Several hours of silence had passed since Emilia had arrived at the Devil's Castle. Suzuno and Urushihara had been listening quite carefully, in case they should need to intervene, but aside from a few strange thumps and some unintelligible babbling, very little could be made out, which was surprising, given how thin the walls were.
Another odd happening was how many people seemed to be coming and going from the porch of the upper Villa Rosa apartments. Even more strangely, they were all headed to Maou's room. The thought of Emilia being locked in that small apartment with the Devil set Suzuno on edge, but not because she was worried for Emi's safety, per se.
After the Asmodeus incident, Emilia had become rather distant from Suzuno, which had worried her to no end. Emi was a strong young woman, sure, but she was also human: she had succumbed to her emotions more than once, and with Rika's ordeal at the hands of that demon, Emilia was sure to be feeling some measure of guilt.
'Not to mention the way she and Sadao have been growing closer,' Suzuno thought suspiciously.
"Your move, there, sweetheart," said a rather unhappy voice from across her table.
It was, of course, Urushihara, and the two of them were sitting across from each other at Suzuno's rather cramped table. Her apartment was the same size as Maou's, but seeing as she was able to afford actual furniture, the entire space had a much more cluttered appearance.
Suzuno noticed that she was holding some cards, doing her damnedest to best the Fallen Angel in a battle of colors, numbers, and suits in a game he had called poker. It had made her more and more furious every time Lucifer won, and now he was calling her 'sweetheart'?!
For a moment, Suzuno's face was red, but before she could even manage to raise a bluster, her aquamarine eyes fell upon Urushihara's expression, and she silenced her disquiet. In truth, Urushihara wasn't even looking at Suzuno, nor did he really look all that interested in their game. He was staring absent-mindedly at the wall adjoined to Maou's apartment, his face rather blank, but touched with a hint of sourness as he handily whooped Suzuno in every game of poker they played.
"I'll call," Suzuno sighed, "and don't call me sweetheart."
"You got it, babe."
"Ugh," Suzuno groaned, disgusted by both the Fallen Angel's snark and her eighth subsequent loss in a row.
Meanwhile, the stars had begun to show in the sky, just barely visible in that part of Tokyo, and up on the roof of the Villa Rosa Sasazuka, the Demon King and the Hero were happily watching them, laying down with a pizza box between them, still fairly dizzy and thickheaded as they watched the night sky.
"So, what's that one," Maou asked, pointing to a star that seemed to be slowly moving across the sky.
"That's a jet," Emi laughed.
Maou had been excitedly pointing out shooting stars in an attempt to find one that they could wish upon, but Emi's overwhelming Celestial Force had proved quite catastrophic to that plan, as she could sense the heavenly bodies, and determine whether they were genuine, or simply airplanes.
"Damn it," Maou laughed, "I'll just have to keep trying, I guess."
"Hey Maou," Emi asked thickly, her mouth full of pizza, "what would you wish for if you had one wish, and could get anything you wanted."
'You,' Maou's inner self said simply, ignoring everything that was wrong in both worlds simultaneously.
"Dunno," he said out loud, his chest hot as he felt the alcohol burn through him, "maybe unlimited magic power."
"Selfish, as usual." Emi chided jokingly.
"Well, look at all I've been able to do with the little magic I've gotten in this world," Maou said quickly, "I've banished Noble Demons, and Archangels, both Loyal and Fallen, I've fixed skyscrapers, repaired millions of yen in damages… and I once saved a bunch of humans from a swarm of angry crocodiles. Not to mention all the stuff I managed to help you with… so yeah, unlimited magic would be awesome."
"Ewww, why are you always so thoughtful and caring now," Emi said, rolling away from the Demon King, "if that's the way you plan on ruling when I'm the Demon Queen, you might as well have someone draw up the divorce papers."
"Now sweetie, l think you're just being a little unreasonable," Maou mumbled, his voice shaking with mirth, "remember, the Demon Marriage Counselor said you have to be supportive of my ideas."
Emi laughed, as did Maou. It was a hearty, hefty laugh that left the both of them in tears as they fought for air. Emi finished laughing first, the thought of her long and painful ordeals at the hands of the church fresh in her mind while Maou, the Demon King, allowed himself the time to laugh it out. He let his mirth grow and fester like a disease as he struggled to draw breath.
"Maou, are you alright? Maou?"
His laughter turned into a violent cough, thanks to his lack of proper hydration. He coughed violently into his hand, feeling a sick cacophony of vomit and phlegm fall into his hand. He looked at his hand, and to his surprise he found blood on his palm.
As a demon, Maou's ability to heal was extraordinary, and when he'd had his full power, he was nigh immortal, and unstoppable. Now, drained of his magic with only his natural human body, he found that the alcohol's effects were more potent that ever… sadly, this also included the negative effects.
"Maou, did you just cough up blood," Emi asked sharply, gripping his wrist so he couldn't hide the proof from her.
"Only a little," Maou giggled, "hurt like hell, but I'll be fine."
"Maou, you're obviously not ok," Emi said as Maou's coughing fit redoubled upon itself, becoming worse and worse by the moment.
"Awww, you're so cute when you're worrying about my health," Maou jeered, expecting Emi to glare at him, or to simply roll her eyes and detach, as she usually did whenever Maou insulted her. It was sort of their thing, so imagine his surprise when instead, Emi flicked him on the ear and gazed headlong into his glazed crimson eyes.
"Ow! What the hell Emi?! Didn't we just go over this with the alarm clock thing?!"
"Idiot," she said loudly, "I'm always worrying about your health! And it isn't just me, but Ashiya. Urushihara, Chiho, even Suzuno! They are all worried about you! All the time! It was different when you weren't coughing up blood, but you must be completely drained of magic power, so there's no chance you can heal yourself!"
"I don't need healing," Maou said thickly, grabbing his phone from his pocket and opening it, "I just need more pizza and… booze. Shit."
As he tried to key in the number for the liquor store, which was closed anyway, he fumbled and dropped his phone. He watched sadly as the old flip phone slid down the roof and fell. A part of him hoped it might land on the balcony, but instead a long second passed before the sound of plastic on concrete broke the silence.
"Ok, not only are you cut off from drinking, I'm healing you," Emi said abruptly, pinning Maou down to the roof and straddling him, her hair tickling his nose as she leaned over him, smiling gleefully.
"Not a good idea," Maou slurred, "remember, I'm a demon, Celestial Force will make things worse."
"Well, you have no magic left, and I have too much, so even if you get sick, or get super intoxicated, the fact remains you should stop coughing up blood."
"Ahehehe, I don't think there's gonna be any blood to cough up," Maou laughed as Emi gripped his wrists and sent waves of healing magic into his body through their contact.
"Now what are you talking about," Emi asked, looking into Maou's eyes, her brow furrowed as she concentrated with all her might.
"Well, all the blood seems to have been redirected to… other areas," Maou sighed, resigning to his fate as he let his head hit the roof with a soft bump.
"I was so hoping that was just my imagination," Emi said, acutely aware of the Demon King's subconscious reaction to Emi straddling him, "how are you still managing to get one… I thought alcohol sort of…stunted that kind of thing?"
"It does," Maou chuckled, closing his eyes and focusing with all his might as he thought of anything except Emi, and her incredibly close proximity to him.
"So, I suppose I should be flattered I can still get that kind of a response from you when you're piss drunk," Emi said, the thought making her laugh nervously.
"Ahahahaaa, it seems the Demon King's still got it," Maou said satisfactorily.
"Well, don't get too frisky," Emi said, "cause I'm all done healing you!"
"Thanks Emi, I appreciate it. Really."
"Oh, trust me, I can feel exactly how much you appreciate it."
It took Emi an unprecedented half hour to remove the immobilized Maou from the rooftop and back down into the apartment, by which time he was so tired, she decided to just lay down with him, and Maou was so drunk he mistook Emi for a pillow and pulled her as close to him as possible.
Emi didn't object to it though, and the longer they lay together, the more Emi felt a warm, comfortable feeling flow through her. It was like the burn of the sake she and Maou had drank earlier, but it was more pure and wholesome, and it made her smile to herself as she slowly drifted off to sleep, Maou snoring lightly behind her.
Chiho Sasaki sat up from her bed, her head pounding as she fought to go to sleep. She'd slowed her breathing multiple times, counted sheep, and done pretty much anything under the moon to try and get some rest, which was much deserved after her exhausting workday. She couldn't fall asleep though, no matter how hard she tried, as the thought of Kisaki's words had kept her awake.
"Apparently, Maou is going through a break up. A pretty bad one, too."
However, whichever way Chiho looked at it, that didn't make sense. Maou had deliberately pulled away from any and all romantic opportunities because of his title, and his demonic origins, so why would he lie to Ms. Kisaki?
Then again, there was always the off chance that he wasn't lying.
That was the final nail in the coffin for Chiho Sasaki's attempt at sleep. It was also the kick in the pants she needed to spurn her out of her comfort zone, and her life as a responsible student athlete. Chiho was never the kind of girl to come home late, and when she did, it was only by a few minutes. Her parents knew she was an outstanding young woman, and they trusted her to make the right choices, which meant drinking, drugs, and other such indiscretions posed no threat to her willpower.
Now, however, things were about to change as Chiho got dressed and looked at the clock, noting the lateness and the indecency of her actions.
"11:29 p.m., huh," Chiho asked the clock mockingly, "I suppose it's gonna be a long day tomorrow."
She dressed in long sleeves and pants, scribbled a note and left it on her bed in case of an emergency, and then she quietly tiptoed out of her room, down the hall, and out the front door, quietly locking it behind her as she made her way to her destination: the Villa Rosa Sasazuka.
'I can't believe I snuck out of the house so late,' Chiho thought, so consumed by her actions that she didn't even register the dark outline of her destination in the distance, 'if I can't get back without being noticed, mom and dad are gonna…'
Actually, now that she thought about it, they may very well not do much of anything. After all, Chiho was an 'A' student, and on one occasion, she'd actually gotten as 'S', though that was in physical education, when they'd been practicing archery.
Even if Chiho were grounded, even if her parents felt the need to take her phone away and forbid her from being around Maou and the other Ente Islans, Chiho would be comforted by the fact that she'd done the right thing in looking out for her friends, for that was what her late night visit was about. Sure, she was curious as to Maou's predicament, but first and foremost, she was concerned for the wellbeing of her friends, and that thought was what gave her strength when she paused before Maou's door with her hand raised, ready to knock once her nerves had calmed a bit.
"There's no need to knock," a quiet voice said from behind Chiho.
She whipped around, only to find someone tall, blonde and thin standing right behind her.
It was Ashiya, or at least, it looked a lot like him. He looked strangely bored, or perhaps disinterested as he held up the house key for Chiho to see.
"You scared me," Chiho said, holding her chest as she tried to slow her racing heart, the beat of which had skyrocketed with her fright.
"Apologies," Ashiya said rather carelessly, not looking all that apologetic, "I only came for a change of clothes myself."
"A change of clothes… did you move out or something?"
"Wait a moment," Ashiya said, his eyes alight, "you mean, you don't know, no one told you?"
"Told me what?"
"Come inside and have a seat," Ashiya murmured, turning away and fiddling with the lock so as to hide his pain from Chiho, "I'll make some tea and catch you up. I'm sure my lord would've done so but he's been… preoccupied."
Ashiya's face fell as he saw Emilia and Satan Jacob in their humans forms, curled up under the covers as they slept peacefully.
Chiho made to enter the room, and Ashiya stepped aside, busying himself with the teapot. Chiho couldn't see through the darkness quite as well as Ashiya, but it didn't take her long to figure out the situation, and when she did, a lead ball seemed to have fallen into her gut.
"So, Maou and Emi are-"
"Sleeping," Ashiya reminded Chiho, whose voice was rather high pitched and wavering with every word, "and no, Chiho, they are simply sharing a bed. Nothing else had happened. I can sense as much."
Chiho was tempted to walk over and give the both of them a good kick to wake them up before violently shaking them both and demanding an explanation. She drowned out this sudden urge, however, in the face of Ashiya's grim attitude.
A cold hand suddenly gripped her heart as Ashiya thrust a hot cup of tea into her hand and gave her a meaningful stare, gesturing for her to take a seat at the table. Why was Ashiya so tired and contrite looking? Why was he so grim? What sort of circumstances would lead to the Devil and the Hero, mortal enemies both, to share their body heat in such an intimate way?
"Did…. Did someone die, Ashiya," Chiho asked in an undertone, tears filling her eyes as she wondered what was going on. Was it Urushihara, or Suzuno? What had happened, and to whom?
"No, no one has died," Ashiya said, looking as if he wished it were only that simple, "everyone survived the Bernael incident. No word was received from Raphael either…. No, there was another incident, seemingly independent from the first."
"Another Archangel," Chiho asked, the strangeness of the word making her extremely aware of her tongue for some reason.
"No. This time it was a demon. In truth, it was a contender for the Demon King's throne in centuries passed," Ashiya said, taking a long swig of his boiling hot tea and showing no sign of intolerance to it.
"So it was one of Maou's competitors," Chiho said wondrously, looking over at the shape of Maou and ignoring Emi's form next to him.
"Precisely," Ashiya said in hushed tones, "and Asmodeus, this other Demon King, used one of Emilia's friends to get to Emi, and thereby get to Maou."
"One of Emi's friends?"
"Rika Suzuki."
"R-Rika," Chiho asked quietly, the bright, friendly face of her acquaintance flashing behind her eyes.
"Yes. Apparently, he'd been feeding off of Rika's sexual energy in order to grow strong and defeat Maou."
Chiho furrowed her brow at Ashiya, and for a moment, she thought about telling him off for speaking so bluntly, but then she thought about how they were both sitting down and enjoying tea as they discussed current events, and she also noticed how Ashiya's words made him feel no embarrassment. Perhaps there was a mutual respect there that Chiho had missed. She was certainly old enough to be spoken to about such topics, regardless of their indecency.
"Why tell me all this," Chiho asked.
"I don't do it to cause offence," Ashiya said, "but it is imperative information, and ties in with what I'm about to say. Besides, you humans are told of reproduction from quite a young age, and you have always been a very mature young lady. You being here, looking out for your friend, is only further proof of that. I suppose you could say the two of us are of a kind. We are the ones whom people take for granted, we provide care and support, and anything else our loved ones may need. And albeit what anyone may say or do, we will always be there for the ones we cherish."
After a moment, the real reason Ashiya had come to the Villa Rosa became apparent. He was there to check up on Maou, and make sure that he was ok, because regardless of the occurrences between them, there was too much history there to ever permanently separate them.
"Yeah," Chiho agreed, feeling a strange sense of attachment to Ashiya, "you're right."
"Anyway, to continue my explanation, Asmodeus was defeated, barely, and Rika was severely traumatized after his death. He had made her into a Thrall, and so when he was finally dispatched, Rika lost much of her strength. That is also around the time she revealed to us that she had been abused by him in an inappropriate manner."
"In an inappropriate… wait, you don't mean he…."
Chiho let the question hang, and instead of answering verbally, Ashiya simply nodded, looking at the table as his eyes became bright with tears.
"Oh my god," Chiho said, hanging her head as she herself tried not to shed tears.
"Rika is still alive," Ashiya said, wiping his eyes upon his sleeve and quietly clearing his throat, "but her mind is in shambles, and her body is not even strong enough to stand. She will be institutionalized until I have managed to sufficiently heal her body, and even then, she had resolved to deal with the demons of her mind on her own.
"I never knew she was so brave," Chiho said.
"Bravery had nothing to do with it," Ashiya responded, "Rika is acting out of self-preservation. She is far stronger than most people give her credit for, but she will not have an easy recovery."
"I'm sorry," Chiho said, "I didn't mean to make you upset… and I know it doesn't really change anything but… I hope she gets better soon."
"I apologize," Ashiya said, "I didn't mean to dismiss your kindness. You're words are appreciated, and I'm sure Rika would love to have you visit. My lord took the time to visit her, but it turns out he was there on the Hero's orders. Apparently, they believe stripping her of her memories is a good idea."
"No way, she can't just forget all that, you didn't let them-"
"No, I didn't," Ashiya said darkly, "I stood my ground, and told him that I would defend Rika first and foremost. I didn't expect consequences of this magnitude, however."
He glanced around the apartment, noting the empty pizza boxes, sake bottles and other miscellaneous garbage. He sighed and shook his head before smiling at Chiho.
"It seems he has even evicted that worthless Fall Angel as well," Ashiya said with a small laugh, "I sense him over in Bell's room."
"Wow… I didn't know Maou was so torn up about all this," Chiho said, finally understanding the real reason he'd been upset at work.
"In truth, I think he blames himself for this entire ordeal," Ashiya sighed, looking over at the slumbering form of his King in a knowing fashion, "but instead of acknowledging that, he simply decides to be angry with me for standing up to him. I think he feels responsible for Rika's condition as well, as I guess he and Emi had a run in with her prior to their date."
"Wait, Rika set up the date?"
"Yes, of course, she came up with the idea, and provided them service, free of charge," Ashiya explained.
"So it was a trap," Chiho asked.
"It would appear that way," Ashiya said, "though there is no way to be sure. Rika refuses to speak of her time with Asmodeus, and I am more than willing to spare her that pain for a time when she is willing to speak of it."
Chiho smiled, and Ashiya raised as eyebrow at her, watching as she swirled her tea.
"What's so amusing?"
"Oh, nothing," Chiho said, "it's just that you're so kind and caring, Rika is lucky to have you around. Maou is lucky too."
"I appreciate the compliment," Ashiya said, smiling as well; Chiho noting how genuinely pleased he looked.
Chiho raised her glass and held it out to Ashiya, who raised his own without question.
"Here's to you," she said quietly, "and all you've done for your friends."
"And here's to you as well," Ashiya added politely, "for being the glue that holds this little dysfunctional family together."
Chiho gasped at Ashiya's overly kind words before smiling and taking a sip of her tea, which was now cool enough to drink without burning her tongue.
They sat together in a comfortable silence, listening to the slow, steady breathing of Maou and Emi.
'It seems Ashiya was right,' Chiho thought to herself, 'the both of us are more alike than I'd ever thought. Providing support and care wherever it's needed.'
"You know what, Ashiya, I can watch over these two for a few hours while you go and make sure Rika's ok. She'll need you now more than ever," Chiho offered.
"That's very kind of you," Ashiya said, "but will you be alright here?"
"I may not be from Ente Isla, but I'll be fine. Trust me."
"I do… farewell then, Chiho, and thank you."
Ashiya grabbed a small bag of clothes before standing and bowing to the high schooler. With a final supportive smile at Chiho, Ashiya finally left, leaving the young human woman alone with two drunken, slumbering beings from another world.
"Now then," Chiho said, looking out over the mess that was the Devil's Castle, "let's see what we can do about all this clutter."
When Maou awoke in the morning, he found himself frightfully lucid, as if the alcohol in his system had faded away from his intense healing from Emi the night before. In truth, his head was so clear, that right after noticing how he and Emi were sleeping together, again, he noticed that someone had been in his apartment. All the garbage from yesterday was cleared away, and upon the table sat his brand new laptop, complete with all the miscellaneous garbage contained in the original package for it, and a note, signed in large, swooping figures, by Chiho.
Maou's first instinct was that Chiho had seen his compromising position with Emilia and had written a note about never wanting to see him again, but to his astonishment, the note said that she had cleaned the apartment and even used a little of her own money for some basic groceries.
Sorry I showed up so late with no prior notice, but I was worried about you because of your behavior at work. Ashiya explained everything, and had I known so much had happened since I'd last come over, I would've offered to help in any way I can. Seeing as your ordeals have already passed, I've done what I could to ensure you don't have much of a mess. The packaging and receipt for your laptop was gathered and brought to the table so that you can repackage and return it if need be. I've picked up all the garbage and prepared breakfast for both you and Emi. I've also set up a meeting time for you, Maou, with your Generals, Alciel and Lucifer. They will be waiting for you after work, along with everyone else from Ente Isla. Anyway, I'm tired and I've done all I can, so I'll see you the both of you after you get off work!
PS, I noticed you were out of food so I got some necessities. Keep better stock from now on!
Chiho
Thanks to his strangely clear head, Maou felt a unique sense of guilt and shame from Chiho's note and her inconvenience. How could he have been so stupid to simply forget to tell her about all that had occurred?
With a sigh, Maou made to lift the teapot from the stove, only to find that fluids were sloshing around within. Taking off the lid, he found several green tea bags, and sitting in a lump at the bottom was a ginger root.
Separately, green tea and ginger tea could fight headaches and nausea respectively, but together, they would make one hell of a hangover cure. Maou lit the burner beneath the tea and then turned to look at Emi, who had curled up into the fetal position and stolen most of the blankets now that Maou had vacated his post next to her.
Maou's stomach turned as he thought about how much his relationship with the Hero had grown and warped over the past couple years, for that is how long the both of them had been in Tokyo. Miraculously, after all that time spent together, after all the fights and bloodshed and tears, Maou and Emi were both still alive.
"Emi," Maou breathed, as if she were someone he'd just met and he wanted to know more about her. There was a whole other side to the red headed hero, and Maou was determined to learn more about it. What was Emi's favorite color? What did she like to do for fun? So much and more pervaded Maou's consciousness that he couldn't help but smile to himself.
In a certain sense, he had grown out of his obsessive need for her, and he'd found himself hopelessly in love with her. He had to lose his old self to do it, but he was the Devil, so he managed to pull it off and bounce back.
"Maou," Emi said quietly, her eyebrows knitting together as she curled her body into a ball. Tears began to leak from her eyes as she slowly began to cry.
"Maou," Emi cried quietly, her nightmares once more holding her hostage.
The very same person Emi had spoken of leaned over her carefully and held out a hand. It must've been Alciel who'd transferred the demonic magic power to him, nevertheless, Maou was grateful. He closed his eyes and tried to block out the sounds of Emi's whimpering as he forced himself through her skull and into her nightmares, determined to root out the cause of Emi's problems.
"Emilia the Hero."
It was a title she'd grown accustomed to in Ente Isla, but it made her feel rather awkward as of late, and the dark voice that spoke it now sent a bolt of nervous lightning down her spine. She was standing in the Edo Tokyo Museum, which was once more in shambles, and before her stood everyone she cared for, along with a few people whose company she could've done without.
Suzuno, Chiho, Ashiya, and Urushihara were there, all of them with black eyes. Rika and Asmodeus were also there, the both of them with unsettling maroon gazes, and finally there was Maou, who looked just like he had in Ente Isla, and Bernael and Beliel, who also had black eyes.
It was strange, seeing so many people from her past and present before her, and something about it made her incredibly sad, but before she had the time to be sad, she found herself walking up to Maou, who glared at her with dislike as she came.
"Maou, it's me."
He didn't seem to understand. For a moment, Emi thought he might be a different Demon King, from a time before he and Emi had met, but the he gripped Emi by the throat and lifted her from the floor.
"M-Maou," Emi stammered, "why are you doing this?"
"Die, Emilia."
Maou threw Emi across the museum, but before she could hit the wall
BAM- Bernael had appeared, and sank a fistful of dark energy into Emi's stomach, pushing her back across the length of the museum as Emi coughed up blood.
Up next was Beliel, who slashed out at Emi violently, causing tremendous pain as Emi was launched in a different direction. They each took turns doing that: violently attacking Emi until she was bloodstained and filthy.
Suzuno had crushed every bone in Emi's body with her hammer, and now all that was left were the only two odd ones out. Asmodeus and Rika, both with maroon eyes instead of black, stood in wait as Emi was carried in their direction by the force of the last blow.
When Rika caught her by the neck and held her aloft with superhuman strength, it was all Emi could do to apologize over and over to her friend.
"I'm sorry, Rika," Emi pleaded, "I love you like a sister!"
"Hmph," Rika snarled, "we'll see about that."
Rika slammed Emi down onto the cold, hard floor, making Emi's body ache all over. Aside from the numbing solace of the ice cold floor, Emi found no comfort in her position. Slowly, delicately, Asmodeus began to strip himself of his waiters outfit, leaving nothing on. Everything below his waist was shrouded in darkness, but the nightmare didn't end there, no matter how badly Emi wanted to wake up.
"Just relax," Rika said soothingly, unbuttoning Emi's shirt and pants before tugging them off quite easily, "it hurts at first, but it gets better."
Months might have passed since the dream had begun, and Emi honestly couldn't tell. In fact, the only real way for Emi to gauge time was to look at Rika's belly, which seemed to slowly be swelling.
"Rika," Emi said tearfully, "no."
"Yes," Rika moaned, pinning Emi's arms in place as Asmodeus bent down, his lips curled into a seductive smirk as he inched himself closer to Emi, like a wolf bending down to partake of a kill.
"ENOUGH!"
Emi looked up, and he saw a strange sight before her. Spinning in the center of the museum was a column of black and crimson demon magic, and it felt so vivid and alive that Emi wasn't sure whether it was real or not.
"Maou," Emi called, recognizing the power, and the glowing scarlet orbs within the inferno.
"Get away from her, NOW!"
As if they were allergic to this new presence, everyone hissed at the pillar of demon magic, and withdrew into a single dark corner. There was silence for a moment before the tornado of power spiraled into nothingness, and from within it stepped a version of Maou that still looked human. He brought back memories of private conversations, shopping sprees, broken hands, bad dates, and an acutely fuzzy warmth, but Emi couldn't have been gladder to see him looking so normal.
"Maou!"
"Emi, get up, why are you still on the floor!?"
"What?"
Emi hadn't even noticed it, and the moment she grabbed Maou's outstretched hand, it was like she'd lifted the wool from her eyes. Her clouded judgement, which had allowed her to be thrown around so easily, was a façade. She the Hero, no Darkness could hold her!
"Not unless that Darkness was a part of you," whispered a voice that made Maou turn his head sharply.
"No way," Emi said, peering into the shadowy corner, into which her collective demons had faded.
"Way," her own voice responded.
From within the dark corner of the museum came the sound of high heels, click-clacking along the tile floor quite loudly in the oppressive silence. Striding along gracefully upon said high heels was a woman with long magenta hair, pitch black eyes, a cocky smile, and Emi's face.
"I was wondering when you might catch on," the black eyed Emi said, "I wasn't exactly inconspicuous, was I?"
"Who are you," Emi spat furiously, now given a target upon which to unleash an entire week's worth of dread.
"Emi, meet the darkness you've shunned your entire life," Maou said, "the source of every single one of your faults, inhibitions, and insecurities. This is your human side."
"Ah, ah, aaaahhhh," the evil Emi said, holding up a finger and wiggling it back and forth, "I am not just the humanity you abandoned, I am the angel you left behind to seek perfection."
"What," Emi and Maou said in unison.
"Well, how can I put this… I suppose I'll have to start at the beginning," Emi's shadow said, her black eyes never blinking, and never leaving her other self, "angels are strange, because we are given incredible powers and duties so that we may keep tabs on a wide variety of things. Some are angels of love, like Raphael, others are angels of evil, like Beliel, and others still are-excuse me- were- angels of light, like Lucifer."
"And your point is?"
"I'm getting to that," Emi hissed, "anyway, each angel has their own house of authority. They appear as guardians in the bible, but their original purpose, the real reason angels were created in the first place, is to be soldiers. Each and every one of us is born with this killing instinct. We were created with fair form, the strength and capacity to kill, and the task of ruling. I am the part of you that you left behind to become the Hero. I am the other side of the coin, in regards to you being Savior of the Human Race."
"So, what you're saying is-"
"I'm essentially an Angel of Homicide," the black eyed Emi said, "oh, and please, call me Emilia."
The more Emi looked at her counterpart, the more she found things that set them apart. Emi, for instance, rarely wore make up, and when she did, she only wore a little eyeliner, and on occasion, some lipstick.
The other Emi was wearing so much blush, eyeliner, eyeshadow, and such a dark shade of lipstick that it almost looked as though she'd painted on her face. Something else that underlined their differences was the fact that Emilia had Angelic wings that were as black as obsidian, and seemed to be made of stone or metal rather than feathers. The final major difference was in their taste in clothing. Emilia sported a black leather leotard and thigh high boots that left a few inches of pale skin showing seductively from her thighs.
"Are you the one causing all of Emi's nightmares," Maou asked, looking as though he was glad to have finally found the source, though she hadn't confirmed his suspicions.
"Obviously," Emilia scoffed, "what, did you think Bernael had lodged himself in here or something? That weakling opened a door that Emi had sealed shut for some time. I believe you both saw my handiwork…."
They had. Bernael, the fallen angel who had acquired centuries worth of power, had been thoroughly thrashed by Emilia, whose darkness, it seemed, was simply begging to come out. The memory of Bernael's broken and bruised face was enough to convince both Emi and Maou of her power, however, and so they both stood there, staring as her as she crossed her arms and grinned back at them.
"Chu," Emilia scoffed, her smile widening, "why are you both just standing there? C'mon, hit me with everything you've got!"
"Emi," Maou whispered in an undertone, "we need to be careful here."
"No shit, sherlock," Emi retorted quietly, "I suppose you can feel the power coming from her too, right?"
"Yeah," Maou said, "and if I had to guess, it's a nearly perfect fusion of Angelic and Demonic magics, though how it was managed is beyond me."
"You guys don't want to start things off," Emilia asked sadly, faking a downtrodden expression, "very well…"
Emilia lunged, faster than the eye could see, and in less than a second she had crossed the room, and struck both Maou and Emi across the face, sending them flying as she shook her hand to alleviate the pain in her knuckles.
"You people and your solid jawlines," she murmured, "is it so hard to eat a freakin' sandwich every now and again?!"
"Emi," Maou said, "take my hand."
She did as she was bidden, and with a grunt of effort, Maou threw Emi at Emilia, taking the angel aback as she blocked every attack Emi could throw.
"You've grown so strong," Emilia laughed brightly as she blocked every punch, kick, and swing of the Evolving Holy Sword, Better Half, "but you still don't have what it takes to defeat me!"
"Yes, I do!"
Emi slashed with the holy sword, and instead of pushing the blow aside, or dodging it, Emilia drew a sword of her own. It was just like Better Half, except it was a curious shade of violet, ranging from the black handle to the nearly pink tip of the blade. The only real difference was the lack of a shining purple jewel in Emilia's sword. When they clashed, the world about them seemed to shake and shiver, and their blades stuck together like magnets. Still, the contact barely lasted a moment, and their fight continued. Each time their blades met, they pried them apart with a series of wrenching pulls before swinging them at each other once more.
Maou pulled himself from the shadowy wall he'd been embedded in, coming out of his stupor to find slithering black tendrils sliding across his skin and enveloping him like horrid snakes. With a war cry, he charged forward and joined the fray, the tendrils snapping before his momentum.
"On your left," he hollered, causing both Emi and Emilia to look to their lefts. Emi, who was standing with her back to Maou, saw a glittering red sword in her peripheral vision and she ducked. Emilia, on the other hand, looked away from the blade, only to realize her mistake a moment too late.
Maou felt the blade hit something, and he smiled, sure that he had landed a blow.
"So, I suppose you guys are finished getting warmed up," asked a bored voice.
It was Emilia, who had raised her stony wings, and used them to catch the blade, holding it inches away from her skin as Maou pushed against her with all his might.
'If only I had my broom with me,' Maou thought to himself, thinking of how it helped him during his battle with Sariel.
"Looks like it's my turn again," Emilia smiled, using one wing to push the blade past her and get in close, while her other threatened to lop him in two.
"Oh, no you don't," Emi roared, coming up from behind Emilia, and releasing an explosion of Celestial Force from her body.
Her sword came alive with dancing, white hot flames as she raised the sword high, and then brought it down on the wing her evil self was using to attack Maou.
"HiiiYAAA!"
"AUUUUUURGH!"
"Aw, god dammit!"
The wing was sliced clean from Emilia's body, a strange, metallic ringing piercing the air as it fell. The wing hit the floor with a crash, and much to Maou's dismay, landed upon his foot, causing him to curse while Emilia shrieked in agony.
"AAAAAAGHAAAA!"
"What the hell are you screeching about," Maou bellowed hysterically, tears in his eyes as he tried to lift the wing off of his foot, "I think you just broke my foot, and all the toes on it!"
Emilia turned, lashing out wildly at Emi, who had retreated to a safe distance and was now trying to look past her counterpart to make sure Maou was ok.
"How you holdin' up, Maou," Emi called out, dodging around Emilia as the angel hybrid continued to attack her.
"I'm in incredible pain," Maou shouted, trying and failing to stand as the sound of Emilia's shrieks echoed all around them.
"Would you please just SHUT THE HELL UP," Maou asked angrily, glaring at Emilia.
"Oh, I know you are NOT talking to ME," Emi retaliated, blocking blow after blow with her holy sword as she tried to avoid getting backed into a corner.
"No, not you, the other you!"
"This is getting confusing!"
"ARRRGHHAAAAAAAAAAAH!"
"Shut up," Emi and Maou cried in unison.
From behind Emilia, Maou flew forward, a black shadow with glowing red eyes, his face twisted into a feral snarl as he cried out in agony. At the same time, Emi found an opening in her counterpart's delirious attack pattern, and she exploited it.
Two spurts of a curious violet ichor spouted from Emilia, her inane howling coming to an abrupt halt as two blades pierced her simultaneously. One was the sword of the Demon King, into which he'd poured as much magic as he could without compromising his mobility.
The other was the Evolving Holy Sword, Better Half, still burning with angelfire as the violet gem seemed to gleam in a satisfied sort of way.
On Emilia's flank was Maou, breathing heavily as he held his blade firm. At her twelve o' clock was Emi, who had taken a knee, and had safely ducked Maou's blade. As one, they pulled their swords free, and Emilia wobbled to and fro for a moment before falling to her knees.
"You can't kill me," she whimpered quietly, "I'm a part of you."
Maou took a knee as well, and he held a hand to his gut, gritting his teeth as he did so.
"Well, this sucks," he mumbled to himself, feeling blood pool in the back of his throat and drip from between his fingers.
Emi, much to her luck, had ducked beneath Maou's enormous demonic blade. Maou, on the other hand, wasn't quite so lucky, and had been stabbed by the holy sword, which Emi had been pushing to the limit in an attempt to defeat Emilia.
"Maou? Maou what- oh no," Emi said, feeling tears come to her eyes.
She marched over to where he was kneeling, and lay a hand on his shoulder, but quickly pulled it away when Maou groaned in pain.
"Oh, shit, Emi, this really hurts… aaaaaarrrgh," he panted, feeling the potent Celestial Magic creep through him like poison as he rocked back and forth, trying to keep calm as his vision blurred and his mind became unfocused.
A hand reached out and gripped Emi's ankle and she looked down to find her dark other-self looking up at her with a dignified, regal expression.
"Don't think you've won," Emilia breathed, "I'll still be right here."
She tapped her temple with her forefinger, and then with a soft smile, her body began to flake away into little pieces of golden light. They drifted away like whimsical fireflies, and the darkness that had once been the replicated Edo Tokyo Museum was now a place that was warm, sunny, and familiar, like a lazy summer dream.
"Maou," Emi asked, turning to look at the Devil, who was still hunched over in pain, "where… exactly… are we right now?"
"We're… we're currently in your head," Maou realized, "I came in here to save you from your nightmares!"
"And just who the hell gave you permission to come in," Emi growled, fixing Maou with an angry glare.
Much to Maou's surprise, he felt his injuries heal instantaneously, and all the pain he felt vanished like a thought, but that still left Emi's temper to contend with.
"Thanks for healing me, Emi! See? Is a simple 'thank you' that hard? I mean, I did just help you beat the sole cause of your nightmares," Maou reasoned, pretty pleased with himself.
"That doesn't change the fact that…"
Emi held the bridge of her nose before turning away from Maou.
"Thank you. Seriously, I'm glad that's over… sorry I stabbed you, by the way," Emi added lamely, blushing as she looked about the vague dream room they were in.
"I'd say it was worth it… not sure I'd do it again though."
"Come into my head without my express permission and it's bound to happen," Emi laughed.
"So…"
"So…"
Emi turned to look at Maou, but something fiery in her emerald gaze made Maou look away and rub the back of his head. He looked all around, but he found no doors, windows, nor anything, all that remained was a barren, shapeless room suffused with sourceless beams of sunlight, the smell of wildflowers, and rich, fertile soil.
"How do we get out of here," Maou asked curiously, "I assume it's something to do with you, seeing as you're calling all the shots now."
"I suppose I could just destroy your mind, now that I've got you trapped here," Emi suggested, a roguish smile pulling at her lips.
"You could, but you don't particularly sound like you want too."
"Hmm," Emi pretended to ponder the idea for a moment before shrugging, "nah, too much work."
"So that just leaves the question of getting out of here."
"About that," Emi said, looking around the room, which was slowly becoming suffused with details.
It almost looked as though someone had taken a scene from Emi's memory, and they were beautifully painting it on the walls. A little house was visible upon one wall, and even as they watched, the individual boards and bricks that made it were quickly etched out, colored and shaded. All around them, the countryside of Emi's childhood home came to life.
"I'm not sure I want to leave," Emi said, her eyes fixated upon the little house in the distance.
Maou felt a strange sense of connection with Emi, and for a moment, he knew exactly what he was seeing.
It was the same as Maou's long, blissful nights spent dreaming of Emi, except instead of pouring all of herself into one thing, she had an entire parcel of land to fill in, and it was becoming more and more real by the second. Stalks of wheat, ready for harvesting, waved in a gentle breeze as spears of light rained from the skies.
Maou stared in awe at Emi, marveling her face as she gawked at the world of her own making. Her face lit up with joy as every detail came to life, leaving the both of them standing in a perfect recreation of Ente Isla.
"Incredible," Maou whispered.
Maou had spent weeks pouring his obsession with the Hero into a doll. Each night, he had thought of her and done his best to capture her features, but something never seemed quite right, there was always something that could be improved upon… except for the real thing, of course.
And now, Emi had built an entire little world, seemingly from nothing, with no detail spared and no effort. She had manifested her heart's desire and, to Maou's surprise, she'd done it in a matter of moments. For all they could see, hear, taste, touch, and smell, they might as well have been in Ente Isla.
With a start, Maou realized that this was the difference between true love and a simple obsession. It was that sort of power that made all the difference, and for the first time, Maou wasn't thinking of Emi in a physical way, and he wasn't just marveling at her beauty, he appreciated her depth and complexity. He wanted to know everything about her, and to ask her about her faiths and beliefs, her fears and her doubts, all of it. He wanted to stay there, with her, and ask about each and every stalk of wheat, just so he could get to know it from her point of view.
"It's beautiful," Maou said, staring at Emi as he felt something in his chest clunk into place.
"It is," Emi breathed, her eyes watering as she took it all in.
"Is this your home?"
Maou went to stand at Emi's side, and they looked out over the peaceful land together.
"Yeah," Emi smiled, wiping at her eyes, "this is where I grew up."
"C'mon," Maou laughed, taking one of Emi's hands in his and wiping away Emi's tears, "show me around! I wanna see where you lived before you were the Hero!"
She laughed, and after a moment, she allowed Maou to lead her further into the peaceful wheat fields, headed for the small house Emi had once called home.
In the quiet peace of the Devil's Castle, Villa Rosa Sasazuka, Emi and Maou were both still cuddled together. Both of their physical bodies wore soft smiles as they dreamt of a beautiful world of wheat fields, and far from their thoughts lay their cell phones, both of which had been ringing for some time as their respective bosses and colleagues tried to get in touch with them. Their bodies were both covered in sheens of sweat, and the inside of the apartment had been sweltering for hours. The teapot, which Maou had turned on before going to check on Emi, was still burning, and the bottom was now blackened and had begun to glow an insidious cherry red color.
The tea had evaporated, and the moist teabags and the ginger root at the bottom of the teapot had begun to blacken and burn, sending up smoke and setting off the fire alarm as Emi and Maou began to cough in their sleep.
Urushihara and Suzuno, who had been arguing over their lunch about whether or not they should go and break down the door of the adjacent apartment, suddenly paused, the smell of something burning filling their nostrils as they heard the fire alarm go off.
"What the hell," Lucifer asked quietly, getting up and walking calmly out of the apartment and over to his old place of residence, where smoke could be seen coming from under the door.
"Urushihara, no, don't go in there, they could be fighting," Suzuno said, gripping his wrist and noting how easily he pulled her along, even though he was walking quite leisurely.
"If they are fighting, they need to be stopped before they destroy the building," the fallen angel reasoned, "and besides, I haven't heard any movement from over there in some time."
"Fine," Suzuno said, glaring at Urushihara with frustration, "then… then I'm calling the fire department!"
"Yeah, that's actually a pretty good idea."
"W-Well now that you're agreeing with me, I've begun to have second thoughts," Suzuno said angrily.
Urushihara sighed, holding out a hand and forming a blade of violet light.
"Ok, then, don't call the Fire Department."
"Now I'm going to!"
"Fine!"
"Fine!"
Suzuno stomped away, angrily pecking the buttons of her phone in an attempt to contact emergency services while Lucifer exhaled and shook his head. He gripped the door knob and found it was locked, and so with a grin he slashed between the door frame and the door itself, slicing the latch and the locking mechanisms.
"Oops," Lucifer chortled to himself, stepping inside the smoky apartment and waving a hand before him to help disperse the smoke. He glared around the room, but he saw no traces of a fire, though this was definitely where all the smoke was coming from. On the floor, he saw a large lump beneath a pile of all the blankets currently owned by the Devil. Crouching down and covering his nose and mouth with his shirt, Urushihara crept forward and began to pull the blankets off of the lump.
"C'mon, Maou," Urushihara called to the lump, "rise and shine, there's a fire or something, and you- holy shit."
Beneath the blankets, wrapped together in a loving embrace were Emi and Maou, both of them sleeping without a care in the world. Lucifer jumped upon hearing a loud noise, and with a disgruntled look, he pulled Maou's ringing phone out of his pocket, looking at the caller I.D., which read Kisaki, Mayumi.
"Maou's boss," Urushihara asked, pocketing the cell phone without answering it and preparing to haul Maou and Emi out of the apartment, "did Maou have to work today? Or is he just that attractive to violent, angry women with drinking problems?"
"Ashiya?"
"Chiho? What's the matter?"
Rika's phone had rang, and after a few short words, Rika had passed the phone over to Ashiya. She turned back to her tray of rather unsavory hospital food, wishing she were back at home. It was hard to see for Ashiya, who'd spent every moment he could at Rika's side, but she was actually getting much better. She no longer looked disturbingly frail or weak, thanks to the physical therapy sessions she's been attending, and much of the food she was eating was proven to combat malnourishment, and help victims of anorexia and other disorders gain weight.
'I'd kill for Big MgCombo right now,' she thought sadly as she ate another cup of strangely flavored jello.
"We've been trying to get a hold of Maou, he didn't show up to work today! A no call/no show is really bad, Ashiya! Three strikes and you're out! And I think Ms. Kisaki is counting this as number two because of his absence yesterday," Chiho said hurriedly, using her own break time to try and figure out what was going on.
"He didn't show up for… I'll see about making a run over to Castle Overlord, Chiho, and I'll text you when I know what's going on… er, actually, I just remembered, I don't have a cell phone… Rika, would you mind if I- excellent, thank you," Ashiya said, bowing to Rika before rushing for the door, "I'll get back to you as soon as I can!"
"Hey, Ashiya," Rika called, "see if Emi's there, too, would you? I can't get a hold of her, and she didn't go to work today either. And could you bring me back a BigMg Combo?!"
"Sure thing, I'll be right back," Ashiya's voice echoed from down the hall.
"I love you," Rika called, feeling her heart flutter as she dove beneath the covers, unsure of whether or not Ashiya had heard her.
"I… I love you as well, Rika," Ashiya said to himself, stunned by the realization as he made it out of the building, and then headed for the nearest alley so that he could cloak himself and fly over to the Villa Rosa.
Well, well, well, we meet again, David Spade!
Just kidding, I know you aren't David Spade, and I'm not the writer of that joke. I suppose you guys are sick of waiting for new chapters, and so am I, so I figured I'd post these. Yes, 'these', as in there is more than one... there are two. I know what you're thinking: 'Three or fours months, and you've only got two f*ckin' chapters?!' Yes, as it turns out, getting a new job and acclimatizing to it, along with a somewhat ridiculous schedule, will do that to your writing habits. I was hoping to have this fic all wrapped up, but whatever, I guess. Fortunately, I've gotten a friend to agree to do some editing on this story for me... unfortunately, I haven't been able to reach her, and I didn't want you guys to think I was dead. Again. Speaking of dead, my dog, who was the best boy ever, has passed away. Perhaps that's why this story is in shambles, but I'm feeling better about it. He had severe issues, and it's good to know he's not suffering, wherever he's at now.
Moving on from my excuses, I can't help but feel like a hypocrite. I wrote this with the intention of giving you guys a quick and easy after-anime fix for Emi and Maou. Instead, this story has 100k+ words, and you guys are probably sick of seeing recurring themes. I tell you what, if you felt bad reading it, imagine how bad I felt publishing it.
Ugh, and I feel like I was gonna tell you something, but I'm trying not to do that summarizing crap that I ususally do.
Whatever, I'll just do the music portion now. Such as it is.
Suitcase-Matthew Koma (good shit)
You and Me-David Matthews Band (old but gold, perfect for MaouxEmi)
Out of My Head-Alex Mansoor (derp)
Black Sea-Natasha Blume (also derp)
Hallowed- Lund ft. Emily Raymond (i brought you light, but you'd rather live in the dark)
Leftovers-Dennis Lloyd (not about actual leftovers...)
As per usual, thanks for reading! With any luck I'll have the next chapter up in a couple hours! To those of you that have taken the time to leave a review, thank you very much! Your words are inspiring, to say the least.