Disgaea: Hour of Darkness

Title: Forgotten Memories

Author: The Rogue Shadow

Genre: PG-13

Rating: Drama/Humor

---

Chapter 4: No Weakness for the Prince

- Laharl -

I continue leading my soon-to-be vassal throughout the castle, which seems to be bigger than I remember it to be. I guess the reason is because Etna keeps deciding to stop and look at everything as we pass it by.

I mean, what's so interesting about this place?

It's now daytime and the vassals have already set to work on illuminating the castles' candles. We have a few windows around the place, but they don't provide enough light to see where you're going.

Hm, those vassals really take their job seriously... not that I'm complaining or anything.

With proper lighting, it's now possible to see the castle for what it really is. Though in all honesty, there's not much to it. It looks just like your average stone made castle filled with paintings, velvet carpets, and of course lava pits.

I turn to look at her and I find that she's staring at a portrait of my old man.

Just now, I feel something that I'm not familiar with. A discomforting emotion that makes me annoyed and a little hurt. It feels like anger mixed with... jealousy?

No, no, that can't be it. Why should I be jealous at all? Let alone of him. Why should I care if he holds her interest? Why should I care if she wants to stare at him all day long? Why in the Netherworld is it that I want for her to be staring at one of my portraits instead?

- Etna -

I continue to gaze upon the king's picture as I reminisce about the time he helped me out.

"Hey Etna, is this your first time walking around the castle or what?"

My words manage to break into the little world she was in and they pull her out. She turns around and looks at me with a slightly confused face.

"Well kinda. You see, I used to hide out in the kitchen and when I wasn't doing that, I'm was stuck doing do chores like cleaning up rooms or doing the laundry. So I never really had the chance to wander the castle halls and appreciate what's there."

I stare at her with a little frown on my face.

"So why do you keep on staring at my old man then?"

Her eyes widen slightly, then her face goes from shocked to solemn.

"You see... he's the one who found me outside of the castle gate. He took me in and watched over me until I got better. After that though, he stopped coming in to check on me. I still didn't get the chance to thank him for what he did."

So that's it then. She was abandoned in front of our gate and he saved her. Well good for him then.

I wanted to continue walking and get the process of making her my vassal over with as soon as I can. I don't like this feeling of uneasiness that she's more interested in someone else than myself.

What the heck? Am I feeling insecure now?

I give a growl and my eyes narrow.

Okay that's it. I will not and shall not be insecure. Insecurity is a major weakness. And in this world where strength is everything, I have no place for weaknesses! With that said, why the hell should I care who she wants to stare at?

I begin walking in a fast pace to the Dark Assembly, not even bothering to look back to see if she's following or not.

"Hey! Wait for me!"

I narrow my eyes and continue my pace.

Like I'm waiting for anyone.

It's not long before I hear her footsteps running up behind me.

So she decided to come along then. Whoop-Dee-Do.

"Uh, Prince... Are you mad about something?"

Hm... What do you think? I'm stuck here watching you, someone who is going to swear complete loyalty to me, obsessing over my old man. Who's already married. To my mother! Well as you can tell, it obviously doesn't bother me so just go ahead and drool over that portrait all you want.

"Did I do something wrong?"

I remain silent and continue walking until she grabs my arm, forcing me to stop.

"C'mon Prince. Tell me what's the matter. Please?"

Enunciating each word, I give her my response.

"Shut. Up."

With that said, I wrench my arm out from her now loosened grip and continue walking on. A hushed silence falls over us, save for the sound of our footsteps echoing through the corridors. I smirk with satisfaction at the fact that I managed to shut her up.

Finally. Now I can think in peace.

That is until I hear her sniffles.

Dreading what this means, I turn around slowly and much to my horror, I find her starting to cry yet again.

"What... what's the matter with you now?"

She looks up at me with her tear-glazed eyes.

It's once again times like these, I wish I were anywhere else except here.

Crying girls is definitely not my forte.

"You... you hate me don't you?"

I shake my head more to myself than to her.

She would still think that even after those promises I made to her.

"For the love of the Seraph... What kind of stupid question is that?"

I roll my eyes and turn my back to her.

"Yeah, I hate you. That's why I'm bothering to sign up as my vassal and train you to become stronger, when it's solely for your benefit. Stronger so you won't have to hide away in fear. Stronger so you'll be strong enough to fight back and win. Stronger so you'll be able to have a better life. Because I hate you."

I sigh and turn back around to look at her.

"Honestly, what are you thinking? Of course, I don't hate you."

She sniffs again before answering me.

"Well, why are ignoring me and telling me to shut up then?"

I remain silent for a bit, while thinking over what she said.

She does have a point there. I did do and say those things.

Jeez, I really need to keep myself in check. I snapped and went a little ballistic on this girl who I promised to help out. Weakness is still a major issue in my book, but I shouldn't take it out on her. Now that that's decided, it's time to clear up our little misunderstanding.

I take a small breath, while contemplating the answer I should give.

Maybe I'll just tell her that I'm angry because I'm so madly in love with her and it breaks my heart to find her so in love with the painting of another man, who just so happens to be my father.

My eyebrows scrunch together, while I actually think about it.

Hm, actually that idea doesn't sound half-bad...

I blink and shake my head.

Nah... she wouldn't buy it anyway.

I give a sigh and look at her, still awaiting my answer. She seems so timid and yet hopeful that I really don't hate her.

Argh! Why does she have to look so fragile and weak? What happened to that girl who tackled me against the kitchen floor? I liked that one better. At least, that girl didn't make me feel guilty or something.

I raise my gaze to meet hers and she's still looking, hoping, and fearing for my answer.

Do my thoughts about her really matter that damn much?!

One look from her says it all. She doesn't want to be left alone again. She's depending on me to help her through this. She truly wants to know if I hate her or not.

.... I guess I'll just tell her the truth then, if it'll put her mind to rest.

- Etna -

I don't realize that I'm holding my breath until he finally speaks.

"Look, it's just... annoying to see you drooling over a portrait. I mean if you're going to become my most trusted vassal, I can't have you dedicated to someone else. I'm suppose to rely on you to help me out and only me."

I continue to listen, hoping that the he really doesn't hate me. I don't want to him to hate me and abandon me just like the others.

I realize something else just now. There's more to me dreading this than him changing his mind about training me. I don't want... to be left alone anymore. I want be able to joke around, to laugh, and to do all those things I see others do with their friends.

Yes... what I really want is a friend.

"I can't have any doubts about your loyalty to me. I don't want to find myself 3,000 years from now in a vital fight against some Overlord wanna be, just so you can stab me in the back. Do you see what I'm saying?"

I never knew the Prince thought that way. Does he really think I would do that? Maybe that's why he acting the way he did. He doesn't know if he can trust me.

"Prince... out of all the demons in the Netherworld, I know the pain of betrayal better than anyone does. I would never betray you. I swear it. Please, you have to believe me."

His eyes slowly close as if he were in deep thought. As a few moments, he opened them and stared straight into mine.

"I do believe it when you say you won't betray me. Still, I need to know. If it should ever come down to between my old man and myself, who will you choose?"

What am I supposed to say? I've sworn to follow Prince for the rest of my days. However, is it really right to just turn my back on the man who saved my life? What am I supposed to do?

"I don't think I can make a choice right now. You know that I want to do this and that I'm more than willing to become your vassal, but you have to understand that I can't make that kind of decision right now! I'm sorry..."

I look down not knowing what to expect. I have once again, quite possibly ruined my chance.

Why not just forget about the king? After all he stopped coming to visit me, possibly regretting saving someone as pathetic as me. So why did I ruin my chance?!

The answer comes to me quicker than anticipated.

Because regardless of what he did after, the fact still remains that he saved me. It's like I told the Prince, I know better when it comes down to betraying someone. It's simply not something I can even imagine myself doing. I only hope that I'll never have to in the future.

But that's getting ahead of myself right now. For all I know, the Prince will call the whole thing off.

I give a meek smile inwardly.

Well, whatever his decision, at least I was able to stand up for my beliefs... Right?

- Laharl -

So, she decides that she can't make a decision huh? Well in that case...

"Fair enough."

She looks at me completely shocked and I can't help but smirk. She obviously was expecting a different answer.

"No doubt you were expecting me to call this off or something right?"

"Ye... yeah..."

Figures she would think that... even though I already told her before that I wasn't going to call this thing off.

"Well look, I'm not all gung-ho about the idea of you deciding that you want to be loyal to two separate people and I do expect you to make a decision about it eventually."

She nods and looks as if she was expecting that.

"Though I must admit that I'm impressed. That was the first time someone defied me openly, who had something to lose. Now that's the girl who I made a promise to. A girl who wouldn't back down from something she believes in. That's the girl who I will train into an unstoppable killing machine!"

I see her confused reaction and I realize I may getting ahead of myself here.

"Fine. I'll train you into a great fighter and we'll see where it goes from there. Is that better?"

She smiles and nods.

"Yeah, Prince. That sounds like a good deal."

"Then if you will..."

I motion with my hand to continue walking, as I turn and proceed to the Dark Assembly.

Though I won't admit to her, I really am proud of what she did. I still plan to make her loyal to me and me alone, but it's really something that someone as timid as she is would do something like that. I guess I am a good influence after all. Heh, heh.

We continue walking through the corridors and I realize with a certain amount of satisfaction that Etna's no longer stopping to stare at anymore portraits.

Up ahead, I see Gargo the Gargoyle guarding the entrance to the area with the Rosen Queen shops, the Netherworld Hospital, and of course the Dark Assembly.

This is just great. He's bound to start some sort of trouble, what with me hiring my first vassal and the vassal being a female demon rather than, oh say a monster. Then again anyone of the vassals would start up anything just to get a laugh or two. Why the hell did my old man have to hire vassals as... quirky as them?

I'll have to make a note to do something about that when I become Overlord later on.

We finally come to a stop right in front of Gargo.

Come to think about it, when did he start guarding and doing stuff vassals are actually supposed to do? Eh, who cares?

"Hey Gargo, move it. I'm in a rush."

He looks at me with his gleaming eyes. If I didn't know him as well as I did, I might have been a little intimidated by that.

"And who might you be, hm?"

I groan and put a hand to my face.

"What kind of stupid question is that?! I'm the Prince Laharl, heir to the throne, future Overlord of the entire Netherworld!"

A moment of silence passes by until he decides to speak again.

"Well you certainly sound as annoying as him."

Grr... I'm going to kill him!

He continues talking to me as if he said nothing wrong.

"Tell you what, if you give me some proof that you're the prince then I'll let you go ahead."

Damn it! He knows I'm the Prince. He just wants to annoy me. Well if that's the way he wants to play it, then I have the perfect proof to give him.

"Fine then Gargo. Do you remember the previous vassal we had? Fae the Faerie? How he loved to play pranks on the entire castle? Then he decided to mess with my old man. Do you remember what happened?"

- Flashback -

"Fae!!"

The whole castle shook as Krichevskoy stomped out of his room with fire in his eyes. In his hands, he held a black jar that had a piece of paper stuck to it. It read: "Sorry Your Highness, I was feeling a bit peckish. Hope you don't mind if I have a black pretzel or all. Love, Everyone's Favorite Prankster."

His wife, a human witch, came out of the room with boredom in her eyes.

"C'mon darling, do you have to make such a big deal about this?"

"Of course I do! If I let something like this slide, then it'll just happen again! And again! Until my whole supply of black pretzels have been taken!"

She sighed, knowing that there was no way to stop him. He always did take it personally when his favorite snack was out of stock. How he would rant on and on about how the store had it out for him. Times like these, it's just best to let it be, she could only pray for the poor soul that was foolish enough to take it.

In the kitchen, Fae the Faerie was enjoying his snacks he had gotten with his five finger discount. The rest of the vassals had gathered to hear his dashing and daring tale of how he took while the king was sleeping.

"So then as I reaching in the jar to grab it, he started to mumble in his sleep. That's when I heard him say-"

"Fae! Where in the Netherworld are you?!"

The rest of the vassals quickly scampered as the heard the king roar. They knew better than to get in the way of him when he was in a bad mood.

Fae looked around and saw that his captivated audience had unsurprisingly abandoned him. The king's shadow then appeared on the kitchen wall and grew larger as the king approached.

"No... C'mon it was just a joke! Please King Krichevskoy! NOO!!!"

5 minutes later...

The king had summoned the Dark Assembly and after the meeting he summoned everyone to the throne room. Among the queen and Laharl were his most trusted and loyal vassals: Goleck the Golem, Manty the Manticore, Dratti the Dragon, Gargo the Gargoyle, and Ghoss the Ghost. They were all there expect for Fae the Faerie, someone they suspected had something to do with this meeting. The chatter among them came to a stop as the king appeared before them.

"As you all are well aware, there has been a traitor among the vassals. He has committed an act so vile, that I cannot bear to mention what it was."

Within the crowd, a young Laharl tugged his mother's sleeve.

"Hey, mom, what did Fae do?"

She sighed and gave a small smile to her son..

"Fae stole some of your father's favorite snacks and now he's going to be severely punished for it."

Laharl blinked a few times before responding back.

"That's what he's making a big deal about?!"

"You know how your father is dear..."

The king continued talking, not hearing what his family had said.

"So as punishment, I have talked to the Dark Assembly and they agreed to my request. I'd like to present to you the new and improved Fae the Prinny!!"

A blue, sullen looking prinny stepped from behind the throne for the crowd to see.

"This is the fate of all those who dare defy me!"

With a mighty heave he lifted and hurled Fae over the crowd and onto the cement floor.

Needless to say, Fae meet the floor with a mighty boom, which reflected off the crazy gleam in the king's eyes.

Krichevskoy panted heavily for a moment before giving off a mighty, yet crazed laugh. As his laughs echoed among the halls of the throne room, the rest of the vassals sadly shook their head and started walking out. They all walked around Fae's smoldering body, who was rendered KO'ed from the blast.

Laharl looked back and forth from Fae to his still laughing father.

"Moron..."

With that said Laharl walked away, alongside of his mom, leaving Krichevskoy to continue laughing obliviously that his audience had disbanded.

Laharl smirked at the memory.

"So you remember the policy from then on right? Those who mess with the royal family shall be brutally charred! Understand?!"

Gargo gulped and backed away from the entrance to allow Laharl and Etna to gain access.

"Erm... No worries, Prince. I completely understand. Besides I don't really feel like being turned into a Prinny and then being blown up. Though if I may inquire, who the demonness accompanying you is?"

Laharl raised his eyebrow at the question.

"If you must know, her name is Etna, my future vassal, as soon as I get it approved by the Dark Assembly."

He looked behind Laharl and then back at him.

"You might have a bit of a problem doing that, Prince."

Laharl snorted at the comment.

"Those old geezers in the Assembly won't be any problem."

"That's not quite what I meant..."

The Prince threw a questioning look at Garo.

"Why's that?"

Gargo looked nervous under his gaze and kept his eyes to the ground.

"Well, you see... she's not really there anymore..."

Lahral's eyes widened and he quickly spun around to discover that Gargo had been right. Etna had disappeared without the slightest trace.

Only one thought came to his mind at this time.

"This is not good..."

---

A/N: I hope you liked this chapter. Sorry for the cliffhanger, but I needed something a little more captivating than, "They walked inside." I was already planning this but I didn't expect it to be part of this chapter. No matter. My apologizes to you if this wasn't a great chapter. Reviews always seem to change my writing ability. For better or worse, I'll let you decide. Review soon!! Motivation tank is almost to the top, because I'm on a role. Help me fill it up!

Stay tuned for 'Chapter 5: No TLC for the Vassal'! As always title is a work in progress... (grin)

- Response to the Reviews -

ClawsofDeath:

Glad I could answer you questions! Though I had no idea what they were. I did try to put some of the plot in this chapter such as some details about Etna's past. I want to keep this as close to the game as I possibly can. Enjoy the next chapter!

Goldramon X:

As always thanks for the review. I'm glad to see that I'm getting "regulars" now. Heh, heh. Makes this fic all the more worth while.

Kei-kun:

Once again I apologize for the late update. I just completely zoned on the updating process. Don't worry though, I'm getting more used to my new 10 page minimum. Let's make two weeks the maximum time for updating, kay? Heh. Thanks for your patronage to this fic! (grin) Definitely helps the updating process.

neko the mata:

Sorry, I've been meaning to give you a response for a while. TLC stands for 'tender loving care'. I'm certain you'll hear used with people like mothers and such. If not then it's fine. I don't think it's a dumb question though. In fact, I'm glad I could help. Learning something new everyday and such, right? I was a little nervous on how people would take the introduction of Fae but it looks like it went smoothly. After all, the genre for this fic is supposed to have some humor in it. Heh.

dan heron:

I'm very happy that you like this fic. I wasn't too sure about the quality of it, but I must be doing something right after all. Keep up the reviewing! The tank of motivation greatly appreciates it. (grins) I really do try to keep this fic in line with the game, so I'm really glad you think it fits.

Nohbody:

Glad you think it's a nice story. Though I really can't take credit for the names of the vassals. I checked with the game to see what they were. I just used their format to create Fae the Faerie. You know, the names closely resembling their species. Hope the next updates manage to catch your interest.

nekochan123:

(lol) No problem. I'll have a new chapter up in a jiffy! Is that even a word? Jiffy? Oh well, you know what I mean. Your enthusiasm definitely helps me update quicker. Hope to hear from you again! Look forward to the next update!

Twitches:

(grin) Most definitely this is a Laharl and Etna pairing! I thought I put that in the summary, but oh well! Maybe I didn't... Who knows? I'm not going to check anytime soon. Thanks for the motivation!

Black-wings91:

Right now I'm trying to develop some sort of relationship between the two. Right now, Etna looks at Laharl for support and a chance for a better life. Laharl's kindness might pay off after all! Laharl sees Etna as a cute girl, though he'll never admit it. At least not yet. (grins) He wants to help her out and win her favor. Silly hormones. But in no way is this a scheme of his. He genuinely wants to protect her. Hope that made some sense! Very glad you like the story. Keep up the reviews and I'll keep up the updating!

LulSheeta:

Well, I don't know about this being a good fic... Maybe superb or godly... (lol) Just kidding! I'm not the type of person to say that kind of stuff. At least, not openly... (grin) I'm glad you like this fic though. It helps build up some confidence in the fic and let's me continue it. Hope you'll like the next chapter!