Maou, having had his fill of Emi's intoxicating presence, decided to take it easy. He had so much riding on him that he decided to just ignore it all. He would ignore his feelings for Emi, he would ignore his duties to the demons of Ente Isla and he would ignore the concerned side glances of his subordinates. Urushihara in particular, who had come out to see Emi and Maou in a semi-compromising position, said nothing to Maou, and did not make contact. In fact, he kept himself glued to the computer and did not speak unless spoken to. Even when Maou asked if he was alright, Lucifer simply waved off the Demon King. His face betrayed no emotion, but Maou felt a deep and profound sense of dislike coming from Urushihara's small form. It was hard to think the guy once commanded the army of Heaven, second to only one…
Still, Maou took the rest of the morning easy, sitting with everyone else on the floor of the apartment, eating his breakfast and doing his best to avoid looking at Emi. She seemed unaffected by the entire thing, but then again why would she be? Maou had told her nothing, and she assumed his over the top behavior was because of the emotions he'd taken from her. In a sense, she was correct. Maou felt that if he hadn't been so hopped up on Emi's sadness and paranoia, he might have been a little kinder to Urushihara, but not that much. Lucifer had been a drain on both his coffers and his pantry. That damn guy needed a job if he was going to keep living like he was.
"Hey, Urushihara," Maou said, "I'm bringing home an application for MgRonalds on Monday, you're gonna fill it out and have it ready by the time I go in to work on Tuesday. I've managed to get Ms. Kisaki to jump you ahead of the other applicants, so on Tuesday you'll be dressing nicely and accompanying me to work for an interview. Don't blow it, man."
"Fine," Urushihara said, waving his hand in an 'I'm-Lucifer-and-I-don't-give-a-damn' fashion.
Maou took it with a grain of salt and swallowed through a mouthful of breakfast.
"I mean it, I need you to make a good impression! If you behave poorly, that reflects back on me in more ways than one!"
The statement brought a surreal sense of familiarity to Maou, as he often recalled thinking those words as his underlings in the demon army as they massacred their way across Ente Isla. Now that he thought of it, maybe it was best if he simply took care of things on his own, no demon army to screw things up and no Lucifer to get beaten by the Hero. The beautiful, gorgeous, clever, funny Hero…
'Dammit,' Maou thought, turning his head away from Emi so abruptly his neck cricked.
After an hour or so of lazy lounging, everyone had washed, dried, dressed and was ready to go, but none of them showed any desire to go home, in fact, they seemed rather content with sitting around and talking. Maou, on the other hand, was getting quite anxious of being stuck in such a small space with Emi, and the more he tried to block her out, the more he found that she was the barricade he'd built in his mind.
"Hey guys," Maou said, standing quickly and jerking his thumb over his shoulder at the door, "let's go for a walk, my legs are asleep and it's getting hot in here with all these people."
After a moment, they all agreed that fresh air would be good, and they left the apartment. For a while they wandered, going nowhere in particular. From a distance, they seemed like average high school or college age people, a close knit group of friends. Upon closer inspection, however, you could tell something was off about the group. Perhaps it was the way they looked like they were seeing everything in the city for the first time, or perhaps it was the girl in the kimono and the sandals, but something was most certainly off with the group. Or maybe, just maybe, it was the overwhelming sense that any one of them could kick your ass in a second without batting an eye, because they could. And they wore it proudly, like badges of honor as they walked through the streets. People who saw them seemed to stare for a moment, sure that the feeling that there was so much more to these people was just a fluke or a trick of their own minds.
"Oooh," Chiho said, eyeing up a large thrift store, "this looks awesome, let's go inside."
"A clothes store," Ashiya asked, rubbing his chin, "why should we take interest in such a place?"
"Well, maybe not you, but Emi, Suzuno and I could definitely use a new outfit or two," Chiho said happily, jumping up and down on the pavement.
"I'm fine in my kimono," Suzuno said, holding up a hand to stop Chiho's blathering about cute shorts and spaghetti strap tank tops and high heels.
"No," Chiho said, sticking out her tongue at Suzuno and gripping her wrist, dragging her into the store, "you need to look more lady like! Trust me, you'll love this!"
As Suzuno was abducted and dragged into the store, she grabbed the back of Emi's shirt and Emi was dragged along with them.
"I won't go down alone," Suzuno hissed at Emi with a look of sheer terror upon her face.
And so Chiho, the sixteen year old human girl dragged Suzuno and Emi into the store. As Emi was sucked into the abyss, she grabbed Maou's wrist and dragged him along too. Maou's heart stopped, his breathing shuddered and he felt himself melt as the Hero gripped his hand, pulling him with her. She had a look of savage triumph upon her face as she dragged the Devil to the doom of the secondhand clothing store.
Maou barely had the mental capacity to throw out his other hand, which Ashiya caught… before being dragged in himself. Urushihara stood there, looking disinterested, when a hand shot out and gripped his wrist as well.
It was Suzuno, blushing as she dragged Lucifer into the store.
"If I fall," she said dramatically, "so must all of you!"
Lucifer, who'd never before been so forcefully moved, staggered as Suzuno pulled him into the shop, the both of them blushing furiously. Lucifer found his legs and let himself be dragged, meeting everyone else on the inside of the building, gazing around at the vast selection of threads.
"Come on guys," Chiho said, "let's try to find some outfits!"
Usually, it seemed the store did not receive too much commerce, so when the shopkeeper saw the large group of young adults enter, he was politely surprised and ready for several sales. What he did not expect was for a sixteen year old girl to lead a movement of these young adults to try on just about anything and everything within sight. Emi was modest, and she shopped for a few new outfits, nothing over the top, just simple clothes for any occasion. Chiho, sadly, had to pull Suzuno away from a large rack of thick leather clothes that could've doubled for armor.
"I was just admiring the craftsmanship, that was a very durable pair of gloves," Suzuno exclaimed as she was forcefully pushed from the men's' section into the women's. Maou, however, found his comfort in trench coats and scarves, doing his best to mock up a cape for his eventual takeover of the world.
"What do you think, Ashiya," Maou asked, "should I wear this when I take over? Or should I go with the coat with the fur lining?"
"What's this about taking over the world," Emi said, crossing her arms and emerging from behind a rack of skirts in another aisle.
"I said take over, and when I say take over, I mean integrate demons with humans bringing peace, because unlike you I have goals, other than just killing my foes," Maou declared dramatically, using an arm to cast out his coat so that it flapped like a cape.
"Hmmm."
Emi scowled and stalked away, leaving Maou to feel quite ridiculous in his far too large coat. He held it out for Ashiya to take.
"It seems this one will not do, I'll need another one," he said, looking fondly at the coat.
"An excellent choice sire," Ashiya said, gazing at the price tag, "this one is far too expensive anyway. Perhaps we could try the costume section for a cape."
Meanwhile, Urushihara took a coat from the rack, looking it up and down. For all his time and effort spent searching, he'd finally found it, an almost exact replica of the coat he wore while serving as the Demon King's General. There were a few subtle differences in coloring and styling, but for the most part, the coat was almost exactly the same. Urushihara slipped it on and it fit like it was tailored for him. The sleeves were perfectly cut and form fitting, the buckles, when fastened, seemed to fit his chest perfectly. If he hadn't known any better, it might have been the exact same coat.
He took it and marched up to Maou, looking determined. He tossed it to the Demon King, who caught it and looked it over, recognizing it from having tried it on only a few minutes ago.
"I take it you want this," Maou said, looking at the price tag with disgust.
"Yes," Urushihara said, "I think I deserve it… consider it repayment."
"For what?"
Lucifer gripped Maou's shoulder in an iron grip and dragged him forward until Lucifer's lips were right next to Maou's ear.
"For not telling anyone about your secret."
Maou's eyes opened wide and he stepped back quickly, eyeing Lucifer's smirk with incredulousness. Maou pulled at his collar and began to sweat nervously.
"What… what secret would that be? Hehe… hehehe."
Lucifer leaned forward and once more he whispered, just loud enough for Maou to hear.
"I saw you and Emi last night, and again this morning. I am far more aware and in tune to these things than you make me to be."
"Two can play at that game," Maou said, stepping closer and scowling down at Urushihara, "for instance, I am well aware of your feelings… for her."
Maou nodded, and Urushihara followed Maou's gaze to find Suzuno, emerging from a fitting room and looking like a completely different person. She wore a mini skirt with leggings and a pair of heels that added an inch or so to her height. She also wore a white, flower patterned top with elbow length sleeves that dissolved into tassels by the time they reached her wrists. Her hair, still pinned with her magic weapon in the form of a red flower shaped pin, was still done as it usually was, but overall, she looked like a different person. It was Lucifer's turn to back away and look surprised now, but his eyes remained glued to Suzuno, who blushed at the rather figure cutting state of her clothing.
"You can't hide it from me, Lucifer. You mind has gone all soft and buttery and your emotions are… delectable, to say the least. No, this is something quite strange, a fallen archangel, in love with a human girl, the Bailiff of the Inquisition, the Death Scythe. Tell me Lucifer, what was it that drew you too her, hmm?"
Maou turned Lucifer to that they both faced Suzuno as she emerged from the fitting room, talking with Chiho about the clothes. Maou threw an arm over Urushihara's shoulders as he sized up the two of them.
"Was it her faraway attitude? The fact that she could kill you and you wouldn't even know it? Or maybe it was something else… something deeper, a profound sense of connection between the two of you. I mean, look at you guys, both of you are rebels, running from the injustice of the Church and Heaven respectively. You were both warriors and assassins, made to smite enemies, only to leave your posts… but I think the reasons for your leaving are so drastically different, she'd never see you in that light. Look at her, for example, she left the Church because she never thought she would kill someone, much less all those innocents. She has the blood of goodness knows how many people on her hands, the lives of countless men and women, silenced by the vile Church. And then there's you," Maou said in an undertone, "a cruel, heartless bastard who left because he found being the leader of the archangels boring. Now, riddle me this, how do you compare to the girl of your affections? Hmm?"
"Fine," Lucifer said, "don't buy the coat, I'll put it back."
"No, I'll buy it for you," Maou said, "but I have a few… stipulations."
"And they are?"
"First off, you are never to tell anyone about any of the contents of our conversation. Do you understand what that means? I forbid you to tell Suzuno anything about your feelings. I have a mission to lead demonkind to a brighter future, and you will not stand in my way of achieving this goal," Maou said.
Urushihara looked furious for a moment, but then he sighed. He'd made an oath to serve under Satan Jacob and he couldn't break it now.
"Fine, anything else?"
"Secondly, after I buy this coat, I want you to get the job at MgRonalds I was talking about and you will use your first check to pay me back for it. I can't afford to pay rent, utilities and buy this thing."
Urushihara sighed. It was going to be a long week, it seemed.
"Deal."
They stood there, looking at each other, arms folded and eyes narrowed, and then Urushihara sighed again.
"So… Emi, huh?"
Maou looked around before responding, making sure the coast was clear.
"About that, what you saw was… well it wasn't what you thought it was."
"Oh? And what would…."
A look of understanding dawned upon the face of the fallen angel, and his violet eyes widened.
"You've been stealing her emotions," he said quietly, "you've been working her into fits and taking her emotions for you own magical gain."
"No," Maou said shortly, "we made a deal, I get her emotions, she feels better. I'm still working to establish peace, so I need you to keep your mouth shut and to do your best to help it along."
"So you two aren't…"
"No," Maou said, lying about his feelings for Emi, "it's a rocky partnership, but so far it works and I can't have it blown up by a loose yapper. Understand?"
"You can count on me… now can I have some money, I wanna wear this thing," Urushihara said, taking the coat from Maou and holding out a hand for money.
Maou put a fistful of yen into Lucifer's hand and Urushihara made a mad dash for the register, but to his displeasure, someone got there first.
"Oh, hello good Urushihara," Suzuno said, slightly stumbling over her new heels, "curse these shoes."
"What, are you actually buying this stuff?"
"Yes, I seem to have misplaced my kimono, so now I have no choice but to try and pay for everything without disrobing. Good Urushihara, if you would set aside your coat, I would like to recruit your help in securing the tags on these clothes so the good patron of this establishment can charge me accordingly."
Urushihara set his coat on the counter, and soon enough, he was working to find and remove all of the tags upon Suzuno. It was rather intense and delicate, like disarming a bomb. His hands shook every time he got close to her body. He knelt down and gently grasped the tag on her miniskirt before ripping it off for her. Suzuno gripped the counter and blushed furiously as Lucifer worked to find every last tag, his closeness and proximity to her made her feel like she were floating upon a cloud.
The shopkeeper averted his eyes, wondering who these people were, and finally, Lucifer rose from under the counter, grasping the tags for Suzuno's outfit in one hand. He set them all down upon the counter and leaned in close to grab his coat, gently bumping into Suzuno as he did so. Suzuno's face turned beat red as Urishihara Hanzo accidentally pressed himself upon her in an attempt to reach his coat. She whipped about, her face scandalized as she eyed Lucifer warily. He tossed his coat over one arm, his own face turning magenta. He clasped his hands and bowed to Suzuno, over and over again.
"Sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry."
"You're gonna be," Crestia Bell said in the language of Ente Isla.
Meanwhile, Maou and Ashiya were still trying on coats, Ashiya having returned with a wide selection to choose from.
"I found them on clearance," Ashiya said, "you can try them on in a moment, but first, I found this…"
Ashiya held up a cloak. It was thick and well made, a true masterpiece to be found in a secondhand store.
"I believe it was sold by one who attends renaissance fairs and the like, sire, please try it on."
Maou did, loving the feel of it against his back as it made him stand straight and tall, looking out regally over the secondhand thrift shop.
"This is nice," Maou said, "but it's kind of on the plain side, isn't it? I need something grand and classy, Ashiya, otherwise I could just wear my cape to the celebrations of world domination."
"That is easily remedied, my lord, if you can save up and buy me a needle and any sort of accessories you might want on this cloak, I can make it finer than the Good Vestments of the Pope!"
"Good day, Lord Satan Jacob, Ruler of Demons."
Maou felt a chill creep through him, the voice was slick and deep, like oil. It also spoke in Ente Islan, a highly formal and constricting form of it: the Language of Ente Isla's angels. Maou slowly turned to find a young man behind him. Roughly his own age with a slim build, yet lean and toned like a runner. He wore an elegant suit, entirely black, with a large violet handkerchief in his sports jacket's pocket and a fine gold chain running from the button of his vest to a small pocket on it. His cuffs links were gold like his chain, adorned with a large black letter 'B', probably made of some black diamond or something. Maou, however, did not see his wealth of refinery, nor his handsome and roguish charm, Maou saw an angel.
The angel had hair darker than the blackest of nights and purple eyes that were so dark, they might've been black. He smiled at both Maou and Ashiya, both of whom were immediately on guard.
"So it is you," said the angel, rubbing his chin, "interesting. I wonder when you got here… no matter, I never thought I'd see anyone from Ente Isla here."
"Who are you," Maou asked, "and why are you here? You're from Ente Isla, that much is for sure, but-"
"You mean you don't recognize me? Lucifer hasn't spoken of me at all?"
"No, he hasn't mentioned anything to me about angels with uncommonly expensive fashion sense and creepy, silky smooth voices," Maou replied, never taking his eyes from the man, not even for a second.
Urushihara, from the front of the shop, turned to find his friends after having paid for his coat, and found them talking to someone. A moment passed before he recognized the man, his violet eyes opening wide with fear as he ran for them.
"Maou," Lucifer said loudly, "Ashiya!"
Maou's eyes snapped between the angel and Lucifer for a fraction of a second, but that was all it took. With a sharp jab, the angel placed a finger to Ashiya's forehead, making him vanish in a swirl of black mist. Maou, noticing Ashiya's disappearance only moments too late, leapt backward out of reach and stared lividly at the angel.
"Sorry about that," said the young man in the fine black suit, "but it's best if I have a little leverage. Anyway, if you want your general back, I expect you to hand over your fragment of Yesod."
"My what now," Maou asked, dumbstruck for a second.
Lucifer, Suzuno and finally Emi all raced to Maou's side, the four of them faced off against this strange and foreign person in the swanky suit. Even with all of his power, Maou felt something about this guy send shivers down his spine.
"What's going on," Emi hissed, "where's Ashiya?"
"He has him."
Maou jabbed an accusatory finger at his adversary and the man smiled, putting on a pair of two toned sunglasses, probably Bay-Rans or some other fancy brand.
"That I do, and if you want him back, you'll have to agree to meet me for a trade. I'll bring your general, you bring your fragment of Yesod."
"I order you to stand down," Lucifer said regally, slashing a hand through the air.
Everyone in the room felt temptation to follow and obey Urushihara's command, but it seemed to send the well-dressed man with the shoulder length raven hair into a fit of what could only be described as intense pleasurable giggles.
"Oooohhohoho," said the angel, shivering and shaking, "that was good. I remember having to follow your every command. Not only was it nostalgic, it was an excellent reminder of how much stronger I am now. Come on, Lucy, do it again, for old time's sake."
"How did you manage to disobey me," Lucifer asked.
"A lot has changed, my good Lucy, a lot indeed. For instance, you might not recognize these, as they came only after you'd left Heaven for the demon world."
The angel frowned and from his back spread a large pair of wings, bird like and feathery, but not white and pure, they were black as well, matched only by the man's suit and hair. He held out his arms wide and smiled.
"Eh? You like what you see, Lucy? I suppose you think I followed in your footsteps, but that's not the case. I was destined to leave Heaven, you knew that I think. Somewhere between the rivalry and the treating me like a piece of shit, I'm pretty sure you could sense it coming."
Urushihara looked at the angel with disdain, frowning at the man he once called a subordinate during his time serving in Heaven. The man, however, ignored Lucifer's burning purple gaze and glanced down at his watch, which looked like a golden Pollex.
"I'm sorry boys, but I have to run, I'll see you… at the Edo Tokyo Museum, tonight at say… 9 o'clock?"
"I'll be there," Maou said savagely, "you can count on it."
"Excellent," said the young man, "well, that's all I have, ta ta for now!"
The angles wings flapped once and lifted him off of the floor. With another flap, he crashed through the great glass windows of the clothes store, sending shards of glass everywhere, and with a third and final flap he disappeared, flying straight up.
"Urushihara," Maou asked, "who the hell was that?"
Lucifer did not acknowledge Maou's voice though, he took a running start and dived through the shattered remains of the window, his wings catching him before he hit the ground outside and sending him shooting skyward.
"Urushihara, wait!"
But by the time Maou had made it to the window, there was nothing out there. After a moment, Maou gripped the glass on the window as hard as he could and kicked the wall underneath it. Within a matter of seconds, his closest affiliates and his dearest friends, the Demon Generals, had been taken.
"Bastard," shouted Maou, making a few people stare at him.
"Bastard," shouted the shopkeeper, looking up at the sky and shaking a fist.
Meanwhile, Urushihara was hot on the tail of the angel, chasing him as he flew through the skies, his elegant suit flapping in the wind as he soared as fast as he could across the bright blue sky.
"Lucy! I wasn't expecting you to follow me! What can I do for you? I'm late for a business meeting so you'll have to make this fast!"
"Why are you running," Lucifer shouted, dodging between buildings as the angel tried to shake him off, "why did you take Ashiya?"
"I would love to explain, but again, I'm busy!"
The angel turned and fired a blast of black energy at Lucifer, who countered with a spherical shield of amethyst. Arcs of the black beam split and ricocheted off in every direction, like a spoon under a faucet.
"Geez, you sure are persistent," said the suited angel as he flapped again, sending him shooting forward as fast as he could. He looked back only to find Lucifer had disappeared. Still, an immediate sense of danger tickled at his brain and suddenly he knew where Lucifer was.
Lucifer had risen higher than his swanky counterpart, high above him like a bird of prey, and when the angel looked back to try and spot him, Lucifer dived. He fell upon the other angel like a hawk upon a snake, but from within his suit the angel pulled out a katana. As he spun through the air, intent upon slicing Lucifer clean in half, the sword hummed to life, flickering black flames running along the curved blade. Lucifer countered with a crudely made sword of violet energy and sparks flew as they began to exchange blows.
"Come on, man, REALLY," shouted the angel, "give me a break, this suit is gonna wrinkle!"
But Lucifer fought harder, even though he felt his strength draining fast. Finally, after several, fierce and powerful strikes, Lucifer's energy sword fell from his hands and spiraled towards the ground, far below, shattering into sparkles as it went. They were now floating, completely still, the dark angel's katana levelled at Urushihara, who raised his hands.
"You've gone soft," the angel said, "you were always the stronger combatant, while I excelled at the magical side of things…."
"You've changed quite a bit, haven't you, Bernael," Lucifer asked as they hovered in a district of Tokyo with many tall towers and skyscrapers of glass and steel, about even with the buildings' highest floors.
"Oh, you remembered my name," shouted Bernael over the howling wind, "I'm glad, I was scared you might have forgotten."
"How could I forget you," Lucifer asked, "you were always a little rebel… and a punk."
"Not one to talk now, though, are you," Bernael said thoughtfully, "I mean, look at who's on the end of whose sword. It would seem that you've fallen from grace and from power. Now, if you don't mind, I have to leave."
As Bernael made to sheathe his sword, Lucifer struck, a punch that could break the bones of an elephant and tear through human rib cages with ease. Lucifer's fist was caught though, held tightly in a gloved hand as Bernael smiled as Lucifer, crushing his fingers with his hand.
"Wow," Bernael commented, "I knew I had gotten strong, but this is ridiculous. Are you sure you're Lucifer?"
With a kick, Urushihara was sent flying down towards the concrete. He looked up at the sky to find his enemy shooting off towards a tall skyscraper. Lucifer flipped and his wings kept him afloat as he stared in the direction of Bernael's choosing. There he was, a black spot with wings, and ahead of him stood a great, towering building of glass and metal, bearing a logo that was all too familiar to Lucifer. It was the logo for Fony, who designed, created, and sold various pieces of technology, including Urushihara's PASTA console, and many others.
Meanwhile, back at the Devil's Castle, Maou was pacing about and fuming about the loss of two of his generals. Sure, the bills would be slightly less morbid without Lucifer, but Ashiya's loss was a major setback.
"Son of a BITCH!"
Maou kicked his table over, frightening the three girls who were there to try and calm him down. He looked manic, almost entirely deranged. He was shaking and holding his stomach, trying to get a sense of self. He hadn't been alone in this world since he first set foot in it. First there was Ashiya, to support him, then his coworkers, and finally Lucifer, but with two of his most loyal compatriots gone, what was he to do?
"Maou," Emi said, standing up and giving him a look that could turn milk sour, "let me see your hands."
Maou held them out without a second thought.
"See?"
Blood gently dripped onto the floor and Maou stared at it. He had completely forgotten about the cuts he'd received when he'd been holding the bottom of the shattered window. Emi fixed the table and sat Maou down at it. Once more, she worked her magic, cleaning the wounds and removing any shards of glass still embedded in his skin. After she'd done that, she bound them tightly with some medical tape from Maou's medi-kit. He looked down with disbelief at his hands. The pain was coming back now, and the shock that he had lost two of his closest friends now stung painfully in his heart, almost rivaling the pangs he had felt when Emi bandaged him up. Suzuno began to wipe up the blood from the floor, but Maou stopped her, taking the cloth in his hands.
"I'll do it myself," he said, wiping it up. Suzuno watched him work with concern; back and forth he ran the rag across the floor, the labor taking his mind from the pain. Or perhaps it was the pain that made it all feel so real, because Maou could barely believe what had happened. In his mind's eye, he replayed the scene over and over, Ashiya vanishing in a burst of black energy, Lucifer diving through the window and shooting towards the sky on a pair of black wings… the thought made him feel sick and he stopped scrubbing the floor, sitting back down at the table and laying his head upon it while Suzuno got up and made tea. Emi stayed by Maou's side and placed a gentle hand upon his shoulder. Emi never thought she would see the Devil so wrecked by the loss of his companions. Sure, Urushihara was annoying and useless, and Ashiya was overbearing and nosy, but the fact remained that he thought better of them than he did anyone else. They were the ones with whom he'd spent the better part of his life, fighting and struggling, clawing their way from obscurity to become high ranking members of the most powerful army in Ente Isla.
"Ashiya is ok," Emi said, "that creep will keep him alive, you'll see. He won't hurt Ashiya until he gets what he's after."
"He's alive for the moment," Maou said sadly, "that doesn't mean he'll survive the night."
"If need be, Suzuno and I can-"
"Can what," Maou asked, staring daggers at Emi. She might have been the only other thing he'd ever wanted more than peace and prosperity for his people, but at the moment, she was useless to him, they all were.
"Will you whip the city into a frenzy so I can fight this guy? No? Will you blow up buildings and sew terror so that I can save my subordinate? NO! What will you do? What CAN you do? Can you even tell me what a Yesod or whatever the hell it is does? Can you get one for me?! NO! YOU ARE ALL USELESS!"
Maou struck the table hard, causing his wounds to reopen and for blood to seep into the bandages and drip on the table. Tears began to spill from Maou's eyes as he bawled pathetically for the loss of his friends. Emi, however, did not take kindly to Maou's insults nor his boorish behavior. With one hand, she lifted his head from the table by the scruff of his neck, and with the other, she sank her fist into his gut, just hard enough to make Maou cough and splutter indignantly.
"Crying isn't going to fix this," Emi said loudly, "action will! We are going to go to that museum and we are going to get Ashiya back, Yesod or no Yesod! You are gonna get up and coordinate this rescue mission like a king, goddammit! Hold you head high, put on your cape if you need to and stop being such a little pansy already! Ashiya is counting on you!"
Emi didn't say it as she shook Maou by the neck of his shirt, but in a sense, she found that she needed Maou to be strong for her too. Ashiya was a part of Emi's life now, and she was hurt by his loss too, but Maou's sudden and tragic change after Ashiya's abduction was more than Emi could bear, and it made her feel hopeless to watch a man who once held the world in his hands cry like a child. Maou glared at Emi, his red eyes glowing. After a moment, Emi realized that Maou was taking her anger for himself, increasing his strength. Emi, who would've equated this to an assault upon her person not even two days ago, now smiled as the Devil got with the program. Emi focused and with a smile, she resumed shaking the Demon King, telling him all the things she'd ever wanted to and shouting as he drained her of emotions.
"You are a stupid piece of crap, and I've been waiting for you die so I can spit on your headstone," Emi said, channeling her old self, and every ounce of hatred, sadness and fear she could muster.
"I was so scared of you, but then I met you here and I thought I must have had the wrong Satan, but then it turns out that you're just a gigantic wimp," Emi shouted in Satan's face.
After several minutes of name calling, blaming and the overall expenditure of her negative emotions, Emi was left feeling tired, while Maou positively glowed.
"Well," he said in a deep, demonic voice, "I'm glad we cleared the air on that."
Chiho and Suzuno were both sitting on the other side of the table, with their mouths open wide, staring at Maou and Emi's display.
"Emilia," Suzuno asked, "why did you give good Sadao your emotions?"
"Long story," Emi said, "but he needs the power, we're going to be fighting this guy tonight, and I don't know that we have enough power to beat him."
"Believe me," said Lucifer, opening the door to the apartment and shuffling inside, looking beaten down and travel worn, "we don't."
He fell forward onto the carpet, but was caught by Suzuno, who held him close and shook his face.
"Good Urushihara," Suzuno said, "wake up. Urushihara, are you all right?"
He moaned and opened his eyes to find himself in the arms of a beautiful woman with Prussian colored hair and aqua blue eyes.
"I chased him and…"
Lucifer fainted, but Maou swept over and held out a hand over Urushihara, pouring some of his strength into his general, causing his wounds to heal some and making him wake with a sharp intake of breath.
"Lucifer," Maou said, "what happened? Did you learn anything?"
Urushihara scrambled out of Suzuno's arms, looking frightened for a moment before he once more turned to Maou, whose eyes were glowing with bloody light and whose black, misty aura permeated his being.
"It was someone I used to know," Urushihara said, causing everyone to stare at Lucifer in wonder.
"Who," Maou asked, "give me a name."
"Bernael," Urushihara said after a moment, "a minor angel, now fallen. He's an angel of Darkness and Evil, but I've never known him to be so powerful. He used to be a runt with a really big attitude and ego."
"So he was like you," Emi asked, crossing her arms.
"No," Urushihara said, "I had followers, I had command of a legion of angels. I had power and I had respect. Like I said, he was a minor angel, but he seemed to think he was a God."
Alright, so here is another chapter In this fic. What, did you think it was done? Psh. Anywho, I added a bit more action here to spice it up, it's also double the average word count, as I am trying to extend my chapters. I think it's working quite well. Now, to clarify a few things, there are companies in this story that are the Devil is a Part Timer equivalent of real life companies, for instance, McDonalds is MgRonalds. The ones that I myself added to the story are as follows.
Pollex=Rollex
Bay Rans=Ray Bans
Fony=Sony
Now, there is the subject of this mysterious new antagonist, known as Bernael. He was perfect for the roll, and I'm glad there was so little on him, because that allowed me to shape him into the character he is now. Yes, Bernael is an OC, based on a fallen angel of Darkness and Evil. I swear I will only be adding one more (that I know of.) I hope you've enjoyed the story thus far, read on, Devils!