Maou, who was certain that he would be awake for hours due to his situation, ended up falling asleep and resting peacefully. He woke gently later in the day, with his eyes shut and a smile upon his face. A deep, dreamless sleep had found him at last, and he had been so deeply asleep that when he woke he couldn't even remember his anguish. He didn't know who he was, nor where he was. All he knew was a sublime comfort that made him grin with pleasure. The world, for all he knew and cared, didn't exist, all that mattered was this incredibly warm, comfortable bed and the soft pillow he was holding close to him. He gave a tired laugh as he pulled the pillow closer to him, pressing his face into its softness as he reveled in his selfish selflessness.
"Demon King, what are you doing?"
The voice was hard and angry, and for a moment Maou feared his lovely dream had turned into a nightmare. But no, he was awake on some level, he felt the sun as it burned into his clothes and he remained where he was, safe and secure in his bed. Maou, opening his eyes for the first time since his waking, felt his stomach drop from his body. He had been holding Emi, not a pillow, and though he released her as swiftly as possible, the look she shot him still seemed to physically impact him.
"I am not a pillow," Emi growled before smoothing down her long hair and giving Maou a cruel smile.
"Sorry, my mistake, I'd best be off," Maou said, smiling and waving goodbye at Emi as he made for the door to her bedroom. He turned to find her right next to the doorway though, and she gently but firmly closed it.
"Well now, it seems you owe me, Demon King."
"Back to Demon King already? I thought we were starting to come around to each other," Maou said with a high pitched voice as Emi slowly advanced upon him.
With a slash of her hand, the Evolving Holy Sword, Better Half, appeared. She cut the air where Maou had been, not quite coming close enough to hit Maou, but causing him to duck beneath the blow all the same. He dodged beneath her outstretched arm before opening the door to Emi's room and taking off down the hall, but a strange noise made him look around, like a buzzing, humming energy.
"Hiya!"
Emi's shout met Maou before the alarm clock she had chucked at him did, glowing with Celestial Force as it flew. Its aim was true and righteous, and before Maou could make the turn into the kitchen, he was caught in the back of the head by the clock, which shot sparks upon impact. Maou stumbled and tripped, landing face down on the carpet. A shadow fell over him as Emi leapt through the air like a diver into the water. She did not soften the blow, and with the sound of air whooshing from Maou's lungs, Emi landed upon his back.
"Alright now, I'm not letting you up until you consent to the terms of repayment," Emi huffed as she laid on Maou's back.
"For WHAT?"
"For trying to cuddle with me, you repulsive demon!"
"First off," Maou said, trying and failing to dislodge the large, magenta haired tumor that was the Hero from his back, "I wasn't trying to cuddle you, I SUCCEEDED!"
"You BASTARD!"
Emi struck Maou across the back of the head with her alarm clock, making the bell mechanism ding for a moment.
"And second-god, that hurts- I didn't WANT to cuddle you, it just happened because I thought you were a pillow-OW!"
Emi smacked her alarm clock over Maou's head once more, bringing tears to his eyes.
"What was that for," Maou groaned as the Hero ground him into the carpet.
"For insinuating that I'm fat like a pillow," Emi said, her voice sounding rather hurt.
"Ok, so what's it gonna take for you to get off me," Maou's muffled voice called from within the carpet.
"Oh, not much," Emi said, picking herself up so that she was sitting on Maou's back, her legs crossed and one foot kicking as if she were on a park bench.
Half an hour later, Emi was sitting at her kitchen table, watching the Devil as he made her breakfast. His nose was red and raw with carpet burns and he stomped about, slamming down the ingredients required to make Emi's morning meal.
"So, while you're sitting there, would you mind telling me how long I have to do this," Maou asked on a monotone as he began to crack eggs in a pan.
"I'm sorry, I don't recall giving you permission to speak," Emi giggled, "and besides, have you forgotten what you're supposed to call me?"
Maou blanched and nearly dropped the egg in his hand. He slowly turned to look at Emi, blue in the face as he looked at her pleadingly.
"Emi…"
"Mmm, no, that's not quite right," Emi said, raising an eyebrow and smirking at Maou.
"Ugh…."
"Even less right," Emi retaliated, her voice much less kind than it was a moment ago, "say it or I'll give you something much worse than carpet burn!"
"Qu-Queen Emi," Maou whispered, only loud enough for him to hear.
"What was that, you miserable coward," Emi asked, stepping dangerously close to Maou with a wicked grin upon her face.
"I said… Queen Emi," Maou wretched, as if the words themselves made him sick.
"Better, and in response to your question, you are to do whatever I say for the entire day, and you must always address me as Queen Emi, or whatever else I deem is a fit title."
"Blergh," Maou groaned, leaning over the sink and causing Emi's smile to twitch.
"Stiff upper lip, Maou, we've got all day to get you used to this. After all, once I've defeated you, this is likely what will happen to you, you know," Emi said seriously as she took her seat at the table once more.
"What do you mean," Maou asked, genuinely curious as to Emi's train of thought.
'Like hell I'd end up a slave for the Hero, I'd die first,' he thought desperately.
"Well, provided the citizens of Enta Isla let you live, chances are they'll have me act as your keeper. That means I'll have to keep you under lock and key, all the time. You'll probably beg me to act as my servant after a few years in chains," Emi said, her evil grin lengthening with each syllable.
"You know, this isn't very Hero-y of you," Maou called to her over his shoulder as he used the spatula to flip Emi's breakfast in the frying pan.
"Yeah, whatever, just consider this your punishment for trying to cuddle with me this morning," Emi said tiredly, picking up the paper and flicking through it.
"I succeeded," Maou said a little too loudly.
"YOU WANNA GET CLOCKED AGAIN," Emi asked, picking up the alarm clock and preparing to throw it at Maou.
"NO, MY QUEEN!"
Maou laid Emi's breakfast onto the table before her, and to Emi's surprise she found quite a delectable palate. There were eggs, sausages, fried vegetables, whole grain brown rice, pretty much anything she could've wanted. But still, it was her job to torment the Devil. A little bit, at the very least.
"I'm not sure I want any of this," Emi said.
Maou's jaw dropped, and he began to wildly wave the spatula like a sword, cursing Emi and her rules of servitude.
"EMI, YOU WITCH, THIS IS TOTALLY UNFAIR! I SLAVED OVER A HOT STOVE AND YOU JUST TURN YOUR NOSE UP AT MY CULINARY GENIUS? FINE, GO HUNGRY, I THINK I UNDERSTAND HOW ASHIYA FEELS WHEN URUSHIHARA'S BEING AN UNGRATEFUL LITTLE-"
Maou stopped, for with every word he spoke, a shadow fell over Emi's face.
"Make me French toast, now."
"THIS ISN'T FRANCE YOU- WAH," Maou shouted as Emi prepared to throw the clock once more.
"French. Toast. Now."
"Yes, my Lady, I mean, my Queen!"
Maou gave a low bow and once more began to cook, and within a matter of minutes, the French toast was made. It was nowhere near as beautiful as Maou's eggs were, but after one bite, Emi quickly began to inhale the French toast.
"That was good," Emi said happily, leaning back in her chair and patting her belly.
"Erm," Maou said absently.
Emi looked at him to find he was eyeing the platter of breakfast Emi had pushed away. She gave a small smile before waving a hand.
"Go ahead and eat," Emi said, allowing Maou the privilege of a hearty breakfast, "you'll need to be strong for the remainder of the day's activities!"
Maou, whom had begun to dig into the eggs with glee, suddenly stopped and glared at Emi, sure that whatever was to come would not be pleasant.
And sure enough, three hours later, Maou was following Emi about the Muiraya Super Market, on the outskirts of Eifuku, carrying several heavy, grocery laden bags and looking rather put upon.
"Hurry up," Emi said, "we're not done with the groceries, yet! And we still have to hit three more stores, this one doesn't sell shoes."
Maou, thanks to Emi's rather limited courtesy, had been allowed to shower and clean himself before they'd left, but she had since led him hastily through the supermarket, seizing things and stuffing them into Maou's arms.
'Couldn't she have just told me to grab a cart,' Maou mentally moaned.
"Keep up, Maou," Emi called brightly as she stuffed ever more objects into his arms, "we have a few more stores to hit!"
"How much is all this going to cost," Maou asked, noting how Emi took name brand items for just about everything."
"Why should I care, you're paying for it!"
Maou blanched, and a few the smaller items slipped through his arms and clattered to the floor. His budget was already taking a thrashing, and now he was supposed to pay for Emi's ungodly list of name brand groceries and household necessities? What would Ashiya say? Maou's stomach dropped as it turned to lead, but Emi simply chuckled and walked back up to Maou, restacking the various objects that had tumbled to the floor back into his arms.
"Just kidding," Emi said, blowing hair out of her face as she stood back up and set a box of raisins on top of the pile in Maou's arms.
"Are you trying to give me a heart attack," Maou said loudly, wondering what he'd done to deserve such a fright.
"Look on the bright side, things don't seem quite as bad as they did a second ago, do they," Emi asked, once more taking up a steady gate for Maou to follow.
They walked through the store and after about an hour, Maou was rubbing his sore, tired arms. He had managed to struggle the load onto the conveyor belt by the check out, red in the face and sweaty from the labor. It was all bagged and paid for with a single swipe of Emi's bank card before Maou was once more laden with the burden of Emi's shopping, though as it was bagged it was now slightly easier to handle.
They walked down the sidewalk bordering a large street, Emi in the lead as they wound their way out of Eifuku and into a neighboring district. As they walked, Emi could hardly think of anything, save for the unpleasant squirming in her gut and the Demon King that followed her wherever she went. As nice as it was to not carry her own baggage, she didn't entirely trust the Demon King as he silently marched along behind her, looking grim and tired.
'But why can't you trust him,' a little voice in her head asked, 'the two of you stayed in the same bed last night and neither of you were dead in the morning.'
"This morning…." Emi whispered, thinking back on the warm, comfortable sensation she'd felt before she was fully awake.
It was refreshing to her, waking up without nightmares, without remembering her problems or anything that could bring her down… no, for a few minutes, she felt amazing. She was being held in the arms of someone she knew and trusted, and they pulled her closer against them, pressing their body against hers. It was an incredible feeling, and the thought of it made Emi's face hot and red in the bright sun as they carefully maneuvered through crowds of people.
What had woken her from her partial slumber had not been Maou himself; it was the realization that there was no one in Japan whom she trusted enough to snuggle up against. Sure enough, when she'd turned about, the Demon King had been snoozing away, his arms around Emi's middle as he drooled into her pillows.
'I should toss those into the wash when we get back,' Emi thought as she walked, her head down as her pace slowed considerably.
"Hey, Emi, are you falling asleep on me?"
The Demon King was standing in front of Emi, painstakingly lifting his arm so as to snap his fingers in her face.
Snap, snap, snap.
"C'mon Emi, we're gonna get run over here in a second, rush hour starts soon!"
"Kya!"
"ARGH!"
Emi, startled from her visions of her morning by the very person whose presence was muddling her thoughts, quickly grasped the alarm clock she'd put in her purse and brought it down on the top of Maou's head, causing him to cry out in pain.
"Vile demon, what are you supposed to call me?!"
"Que-Queen Emi… ow…"
Emi's phone began to ring, and an ostentatious tone rang out through the crowd. Emi, taking it in stride, answered the call, pivoted upon her heel and quickly began to walk away from Maou, who struggled to keep up with his arms still laden down with many heavy bags.
"Emilia, it is I, Alciel, have you seen my lord?"
"I have. He's currently right here with me," Emi said, looking over her shoulder to find Maou panting as she fought to stay with her in the crowd.
"I would like to speak with him," Alciel said in a flat tone, "would you put him on."
"Nope."
"Come again?"
"Sorry Alciel, but as of this moment, and the rest of the day, Maou is under my direct control. He has committed the most horrendous of crimes, and now he must be punished. He does not have my permission to use a phone at the moment," Emi said, reveling in the power she held over her adversary. She glanced back at Maou with a heartless smile, but Maou simply stared straight ahead, ignoring Emi's words.
"What sort of crimes has Demon King Satan committed," Alciel asked.
From his tone, Emi could guess that Alciel was planning on disassembling Maou's punishment and shortening his sentence, but Emi was not having any of it.
"I don't want to talk about that right now," Emi said loudly, holding the phone away from her ear and blushing once more.
"I see… can you at least tell me that he is alive and well? If you kill my lord, I'm afraid I'll have to end your life in his stead, Emilia."
"He's fine. He's well rested, physically active and he's eaten, though he doesn't seem to be very grateful for it," Emi said, once more casting Maou an evil look over her shoulder, "I think I'll just stop feeding him and see how grateful he is then."
"Silly girl," Alciel scoffed, causing Emi to frown, "you must feed your servants, or else they can't work. Also, I know for a fact that when my lord is over starved he becomes… irritable. For your own safety, I would recommend you feed him about as often as you yourself eat, perhaps more."
"Thanks for the advice, Demon General Alciel."
With a beep, Emi hung up and pocketed her phone, causing Maou to hand his head in defeat, his last hope of rescue extinguished.
Several hours passed as the day wore on, and Maou and Emi had made two trips back to her condo so that Maou could unload the many bags Emi had filled with high quality merchandise at low, low prices. The sun was now a bit lower in the sky, but not low enough to set quite yet. They were on their way to the clothes store, so that Emi could buy herself some new outfits. Apparently, she'd caught the 'bug' when they'd entered the second hand store with Chiho and the others.
Following Emi around had left him parched, but it had also given him time to ponder the many strange looks he'd been given as he carried out his duties. He supposed to many people, Emi and him looked like a couple, with him as the gutless boyfriend that simply followed his pretty girlfriend around and bought her things. Other times, he thought it might have looked the opposite, with him as a boy toy and her as a sugar momma. He was so clouded by his thoughts that he hardly noticed when they'd entered the air conditioned store and Emi had gestured for him to have a drink and use the restroom. After he'd taken a drink from the bubbler, he stood and dipped his hand into the water before rubbing it onto the back of his neck, which felt like it might be sun burned. It might not have been the most hygienic thing to do in a women's clothing store, but at that moment he didn't really care. He looked around the place like someone who'd been working all day on very little sleep. He glared through the store and over the many aisles of clothes racks until he found Emi, who was pulling hanger after hanger from the racks and tossing each garment over her arm.
"Alright, feeling better? Good. You'll now be helping me decide what to wear," Emi said, not meeting Maou's gaze.
"How," Maou asked, unsure of when he'd ever indicated any knowledge of fashion sense.
"It's simple, I'm gonna change, and you are gonna rate each outfit on a scale from one to ten, ten being 'awesome', one being 'meh'," Emi said simply, still not making eye contact with the Demon King.
"Fine, let's get this over with," Maou sighed, wishing he was at home with Ashiya and Urushihara, which was rather strange, seeing as he preferred working to being stuck at home with a NEET and a househusband.
Emi ignored his lack of enthusiasm, stepping into the changing room and beginning the long, arduous process of mixing and matching garments to find the best combinations. Maou took a seat upon a bench, facing the changing room and waiting.
'So far, this is the easiest thing I've had to do,' Maou thought unhappily as he waiting for the Hero to emerge from the dressing room. Fifteen minutes later, Maou was lazily reclined on the bench, his breathing now normal and his skin no longer burning from the sun. It was nice to get a little break, but it made him wonder exactly what was going to happen next.
The sound of a clearing throat brought Maou's attention back to the changing room, where the Hero Emilia stood in the doorway of her stall. She wore a pair of jean capri pants, with a pair of strappy high heeled sandals and a white blouse with elbow length sleeves. It was a rather modern look for something as archaic as capris, but Maou's attentions didn't stray from a single detail of the Hero's figure.
"Well? Rate it so I can try on the next outfit," Emi said, suddenly self-conscious as the Devil's crimson gaze crawled across her skin like insects.
Maou, who noticed the Hero's rather abrasive attitude, smiled as he sensed her insecurities flare up. It would be the perfect chance to ruin Emi's pride, and her plans to keep him as a servant all day! His mind kicked into overdrive. A simple insult wouldn't do, he needed something serious, something to send her into a rage and make her run from the store crying. But what? What should he insult? He quickly scanned Emi's person again, his motives much less pure than before.
There was a problem though: Maou's affection created a strong bias, so wherever his eyes roved over her form, he couldn't help but be dazzled by it. From her slender frame to the way she avoided looking directly at him, everything about her was beautiful and perfect.
"Um…"
"I suggest you hurry with that rating," Emi said, reaching into her bag, which still hung from the crook of her elbow.
A small, muffled ding was heard, but the sound made Maou wince as it wrenched him from his dreamy state of observation. It was the sound of an old fashioned alarm clock bell, a sound that would forever make the Demon King quake with terror.
'Using physical threats to coerce me into giving the outfit a high score, eh,' Maou thought savagely, 'how despicable! Some Hero you are.'
"Tick tock," Emi said quietly, her green eyes meeting the Devil's as she smirked and he scowled. For emphasis, she flicked the alarm clock once again, fighting the urge to laugh as Maou flinched.
"I give it a ten," Maou said finally, conceding defeat as he crossed his arms and pouted.
"Oh, really? That's so sweet of you," Emi said, acting more like a girlfriend who'd just been told how pretty she was by her gutless boyfriend.
'I guess she can't really act like a complete psycho out in public like this,' thought Maou as he watched two women pass between Emi and him, 'she'll have to try and keep up appearances… I wonder if I can work this to my advantage.'
"No problem, you're really pretty today! After your done with that, what say you try on some bikinis, eh, dollface," Maou called, acting like a casual boyfriend would.
"Stupid…perverted…Demon King," Emi whispered under her breath as retreated into the changing room.
A few deep breaths calmed her down slightly, but the thought of Maou speaking to her in such an intimate way made her upset, and slightly confused. Her mind flashed to that morning once again, when she felt completely at ease, safe and secure, wrapped in someone's arms.
'Those were Maou's arms,' Emi thought, gently patting her cheeks to break from her trance, 'and they were far from safe!'
But then another image popped into Emi's head, one that she'd almost forgotten. An image of Maou, kissing her passionately as angels fought overhead. In retrospect, the scene seemed less realistic and more like a mural, perhaps painted by an outsider. The thought of the Devil's-no-Maou's lips upon her own didn't make Emi sick, it made her stand stock still and reminisce in that moment. She could swear his lips were still against hers, she could still feel his hands roaming over her body, and the heat of his own as he pressed himself into her. Emi's pulse quickened and her legs gave out as she sat down upon the chair in the dressing room. She wanted to say that it wasn't a consensual kiss, or that she didn't enjoy it, but to some extent, in some strange part of her being, she found she quite liked kissing the Devil.
'No, it was the kiss itself,' thought Emi as she clasped her hands to fought the shakes that racked her body, 'I've just been alone all my life, and that… that was my first kiss.'
Emi had never actually had the chance to meet a young man her own age; she'd never kissed anyone aside from her father, and even then that was years ago, when he'd tucked her into bed and told her amazing stories of Ente Isla's continents. She was then taken by the Church and trained mercilessly, forged into a weapon that the Church had aimed to control and use for domination. Never, not once, had she met a man her own age that she had feelings for. She was always so driven, so filled with thoughts of revenge and anger that love never got the chance to grow and thrive within her. But now…
"Emi, you ok in there?"
It was Maou, who'd knocked lightly upon the door of the changing room before calling though the door.
"I'm fine," Emi said exasperatedly pushing her inner thoughts back into their hidey holes as she took on a harsh tone.
"Ok, it's just… you've been in there for some time."
Emi ignored the watch on her wrist and pulled out the alarm clock, which she'd rechristened 'Bane of the Demon King.' She'd been sitting there, thinking for almost half an hour.
"You're lucky I'm in the middle of changing," Emi lied, "or else I'd strike you down for not using my title, you swine!"
To punctuate her statement, she smartly wrapped the bell of the alarm clock, hoping to hear Maou yelp, or at least hear him gasp. What she didn't expect was to hear him let out a shout of fright, followed by a loud crash. Emi quickly put on a different shirt and opened the door of the changing room to find Maou lying under the contents of a clothes rack, the majority of the clothes that were once hanging neatly upon it now freshly piled on top of the Demon King.
It seemed that after hearing the bell, Maou had jumped, stumbled, tripped across the entire aisle, and grabbed the clothes rack for support, only to have the clothes come free and fall on him, adding insult to injury. Emi looked at the pair of cheap shoes sticking out from under the pile of clothes for confirmation. Sure enough, they were meticulous and clean, as Maou had tried very hard to keep them in good shape.
"Demon King…"
"Hmph?"
"Let's go!"
Emi grabbed Maou by the collar, threw up an arm laden with bags to shield her face from any cameras, and sprinted for the exit, Demon King in tow.
"You should've just apologized," Maou said loudly as they walked away, "now we're going to get found out and charged with shoplifting! I can't afford jail time, Emi!"
"Will you shut up? I paid for these clothes online and I have the receipt, I was doing an instore pickup! At most they can charge you with accidentally destroying their clothes rack, I saved your butt back there! And what have I told you about using my title?!"
"Oh, now you tell me?! Gee, thanks! I should've known the Hero didn't shoplift, she can pay for anything she wants because she has a fancy shmancy telemarketer job," Maou shouted, ignoring Emi's annoying rules.
"I'm not a telemarketer, I work in tech support you smart ass! And if your next statement doesn't start with 'I'm sorry Queen Emi' I'm gonna shove this clock up your-"
A child passed by them, holding his mother's hand and staring rather intently as Maou and Emi's escalating argument.
"Mommy, why they fight?"
"They're just having a lover's quarrel, darling," she said embarrassedly, "and it's not nice to speak about someone like that. C'mon, let's go, we'll be late."
The mother and her son hurried away, but the tension between Maou and Emi had faded as they realized they were disturbing the people around them. They walked in silence for a time, until finally Maou stopped.
"Emi-uh-my Queen? Could we stop to eat?"
Maou was looking rather hopefully at a small diner. It was quaint, and was painted rather vividly with bright colors that had faded and chipped over the years, yet it still retained its cheery atmosphere. It was quite rare to see things that were historic and old in Tokyo, at least, in areas that were primarily made up of prominent businesses and supermarkets. It was clear that Maou was no fan of the color scheme, nor the flowery patterns, but the fact that he was willing to put that aside for food made Emi want to stop and take a break too.
She agreed, and led the way inside, taking a seat at a table and waiting to be served. It was a quaint place, with a row of tables along the wall and a bar for the café. It was empty, but the smells from the kitchen were intoxicating and they made Maou's stomach grumble.
"What can I get you two today?"
An old woman, surprisingly short and petite, with a tight bun of grey hair and thick spectacles came up and handed them both menus to peruse as she waited for them to order. Maou was perplexed by the steep prices, but when he glanced across the table at Emi, she seemed perfectly at ease.
"I don't know, what sounds good, Maou?"
The statement was quite simple, but it also made Maou even more unsettled than the prices of the diner's food. It was so down to earth and neutral that for a gleaming moment Maou felt like he'd just heard a confession of love from the Hero.
"Uh, the Katsudon Special sounds good," Maou muttered, eyeing up the menu for a price.
'One thousand yen a bowl,' Maou thought, feeling his soul depart his body, 'looks like I'm going hungry.'
"Yeah, that does sound pretty good," Emi said, "two Katsudon Specials, please."
Maou passed his menu to Emi, who handed them to the small, kind natured granny, who scribbled the order before thanking them for their patronage and walking over to the door that lead to the kitchen.
"Geez, you must be hungry," Maou said rather grumpily, "ordering two Katsudon Specials for youself."
"One of them is for you, idiot," said Emi wearily as she played on her phone, "Ashiya made a good point, I have no use for a starving, half-dead servant."
"Oh-I-uh-th-thank you, Queen Emi," Maou said, sitting up straight.
"No problem."
Silence fell between them as Emi continued tapping away at the touch screen on her phone. Maou took the opportunity to look around, noting the early eighties wood grain panels and the vintage jukebox. Everything in the place seemed to be from a different time period that the one they lived in now, and it all still seemed to be in top condition.
"This is pretty cool," Maou said quietly, looking around.
"Oh, you like the décor? Thank you," the granny said, peering at them through thick spectacles as she set two large bowls down upon the table.
"Yeah, I work in a MgRonalds so the old timey fryer back there and the old ice cream machine are kind of cool to me."
"I'm glad you think so," the granny said, "well you two enjoy your food!"
"We will!"
Maou ate like a man devoid of table manners, earning him a reproachful glare from Emi across the table, but once she tried a bite, she understood his reaction: the Katsudon Special was amazing. She immediately grabbed her own chopsticks and began to dig in. A few minutes of furious chewing later, Emi was dabbing her mouth with a napkin as Maou patted his belly, looking like a fat housecat with glazed eyes and a complacent smile.
"I'll leave my money as a tip," Maou said, "because that was the best Katsudon I've ever eaten."
"I know," Emi agreed, "even Ashiya and Suzuno can't make it that well."
"Well, aren't you two just the sweetest couple," the granny said, beaming at the two young people as she emerged from the kitchen and cleared away the plates.
She left them sitting there, looking rather unsure of themselves with a receipt in between them. Emi placed two neat thousand yen bills upon it for the meal, and Maou dug a third thousand yen bill from his own limited savings and set it out as a tip before the both of them stood to leave. Neither of them spoke, and neither of them bothered to deny the old lady's comment as they quickly made their way back towards Eifuku.
"My legs are so tired," Emi groaned after half an hour of silent walking.
"And what's your point… my Queen?"
"Get on your knees," Emi commanded.
"What?"
"I said get on your knees, or I'll clock you again!"
Maou complied, feeling like he was getting mugged for the second time that month. However, something much different happened. Emi kicked off her high heeled strappy sandals, put them in a bag and set them in front of Maou before climbing onto his back.
"Alright, let's go," she said, looking rather pleased as Maou pushed himself into a standing position, Emi and her bags weighing him down substantially. It'd be different if he could activate his demonic powers and use them to fuel his aching limbs, but that would quickly deteriorate the situation. Emi would sense it, and lop off his head before he'd have the chance to explain himself, so he walked as upright as he could, trying to ignore the stares of everyone around him.
"Emi, this is embarrassing," Maou hissed as he made his way down the crowded sidewalk.
"How so? You're giving a ride to your Queen, a cute girl who probably just looks like your girlfriend to other people. Even so, some won't be fooled. You see, I'm way too pretty for a guy like you, so even if they did think we were a couple, they'd just think I was dating you for your money."
"I'll have you know I can pick up ladies any time I want," Maou retaliated, "why, just the other day a cute girl came into work and- ouch!"
Maou was silenced as Emi tightened her legs around his waist, digging her heels into his sore abdomen.
"You be a good servant and give your Queen a silent piggy back ride, or else I'll kick you to death like a bad horse," whispered Emi in a malevolent hiss.
"If I'm the horse, I guess that makes you the pig-ARGH," Maou shouted, feeling his sides being crushed by Emi's thighs.
"Quiet you," whispered menacingly before adopting a falsetto and acting like a concerned girlfriend.
"Oh no, are you alright, darling," she asked loudly.
There was a tone in her voice that suggested she was on the verge of laughter, but Maou simply gave a haggard smile that looked more like a grimace before responding and resuming his pace.
"No, my back just hurts a bit, honey! It's not because of your weight!"
The Devil smiled as Emi's legs tightened threateningly about his waist and her body shook with anger. After the satisfaction of his quip faded away and the ache in his legs began to peak, Maou became horribly aware of the squirming in his gut caused by Emi's position. There she was, straddling his back, her legs held in the crook of Maou's arms and her body pressing close against his own in the light of the setting sun.
'In the end I had to become her slave to achieve this level of closeness… what a sad twist,' Maou thought to himself, absorbed in his own agenda as he and Emi crossed the boundary between Eifuku and its neighboring district. Maou was so careless that he didn't notice Emi stiffen against him, nor did he notice the person in front of them, stepping out of the very supermarket they were in earlier that day.
"Emi," Rika asked incredulously, noticing the girl as she was carried by none other than-
"Maou?!"
"Wha-who-"
"Rika," Emi asked the girl.
"Rika," Maou asked Emi, looking up at her.
"Maou," Emi shouted as he lost his footing.
"Emi," Rika shouted at the both of them collapsed.
Rika, Emi's best friend and personal busybody, couldn't have looked more scandalized if she tried. There was Emi, being carried piggy-back by a man she claimed to hate, and a man who claimed to hate her in return. Rika stared down at them with her hands upon her hips, looking triumphant and surprised at the same time.
"Emi, what are you doing, and why are you all dolled up?"
Maou heard the question and turned to look at Emi, realizing for the first time that Emi was indeed dolled up. Her hair was done up in a messy bun that had come loose and let her magenta locks fall so as to frame her face. She wore a thin layer of makeup which did not ruin her natural looks, and her new clothes stitched it all together quite well, but Rika's question still remained.
"Well? And what are you doing Maou, why are you carrying around a woman who you swore that you despised? What is going on here, this is just so… so…" Rika put her hands on her face before smiling again.
"Rika, I can explain," Emi said, standing up and dusting herself off, lucky to be devoid of serious injury.
"No, it's ok, I'm not gonna judge you guys. It's obviously a secret, right? Forbidden love between the two of you, it's so juicy, so enticing," Rika went off on a stream of raunchy rants as she reveled in her victory.
"No, we're not together," Maou said, standing up, "I just owe Emi, so I'm acting as her servant for the day-"
"A servant? Emi that's so bad, so naughty! You tsundere, you! I can only imagine it: the big strong Maou, forced to do your bidding, at your beck and call to fulfill whatever desires-"
"Rika, shut up, it's not like that! Ugh, c'mon Maou, let's go before she starts spewing lewd thoughts all over us," Emi said, grabbing Maou's wrist and pulling him away as he listened to Rika blather on, surprised by her wildly inappropriate thoughts.
"This girl is your friend," Maou asked as he was dragged away, into a stripmall surrounding a courtyard. The shade was nice, but from behind them, they heard Rika as she called for them to wait.
"Sorry guys," she said, "I just got the wrong Idea! I believe you, really."
"It's nice that you're back to normal," Emi sighed before taking a seat upon the bench.
As if to emphasize his disassociation with her, Maou stood where he was, even with his incredibly sore legs. Emi straightened suddenly and began to dig around in her bags for her shoes, which she strapped on before marching up to the nearest store, which looked like a fast food chain.
"I gotta use the bathroom," Emi said, "I'll be back in a minute."
With the bench now vacated, Maou took a seat and waited for Emi to get back. He leaned back and closed his eyes, but someone sat down next to him. He opened his eyes to find Rika upon the bench right next to him, staring at him purposefully with a strange smile still locked on her face.
"So, tell me the truth Maou, you can be honest with me, are you and Emi-"
"NO," Maou said loudly, crossing his arms and scowling. How could Emi leave him alone with her crazy best friend?
Rika's smile faded somewhat, she was probably coming off as rude and annoying. She didn't know Maou very well, so she supposed that her personality was a tad unsettling for him. She cleared her throat and scooted away from him, smoothing down her skirt and looking around the courtyard. It was growing darker, and the chill breeze was nice on Rika's skin, but her thoughts were elsewhere. There was obviously something between Maou and Emi aside from their competitive business history, but what was it? How could she weasel the truth out of Maou? An idea occurred to her and a wicked grin split her face. She was a woman well versed in the ways of men, and there was a simple test to see how Maou truly felt.
"Oh, hey Emi," Rika called, waving enthusiastically.
Maou's neck almost snapped as he looked around, but far from looking fearful as a servant would, he looked like he wanted to see Emi again. Instead, all he saw was a few scattered people going about their business, and Rika, looking at him like the cat that ate the canary: satisfied and totally evil.
"She's not out here, Maou… but from your reaction, you'd like her to be out here, wouldn't you," Rika asked, raising an eyebrow.
"What are you talking about," Maou asked, turning away to hide his surprised look.
'Dammit, this Rika chick is good at meddling, isn't she? And she's obviously a lot smarter than she makes herself out to be… I have to be careful,' thought Maou as sweat began to bead his face.
"You don't have to play coy with me, Maou," Rika said, "I can tell you love Emi."
Maou's eyes widened in surprise, but it only served to confirm Rika's growing suspicions. She dropped the evil supervillain guise and smiled genuinely, looking straight ahead as Maou avoided looking at her.
"It's ok, I won't tell Emi. You know, she's been having a really rough week, and I don't know what's causing it. But then there's you, too. From looking at you, I'd guess you haven't slept much, either. I asked Emi, but she insists she's fine and to be honest I'm kinda worried about her. What happened? Are you guys fighting or something?"
"Rika, we're not together," Maou said, his voice little more than a whisper as he leaned forward, "we never were and we never will be."
"So it's one sided," Rika asked.
"Yes, and even if it wasn't we could never… there are just too many obstacles."
"So what are you gonna do," asked Rika, looking Maou over with an eye of concern.
"What do you mean," Maou asked.
"Well, what about your feelings? It's obvious to me that you really care about Emi, but you can't carry those feelings around with you. You need to let them out and find a release for them, otherwise they'll kill you," Rika said, causing the demon in Maou to roar its approval of her words, "the stress can cause heart attacks and in some very rare cases of older couples, there are reports of people dying from a broken heart."
"I didn't know that," Maou said, staring intently at the ground as Rika chided him much like his own demon-self had.
"Yeah, it's scary to think the people we care about could have such a strong pull on our physical and mental wellbeing. In any case, Emi seems to be feeling much better than she did yesterday at work, thanks to you, no doubt," Rika said slyly.
"What happened yesterday?"
"Well, she actually almost quit, and she ran off into the bathroom to cry. She didn't come out for almost an hour, and we had to cover her until she got back. Compared to yesterday, she looks way better… of course, that ties in to what I said before about our loved ones affecting our health," Rika said, gently elbowing Maou in the ribs and wiggling her eyebrows.
"You know, for a normal looking girl, you have a dirty mind," Maou noted with a small smile.
"Thank you, but back to the matter at hand, what are you gonna do? Even if you can't be together, are you ever going to tell Emi?"
"No," Maou said firmly.
Rika frowned and was quiet for a time, thinking about what she could do, but the situation seemed hopelessly irredeemable.
"I'm back, sorry it took so long, there was a line and only one stall," Emi said, looking like she'd just been through the gauntlet.
"Hey Emi," Rika said happily, "I know you keep saying that you and Maou here aren't together, but I was thinking… maybe you guys should test the waters, eh? I'll set it up for the both of you, a nice date, a relaxed atmosphere, good food, the works!"
"Never!"
"No way!"
"All well, in that case, I guess I'll just take Maou on the date. It's a good thing you guys aren't together, cause I tend to keep my boyfriends for a long time!"
Rika was suddenly sitting sideways in Maou's lap looking like the happiest girl in the world. Maou, who'd never been so openly and suddenly propositioned, went red in the face and held up his hands in surrender, even as Rika threw her arms around his neck and pulled him into a tight embrace. In Rika's peripheral vision, however, she watched Emi become stony faced and rather still as she watched her coworker hit on the Demon King. For a moment, Rika feared Emi wouldn't take the bait, but then-
"Fine," Emi snapped, frowning and crossing her arms, "I'll go on this date, but you have to promise me that you'll never try to do anything like this ever again!"
"Deal," Rika said, sliding off of Maou's lap and smoothing out her skirt once more, "I'll text you tomorrow with the time, and you can let Maou know yourself! See you both later!"
With a subtle wink at Maou, Rika happily walked out of the square, triumph in every fiber of her being as Emi and Maou watched her leave, both of them feeling rather awkward. All the same, upon their exit from the square, Emi was once more riding upon Maou's back.
"Don't be such a baby," Emi said as Maou complained, "we're only a few blocks from the building.
Maou felt that this was an excellent argument for Emi to walk, but he simply carried her bags and began the slow march to the building. Half an hour and almost ten city blocks later, Maou had set Emi down and was leaning against the elevator wall as they ascended.
"So, what are we gonna do about this date," Emi asked suddenly.
"Hmm?"
"The date that Rika set up for us? Were you even paying attention or were you distracted because she was all over you? God, you're such a perverted idiot, Maou."
"Yeah, sorry, I don't often get pretty girls like Rika climbing on me like a jungle gym," Maou said harshly, fed up with Emi's verbal and physical abuse, "usually I'm stuck carrying annoying, redheaded, idiotic Heroes on my back, so having a good looking woman around was kind of new for me."
"You son of a-"
Emi swung at Maou, her hand clutching the alarm clock as she made to hit Maou right on the nose. Maou's eyes glowed red, and time seemed to slow for him. Without a hint of fear, Maou moved his head to the side and Emi's hand soared past it. What he didn't count on was the momentum of Emi's blow as it carried her right into Maou.
"Woah," Emi said as she stumbled, knocking into Maou, who was thrown against the wall.
The two of them collapsed, Emi on top of Maou as she cradled her hand, which was hurt after hitting the wall.
"Ow, ow ow ow, oh god ow," Emi whimpered as Maou blew her hair from his face. She was straddling him, but with his head in the way, she had no choice but to wrap her arms around his neck so she could look at her injured hand. Maou made to move, but Emi's voice was low and harsh when she spoke.
"Don't move…"
"What's wrong?"
"I think I broke my knuckles," Emi said quietly into Maou's shoulder as she tried to survey the damage.
The elevator dinged, and the doors swung open to reveal a hallway, in which stood an older couple. When the doors opened and they saw Maou and Emi as they were, they immediately turned and took the stairs. Emi paid no mind to them, and focused on untangling herself from Maou without hurting her hand any more than it was. It turned out she was right, the skin on her hand was bruised and torn, and two of her knuckles seemed disfigured by the force of the punch. The alarm clock had one bell had completely come free of the clock, while the glass face of the clock was broken. A few lines of blood dripped from Emi's hand onto the clock before she had worked up the nerve to relax her grip and drop it.
"Geez, were you trying to kill me," Maou asked, looking at the hand and reaching out to grab it.
Emi used her good hand to push Maou away, staring down at the wound with disdain, like it was an enemy she despised.
"Let me heal it for you," Maou said, still eyeing up the wound as it dripped blood onto the carpet.
"You can go home," Emi said, turning away and heading for her apartment, "I don't need a servant anymore."
"Well, seeing as I'm no longer your servant, shut the hell up and hold still," Maou said, gripping her wrist and stepping in close to her. Emi saw Maou dart in like a cobra, his red eyes glinting, and the next moment it felt like her hand was on fire. She grit her teeth and sucked in a breath as she felt the fire burn beneath her skin, but when she looked down, she saw the wounds were gone. Blood still covered her hand and dripped steadily onto the carpet of the hallway, but the pain was no longer there. Emi bent and picked up her alarm clock while Maou grabbed her bags and stubbornly insisted upon following her home.
Emi was still irate due to Maou's quip, but the tenacity with which he insisted upon healing Emi's wounds was not lost upon her as she turned the key to her door and flung it wide, leaving it open so Maou could carry in the third and final load of shopping as the moon rose in the sky. Maou carefully set the bags in Emi's room before looking for the woman herself and finding her in the kitchen. She was washing her hand and looking rather disquieted about something, which Maou thought was rather strange.
"Now what's your problem," Maou said, still prickly about Emi's treatment of him throughout the day.
"Nothing."
But something was clearly wrong as Maou watched her vigorously scrub the blood from her hands. It felt familiar, and Maou remembered that they had been in a similar position before, with Emi bleeding in the kitchen while Maou looked on, wondering what was wrong.
"Something is wrong," Maou said firmly, deciding to take a different route from the last time, "what is it?"
"Nothing is wrong. Get out of my house."
Another blatant lie was Emi's only response. She slammed the bottle of dish soap down onto the counter and turned to glare at Maou, who glared back, his eyes still glowing red in the fluorescent light of the kitchen.
"You're mad because of how Rika acted, and you're upset because of what I said in the elevator. I can sense that much… what I don't get is why I didn't feel anger like this radiating from you this morning, when we woke up together," Maou said, still looking intently at Emi, who stared back and said nothing.
"Something else I don't understand is why you seem to think its ok to hit me all the time. I may be a Demon King, but son of a bitch, when you wail on me with that alarm clock I feel it," Maou said, stepping up to where the clock sat on the counter and laying a hand upon it.
His frustration at the day's events seemed to boil over, and he gripped the clock so hard that the glass shattered, causing Emi to jump slightly. Maou took a deep breath and let his demon magic flow into the clock as it slowly pieced itself back together. Within seconds, the clock was in perfect shape, ticking away as if nothing happened.
"So what's your point, are you trying to intimidate me? It won't work," Emi said coolly, clenching her fists.
"No, I'm just trying to understand why you are always so rude and inhospitable towards me… but I guess I'll never know. I'm trying to figure out exactly what your feeling, because after we kissed I thought, 'Hey, maybe she won't be a complete and utter bitch all the time, maybe we can be friends seeing as we seemed to skip a few steps at the museum,' but no. You know what, Emi? If you hadn't pulled a knife on me that one night, if you had come at me in a peaceful manner, we could've been friends from the start. I'm willing to move past all this, and I get the feeling you are too."
As Maou spoke, he slowly worked his way along the counter until he was once more standing in front of Emi, towering over her with his red eyes glowing, an unreadable expression on his face. Emi didn't say anything, but her chest rose and fell rather rapidly as she scowled and listened to Maou's words. So she was a bitch, was she?
"Stop it," Maou said suddenly, "just stop. You're so focused on hating me that you don't see it's only hurting you. Think of how it's been affecting you; your entire life you've been alone, seeking revenge, and now you have a group of people around who are willing to die for you and you alienate half of them because we're demons! Think of Chiho, a human, the very thing that we demons have preyed upon for years, do you see me eating her? No! Does she want to kill me? No! We have managed to live in harmony, and I bet we will for some time. You are the only one who can get over this hateful persona you've created, but I think you need to really work on getting over it, and getting over yourself, cause this is bigger than you, me, Chiho, Ashiya, Urushihara and Suzuno, this is about the fate of my people. I'd put my life on the line for you, whatever the circumstance, but if you seek to discriminate against and destroy all demonkind, then I will have no choice but to end you, one way or another, for the good of my race."
The last line seemed to shock Emi to her very core, but Maou paid it no mind as he swooped down to put his lips upon Emi's cheek. She blushed but still scowled furiously as Maou turned to leave.
"Good night, Emi, text me with the details of our date and I'll be there."
And like that the Demon King made his exit, leaving the Hero to stand in the kitchen and think on his words, her fists trembling with rage while butterflies flew in circles around her navel.
"I'm home, Ashiya."
"M'lord, are you hurt, do you require nourishment?"
"No," Maou said as he stepped inside the dark room in the upper level of the six tatami apartment, "I'm alright, how have things been."
"Quiet, and rather peaceful, albeit Urushihara's constant jokes. How was the Hero? Did she give you much trouble, lord? "
"Of course, it's kind of her thing… that said, this is getting rather stale, Ashiya," Maou sighed as he stripped off his shirt and tucked himself into his makeshift bed on the floor.
"M'lord?"
"I just mean her constant struggle to try and see evil in a Demon King that's tired from working his fingers to the bone as often as he can to try and get by," Maou said, "it's like, give it a rest, I'm tired, sore and sick of your shit."
"Is such language necessary so late at night Demon King? I feel it will be detrimental to your rest if you stay awake fuming like this."
"You're right, Ashiya," Maou said, rolling over, "good night."
"Good night, my lord."
Ladies, gentleman, Heroes, Demons and whoever else reads this, I present to you the longest installation of this fanfiction to date: over 9000 words long! Now, after reading several reviews stating worry for poor Maou's mental health, I decided to not only return to the core of this story, but to make it a bit more lighthearted. What better way to do that than with a fun chapter about the Devil in servitude to the Hero. That reminds me, actually, everyone, Domestic Violence is bad. Sure, I write about it, but it's different for them, they are fictional characters. Do not abuse your loved ones, it's not ok. Also, seeing as this chapter is 9000+ words long, several things happen, Maou and Emi go out to eat, they go clothes shopping, and they run into Rika, the master of the shipping! I swear, Rika Suzuki is a fanfiction writer at heart! Also, we see some crazy shit going down here in the MaouXEmi department, ending with a caring word and a peck on the cheek from the Devil to the Hero, who seems unsure about her own feelings. For those who were wondering, no, they did not do the nasty as they shared a bed, they literally just slept in the same bed... and cuddled... I swear that's it.
Anyway, to the song portion of our fanfiction update...
In My Head - Steve James ft. RKCB
Alps - Novo Amor and Ed Tullett
Stall Me - Panic! At the Disco
Like Real People Do - Hozier
Drugs - EDEN
And finally, a song about domestic violence, as it ties in and is rather dear to me at the moment...
Cherry Wine - Hozier
Thanks for reading! And as per usual, even if you hated this chapter, give the music I posted a listen!
IN RESPONSE TO A REVIEW, THIS FIC IS NOT DONE! Sorry for any confusion, I will let you know when it's done, there will be an epilogue!