Satan confronts Pierrot hours after she's defeated. He has something to get off his chest, something that makes her think differently of him and the way she views her world. Requested by huskynator on tumblr!

Under the Mask

"So, this is where you were."

Pierrot looked down, her hand gingerly cupping her mask. She sat in a large tree branch overlooking the remaining festivities of the Puyo Puyo Circus. She had spotted him coming, locking eyes with him, but instead of fleeing, she remained still and allowed him to come to her.

After all, she certainly had a surprise for him.

"Come down. We need to talk," Satan said, flicking his attention back to the circus where he watched Nohoho sell curry in his quaint shop.

Pierrot shrugged, the loose fabric of her shoulders brushing against her mask. She leaped down, landing perfectly on her heels and threw her arms out, steadying herself. The lights sparkled much brighter now that she was on the field, the laughter of children echoing out from the tent.

Satan furrowed his brow. He took in her jester's outfit. It was a truly outrageous outfit, one that made him question if she was still plotting. She had already controlled him, forcing him to capture Carbuncle and make Arle run around in desperate hopes of finding him again.

"You're contemptuous," he mused, "aren't you?"

She lowered her arms. Her shoulders stiffened as he approached her, his tall body blocking her view of the circus. Somewhere, she could hear the shrill hum of Harpy's song.

"I suppose you have every reason to be furious, but you have no right to treat Arle with such malice." His gaze hardened. "There won't be another next time if you choose to harm her. She's innocent in all of this."

Pierrot watched. Her mask provided a blank slate.

Satan streaked his fingers through his long, slicked back hair. He had hoped she would at least communicate with him. Trying to be civil with her seemed impossible, but he needed to try. For her sake, for the years she spent in captivity, he had to make it right.

"I didn't know I separated you both. Taking only half of your soul wasn't my goal. It might have seemed like I was trying to suppress your power, but I wasn't. I never meant to leave you behind."

Cloaked in her outfit, she shivered from head to toe.

"It must have been painful suffering alone in that hell. An endless plane between dimensions, I wouldn't even will that upon my worst enemy." He lowered his arms and dug his sharp claws into his palms, drawing faint pricks of blood to coat his nails. "I never meant for this to happen, Arle. You want to be called that, right? It is your name."

She didn't reply. Instead, she took a step backwards, her elbow nudging into the tree. She jerked her head over her shoulder, a muffled gasp escaping her when she realized she had no chance to run.

"You were scared, no, no, that doesn't even fit what you endured." He came closer, each step careful and precise. "You suffered. In your mind, you endured all of that pain for nothing. Everyone else…" He glanced over his shoulder, Draco's uproarious laughter mingling with Nohoho's cursing and Witch's haughty shriek as the former's tail swatted over Witch's cauldron, spilling the contents onto Nohoho's shop. "...is only similar to what you remember."

Her heart lodged itself in her throat. For a moment, she forgot how to breathe.

"You defeated that cruel God. You tried so valiantly when I…" His eyes widened, memories of his beloved Lilith tormenting his train of thought. Her smile, her power, she captivated him. He dropped his head. "I'm a coward just as Lilith said. I did nothing in the wars. I ran and ran and let you and Lilith do all the work both times."

When he gripped his face, she almost wanted to reach out to him. Consolatory words tickled her tongue, but she couldn't say them. Something propelled her to remain with her back against the tree as Satan tightened his grip on his jaw, squeezing so tightly that she thought he would dislocate it.

"When I reshaped this world, I thought you were part of it. I hadn't realized it until you...she woke up. She lacked the power and experience you had, but I had to play my part!" He threw his arm out, and for the first time, Pierrot saw him weep, tears unabashedly rolling down his sharp cheeks. "Everyone else-they all...they were the same, but they weren't. They all lacked something, something that I forced them to forget just so we could all live in this world together. I took away those memories and shaped them to what I thought was right, to what I thought were perfect replicas."

She took a breath and tried to say his name. Gripping her mask, she let the temptation to take off her mask pass as he turned away, his gaze fixated on the circus.

"Arle has nothing to do with this. She's innocent and so are the rest of them." He leered over his shoulder, but his expression softened into something like makeshift silk. "I'll make it right. I'll see what I can do to allow you to remain in this world not as a doppelganger. It may take some time, so I hope you can amuse yourself in the meantime without causing them too many headaches."

His awkward chuckle clashed with the tears still burning in his eyes. His wings flapped open, preventing him from seeing her reach up. Closing his eyes, he felt a few salty tears run over his lips as he vanished in a cloak of darkness.

Her mask dropped down to her side.

Arle Nadja simply stared at the space where he once stood. Her mouth parted, unspoken words dying in her throat. Slowly, her back scratched against the coarse bark, and the costume ripped as she collapsed onto her bottom.

She wanted to tease the others by wearing the Pierrot costume. She would have performed magical tricks and earn the praise of the crowd. Giving Satan a scare was something to brighten the mood, but then he started talking.

As her deep brown hair caressed her cheeks, she stared at her gloved hands. What he had said struck her like lightning spearing through her. All she could do was mull over the influx of information, the chaotic spewing of words that hardly made any sense.

Remaining quiet, Arle wasn't sure why she started crying as Carbuncle bounced towards her.