enjoy /

-Chapter Three- Better Off Without You

Four days now. Four days straight. Flonne was starting to call it depression. Etna just complained about the silence. She simply refused to think that the Overlord could or even would be depressed. He had all the power he could ever need – what reason did he have to be depressed?

But Laharl was slipping. And all three of them were noticing. More and more, as he came close to slipping completely, he would use the excuse of being tired; even if that time happened to be early morning or in the middle of the day. Any way he could get away. He always wanted to be alone.

Always away from others.

He was afraid, that if it should happen, others would see. Yet no matter how many times he sealed himself away right before he thought he would break, and he finally WAS alone, nothing happened. He began to wonder if he should just let it happen around the other two and get it over with… since it seemed his mind wouldn't allow him to do it alone.

But which should it be? Should he let Etna… or Flonne see? Both? Neither is better, he wanted to believe this, but he also knew this apparently was not going to happen.

He figured Etna would probably just make it worse and criticise him; never let him live it down… but if Flonne were there… she wouldn't say anything bad… she would try to comfort him, try to make him feel better, maybe even give him some advice.

The very thought of it now made him feel weak, already on the verge. He stopped walking abruptly.

"I don't feel well." He said crisply, avoiding their sudden glances. Flonne was instantly concerned, and he saw it coming.

"Oh Laharl…" Flonne began gently, coming up to him, placing a hand on his forehead. "It almost feels like you have a fever… maybe you're sick…?"

He jerked away from her quickly, not wanting her to think too hard about it.

By now Etna realised Flonne was empowering him by doing this and cooperating whenever Laharl tried to pull things like this, and made such obvious excuses. And to be honest, she was tired of it. "Enough already! I'm tired of you two working behind my back like this! You—" she pointed to Laharl sharply. "Always make some dumb excuse to get away from us – me probably, because you—" she shot her hand to Flonne's direction. "Are always feeding his ideas and letting him get away with it!"

"Stop it Etna." Flonne said strongly, pulling in front of him. "Can't you see he IS sick? Look at his face! It's all red!"

Sure. It was red, but not because he had an actual fever. After this, he settled on hiding his face, and eventually just slid to the ground, veiling himself in his scarf.

"See!?" Flonne continued, using his collapse as an example.

"I said stop helping him! It's just some bad excuse!" Etna snapped, her eyes vicious and piercing. "Just look at him! You can always tell when a demon is lying – he never shows his face!!"

It was no lie now that Laharl was sure it would be Flonne he would allow to see. But he feared that as of right now… he may be forced to let them both see.

"There can be other reasons for that! If he's sick—which he is, you could be giving him a headache with all your yelling!" she rambled on for a moment with a list of other reasons for him to hide.

Laharl himself found it the perfect time to just let himself slip. If he could stay curled up like this, surely he could keep his eyes hidden long enough for them to—

Etna snatched him up by the arm and jerked him to his feet without warning. "There! You're standing now! Show Flonne you're perfectly fine! AND NO MORE EXCUSES!!" she roared, throwing him in the concerned angel's direction.

He let himself fall limply into her protective arms. And at last, Flonne realised it wasn't sickness that caused him to hide his face at all. Almost with a jolt, she hugged him tight, and turned him away from her in her arms.

To say in the least, this little gesture enraged Etna.

"You little bitch!" she hissed. "How DARE you act like he's some kind of kid! Like you're his mother or something— always protecting him!

That was it. Laharl buried his face in Flonne's flat bosom and clutched to her pitifully, shaking away the memories of his mother that flooded his mind like the tears that flooded his eyes. Flonne was instantly on-guard from his reaction to the Devil's words.

"Etna, stop it now…" she pleaded lightly, tightening her grip on him as if he were some kind of doll the other was threatening to take. "If you don't… then go away!"

There was a small stifled sound from Flonne's direction and Etna nearly lost it. She slammed her foot down and crossed her arms over her chest hotly. "Oh, now you're gonna try THAT trick demon?! I don't think so!" she roared with fury. "If you have to stoop THAT low for an excuse – I won't have it! I'm not falling for it! COWARD!"

At this she stormed off.

The moment she was far from sight and Flonne said to him she was gone; Laharl sank to his knees, nearly dragging her with him. So this is what it felt like to cry. What it felt like to be so vulnerable and weak; he couldn't stand even if he tried his very hardest… and his slight chest was being ravaged by stifled sobs caught behind his teeth.

He'd finally let it happen, finally let himself slip, and it was okay at first… till he realised Flonne was still there beside him. He thought this could have been a bad thing.

"Laharl…!" she exclaimed softly, coming down to her knees to meet him, taking him by the shoulders, attempting him to look her in the face. He had his head down; hair draped over his face to hide it seemed, from her. "Laharl…?"

He instinctively wanted to push her away and tell her to leave him alone, but pulling the scarf up closer to his chest protectively was enough at this time. But his mouth wouldn't work the way his mind commanded it to, and his tongue was betrayed by his emotions. "That Etna—" He managed. "She said… she…"

"She said a lot of things, Laharl… a lot of bad things… but it's okay, if you're still not feeling well—"

"I'm not sick…!" he tried to exclaim, but instead it sounded more like a strangled confession. "This," he gestured almost violently to his streaming eyes. "is what I've been trying to hide... whenever I felt like—" it was as if he couldn't form the word and 'I' in the same sentence. He swallowed hard for hesitation. "Every time I felt like… crying, I would make an excuse so I could get away…!" he sounded near desperate and rubbed his eyes impatiently.

Flonne stopped him by taking his wrist in her hand gently, and clasped her other over his. "Look at me, Laharl… if not, then just listen…" she waited for a moment, knowing somehow, he would cooperate and look at her straight in the eye, however reluctant it may be.

He did.

"It's okay to cry, really it is… you're supposed to when you're sad…not hide it."

Another of her speeches. But this one… instead of agitating him as it usually would, seemed to calm him down, non-the-less. He liked it for a change, and stared her in the eyes, thankful it was sapphire he saw, and not red.

If it were ever red, he'd be dead now; the owner of those eyes would be so disappointed.

"Now tell me… why are you so sad…? I'll listen to your story…"

The simple question made it feel to him as if someone had tied a weight down on him, and he nearly felt worse. He bit his trembling lip and glanced down.

Her words meant so much, however small they may have been, and she knew this. No one had ever cared for his situation… no one. And now, some Angel he'd convinced himself he hated was asking? I mean, really concerned, really wanted to know… to help if she could.

He held his breath, attempting to cease the violent sobs that tore at his throat and yet still found no relief.

"No… don't hold your breath, Laharl… let me help you." she stroked his arm lightly, coming to face him from the front. "Even, deep breaths…"

He at least attempted at what he was told, but in the process was almost sure he'd succeeded, but a stray sob caught back in his throat, producing a hiccupping sound. It made him more frustrated, and he ended up as he started.

Flonne, now convinced she should just let him cry it out, did, and let him be until he was ready on his own, still by his side of course.

He'd never cried once in his life. So thousands of years' stress and build-up could make anyone cry. And in that much time… there sure were a lot of things to cry about.

She couldn't even begin to imagine.

Wait.

What was he thinking? He couldn't allow himself to go all sentimental now…

If it weren't for Etna in the first place… if it weren't fro Flonne… he seemed to mentally pinch himself with these thoughts until his legs regained their strength, free from any sort of trembling. He eased himself up… a burning look in his drying eyes.

He didn't need anyone.

He only felt this way because others caused him to. They were the problem… They were to blame…

He made up his mind almost abruptly and glared down at Flonne, his composure fully regained. "No. I don't need you." he said calmly. Too calmly; Anger calm. "I don't need any of you. No one."

"Ah… Laharl—where is this coming from…?" she fussed, looking up at him shortly, for she had stayed down when he went up.

By now, Etna was back with a small morsel to eat, and it only spiked his rage. "What the hell do YOU want?"

"Oh, nothing. This is just one fight I'd LOVE to sit and watch."

"Shut the hell up! This is YOUR fault!!" he rasped. In a split second he seemed to change his mind and spun around sharply to face the now standing Flonne. "No, it's YOUR fault!! If it weren't for your stupid speeches all the time that always reminded me of— SEE!?"

"So which is it?" Etna rumbled, annoyed. "Who are you blaming; both of us now?"

"Yes!" He stamped his foot and clenched his fists, elbows locking at his sides, his blackish-purple aura making a quick swirl around him.

"Well. That's too bad." Etna snapped, giving him a deathly specific glare that said many things. She glanced down at Flonne from her position slyly. "Let's go, Flonne."

"But— where are we going…?" she insisted as her wrist was captured, and glanced back at Laharl as she was dragged away. "I think Laharl—"

"Laharl doesn't care where we go." She shot her eyes back at him just for a moment to see if he'd caught on yet. Trouble was, he didn't exactly care. Yet.

Etna, still looking back at him, spoke to Flonne loudly, "He won't last three days without us." She declared. "Just watch."

"WHAT!!" he roared, his glare chasing them as they walked. "You're leaving me!?"

Etna stopped short, seeming to laugh wickedly. "I thought you wanted us gone, dear prince…?" she mocked. "Looks like you didn't even last the few seconds while were walking away… pathetic."

"Shut the hell up!!" she demanded again. "I DO want you gone! Never come back again! I'd be better off without you anyway!!"

And then they were gone, never giving a second glance back.