And on to chapter 2! Still got Writer's Block but I'm fighting it!

Enjoy!

I don't own Hetalia!

Demonic Romeo : Vol II

Rutovu~ihi watched as Rōman bustled around the restaurant kitchen, stirring pots and adding seasoning, if needed, and putting the meals together as the waiters and waitresses hurried in to take them out to the diners in the dining area. Rutovu~ihi was a 'warrior' or 'arch' angel with slicked-back blonde hair and pale blue eyes. He stood, out of the way, watching over Rōman who, he had been told, had come to the interest of a demon. Āsā stood beside Rutovu~ihi as Rōman put another meal together on put it on the shelf for collection.

"Tell me about this demon," Rutovu~ihi said to Āsā.

"I didn't hear his name," Āsā replied. "Brown hair, green eyes, Spaniard in life, judging by his accent and he was with three other demons. A black-haired demon called Arufureddo and Mashū said the blonde demon was called Furanshisu and the white-haired one was called Girubāto."

"Girubāto!"

"You know him?" Āsā asked. Rutovu~ihi nodded, reluctantly.

"My older bruder," he admitted. "He sold his soul in life to save his army group in WWII. He didn't need to, they would have survived anyway."

"Why do I see The Soul Thief's hand in that!" Āsā drily. Iwan or 'The Soul Thief' was well-known, even among angels and particularly to Āsā. Iwan seemed to specialize in corrupting souls in a way that would normally see those souls go to Heaven. It was almost like he was mocking Heaven.

"Because it was," Rutovu~ihi replied. "Großvater (Grandfather) was devastated when Girubāto went to Hell! Anyway, I believed your Spanish demon is called Ansonī. Großvater tries to keep tabs on Girubāto so he knows who he hangs around with."

"Arufureddo is apparently Mashū's older brother," Āsā revealed. "He thinks his brother may have sold his soul to save him from cancer."

"That sounds like one of Iwan's deals too," Rutovu~ihi commented. He would make a point of speaking with the young angel when he had a moment. He was probably blaming himself for his brother's fall but, the truth was, Iwan was very good at what he did. Too good!

Suddenly, Ferishiāno burst into the kitchen, followed by Mashū.

"Fratello!" he called out.

"What!" Rōman shouted. "And don't come running into the kitchen like that, idiota!"

"That's his brother?" Rutovu~ihi asked.

"Yes, that's Ferishiāno," Āsā replied. "You'll find it hard to find a purer soul." Mashū joined Rutovu~ihi and Āsā while Ferishiāno went to his brother. Mashū had been quieter than normal since the fight and coming face to face with his demon brother.

"Sorry, Fratello," Ferishiāno apologised. "I came to tell you, the Music Box is closing. Mr Edelstein was spotted by a music scout and he's going to be world famous!"

"Good!" Rōman replied. "That means you can ditch the Piano Bastard and come back here."

"Ve~," Ferishiāno said, sadly. "I'll miss listening to his music."

"If the Piano Bastard becomes world famous," Rōman swore. "You'll be able to listen to him on CD now make your damn self useful and help me with this." Ferishiāno picked up two of the meals Rōman had prepared and followed his brother to take them for collection.

"This is how he speaks to his bruder?" Rutovu~ihi frowned. Āsā chuckled.

"Believe it or not," he replied. "Rōman loves his brother. He just can't show it like everyone else."

"I hope so," the arch-angel replied, looking over at the two brothers. Something about the younger brother drew him, the innocence of his soul perhaps but that would be a draw to demons as well. But if Ferishiāno began working at the restaurant, it would make it easier for Rutovu~ihi to watch over both of them.

He hoped that would happen!

With Rutovu~ihi watching both brothers, Mashū returned to Heaven. Some of the higher angels wanted to talk to him about the situation with Arufureddo and, after seeing the brothers home, Āsā parted company with Rutovu~ihi and was making his way back to Heaven when he sensed the presence of a demon.

It had taken Arufureddo some time to find either angel from the fight and finally he had found one of them. He had hoped he would find Mashū but the other one would do. Besides, he was cute!

Āsā summoned his bow and arrow, preparing to fight. The black-haired demon approached with his hands up in truce.

"I come in peace," he said. "I just want to talk about Mashū." Āsā lowered the bow but kept it to hand. Arufureddo lowered his hands and walked forward slowly.

"How is he?"

"Quiet," Āsā replied.

"He was always quiet," Arufureddo commented.

"Quieter than normal," Āsā elaborated. "Finding out his brother's dead was bad enough! Finding out he's a demon! Well, it was quite a shock, Arufureddo!"

"So he told you," Arufureddo said.

"And the reason he thinks you might have sold your soul!"

"He blames himself, doesn't he?"

"Did you do it to save him from cancer?" Arufureddo looked down.

"I apologise for what I said about selling your soul," Āsā said, sincerely. Despite the result, what Arufureddo did was self-sacrificing. "It was very selfless." Arufureddo's head snapped up.

"Then why didn't Heaven let him live?" he snapped. "Mashū was the most wonderful brother that ever lived. Why couldn't Heaven leave him alone?"

"Heaven has no say," Āsā replied. "There's an order to the universe. When demons affect what's supposed to happen, the universe will change to bring about the original result, like a river flowing down hill. You can change its course but you can't make it flow uphill. It will only ever flow down. Heaven has nothing to do with it. It's our task to protect the souls, not to alter their lives. We know that's futile."

"So I was cheated!"

"By Iwan?" Āsā asked.

"You know Iwan?"

"Most angels do," Āsā replied. "Iwan's famous for corrupting souls in ways that, in normal circumstances, would see those souls go to Heaven. We call him 'The Soul Thief' and he's hated with a passion."

"I can think of a few demons that don't like him either," Arufureddo admitted with a chuckle. "Me included." Then Arufureddo's face took on a serious expression.

"I wanna to talk to Mashū," he said. "I wanna tell him it wasn't his fault. I made my own decisions, my fate's my own responsibility."

"You would have been a wonderful angel," Āsā replied. Arufureddo did not belong in Hell!

"With your skills, you'd be a great demon," Arufureddo said. "But I'm not an angel so there's no use dwelling on what can't be changed. Do you think Mashū will want to see me?"

"I think he will," Āsā answered. "But it depends on what the Higher-Ups tell him. Contact between angels and demons is not encouraged." Arufureddo nodded.

"It's not encouraged on our side, either," he commented. "Unless it involves fighting, of course but I need to see him!" Āsā got the feeling that he was seeing a little of Arufureddo as he was when he was human.

"I'll see what I can do," Āsā promised. "But I'm doing this for Mashū!"

"So am I!"

Iwan watched The Bāto·-tatchi· karutetto as they moved around Hell. The silver-blonde demon with the horns, wings and tail that matched his lavender/violet eyes knew that the three demons, along with that little upstart, Arufureddo, hated him and would love to bring him down. Speaking of Arufureddo, he had not been around for a while. Was he planning something against him? Him! The one even the angels called 'The Soul Thief'!

That was when Arufureddo flew in on his black wings and glided down to his friends. Ansonī greeted Arufureddo like usual but Furanshisu was a little tenuous. It was the look between Arufureddo and Girubāto that drew Iwan's attention. Like they were sharing a secret.

And Iwan was determined to find out what it was.

Ansonī behaved the same around Arufureddo but Furanshisu, who had been on the receiving end of Arufureddo's wrath, was more wary, not knowing why Arufureddo had lost it with him before, other than it was something to do with the violet-eyed angel. Only Girubāto knew the full truth and Girubāto had guessed why Arufureddo had gone back up to the surface. He only hoped a certain demon and his lackeys did not find out.

Speak of the devil! No pun intended! (Well, not much!)

Iwan glided across the punishment pits effortlessly, as if the screams of the damned were the wind keeping him aloft as he flew toward them. Arufureddo scowled as Iwan landed in front of them. The Russian demon smiled his child-like smile at them but everybody knew that smile hid a nature that even other demons would describe as vicious.

"Privet, comrades," he greeted. "And where have you been all day, Arufureddo?"

"What business is it of yours, Iwan?" Arufureddo snarled and the rest of the Bāto·-tatchi· karutetto looked at each other. It was like Arufureddo's dislike of Iwan had blossomed into full-blown hatred.

"I was thinking, perhaps you had gone up for some reason," Iwan smiled. "Perhaps to corrupt souls or hunt angels! Maybe we could do that together some time?"

"When Hell freezes over," Girubāto muttered, a favourite phrase among the denizens of Hell.

"We can corrupt souls and hunt angels on our own," Arufureddo snapped. "We don't need your help."

"Or perhaps you go up for another reason," Iwan just threw that out there to see Arufureddo's reaction but he did not expect Girubāto to react as well as both of them tensed up.

'So!' Iwan thought. 'Arufureddo does have another reason. And so does Girubāto, or at least, he knows about it. Ansonī and Furanshisu don't seem to be in on it though'

"Like I said," Arufureddo growled. "Mind your own business, Iwan!"

"As you wish, comrades," Iwan replied. "As you wish!" And he flew back over the pits but he looked back at the four demons, staring at him with contempt and smiled.

He would keep an eye on young Arufureddo!

Āsā considered the wisdom of what he was doing. Mashū and Arufureddo were brothers but Arufureddo was a demon. Would he try to use this opportunity to drag Mashū to Hell and corrupt him to make him a demon so they could be together? Āsā did not think so but he was risking Mashū's angelic light on his hunch but could he really keep him from his brother?

Āsā went straight to Mashū's chambers and knock on the door. At a muffled 'come in', Āsā pushed the door open and walked in to see Matthew sat in a window with his arms wrapped round his knees and Āsā had the feeling that the meeting with the Higher-Ups had not gone well. Mashū turned to see Āsā and then turned to look out of the window, staring at the Earth below and sighed.

"They said I should just forget him," he said, softly. Āsā cursed under his breath at the cruelty of such an comment. "How can I just forget my brother! Especially if he became a demon by selling his soul to save me."

"The Higher-Ups have been up there too long," Āsā huffed. "I don't think any of them have siblings, let alone demon siblings so they don't consider feelings when they make these suggestions. Gits!"

"Does this mean I can never see Arufureddo again?" Mashū asked, a tear crawling down his cheek.

"No," Āsā replied. "They're not completely heartless, they would just rather you didn't. There's always a chance that a demon will try to take his angel sibling to Hell to change them."

"But why?"

"So they can have their sibling with them," Āsā said. "You think we discourage contact between angels and demons, Hell is worse, violently so. Better to take their siblings to Hell and change them than maintain a secret relationship with them."

"Arufureddo wouldn't do that," Mashū replied, adamantly.

"Are you sure?" Āsā wanted to know before he told Mashū what had happened on Earth.

"Arufureddo could be a little thoughtless," Mashū admitted. "Even obnoxious sometimes but, when it counted, he would always go the extra mile to help me. He would always do what was best for me. I can't believe he would change so much." Āsā looked down at his feet.

"So you'd want see him again if you could?," he asked.

"Yes!" Āsā looked up into Mashū's eyes.

"He wants to see you!"

"What?"

"He approached me, down on Earth," Āsā admitted. "He wants to talk to you, if you're willing." Mashū practically leapt from the window.

"Of course I am," he said, excitedly. "When can I go?"

"We!" Āsā replied, adamantly. "I'm going with you. You might believe Arufureddo won't drag you to Hell, I'm not so sure." Mashū wrapped his arms around Āsā and hugged him.

"Thank you, Āsā!"

"Did you find him?" Girubāto visited Arufureddo in his rooms, knowing he had been looking for his brother on the surface.

"I didn't find Mashū," Arufureddo replied. "But I found the other one. I think I've convinced him to help me see my brother."

"What are you going to do if you do see him?"

"What do you mean?"

"Are you going to bring him down here?" Girubāto asked.

"Would you drag Rutovu~ihi down here?" Girubāto shook his head.

"I want to convince him that this is not his fault," Arufureddo replied. "I remember what Mashū was like in life. He'll blame himself for this."

"Just hope certain demons don't find out about this," Girubāto warned and they both thought of one demon in particular. Arufureddo did not fear Iwan on his own account but if he found out, Iwan might target Mashū.

"The Awesome me has your back!"

Āsā sat in the restaurant as Rōman was working as a waiter this time, Ferishiāno having taken over the food preparation. Rutovu~ihi hovered nearby as Rōman delivered meals and collected empty plates, smiling to the faces of the customers and cursing some of them for leaving food, a stingy tip or not leaving one at all, under his breath. Āsā wondered what Rōman's reaction would be if he knew about all the otherworldly attention he was attracting. There had been no sign of the Spanish demon but demons were known for biding their time so Rōman would have a heavenly bodyguard for a while yet.

A movement outside the window outside the window caught Āsā's eye and he turned to see Arufureddo outside. He nodded to Āsā and went around the corner of the building. Āsā turned back to Rutovu~ihi and indicated that he was going outside. Rutovu~ihi nodded and Āsā left the restaurant.

He went around the corner he had seen Arufureddo go around and found him leaning against the wall, his black wings curling around him like a cocoon. Āsā found it difficult to think of him as a demon now. More like a dark, fallen angel.

"If we're going to keep doing this, Arufureddo," Āsā said. "You might as well know my name. I'm Āsā." Arufureddo smiled a smile that did not belong on the face of a demon.

"Pleasure to meet you, Āsā," he replied. "Have you spoken to Mashū?" Āsā nodded.

"He'll see you," he said. "But I'll be there when he does. You understand I can't take the risk that you'll try to take Mashū with you when you return to Hell." Arufureddo nodded. He was glad his brother had this wonderful angel looking out for him.

"I wouldn't do that to Mashū," Arufureddo replied. "But if it makes you feel better, I can go along with that." Āsā smiled.

"Mashū will be here tomorrow with me," Āsā said. "Watching over Ferishiāno. I'll arrange for us to be able to meet you. Can you make it tomorrow?"

"I'll manage it somehow," Arufureddo promised, pushing himself away from the wall.

"I'll see you tomorrow then," Āsā turned to leave.

"Āsā!" Āsā turned back.

"Thank you!" Then Arufureddo surprised Āsā by leaning forward and kissed him lightly on the lips.

Arufureddo had surprised himself when he kissed the angel. He found Āsā attractive but he never thought he would go so far. But the kiss was so wonderful, he could not leave it there.

He took Āsā's face in both hands and kissed the angel more firmly. From the building roof, the demon saw it all.

"What are you doing, Arufureddo?" Girubāto muttered.

And it begins! Just a thank you kiss but Arufureddo has a taste now and you can bet he'll want another one!

To Shadow's party girl 96 – Thank you. I hope you enjoy the rest of the story! :)

To themusicalcat – There'll be more! True, it is sad but Iwan is a specialist at this kind of corruption :( but one person did escape him as you'll find out soon :D. I noticed that about the names too. I think the Japanese version of Ludwig's name is pronounced Roo'toe've'shi. At least, that's what it sounds like on Google Translate!

To Scarlet Phantom/MidnightAbsol/Sylveon-of-Melody – Thank you! :D I've never seen 'Gray Garden', I'll have to check it out. And I hope you do enjoy the rest of this story! :) (It's still not finished but I know where I'm going with it!)

To ArtemisIsis13 – I know what you mean! I have to hear some of the words to be able to pronounce them! Poor Mashū is very guilt-ridden right now :( and Arufureddo would have made a good angel and would have been if not for the whole 'selling his soul' to do it (there'll be more on that as the story goes on). I'm lucky in the fact that when I'm typing Arufureddo, I get so far and the rest comes up in highlight and I just have to press enter :). And meet again they will!

And it's over for another week! Arufureddo learns a little of Āsā's reputation among the demons with Girubāto and Furanshisu giving words of warning and Iwan takes more than a passing interest in the Bāto·-tatchi· karutetto's actions!

Till next week,

Hasta la Pasta!