"Uhhh, Maou?"
"Hmmm?"
"Why are we naked?"
Maou and Emi were both laying upon the floor of the Villa Rosa Sasazuka. And both were naked, though the Devil was still dozing rather peacefully. Without warning, Maou kicked off his covers, completely nude, and sporting some serious bedhead.
"Maou, you're naked," Emi shrieked, diving back under the covers.
"Son of a-"
He made to lunge for the sheet he'd been covered with, but he moved too fast and found himself face first against the floor. Recovering quickly, he stood up fully and swathed himself in the sheet like an ancient Greek.
"There! Now I'm not the Devil, I'm a god!"
"You're an idiot, and still clearly a little buzzed," Emi remarked, holding her head and glaring around the room.
"Just a little," Maou reasoned, "I ate my steak and paced myself with the whisky. You just sort of… drank all the alcohol and then downed the food. I bet you've got a killer hangover."
"Oh my god," Emi groaned, her eyes wide as she turned her terrified gaze to Maou, "do you remember what we did after we got back here?"
"Uh, no, not really, why?"
"Maou, we were together. On the floor. Naked," Emi said, seriously concerned that the Devil might've lost a few too many brain cells from the alcohol.
"And?"
It took a moment for Maou to grasp the situation. And once he had-
"Holy shit! Emi, you don't seriously think that we-"
"I don't know! I can barely remember the walk here!"
"Ok, don't panic," Maou said, pacing back and forth and trying to follow his own advice, "this was an accident. Nothing happened. Where are our clothes?!"
"Ah, good, you're both up," Ashiya said, suddenly appearing from outside of the apartment.
"Ashiya what- holy cow- what happened to you," Maou asked, placing his hands on his hips as Emi blushed and pulled the sheets a little higher over her chest.
"Hmm? I don't quite know what you're talking about, sire? All is as it should be," Ashiya mumbled, carrying in a basket of freshly laundered clothes and setting it on the pristine counter, something he would've never done. It was even more surprising when the basket fell, and Ashiya swept the white blonde hair from his face.
"Oh dear, clumsy, clumsy…."
It was clear that something else was on Ashiya's mind. His eyes were far away and they slid over his surroundings without truly registering them. He muttered nonstop to himself and, to top it all off, he was deathly pale, save for the bags beneath his eyes, which were dark and made Maou truly consider buying makeup for his Demon General.
"I removed your clothes, sire, and Suzuno did Emi's. They needed washing. Apparently you both decided it would be a good idea to go to the bathhouse and stand in the stalls, bathing with your clothes on," Ashiya sighed.
"Naturally I brought you home, laid you down to rest before your return to work in a few hours, and I have just finished washing and drying your date clothes. Urushihara and Suzuno are resting in the other room. It has been a long night."
"And you haven't slept since yesterday, have you," Maou asked, wondering what he ever did to deserve such a caring second in command, "I order you to rest! By decree of the Greek god… uhhh Satan Jacob… eus?"
"Charming," Ashiya said, "but if I may, King Satan, I'd like to take the day off and see to it that Rika has company."
"Wha-oh… yeah. That's fine. But are you sure you don't want to sleep, at least for a few hours," Maou asked.
"No time," Ashiya said, the lifelessness in his eyes now replaced by a kindling flame, "I must go to her before office hours."
"What, why? What's up with Rika," Emi asked suddenly.
"She will be transferred to the nearest mental health facility as soon as it resumes office hours. I will be there for paperwork, emotional support, and whatever else she may need. Also, it'll please you both to know that Rika has been tested… she has not conceived a child by that…thing."
He let the statement hang as he wound the alarm clock Emi had gifted to Maou. He put his hand upon the doorknob, took a deep breath, and then turned around, trying to smile. Maou couldn't help but wince at the sight, for as Ashiya smiled, tears were falling from his eyes.
"I have… the clock has been set twice. It will ring once when you must leave, Emilia. I have left bus fare on the counter, and I have set the clock early enough to accommodate for breakfast, bathing, and any other things you may need to attend to before your work day begins. I have one bottle of concentrated celestial force on the counter as well, to aid in your journey home," Ashiya said carelessly, gesturing at the counter, "please remember to take your date clothes and shoes when you leave. My lord, I have done the same for you, though without the bus fare, and the celestial force. I have left your breakfast in the oven, turn it on when you awaken, and it will be hot by the time you are ready to eat. I've also splurged and bought you a pack of chewing gum. I'm hoping that a hot shower and some peppermint gum with mask the putrid layer of vomit and liquor, but we'll see. Pleasant dreams to you both."
With a snap, Ashiya closed the door to the apartment, and once more the room was plunged into darkness. Maou could only stand there, shocked at how little Ashiya had seemed to care when given the option of going to see Rika. Sure, she was a good friend, and she needed the support… but to miss out on sleep when you haven't had any in twenty four hours? What was Ashiya thinking?
"Never thought I'd say it," Emi whispered into the darkness, "but I'm glad Ashiya will be there for Rika. After what she's been through, I'm sure she'll need him."
"Yeah… yeah, you're right," Maou said, lying back down.
"Hey, whatever happened to that demon busboy? I think you told me something about your boss on the walk back, but other than that I'm drawing blanks. Is he out of the picture," Emi asked suddenly, sitting up and looking worried.
"He won't be coming back for Rika," Maou yawned, "I sent some orders through the Gate… he'll be executed in a very obscure and painful way."
"I suppose I shouldn't ask exactly how it'll be carried out," Emi posed as she too laid back against her pillows.
"No, you shouldn't," Maou said, "but suffice it to say that the method I used was actually banned in the Demon World after I took over… he'll be begging for death before the end."
"Good," Emi said bluntly, "not because he's a demon… but for Rika… she was just caught up in our issues."
"I've been thinking about that too, and I was wondering about-"
Maou broke off, now wasn't the time to discuss that quite yet.
"About what?"
"Well, I just came to the conclusion that as long as we're here, we'll be inviting trouble onto this world," Maou said simply.
"Yeah," Emi agreed, her head buzzing as it tried to think past the throbbing of her headache.
Together, but not together, Maou and Emi fell asleep. Emi, as Ashiya had noted, was the first to rise. She was up before the sun had risen, and the world was gripped by an eerie twilight. Maou woke a little later, sure that he had heard Emi's quiet footsteps when the alarm had first gone off. For the first time since the fiasco of his first date with the Hero, the Devil laid awake and thought about her. He wasn't dreaming, though not for lack of trying. He thought about their date, he thought about Emi's outrageous alcohol consumption and he wondered how she felt about the entire thing.
'I should ask her,' Maou thought sheepishly, 'where's my phone?'
Wasting no time, Maou smiled as he typed in a poorly spelt text message asking Emi's opinion on their first date. The response was shortcoming, and Maou was tempted to wait until he was completely sober to read it and reply, but his curiosity got the best of him.
I had fun until we were attacked by a crazy demon.
Maou read the reply, his guilt about Rika's condition all but forgotten in the soft arms of sleep deprivation and the warm drink in his stomach.
'She had fun,' Maou thought, smiling once more, 'should I ask her out again? Oh, wait, Rika set that first one up…. Crap, Rika….'
Any news on Rika, Maou replied, his fingers fumbling as he typed, very nearly dropping his phone onto his face at one point.
He waited for a little while. Ten minutes passed without a reply before Maou once more got a message. Again, he was tempted to simply leave it until he was awake and completely lucid. But still, it was Emi…
Ashiya got her booked and set up in that mental health facility. I've set up a time to meet her. Apparently she's not doing so good. I think we should do it.
Maou felt his face grow hot and sweat beaded his brow as he smiled. What exactly was Emi implying? Before he could question it, he received another text, and his fluster faded suddenly.
I want you to do it. Take Rika's memory and any negative emotions she has about being used sexually. I want you to erase her pain like you did mine.
'Oh, so that's how it is,' Maou thought as he lay there, staring at the bright screen of his phone, 'well, unfortunately for you, Emilia the Hero, our contract doesn't apply to Rika!'
Maou made as much known in his next text, his happiness temporarily fading as he glared at the little numbers on the main screen that displayed his phone credits. He would have to buy another phone card soon.
Either you do as I say, or I'll tell Ashiya and Lucifer about our agreement.
Maou smiled, the alcohol making him want to press every advantage he had, so as to appear to be on equal ground with the Hero. She may have been the only woman he'd ever cared for, but he needed to show her he could cope with her insanity.
Joke's on you, Maou keyed into his phone, Lucifer already knows. He figured it out a while ago.
Then it's decided, Emi responded, her clear, yet hungover head throbbing with pain, if you don't want Lucifer to be annihilated, you'll help Rika. Please Maou.
Perhaps she wasn't as clear headed as she'd liked Maou to think, but her last words echoed in Maou's head. Emi needed help. She was powerless without him. It made sense, after all, that Emi would have hesitation about erasing her best friend's memory.
Fine, I'll do it, but you have to go on a date with me. No demons, no bosses, just you and me. We'll set it up in secret and make sure no one follows us this time, Maou replied, smirking as he pressed the send button.
Thank you. Just tell me when you want the date and I'll be there, and I promise to be civil, and semi-sober, Emi responded.
Maou felt amazed by this sudden turn of events. Not long ago, he was being held at knife point by Emi, who was trying to kill him. It had been quite an eventful two weeks, but it made sense that the two of them were starting to click. It was only a matter of time. Maou felt a surge in his gut, and he thought he might be sick for a moment. When it passed, he looked at Emi's name, which burned itself into his eyes as he stared at it. With every blink, Emi's name furrowed further into Maou's consciousness until he was sure that her name would always flash behind his eyelids.
Without delay, Maou took a risk, as life couldn't be called life without such tactics. His fingers sure and ready, hey keyed in Emi's phone number by heart and pressed the call button. The phone rang a few times before she picked up. The static made it sound like she was in a tunnel of some kind, but her voice, as monotone and spiteful as ever, made Maou fill with energy.
"What is it, Maou?"
"Heeey, babe, I just wanted to call you up…. Make sure you were ok and all," Maou replied smoothly.
"Ugh, you're still drunk, aren't you?"
"Jus' a little. But that's not important right now, Emi," Maou declared seriously, standing to go outside as his vision became blurry and haphazard.
"Why aren't you sleeping? Ashiya said that you could sleep in a little after I left," Emi said matronizingly. She stood on the train that took her to work, surrounded by other people, looking just as tired as he was.
"As soon as you left, I found that I couldn't sleep," Maou said truthfully, taking a seat on the cold front stairway of the Villa Rosa upstairs.
"I appreciate the sentiment," Emi groaned, obviously sad that she couldn't bitch him out in public.
"It's true though," Maou slurred, "every word of it. Seriously, I'd let you live here for free if it meant I could get a good night's sleep."
"I might take you up on that," Emi laughed dryly.
"Anyway, about this date…."
"Help Rika first, and we can talk about this date all you like," Emi proposed to the drunken Maou.
"Oh, don'chu worry, Emi," Maou said, "I've already left the house for the mental hospital."
"Maou, turn around and go to bed," Emi sighed, "you don't even know which hospital Rika's in."
"No, but I can sense Ashiya," Maou retaliated.
"Really?"
"No."
"Idiot," Emi sighed.
"Hey, when we go on our date you gotta be nice to me," Maou said.
In truth, he had been walking, barefoot, in his pajamas, away from the Villa Rosa. He had every intention of curing Rika's mental problem then and there, but as Emi said, he didn't know where to go.
"I will, I promise," Emi said quietly, as if embarrassed.
Her quiet and sultry words put Maou on the brink of his human nature, such was the curse of his hubris. He felt his navel twinge painfully as he stopped in his slow, uneven tracks. For a moment, all Maou could think of was Emi, bare and seductive before him, but he pushed the thought away.
"Emi," Maou said, whispering into the phone.
"Yes," Emi said quietly.
"I wanna see you more often."
"Huh?"
"I wanna see you more often," Maou repeated, "I want to see you whenever I can. I can't explain it, but something about you makes me feel like I'm a Demon King again."
"Sounds like you've got a problem," Emi laughed.
"I have several, but you're chief amongst them," Maou replied seriously.
"Alright, I'll visit you whenever I get the chance, and I'll go on one more date with you, but you have to heal Rika first."
"Tell me where she is so I can heal her," Maou said, standing in the middle of the street as a lone car pulled up and honked at him.
"Are you outside, in the middle of the street," Emi asked.
"I might be," Maou giggled, waving at the passionate driver of the car, who honked once more.
"Get out of the street Maou," Emi insisted, "go home and sleep for another couple hours. You have to go to work."
"Work can wait," Maou said as he sat on the sidewalk, his feet cold against the pavement, "tell me where to find Rika."
"Why do you want to heal her so badly?"
"I wasn't kidding, Emi. I wanna see you more often. It brings me back to a better time. Plus, I'd bet Rika is important to you. You'll need all the support you can get if you go on another date with me," Maou joked as he glared up at a streetlight.
It seemed that even when he was drunk, it was hard for him to be truthful, as every other word from his mouth was a lie.
"Geez, why so desperate for another date," Emi asked, ignoring the looked her fellow train riders gave her.
"It's because you're the Hero, Emi," Maou lied, "no one else holds more sway over humans than you do. If I can make you a believer, then…."
"Then you can make other humans believers as well, and escape with your worthless hide intact," Emi asked tactlessly.
Maou, feeling overwhelmed by his own human emotions, sniffled and wiped tears from his eyes. All this lying was getting out of hand. He sucked in his breath and pulled the phone away for a moment so that he could regain his composure. He once more returned to his drunken cellphone conversation, his voice weak as he talked to Emi.
"Yeah, something like that," Maou laughed weakly.
"You sound sick, Maou," Emi said disgustedly, "don't go throwing up while you're on the phone with me."
"Heheh, no promises, Hero."
"Just call me Emi," the Hero said with a roll of her eyes, "as much as I like being a Hero, you saying it sounds derogatory."
"Alright then, but you gotta call me Maou. None of that Demon King or Sadao bullshit," Maou said with a triumphant smile.
"Deal. Now is there anything else?"
"What is the name of Rika's hospital?"
"Maou, you can deal with that after work," Emi said impatiently, "go home and-"
"No, no, no, no, Rika needs help. She was brutally sodomized and exploited by an enemy of mine, and I have a duty to make it right," Maou said loudly, sending out an idea link to try and find Ashiya.
"She's at-"
"Tokyo Counseling Services," Maou said, his face slackening for a moment, "1 Chome-9-18 Kajinochō, Koganei-shi."
"How did you know that," Emi asked.
"I just received an Idea Link from Ashiya. I'll be at the hospital shortly," Maou said with a grin as his eyes glowed red. Sure, he was a little low on power, but it could always be replenished, mental anguish was sure to be plentiful in a mental care facility. Besides that, he had quite a large meal ahead of him seeing as Rika had been chalk full of sadness, doubt, and fear the last time he'd seen her.
"Be careful, and gentle, if possible," Emi warned.
"Emi, listen, you're a great friend, but I want you to relax. Rika will be fine soon enough, and I'll have plenty of power."
"Tell me you don't plan on flying to the hospital," Emi asked worriedly, "you know that it's dangerous to drink and fly, right?"
"I'll be ok. I'll see you later. Let's meet up in Rika's room at the hospital, ok?"
"Ok," Emi said, sounding rather fearful.
"Love you, Emi," Maou said, breathlessly, making Emi's heart pump furiously.
"What did you say?!"
"Nothing, nothing," Maou said, suddenly closing his phone as his feet left the cement. It would be a cold flight, but he was less than an hour's drive away, so he'd likely be there in about five or ten minutes, what with his demonic power being expendable at the moment.
With a yell and a horrid turning of his stomach, Maou took to the skies of Tokyo like a rocket with a faulty fuse. The initial inertia of the take-off suddenly made him feel queasy, so he slowed for a moment before trying to fly hard once more. Again, his guts threatened to purge themselves upon the rooftops of many an unknowing bystander.
"C'mon," Maou groaned, holding his midsection and trying to keep down his dinner, "there's gotta be a way around this."
With a sigh, Maou tried to simply heal himself. It was a longshot, but it might help his body retain its nutrients if he had less power to rely on. Taking a deep breath, Maou kicked off on thin air, and like a javelin, he pierced the sky, this time with much more success.
The wind rushed in his ears as he beelined for the facility Ashiya had shown him in his mind. It was rather simple, but with personalized care and a full staff of fine psychiatric therapists, it seemed a bit blue blooded for Maou's taste. Nevertheless, he made haste so that he would still have time to clean himself up before work later. He was flying so fast that he very nearly collided with a few reflective skyscrapers that appeared to be little more than black skies dotted with stars. He managed to dodge around them, but he did end up face planting rather hard upon one pane of glass, leaving a rather odd facial smearing upon the pristine glass.
"Whoops," Maou laughed, his exhaustion and inebriation making him slap-happy.
A few minutes later, he touched down in front of the hospital, which looked more like a business front that an actual place of healing. Maou was about to enter when he remembered it was frowned upon to enter businesses without some kind of footwear. With another vague thought, he managed to pinpoint Ashiya inside the building and asked him to open a window for easy entry.
'Yes, King Satan,' Ashiya dutifully replied within Maou's head before a window on the third floor of the building slid open, the long white curtains of the room spilling out into the air above the Demon Lord.
Unfortunately, there were people and security cameras, so Maou had to perform another barrier to freeze time. Electronics, people, machinery; the entire street ground to a halt as Maou furrowed his brow and sweat furiously from the effort. Once more he willed himself upward, though this time it was less like riding a rocket and more like being hoisted up with a flimsy fishing rod.
He finally reached the window and clambered through, helped into the room by Ashiya, who looked at his liege in a repugnant manner.
"You couldn't have bathed beforehand, sire?"
"Didn't have time," Maou said quickly, "let's make this quick, I don't have much power left and I have to get back to the Demon Fortress with time to spare."
"Wha-m'lord, what are you talking about? I thought you were here to visit Rika," Ashiya said, eyeing Maou carefully as he swayed upon the spot.
"Emi asked me to suck out Rika's recent memories and emotions," Maou replied simply, stepping forward with purposeful stride.
"I don't want you to," said a weak voice from the bed.
Rika Suzuki, who'd been under the control of a demon, was now looking incredibly ill now that his influence had been purged from her body. She was pale and frightfully skinny, and her usually sleek short hair was now messy and matted. Her earrings were gone, and she wore nothing, save for a hospital's dressing gown. Several machines and IV's were hooked up to Rika, and they all looked out of place in the high society mental facility, the rooms of which were rather like hotel suites.
"Rika- what the-when did this happen," Maou asked, his eyes wide as he stared at the girl who was in much better condition only hours ago.
"It happened shortly after your orders were carried out," Ashiya said quietly, "it seems Asmodeus was keeping her heavily reliant upon him. She gave him power, and in return he used that power to keep her close and reliant. After his execution, his power faded completely, leaving her like this. The doctors say she could be like this for some time."
"I don't want my memories taken," Rika said firmly, though her frail state softened the resolve behind her words, "I at least want a chance to push through this. I'm not just some dumb human that Emi needs to take care of."
"But… don't you want to… you know, feel better? Aren't you scared now that you know who and what we are," Maou asked curiously.
"I was scared… but then I realized that you guys aren't as bad as he was… there's no way you could be… I've seen how much you guys care for Chiho and Suzuno… even Emi… your sworn enemy," Rika finished, staring at Maou as if her words meant more than he realized.
"Just trust me," Maou said, stepping forward and holding out a hand, trying not to move too fast and scare Rika, "I'll take away the pain, I promise."
Rika's consciousness blanched, and in an instant, it wasn't Maou before her, but Asmodeus, as he had uttered those same words to Rika right before he had-
"Ashiya, keep him away from me," Rika screeched, pulling away from Maou so hard that the IV's by her bedside fell forward onto the bed as she rolled out of it. The machines monitoring her breathing and heart rate flat lined as she crawled away on legs that no longer wholly supported her.
"Ashiya, what are you doing," Maou asked, his face blank as he watched Ashiya swathe Rika in a blanket and gently calm her down.
"I'm sorry sire, but… I cannot help you in this," Ashiya said, a strange look in his eye as he defied his king, "I will not let you take Rika's memories, against her will."
"But Emi-"
"Is only human," Ashiya said sharply, "and the moment she decided to take memories and emotions as she saw fit, she became unfit for the title of 'the Hero'."
Maou took a step back, floored by what Ashiya was saying. First his treasonous actions, and now slandering Maou's beloved? The gears in Maou's head turned and turned, finally clicking to a halt as his face became engraved with poorly disguised anger.
"Ashiya, bring Rika over here," Maou said impatiently, not willing to let his promise to Emi go unfulfilled.
"Please don't," Rika whispered, her eyes wide and tear filled beneath the stark white blanket, "I don't want to forget… I can't afford to… I have to remember what he did."
"I won't," Ashiya said quietly, still kneeling on the floor as Rika lay against him, "and I will continue to stand against you until you recognize that Rika is very capable of making her own decisions."
"She's been through so much, Ashiya, don't you want her to be happy again," Maou asked, trying to appeal to his most loyal counselor.
"I've been through so much that I'm not sure I could ever forget it," Rika muttered, just loud enough for Maou to hear. She turned to stare him in his glowing red eyes for a moment before continuing, "and I wouldn't want to, anyway. I'll get through this on my own, I don't need demon magic or whatever the hell you have to fix me. I'll do it on my own, as I always have."
"But-"
"She has made her choice," Ashiya said firmly, holding Rika a little tighter as he refused to look at Maou, "please leave before I am forced to escort you out."
Maou stared at the two of them as he felt his anger build. Unbeknownst to him, the demon within was awake and ready to destroy anyone and everything that stood in his way. The room grew dark, as if the lights were being turned down. The air grew cold and a black aura appeared around Maou, obscuring his features, save two glowing red orbs, which stared at Ashiya and Rika quite intently.
The red eyes blinked, the lights once more ran at full capacity, and Maou the Demon King sighed before bowing his head and holding the bridge of his nose. It was clear Ashiya wouldn't budge on this… and it was also clear to Maou that he was not the only demon in the household with illicit romantic interests.
"I'm leaving," Maou sighed, "I'll be letting Emi know what happened here as well… I hope for your sake she's in a good mood, because she may very well cut you down and erase Rika's memories herself."
"As long as Rika refuses to budge on this, then I shall stand beside her… even the Hero will have a time trying to kill me," Ashiya said, sweat beading his face as he stared at the Demon King, who refused to meet his gaze.
"Whatever, just be sure that you come home sometimes to check in," Maou mumbled before stepping onto the windowsill and dropping.
Screams could be heard from outside as Maou jumped, and they made Rika flinch as they tore through the twilight.
"He's low on power, so by using peoples fear, he will fuel his flight home," Ashiya explained.
"Why couldn't he just walk," Rika asked as Ashiya picked her up and laid her back down upon the bed, tucking her in so that she was nice and warm and cozy.
"He needs to have time to bathe before work," Ashiya said simply.
"Oh geez," Rika grumbled, a small smile pulling at her lips, "it's Monday, isn't it?"
Ashiya, noting the courage and strength it took for Rika to smile and joke, beamed at Rika, causing her smile to widen. For a moment they shared in a mutual moment of happiness before stark reality once more made an appearance. Ashiya turned away from Rika before reaching forward and readjusting her pillow for her.
"You should get some more rest," Ashiya sighed, drawing upon his incredible memory to perfectly replace each IV and monitoring machine cord, "I'll be finished in a moment…"
The door opened after a hasty knock and a pale nurse peaked inside quickly, looking around for signs of distress. Clearly, the machines monitoring Rika's heart rate and breathing were monitored by other staff members at a remote location.
"All fine in here," the nurse asked politely, still looking rather unsure.
All the IV's were in place, and all signs of damage were gone, the only people in the room were Rika, who was once more swathed in her blankets, and Ashiya, whom stood by her side and looked at Rika worriedly.
"All fine," Ashiya said, glancing up at the nurse before once more looking at Rika, "feel free to leave Ms. Suzuki's health to me… free of charge, of course."
With a mysterious emerald glow in Ashiya's eye, the nurse smiled and bowed her way out of the room. It was a first for Ashiya, as he was not prone to selfish or outrageous acts. In fact, he felt so bad about using his demonic powers in such a fashion that he quickly turned to Rika for surety. She pulled the blankets over her head like a hood, but from the shadows he saw her mouth twitch into the form of a smile.
"Thank you, Ashiya," Rika said quietly, "I know that using your… your demon magic must be hard in this world, and I appreciate all you've done for me."
"It's nothing," Ashiya sighed, slumping down into a chair and holding the bridge of his nose, the reality of his situation dawning upon him.
In truth, he was now unsure that Maou would accept him as a Demon General. Maou had most definitely come to rely upon Ashiya, and in that reliance he'd found a trust in him he shared with few others. Even before they'd been trapped on Earth, Maou and Ashiya were inseparable as they had fought hard to keep their conquest on the rise. Now that Ashiya had betrayed that trust and stood against the Demon King, strange thoughts occurred to him. Should he and Rika run? Where would they be safe from Satan Jacob, the King of Demons? How far did his power reach? Ashiya was overwhelmed, to say the least. The emotional toll was bad enough, but the prospect of his former ally now being an enemy made his situation all the worse… or did it? Ashiya had Rika at his side… and while he deferred to Maou as his superior, Ashiya actually had seniority over the Devil, as he was over fifteen hundred years old, and Maou was barely in his three hundreds.
"It'll be ok," Rika whispered, laying her hand upon Ashiya's, causing the blonde demon to look up, his eyes still filled with uncertainty.
"You're right," Ashiya smiled, gently squeezing Rika's hand as he waited for her to drift off to sleep.
"What do you mean, why can't you take Rika's memories," Emi asked, whispering as she spoke into her phone.
She was sitting in the office of the Docodemo customer service center, trying not to draw attention to herself as she spoke on the phone with Maou. Usually she wouldn't answer a call from just anyone, but after Maou had called her three consecutive times, she decided to pick up.
"Ashiya wouldn't let me… and when I got close to Rika she screamed for help," Maou admitted, panting slightly as he rode his bike, presumably headed to work himself.
"You're the Demon King," Emi hissed into her phone, "Ashiya would do anything for you!"
"Not this time, Emi," Maou panted, "you didn't see the look he gave me. I know the look of a cornered man as well as the next demon, but the look of a cornered demon is much worse."
"Cornered… wait a sec, why would Ashiya refuse to let you take Rika's memories," Emi asked, glancing around to make sure she remained unnoticed.
"Rika was awake, and she didn't want me to… I guess the two of them share a bond I can't fathom," Maou said dryly, smiling to himself as he pedaled quickly across the street.
"You mean that Ashiya and Rika are-"
"I don't know," Maou said, shaking his head, "I just don't know anymore."
"Well… I suppose that there are worse men than Ashiya out and about," Emi said, her heart aflutter as she spoke.
Maou, hearing that statement, nearly hit a light pole before swerving out into traffic. Barely managing to avoid being struck by a vehicle, he quickly alighted upon the sidewalk and squeezed the brakes, coming to a halt upon the concrete.
"Come again," Maou huffed, his shrieks of fright not lost upon Emi's ears.
"I said… well, there are worse men than Ashiya out there," Emi muttered again, staring at the ground as she twisted her foot, digging her heel into the carpet.
"Ashiya is a one thousand, five hundred and forty three year old demon," Maou said indignantly, "you claiming that he's not a bad guy is… well, it's ridiculous."
"He's strong, caring, financially wise and morally predictable… I think he and Rika will make a fine couple," Emi rebutted hotly.
"Oh, ok, so Ashiya is cool, Lucifer if fine, but I'm just Demon King garbage," Maou asked, ignoring the strange looks he got as people walked by him on the sidewalk.
"Wha- no, you're not garbage, Maou," Emi said quickly, "you just… you have more significance than those two."
"Tell you what, why don't I just get with Chiho? Would falling for a human suddenly make me a nice guy, Emi," Maou asked sarcastically.
"Maou, this isn't about you!"
"What if it were," Maou said suddenly, his chest throbbing painfully as he tried once more to pry the Hero's feelings apart and sift through the mess, "how would you feel, Emi? After all we've been through… together… how would you respond?"
"I-I don't know," Emi admitted, feeling rather put upon as her conversation got heavier and heavier.
"Why don't you know," Maou asked loudly, "what is so hard about knowing your feelings?"
"Maou, lighten up, will you?"
"No! I'm done trying to play nicely, and I'm feeling rather shitty, considering Ashiya betraying me and your ridiculous expectations of me. I'm a Demon King, not some super hero, dammit! I have needs!"
"So hit a strip club, or find a hobby! Ashiya can't take care of you forever, and my feelings are my own," Emi retorted loudly, the office surrounding her falling away as she became engrossed in the conversation.
"Yeah, so are mine Emi, but right now I'm sort walking on thin ice when it comes to how I feel," Maou admitted quietly.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"….."
No response came for a moment; all Emi could hear was Maou's heavy breathing, like that of a bull before a charge.
"Nevermind, Emi," Maou said, his voice strangely even, though his face was twitching with anger and fruitless hate, "do me a solid, will ya? From now on, when you have bad dreams or whatever, don't call me. Goodness knows I could use the extra sleep. Also, tell your church friend that if she even comes to my door I will treat her as an enemy of the Demon King Army."
"You can't be serious," Emi commented angrily.
"Dead serious… and the same goes for you, Hero," Maou sneered before angrily pushing the 'end' button on his phone.
"What the-" Emi began.
"Yusa, back to work," Emi's boss called over the rows and rows of customer service workers. With a sigh, Emi closed her phone and glanced at the chair next to hers, empty as it was due to Rika's condition.
As Emi thought about Rika, Maou and Ashiya, she couldn't help but wish for a less turbulent time. With another heavy sigh, Emi sent Suzuno a brief, vague text warning her against visiting the Demon Castle, especially during Maou's time away from work. In the end, she readjusted her headset, and set to work once again, taking calls and helping to serve the customers of Docodemo. Still, her head buzzed with her situation as the work day slowly ticked by. Even with the distractions, one question seemed to drill through Emi's mind.
'How do I feel about Maou,' Emi wondered to herself.
"Order up," Maou said loudly, his voice filled with lackluster enthusiasm as he set down a tray of food, not bothering to thank a paying customer for their patronage. With raised eyebrow, Kisaki looked on as Maou continued to display a poor work attitude. Chiho, who was returning from a stint in the girls restroom, was quickly corralled by Kisaki.
"Chi, what's going on with Maou," she asked in an undertone as Maou violently shook the french fries in the fryer, splattering boiling hot grease on several nearby surfaces.
"Oh? I thought something was off about Maou," Chiho said fretfully, "I thought he was just angry at me for some reason for another… but now that I look closer, I can definitely see why you'd be concerned…."
As if to emphasize Chiho's concern, Maou splattered a large globule of grease upon himself, only to snarl and drive his fist into the stainless steel counter, making the entire kitchen shake. When he lifted his fist, he found several small, knuckle shaped dents in the steel, along with a few drops of blood from his spilt knuckles.
"Maaa," Kisaki said loudly, "come to the back with me. Now!"
Maou bowed his head and cupped his injured hand in the other, not looking at anyone as he rounded the counter and made his way back to the 'employees only' area. As he passed Chiho, he glanced up, and Chiho felt fear as she saw his furrowed brow, his glowing red eyes and his extremely angry demeanor.
"Have a seat," Kisaki said quietly, rummaging around in a medi-kit, not looking at Maou as he slunk into the room.
"I'll stand," Maou said quietly, his face still shrouded as he stared at the floor.
"Sit," Kisaki said sharply.
Maou contemplated rising then and there as the Demon King. It would be so quick and easy; he would laugh evilly, smirk and shrug off his managers' orders, and then he would levitate as he made his stature very clear to his boss. After that, it was a quick and clean takeover of the entire world… but for now, he would wait on that.
"Sure thing," Maou sighed, dropping himself into the chair opposite Kisaki's as she pulled out bandages, antibiotic ointment and gauze.
"Alright, Maou, now would be a good time to start explaining," Kisaki said hurriedly, glancing up at Maou's steadfastly blank face, "and I hope that it's a good one, cause you're on thin ice with me."
'I could reveal that I know about last night,' Maou thought, 'wait, no, she probably doesn't even remember it… speaking of which, how did she come into work today?'
"Spill it," Kisaki said loudly, "otherwise I'll be sending you home for the week, without pay!"
"I'm…."
Maou didn't know what was wrong… how could he explain the situation to his superior? Betrayal? Stress? Unrequited love? Lazy roommates? Nosy neighbours?
"I'm... I'm going through a breakup," Maou said finally.
"Oh," Kisaki said, her voice much gentler as she finished pulling supplies from the medikit and began to look at Maou's knuckles, taking his hand in hers.
"I know I've been in a bad mood," Maou said suddenly, "and I'm sorry-"
"Save it," Kisaki said, a smile crossing her face, "you don't have to explain anything… I know it doesn't seem like a good idea financially, but why don't you take today off? Try and get your head screwed on right, you know? Say your last goodbyes and burn the bridge before coming back in tomorrow! And I expect a much better attitude from you. Do I make myself perfectly clear?"
"Yes ma'am," Maou smiled, wincing as Kisaki quickly and expertly bandaged Maou's hand, "wow, you're good at this!"
"Thanks, I used to bandage people up quite a bit, back before the mandatory kitchen update. The old fryer would shoot grease halfway across the kitchen, and it would hit so many people every day that bandages become sort of common among the staff," Kisaki said, carelessly tossing her messy ponytail over her shoulder.
Not for the first time, Maou noticed how cute his manager was, and how remarkably odd and useful she was. Again, he was reminded of her title as the 'Demon of Sales' and after a moment, he decided to do something drastic.
"Hey, Mayumi, how would you feel about going on a date with me," Maou asked, enjoying the shocked look he got from his boss.
"Ahaha, you're really something, you know that," Kisaki laughed, "besides, it sort of goes against my personal policies on workplace relationships… like I said, take the day off, get your head straight, and then come in tomorrow."
"I'll take that as a maybe," Maou smiled, laying it on pretty thick.
"Ugh, now I'm starting to wonder why I hired you."
"You love me and you know it," Maou smirked, waving as he was ushered from the office.
"Yeah, like a little brother," Kisaki laughed, pushing Maou out of her office before shutting the door. She smiled and leaned against it, wondering what was up with Maou.
He quickly entered the employee locker room, changed into his street clothes and punched out of the old fashioned time clock. With a sigh, Maou raised a hand at his coworkers before exiting without a word.
"What was wrong, Ms. Kisaki," Chiho asked, staring at Maou as he pedaled hard past the open window of the MgRonalds.
"Apparently, Maou is going through a breakup. A pretty bad one, too."
"MAOU IS GOING THROUGH A WHAAAAAAAAT?!"
"Oh, you're home early, Maou," Lucifer said, having brought the laptop from the closet.
The difference only a few hours without supervision had made was astounding. Urushihara was sitting at the table, surrounded by empty wrappers, bottles, and the like as he quickly tapped away at the keys of the computer. Maou simply threw himself down at the table, not saying so much as a 'Hello' as he stripped off his shirt and used it to cushion his head against the hard table.
"Ashiya has betrayed me," Maou muttered quietly, "Rika was raped and Emi doesn't seem to have any sort of feelings for me… but at least I have you, Urushihara."
"Of course you do, Maou," Urushihara said bluntly, not taking his eyes from the computer screen, "remember our deal?"
"I don't suppose you'd be willing to get a job and help me pay the bills, would you," Maou asked, sitting up slightly and setting his head in his hand.
"Wouldn't count on it," Urushihara said, taping away at the keyboard and glancing up at the screen quickly.
"Well then, that leaves you as the resident house husband," Maou laughed dryly, "you'll need to cook, clean and take care of the place while I'm at work."
Maou waited for a reply, but none came. Urushihara simply sat there, typing faster than Maou thought possible. After a moment, Urushihara sighed and turned to face Maou, massaging the bridge of his nose as he did.
"Maou, Ashiya will be back, and the Hero… well, she's the Hero," Lucifer said, a small smile tugging at the corners of his lips.
Maou stared at his sole comrade and last remaining Demon General with a rather blank expression. He waited for Lucifer to continue while Lucifer in turn waited for Maou to say something. The silence between them became unbearable for a moment before Urushihara slapped a hand to his forehead.
"This is going nowhere fast," Urushihara said, "I was gonna sell you some crap about love taking time to mature and how she would come around, but here's the truth… I received an angry text from Suzuno-"
"You don't have a phone," Maou interjected suddenly, very alert and on edge.
"I use the computer," Urushihara sighed before continuing, "anyway, Emi texted Suzuno, saying that you prohibited her from coming over here… I want that ban lifted. Sure, limit the Hero's free access, but Suzuno has been nothing but a friend since Sariel's failed attempt at Heaven's mission to reclaim the Holy Sword… let her visit every now and again."
Slowly, Maou's eyes became unfocused as Urushihara spoke. It was all so clear now, he only wanted to be able to see Suzuno because he was infatuated with her! It was only a matter of time before Urushihara left Maou as well, siding with the Church and their puppets rather than the Demon King, whom Lucifer had sworn to serve until their ideals no longer aligned… it seemed that time had finally come.
"Have I been a good king, Lucifer," Maou asked quietly in Centruvian, the most common language of Ente Isla, "or do you find my rule to be wanting?"
"Wha-no, Maou, what are you talking-"
"If you wish to take my life, you may," Maou continued, once more standing and turning to face the door, his arms folded as he tried to stand regally, "otherwise, I think you should find somewhere else to live."
"You're kicking me out," Urushihara said indignantly, still speaking in Japanese.
"You are free to choose: kill me and take up the rent, or leave now and abandon the Demon Army. Whatever the case, you will no longer be bound to me, and I'll finally have some measure of peace," Maou muttered, more to himself than Urushihara as the small, purple haired angel stood up and glowered at the Demon King.
Finally, Urushihara saw what was happening: the final link was being severed. Maou had been so tied up in his business of being Demon King and his life as a fast-food worker, he hadn't managed to really do anything, aside fall in love with the Hero, which did more harm than good. With Ashiya gone and Urushihara evicted, Maou would be alone.
"Your reign has been…."
Maou waited, still not looking at Lucifer as he handed down his verdict in Centruvian.
"Adequate… plus, I expect this will all blow over soon. Until then, I'll see about staying at Suzuno's," Lucifer said, once more reverting to Japanese.
With another large sigh, Urushihara packed a blanket, a pillow, and the laptop, wrapping it all into a bundle and gently punching Maou in the gut before stalking past him, out of the apartment and out of the Demon Army.
"Now that he's gone…"
Maou was at a complete loss. Ashiya and Urushihara were gone, he was completely alone, and for the first time in a while, he found himself directionless. In more ways than one, he found he really didn't have any plans for the future. Was he the Demon King? Was he just a MgRonalds employee? What was that yelling from next door?
"Oh, so first there's a full Church embargo in the Castle Overlord, now we're expected to cater to demon army rabble?!"
Suzuno was clearly not taking kindly to Urushihara's intrusion. But after a while, things settled back down, and the silence pressed upon Maou like a thick blanket. It was horribly stifling. Where was Ashiya to prepare supper and make sure Maou was ok after his shift at work? Even Urushihara's irritating presence had been better than the horrible stillness pervading the apartment. With a sigh, Maou laid down and tried to nap, but the day was still fresh and bright, and the sunbeams speared through the curtains and kept him lucid. Finally, he felt his gut squirm and he decided to get up and get himself something to eat.
When Maou looked at the clock, he saw that it was already about time for his lunch break, which was actually around dinner time due to his late shift. Opening the fridge, Maou sighed when he saw there were no leftovers. It seemed that if there was any food to be had, Urushihara had gone and eaten it.
'Now what am I gonna do,' Maou wondered as he began to peer through the cupboards, wondering where everything was and how he should go about making some simple riceballs.
Several hours passed as Emi put her nose to the grindstone, trying with all her might not to check the time, nor count the number of people she'd helped. Even with this stringent behavior, she found that time was still moving rather slowly.
"Phew…" Emi sighed, pulling her headset from her sore ears as she leaned back in her chair.
Not for the first time that day, Emi was once more lost in thought, wondering what Maou was doing. Emi had received a text shortly before her first break, stating that Maou had thrown Lucifer out of the Demon Castle and that he was now apparently cooped up in there alone.
Perhaps it is time that we cut our losses, seeing as the Devil no longer considers himself our allies, Suzuno had sent via text after explaining the situation.
Emi had quickly and subtly replied, making sure her boss could not see her on her phone as she warned Suzuno to stay her mallet, for the moment.
"Maou…."
Emi said the word without really meaning too… or perhaps she did. It was spoken as if she did not know what to make of the person. Did she like them? Were they enemies? Nothing was certain, and the more she thought about it, the more she knew she needed to get a head start on Maou. What if he had gone back to Ente Isla now that he was alone? Or what if he'd simply changed addresses? Emi couldn't put anything past the Demon King, and so she decided that after she'd finished at her place of work, she would go to see him in Room 202 of the Villa Rosa.
With a clear goal in mind, or maybe because she'd been thinking for so long, Emi found that time seemed to pick up the pace a little after that. In no time at all, she was changing into her normal clothes and saying farewell to her coworkers as she left for the nearest train station. It was almost an hour's walk to Maou apartment, but the train would only take a fraction of the time, and so she bought her ticket, boarded and got off at the Sasazuka station, making her way north as she fiddled with her phone, asking Suzuno for a status update.
No change, and the Devil had been silent for hours. Are you coming here for a joint assault?
What was it with that short, kimono wearing girl and staging militaristic assaults on young men in their tiny apartments?
No, I'm coming to discuss things with the Devil. Diplomacy is the key in situations like this, Emi replied.
From a distance, she could see the Villa Rosa, looking marvelously orange in the light of the sun, which was setting fast. Quickening her pace so as to beat the failing light, she made her way up the steps fairly fast without falling, and was quickly accosted by her next challenge.
Emi stared at the door to room 202 with a face caught between cringing and genuine curiosity. Taped to the door was a poorly worded manifesto of the Demon Army, along with a list of people and associations not allowed within the room. All of this was written in a script so poorly formed that it was hard to tell who'd made it: Maou, or a four year old with a laundry list of strange grudges.
Emi, to her surprise, found her name not only on the top of the list, but also slipped in several different times… in fact, she was mentioned at least six times, and the last two were one right after the other.
"Let's see… no one is… allowed in-inside… without stripping? No, without strict orders… from the Demon King… wow, I think that 'Demon King' is the most legible thing on the paper," Emi sighed, having been reading the manifesto aloud, or trying too, anyway.
"It's good to know he can write out his own title…"
Much to Emi's surprise, when she tested the door knob, she found it unlocked. With a gulp, she grit her teeth and pushed it open.
"Holy-" Emi began.
"SHIT!" Maou exclaimed, pounding a fist into his knee as he angrily tapped away at the keyboard of what appeared to be a brand new laptop, judging from the box and plastic wrappings laying all over the floor. There were also pizza boxes, fountain drink cups and several empty bottles of sake.
"Wha- Maou! What the hell are you doing?!"
"E-Emilia," Maou muttered, turning around, his eyes narrowing as he tried to peer at Emi, "Hero, what are you-hic-doing here?!"
"Maou-"
"GET OUT," Maou roared suddenly, trying to get to his feet, only to trip and fall into a pile of pizza boxes.
From his prone position, he glared up at Emi with watery eyes and angrily swiped a hand at her, as if he were trying to use magic. His eyes glowed like flaming coals, but beyond that, there was little more than a gust of wind, and it tugged Emi's dress higher up her legs than a normal breeze would have. She quickly seized the hem and pulled it down, looking scandalized as she expected Maou to drunkenly glower at her. Instead, she was surprised to find he was staring quite intently at the ground as she straightened her garments.
"Maou, what is going on," Emi asked, kneeling beside Maou and trying to pull him up from the pile of greasy, cheesy cardboard.
"Get off me, Hero," Maou muttered as he rolled off the pile and carefully stood, clearly very intoxicated, "can't you read the door? I swear I put your name on the list of people I don't want coming in here!"
"Both before and after 'all employees of Sentucky Fried Chicken and their affiliates,'" Emi said sourly as she brushed off her dress and stood up to face Maou.
"And can't you read, or are you just here to laugh," Maou sneered, crossing his arms as he leaned heavily on one leg.
"I'm here because I'm the Hero," Emi said coolly, "and as your arch nemesis, it's my job to antagonize you."
"You red headed phone jockey," Maou slurred.
"Demon King of the Double Cheeseburger," Emi retaliated quickly.
"That is it," Maou snarled through gritted teeth, "leave, Hero! Get out and never return."
Emi picked up a bottle of sake and marveled at the label. From what she knew, the brand Maou had bought was rather pricey. She took several large gulps, letting it slide past her gullet as she slowly stalked up to Maou, kicking cardboard pizza boxes and fountain drink cups out of her way.
They were face to face when Emi thrust the bottle into Maou's hands and pushed her face into his.
"Make me," she whispered threateningly, feeling the sake kick in as lightning flashing across her back and into her extremities.
"With pleasure," Maou growled, gripping Emi by the arms, fully intent upon throwing her bodily out of the apartment.
With a surge, Emi activated her celestial force, as she had downed not one, but two bottles of Holy Vitamin Beta back to back on the way there. Emerada had warned against it fervently, but Emi felt that the situation was dire. Even in his drunk state, the Devil would have some trick up his sleeve.
What Emi didn't expect was for the bitter glow in Maou's eyes to flicker and fade, his demon magic draining away in the face of Emi's celestial force, which was now so potent it made her sweat just standing there, shivering as she was. Maou's face went slack, and releasing his grip on Emi, he quickly lunged for the little balcony, throwing up out over the edge and into the street, which was thankfully empty.
It seemed that Maou was low on power, and the sickening effects of overwhelming Celestial force had compelled Maou's stomach to purge itself.
"Whoops," Emi said with a small laugh, still shaking, both from her overdose on Holy Vitamin Beta and from Maou's intense contact.
"Aaaugh… Emi, why don't you just… BLURGH!"
Maou was sick again before turning around to face her, carelessly wiping his mouth on the back of his hand.
"LEAVE! Never come here again, you stupid, red-headed-"
Once more, Maou was sick over the edge of the balcony, the world spinning as his top half was draped over the railing like a towel.
"I'm not going anywhere," Emi decided on the spot, "you'll just end up dying from alcohol poisoning… guess I have to repay the favor…"
"No… I want you out… I'm gonna start a new demon army right here, and we're gonna play pinball on the computer and drink sake and eat pizza!"
Sure enough, Maou had indeed been playing pinball on the computer, as he had tried and failed to connect the computer to the internet. Minesweeper had been fun as well, but the goal of the game left Maou perplexed.
"So… this Demon Army, it's currently just you?"
"Yeah," Maou retorted hotly, "why, are ya scared? You should be!"
"I want to join up," Emi said, "c'mon Maou, make me a Demon General!"
"Wha-no, never!"
It seemed Maou's stomach was empty, and so as to remedy that he found the nearest bottle of sake and threw himself down in front of the computer, ignoring Emi as she stood there.
"Why not?! I'm as qualified as any of those other morons," Emi loudly, "I'm strong, hardworking, and I like beating things up."
At the mention of 'those other morons' Maou grimaced and brought the bottle to his lips, drinking heavily before he choked a little. He coughed and thumped his chest, fully intent upon ignoring Emi until she left. His efforts would be in vain, however, for she came around Maou and forced the laptop shut, looking Maou dead in the eyes as she spoke to him.
"If you don't make me a demon general, I'll just overthrow you, and I'll be the Demon Queen! That way, your army won't be a threat! How does that sound, Demon King," Emi posed angrily.
Much to her surprise, she found Maou smiling vaguely, his mind working quite fast. Was Emi proposing to him? She wanted to be a Demon Queen? Maou couldn't help but giggle a little, and he booped Emi on the nose, earning himself a scowl from the red haired woman.
"But… we'd have to be… married," Maou reasoned, laughing at the notion, though not because he found the situation conventionally funny.
"But Mao-D-Demon King," Emi stammered suddenly, whipping her hand away from Maou's as he made to hold it.
"If you wanna be a Demon Queen, those are the rules," Maou shrugged, turning away from Emi with a smirk, leaving her to fume as the Celestial Force took full effect and radiated in great waves of power holy magic.
"I just wanted to be a Demon General," Emi groaned sadly, swiping the bottle of sake from the table where Maou had put it, and taking another hard gulp.
"Position's been filled," Maou slurred, "this laptop is my first Demon General… it will-hic-replace Ashiya as my foremost strategical-hic-advisor."
"The computer… is your Demon General," Emi asked, leaning over Maou's shoulder to watch him lose a game of pinball quite fantastically.
"Yep. Think about it, with you as my Queen, and this computer, we could rule Ente Isla," Maou said, blushing as he felt Emi's heat as she rested her chin upon his shoulder.
"So what about the other Generals," Emi asked.
"Second is the pizza delivery man," Maou admitted, "and the third is the guy from the liquor store."
"The pizza man and the liquor store clerk are our Demon Generals?!"
"Our Demon Generals," Maou asked quizzically, turning himself to face Emi, their noses touching as they spoke to each other, "Emilia, darling, you won't have to concern yourself with my Generals… though I do like how you referred to us as a thing… pass the sake, would you, honey?"
"All out," Emi admitted, showing Maou the bottle that had been nearly full before Emi had arrived.
"You see? That's where the third Demon General comes in handy!"
Hey all, here's another chapter in the long running series : The Devil and the Hero. This chapter was filled with... filler, fluffy filler, as Maou and Emi try to work out their feelings. That said, I feel compelled to write a little something about Mental Health Awareness. The therapeutic offices mentioned in the story are real, and the address is legitimate, as far as google is concerned. Maou and Emi are supernatural beings, and they have advantages over that which we mortals have. If your or someone you love is feeling down and out, make sure you stick with them, you never know how much sway you have over them. I know that I myself have issues, and my closest friends are all that keep me here. I hope that each and every one of you reading this has someone like that in your lives, and if you don't, just know that I'm here for you, along with your local mental health professional... something else I'd like to share, from personal experience, is that you shouldn't feel bad about putting yourself first. People rely on you, they love you and they want to see you succeed. If you feel conflicted, just know that in order to help others, you must first help yourself, so don't feel bad, feel glad when you do things that make you feel good. Take that vacation, buy that bottle of whiskey, eat that cake by yourself! You do you, everyone else is only out for themselves!
Now then, you guys don't come here to get preached too by someone you don't know, you come here to read about the Devil and the Hero! Sorry it took so long to post, I've been extremely busy with finding another job, but now that I have some free time I'll try to finish some projects of mine. Anyway, as I previously explained, this cghap[ter is essentially filler, wherein we see the Devil reach our lowest point... Quoting a certain airbending Avatar, 'When we hit our lowest point, we are open to the greatest change.' Ladies and gentlemen, this may be the beginning of the end.
MUSIC!
Saturnz Barz-Gorillaz ft. Popcaan
Not really intertwined with the story, but incredibly catchy...
Let Me Out- Hidden Citizens-ft Ranya
Same as above, but gives me ideas for other projects...
Coldhearted-Bryce Fox
Back 2 U- Steve Aoki (Unlike Pluto Remix)
LISTEN TO THIS MY DUDES!