While everyone else changed and got ready to go to the water park, Maou prepared for a quick trip back to his apartment to grab some essentials, and sort through the mess that undoubtedly awaited him.

"You can't leave," Rika said adamantly, "you just got back!"

"I'll only be gone for a couple hours," Maou reasoned.

"Hurry back," Emi called, already heading for the elevator with Emerada, Alberto and Chiho.

Maou smirked. He would definitely hurry back. It wasn't as if there was much to do on a Sunday in the Sasazuka district, anyway.

The train ride was an hour long for Maou, and it certainly gave him plenty of time to think, which he felt he definitely needed. Things had been moving so quickly for him that a solid hour to just sit and ponder was a bit of a blessing. There was also the fact that once his apartment was cleaned and ready, he could move back in, and his commute would be cut nearly in half. He wouldn't miss arriving to work sweaty and out of breath because he'd been riding his bike as hard as he could to avoid being late.

He arrived at the familiar stop of the Sasazuka station and slowly made his way back to his home, thinking all the while about his date with Emi.

'Sucks that college was out,' he thought. 'Next time, I'll just schedule a date when everyone is in school. That way, we don't have to worry about our precious kidneys.'

He laughed to himself for a moment before a stray thought caused him to lose his step.

'Are we ever gonna have another date?! Would Emi want to go on another one?! Damn those college kids and their ability to create awkward situations!'

After steadying his breathing and leashing his anger once more, he continued down the sidewalk. In the distance he could make out the vaguely familiar shape of his apartment building, his home away from home, his Castle: the Villa Rosa.

"I'm finally home," Maou muttered. His voice cracked as he wiped away a tear. "Normally, I'd hug you, but… well, I'm pretty sure there's still asbestos in there, somewhere."

Maou pounded up the steps, savoring every thud of his shoes on the metal, and the familiar cold touch of the railing. It was nostalgic in the best sense, filling him with fond memories of Emi falling down the stairs… those were the days.

What Maou didn't expect was for his apartment to be completely cleaned. When he walked inside, things were almost exactly as they bad been before the smoke-out. The table was in the center of the room, and everything that had been taken out and tested for contamination had been put back exactly where it was supposed to go.

"Demon Lord Satan," said a deep voice.

Maou jumped and spun around, only to find Raphael the Archangel standing behind the door. He slowly pushed it shut. His face was an unreadable mask, though he looked far from happy.

"I was just coming back to grab some stuff," Maou said loudly. "I'll be moving back in next week, I promise! I wasn't gonna break the rules or anything."

"Demon King, have a seat at the table."

Raphael's voice was flat. Maou turned to look at the table, and he found a scroll sitting upon it. The scroll was made of yellowing parchment, unlike most paper on Earth, and it was emblazoned with a wax seal that bore the symbol of Heaven. Maou could sense the Celestial Force pouring off of it.

"What's that," Maou asked.

"Have a seat and read it," Raphael insisted.

Maou could feel something was off with the Angel of Love, but he made no mention of it s he kicked off his shoes and stared into his hot pink eyes. They regarded Maou with no mirth, no anger, no nothing. The only thing Maou saw was a blank slate, which only served to make Raphael appear somewhat sad, and make Maou nervous.

Taking a seat at the table, Maou slowly unfurled the scroll, touching it carefully, as though it were burning him. His eyes scanned a few lines, and suddenly he stiffened. There was the sound of humming in the air. Maou smiled a little, and he slowly turned around with a self-berating thought. There was Raphael towering over him, with a great two handed claymore of pink energy buzzing in his hands as he reared back for a strike.

"Die, Satan."

"If it were that easy, Emi would've done me in already, pal."

"Hey, Urushihara, Ashiya, get over here!"

The two Demon Generals, both of whom were relaxing in the hot tub, sighed as they left the blissful bubbly paradise. They walked across the slippery water park floor until they arrived at the lounge chair area, where Emi and Rika were both reclined.

"What the hell do you two think you're doing," Emi asked.

"Huh?"

"What are you talking about, Hero?"

"I can sense that demonic energy you're letting off from over here," Emi rolled her eyes. "Knock it off, will you? Some people are trying to relax."

"As you very well know, I'm nearly drained of demonic power," Ashiya retorted, "and Urushihara practically barren, himself."

"But then what-"

Emi's phone rang. She looked at the screen for a second, and ice cold dread formed a ball in her gut. It was Maou, and she sensed another great spike of demonic power as the phone began to ring. It was so strong, even Ashiya and Urushihara involuntarily twitched.

"That's the Demon Lord's power," Ashiya said, narrowing his eyes. "And it's coming from Sasazuka!"

Emi answered her phone.

"Maou? Maou, talk to me!"

She heard panting, and sharp static, as though powerful energies were disrupting the call. There was a strange humming sound, and she heard metal clanging against metal.

"Being attacked," Maou muttered, "Raphael… need help to neutralize-"

Maou was cut off by more metallic clangs. Emi realized they were likely crossing blades.

"Where are you," she asked, "I'll come right over!"

"Uh- we're at the intersection of four-twenty and four-thirty-one, headed towards the park! And if you guys could hurry- OW, THAT HURT, YOU BASTARD- that'd be really great!"

"Maou-"

"Gotta go!"

Maou ended the call, and everyone looked at Emi. As she looked at each of them in turn, she noticed how white faced and worried they looked.

"I guess Maou is having a little trouble with-uh… well, c'mon you two, we gotta go!"

Emi stood, and immediately began to gather her things, while Urushihara and Ashiya stood at the ready, their eyes starting to glow as the energies Maou released soaked into them. Noting how all their friends had gathered in one place, Emerada and Alberto came over as well, still soaked from having gone down the waterslide together.

"What's going on," Emerada asked.

"Maou is in danger," Emi said, "me and these two yahoos are going to save him."

"C'mon, Emi, we don't have all day," Urushihara sighed as Chiho and Suzuno arrived as well.

"What's going on," Chiho asked.

"Ok, Ashiya, explain it to these guys while I finish packing," Emi scowled, shoving her beach towel, sunglasses and a paperback novel into her bag.

"M'lord is in danger," Ashiya said simply.

Chiho gasped and covered her mouth with her hands. Suzuno raised an eyebrow, and couldn't help but remember the first time she'd met the Devil in combat.

"I'll stay here," she sighed grimly, "the last thing I need is for the Devil to start stripping down in front of me again."

"Oh, geez, are you still traumatized by that," Emi wondered aloud, smirking at the inquisitor.

"Hold up, Maou did WHAT?"

Chiho was red in the face, and her shout drew more than a few disgruntled looks, but Suzuno simply lead the high schooler away and bought her an ice cream to calm her nerves before telling her the full story.

"Alright, So that's me and the demons… are you two gonna come and help us out?" Emi peered between Alberto and Emerada, both of whom looked rather unsure. Fighting to help Emi was one thing… but the Demon King? Was that wise?

"Emilia, wouldn't it be belter if we simply let him be defeated here?"

"No."

"No?"

"No! If Maou dies, then the demons are left without a King! They'll elect a new ruler, or one will take the crown by force! They'll march on Ente Isla without so much as a thought about casualties and consequences. No, the best course of action at this point is to save the Demon King. Slowly but surely, he'll learn what it means to be human. We can make him an ally."

Emerada and Alberto were shocked, to say the least. Urushihara and Ashiya made no mention of the fact that Maou intended to do the same thing for Emi, only in reverse. After packing, kicking on her flip-flops and saying goodbye to Rika, Suzuno, and Chiho, she lead an odd unit of two Demon Generals, a Master Sorceress, and a Northern Warrior out of the water park in her bikini, headed upstairs to change into something a bit more suitable for kicking ass.

Maou dodged around the enormous pink claymore as best he could, but the Archangel swung it so quickly it was difficult to avoid. Not to mention that the sword was almost as tall as Maou, if not taller. The combination of reach and weight meant that Maou had to contort his body quite a bit in some scenarios.

Raphael lunged, and made to cleave Maou in half at the waist, but the Demon King managed to do something he'd seen in a Western film called the Matrix. The good news was that the blade missed as Maou bent over backwards. The bad news was that when he stood back up, his back seemed to have been thrown out.

"That really hurt," Maou massaged his back as his eyes watered.

"Die, Satan!"

Maou forced his back to bend, and he ducked beneath the blade. When he was back on his feet, he was behind Raphael, and it seemed he'd worked out the knot in his spine.

"Better," he smiled.

Raphael swung again, a great sweeping blow that should've made easy work of Maou, but the Devil raised a shield, his eyes burning like coals in a fire as he focused his magic.

"Y'know, I thought we were cool, man," Maou said, snarling at Raphael, "I can't believe you let Heaven push you around like that!"

"I am not to question my orders!"

"That's exactly why you should question your orders," Maou retorted, throwing a fistful of crimson power at Raphael and forcing him to retreat. The angel jumped backwards and spread his wings, letting the wind carry him back even farther out of harm's way before landing gently on the lawn.

The park was fairly empty, but as it was the weekend, there were a few people out and about. Those that looked at the battle seemed intrigued, but they watched it blankly, as though it were for a movie being shot in the park, or perhaps a special effects video from the internet.

"The Devil has no place telling me what to do! The Devil has no right to question Heaven's Will!"

"When Heaven tried to mess with the Devil and his friends, you can bet that he's gonna come a-knockin' and he'll show you where you can stuck 'Heaven's Will'! Right up your"-

Maou was cut off by Raphael vanishing and reappearing behind him.

"It's nothing personal," Raphael said, his eyes filled with sorrow as he made to strike down Satan. Maou was too quick, however, and with a click of his fingers, he raised a barrier to block the blow.

"Are you kidding me? That's probably one of the most cliché moves in all anime," Maou scoffed, "I'd tell you to get a wig too, but you've actually got some dynamite hair. Maybe you should grow it out!"

Raphael swung again, but this time Maou jumped, flipping clear over Raphael, who stood a good three heads taller than the Devil, and landed behind him once more. Instead of waiting for Raphael to strike, Maou pulled a bench out of the ground as easily as Ashiya pulled weeds in the garden. With a grunt of effort he threw it at the Archangel. Maou thought it was a successful hit until a pink blade sprouted from the bench and cleaved it in half. Each half of the bench embedded itself in the ground behind Raphael, tearing up the lawn of the park.

"There is my reason for fighting you," Raphael said, gesturing at the bench, "aside from my orders, you seem to have no respect for life, in any form. This grass will die from your carelessness!"

"No respect for life? Are you kidding me? I put away my sword because I didn't want to hurt you! And now you're complaining about me ruining the lawn?! You do realize that after I kick your ass, I'll be using all of my precious magic to clean up the mess we make, right? That's how it is every time I try to do something nice!"

Raphael looked on blankly as Maou had a miniature mental breakdown, wherein he recounted all his earthly battles. From Sariel to the museum, even his battle with Lucifer and Olba. He disparaged that every time he fought, he was generally the one stuck cleaning up the mess afterward, even though he rarely caused it. By the time Maou was done shouting at absolutely nothing, he was out of breath, and the glowing lilac claymore in Raphael's hands had been let dangle at his side.

"Huh. Ok, well, aside from all that, there are still my orders to consider!"

"Again with your orders! Come on, do you even know who writes them out? Do you ever get some sort of confirmation? For all you know, I could be the one writing out your orders! You'd never know!"

Raphael's brow knit together. Apparently, Maou had hit some sort of soft spot, because Raphael looked unsure for a moment.

"Whether or not my orders are legitimate, I know that Heaven wants you destroyed, Devil."

"But what about you? Something tells me you don't want to do this. You've been wearing that blank expression since we first started fighting, but… I don't know, you just don't seem all that into it."

Maou put his hands on his hips, looking concerned for Raphael. The Archangel turned away, tutting as he clenched his jaw. The archangel of love never wanted to kill people. In all his yeas, he'd found that war was never filed with warriors, it was fill with lovers who had learned to fight for the ones they loved. It would seem that, in the end, he shared the same fate.

"Do you need a hug. Raphael? C'mon, big guy, bring it in!" Maou extended his arms, only to withdraw them as Raphael swung his sword, very nearly lopping them off. "What the hell, man? I thought we were having a moment! I'm trying to be nice!"

"Well, stop it, fiend," Raphael shouted, using his sword to keep the Demon King and his abominable hugs at bay.

"Geez, fisrt Emi, now you? What does a guy gotta do to catch a break from overly cautious idiots around here," Maou wondered aloud, picking at his chin as he frowned at the Archangel. Unfortunately, there wasn't much Maou could do without hurting Raphael, and he didn't want to have to resort to that.

"Here she comes," Raphael said, his attention drawn away from Maou as he cocked his head to the side.

Even from over ten miles away, Maou could feel Emi's celestial force flare up like a beacon on a cold, dark night. The Hero was on her way, and judging from her power output, she was angry. Maou could hardly blame her, he was looking forward to a relaxing day at the indoor water park before the ambush.

"The Hero can't help you," Raphael said.

"That sweat on your forehead indicates that you think otherwise," Maou said., noting how the Archangel had paled.

Slowly, step by step, the Devil and the Archangel circled each other. Each footstep was carefully placed, and the uneven ground of the park was dotted with soft spots and other tripping hazards. One wrong move would result in a fatal opening that could be easily exploited.

"After I destroy you, I am to destroy the Hero, and take Better Half back to Heaven for decontamination and purification."

"Don't insinuate Emi is unclean," Maou said, "seriously, dude. She'll mess you up if she hears you talk about her like that."

Raphael lunged. Maou sidestepped, but the tip of the energy sword pierced Maou's baggy shirt, slicing a large bit of fabric clean off.

"Damn it! This shirt is one of my favorites! Now Ashiya's gonna complain when he has to fix it!"

The mention of the Demon General Alciel gave Raphael pause. He remembered the Bernael Incident, during which Ashiya had been kidnapped. Maou had been so hurt, so impacted by it, that he had seemed to be borderline unhinged. That was frightening, of course, but the fact that the Devil felt so strongly for his subordinate, and that he called them his friends, was perplexing in its own right.

"My orders do not dictate that I must kill your Generals," said Raphael. "Give up now and I will spare them. They may stay here and live in peace after I return to Heaven."

"No dice, and besides, even if they lived, what about Emi?"

"What about her?"

Maou scowled, and a shadow seemed to fall over the day as he said, "I'm not gonna let you hurt her. She's been through enough, and I won't leave my Generals leaderless! None of us should suffer for Heaven's mistakes! We didn't make this mess! I don't want to hurt you, but if you think of touching so much a hair on any one of their heads, I'll have no choice but to send yours back to Ignora! Body not included!"

"Asinine demon!"

"Dumbass Archangel!"

Raphael charged forth, a blood red claymore of pure heavenly magic slicing through the air as Maou advanced, too. His fists were enclosed in demonic magic, and a black aura shimmered all around him.

The blade was inches from Maou's neck. Time seemed to slow to a crawl, and before Raphael could react, Maou had ducked under the sword. He come back up within the Fire Commisioner's guard and sank a clenched fist into Raphael's gut.

Demonic magic coursed through the angel. An icy chill gripped his bones as the Devil's magic quickly overtook and forced out his own in a single blast, like that of a bomb.

"Totally worth it," Maou muttered, dropping to his knees before Raphael.

The Archangel swayed. His vision blurred, and the energy claymore in his hands vanished. All of his magical power, every single rationed bit of celestial force in his body, had been drained. The Devil had forced it out, like using two magnets of the same pole.

"You… vile… demon."

"Not so big now… are you," Maou grinned. The MgRonalds employee gripped the grass as he breathed slowly. In draining his own magic, he'd managed to disable Raphael… but now they were both stuck there until Emi and the others arrived, and nothing would stop Raphael form attacking once he'd recovered.

"No," Raphael whispered, his voice cracking as he fell backward onto the grass.

Something was wrong. Raphael began to convulse and twitch. He curled into a ball and clenched his stomach, sobbing as he held his gut.

"No… I-I've failed… please, o' Lord in Heaven, grant me the chance to make amends! I will kill Satan! I will recover the Holy sword!"

Maou tried to sit up from where he now lay in the grass, but it was no use. He was so weak, so tired… he just needed to rest. He hadn't done any lasting damage, he'd just drained the Angel's holy magic. Perhaps he just wasn't used to the empty, powerless sensation of losing it all.

"Maou… Raphael?"

Emi had appeared, standing over Maou and looking him over critically. "You look like Hell," she noted dryly.

"Good to see you, too," Maou groaned.

"M'lord! Are you alright?"

Ashiya, Urushihara, Alberto and Emerada were all there as well. They must've flown, because Maou knew it was almost a solid hour's train ride from the Tokyo Couseling Services building. Alberto and Emerada stepped forward, eyeing up Raphael with wonder.

"What happened to hiiiim," the petite sorceress asked.

"I used my… demon magic… to neutralize the threat," Maou grumbled slowly.

"You didn't kill him, did you," Emi asked.

"No, just got rid of his magic… mine too."

Emi kicked at the grass before bending down and extending a hand to the Devil.

"Next time you can handle something by yourself, just do that," she scoffed, frowning down at the Devil.

Maou grinned before taking Emi's hand and letting her pull him upright. Emi scowled and wiped her hand on her shirt.

"You're hands are sweaty," she blurted.

The Devil was distracted, however, for Urushihara, who was kneeling over Raphael, called out, "Hey, guys! Get over here!"

The angel was still curled up, though now he seemed to be rolling about. He was whispering prayers and apologies to no one, and his eyes were wide and terrified.

"What the hell happened," Emi demanded.

"I don't know," Maou said, "I just purged all of our magic… maybe he's panicking?"

Without meaning to, Raphael slipped back into Ente Islan, but all present could still hear his mumbled ramblings.

"I will not fail, I will not. The Holy Sword-Satan-the Hero… no! I cannot just kill them-"

His body unfurled. His clothes were covered in grass and dirt. His once swanky business casual clothes were now ruined. As he lay on his back, he struggled to breath. Raphael's wings appeared on his back, and he groaned in agony as he bared his teeth and clamps his eyes shut tight.

"AAAAAAARRRRRGGGGHHH!"

With a terrible scream, the Archangel's wings began to burn. Holy light flashed from behind his eyelids. The air seemed to hum with electricity as Raphael shook, almost as if a seizure had overtaken him.

Miles away, at the Hatagaya Sentucky Fried Chicken restaurant, Sariel was sitting at a table, using a pair of binoculars to scope out the MgRonalds across the street. He was hoping to catch a glimpse of his queen, his light, his goddess, Mayumi Kisaki. He shuddered, but it had nothing to do with seeing her resplendent beauty as she emerged from her office.

"Another one bites the dust, huh? Wonder how the Devil managed that," Sariel asked, putting down his binoculars and looking at the food before him. It was with a weary sigh that he realized he no longer had an appetite for food. Even looking at Kisaki took a temporary backseat as he contemplated another lost comrade, and how It would affect his peaceful stay in Japan.

"I suppose it's back to the frontlines for me."

"What's going on," Emi asked.

To her surprise, it was Urushihara who answered.

The fallen angel had been eerily complacent the entire time Raphael had thrashed and rolled about. When Raphael had begun to burn, he had only tucked his hands into his pockets and slouched a little more, effectively ruining his already poor posture.

"He's become infected with demonic magic," Urushihara explained, "and after failing to take down Satan… well, it seems Heaven is fed up with his failures."

"What do you mean?"

"He's falling from Grace," Urushihara said, completely ignoring Raphael's cries of agony, "in a few moments, he'll have lost his divine authority. He'll have been locked out of Heaven… he'll become a fallen angel, cast down to the Earth in disgrace."

Everyone looked at Urushihara. He was quite aware of their incredulous stares, but he kept his face blank. He remembered his own falling, it was a terrible sensation, and he wouldn't wish it on anybody… still, there was good news.

'Heaven's getting desperate, if they're willing to cast down an Archangel for a simple failure,' the fallen angel thought to himself, 'perhaps this is a turning point.'

Maou fell to his knees. He wasn't sure if it was the exhaustion or the heavy guilt that had settled in his stomach, but he felt himself dragged to the ground as he watched Raphael suffer.

"I did this," he asked quietly. Maou never wanted to hurt Raphael. He'd been trying to avoid that by remaining on the defensive. And now, because of his poor judgement and his irrational thinking, Maou had gone and made an angel fall. Not just any angel, either, but Raphael, the angel of love and healing, one of the great Archangels from the Bible.

"You didn't know this would happen," Lucifer said, "and ultimately, it was Heaven's decision. Demon magic should affect an angel like celestial force does us. This isn't your fault, Maou."

The pure white color seemed to drain from Raphael's wings, leaving them black and shiny, like those of a raven. His short, normally brown hair faded to white for a moment before becoming purple. The irises of his eyes, which were once a lusty pink, now darkened, becoming a deep, royal purple.

The screaming stopped. The falling was complete. Raphael lay on the ground, panting as he stared up into the beautiful blue sky. Normally, there was a sense of security that came with being an angel. He knew that he was in the right. Heaven's Will was pure and absolute. There was a warm Holy Fire that had always burned in his chest. All of that was gone, replaced by an intense and crippling sense of loneliness. He felt small in an extraordinarily huge world. The gates Heaven had been closed to him. He was alone, afraid, and aimless.

Tears fell from the corners of his eyes. He could see people around him: the Devil and his allies. Not knowing what else to do, Raphael covered his face. His enemies could torture him, or even kill him, but they'd never witness his humiliating weakness.

"Get up."

Raphael heard the voice. It was familiar, and it made him uncover his face. Bending down over him, looking rather displeased, was Lucifer.

"Why should I," Raphael asked thickly.

"Because if you don't, I'll kick you until you do."

The newly fallen angel groaned and sat up, but he didn't look at anyone. Emi made to walk forward, perhaps to comfort the former Archangel, but Urushihara threw out an arm to stop her.

"Finish it," Raphael muttered, "take my life, Satan. You've beaten me."

"I'm sorry," Maou said, his voice warbling as he held back his emotions, "I'm sorry, Raphael."

The words stung him, but Raphael felt the anger ebb away as quickly as it built. On one hand, he wanted to storm at the Devil and destroy him utterly… on the other hand, he felt like it wouldn't matter. Nothing did. Not anymore.

"I-I think I'll just…go," Raphael murmured.

He stood, swaying on the spot for a moment before he held his head. Everything was different, but nothing had changed except him. Why did the sun seem to burn when he looked at it? Why did nothing he looked at bring him the same joys it once had?

"You're not going anywhere," Urushihara said, "first things first, you have to get oriented."

"To what?"

"Everything," Lucifer said, his lilac eyes flashing brightly, "if I'm not mistaken, you're probably thinking about how empty and alone you feel. You sense how insignificant you are, am I right?"

"Everything is insignificant," Raphael growled as he glared at Urushihara and rubbed his temples.

Urushihara smirked, which only made Raphael more bitter.

"Yeah, I know how it goes, but let me tell you something," the shorter man said, stepping right up to the hulking fallen angel, "first off, now that you're Fallen, you can regenerate your magic via the suffering of others. You still have your powers, but they've changed slightly. I'd suggest you rest and recover after your falling. Take a week or so off work. Get some bed rest. And for the love of God, keep yourself distracted."

"For the love of God," Raphael said, pondering the absurdity of the statement. Clearly, there was no God. If there was, he would certainly not be a loving, compassionate being.

"It's just an expression. You might want to pick up a hobby, though. Existentialism is probably gonna kick your ass," Urushihara noted sagely.

"How did you get over your fall from Grace," Raphael asked. "How did you cope?"

"I chose to fall from Grace. I knew I wanted things to change. I knew that I'd have to be the one to set things in motion. I coped with it by imagining myself tearing down Heaven. Brick by holy brick."

Raphael felt no urge to do so. All he wanted to do was... curl up and cease to exist. He didn't';t say that, though.

"I'll think on your words," he sighed, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his long beige trench coat and sauntering out of the park.

Maou and the others watched him go. They watched him start to walk one way, then change his mind and go the other.

"Oh boy," Urushihara said, "this isn't gonna end well."

"I can't believe this," Maou muttered, "how could they do something like that? He was a good guy!"

"Say what you will about demons," Ashiya said, crossing his arms and looking stern, "but we've never done anything quite so barbaric."

"Not personally, anyway," Maou said quickly as three glares from Alberto, Emerada and Emi were shot in his direction.

"We have to put a stop to all of this," Emi said quietly, "but how?"

No one spoke. No one had any answers. Finally, Maou got back to his feet, bolstered by the intense agony and sorrow radiating from Raphael. Without even meaning too, Maou had absorbed it and turned it into power. He stood, feeling both better and worse than before.

"He plans on taking his own life," Maou said in an undertone to Urushihara.

The fallen angel didn't look surprised in the slightest. He tutted and leaned in closer to Maou.

"No duh, moron."

"I want you to go after him. When he falls asleep, you're going to take away his pain," Maou ordered.

Urushihara scowled. "That's not a good idea,"

"Why not?"

"Because after I fell, the pain and anger and sadness were all that kept me going. Without them, I would've just sat down and waited for death," Lucifer explained. "His pain will bring him through."

"If it doesn't destroy him first," Maou remarked.

The argument continued well past the time everyone had returned to the water park. Rika, Suzuno, and Chiho were all relaxing at the poolside, with large sunglasses and parasols, almost as if they were actualy at the beach.

"Hey, you're back!"

Chiho's excited cry died in her throat when she saw how downtrodden everyone looked. It was as if they were all in attendance of a funeral… but everyone was accounted for.

"What has happened," Suzuno asked curtly.

Maou wet his lips, hung his head, and told them what had happened. He made no efforts to hide his own part in Raphael's fall from grace. At the end of it all, Rika, Suzuno, and Chiho all packed up, and as one, the group made their way to Rika's suite.

Maou took a seat on the couch, crossing his arms and staring at the floor, his face an inscrutable mask as his thoughts spun themselves in circles.

"Maou, what are you gonna do," Emi asked.

"There's nothing I can do…" he replied, still preoccupied.

What could he do? Maou had no way to restore a fallen angel. There was no magical way to fix this. He'd met Lucifer long ago, shortly after he'd fallen from grace, but Maou had no idea how to reassure someone who'd just lost everything, and had no intentions of going on.

"Urushihara, can't you talk to Raphael," Chiho asked.

The fallen angel sighed, having only just sat down with his laptop. He peered at Chiho from over the top of it, hitting her with his best 'I'm-not-doing-jack' glare.

"If anyone can help Raphael at this time… it's you, Morningstar," Suzuno supplied kindly.

The Demon General Lucifer exhaled through his nose, but his expression already looked a little softer. With the strange sinking feeling that he associated with chores and needless tasks, he looked around the room. All eyes were on him… except for Maou's. He was still watching the floor, his mind churning behind his scarlet eyes.

"I'll see if I can't give him a few pointers," Urushihara said, feeling a bit awkward now that he was at the center of attention.

"I'll join you," Suzuno chimed in, placing a warm hand on Urushihara's shoulder. "For support."

The sky was wrapped in purplish twilight when Suzuno and Urushihara took their leave. Everyone else just spoke quietly as they waited to drift off to sleep. No one thought about how they would be working the next day. No one seemed to care, least of all Maou.

Emi woke later that night, the only sounds being the gentle snores and snoozes of the people around her. Alberto and Emerada were curled up on the couch. Rika and Ashiya were lying on the bed, their fingers only inches apart.

'They must have fallen asleep holding hands,' Emi thought tiredly. Somehow, the thought made her smile. Rika's happiness was well deserved, after what she'd endured.

A faint sniffle caught Emi's ear. She peered through the darkness and saw that the front door was cracked open, just enough so that one could slip through it without too much noise. Another sniffle came through the crack, and Emi heard someone muttering quietly.

She looked around. Chiho was slumbering peacefully on the floor to her right. Aside from Urushihara and Suzuno, both of whom were accounted for, Maou was nowhere to be seen. Emi stood up and crept for the door. She opened it ever so slightly, and looked through the crack.

The hallway was lit, and sitting on the floor, his face streaked with lines of tears come and gone, was the Devil. His nose was runny. His eyes were red and puffy. His hair was a mess, and he looked as though he hadn't slept in a century. On one hand, Emi could turn around and go back to bed. She could let the terror of Ente Isla come to terms with what he'd done, and hopefully learn to forgive himself.

On the other, he'd always helped her, even when it seemed to go against his interests.

Emi opened the door, and Maou's eyes snapped to her, wide and alert, before he turned away.

"What's up, Emi?"

He picked at the carpet, but he kept his gaze turned downward. His voice was a flat monotone. The look of anguish he'd worn moment ago was well hidden behind a mask of wavering blankness.

"You ok, Maou?" Emi asked, stepping out into the hallway and taking a seat next to her nemesis.

"Peachy."

He did not meet her startling emerald gaze.

"Maou, there's no way you caused all that," Emi said. "Angels fall because Heaven wills it. Not even the Devil has the strength to do that. This isn't your fault."

"So how do we end this?"

"Huh?"

Maou turned his head to face Emi. For a moment, something passed between them, but Maou hardened his heart this his feelings for her. His expression soured.

"Raphael didn't deserve to fall," he said, "you know how kind and thoughtful he is. How do we put a stop to all this, Emi?"

"To what?"

"The fighting! The battles! The attacks! How do we stop Heaven?"

"I don't know that we can," Emi admitted.

Maou shook his head and mumbled, "I never wanted to hurt people. I wanted peace, and I told myself that the only way to do it was subjugation. Now I try to live peacefully, and people still end up hurt."

Emi didn't know what to say. She pursed her lips and thought about it for a moment. Finally, she decided there was nothing she could say. The Devil needed time to think. How was Emi supposed to tell him that she and all of the others would be there to help when the time came?

Emi threw her arms around Maou, and she felt him stiffen for a second. She gently squeezed him, and his shoulders relaxed once more.

"We're all here for you, Maou. Don't forget about us."

"How can I," he asked, "I'm worried one of you will be next. It's only a matter of before…"

He didn't say it, but Emi knew what he was talking about. Sooner or later, one wrong decision would cost them dearly. They were fighting a losing battle, and eventually, someone they cared about would end up dead because of it.

"We'll fight," Emi said, "we'll do it again and again. We'll fight until our fingers bleed and our bodies cry out for rest, because we've all… well, we've all sort of… become a-a family."

Emi blushed furiously. She laid her head on his shoulder so as to hide her embarrassment. Maou reached up and laid a hand on Emi's. It was cold and clammy, but he gripped her fingers tightly. A fire seemed to burn behind his eyes.

"You're right," he said quietly. "We're a family…"

Maou had seen it before: the look of a cornered wolf. He'd seen it on plenty of men, too. He saw that look of desperation on their faces, the look of men with something to fight for. Normally, these men, the ones who fought the hardest, were those with families. And now Maou could count himself amongst them: these men who fought and died for the ones they loved.

Maou and Emi stayed in that hallway for some time. In a more urban part of Tokyo, however, things were not going so well between Urushihara and Raphael.

"OUT," Raphael roared.

Urushihara ducked under a table to avoid the plate Raphael had chucked at him, which shattered against the wall.

"Not until you listen to me," Urushihara called back.

He peered over the edge of the table to find that Raphael had lifted his entire couch over his head, which was an incredible feat for both the Archangel, and the rather cramped apartment.

"GRAAAAGH!"

With a cry like that of a psychotic maniac, Raphael threw the couch. Urushihara raised a hand, and purple energy glittered at his fingertips before a small, kimono wearing figure appeared in the direct line of fire.

With one swing of Suzuno's hammer, she struck it right in the middle. The couch's frame snapped in two, and it collapsed on either side of the Inquisitor, who was staring down Raphael with an angry glare.

They both watched, waiting for each other to make the first move while Urushihara cowered behind the table. From under Suzuno's sandals came a dull pounding noise.

Thud, thud, thud.

"Keep it down up there," someone hollered through the floor.

Suzuno blushed. She hadn't considered the fact that Raphael had neighbors.

"Fine," the fallen angel hissed, "stay. Have a seat on my couch… oh wait, you just destroyed it!"

He looked like his own bitter joke stung him, and Raphael turned and lumbered away into his living room.

The walls of his apartment were faded and stale-looking. The floor was made of hardwood that bore scrapes and gouge marks. The furniture he owned was cheap, and more often than not, stained with unpleasant and unknown fluids. Raphael himself didn't look much better than his apartment. He had ditched his beige trench coat. He now only wore his normal black slacks and an untucked white button up shirt. He'd pushed his sleeves to his elbows, revealing muscular forearms. His close-cropped violet hair was a mess that stuck up at odd angles. His eyes were bloodshot and wide.

Slowly, Urushihara and Suzuno advanced through the grungy apartment, only to find Raphael sitting in an armchair chair in front of the television. In one hand, he held the remote. In the other, he held a glass of wine. The scent of alcohol was strong in the air.

Without looking at the intruders, Raphael put the glass to his lips, drinking slowly at first, and then quaffing more deeply with each passing second until his glass was empty.

"What do you want," Raphael asked so quietly Urushihara almost didn't hear the question.

"I want to know what you plan on doing now," Lucifer said.

Raphael scoffed, but his anger quickly faded, replaced once more by an aching emptiness that tore at his being. "Nothing," he said tiredly. "I'm going to sit here and wait."

"For what?"

Raphael didn't answer. Instead, he picked a bottle up off of the floor and refilled his wine glass. His hands shook so hard, he spilled more than what landed in his glass, but he simply set the bottle back down and continued to drink, paying no mind to the mess.

"I'll get some paper towels," Suzuno said quietly.

Her hammer was gone. Her hair had been put back into the usual side ponytail. Her eyes were filled with pity and sadness as she quickly awayed herself to the kitchen. She returned as fast as she'd gone, and slowly approached Raphael. She knelt to clean up the spilled wine when he cast an eye upon her. His lilac eyes were dark and dim.

"Leave it," he grumbled, "it makes no difference. Not anymore."

Suzuno stood and planted her hands on her hips. Her face was red with anger, and she shook ever so slightly.

"You were an Archangel! How can you be so…so hopeless?!"

"Hope is for those foolish enough to believe in such things," Raphael sighed, not taking his gaze from the television. "I've lost everything I've ever known… all that I've held dear."

"Just because you fell from Grace doesn't mean you're a bad person! And just because you've lost everything doesn't mean you are beyond redemption," asserted Suzuno, looking outraged.

"You speak such kind words… but it is already too late."

His words seemed to leave an eerie chill in the air. Suzuno's eyes widened with realization.

"What-what have you done, Raphael? What have you done?!"

She lunged forward and seized him by his collar, shaking him as the flap of large, unearthly wings beat against the window.

Thud. Thud. Thud.

Raphael did not meet Suzuno's fierce gaze. She scowled at him for a moment before letting him fall back into his armchair and plucking the hair clip from her head once more.

"We've got company, Lucifer!"

That was when all hell broke loose in the angel's small, dingy apartment. The window shattered, sending shards of glass in every direction. The lights flickered. The curtains, slashed as they were by the bits of glass, flapped violently in the gusts of wind that came through. Urushihara dove back into the kitchen to avoid the glass. He heard the sound of light footsteps. Suzuno cried out in pain, and after a few more moments, he heard something had made his heart drop through his stomach.

It was the sound of a heavy weapon cleaving the air, and sliding home into someone's flesh. Before Urushihara could think past his mind-numbing fear, a cold, snide voice said, "Come on out, Lightbringer. I know you're there. You've nothing to fear from me, you can't fall from Grace twice, you know."

Urushihara set his face to one of bored disdain, and rounded the corner leading out into Raphael's living room. Suzuno was on the floor, her hair clip in her hands. A trickle of blood ran from her temple. She was alive, which made Urushihara breathe a sigh of relief, but then he saw who it was that had spoken.

Sariel stood to on side of Raphael's tattered secondhand armchair. In his hands he held a scythe, the blade of which was embedded in Raphael's chest, and pierced clear through the back of chair. The tip was fed a steady drip of blood that pooled on the floor. The small, snarky angel smirked at Urushihara, who balled his fists.

"Ooh, are you angry? Did I kill your fallen angel buddy? Was it nice to have company for a whole three hours? Did it make you feel a bit better about yourself?"

Sariel giggled as his words hit Lucifer like punches. All the while, Raphael shook, staring quite blankly at the curved scythe blade that kept him pinned to his chair. Blood ran from his lips as sweat beaded his brow.

"Why did you do this," Urushihara asked quietly, doing his best to suppress his rage. "Why would you kill Raphael?"

"I'm just following orders, but I could sense his self-loathing from mile away. He wanted this more than I did, isn't that right," Sariel asked through gritted teeth, jerking the hilt of the scythe and causing Raphael to groan and gargle through the blood in his throat.

"Besides, he was just an Angel of Love and Healing. The guy was a total wuss. Heaven has been looking to get rid of him for a while. We need soldiers, not lovers."

Sariel sneered at Raphael, but it seemed the fallen angel could only sit and stare off into nothingness. Tears built up in the corners of his eyes and then fell, like silvery, pearlescent droplets of sadness.

Urushihara felt his mind go blank. It wasn't unpleasant, but he knew exactly what was causing it. Rising from within the depths of his being, like a bubbling black geyser of loathing and abhorrence, was something Urushihara hadn't felt in ages… not since he himself had fallen from Grace.

It was his hatred of authority. It was his detestation of people like Sariel, who took sick pleasure in following orders, no matter what they were. Raphael had been a friend. He had been kind, and caring. He didn't deserve to die. But Urushihara knew who did, and it seemed it was up to him to dish out justice.

"You disgusting little man," Lucifer muttered to Sariel, "you make me sick to my stomach! Your blind obedience has caused enough devastation to warrant your immediate destruction!"

Urushihara's eyes burned with a fierce violet glow. The wind picked up, as though he were summoning a breeze form outside and condensing it around himself.

"This can't be good," Sariel murmured, pulling his scythe free with a violent wrench and a spurt of red.

It was far too late, however. Urushihara felt the same sense of harsh justice grip him that he had when he'd fallen from Grace. It was people like Sariel that made the world- no, that made both worlds bad places. It was numb, unfeeling sociopaths like Sariel that deserved to be killed, not people like Raphael.

Urushihara held out a hand, and within it grew a dark, curved katana. It was his trophy, a reminder of Bernael and his insatiable lust for power, and his ability to bring out the worst in anyone. Just holding it increased Urushihara's power and anger a hundredfold. The black blade flickered to life with violet flashes of energy that arced along the blade like lightning. Urushihara's eyes began to darken at the corners, as if an ink stain were slowly working across them. It wouldn't be long before he was corrupted by the sword… but he didn't need much time. Just enough to slice Sariel into itty bitty pieces.

"It's too bad you didn't take a leaf out of Raphael's book and just roll over," Sariel jeered, spinning his scythe so fast it blurred, "because now I'm gonna have to kill you the hard way."

"Bring it, douchebag," Urushihara growled.

Suzuno felt as though she'd been kicked in the head by a horse. Her brain throbbed painfully as she lifted her head from the floor. Her recent memories were fuzzy and vague for a moment before they returned with the force of a tidal wave. They washed over her in droves, and focused in time to see Urushihara unleashing every ounce of power he had, Bernael's sword in his hand as he faced down against the manager of the Hatagaya Station Sentucky Fried Chicken restaurant.

The white-winged angel leapt forward, his wings carrying him almost faster than the eye could follow. He struck with an overhanded blow, and enough strength to slice an SUV in two. Quicker than thought, Urushihara raised Bernael's sword and blocked the attack. He made no sign of struggle as Sariel pushed against his guard. The only movement was the darkness spreading across the whites of his eyes, and the deepening of look of disdain etched into his face.

"You're a lot stronger than I thought...did Satan give you a little extra juice?" Sariel queried.

"This is all me, asshole. I'm about to show you how I got booted out of Heaven!"

Purple lightning crackled along the blade of Urushihara's sword, making contact with Sariel's scythe and blasting the angel backward. He was thrown out the window, but his wings managed to catch his fall before he hit the ground. They pulled him back up, hovering even with the window. Lucifer drew more power from the blade, and his wings erupted from his back in a spiral of black feathers. They were enormous, almost too large for the cramped living room. With a single synchronized flap that sounded like a crack of thunder, Urushihara took to the sky and soared through the window, driving at Sariel like a javelin. He slashed, but Sariel had flown straight up, narrowly avoiding the gleaming blade. He took off higher into the night sky, and Urushihara gave chase.

Suzuno stood up carefully, holding onto the windowsill for support. Her hair fell in long aqua curtains around her face, but she tossed it all over her shoulders and pulled out her cellphone. She dialed a number, mumbled a tired greeting and a brief explanation of the situation, and then shut her phone. The Hero would be on her way to the apartment shortly, no doubt with the Devil in tow.

A noise behind her made her turn around. It was Raphael, who was still stirring in his armchair. He was very weak, but still alive. His former angelic nature would make him harder to kill than a normal human, but he was on the brink. With a quiet apology, Suzuno turned away and looked out the window, where it had begun to rain. She wanted to help Raphael… but she knew he wouldn't let her.

"Do not…cry… for me," Raphael mumbled, his voice cracking as he spoke through immeasurable pain.

Suzuno wiped her tears on the sleeve of her kimono. She sniffled a little bit, and without another word, leapt off into the cold, wet rain, following the awesome trail of holy and demonic magic that the angels had left in their wake.

'I'm so sorry, Raphael,' Suzuno thought, 'but I have to help my Morningstar… Emi and Maou will be there soon.'

Just in time for Halloween, I present to you the latest chapter in this incredibly long, depressing story that was supposed to about two people falling in love. Turns out, the road is longer and bumpier than I thought. But that's life, right?

Speaking of life, allow me to use it as an excuse for not updating this story in... well, in a long time. I've been busy. I've been coping with writer's block. I've been trying to figure out the meaning of life. Ok, maybe not so much the meaning of life, but it definitely had something to do with writer's block and working a shit ton. You may have noticed slight changes to my writing style, little experimentations here and there, and I've even tried to add line breaks so you know where there are scene changes.

You can also tell that the story is heating up. Things are getting a bit more serious, and the ending of this story, while not right around the bend, is certainly approaching. It's just taking its time. Thank you to the people who reviewed my story. It still boggles me that people are finding it, even though it's almost two years old. I figured that by this point, it'd pretty much be a few more dedicated, bored, or drunk people. Still, if you read this story and liked it, I'm glad. I hope you like where it's taking us! I say taking us, cause I'm sort of along for the ride. Surprises around every turn for me, too.

Without further ado, we get to our musical selection of the day. Sadly, I haven't found a whole buttload of music to share with you, so I've taken a look through my ipod and found a few songs that deal with fallen angels. Enjoy. Or don't. Not everyone has the same taste in music, and that's ok. (Unless you like those new pop stations that play the same ten songs on repeat. Then we can't be friends.)

!MUSIC!

Coming in at number one, and the titular song for this chapter iiiiiiis:

Angels Fall-Breaking Benjamin

And then we have a few more older songs. Sorry if any are doubles from previous chapters.

Evil Angel-Breaking Benjamin

Fallen Angel-Three Days Grace

Fallen Angels-Black Veil Brides

Angel-Theory of a Deadman

And now, for something a little different from the theme of angels...

If You Want Love-NF

Hallelujah-Pentatonix

That's all I've got. L8r broskis.