The name 'Rika' seemed to bring Emi back from her state of perpetual depravity as she tilted her head to look at where Rika stood next to the busboy.
"Wha teh heww haf yoa vun iff her," Emi cried.
"Stop chewing on me, then talk," Maou growled.
Reality picked the heaviest stick it could find and broke it over Emi's skull, because in the next moment, she sat up, saliva still running from the corner of her mouth, as it had hung open when she was simultaneous gnawing Maou's neck and being outraged at Rika's situation. Wiping her drool from her chin, Emi looked down and saw that she was still pressed quite heavily against Maou, and she could feel every part of him. Every part of him.
"I said, what the hell have you done with Rika," Emi asked quietly, getting off of Maou slowly and standing to face the busboy, readjusting her dress as she did.
"Careful, Emi," Maou said, standing quickly and putting a hand upon her shoulder to keep her from charging the young man.
Now that her attentions were no longer focused on Maou, Emi could see that the busboy wore a deep maroon vest that matched his eyes and the standard black pants. In fact, the more Emi looked at him, more she was convinced he was just a plain old human… all except for his eyes anyway, which throbbed with deep, dark red power. Emi felt herself staring overlong into them and she felt her innards twist as sick thoughts pervaded her mind.
"He's right, Hero," the busboy said, "you needn't get involved. And as for your friend, I have been using her for the long con. First I take her, then I snare you, and then I land the main prize."
One by one, he carelessly pointed with a gloved hand; first at Rika, then at Emi, before finally come to a stop at Maou.
"If you wanted your ass handed to you again, you could've just asked for a rematch," Maou said angrily, taking off his sports coat and rolling up the sleeves of his white dress shirt, "only a coward has to use hostages and hide behind innocent humans!"
"She's just a battery for me. The one I want… is you."
"Who is this guy, and why does he look like he wants to violate you," Emi asked in an undertone to Maou.
"I can hear you, you know. And as for my name, you may call me Asmodeus," the busboy said, taking a bow, but keeping his hungry maroon eyes fixed on Maou.
"It's kind of a long story," Maou answered, ignoring Asmodeus.
"Yes, but seeing as this isn't some long running anime that needs ten minute recaps whenever someone from a previous season shows up, I suggest you make it short and sweet… also, you may want to take a moment to say good bye to your bride to be," Asmodeus said with a smirk as he fiddled with a lock of Rika's hair. Still, she stood there, her eyes dull and her face blank. It seemed she didn't even register the situation.
"Ok… so, before I was a Demon King, there were a few other people with similar goals and... well, Asmodeus was one of those other guys. He's a very high tiered demon class, in all actuality, he can be considered a Demon King as well, though when he tried to overthrow my regime I beat him to a bloody pulp and sent him packing," Maou rambled drunkenly, smirking at Asmodeus as he told the tale of his defeat.
"Yes, well, sexual energy is hard to harness in the Demon World… creatures like you who derive power from fear and violence would always have the upper hand, even against the most powerful of my refined species," Asmodeus said with a shrug, though his eyes looked much less seductive and more murderous.
"Sexual energy," Emi said, looking around at all the people on the floor. Many were spent, laying in sweaty heaps, others were still voraciously going at it, some singly, some in pairs and some even in a large pile; all were still fully clothed, though you wouldn't know it from the sound and smell.
"He's a Succubus, one of the Seven Great Classes of demons," Maou explained.
"Yes, and what are you again? Goblin class?"
"Shut up," Maou snapped, "I've beaten you before and I'll do it again. How did you get out of that prison I put you in?"
"Oh, details, details. I didn't come here to make banter, I came to destroy you once and for all Satan Jacob! At long last, I shall reign supreme as Demon King!"
"I think you've miscalculated," Maou said with a smile, a strange feeling of invulnerability washing over him, "you see, I'm not completely powerless just yet."
Maou's eyes burned with a bloody light and suddenly the moaning and whimpering stopped. The world seemed to freeze and darken as the color faded away. With a vast amount of effort, Maou had managed to bring Tokyo to a standstill.
"Most impressive," Asmodeus begrudgingly admitted, his cocky smile gone.
"I'm not out of power either, buddy," Emi shouted, making Maou jump as she extended a hand.
The Evolving Holy Sword, Better Half, appeared in Emi's fist. The purple stone set into the winged guard glowed brilliantly against the grey backdrop as Emi lashed out at Asmodeus. He made no move to dodge the blow, and with a click of his fingers, Rika was suddenly in the direct path of the Holy Sword's blade. Emi blanched, unsettled by the sudden appearance of her best human friend. Could Rika still see Emi, even if she was under Asmodeus's control? Would she remember Emi's strange otherworldly powers?
One second of doubt was all it took, and Asmodeus made it count by clicking his fingers once again. Rika's fist was wrapped in a maroon light as she sank it into Emi's gut. The force lifted Emi off her feet and sent her flying into Maou, who caught her and noticed she was unconscious.
"Ugh…. I think I'm gonna be sick…"
No, not unconscious, just extremely drunk, and now, extremely sore.
"Please don't throw up on me," Maou whispered, setting Emi upon the floor and standing to face Asmodeus.
'If only I could find a way to sever his connection to Rika… but how? Now that I think about it, how is she able to give him such strength,' Maou wondered, his thoughts swirling like water through his thick, fuzzy head.
"You know, I really love humans," Asmodeus said, once more playing with Rika's hair, "they're hardwired to procreate, and they breed like rabbits. I think I'll bring this one back with me after you're dead and gone. She'd make a fine concubine."
"If you're thinking about using her for your sick tendencies, you can forget about it! Rika deserves way better than some lunatic like you," Maou jeered.
"Too little, too late, I'm afraid," Asmodeus laughed, "you see, I've already come to know Rika… very intimately. Every nook and cranny, either mental or physical, has been marked by me. There's no way for you to break our bonds now."
"YOU SON OF A BITCH, I'LL KILL YOU WHERE YOU STAND," a voice roared. Maou looked towards the open door to find a familiar tall blonde demon sprinting at Asmodeus, magic power radiating from him in waves and growing with every step.
"Ashiya, NO!"
An hour and half earlier, Ashiya and Urushihara were hard at work cleaning the Devil's Castle when a knock at the door interrupted their rather harmonious efforts. Lucifer, still garbed in an apron and a bandana, opened the door to find Suzuno standing in the public porch on the top floor of the Villa Rosa.
"Urushihara," Suzuno asked, one of her eyebrows drifting upwards as she looked him up and down.
"That's my name. What do you need, Bell?"
"Urushihara, invite her in and set up the tea," Ashiya chided from within the apartment.
"So what is it that brings you over here," Urushihara asked again as he closed the door behind Suzuno and turned on the burner to heat the tea.
"Well, it's been unnaturally quiet all day," the short church inquisitor admitted, "no yelling or fussing or anything. I thought you guys had died, or moved out."
"Funny how you easily entertain the thought of us dying," Ashiya scoffed as he folded dry clothes.
"You dying is far more believable," Suzuno explained bluntly, "moving takes far too much money, more than Maou could provide with his current financial situation."
"Here's your tea," Urushihara said, setting the scalding tea down on front of the inquisitor.
"Thank you," she replied courteously, her eyes still lingering on Urushihara's attire.
"Don't ask," Urushihara muttered under his breath before once more going about the apartment, nitpicking every little detail.
"I don't think I've ever seen you so motivated, Urushihara," Suzuno said, trying and failing to stifle her vivacious grin as she watched him twitch involuntarily.
"Nor have I," Ashiya said, "though I think it makes a nice change. If you continued down this road, perhaps I could convince the Demon King to give you an allowance.
Every fiber in Lucifer's short frame loathed being talked to as if he were some child that was grounded, but he knew that if he snapped backed, the punishment would far outweigh the crime. Setting his most pleasant smile onto his face, he turned to face Ashiya and Suzuno, both of whom were watching him carefully.
"I don't think that'll be necessary," he said, "I think I might actually take up Maou's manager on that job offer. Why stay here and clean when I could make my own money doing less work?"
It was Ashiya's turn to hide his anger as he began to wipe down the counter for the millionth time that hour, scrubbing it so furiously it made the apartment walls shake.
"That is a good idea," Suzuno smirked, "I'm sure good Sadao could use some help paying the monthly expenses. Having two incomes would be quite the saving grace."
"Of course," Ashiya said, turning to grin at Lucifer, "you two could split the rent, and the utilities, then you could have money and use the computer as much as you liked!"
It was a double edged sword, though, and everyone present knew it. It Urushihara worked, he would have much less time to be on the computer. That said, they may be a little kinder to him and leave him to his own devices if he began to help maintain the financial stability of the Devil's Castle.
"Well, I'll have a talk with Maou about it when he gets back," Urushihara said finally, stunning Ashiya and Suzuno, "by the way, what was the timeframe for his date with Emi?"
"HIS WHAT," Suzuno shrieked, her voice echoing through the building and out into the twilit streets of the Sasazuka district of Tokyo.
Ten minutes later, Ashiya, Urushihara, and Suzuno were all stuffed into the backseat of a taxi, Suzuno in the middle, her murderous aura making the demons on either side of her shrink away in cowardice.
"Explain it to me once more," she said irritably, crossing her legs to match her arms, "and spare no details."
"Maou and Emi are on a date set up by Rika," Urushihara uttered, quickly burying his face in his hands to spare himself Suzuno's feral glare.
"Where are they?"
"The Hakushu Teppanyaki," Ashiya supplied quietly, "it's a fancy restaurant, it's over-"
"I know where that is," she growled, leaning forward and giving the driver of the taxi an angry snarl, "driver! 17-10 Sakuragaokacho, on the double! Get me there in five minutes and I'll give you ten thousand yen!"
"Yes Ma'am, I know just the route!"
One frightening taxi drive later, Ashiya and Urushihara were lying upon the curb as Suzuno kept her word and silently handed the drive a crisp ten thousand yen bill. With a proud salute, the driver sped off, leaving Suzuno to give her two demon lackeys swift, yet gentle kicks to their least sensitive regions.
"Get up, you useless demons! We'll be spotted out here in the open," she hissed before ducking along a concrete raised bed that had small cherry blossom trees planted within its earthen center. She peered through the branches, carefully surveying each and every store front until her eyes met a large, bright display. The interior was visible through large windows, and she saw chandeliers, bright, antique molding and high ceilings. Within the restaurant, people in fancy suits and fine dresses were wining and dining, and above the open door, painted on in chipped gold lettering, were the words 'Hakushu Teppanyaki'.
"This is it," Suzuno whispered, "me and Emi visited Rika here once, however, I cannot see the Devil."
Ashiya and Urushihara, whom had crept up next to Suzuno, were both still looking rather green in the face as they tried to focus on not being sick on the sidewalk.
"There," Urushihara said, pointing at a black haired young man as he came out of a dimly lit doorway and made his way across the floor to sit with-
"E-Emilia," Suzuno muttered, her eyes wide as she took in the Hero's gorgeous peach gown, resplendent bun and killer heels.
"Oh my," Ashiya said, "it seems to Hero went all out. I take it that means negotiations are going well."
"Not quite," Urushihara said, "look at her body language… hold on, has she been drinking?"
"It would certainly appear that way," Ashiya said distastefully as he watched Emi sway and wave her wine glass around.
After a few moments, Maou took up his seat at the table, and he and Emi spoke. What was strange was that with each back and forth, Emi seemed more and more at ease until she was actually smiling. Not grinning wickedly or smirking, but genuinely smiling at the Devil.
"Emilia, what are you playing at," Suzuno muttered as Urushihara looked on uninterestedly.
Urushihara was primarily concerned with how he would go about explaining to Maou that he hadn't blabbed, and how Maou would likely try to kill him, before and during his explanation.
'Maybe he'll go easy on me,' Urushihara thought as he watched Maou and Emi raised their glasses, their eyes twinkling as they stared at each other.
"My lord, what are you doing," Ashiya whispered, suddenly as interested as Suzuno.
But in the moment their glasses met, all hell broke loose. The inhabitants of the restaurant fell from their chairs and onto the floor. Cries and howls echoed from within, and amid the chaos, only four people remained. Two spectators, and two whose otherworldly magical powers protected them from the full effects of the incredibly powerful spell woven throughout the restaurant. As one, Ashiya, Urushihara and Suzuno watched as Emi stood from her chair and slowly walked around the table. Their jaws dropped in unison as Emi pulled out her bun, lifted her dress, and gently straddled Maou as he leaned back into his dining chair. The other two people remained fastidiously still, watching as the Hero and the Devil took on provocative positions.
"What-"
"-the-"
"-fuck."
Ashiya, Suzuno, and finally Urushihara had spoken, each one taking up the next word in turn to form the one statement that could acutely explain how they felt about the situation.
Emi and Maou leaned in close, their heads tilted, their lips so close to touching that Suzuno felt chills.
"Aaaand cut!"
The handsome busboy with messy black hair stepped through the disgusting and profane acts of the mortals, using his hands to frame Emi and Maou.
"It couldn't be," Ashiya said, "is that… is that Rika?"
Sure enough, Rika stood behind the busboy, just out of sight of Emi and Maou, both of whom were frozen in place as they stared at the busboy. Emi, odd as it was, was still placing sensuous kisses on Maou's neck, loosening his tie and revealing more of his skin for her own pleasure.
"I'm going to kill that Demon King," Suzuno muttered, the concrete beneath her hands cracking as she gripped it.
"This isn't Maou's work," Ashiya said, "it's his."
He pointed at the busboy, who was having a conversation with Emi and Maou.
"How do you know," Suzuno asked, the hard look in her eyes matched by Ashiya's own displeasure.
"Do not question my lord's intentions with such reckless idiocy," Ashiya chided, glaring down at the angry clergywoman, before once more looking at Rika, "he only came here so as not to offend Rika, and to promote relations between the humans and demons of Ente Isla. The root cause of all this vulgar demonic power is-"
Ashiya stopped talking as he heard a strange sound from next to him. Rather like someone smacking their lips. He turned to find Suzuno hard at work, planting kisses upon every part of Urushihara she could, while the fallen angel lay flopped against the concrete, looking as if he'd become braindead.
"I didn't think Bell's power had grown so weak," Ashiya sighed before using his own demonic magic to bring her back to her senses.
Her breathing became labored and her skin began to tingle as lightning flashed through her nervous system. Suzuno had never felt so attentive, so alive before. She found the touch of Urushihara's skin addictive and she simply couldn't get enough as she placed her lips anywhere and everywhere. His neck, his lips, his nose, his forehead, his chest, every part of him was so enticing… but why was it getting hard for her to breath? She found herself enveloped in a sphere of emerald demonic magic, and suddenly she whirled to Ashiya, as furious as she'd been on the ride there.
"What the hell, Ashiya," she cursed as she clung onto Urushihara as if her very life depended on him.
"Look at yourself," Ashiya smirked, "showering a demon with kisses and lewdness. Whatever happened to the sweet, innocent Inquisitor?"
"Recreant demon," she muttered before pushing Lucifer away and once more getting onto her knees to peer over the wall.
'That was nice,' Urushihara thought as he, too resumed his vigilance, thinking wistfully upon those few seconds of ecstasy.
The scene in the restaurant had escalated quickly, and a loud boom alerted the three stalkers as they watched Emi get thrown backwards by a mean right hook from Rika, who had a frighteningly lax expression as she punched the woman whom she'd once called her best friend.
Maou caught the Hero and laid her down, but she didn't get back up, though she was still moving slightly.
"The Hero is down," Suzuno whispered, still a little red in the face as she made to leap over their cover.
"Wait," Urushihara said, "you shouldn't go, you're low on magic power as it is."
But the voices of Maou and the busboy grew louder, until their conversation could be heard clearly, even from across the street, which was oddly silent.
"If you're thinking about using her for your sick tendencies, you can forget about it! Rika deserves way better than some lunatic like you," they heard Maou yell.
"Too little, too late, I'm afraid," Asmodeus responded in kind, "you see, I've already come to know Rika… very intimately. Every nook and cranny, either mental or physical, has been marked by me. There's no way for you to break our bonds now."
Ashiya stiffened, his entire being suddenly burning with fury. Intense magical power poured from the 1500 year old demon like a river as the strongest naturally occurring armor the demon world had to offer appeared on his skin, along with a long tail and sharp pointy ears. His golden amber eyes glowed with bright light as he began to sprint for the shop, moving faster than the human eye could follow.
"YOU SON OF A BITCH," Ashiya bellowed in his harsh demonic voice, "I'LL KILL YOU WHERE YOU STAND!"
"Ashiya, NO," Maou called out as the hulking figure of the armored demon appeared behind Asmodeus, his hand raised to strike.
"Not so fast, Demon General Alciel," Asmodeus said quietly.
In a flash, Rika intercepted the attacker, looking small and frail compared to the Demon General. Ashiya froze, not willing to strike, and Asmodeus felt a sudden spike in his power as the Demon General faltered before the human girl.
'Well, well, well,' Asmodeus thought, 'how very interesting.'
"Ashiya," the voice said quietly, looking at the Demon General with large, brown eyes, dulled as they were by her enslavement.
"R-Rika," Alciel asked quietly.
She moved and Ashiya twitched, sure she was about to attack, but instead she casually unbuttoned her waiter's vest and cast it onto the floor. With deliberate slowness, she reached up and began to slowly unbutton her fancy white undershirt, nothing beneath it save for her ivory skin and a lacy bra covering her chest.
"Ashiya," she said again, "let's be together."
"I'd take the deal, Demon General," Asmodeus whispered, his voice seductive and calming, "who knows when she'll wake up?"
"GRAAAGH!"
Alciel swung at Asmodeus, but Rika jumped and kicked his arm away, sending the Demon General stumbling back. She was suddenly so close to him that their skin was millimeters apart. Once more, Rika's fist was gloved in a fell maroon glow as she struck Alciel. Her fist hit his dense black carapace, and the blow was dulled enormously. Still, the force of it pushed him back and he slid through several tables, his arms crossed and his amber glare shining with hate as he stared at the man behind the blank faced human.
From behind Asmodeus, Maou charged in with a roar, Rika moving to intercept him. They came to blows while the Demon King of Lust watched with a smug look. A tap on his shoulder alerted him to his situation, and he found both Alciel and Lucifer standing there.
"Shit," Asmodeus said with a small smile.
"Couldn't have said it better myself," Lucifer said before forming a purple sphere of light in his hands and joining it with Alciel's emerald one. As one, they threw their collected power against Asmodeus, who erected a dark red barrier of his own. It held for a moment before shattering like glass and sending him skyward. His momentary flight climaxed close to the ceiling before he once more came crashing down, clear through the table Emi and Maou had occupied minutes ago.
"Snap out of it Rika," Maou hollered, fending off blow after blow, "guys, what are you doing? Get rid of that bastard!"
"We just did," Lucifer grinned, holding out a fist for Ashiya to bump. Miscalculating his own strength, Ashiya complied with a smile, only for Lucifer to let out a gasp.
"I think you just jammed my fingers," he shouted.
"If you guys are done with Asmodeus, could one of you figure out how to set Rika straight," Maou shouted, clearly still fighting for his life as Rika came at him with inhuman speed and agility.
"Who ever said I was done," Asmodeus asked angrily, the separate halves of the broken table flying in opposite directions as he regained his footing. A line of blood ran from beneath his hair, but other than that he looked untouched.
"Ok, maybe we were a little cocky," Lucifer sighed, "but we've got this, Maou, put a little faith in us!"
With a snap of his fingers, Asmodeus summoned to his side several humans. They were all panting, sweaty, and still incredibly aroused. They slowly approached Ashiya and Lucifer, who stood back to back, unsure of what to do.
"If you hurt those humans I'll destroy you," Crestia Bell called from outside the restaurant.
"Got it, sweetheart," Lucifer called, wondering how to proceed without hurting any of the humans.
Asmodeus raised a gloved hand, intending to once more snap his fingers and order the charge, but before he could, the sound of high heels on the floor rang throughout the restaurant.
"Hey, you, asshole," called a commanding voice.
There, in a flattering navy dress and high heels, stood Mayumi Kisaki. She was swaying to and fro like a flag in the breeze, and in one hand she carelessly held a glass of whiskey. She drained the glass and cast it to the side, smiling as it shattered on the floor. She stalked right up to Asmodeus, who was paralyzed as he watched her approach.
"What the hell do you think you're doing, huh," Kisaki asked, "what makes you think you can just attack a MgRonalds employee under my supervision?!"
"Erm… well, you see Ms…."
"Kisaki."
"Right, well, Ms. Kisaki, goodness, what a beautiful name," Asmodeus said, laying on the charm pretty thick, "I was simply removing these people from my establishment."
"Nuh-uh, I heard you earlier, you fuckhead," she said, storming at the demon and making him take several steps back, "you were gonna murder my employee!"
"Ms. Kisaki, watch out, that guy isn't human," Maou hollered, rolling on the floor with a half-naked Rika as she tried to subdue her.
"MAAA, WHY DOESN'T THAT GIRL HAVE A SHIRT ON," Kisaki yelled.
"Working on it, Ms. Kisaki," Alciel supplied, grabbing Rika's shirt and hurrying out of the frozen encirclement of enslaved humans.
"Well, I'm certain we can work something out," Asmodeus said, still quailing beneath Kisaki's intense rage.
"I don't think so buddy," she said with a sick smile, stripping off one of her heels and viciously driving the heel of it into Asmodeus's eye socket.
"AAARGH, YOU BEAUTIFUL, SEXY, HEARLTESS BITCH," Asmodeus cried, looking as though his heart had been stabbed as well as his eye.
"Sorry, you're hot and all, but you have no depth. I'm not attracted to shallow assholes," Kisaki said with a smile as she took a seat on the floor and pried the cork off another bottle of alcohol.
"We can't get Rika to wake up," Alciel shouted, "she's out of control!"
"I've got an idea," Urushihara said, his great black wings spreading wide as he willed the fabric of reality to tear open next to Asmodeus.
The Demon King of Lust ripped the shoe from his eye and held a hand over the blood that ran from it, the ruddy maroon light a telltale sign of him healing himself.
"Once my eye is fixed, I'll enslave you, too," Asmodeus growled, grinning madly at Kisaki, who blew off his comment like a master.
"Sorry, Asmodeus, but I'm sending you back to Ente Isla, straight into the clutches of the Demon Army, in fact," Lucifer laughed, "give my regards to Camio."
"Wha-NO, I WON'T GO BACK THERE, I WON'T," Asmodeus screamed as a great black hole appeared behind him.
The great force of the Gate pulled at Asmodeus like opposite ends of a magnet. He slid across the floor as it drew him in, but everything else was strangely unaffected by the mysterious gravity.
"NO, NO NOOOOO!"
"Oh, shut up," Kisaki said, throwing the bottle at Asmodeus. He tumbled forward and into the Gate, his screams falling further and further away until the Gate closed with a loud clap.
Almost as soon as it slammed shut, Rika Suzuki went still, her head slumped, and her eyes closed. Alciel and Maou, who were still fighting to clothe her, suddenly froze, paralyzed with fear.
"Rika," Ashiya asked quietly, now reverted to his human form, "Rika!"
"Her pulse is weak," Maou noted, grabbing her wrist.
"Uuunnnh," Rika moaned, her eyes flickering as she regained consciousness.
"Rika," Ashiya said happily, "you're safe!"
"I-I…"
Rika's voice broke, and tears began to fall from her face. Within moments, she was sobbing, quite horribly, into Ashiya's arms, her white shirt draped over her shoulders as overwhelming sadness shook her body.
"I-I'm s-so sorry-y," she called out as Ashiya gently rocked her back and forth.
"There was nothing you could do," Ashiya said sadly, "but you're safe now, and no one is hurt. Everything is fine."
"Ashiya-a-a, I was-s so s-scared! H-He said," she took a moment to draw breath, her form shuddering as she thought about her ordeal over the last few weeks, "he said he'd kill m-me, and Emi-i-i if I d-didn't play-y along!"
"Rika," Maou asked quietly, "did he- was what he said about the two of you… did he do anything?"
Rika's face grew slack for a moment before she recalled it, that terrible night, when he'd forced her to-
Her brown eyes widened and the tears came harder. Slowly, Rika nodded, and Maou's black aura grew considerably. Not wanting to look at the faces of her friends, Rika once more buried her own into Ashiya's shoulder.
"Urushihara," Maou called suddenly, "I need you to open that gate one more time. And I need a pen and a piece of paper. I have some special instructions for Asmodeus's imprisonment."
A short while after the orders were written, signed, rolled into a scroll and cast into the gate for his army to find, Maou focused his attentions on Emi, who was still drunk. A quick healing spell brought her partway back however, as she quickly sat up and scratched at her head.
"Wassup," she said, "I'm awake!"
"Emi, Rika is back to normal, but she remembers all of it," Maou explained slowly, "she knows about us. And what's more… Asmodeus took advantage of her… physically."
Emi looked over at where her friend sat, now being held by Kisaki as well as Ashiya as she cried. Emi felt tears come to her eyes as guilt welled up inside her.
"How come I didn't notice," Emi asked, the alcohol making her more emotional than usual, "why wasn't I there? She took the time to ask how I was and I… I didn't even bother to ask her the same in return."
"There was nothing you could do, Emi," Maou reminded her, laying a hand upon Emi's shoulder as she rubbed at her wet eyes, "he threatened to kill her, and you."
"Still, I should've noticed. I should've spent more time with her. I could've-I could've...," Emi trailed off hopelessly as she watched Suzuno also wrap Rika in a loving embrace.
"Hey, we gotta clean this up," Maou whispered to Emi, "and I don't mean to be insensitive but… you could erase her memory."
Forty five minutes later Maou had meticulously repaired the restaurant and unfrozen Tokyo, even in his completely besotted state. Ashiya, Suzuno, and Lucifer had wiped the memories of all the customers, and replaced them, one by one, onto their chairs.
Rika was rushed off to the hospital in an ambulance, Ashiya in tow, though only after crying profusely and apologizing to Emi and Maou over and over again. The official story was that Rika Suzuki had collapsed while on a rough shift at work, suffering a nervous breakdown. No one seemed to recall a certain black haired, handsome busboy working in the restaurant at all. Their work done, Kisaki, Maou, and Urushihara sat outside, contemplating the night's events. The three of them were shorty joined by Emi and Suzuno. Emi looked down at the concrete wall that her friends sat on before kicking Lucifer in the shin.
"Owwww, what gives, Emi?"
"Scoot," she said, wanting to sit next to Maou herself.
Urushihara did as he was bidden, though he never missed a chance to complain. Emi immediately laid her head on Maou's shoulder, and within moments she was sleeping peacefully, once more.
"You two are lucky to have each other, Maou," Kisaki said suddenly, standing up and almost falling, as she forgot she was still holding one of her shoes. She quickly kicked off the other before pulling out her bun and letting her hair fall. She turned to leave when Maou suddenly spoke up.
"Ms. Kisaki, would you mind if my friend, here, walked you home," Maou asked, "just to make sure you don't end up falling and breaking your neck?"
"I could use some company. I live a way's away, and this is one hell of a dream I'm having," she smiled, greatful for Maou's concern.
"Go with her, wipe her memory and make sure you go and check on Ashiya at the hospital before you come back," Maou whispered Urushihara.
"I'll join them," Suzuno replied in an undertone, "I don't trust that fallen angel quite so much as you, and I can check in with Rika, too."
With that, the odd trio began to walk away. As they went, Maou heard Urushihara ask about the possibility of a job. He laughed until Emi groaned in her sleep and shifted her head, trying to get more comfortable.
"C'mon, Emi," Maou whispered, "get up. We gotta walk home."
"So cold," Emi moaned.
Maou smiled and took off his sports coat before draping it over Emi's shoulders.
"Feet too," she smiled, eyes still closed as she sat up of her own volition and held out a foot for Maou.
"Geez, you're demanding," Maou sighed, getting up and kicking off his dress shoes before beginning the dubious task of removing Emi's high heels.
It took a few minutes, and Maou's shoes were too big for Emi's feet, but they would keep her feet from freezing.
"Ok, let's go home, Emi," Maou said tiredly.
"Thanks," she murmured, feeling Maou sit back down next to her. She placed a small kiss on his shoulder and then leaned onto him. He pulled her arm around his waist and together they stood, Maou in his socks; holding Emi's shoes in one hand while Emi gripped him with both arms.
"Where to," Emi asked, yawning to punctuate the statement.
"Well, my house is closer. I can probably look up a few hangover cures for you, and Suzuno can run and get some of that Celestial Force juice to help your recovery. Can't go to work drunk, can you?"
"Hey, Maou," Emi whispered, "do you think Rika will be ok? Should we wipe her memory?"
"I hope she can recover," Maou replied, "and I've made sure that twisted pervert gets a painful execution… but as for wiping Rika's memory, we can wait and see what the new day brings."
Maou felt his shoulder become cold and wet, and Maou once more realized that Emi was crying. He pulled her closer and tenderly rubbed her arm.
"It'll be ok, Emi," Maou crooned, "it'll be ok."
And so the Devil and the Hero set off into the night, too broke for a cab as the odd pairing began the long, lilting walk back to the Devil's Castle.
So, as some of you may have noticed, there's a little black line separating this text and the story text, and for the life of me, I can't figure out how to delete it. YOU WIN THIS TIME! Moving on, this was a ridiculously sad ending to the chapter in my opinion... I mean, poor Rika. I love her to death... so I make her suffer eternally for it. Again, a little research went into this one, as Asmodeus was a legit King of Demons and Lust in the Bible. If you have a tough time picturing him, I sort of pictured him to look like Sebastian from Black Butler. Not that it matters, he's dead now, Maou made sure of that. Sadly, I haven't discovered any new music, so just relisten to the stuff from the last chapter. And yes, I will now, sadly, be returning to the normal cycle of my writing, which also includes a few other projects I've been working on. Oh, and congrats on this fic reaching 30,000 views... god, I still feel so bad. RIKA I'M SORRY! FORGIVE ME, SWEET PRINCESS!
As per the norm, thank you for reading. Feel free to scream into a pillow to show your frustration with Rika Suzuki's shit situation. Oh, and lots of AshiyaxRika and LuciferxSuzuno, cuz why the hell not?
Love and happiness to you all.
And to clarify, this isn't the end of the fic. I'm gonna add that before you guys get any ideas, this isn't dead yet!