Knock, knock, knock.
"Raphael? Raphael are you there? Stand back!"
The muffled voice behind the door was interrupted by a burst of holy magic. Emi and Maou appeared, both looking tired and more than a little on edge. The apartment was dark, but through the kitchen, in the living room, they could hear the television going, and could see the refracting light.
"Raphael," Emi called.
There was no response. They'd received a phone call from Suzuno not half an hour ago, telling them both that Raphael had been critically wounded by Sariel, and that Urushihara had gone after him. Suzuno, however, was nowhere to be seen.
Emi held her sword out in front of her, her arm close to her chest, ready to lash out with Better Half in a moment's notice, should anything fling itself from the dark corners of the apartment. Maou watched her flank as they tiptoed through the apartment, but nothing could've prepared the pair for the scene that awaited them.
The television was playing an old documentary. Black and white images of soldiers marching across battlefields played silently, but that wasn't what floored the Devil and the Hero.
"Who…. Is….it?"
A weak, tired voice spoke from a chair that was soaked in blood. The air tasted of iron, and red streaks lined the walls, as though the strike had been a great and terrible one. Blood pooled around the armchair, and sitting in it, looking frightfully pale as blood dried to his lips, was Raphael.
He was barely breathing. The light behind his eyes flickered like faulty light bulbs. Slowly, he turned to regard Emi and Maou. Maou put a hand to his mouth, while Emi visibly paled.
"The Hero… and… the Devil," Raphael muttered.
"Raphael? You're… how are you still alive," Maou asked.
Emi elbowed him, and gave him a meaningful stare, like 'don't ask him why he's still alive, moron.'
"You two… have no… small… part… in that."
The fallen angel smiled a humorless grin, which was rather frightening, given the blood that stained his teeth. He swallowed past the pain and continued.
"Love still… empowers me. Your love."
His eyes flickered between the both of them. Emi and Maou turned to regard each other, both wearing carefully crafted masks, like those of poker players.
"I could feel… something… ever since… the museum," Raphael explained, slouching in his armchair to spare himself the energy of having to sit up properly. "Love… burns… within you both. It has allowed… me to speak… with you."
He shuddered, drawing in a hoarse breath before he coughed. Blood poured from his wound in rivulets of scarlet, but he faced Maou and Emi once more.
"You two… are enemies… yet you both found…love… in…each other. Strange-urgh-though it may be…you are the…the epitome of… my divine…authority. May your-your love-uuuggh- may it bring… peace… to a world… that needs it."
"Let me heal you," Emi said, her face red as she bent down to heal Raphael's wound. The archangel caught her hand in a strong grip. Their eyes met, and something passed between them.
"I am not…long…for this…world."
"But Emi can heal you! I can too! You can't just give up!"
"Demon… King... you have…fallen hard… from your throne. H-Heaven wishes… you dead. But I would ask… I would ask… a favor….ease my passing-hurgh-please."
The angel's voice was small. Even in death, it seemed he was embarrassed to ask for a demon's help, but Maou couldn't believe it. A few hours prior, Maou had blamed himself so vehemently for causing Raphael's fall that he thought there would be no reconciliation. Now, Raphael was in his death throes… and he wanted Maou's help.
"I-yeah. I can…I can do that for you," Maou said, his eyes growing watery as he took Emi's place by Raphael's side and knelt.
The Devil took the angel's hand and closed his eyes. Using his power, he could feel Raphael's emotions. All of them were hazy and vague, but surrounding them all, like a building waiting to fall, was an icy chill Maou recognized as death. It was approaching leisurely, but with each moment, it threatened to overtake the archangel.
"I'll take it all," Maou said sternly, "I won't let you suffer in your final moments… it's the least I can do for a-a friend."
"Friends," Raphael asked, "with the Devil?"
"There are worse friends to have," Emi laughed through her tears, trying to smile.
Maou focused. He stripped away the physical pain first, and Raphael immediately felt better. Then he tore away the mental anguish of the last few hours. He took the countless battles and wars. He took centuries of servitude and questionable orders. Finally, all that was left was one scene that seemed to calm Raphael more than any other.
He was laying on his back on a hill of beautiful wildflowers. A strong breeze rushed by him, swaying the tall grass, and pushing low clouds through the pristine blue sky. The day was sunny and warm. There was a blissful sense of peace, as though all was right in the world. It was an old memory, one that Raphael had almost forgotten. Tears formed in his eyes as the scene in his head played out.
Next to him, dressing in white robes similar to his own, was a beautiful woman. He could barely remember her name, but her white hair and violet eyes pulled him in. He rolled over and kissed her, savoring everything about that moment.
Raphael's chin dropped onto his chest. His body lost all movement, and in his final thoughts, the angel said a prayer for the Devil who'd helped him in his final moments, and gave him the peace he'd longed for since the war had begun.
Maou felt tears form in his eyes. He was so sick of crying it wasn't even funny, but it didn't stem their flow. All he could do was bow his head so that the Hero couldn't see his sorrow. She knelt behind Maou, who was still clutching Raphael's hand, and she wrapped her arms around his chest, crying into his back. Maou didn't mind, even though the hot tears soaked through his shirt and burned into his skin. It was always better to cry when someone you cared about was close by. For the Demon King, that person was the Hero. For the Hero, that person was the Demon King.
"He was happy, you know," Emi mumbled into Maou's back, "I saw him. He-he smiled. Right before he…."
Her tears quickened, and soon she was sobbing into Maou's shoulder blades. For all his power and magic, Maou was no better. He simply knelt on the floor, crying like an invalid. The only thing keeping him tethered to that apartment being the arms of the Hero, without which he felt he might've fallen, literally, into the depths of despair.
"SARIEEEEL!"
Lucifer's shout broke the night as he sped through the skies. His great black wings beat against the ebony cloak of night as he soared through dark storm clouds that coursed with lightning and thunder.
"How long are you going to keep that up," Sariel asked, "it won't be long before that sword destroys you!"
Sariel looked behind him, only to see arcs of violet energy flicker. A purple bolt of lightning flashed in his direction, but he dodged it easily, gliding along on large white wings.
A volley of magical bullets followed. Sariel was forced to turn around and fly backward as he spun his scythe. The sound of magic ricocheting off of metal keened through the howling winds as Urushihara gave chase.
"Nice try, Lightbringer! What else you got?"
That was when a glowing golden circlet arced up from below and nailed Sariel in the jaw with the force of a fierce uppercut, stopping him dead in his tracks.
The circlet, seemingly unaffected by the angel in its path, circled around and fell from the sky once more with a whimsical glint of gold. Below the angels, for as far as the eye could see, was churning black water. On the skyline, faint light could be seen from where Japan sat, but otherwise, they might've been lost.
"Argh! What the hell was that," Sariel moaned.
He was cut off when lightning flashed, and he saw exactly who it was. The Inquisitor, Crestia Bell, had been following Sariel and Urushihara. She had thrown the circlet, which was Urushihara's halo, from the seat of a jetski, which she maneuvered through tidal waves with unassuming skill. Her kimono was pulled up to her knees to allow her to ride the jetski easier. As for how she'd acquired the transportation, much less steered it through the stormy black ocean without capsizing, it was probably better left unconsidered.
"Crestia Bell. Not so quick to give up, eh?"
Sariel closed one eye and held up a thumb and forefinger at a ninety degree angle, moving it slightly as though he were about to take a picture. He thought he saw the glint of the fuel tank's cap. He grinned.
"Buh-bye."
A beam of concentrated holy magic fired from his pupil and shot at the jetski. Suzuno, who saw the attack, leapt from the watercraft and threw the halo once more before falling back towards the ocean. Below her, the jetski exploded, but not before she heard the sound of Sariel crying out from being hit with the halo.
"Son of a BITCH," he howled, holding his manhood.
Suzuno was not a strong swimmer. It was with that bemused thought that she smiled, and fell into the rocking waves. She felt oppressing darkness. It brought back terrible memories of Bernael and his power, but she swam as hard as she could, in the direction she thought was up. No matter how hard she kicked, however, she did not break the surface.
Her lungs cried out for oxygen. Her arms and legs worked more furiously than ever, but still, she found no release from the water. Slowly, her strength left her. Her body's natural fear and panic had been used up in her attempts to free herself. She fell deeper into the dark, cold water, her hand outstretched towards the surface. All that was left now was the cool, black embrace of something that had nothing to do with the water surrounding her. Her vision blurred, not that it really mattered, as she could barely see, anyway.
A glowing light appeared before Suzuno. She smiled. Death wasn't so bad. She would surely be going to Heaven, as that golden glow wasn't the burning of hellfire…
Suzuno reached out, only to find the golden glow was… the halo. She'd been about to accept her own death, and here it turned out to be a glowing ring that was absolutely no help to her. She grabbed hold of it, thinking that if Urushihara found her body, he could at least get his halo back.
She felt a tug, and when she focused, she realized she was shooting upward. The halo was pulling her out of the water, towards the surface.
"WAAAAAAAAH," she shrieked as she broke the surf, narrowly avoiding getting sliced by a long, black katana.
She clutched the halo for dear life, as it was the only thing keeping her suspended over the water. Next to her, looking surprised, was Urushihara, who had levelled his sword at her.
"I thought you were Sariel ambushing me," he said lamely.
"DO I LOOK LIKE SOME CREEPY ARCHANGEL," Suzuno hollered.
"Is that… my halo?"
"Yes," Suzuno huffed, "and it very nearly let me drown!"
"Well, if you like, you can fly with me," Urushihara said, holding out a hand.
Suzuno turned red in the face before she said, "No! I'll just hang onto this ring. If it can keep me over the water, maybe it will allow me to fly."
"Suit yourself," Urushihara sighed. With a flap of his wings, he was gone, rocketing off into the sky after Sariel.
"Ok… uh, halo? Could we follow them," Suzuno asked.
Nothing happened for a moment. She sighed, but then the halo glimmered, and it shot off into the sky as well, carrying Suzuno along like a sack of potatoes.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!" She screamed as she went, loud enough to wake the dead. With difficulty, she reached up and gripped the ring with both hands, as the initial takeoff had very nearly thrown her back to the fishes.
"Slow down, slow down slowdownslowdooooooowwwwn!"
But the halo kept going. The holy magic it radiated was phenomenal, like that of the Morningstar before he fell from Grace. With the power contained in the halo, it was a wonder he ever chose to fall….
Suzuno found herself flying neck and neck with Urushihara, whose eyes were very nearly covered in black, save his glowing violet irises, which burned with unholy light.
"Hanging in there?"
"This is no time for your puns, Urushihara," Suzuno squeaked, trying to steady herself as the halo pulled her across the skies at breakneck speeds.
Below them, a dot appeared on the horizon, a dark bump, like the back of some great sea monster rising over the water.
"What's that," Suzuno wondered.
"Hashima Island," Urushihara said over the wind in their ears, "we've flown a long way."
The Island was square and blocky. From a distance, it almost looked like a battleship on the water. The only giveaway that it wasn't a ship was that it was made of stone, and it had no wake as the waves crashed against its battlements.
"Have you been here before," Suzuno asked.
"No. I just researched abandoned places in hopes of finding something that might help up get back home. The island was a mining operation, but when the mines were emptied, the island was abandoned," Urushihara told her.
He looked her in the eyes, and Suzuno decided she could no longer ignore the whites of his eyes, which were now pitch black, like polished obsidian.
"Morningstar… your eyes are black."
"I'm sorta running on borrowed power here, sweetheart. I don't have enough to fend off Sariel by myself. This sword, however, had all of Bernael's magic power," Lucifer explained.
"Don't call me sweetheart!"
"Then don't call me Morningstar."
Suzuno and Urushihara touched down in a large square, littered with crumbling walls and broken architecture. Weeds poked up through the wreckage that cluttered the pathways. Ivy clutched the sides of every run-down building and made navigation even more difficult. The only sound was that of the water, beating relentlessly against the island. Standing amidst the abandoned, ruined remains of a ghost town made Suzuno feel watched, and more than a little jumpy. She could practically feel the water as it crashed against the walls, threatening to engulf the island whole, and sweep away the entire place.
"Be careful," Urushihara hissed, "Sariel could be anywhere."
Suzuno shivered. She glanced around in a wide arc, but all that she saw were great, tall buildings, likely once apartments of some sort. From each dark, empty window, she thought she could barely make out the face of someone staring down at her. Almost involuntarily, she gripped Urushihara's arm.
The fallen angel stared for a moment, his expression unreadable before he simply nodded and resumed his watch. He kept his eyes to the sky, where he was sure Sariel would strike from. He felt Suzuno's fingers dig into his arm, and it quickly went numb. Taking her hand in his, he gave her a berating look before resuming his vigil once more.
Suzuno let the halo hang from her wrist like a large, gaudy bangle. Almost as if responding to that thought, it shrunk. Soon, the halo was a glowing golden bracelet. With her freed hand, she took down her sideways ponytail and let her hair fall free. Her hair clip took on its true form: that of an enormous war hammer, and together, Crestia Bell and Lucifer stood side by side on a cold, dark island, awaiting the first signs of holy light to come shooting down from the heavens.
If only they were so lucky.
Something in Suzuno's peripheral vision stirred and drew her eye, but again, all she saw were empty, dilapidated windows with no glass panes. She heaved a sigh and turned away a moment too late. A beam of bright violet light jutted from the darkness of a window. It very nearly stuck Suzuno before the beam was deflected off of the edge of Urushihara's sword.
"Come out and face us like an Archangel, you coward," Urushihara shouted. He cleaved at the air, and an inferno of roaring black fire devoured the apartment that Sariel had attacked from. The black flames mixed with orange as natural fires spread. The only answer to Urushihara's challenge was the crackling of flames, and then, from on the other side of the square, another focused beam of holy energy lanced downward.
Urushihara pushed Suzuno, who fell to the ground. As she fell, she saw the light strike Urushihara, and he was thrown backward. The katana spun out of his hand, and he hit the ground with a sickening crunch.
"You see? This is why you fell from Heaven. You thought you were so much better than everyone cause mommy was the Queen, you forgot that you were getting along on family laurels. You forgot that everything you had could be ripped away… just…like… that," Sariel quipped, snapping his fingers for emphasis.
The archangel emerged from the black doorway of the building, striding along confidently. He smirked as he saw Lucifer, broken against the rubble and ruin.
"And now look at you. You've got nothing… you're only ally is a traitorous Inquisitor with hardly any magic. Maybe I should play with her a little… make you both squirm for me. I saw you guys holding hands, so I assume you're together? Say something!"
There was no answer. Urushihara didn't even lift his head from the broken bits of concrete he rested it upon. If he recalled correctly, there was a reason he had researched the island… something he believed would give the demons magic… but what was it?
Sariel raised his scythe, angered by his inability to draw a rise out of the fallen angel. "I'll just kill you quickly, then," he sneered. He swung his scythe. It lanced down towards Urushihara, the moonlight glinting evilly off of the blade as it came.
Lucifer rolled to the right. He felt the blade sink into the pile of rubble next to him, but he quickly grasped the hilt of the scythe, and allowed his demon magic to sink into it. Within moments, the holy silver used to craft the weapon turned into sludge that boiled and frothed.
"What the hell?! That was a priceless artifact! My only weapon! My badge of office! How dare you destroy it," Sariel cried hysterically, trying and failing to cup the holy silver in his hands as tears flowed from his eyes. But when he turned to look at Urushihara, he found the fallen angel had gone. As had the Inquisitor. He glanced around, only to see Urushihara running as fast as he could for the center of the island, which was more heavily populated in its heyday, and as such, was more maze-like.
"Get back here!"
Urushihara ignored the cries of the Archangel behind him as he ran flat out through the walkways of the ghost town. He passed old, rotting shops, deteriorating apartment buildings and countless identical squares filling with heaps of rubble… but he found nothing that looked like a stairway.
He skidded to a halt and peeked back around a corner he'd just passed. Behind him, he could hear the flap of angel wings, and shouts of indignance. For the moment, Suzuno had been forgotten by the depraved archangel. With luck, Urushihara would make him forget all about her now that he'd found it-the Stairway to Hell.
It was a great, long staircase that was cut from the very stone of the island, and it zigzagged through apartment complexes, bathhouses and numerous other diverging walkways. Urushihara had read about it before. Apparently, hiking the staircase to the top was supposed to bring on a hellish sensation in ones legs. Running up the steps full throttle would only get the job done more quickly, if there was any magic to be had.
"WHERE'D YOU GO, LIGHTBRINGER!"
Urushihara shrugged, and, taking the steps two at a time, he began his ascent. He went nonstop, only ever pausing when he found more than one path. He took whichever one continually sloped upward. After a couple minutes, his legs were aflame, and sweat dotted his brow.
"Oh, where'd you run off to, Lucy?!"
The shouts seemed to echo from above. It seemed Sariel had flown higher to scope the island and find his adversary. With any luck, there would be some sort of payout for Urushihara once he'd climbed the Stairway to Hell. Otherwise, he'd have no magic, sore legs, and an angry angel to contend with.
When Urushihara finally reached the top, he felt like his knees were jello. His legs were more sore than they had ever been, and he had a stich in his side that made him want to curl up in his closet and cry.
Lucifer waited. His head swam unpleasantly as he waited for his breathing to become normal. In front of him was some sort of shrine. He was high up now, so high up that he could see the sea from all sides.
"Found you," Sariel shouted gleefully.
He fell upon Urushihara, but the fallen angel rolled for all he was worth, barely able to do much more. His legs and arms seemed to have given way. Sariel landed, and his wings folded up and vanished. He casually strolled up to Urushihara, as if he were simply going for a pleasant walk through a park.
"Well now, I'm glad you've finally come to your senses… wait, no, never mind. You're just out of power. Geez, what happened to the great and powerful Lucifer, Commander of Heaven's Legions?"
"He got tired of people like you," Urushihara spat, shooting a venomous glare at Sariel.
"Too mean… not that it matters. You'll die, here and now. Once I'm done with you, I'll find your master, Satan, and his whore-excuse me-Hero. I'll destroy them both, and Heaven will restore me to my former glory. Who knows… maybe I'll have your job, I'm certainly due a promotion," Sariel smirked. He kicked Urushihara in the stomach, causing the fallen angel to roll over onto his back. In a single movement, the archangel knelt, and wrapped a hand around Urushihara's throat.
Lucifer felt his perception of the world slip away. His anger seemed to have drained him almost as much as his run up the Stairway to Hell. Stars danced before his eyes, and he quickly lost his ability to see. It seemed his research into the island had been a dead end. No one would arrive in time to save him now.
But in the darkness that staunched his vision, Urushihara felt something he couldn't see. There was something nearby, something which seemed to radiate negative human emotion. It wasn't the katana, but the power was comparable, as if people had been pouring their frustrations into it for years.
Desperate for air, his body reacted of its own accord. One moment, Urushihara was being strangled while Sariel grinned madly. He could practically taste his own victory when suddenly violet light burst forth from Urushihara, radiating off of him in a shielding aura that pushed the angel back. Sariel cried out and leapt out of range, clutching the wrist of his hand, which was burnt and steaming.
"What the hell…"
"Can't you feel it? The anxiety? The fear of the unknown," Urushihara asked quietly, pushing himself up from the ground. He rubbed his throat, which was still red and raw. He coughed, and blood stained his hand, but he absently wiped it on his shirt. His ire burned through his purple irises as power soaked into him from seemingly nowhere.
"Where are you getting this power? Nothing on this island is tied to demons or devils! There is no one here!"
"No, there aren't… but there were. Thousands of coal miners and their families used to come here, to the top of the Stairway to Hell. There was a temple here, before the island was abandoned. Every day, people came here to pray for their loved ones. They came here filled with sadness and anger and despair. They left feeling better, because that shrine behind you absorbed all their negative emotions. It left them feeling hopeful. Say what you will, humans seem to have a certain grasp of the supernatural that we can't even comprehend. Either that, or they're just really, really stupid."
"Probably the stupidity," Sariel sighed, glaring at Urushihara.
"No argument here," Urushihara said.
They stared each other down, the tension in the air building with each passing second. Just when it seemed as though violence would break out once more, a faint, metallic ringing echoed through the air.
"That seems familiar… I wonder-OW," Sariel shouted, falling to the ground and rubbing the back of his head, which had been struck by a flying golden ring.
The ring was caught by Suzuno, who leapt up onto the plateau from out of nowhere.
"Morningstar!"
She threw a katana at Urushihara. He extended a hand and caught it without looking. Without Suzuno and the sword, Sariel might have had a fighting shot. Now, however...
"Aw, c'mon! That's not fair! I almost killed you both!"
"Sorry," Urushihara said, "but almost only counts with hand grenades and holy swords… you know what, sometimes not even holy swords, I mean, I survived. Hurt like hell, though."
Sariel charged, weaponless. Partway across, he took off, his wings snapping open as he took to the skies. His way was quickly blocked by Suzuno, who beat him over the head with her war hammer, sending him back towards Lucifer.
Sariel expected to get blown away by an inferno of demon magic, or perhaps humiliated by the fallen angel before being taken captive. What he didn't expect was to fall onto the blade of the pitch black katana.
The sword slid home with mundane finality unbefitting an archangel. Urushihara held Sariel up, impaled as he was upon the sword, which had run him through his midsection.
Sariel looked on in disbelief as he slid down to the hilt of the sword. No magic radiated from Urushihara or the sword. No nothing.
"Light…bringer," Sariel hissed, his eyes wide and his teeth bared.
Blood dripped, falling onto Urushihara's face. He twitched, but he kept his eyes trained on Sariel's, watching as the light slowly faded.
"That was for Raphael," Urushihara murmured.
With no regard for Sariel's corpse, Urushihara put a foot against the archangel's chest and kicked. The body slid off of the blade with the grotesque sound of bone scraping against metal. It soared almost fifteen feet, clear over the edge, and down into the black sea, which seemed to have calmed some. In the east, towards the mainland, a light seemed to be making headway against the darkness of the night.
Urushihara walked to the edge, bit all he saw were distant ripples far below in the water. A warm hand enfolded his own, and Suzuno appeared at his side. He was so numb it took a moment for him to notice her.
"Come away," Suzuno said, "let's go home, Morningstar."
"Why do you call me that," Urushihara asked, his eyes still fixated upon the gentle waves beating against Hashima Island.
"Because, whether or not you acknowledge it, you are an inspiration. My Morningstar, to guide me through the night, and see me safely into the morning."
Through the abject numbness that seemed to grip him, Lucifer felt touched by Suzuno's sentiment. He cleaned the blade of Bernael's sword on his shorts before quickly sweeping Suzuno off her feet, spreading his wings, and shooting off into the night sky. Suzuno wrapped her arms around his neck, and as one they flew off to meet the dawn of another day.
Even though it was early Monday morning, and they had to wake up later for work, Emi and Maou begrudgingly rose from their lump of blankets on the floor to sip on coffee and listen to Suzuno and Urushihara. The tale they unraveled was one of daring heroism, magical clashes, angels in combat and an abandoned island.
"After I killed Sariel, I brought us back here," Urushihara yawned.
His hand was cupping his chin, and he looked ready to pass out. He usually looked a little pale and tired, due to his insomnia and lack of sunlight. Now he looked downright sick, as if he'd gotten a cold from being out at sea.
Everyone stared absently at the table, occasionally sipping from their coffee mugs. No one had really cared for Sariel. Chiho, in particular, seemed to have held a bit of a grudge against him. Still, that didn't stop her from looking shaken by his death.
"I don't get it, guys," she asked sadly, "why does everyone want you dead? Why can't they just… leave us all alone?"
The high schooler sniffed and rubbed her nose on the sleeve of her pajamas. Suzuno gingerly threw a sore, tired arm around her shoulders, but tears came unbidden to Chiho.
It was sadder than a funeral. It definitely didn't help that Monday meant going back to the daily grind, and so, shortly after breakfast, everyone began to pack up, clean, and clear out of Rika's suite. Maou, Urushihara, and Suzuno made their way to Sasazuka. Emi took the train to her condominium in Eifuku, intending to get a few more hours of sleep before her shift. Emerada and Alberto vanished through a gate, not bothering to follow Emi back to her house.
A distinct feeling of sadness and regret seemed to follow everyone as they parted ways for the week. Sure, they'd avenged Raphael, and they'd slain his murderer, but it still felt like prolonging the inevitable. Escalation was on the horizon, and it was hurtling at them like a asteroid aimed at Earth from on high.
Uneasy thoughts stirred violently in everyone's mind, like those of paranoia sufferers. Without even meaning too, they'd agreed to meet up next weekend for discuss their ongoing battles and plan for the future. This resulted in yet another long week all around.
"Maaa, you're burning those fries," Kisaki noted dryly.
With a yelp, Maou quickly pulled the fries from the deep fryer. He had been so preoccupied with his thoughts that he hadn't noticed he was ruining someone's lunch.
The lunch rush was never a good time to get distracted. Everyone was running about the kitchen like chickens with their heads cut off, but there was a certain order to it all. As a team, they managed to dole out fast food in record time. So why was Maou not able to get into the flow?
It was because he could still feel Emi's arms as they tightened about his chest. He could still feel her tears against his shoulder. In short, he'd found himself lost in that moment, when he and Emi had been forced to watch as an angel died.
"Sorry, Ma'am," Maou said quickly, fixing a confident smile onto his face, "I'll redo this batch as quickly as possible!"
Without regarding her own safety, Kisaki plucked a freshly made French fry from the basket and chewed it slowly before shaking her head.
"They're a little crispy, but still edible. Make another batch right away and mix them together, got it?"
"Yes ma'am!"
Emi's day was going even worse. Every time she found herself caught up in Raphael's dark apartment, her boss, Mitsude, would stomp down her row and breathe down her neck. If Emi didn't need the money so badly, she'd have broken his jaw and filed a restraining order against the creep.
"Is there something wrong with your ears," Mitsude asked, his face turning red with anger.
"Uh… no."
"Then why aren't you answering calls, Yusa? I don't pay you to relax in these nice chairs all day, I pay you to provide quality customer service! Get to it!"
The balding man with the pencil mustache tromped away in a huff, leaving Emi to groan tiredly and put her nose to the grindstone once more.
As she spoke to customers, she couldn't help but wonder, in the back of her mind, what was going to happen next. Raphael's body had been left in his apartment to be discovered by the Japanese Police, but that still begged the question-what came next? How could they prevent such catastrophes from happening in the future?
Her mind flashed back to the night they'd watched Raphael die. Emi and Maou had stayed in that little, dark apartment for hours, long after the angel himself had faded. They'd sobbed quietly, together but separate, their roles forgotten as they fell into the depths of despair.
"Yusa! Work!"
Emi's eyebrow twitched, but she answered another call, and did her best to ignore the swarm of thoughts buzzing in her head like angry bees.
"Hi, I'm Emi Yusa, thanks for calling Docodemo Customer Service Center! How can I help you today?"
"Hello, Emilia, dear."
The sound of her own name caused Emi's eyes to widen. The voice was one she'd heard before, one she thought she'd never hear again. Was she dreaming? Was this some sort of crazy trick?
There was only one way to find out.
"Dad," Emi asked quietly.
"Yes, Emilia, it's me. I'm speaking to you through an Idea Link, and using the wireless telephone signals to strengthen the link. I'm not quite as adept in magic as I'd like to be, but your mother is working with me to-"
From the other end of the line, Emi could hear someone talking-a woman-speaking in an undertone. She couldn't quite make out the words.
"Yes, dear, I'll ask her. Emilia, my darling daughter, your mother and I would like to meet you, face to face. There's so much you need to know, so much I have to tell you! When is your next day off work?"
Her father sounded as though he was trying to speak quickly and quietly, like he might be discovered. It sent a shiver down her spine to hear her father speak like that. Whatever happened to the kind, sweet, simple farmer, who always spoke words of hopefulness and joy?
"Um… I have this Friday off. D-dad, where are you? Is mom with you?"
"She's-uh-she doesn't want me to answer that-she's shaking her head at me-OUCH! I mean, no, darling, she's not here, but she'll meet with you as well. I'll see you Friday, at the Villa Rosa. Tell the Devil to expect us, and that we mean neither him, nor you, any harm. We bring a weapon to aid you in your fight against Heaven!"
"Wait, dad, there are things I want to know-"
"Friday, dear! I'll speak with you on Friday! I love you! Stay strong until then, we'll see you soon."
The line cut out, and Emi was left with tears in the corners of her eyes as she stared at the computer screen. The little box where the customer's phone number was displayed read as 'unknown' so there was no way to call back. Friday was only five days away, but why did Emi feel so frustrated? She could wait that long, right?
"Yusa, get back to work! Now!"
"Shut the hell up, you repugnant creep! I quit," Emi shouted, her eyes still watery, though now they shone through with an angry fire.
"I-I-you can't just-I mean," Mistude stammered, his eyes wide as Emi fumed, her fists balled as she fought the urge to sink her knuckles into her boss' pudgy pink face.
"I'm going home! Have fun taking making quota without me! And have fun training in new staff!"
With that, Emi marched off for the locker room, leaving her co-workers too stunned to speak as she brushed the tears from her eyes and ripped the headset from her head.
A knock interrupted Urushihara's thoughts as he looked up from his computer. He didn't even need to use his powers to sense who was on the other side.
"Come on in, Bell, it's unlocked."
Suzuno entered the room and kicked off her sandals. The room was about the same as ever. It looked strangely empty, compared to her own well furnished apartment right next door. The only real piece of furniture was the table, at which Urushihara sat, crossed legged as he scrolled through some website or another.
"Morningstar."
"Inquisitor."
Suzuno smiled, taking a seat next to the fallen angel. Urushihara had never been an advocate of people hovering over his shoulder while he browsed the internet, but with Suzuno, he found that he didn't mind quite so much. Her presence was worth the lack of privacy.
"What do you want?"
It was odd how quickly Urushihara had reverted back to his normal, uncaring self. One day, he was spouting judicial philosophies and divine one liners. The next, he was back to his usual self, leaning on one arm as he scrolled through and demolished Maou's budget with his other hand. Studying him more closely, Suzuno could see the little discrepancies. He was still dotted with bruises and odd injuries from battle. He looked paler than normal, or perhaps his hair and eyes were just a darker shade of violet.
His power was phenomenal, after what he'd taken from the shrine on Hashima Island, and the sword of Bernael. It made it difficult for Suzuno to draw breath-or, at least, that's what she assumed to be the cause of her breathlessness. It certainly wasn't Lucifer's roguish charm, or anything like that.
Nope. Definitely not.
"I wanted you to have this," Suzuno mumbled, pulling a box from within the sleeve of her kimono.
It was a bento box, no doubt containing a feast which would hold Urushihara over until Maou had a chance to go shopping and stock the fridge. Sitting atop the box, glowing spectacularly in the gloomy apartment, was Urushihara's halo.
"I don't want that," the fallen angel said, "I'll take the grub, though."
With a wave of his hand, Urushihara caused the eating utensil drawer to open of its own accord, and a fork shot through the air like a missile. He caught it, opened the bento box with magic, and began to dig in like a starving homeless vagrant.
"Haven't eaten since yesterday… I needed some food," he said thickly.
Suzuno, while disgusted by Urushihara's table manners, couldn't help but be glad he enjoyed her cooking. Of all her skills, she was glad she had one that didn't focus on bloodshed and espionage.
"Urushihara," Suzuno asked.
"Hmm?"
"Are you… feeling alright? After having killed an angel, I mean…"
"Never better, now that I've got a full belly," he replied smugly, placing the empty bento box in front of Suzuno.
The inquisitor frowned and asked, "So you have no regrets? No uncertainty?"
"It was him or us, and I wasn't about to let him hurt you," Urushihara sighed nonchalantly, once more focused upon the screen of his computer, though he didn't scroll or click through any pages.
Suzuno felt an electric shock flow through her. Something carnal seized her, and she wanted to take the fallen angel into her arms right then and there.
"So, you've found something… a friend to fight for?"
Suzuno placed her hand on Urushihara's, and he stared at it for a second. She laced her fingers through his and his face turned red before he looked away pointedly.
"Uh-yeah… something like that," he replied.
Suzuno turned Urushihara's face with her hand and their eyes met. Suzuno's were narrowed, and closing as their faces grew even closer. Urushihara couldn't seem to calm himself-he'd just eaten. His palms were sweaty. He hadn't combed his hair. Hell, he hadn't visited the bath house in at least a day-
His racing heartbeat and petrified thoughts were interrupted by the sound of Suzuno' phone ringing. Before she could answer it, Urushihara had seized it from her and flipped it open.
"Hello? Oh, it's you," he said, his voice high pitched and cracking, "yeah, it's Urushihara. No, I'm not giving Suzuno trouble. She's right here."
Urushihara held out the cellphone, his face sweltering as he cleared his throat.
"It's for you," he said lamely, "sounds like Emi is having a rough day."
Suzuno, crestfallen at her failed attempt to kiss the fallen angel, took her cellphone out into the hall and spoke quickly. From the sound of the conversation, something major had happened, and Suzuno was working on calming the Hero down.
As soon as Suzuno came back in, the mood was far less tender and amorous. She looked troubled as she closed her flip phone and slipped it into the sleeve of her kimono.
"It seems there is another angel on the way… Emilia's mother and father will be joining us on Friday. They say they have a weapon that could turn things around for us."
Suzuno sounded underwhelmed, as though she were already preparing for the worst. Urushihara couldn't blame her, what with all that had happened. It seemed a life out of Heaven's reach was simply too much to ask.
Urushihara wanted to lay a hand on Suzuno's shoulder. He longed to tell her that everything would be alright, and that things would all work out in the end, but he couldn't' lie. The truth was, everyone from Ente Isla who currently resided in Japan was stuck between a rock and a hard place. On one hand, if they went back, they'd be thrust right back into a world they'd grown further and further away from over the last two years. But if they stayed, they'd be inviting more and more trouble, and with limited ways to gather magic power, they would end up on the losing side.
All this and more coursed through his mind in the matter of a moment, but when he returned to reality, Suzuno's eyes were once more focused upon him, and she wore a smirk in place of her hopeless frown.
"Now, where were we," she asked slyly, leaning in inappropriately close to Lucifer, and taking joy in the red that touched his cheeks as he leaned away from her and stammered incoherencies.
"Uh-doom, Ente Isla…angels-um…Hero-mmph," his ranting were cut off by a pair of soft lips pressing against his own.
Suzuno pulled away from the contact, sounding as though she'd surfaced from underwater.
"Dammit," she scowled, "I was hoping it was your demon magic taking my breath away."
"And was it," Urushihara asked dazedly.
"Not at all."
Suzuno tackled the fallen angel and pinned him to the ground using her hips. For all his demonic power, it seemed he was utterly defenseless before her.
"I-we-not a good idea-people-"
"No one will be around for hours, my sweetest Morningstar," Suzuno whispered into her captive's ear, "now then…what say we pick up where we left off…"
"Crazy thought-what if we just held hands, huh? Sound like a plan?"
The hungry look in Suzuno's eyes unnerved Urushihara, who giggled weakly. He had the distinct feeling that he was about to get eaten alive.
"Well, you said we're alright so long as we didn't break any of Heaven's decrees, right? I'm assuming they're rather vague and limited to things like conceiving a child."
"Uh-um-well, you see-"
"Jackpot," Suzuno muttered, her eyes gleaming.
"That bastard Mitsude," Rika exclaimed.
Emi had just been telling Rika the story of her quitting her job, and walking out on Mitsude and his creepy demeanor. Rika, who was an excellent listener, knew exactly when she was supposed to commiserate. She managed to harmonize with Emi's outrage and abhorrence of their boss very well, even though moments before Emi had walked into the room, she and Ashiya had been laying on the bed together, watching a reality show on the television.
Ashiya was still watching the show, though he claimed to dislike them, and find them meaningless. After Emi had entered the apartment, he'd taken up the chair at Rika's bedside while Emi and Rika laid on the bed and complained loudly. Emi's story took a bit of a turn, however, when she told Rika about her mom and dad contacting her.
"Isn't your mom an angel?"
"Yeah. Apparently, my mom and dad are together. They're visiting on Friday, and I guess they want to meet at the Devil's Castle."
"Is that because you're over there so often," Rika asked, wiggling her eyebrows and elbowing Emi in the ribs.
"No! They specifically mentioned the Devil. I shudder to think why they'd be interested in him, but… they say that have something… a weapon to help us against Heaven."
"Could it be another holy sword or something," Rika asked.
"I don't think so," Emi said, "Better Half is powerful, but I'm not sure its enough to take on Heaven. Whatever they have is probably something insane. It'd have to be," Emi murmured, lost in thought for a moment.
On her way home from Rika's suite, Emi's plight seemed to hit her harder than the train she was riding in. She was out of a job-a good job. Her quality of life would decline. Her savings account would be run dry in about a month. She had to start looking for a new job as soon as possible.
When she finally arrived home, she was met with the mess left by both the Devil and her comrades from Ente Isla. With each room she walked into, she couldn't help but think of Maou, and their vulnerability in Raphael's apartment.
When she sat on the couch, she thought about how they'd spent so much time together in the last week. For a mere seven days they had proven, to some extent, that they could live in harmony. If they could do so, then it would seem like a cinch for everyone else to get along. Sadly, it wasn't quite so simple. And come Friday, her parents would arrive.
It seemed that Emi's 'peaceful' life was about to come to a screeching standstill. She sighed as she laid back and watched TV, wishing, for a moment, that she had Maou there with her, if only so that she didn't have to feel quite so alone.
Woohoo! Finally cranked this sucker out. I noticed the views on this story jumped yesterday... almost as if you were expecting a Halloween update. It seems I've become predictable. Anyhow, here's enough spookiness and blood and emotional stuff to get you through the day. Or maybe not. You do you, but this chapter wore me out. I tried to make myself cry writing the sad scenes, and I almost managed it, so here's hoping it's a tear jerker for you guys. Either that, or I'm just a little more sensitive lately. Hmm. All well, Happy Halloween! Stay safe! Don't get spooped by a Mr. Skeletal, or he'll doot-doot you right into the Skeleton War.
MUSIC!
Halo-Starset (because... you know... the halo? BTW, Suzuno's use of the halo was supposed to be a nod to Xena and her... throwing circles? Cookies for you if you got that reference)
4U-Blackbear (Renzyx Remix)
Somewhere Over the Rainbow-Joseph William Morgan ft. Shadow Royale (definitely a repeat)
The Last of the Real Ones-Fall Out Boy (catchy)
Also, the band RED has put out a new album called GONE. So look it up. Seriously. Do it. The titular track is good, but also look for 'Still Alive' and 'Losing Control'.
Thanks for reading. Hope you've enjoyed the thrill ride thus far. Please forgive any major errors. It's almost 7am, and I need to get some shut eye. See you nerds later. (I can say this, I'm a nerd, myself.)