A/N: Sorry for the really slow updates, only 2 more chapters to go!

Disclaimer: Not mine.

"Be strong Dee, I swear I'll get you out of this mess." Dee smiled weakly through the pain and closed his eyes, silently willing the pain to go away. As he fell into a fitful slumber with Ryo watching over him, Rose emerged from the long maze of dungeons to the city streets. He was greeted by Mother Lane and Chief Taisho(1), the two highest ranking Elder Angels. Both had very unhappy looks on their faces.

"The seven presiding Demon Lords are at our gates. They demand to see Dee at once."

Ryo stood up from his spot on the floor as he heard footsteps echoing from down the hall, brown eyes full of fear and uncertainty. The Arch Angel relaxed when he saw that it was two of the nicer guards, a strained smile was brought forth for the approaching duo.

"The Seven Presiding Demon Lords have arrived at our gates, they want to speak with you and the prisoner." Ryo's smile fell and he glanced over at his sleeping lover, wincing as the Demon whimpered in his sleep.

"Must we go now?" At the guards' nods, Ryo whispered his acceptance and bade them to open the prison doors so he could awaken Dee. The guards knew the Arch Angel rather well, and they both knew that Ryo wouldn't pull any last minute stunts as weak as the hybrid Demon was.

Ryo walked over to Dee and knelt beside him, pushing black hair away from his sweaty brow. Glossy emerald eyes opened at the Angel's touch and slowly focused on his face.

"The Demon Lords are here and they demand an immediate audience with you and me. Are you feeling up to it?" Ryo grimaced as Dee nodded slowly, knowing that he would have to appear before them sometime or another. The Arch Angel helped the hybrid to his feet and wrapped a strong arm around his waist, carrying the brunt of his weight.

Ryo struggled by himself down half of the long prison hallway, panting from the effort of all but carrying the Demon up to the surface. Dee had tried to walk along with him but the strain was too much for him, the effort making him dizzy and nauseous. Ryo felt his vision going blurry from over exertion, having put most of his energy into healing the Demon moments before.

"Let me." One of the Angeli guards, Jillian, picked up Dee's limp body and cradled him in his strong arms. The other put an arm around Ryo's waist to keep him steady. The Arch Angel smiled in appreciation, happy to see that not all of his kind were shunned by his relationship with a Demon.

As the quartet broke topside, Ryo cringed when he saw the multitude of Angels standing around them. All attention was focused on the seven Demon Lords in their midst. One of them growled when he saw Dee's limp body in the Angel's arms and stepped forward to get a better look at him. He was extremely tall and had two, black goat-like horns sprouting out the sides of his head; eyes that looked as if they were forged from the depths of hell; and midnight black hair that nearly touched the ground. His clothes were the deepest black with gold trim and design, a patch on his arm declaring his name and status; Dicarri Dian, First Presiding Demon Lord of Hell.

"Demon Lord Dee Laytner, can you hear me?" Dian's deep baritone voice seemingly shook the realms of Heaven itself, his red eyes blazing with anger and concern for one of his own. Dee groaned and nodded his head slowly, trying to talk only to succeed in weak mewls and gurgling noises. Demon Lord Dian snorted in fury and turned his attention to the crowd, the Angeli militia, and the Elder Angels as well.

"Hear this and hear me well. It is a sad day when a man is killed simply for loving, and it should not be so. You pride yourselves for being fair and pure, while underneath you are all as shallow and worthless as the dirt beneath my feet. To condemn something so hallowed, so pure and innocent as true love is pure insanity, no matter who it is with. But even worse than that, is killing love simply because you don't have it." The Demon Lord turned his blazing eyes to center on Elder Angel Rose, a scowl on his face.

"Don't think I don't know the twisted desire and anger that flows within your heart, it is obvious that the Arch Angel has chosen to be with Demon Lord Dee of his own desire. You will never be able to sully that. Now, know this! If one drop of Demon Lord Laytner's life-blood is further spilt, my Daemon Army will storm the Heavens in vengeance, for both the Demon population's sake and Arch Angel Ryo's. I am leaving an envoy behind and should he say the word, this place will no longer exist. Many a time have you slain my people for no other reason than pure hatred and fear, and like you I will show no mercy. There will be a war between us, and we shall conquer. No man, woman, or child shall be left standing."

With one final glance, all but one of the seven Demon Lords disappeared in a swirl of black smoke, leaving the Angeli population trembling in fear. The Demon that was left behind walked over to the Angeli guard holding Dee and took the weak Demon in his own arms. Ryo was shocked to notice that the envoy was also a hybrid, although he looked slightly different when compared to Dee's hybrid form. He had long blue hair versus black, and his eyes were a deep purple. The translucent skin remained the same.

"I want this Demon to be sheltered in better quarters, he must be as comfortable as possible as negotiations go on." When nobody replied to the envoy's request, Ryo stepped forward and offered his apartment to the Demons, angered that no one had the guts to help. The envoy nodded and followed Ryo to his apartment complex, and laid Dee on the bed upon reaching his bedroom.

Dee opened his eyes briefly as the Arch Angel pulled covers over his body, a smile brought to his lips at the sight of the Angel. "Rest Dee, none shall bother you now." Dee nodded weakly and went back to sleep, and Ryo was pleased to see that it was a deep one. The Angel jumped when the envoy cleared his throat, beckoning the Angel to join him in the living room. With one last glance at his sleeping lover, Ryo shut the door and walked into his living room to talk with the envoy.

"Let me properly introduce myself. I am Jolis Dian, son of the First Presiding Demon Lord Dicarri Dian." Ryo shook the Demon's extended hand and introduced himself as well, trying to hide the weariness that outlined his every move.

"You must be tired, why don't you rest. I shall remain here as long as I am needed and it will do you some good to rest a bit before the trials take place." Ryo protested weakly before his fatigue got the better of him, he thanked Jolis for his kindness as he walked into his bedroom.

Ryo snuggled in next to Dee and smiled when the hybrid's arms wrapped around his body, even when he was in a deep sleep. The blonde pressed his ear against his lover's steady heartbeat and took comfort in the fact that he was with him in the here and now. "I love you Dee, so much." The Demon Lord whispered Ryo's name in his sleep and buried his nose into his love's honey-brown locks, subconsciously squeezing him in a protective embrace.

The couple slept as Jolis looked out of the window in Ryo's apartment, wishing the sleeping duo the best of luck in the troubled days to come.

"Rose! You mean to tell me that you stormed Demon Lord Dee Laytner's castle solely for the reason of revenge?" Chief Taisho glared angrily at his fellow Elder Angel, barely believing that Rose would put the entire Angeli population at risk simply because he wanted Arch Angel Ryo for himself.

"Of course not! How can you accuse me of such a thing. I stormed his castle because I was concerned for Arch Angel Ryo McClain's safety. His correspondence was non-existent and the Demon he was observing was anything but safe. He is a hybrid and they are capable of great destruction." Rose's ice blue eyes glittered in outrage, angered that his plan was falling apart. "He has also killed one of my best soldiers, and to let that go unpunished would cause a riot in our great kingdom. He must be executed as soon as possible."

"Yes, execute him so that our land is completely destroyed by the Daemon army, Demon Lord Dian wasn't lying when he said he would show us no mercy. Is one Demon's life worth all of our people's Rose!" Chief all but yelled at Berkley Rose, frustrated at not being able to figure out an alternative to both situations. Rose had ceased to talk, knowing that Taisho had no choice but to execute the Demon, Angeli law decreed it.

"Get out of my sight, and inform Demon Lord Dee Laytner…of his execution. At dawn." Rose bowed and walked away, unable to hide the smirk that curved his lips. He had won.

Ryo awoke six hours later to the sound of laughter emanating from the living room, the spot next to him in the bed empty. He walked in to see Dee and Jolis in hybrid form, talking to each other in their native dialect. Jolis smiled at the drowsy Angel standing in the doorway as Dee extended a hand to his lover, long black hair braided down his back.

"Sleep well?" Dee asked as he pulled the Angel onto his lap, raising a clawed hand to gently caress golden brown hair mussed from sleep. Ryo nodded and leaned groggily against Dee's chest, falling asleep again in a matter of seconds in the hybrid's strong arms.

"Your bond must be very strong, if he can only rest when your presence is nearby. You are a very lucky one Dee." Jolis looked upon the pair with adoration and respect alike, chagrined that their happiness would be shattered in such a brutal way.

"I know." Dee whispered solemnly, green eyes misting over as he thought of leaving Ryo behind. He knew that his execution was unavoidable, yet he could not tell his lover. "I just don't want this dream to ever end. I want to stay with him forever and keep him safe, love him and be there for him. But I know that this will not be so."

Dee sniffed and tried to stall his tears in vain, embarrassed to be crying in front of another Demon. Jolis's heart went out to the hurting Demon, wishing that he had the power to alleviate the emotional turmoil Dee was being forced to face. On a whim, the blue haired hybrid gently wiped the tears from Dee's face and kissed his forehead. There was no desire or passion behind the kiss, but just a need to comfort his fellow Demon from the sadness that had momentarily overwhelmed him. Dee smiled at Jolis through his tears and raised a clawed hand to touch his cheek; the gesture was a silent 'thank you' for his kindness. The Demon in turn nodded his head and retreated to the kitchen, intent on finding some kind of dinner for them.

Ryo stirred in his sleep and smiled lazily up at his lover, eyes full of happiness and joy before the cruel slap of reality hit him in the face. Instantly his face fell and his bottom lip started to tremble, the Angel had picked up on Dee's thoughts and now he knew what was to come.

"Dee,… No you can't! I couldn't bear to see you killed, how would I go on? Fly away please just do something to stay alive!" Dee embraced Ryo as sobs wracked his body, issuing comforting words and tender caresses as his lover cried out his frustration, an his pain.

"Ryo, love, listen to me." Dee raised his Angel's head up from his chest so that he could look deep within the chocolate brown eyes he had come to love so much. "We shall be together again. I'm sealed to my fate and there is no way I could possibly ever hope to change it so, live with it I must. But I swear to you that we will both live, and love again. What we have is too strong for Demon or Angel, even death, to separate because I am you and you are all that is me. No matter what form you or I may be in the future, I will know the instant I have found you again for our hearts will cry out for each other. Our love will transcend even the sands of time and I will not rest, until I find you again."

Ryo whimpered and clutched onto Dee's arms, sad yet happy at his lover's promises. "But Dee I need you so much, I love you so much. I can't just let you leave me."

"But you must darling, you must." Dee stroked honey hair and kissed Ryo's lips tenderly. "I love you too Ryo, too much to ever let you go. But this is not the end, it is simply a beginning."

A few more tears ran from the Arch Angel's beautiful eyes before he nodded, slowly accepting what Dee said as true. "D-Dee…can you do one more thing for me?"

"Anything love, anything you ask for." Ryo took Dee's face between two pale hands and softly kissed his mouth, slipping a velvety tongue between parted lips to taste his lover, possibly for the last time in a long time.

"Make love to me, just this once more." Ryo shook as he tried to staunch the tears that threatened to spill anew, his mind not able to grasp that he would never be able to take part in such a beautiful act with Dee, ever again.

"Yes my love, but not this once more, just for right now. For I will become one with you again." Ryo nodded and curled up into Dee's arms as the Demon lifted him up and walked into the bedroom, the door closing with a soft click behind them.

Jolis smiled when his sharp ears heard the door click, knowing that everything that Dee had told Ryo was indeed true, and that their love would conquer all.

Sorry for the slow updates! But there is only 1 more chapter and an Epilogue then the waiting is over! Thanks for waiting for me!

PantehrChica: Why thank you! Hope u like the new chappie!

Kloudy Reignfall: No problem! Glad to have you back!

ChibiNekoSakura: I completely agree with that! But I'm also making him very mean in this story too.

Kirara-stupid cat: Well thanks for waiting! Here's 11 for ya!

Momochi Zabuza: See if you can figure it out, but if ya do don't spoil the ending. Thanks!

Miss Moonlight: We shall see, and please no purple monkeys! I'm allergic :sniff:

Drisowen: Maybe, we shall see

Ryuichi Sakuma: Kuma-beams sound dangerous! I'm sure that Berkley will get his!

LittleMissYaoi: I like exclamation points too! And Demon lords are cool

Peanut Gallery - Alaska's Own: My what a long title, I do too!

AutumnBaby: Please do, I only got three reviews cries thanks for reading this one though!

Lina the Outlawed Bomber: oh mercy me! hands you a tissue I cry myself too

ApplesRazorblades: Thank you!

Xzanayu: sorry it took so long, here you go!

Firegodes7: Yes and I can't wait to wrap it up! I have eight other ideas to put to paper!

Demeter: thanks for prodding me to get my butt in gear once more, this chapters especially for you!

Shirubaa Kitsune: SORRY! hands you loads of sanity please don't loose it on me ;;