Mikau: This chapter is ridiculously long. I loved writing it. It was sooooo much fun, but now I'm exhausted. I said I would be doing something new, so this chapter is written in Lucifer's POV. Yea! I love my Lucy. I also love that show "I Love Lucy"! What a great show…anyway…on with the chapter.

Disclaimer: I don't own Shaman King.

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A New Perspective

I felt horrible. The seemingly unshakable girl in front of me crumbled with my words. Her skin paled and her dainty eyelids fluttered shut. Her limp body slowly fell into my arms, as if she was made of water. Her head lightly rested on my shoulder and my arms instinctively went to support her. Her breathing was labored and her heartbeat was quick. I could feel her breath on my neck and it caused shivers of delight to run up and down my spine. I could feel her heart beating rapidly through the thin layers of clothing separating our bodies. She fit well in my arms.

"Shhh…" I smoothed her hair and held her close to me. She really was the perfect size two or three inches shorter than me. Her body seemed to mold into mine perfectly. She smelled so good; like a mix of burnt palm trees and coconut. She was soft to touch and her crimson hair wisped gently in the drafty wind that the cracked windowpane up in the attic let in.

'She really is nothing like her mother.' I thought peacefully to myself, running a few brave fingers through her hair, scared that she might wake up and kill me for touching her. 'Nothing at all like Ivy, but she still has the same alluring aura about her…' I inhaled her scent deeply. 'Smells like…angel…it's been a while since I've seen one of those…'

Her heartbeat was still racing rampant, which I knew could be problematic for most mortals, so I tried my best to soothe her, stroking her hair and shushing her lightly. Her breathing became softer and less labored. Her heart regained a steady beat.

I smiled at her frail form. She pretended to be so tough, and yet, she really was more fragile than most. At that moment I caught myself and realized what I was doing. I could almost hear my elder brother taunting me, haunting me in the back of my mind, saying 'Consorting with mortals again Lucy? Tsk. Tsk. Tsk.' Diablo. The voice in my head that haunted my every waking moment and most of my sleeping ones as well.

I looked Hoshi over, quickly surveying her. To anyone walking in on us, it would look as if I was making a move on her while she was incapacitated.

"Lucifer." A masculine voice from directly behind startled me. I almost jumped in shock. Almost, but I was the Devil, and how would it look to see a man of such power jump at such a silly little thing?

I put up my façade to gaze back smugly at Hao Asakura, my long time friendly competition/greatest rival. "Hao."

"My daughter." The fire-wielding shaman would have slain me before I could have spoken if it weren't for the fact that I held his oldest daughter in my arms.

"What?...This?" I gestured toward the girl in my arms. "But my time's not up and I paid her in full just like all the rest of her customers."

"Bastard. Give her up now." A thin layer of flames developed on his skin and he readied himself to fight me for her.

"Make me." I smiled vindictively.

"Lucifer." Ivy stepped in between us and looked me in the eyes, begging me not to make matters worse. "Please stop."

I still held a certain weakness for her even after having vowed on several occasions to give her up. I had no choice but to give in to Ivy's request. I nodded and handed over Hoshi's body to her father.

"Thank you." Ivy's smile was fake. Sure she meant to be polite and gracious and everything, but knowing how much she didn't really love me killed me.

"Only for you." I winked at her as I disappeared in a quick puff of smoke. I reappeared seconds later a few couple hundred miles below ground. I trekked downward on a hot molten path covered with soot down to my underground kingdom. If you could really call it my kingdom. Sure Hell was legally mine and I was the Devil, but it was an 'in name only' type of thing. Everyone knew my brother was still in charge even after having legally passed the job of running the place on to me eons ago.

He hadn't even asked if I wanted the job. He came to me one day and said, 'Lucy, I'm sick and tired of all this responsibility, so from now on, you're in charge. You call the shots; you're the big man on campus, the head honcho, the big cheese, the Devil. Have fun.' He dumped all the paper work and legal issues on top of me, and he built a playboy mansion for himself out in the Hot Springs District. I hated my brother. And he hated me. What's worse, he didn't even bother trying to hide it.

Without having to pay much attention to where I was going, I meandered my way down to the docks.

"Hello Lucifer! How are you today darling?", greeted a young employee with bright blue hair and an even brighter red and yellow kimono with orange obi.

"Hello Botan." I mumbled tonelessly to the ferrywoman. "I'm God-awful as usual. Row me across."

The chipper girl nodded enthusiastically and got in a spare boat docked on the River Styx. I got in after her and took a seat. "Where to love?" Her bright smile pierced into my skull and her perky eyes cut through the doom and gloom surrounding the dismal subterranean fortress.

"Hot Springs District. I've got some business to attend to, and a certain someone to speak with." It was a bad start to a bad day, and Botan's bright and cheery attitude was not making it any easier on me.

"Ew….I don't like it there. Too many of the wrong sort if you asked me. OH! Don't tell Dia on me, though! I wouldn't want him to get the wrong idea!" Botan jabbered on as she rowed, filling in my deliberate silence with animated talking and gesturing. I nodded occasionally, all the while wishing I had hired another ferryman; the mute man that I had interviewed was looking pretty choice at that moment.

I tuned Botan out most of the trip, instead favoring looking over the side of the boat at the souls floating in the water like they were on a float trip or some kind of relaxing vacation. The dead down in the underworld are too relaxed for their own good. When we got closer to the District, I couldn't help but overhear what Botan was yammering about, "You really should get yourself a girl Lucy. Maybe your brother could set you up? Diablo's got plenty of women friends, and he can't sleep with them all in one day, so maybe—"

"—That won't be necessary Botan." I interrupted her before she got too far into the subject and went on and on about my love life. My non-existent love life.

My brother had tried to set me up before with a few hundred of his concubines. They were nice women, but they scared me. The sort of women he employs always made me uncomfortable with their skimpy clothes and overly friendly hands. Despite my obvious discomfort, Diablo said I needed to be more manly, and that giving myself AIDS would help, but I knew the women offerings were just a way for him to poke fun at me. It was his round about way of laughing in my face and suggesting that I couldn't get a woman in bed on my own, so I needed him to hire girls for me.

I stepped out of the boat once Botan docked it and found myself standing in front of a place from my strangest nightmares. The huge black building with tinted windows and red shades. Loud music blaring like fire engine sirens and people screaming bloody murder. I took a deep breath and let myself in. As I crossed the threshold the volume of the music seemed to increase tenfold. It was dark, damp, and humid inside. I hated that place. Half-naked women greeted me fondly and with a distinct sense of over familiarity. I smiled and waved back at them, but tried not to look directly at them, afraid to see something that should be covered up.

"Lucifer!" One woman in particular ran up and hugged me.

"Adella!" I returned the hug.

"It's been forever since you've come 'round here! How are you?" The woman Adella, my brother's favorite, was a good friend of mine. She ran the books and made sure all the gentlemen kept up with boarding and entertainment fees. She was the one truly in charge of the place, and she did a good job of keeping everything in order.

"I'm fine." I put on a brave face for her and smiled. It would do no good upsetting her just because I was having a bad day. "What about you?"

The short, red-haired woman in tight leather clothing returned to her post behind the front desk, smiling and humming a spirited tune all the way. "Ah, I'm all right. What can I do ya for today?"

Short might be a bit of an understatement when describing Adella's height. While I stood a good 5.7 feet, the spicy little woman just barely breeched 4.4. Yet somehow my brother at 5.8 still managed to favor her above all the other girls. Despite being vertically challenged, Adella maintained a commanding attitude. She was in charge and everyone knew it. If you got in Adella's way, then you were going down in searing flames. She was not one to be trifled with. Her chest length, blazing red hair done in banana curls matched the fire in her soul almost exactly. Both held the same burning, wild characteristics. Yet somehow Adella kept a softer side to her. She could be dangerous, but she could be gentle. She could kill if she wanted, but she was cuddly and flouncy too. Her dark green eyes complimented her hair coloring and thin features, while her clothing showed off said features to an almost disgusting extent.

Tight, black-leather shorts that almost looked swimming suitish, thigh high boots that must have caused her horrible blisters, and a short, lime green tank top that exposed plenty of mid-drift and cleavage yet managed to cover her arms with its billowing kimono sleeves. Around her neck was a small black stone on a choker that my brother had given her. I wasn't sure what its significance was, but I never saw her without it.

"Well?" Two dark emeralds gazed up at me impatiently.

I had forgotten she was talking to me. "Uh? Oh! I'm just here to see Diablo. Where is he?"

Adella cracked open a huge logbook that looked to weigh more than she did. She skimmed the pages until she arrived at the desired one and stopped. Her professional look clicked into place, but she still managed to sound cheery. "Here we are!" Her face fell a bit. "Oh…he's up on the sixth floor with the new girl. I don't like her—she's too ditzy…and too pretty."

I smiled as the girl pouted jealously. "Don't worry, you're his favorite. You always will be."

"Aw. That's sweet." She kissed the air just to the side of both of my cheeks in a distinctly European style. "Do you want me to get you a girl while you wait? Your brother is sure to take his time with the new meat, and Eve will be great company for you for a few hours." Her offer was considerate, but unsettling.

"Uh, no thanks. I'll be fine waiting for a few hours by myself." I blushed and tried to hide it sheepishly, but Adella quickly caught on.

"Oh…you're still a—well virginity can easily be cured. Perhaps another day? You'd like it Lucy, it's fun; why don't you try Donna out?" I shook my head rapidly. "No? Well…someday you'll—"

"—Someday I'll tear this place down." I smiled, falling onto a familiar topic of conversation with her.

"Of course. How could I forget?" She put the big book back under the desk and glanced at her watch. "What are you going to do for a few hours?"

"I don't know…talk to you? You're the only one I'm comfortable with down here." I leaned up against the front desk and sighed.

"You're too much of a gentleman Lucifer…" She whipped out a red cloth and started cleaning the counter top indifferently.

"Thanks…" There was a long pause and I watched her clean for a minute. She knew I wanted to talk about something else, and she was patiently waiting for me to get on to the subject. "Adella? I'm in charge down here aren't I?"

"Yes. You're the Devil, therefore, you are in charge of Hell." A slight smile found its way into her voice.

"Then why do you have more power and say about what goes on down here than I do?" I flicked a piece of dust angrily off the counter.

"Oh Lucy." She set down the cloth and gave me an apprising look, determining how much of the truth I could handle. "You know that Diablo still runs things even though he legally signed everything over to you a couple hundred years ago. You're like the queen of England; you've got no real power, but you're an important social figure."

"Thanks." I muttered sarcastically, trudging over to an armchair in the parlor and sinking into the seat. "I'm insignificant aren't I?"

"Yes." I loved how honest she was with me.

"And even though I'm suppose to be in charge, I can't do a thing to change even the most miniscule detail of anything that happens. I have no say in anything, and am of little to no consequence." I continued my moping.

"True." She took a seat next to me on the floor with her head on my knee, occasionally stroking my leg. She sat and heard me out.

"Great. I'm only a formality that my brother has to step around to get his way. Plus he stuck me with all the paperwork—"

"—That you force upon your underlings." She reminded me.

"That I force upon my underlings." I nodded, agreeing. "Underlings are one of the few perks of being 'in charge'."

"That and first pickings on any woman." Adella chuckled to herself, knowing full well that my brother got first pick on any woman that came through Hell.

A question suddenly appeared in the back of my mind. I looked seriously at Adella. "Can I ask you something?"

An affirmative nod was my answer.

"Girls don't like it when you take advantage of them do they?"

She shook her head but remained silent.

"And they hate it when you trick them."

A nod.

"And I suppose they're not too keen about you threatening to make them murder their sisters, are they?"

"I wouldn't be." Adella shrugged, not bothering to ask what had brought up my strange questions.

"And how long do you think you'd stay mad about the sister murdering thing?" I held my breath tentatively.

"Indefinitely." She shrugged, returning to her station at the desk.

"Great." I sighed again.

"You've met someone." Adella smirked knowingly.

"Define 'someone'." I sunk even further into the lounge chair, not in the mood to discuss women, especially not that Asakura girl.

"You've met a girl that you fancy!" The scheming matchmaker was already planning the wedding.

I rolled my eyes.

The smirk dropped from Adella's face. "It's not Ivy again is it?" Her dull tone irked me to no end. Who was she to interfere in my non-existent love life?

I stood and sighed. "Where's the library, Adella? I'm going to read a book while I wait."

She cast me a warning look. "You wouldn't like the books your brother keeps."

I raised an eyebrow.

"They're all picture books." She hurried to explain.

My eyebrow dropped and I blushed a bright pink color. "Oh. Go figure my brother would have a library full of that perverted garbage." I sat back down and prepared to talk about one of my least favorite subjects with the woman that my brother positively adored. There was no way around talking all about Hoshi and Thorn now.

"So, about this girl you're seeing, what's her name? Where does she live? Is she pretty? What does she look like? When did you meet her? When are you marrying her? How many children—"

"—Stop." I got a nosebleed just thinking about all the things Adella had mentioned. 'Hoshi and me?' For once Adella respected my request and shut her mouth to let me speak. "It's not like that. There is no one. It's just Ivy's daughters. The older one made a deal with me, and I was just talking to her about what she had to do in return for me doing her the favor. There's nothing between us and there never will be. She hates me."

It was relatively silent in the room. Adella fiddled nervously with the hem of her sleeve, and only two or so girls walked through the room to turn in half of their day's profit. "So there really is no one…"

"I'm only seeing her on business." Another moment of silence passed. "But then why do I feel so awful about using her and losing her?" I stood and walked over to the old grandfather clock in the parlor. It had stopped working years and years ago, but for some reason no one had gotten a new clock yet.

"What was the deal?" Adella walked over to the mini-bar and poured me a, what I hope was, a non-alcoholic strawberry daiquiri. She handed the drink to me, made one of her own, and seated herself, crossing her legs daintily.

I ran a hand through my hair and sighed. "It's ridiculous really. She wants me to make sure this musical at her school gets cast the way she wants it. She did a pretty good job making sure I couldn't get a hold of her soul or do anything to her, but then I told her that I could make her murder her little sister, and she fainted…"

Adella shifted uncomfortably in her seat. "Ew…well that's a great start to the relationship."

"There is no relationship Adella." I glared over my shoulder at the girl.

"Says you. You wouldn't know what love was if it socked you one." The red-haired temptress rose from her seat and stalked toward me.

I turned on her, fully fed up with her insinuations. "Adella, there's nothing going on! She's a human for god's sake! I'm not in love with a human! It's a business transaction!"

"Oh the HELL it is! If you care nothing for the girl, then why do you feel guilty for mistreating her?" I stumbled backward as she shoved me.

"I don't feel guilty!" I pathetically tried to defend myself from her assaults.

"You said you felt awful for using her; that's guilt, Lucy. Live with it."

Any further arguments between us were halted by the arrival of a business gentleman. "Um…Hello? I'm here for my appointment with Gigi…"

Adella's attention was diverted momentarily, but before she walked off to make the man comfortable while he waited for Gigi, Adella glared back at me and hissed so only I could hear. "I'll deal with you later." She walked off with the man to the waiting room, leaving me to my own devices.

I don't know how long it was before someone tapped me on the shoulder hesitantly. "A-hem?"

I jumped. I had been so lost in my thoughts…

"S-sorry!" A small blonde girl with red eyes blushed up at me, shriveling under my gaze. "I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to startle you! I was just—that is to say—"

"—It's okay." I rushed to shush her. I didn't know where the girl had come from, but she really didn't fit in with any of the other showgirls in the building. "Uh…did you need something?" I blinked.

"Mr. Diablo is ready to see you. I was instructed to come and fetch the gentleman waiting in the front, and I can only assume that's you." The blonde cowered even more in fear of me.

"What's your name?"

"Martha, sir. Oh wait! No, no it's not! They changed it, you see, and I'm still not used to being called…Bunny. I'm sorry!" She cringed.

"It's okay. You'll grow accustomed to it eventually. You wouldn't happen to be the 'new girl' would you?" It was an innocent enough question, but the girl's eyes widened like I had asked her measurements.

"Uh…yes and no. I am new, but the 'new girl' is up with Mr. Diablo. Her name is Satine. I haven't had my initiation or first customer yet even…I just died a day or two ago, and I just arrived. OH! But I'm boring you, aren't I! I'm soooo sorry, sir! Please forgive me!" 'Bunny' collapsed to her knees and sunk even further into the floor.

I stared for a minute, not sure how to react to her strange behavior. After a second of thought I picked her up off the floor and stood her up straight. "How did you end up in Hell?"

"Um…" She blushed as my hands touched her. "I was going to Heaven, but then Gabriel managed to convince the others that I couldn't possibly be allowed in because of how I died." She didn't dare make eye contact with me, so I had to tilt her head upwards to make her look at me.

"Gabe…the biggest stick in the mud ever…figures. How did you die? Whatever you did, it couldn't possibly be bad enough to land you in this whorehouse." She cringed at my course language. "Sorry…anyway, how did you die?"

Again her gaze dropped to the floor. I didn't bother adjusting her that time. "I caught my boyfriend cheating on me, so I jumped off Tokyo Tower."

"My. GOD." I smacked my hand against my forehead. "You're here for suicide! The justice system up there is so screwed up." I paused, thinking of what I could do for the girl. "Tell you what," I snapped my fingers and a pen and paper appeared from thin air. "You obviously won't last a week here. You just don't belong, so I'm writing a letter to Gabe to tell him to screw himself. Raphael and Michael should make sure you get in. Go to the docks, and Botan should be able to take you straight to the Gates." I handed over the note and stepped past her, on my way to see my older sibling. "See ya Martha."

"Wait! How will this get me into Heaven?" The small red-eyed blonde gaped at me.

"Trust me; it will." I sent a flirtatious wink her way. "I am the Devil after all. Even if my brother does run this place, I still have some power."

"Oh my gosh! You're Lucifer!" She didn't wait for an answer. "Thank you so much!" She ran off to the docks before anyone could object.

I smiled and shook my head, making my way to the elevator. The lift was more of a dance cage than an actual elevator. The black bars looked like something out of a gothic nightmare, the space was heavily perfumed with the different scents of the various women that worked in the establishment, and erotic music screeched in the background. I was thankful when the elevator opened on the sixth floor, but I stepped out of one nightmare and into another as I stood in the long hallway. Loud music played, heavy perfume scent stained the air, and I tried to ignore the screams and moans coming from behind the many doors. At the end of the hallway was a door. A big black and red door decorated with chains and flames and impressions of the demons of hell. I took a deep breath and took started my journey down the long hallway.

The dim lights, covered by bright red scarves, flickered as I walked pass. The lady palms that stood guard outside a few random rooms reached out their branches and grabbed at me, groping. I didn't dare look at any of the 'art' that hung on the walls, but instead kept my gaze on the door at the end.

I heaved a sigh of relief as my fingertips brushed against the cold metal of the door handle. The enchained demons etched into the door reached out to me, trying to ensnare me in their iron grips. One demon in particular stood out even though it was hiding in the background. It stood apart from the chaos going on in the rest of the piece. It looked like the runt of the bunch. I had never liked that door. It reminded me too much of myself: an outcast in the underworld, my own kingdom.

I pushed open the door without bothering to knock. I knew he was in there; I could hear the moans and groans coming from inside the room. I hated that room. It was too big. And dark. And…well everything about it perfectly summarized my brother. It was his study/make-shift throne room/living room/office. The last part was what scared me considering the only business he did was with the women of the house.

The floor was a mosaic of blood red and obsidian black pieces of glass. The ceiling was completely comprised of mirrors with a ruby chandelier in the center, and the walls were frescoed flames. It looked like some sort of grand library with the walls covered by shelves and shelves of books. 'Probably more "picture books".' There was a couch situated off to the side and a TV screen in front of it with a coffee table in-between. The couch was, of course, black with red throw pillows, and the legs on the coffee table were feet with claws. Even the stand that the TV was on was made of black rot iron with cold metal cobras slithering up the posts. They flicked their tongues at me and spread their hoods. I glared and continued looking around the room.

A demonic throne sat against what appeared to be the back wall of the room. Bookcases were set up to divide the room so that you couldn't see what was hidden back behind the throne in the secret part of the room. I of course knew what my brother was hiding behind the wall of bookshelves and the curtain behind the throne: his office. Anyway, the throne was covering a secret door to his office. End of story. The rest of the room wasn't very interesting…just a couple of fountains spewing blood and a few other conventional pieces of furniture all in red and black.

"Diablo!" A woman cried from the back room. I tried to tune out her unnerving screams.

"Sorry baby. Someone 'important' is waiting." A husky, overly masculine, chauvinistic-pig voice shushed the obviously unsatisfied girl who must have been the 'Satine' that Martha had mentioned.

"They can wait…can't they?" Satine begged and pleaded.

"No. Now get out." The man's devilish tone laughed at the woman as he pushed her off the bed and to the floor.

She let out a startled and somewhat injured gasp as she hit the floor. I knew the feeling. I had been thrown to the same cold, hard floor at least a dozen times before as punishment for questioning my older brother.

"But…I thought—" Satine started to argue.

"OUT." I flinched as I heard the sharp smack of his hand to her cheek.

Seconds later a girl wrapped in a sheet, holding her cheek tenderly ran past me and out of the room as fast as she could. I pitied her. Whatever she had done, she didn't deserve this.

"Lucifer." A dark and ominous voice from the shadows acknowledged my presence.

"Diablo." I returned the acknowledgement. Thankfully my voice didn't shake in fear, but remained level.

"Bunny told me that someone 'important' needed to see me. I thought it was some gorgeous woman. I'm quite disappointed. Though you could pass for a woman with that hair of yours. A flat-chested woman, but still. Don't you agree?"

"Are you any better?" I ventured a smart remark, hoping it wouldn't cost me. I held my breath and waited for my punishment.

He laughed. "Too true." I let out the breath. There was a smile in his voice; he wasn't angry. "How are you brother?" A figure stepped out from the curtain behind the throne, just finishing re-zipping his pants. I hadn't seen my brother in person in over a year. I looked him over and found him exactly as I remembered: silky, raven's wing hair down to his chest, reddish-brown demon's eyes, crooked smile, strong jaw, detailed face, well built upper chest and arms, strong legs covered by black jeans, but no shirt. Around his neck was a simple chain choker. He hadn't changed at all.

"I'm well. And you?" I didn't take my eyes off of him for fear he'd pull a knife or a gun on me if I dropped my guard.

My brother obviously wasn't concerned that I'd try to kill him. He turned his back to me to take a seat on his throne with his chin resting on one hand and a leg thrown carelessly over the armrest. "I'm extremely angry at the moment. That Satine isn't very good at all. I was excited about her because she was new and might have some new moves or something, but frankly I've seen better." He lay lazily on his throne, making himself as comfortable as possible. "Take a seat Lucy. This had better be good." A couch appeared out of nowhere for me to sit on. "I know you don't come here because you like visiting me, and I know for a fact you don't come here for the women, so what the hell do you want?"

"Well…" I cleared my throat nervously. Was there anyway to bring up the subject and not arouse suspicion?

"Oh just say it." My brother was not one to be kept waiting for long periods of time.

"As the devil, I can bend free will, right?" I let the question slip out as fast as possible.

He raised his eyebrow. "Uh…Yeah…Why do you ask? It's not like you've ever been interested in the job before. Come to think of it, the only devil powers you use are teleporting in flames…Why the change of heart?" So much for not arousing his suspicions.

"Well, I have all these powers, right? Why not use them? I am the devil after all, and I should stop being such a light-weight and start being able to take care of myself and have complete mastery over my own powers…right?" I held my breath as Diablo appraised me.

He smiled genuinely. "Good. You're getting to be more and more like me every time I see you. Soon you'll have your own harem and everything. I'm proud. You're not as big of a screw up as I thought you were." Somehow even when complimenting me he insulted me. The condescending tone was overly evident in his voice.

"Thank you. I'm glad I'm not a total disappointment to you." I found myself starting to smile. I had never been close to my elder sibling, but at that moment I felt that a sort of bond between us was born.

"I didn't say that." And then it died.

"W-what?" I blinked.

"I didn't say you weren't a total disappointment." He smirked disdainfully. "I just said you're not as big of a screw up as I thought. You're still a total disappointment. There's no way you could ever live up to all my expectations. You'll always fall short no matter what you do. I thought you realized that…but perhaps you aren't as smart as I gave you credit for." I could feel my insides liquidize and my stomach sink with his poisonous words. "I hate you and I always will. I would prefer that you know it so I can smear it in your face. It's not like I make some big secret of it…"

"Oh." He seemed to be done insulting me, so I decided to get back to business and parish all thoughts of ever having a brotherly love relationship with that impossible man. "Well…in that case…how do I go about control free will?"

"Why do you want to know? Really. Don't lie; I'll just keep asking." He let out a tired yawn as he rung for a servant. A brunette in a bikini ran in and poured my brother a glass of wine. She tried to offer me a glass as well, but being a non-drinker, I declined. My brother saw fit to comment on my drinking habits and momentarily forgot about my question of free will.

"I just don't drink. It tastes nasty." I politely refused the drink from the server girl.

"Don't be ridiculous! How can you ever hope to be half the man I am when you don't drink? You'll never be half the devil either." My lush of a brother quickly downed the wine and called for another.

"I don't need to drink to be a man." I glared openly as the girl poured my brother another glass.

"Don't drink, don't smoke, still a virgin? God. That's no way to live. You're probably going to be such a lightweight when you have your first drink. You're such a momma's boy. No wonder she liked you best. You seriously need some help little brother. Now, back to the subject at hand: free will. Why are you interested in your powers now of all times after having had them several hundred years and having never used them?"

"There's a girl." I admitted. It would be faster if I just spit it out and got it over with. "She made a deal with me and to hold up my end of the bargain I have to mess with a little free will. I told her I could do it, but you and I both know I have no idea what I'm doing, so I swallowed my pride, came here, and now I'm asking for your help." I lowered my eyes; my pride was taking a huge beating for that Asakura girl.

"You're first deal with the devil! I remember my first deal…" He smiled down at me, his eyes saying everything. His annoying smile constantly reminded me that I was inexperienced and had no idea what I was doing.

"Diablo…" I kept my voice even and level, warning him that I was in no mood to listen to him walk down memory lane.

"So what is she giving you? Do you get her soul? Is she going to be your slave?" My brother ignored my warning and took his sweet time torturing me.

"DAMIEN." I was sick of his games.

He jumped out of his seat and looked like he was going to strangle me. Glass shattered, the room shook, and a gale force wind started to blow. "DON'T. CALL. ME. THAT."

I smiled evilly at my brother's fury. "What? It's your name."

"It is NOT."

"It is, your real name." My smile widened as his anger increased. "Will you help me or not?" I couldn't resist teasing him. It was such a rare occasion that I couldn't turn down the opportunity. "Well Damien? What do you say big brother?"

"Fine. Just stop calling me by my given name." The hair bristling on the back of my brother's neck lay flat again as he regained his calm and sat back down on his throne. "So, what were the conditions of the deal you made with the girl?"

"She wants me to get a musical at her school cast the way she wants it. I have to manipulate the people casting the play somehow. I do as she says and she owes me one." I quickly skimmed over the basic outline of Hoshi's plan.

"And what kind of favor are you going to call in on her?" My brother's face held a perverted smirk.

I hastily shot down any delusions of his that I might be bedding with a mortal woman. "Nothing like that. That was one of the conditions."

His face dropped. "You. Are. CRAZY. What were you thinking agreeing to that?"

"Look, bro, I don't have the same mind set as you. I see women as more than a source of entertainment. I already know exactly what I want from her." I looked down my nose at my brother's treatment of women.

"So who is this girl anyway that would risk so much just so her little school musical gets cast right?" My brother laughed to himself, fingering the chain around his neck.

"I believe you've met her: Hoshi Asakura." I tried to say her name without any emotion behind the words.

A hint of recognition flashed behind his eyes, but it was there only for a second. In a fleeting instant it was gone and replaced by a look of him pretending to be trying to remember. "No, I don't think I've ever heard of her. Sure I know the Asakuras, but I don't think I've met the girl. Anyway, about manipulating free will—"

"—You do know her." I insisted, unable to let him push her aside like that. "It was only a few years ago that you raped her." I stood, the hair on the back of my neck bristling.

He rolled his eyes, clearly not caring about the matter at all. "Fine. Yes, I remember her. So what if I did rape her? It was fun. That's all that matters. Now, moving on to more important matters—"

"—You got her pregnant, you bastard, and all you can say is 'it was fun'!" I took a few brave steps forward, poised to attack him.

"Look, Lucifer, so what. She had an abortion. There's no child, so it's not my problem. Even if she had kept the kid, it's still not an issue for me. I'm under no obligation toward her." He easily shrugged off all the pain and suffering he had caused the girl with a lazy 'not my problem'.

"You ruined her life! Doesn't that mean anything to you?" I saw red, marching right up to him and grabbing him by the throat.

"No." He smiled his carefree grin and I felt like punching his pretty white teeth out.

I don't remember what happened after that, but a few hours later I woke up on the couch in his room with my brother standing over me. His hair was slightly singed, his cheek looked swollen, and it looked like someone had clawed at his throat. Diablo looked down at me disdainfully when he saw I was up. Adella was sitting next to him looking down worriedly.

"Oh thank goodness." The short red-haired woman muttered as she helped me sit up. "How do you feel?"

"Drowsy…" I raised a hand to my forehead and blinked several times, waiting for my vision to clear.

"He should be fine; it's not like I hit him." Diablo rolled his eyes and tried not to be jealous as Adella fussed over me.

"It's a good thing you didn't hit him. Both your mother and myself would have been very upset if you had hurt poor Lucy." Adella took full advantage of my brother's jealousy.

"'Poor Lucy'! He attacked me! I only knocked him out cold for a few hours. Look what he did to my beautiful hair." Damien pointed pathetically to the singed bits of bangs, hoping to win some of Adella's pity.

The pretty redhead rolled her emerald eyes and smiled sarcastically. "Well, I'm sure he did what he did for a good reason. I have to get back to the books, but you two boys play nice, okay?" With that she left.

My brother stared after her for a while until he turned his gaze on me. "You."

"Hmm?" I looked nervously at my older sibling.

"Love isn't really real. Women of the underworld can't fall in love. Don't let any woman tell you otherwise. A man can love a woman all he wants, but women like Adella and Hoshi aren't free to give their love fully to one man. Their love has to be bought, so therefore it isn't real. They're not allowed to fall in love; it would be bad for business. Remember that." I sat there and stared at me brother trying to register too many things at once. Why was he telling me that? What did he mean?

He interrupted my thoughts again with a closing phrase: "Just never fall in love with a woman who sells herself. It will never work out." He got up from where he was sitting next to me and walked back to his throne. "Anyway, enough of me pretending to be a good big brother. Back to business: I can't explain to you how to mess with free will, you have to learn by yourself. It's really easy though, but not everyone can do it." He fished a chain, much like the one he wore around his neck, out of his pocket and tossed it to me. "Put it on and you shouldn't have any trouble on the trip. What I'm going to tell you to do is going to seem really stupid, but if you follow my instructions to the letter, you should be more than enough to accomplish Hoshi's little errand. Take a cucumber and carve your name into it. Throw it into a river under a bridge, and bow to the Kappa that appears. Tell him you're my little brother on a quest to master your powers. The Kappa'll give you something to take to the griffin on top of the one of the volcanoes in the Ring of Fire. Do whatever the griffin tells you and you should be able to help out Miss Asakura. Oh, and after you finish up on your little quest, you'll have to visit Miss Asakura as get her to tell you the names of the people you have to manipulate. That's all the help I can give, now get out of here before I decide to decapitate you."

I nodded and stood to leave. "Thank you. Goodbye Damien." I was gone in a rush of flames before he could kill me for using his given name.

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Mikau: I'm really excited because my uncle Steve is coming home from Iraq! He's on a plane right now, and he should be home for Christmas! I haven't seen him in almost a year and a half, and I'm soooooo excited!

Thanks To: yo wuz up, HAO-Addictive, Touch of the Wind, Kiva Kyoyama, Andrea Nefisto, MaiValentinefan, GothicShamaness13, and knux33.

To HAO-Addictive: Yes, Hao knows that Val is Ivy, but no Ivy doesn't know that he knows. Sorry if it's confusing.

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