl's head, hearing himself being reduced to a small child. "HOW DARE YOU SAY THAT ABOUT ME! WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU ARE!" Almost instantly, a figure appeared before him. It appeared to be a young boy wearing a white vest and baggy pants. His shoulder length hair was like pure snow with his bangs plastered over his forehead, but it did not match his other features. His skin was tanned and those amber eyes his contained nothing but a malicious intent. While Laharl had no idea who this boy was, he could already tell what he was from the looks of his pure white wings. "A-an angel?"

"You act like you've never seen an angel before…" The angel mockingly replied, causing Laharl to explode.

"DO YOU DARE MOCK THE OVERLORD!"

"What Overlord? All I see is a bratty demon who can't keep his mouth shut." His comment nearly pushed Laharl off the deep end. The boy, luckily, kept him under control. "I'm sure you don't want to wake anyone, so I advise to keep quiet. This is between you and me."

Laharl gritted his teeth, but he knew the boy was right. Waking everyone else up would make the situation worse, and since he's already been through a lot, he decided to calm himself down. After finally composing himself, Laharl asked the boy, "Now what do you want? Make it good, cuz if this isn't important, then I'm gonna kick your ass all the way Celestia."

Then, the boy's amber eyes began to narrow with much seriousness in his tone. "Yes, it's very important. I demand that you stay away from Fallen Angel Flonne." Laharl's widened as the boy mentioned Flonne's name. He couldn't believe that the boy knew Flonne and was telling him to stay away from her. Laharl's eyes began to narrow, for he too had a serious expression on his face. "I know that you've known Flonne-chan for quite awhile, but I'm warning you right now, so do as I say."

However, his warning did nothing to Laharl but cause his anger to rise. His fist burned brightly as his crimson flames covered his fist.. "If you think I'm gonna simply stay away from her, then you have another thing coming. I've had quite a bad day today, so I don't mind kicking anyone's ass. Now leave my sight before I make you crawl on the floor!"

"I'd like to see you try…" The boy's taunt had pushed Laharl to his limit.

"THAT'S IT! YOU'RE GONNA REGRET EVER SAYING THAT TO ME! TAKE THIS! BLAZING KNUCKLES!" With his fist ablaze, Laharl darted towards the angel, ready to smash his face for being so rude to him. However…

"Holy Saber Blade…" Laharl's charge was disrupted by the angel's own attack: a flurry of energy blades slicing up Laharl's body. It had only been a few seconds, but the flying energy blades had caused much damage to Laharl, especially since he hasn't had any rest. Knowing that his opponent was going to be much harder to defeat, Laharl prepared himself for the worst. Then…

"Laharl-san!" That voice caused Laharl to move his attention toward the door, where Flonne had stepped out. As she ran towards Laharl, he saw a worried look on her face. "Laharl-san, why are you awake? What going o?" Before she could say anything else, her caught a glimpse of the angel. A sharp gasp escaped her lips as she covered her mouth in surprise. After all this time, the one she had been waiting for had come. "Yuki-san…"

It was at that moment that Laharl started to become surprise as he heard Flonne utter that name. "Yuki…? You mean this is the friend you were talking about…?"

"A friend, huh…?" Though he was standing around for a few minutes, Yuki had already turned to leave the castle. Flonne tried to stop him, but Yuki simply turned his head and smiled at her. "Don't worry, I'll be coming back sooner than you think. Good bye, Flonne-chan…and you too, Overlord Laharl…" He gave Laharl an evil look and then disappeared.

Laharl stomped his feet in anger. He couldn't believe that Flonne's friend would actually try to kill him, not to mention force him away from Flonne. "Damn that stupid angel! When he comes back, I'll make sure and destroy him!" However, the next thing that Flonne uttered nearly caused Laharl's recently mended heart to shatter…

"Laharl-san…don't talk about him like that…don't be mean to him…"

Those words grabbed Laharl's heart and nearly tore it apart. Despite the trouble Yuki had caused for him, Flonne supported Yuki rather than him. With everything that happened today, Yuki's appearance and Flonne's betrayal drove him over his limit. Laharl felt like he had lost everything. An ominous aura surrounded his entire body. Then, with great ferocity in his voice, he roared:

"YOU FRIGGIN LOVE FREAK! DIDN'T YOU JUST SEE WHAT HE DID TO ME? HE WOKE ME UP AND SAID SOME NASTY SHIT ABOUT ME AND ALMOST KILLED ME! WHY THE HELL ARE YOU ON HIS SIDE? FLONNE! FLONNE! ANSWER ME, FLONNE!"

To be continued…


Next episode (channel 13)

Etna: Welcome to another installment of Etna…

Jennifer: …and Jennifer…

Aramis: …and Aramis'…

Etna, Jennifer, and Aramis: …NETHERWORLD TELEPHONE SHOPPING NETWORK!

Etna: Today's item is a once in a lifetime find: Seraph Lamington's Hummer!

Seraph: Hey!

Etna: The greatest of all vehicles! This baby will get you places if you're too weak to summon a dimensional portal!

Aramis: Yup, it's much better than letting those unruly beasts of burden slowly drag their feet! You won't go wrong with this vehicle!

Jennifer: In addition, there is no need for fossil fuel, since this was created by Celestian magic. You will need to occasionally ask a Celestian to fill it up though.

Etna: Ssssh…don't tell them that. So now you can get this nifty vehicle…

Jennifer: …this nifty Celestian…

Flonne: KYAAAAAAAH! ETNA-SAN, GET ME DOWN FROM HERE!

Aramis: And this cool looking blade!

Kuroko: THAT'S MY SWORD!

Etna, Jennifer, and Aramis: FOR ONLY FIVE BILLION HL! THAT'S RIGHT! ONLY FIVE BILLION HL!

Laharl: …always have to be a thief, Etna…


It's about time I finished this chapter. Now we can finally the whole story behind my most mysterious character, Yuki. Once again, I appreciate all the support I've been getting. So far, I've only gotten one person who would like to see a fic for the Great Betrayal, so I'm still waiting for more support for it.

Originally, there was supposed to be a battle between Laharl and Mid Boss, but I decided to cut that out since the chapter was getting waaaaay too long. Also, I wanted to go back to humor to make it a bridge to the climax, so yeah, the calm before the storm (much better than my last calm before the storm ala episode 7). The whole thing with the wings was something I thought of after seeing a couple of pics (Including Takehito Harada's concept art for Laharl) where you got to see Laharl's wings, which were very dinky. I thought it'd be funny if Laharl were to wear Flonne's silk coat, plus it would give Laharl a reason to go see Mid Boss and Kirei. The whole nightmare thing was more or less an attempt at closure for Laharl's nightmare as well as to show more of Flonne's feeling toward Laharl and foreshadow an upcoming event and even show a possible love triangle between Etna, Kuroko, and Aramis. Originally the whole Etna/Kuroko thing was not going to happen, but that part where I had Kuroko caress Etna's cheek with his blade kept ringing in my head until I finally decided to make Etna develop some sort of crush on him. That part with Etna's father was random so please don't pay any mind to it (but you may wanna pay attention to that last part about her grandfather cuz it will tie into an upcoming fic). Of course, this chapter was another attempt at more Laharl/Flonne, with addition of when Flonne really started falling in love with Laharl, so I choose the part with the most tension between them: the reincarnation episode. I think it came out much better than I expected it to. Btw, I have already drawn a couple of Disgaea pics on fanart central so you might wanna check them out. One of them is a pic of Setsuna, Kuroko, and Chiriko, so you might wanna check that pic out if my description of the three wasn't good enough. It's under the artist name burnfist23 (JUST LIKE MY PENAME!)

Anyway, we have finally arrived at the climax. Yuki's sudden appearance has broken Laharl's heart and has forced him and Flonne apart from each other. Can this broken bond be repaired? CLIFFHANGER!