Chapter 8: Hel's Ability
Hel pulled his princely lips away from her cheek, his facial expression returned to its normal and relatively indifferent state for the moment. They continued to stand there in the dining room of Yuuki Rito's home.
"W-w-w-what was th-that?!" She exclaimed, her cheeks were scarlet and she touched the exact location on her cheek that he had kissed.
"Hm?" On his face was an innocent and relatively cryptic smile, "What was what?" He asked her without conviction.
"You k-kissed me!" She had trouble admitting that.
"On the cheek, yes – I did… it just seemed like the right thing to do in a situation like that." He shrugged when he finished his sentence, "To embarrass the cold, calculating, and perverted sister of mine comes with a highly rewarding feeling – even after all these years… although my memories of the past eight or so years has been 'inhibited' for lack of a better word, but my memories of my sisters and the events before I was placed into training are mostly unaltered." Hel stated bluntly and pushed himself off of the table and took a few steps to face away from Momo. He raised a hand to his face to cover his eyes, "So I kissed you on your cheek, because I wasn't sure what words could describe the feelings of emptiness that I felt even despite my memories being inhibited." He explained and turned to face Momo again, but failed to make eye-contact this time – an obvious indication of embarrassment.
"I-is that so?" Momo asked, "I thought you were trying to do something… else." Momo said and laughed nervously.
"Hmm?" He tilted his head and looked her in the eyes, "Like what?" He asked, with the curiosity of a five year old.
"Ahh… no, nothing!" She waved off the question and let out a now awkward laugh.
Hel gasped, and when she turned to look at him, he had a horrified look in his eyes – and his expression showed absolute disgust with Momo's train of thought. "Just kidding," His expression turned to that of a grin and he gave a half wave.
"Ahh, it's nothing like that! I was just worried because I was saving my first k-" She covered her mouth, horrified, she had let too much be said – was this his intention from the beginning… the dark look in his eyes and the smirk spoke for itself.
"Saving it for who?" He asked, his voice darkened and his personality changed once more. Alongside the mood and tension – is that his unique ability?
He threw his head back and arms out to the sides. "AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" He didn't hold his diabolical laughter back in the slightest.
Momo's eyes darkened, and her pupils physically changed shape and she let her bloodlust run amok, she smashed her palm flat against his face and-
WHAAAM!
The impact caused a loud echo that made both of their ears ring.
WHOOOOOOOOOOSHHHH!
It was followed by a shockwave that blew both of their hair back and sent each of the chairs and as well as the table violently sliding across the floor before slamming into the counter with a loud bang. Momo staggered back a step and tried to take in a breath – only to find that the area had temporarily become a vacuum which meant it had been blown free of the atmosphere, but it all came flowing back after a few moments.
"Whoosh." He mumbled with a grin.
"What…" Was all she could manage, the bloodlust left her and she resorted to her only option – and ran away.
A few moments pass.
"Hnnnnnnnnngh…" He pressed a hand against the primary point of impact that Momo had hit, "Fffffffgaaaaah!" He exclaimed, clutching his forehead and crying out in pain once he knew she was gone.
"What? Can't handle getting hit by a girl?" A smug voice originating from the doorway behind asked Hel.
He turned to examine the owner, of the voice – his vision blurred and his entire psych was disoriented. He recognized her brown her and the beads a top her head from before, "Mikan…" He squinted as he tried to focus on her facial expression. "…I don't think you would've fared any better from an angry princess." He finally thought up an answer, admitting defeat – but he'd figure the girl would just kick him while he's down… he liked it.
She let out a deep sigh, "It couldn't be helped… it's not like you weren't provoking her… don't you know anything about girls?"
"W-what would you know about any of that stuff?" Hel stammered, trying to deny the obvious.
He knew nothing about girls.
"Nothing~" she teased and was about to turn and walk away, but was stopped by Hel as he gently placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Tell me everything you know… please – it is necessary for the sake of the well-being of everyone in this household." He stated bluntly, his expression honestly filled her eyes with a flash of fear.
"No, first you have to work on how scary you are before I try to do anything... to help a lost cause." She grinned mischievously – was this her version of revenge?
Hel's heart and soul – crushed in an instant, his pride in himself as a devilukean and his kindness were instantly trashed with the word choice made by a child very few years younger than him. Yet he knew it was his own fault to begin with – because he was the one that choked her until the point she had started crying for the help of her elder brother, Rito.
"What is so special about Rito that you'd ask him to save your life?" Hel asked bluntly, earning a glare from Mikan.
"He's my brother, and I trust him – because he's kind hearted and actually has a soul…" She answered, just as bluntly and then left the room.
Hel in the meantime stood there alone and fixed the table as well as a chairs by putting them back where they had once been. "Kind hearted… soul… trust." Hel mused, the words had hurt at first – but he quickly got used to them. "Trust sounds like the easiest starting point, of course I could also just-
CLUNK!
Blackness!
From the shadows she came, across the floor she drags his limp body… to the depths of her lab.
Meanwhile - on board the DSV-Class Battlecruiser Shadowed Intent
With a deep sigh, he picked the master's ceremonial Dark Vanguard attire up off of the cold and hard floor of the Master's personal quarters. He took his time and folded the set over his right arm – but as he picked the clothing up, he couldn't help but notice the master's sister's invention – a D-dial clunked against the marble surface as it fell to the floor. It didn't break but the butler couldn't help but feel horrified with the concept of such a thing happening. He picked it up and carefully slid the device into his chest pocket.
"Young master…" He let out a deep breath and moved the floor-dirtied clothes into the hybrid washer and dryer, applied detergent and then activated the machine.
With that problem set aside, the butler pulled the D-dial out of his pocket and observed the scene of the crime, first looking through the list of current gadgets stored within only to find, "Hmmmn, Pyon-Pyon Warp-Kun-Hel-Edition appears to have left storage, I suppose it only makes sense to say that the young master utilized this to transfer himself down to earth… unfortunately it seems to have been flawed – he has either been erased from ex-" He went through the applications after that, to find the tracker and found his master still existed and was currently on Earth. "No, he is still present on the tracker… maybe he is currently in the nude on ea-" He paused and let out a shaky breath. "B-by the nine." His voice was but a horrified whisper.
His left hand was shaking, and sweat beaded on his brow while he sifted through the applications on the D-dial and made way towards the personnel list. He called for two Acolyte Vanguards to come forth from the device that was capable of storing anything, the butler had secretly stored a small contingent of the Black Vanguard personnel to serve on board the battlecruiser and provide assistance in the elimination of assassins and bounty hunters that somehow managed to gain access to information on Hel's whereabouts… but it was too early to call upon them all.
Red light filled the room, the D-dial was the source.
"Waaaaaah!" Came two screams combined as they were forcibly ejected from the mobile device and the two girls appeared, still wearing their combat attire, unfortunately they were the two most unsuccessful BVAs (Black Vanguard Agents) that existed in the chain of command, but they just… would not… die, no matter the mission or the danger.
"Hmmm, perhaps I can put these two to use after all." He stated turning away from the girls dressed in their black skin-tight body suits and powered armor. This suit enhanced the functionality of an operative and a very small number came with their own artificial intelligence, these two were not one of that small number.
From faces on floor, to feet and lined they went, and they saluted the mere butler of the Young Master - Earning nothing but an amused look from the man as he stood with the D-dial in hand.
"Senior Initiate Kiera, ready for action!" Shouted the first girl on the left, obviously the more assertive of the duo – but it was unimportant.
"Initiate Cel… reporting." She said hesitantly, like the FAILURE she was.
"Ah, yes." The butler stated, cleared his throat and adjusted his hold on the D-dial before he shoved the outrageous but useful device into his pocket once again. "Kiera and Cel." He mumbled and paused for a few moments.
'Now isn't the time to insult them for their total failure and stuff of that nature – threat level on earth is minimal but these two are the most loyal to their master and would follow any order at any moment and never betray him because of their own feelings… they are the perfect tools for the job… and they might finally die on this mission as well.' The butler thought to himself and returned the unnecessary salute with a half salute and his mouth slowly twisted into a dark smile.
"I am well aware of your past, and your mission records, but I have a single mission that is perfect for the two of you, time to put your feelings and loyalty to the test – The Master has disappeared from his quarters, utilizing Pyon- I mean… a teleportation device to make way towards the surface of Earth. Your task is to use his tracker on the D-dial, return it to him and take these as well." He explained the mission parameters and then pulled the now perfectly clean clothes out of the machine that washed and dried the young master's favorite Dark Vanguard Ensemble, also known as DVE – incorrectly pronounced as: deh-vee-ee.
It was Cel the FAILURE who took the ensemble and pulled the hood of the robes over the top of her head – followed by Kiera grabbing the rest of the ensemble and shoving the gauntlets, boots, and fatigues into a backpack she almost always kept slung over her shoulder.
The butler was at a loss for words, his jaw dropped at the sight of them so horribly mishandling Master Hel's favorite set of attire.
Then the duo of the Vanguard's two worst operatives was off, to find their unofficially officially retired leader.
Back on Earth.
The next thing the dark prince of Deviluke noticed was a room, the metal was curved and as were the walls. It was obvious that he was now in a room made with Devilukean
"Hel-kun, I want you to use your ability to turn into Rito." Lala pointed at his nose.
"Why?" He asked, strapped down to a chair with restraints around his wrists.
"So we can get Momo to stop trying to terminate you!" She said with a smile, and without trying to keep her voice down – but the room was sound proof and the door was closed after all.
"So you heard about that… and why are you so carefree about it as well?" Hel asked, though he was skeptical of her true intentions. "Anyway, what does turning into Rito have to do with this whole ordeal?"
"Ah, well that's simple – since this is Rito's house and seeing as how Momo is living here simply because Rito and Mikan allow it… I'm sure that you can use Rito's form to make her stop trying to put an end to you." Lala explained the ordeal.
"How is that going to help anything? I feel as though there's more to it than just that." Hel stated bluntly, his eyes filled with wonder – he finally got to do something on his future queen's request.
"Good question, " She stopped as Hel's entire body changed shape and even the clothes he was wearing changed into the set that Rito had been wearing before the group had left to purchase groceries.
His expression changed as well, "Huh? Wha, Lalaaaa! What am I doing strapped into this chair! Let me go! Lalaaaaa!" The doppelganger shouted, as he struggled to free himself from the bonds.
"Ahh… I forgot that your personality also changes when your form changes." Lala murmured, just like her to forget some details.
Helrito looked at his hands, they were shaking and he appeared to be dumbstruck, but the expression in his eyes suddenly changed. "Lala… what did make me do?" Hel asked and examined his hands, the transformation was complete and now he felt substantially weaker and slower… what is this?
"Transform, complete!" Lala announced to the lab, and her eyes were filled with wonder – like this was probably the best plan ever… probably.
"Lala… I feel kind of tired – I think transforming into your fiancé was a really bad idea – I've never used so much energy on this kind of thing before… I can feel myself slipping away – the Rito personality I created on the spot will probably …take …control …of… me… though…" His voice began to quickly trail off and he then stood there quietly for a few moments, with half-closed eyes followed by a yawn and then rapid blinking.
He lowered his head and it fell limp for a few moments, "So what did you bring me here for exactly, Lala?"
She smiled, "Just so I can test out my device that will turn you into Riko!"
"Wait – why did you want me to transform if you were just going to turn me into a different person anyway?" He asked, honestly – Lala's train of thought never ceased to confuse him.
"That's simple, because we turned Rito into a girl – but what if she became an actual person… and you're very good at instantly and subconsciously inventing new personalities on the spot…" She answered with a smile.
"Oh… thanks- W-wait what?! That's not exactly the issue here!" Hel exclaimed, "Are you just going to disregard my personality and throw me into the trash?"
"OF course not silly, we're just going to turn you into Riko and then try to replicate the process by which Run and Ren separated!" She exclaimed.
"I suppose its too late to say-"
"Koro Koro Danjo-Kun MK. III!" She drew an invention fashioned like a weapon and fired a beam of light from the device directly at his chest – causing him to go up into an explosion of smoke that filled the room.
A few moments of silence pass…
BOOOOM!
…More silence.