Chapter III: Atonement and Whining

His long, azure locks flowing in the wind, the man stared out the window of the Lezareno Company's president's room. The man wore a blue jacket and tan pants, creating a suit fitting of the president of Lezareno. What was strange was that, besides his ornate suit, he also wore a pair of handcuffs around his hands. A woman, not much shorter than him, walked up behind him. "Regal," she said, placing her hand on his shoulder, "let it go."

Regal turned to look at her, and took a deep breath, "I can't, Presea."

The woman folded her arms around her own purple suit and thought for a moment. "Regal," she began, "you and I have been friends for a long time—it's been almost ten years since we first met—and I'm going to tell you again: you can take those handcuffs off now."

Regal turned away in shame, "No, I can't, Presea." He lifted his hands into the air, allowing the setting sun to reflect dramatically off the steel, and he spoke, "These are the symbol of my crime…"

Suddenly, Presea looked very annoyed and pulled at her pigtails. She stopped, and took a deep breath in attempt to calm down. "Regal, it's okay, I forgive you for spilling the coffee on Mr. Snookums."

The president of the Lezareno Company dropped to his knees and lifted his head to the sky, and anguished, "Oh God, forgive this sinner for such a heinous crime! ANGST!" He then lowered his head to the floor and began pounding his hands against it. Presea smacked her forehead. She stood there for a moment before she saw their guests arrive.

"You're late," she said.

Yuan landed on the floor and brushed off his shoulders, "Sorry about that, but Mr. and Mrs. Vain had stop and stare at themselves in the ocean." He glared daggers at his companions.

"What, the Chosen's gotta look good, doesn't he?"

Mithos stood there defensively, returning Yuan's glare, "Which of us is the Mrs.?"

"You choose, Ms."

"Oh, in that case-" Mithos stopped himself as he thought about what Yuan had said. "Hey!" Yuan snickered.

During the exchanged, Regal had regained his composure and was dusting himself off. He approached the angels, "What is it that you need?"

"We're going to need disguises; we're going to infiltrate Castle Raptor," Yuan explained.

"I thought your names were your disguises," Regal said, "Though I'm not surprised, every single one you two have come up with has referred to one of the Four Seraphim. Heck, you even called yourselves the 'Kratosian Rangers'! I can't imagine that went well for your inside man."

"No, no it didn't. Now, are you going to help us or not?"

"Of course, how else am I to atone for my other crimes?" Regal held up his handcuffs and the light dramatically reflected off of them again, "How much longer must I keep up this charade! How much longer must I financially back a demon! ANGST!" Once again, he fell to his knees and began to pound the floor.

Mithos shook his head, "So much teenage angst for a guy in his early thirties…"

"I know," Presea said, "When you've known him for as long as I have, you get used to it."

Yuan rubbed his chin, "How often does break down like this?"

"Oh, at least ten or so times a day? Why?"

The three angels looked appalled, "How on Tethe'Alla do you keep employees then?" Zelos asked.

"Don't know."

In the lobby of the Lezareno Company, the receptionists were attempting to work over the racket coming from the president's office. "Diane," a man asked the receptionist next to him, "We have got to get out of here! Every freakin' day, that guy bangs the floor and yells! It's driving me nuts!"

"ANGST!" Regal yelled from above.

"You see!" said the man, frantically clawing at his head, "You see! We've got to leave!"

The woman, who was chewing gum, only looked at her co-worker and said, "Not leaving."

"What the- Why?"

"Dental plan."

"Dental plan?" asked the man, madness creeping across his face, "Dental plan! No dental plan is worth this hell!"

"OH GOD, ANGST!" yelled Regal once more.

"Shut up! SHUT UP!"

"Bob," said Diane as she picked up a piece of paper from her desk, "Have you seen the dental plan?"

"No, but I can assure you that-" he was interrupted by a paper being thrust into his face. As he read it, and his face gradually transitioned from psychotic anger into sheer amazement. "You have got to be- This is so-" He put it down, looked to the sky, and began to cry. "Oh… my… God… It's so… so amazingly beautiful!"

"Told you," Diane said, spitting out her now tasteless gum and taking out another stick from her pocket.

Yuan simply looked at the company head before asking, "How long until he calms down?"

Presea shrugged her shoulders, "I don't know, but my guess is on another minute or so."

"Any chance you could show us where we can get our disguises so we can get this over with?"

"I could, but I have a better idea."

"What?"

"Lloyd's hosting a party tomorrow night. Regal and I, being president and vice-president of the company that is his greatest beneficiary, have been invited. We're each allowed one guest-"

"Two guests," Regal corrected.

The four looked surprised, and Presea asked, "When did you stop sulking?"

Regal took out a watch, checked the position of the Sun, and looked at the length of his shadow. He did some calculations in his head, and answered, "Approximately five-point-seven-four-nine-six-one-eight-zero-two seconds."

"Exactly how were you able to be that exact?"

"Oh, that's simple, see-"

"We don't have time for this," Yuan said, "What was your plan, Presea?"

"Oh, right, well, you see-"

"You wouldn't happen to have a full body mirror around here, would you?" Zelos asked the vice president.

"No… we're a business, why would we have one?"

"Just wonderin'."

Regal placed his hand on Zelos's shoulder and looked down, "I'm sorry my friend… It's my fault… I've committed yet another crime against humanity! I must atone! Angst!"

"Regal, shut up before I hit you!" Presea and Mithos yelled. The president of the Lezareno Company quickly stopped yelling, but continued to hang his head in shame.

"Anyway," Presea continued, "I think that if you three come with us as guests, you'll be able to walk around much more easily. Simple really. This way, your chances of success will be sixty percent."

"Only sixty percent! I'm not mussing my beautiful, magical, perfect hair for a measly sixty percent!" Zelos yelled, folding his arms around his chest and staring out of the window.

"Zel-" Presea began, but she was interrupted by the blue-haired Seraphim.

"Think of Raine and Kate and numerous other girls at the party."

"Oh, well then, let's go!" he yelled, sprouting his wings and charging towards the window, "I've got hunnies to – YEEEOUCH!" Mithos tugged on his hair, causing Zelos's body to go flying into the air, seemingly almost separating the Chosen's hair from his head.

"Come now Zelos, were you not listening?" Mithos began smugly, "The party is tomorrow night."

Zelos landed on the ground and stared reproachfully at Mithos, and began caressing his hair, "Yeah, yeah, I got it…" He then turned to his hair and began to cry, whispering, "It's okay, it'll all be okay, he didn't do anything, don't worry," over and over again.

"Well, there's no need to send you all back to the mansion, why don't you stay in the hotel here?" Regal said.

"Is it free?" Yuan asked.

"Yes."

"Will we get separate rooms?" Mithos asked.

"Yes."

"Is there a bottle of complimentary hair gel in each room?" Zelos asked.

"… No! No there isn't! Oh that's another crime against-"

"Shut up, Regal, just shut up!" Presea yelled, hitting the president with the flat side of her axe. Regal fell over and began mumbling something handcuffs, pink hair, and teddy bears before falling unconscious.

"Err… Is he okay?" Yuan inquired, kneeling over the president's body and poking him with his swallow.

"Yeah, he's fine, he's only unconscious," Presea replied, leaning on her axe.

"Where'd you get that axe?" Mithos asked.

"Oh, this, I'm a woman, I have the ability to conceal any and all items on my person even if it defies the laws of physics."

"Uh… yeah… can you teach me how to do that?"

"If you come back here after a sex change, sure."

"No, no that's okay…"

Presea rummaged through her pocket and pulled out a card, "Well, you'll be needing this," she handed the card to Yuan before continuing, "Show this to the receptionists and you'll be admitted into your rooms."

"Thank you, Presea," Yuan said before turning to leave. He sprouted his wings and jumped out the window, shortly followed by Mithos and Zelos, who was still sulking about his hair.

"Yuan, as the leader of Cruxis, I demand that you give me that card," the body-altering Seraphim commanded.

"Huh, why should I?" the swallow-wielding Seraphim replied.

"Because I'm the leader and I want it!" Mithos whined.

"That's a really bad reason." Yuan retorted.

"Gimme gimme gimme gimme gimme gimme gimme gimme!" Mithos began yelling, swiping at Yuan's hand.

"I swear, you're such a child, Mithos!" Yuan replied, trying to keep the leader of Cruxis at bay.

"Am not!" Mithos screamed, lunging, or, rather, doing the aerial equivalent of lunging at Yuan. Soon, the two of them were enveloped in dust cloud as they fought each other, spewing insults at each other.

"Child!"

"Blue hair!"

"Fool!"

"Blue hair!"

"Drama Queen!"

"Blue hair!"

"Not the face!"

"Zelos?"

"Now look what you've done Mithos!"

"Me, this is your fault, Yuan!"

Presea looked on as the three angels slowly made their way toward the inn. She sighed, "We are so totally screwed…" She turned away from the scene and only shook her head in despair.