Disclaimer: Beelzebub belongs to the rightful owner. Only the plot is mine…

A/N: Sorry for the long wait, dear Readers. Since the last chapter came out around seven months ago, I recommend you to reread the last scene of it. Enjoy this one…

Only know you've been high when you're feeling low,
Only hate the road when you're missing home.
Only know you love her when you let her go.
And you let her go.

"Let Her Go" – by Passenger

Chapter 14: Let her go

A kiss on the hand was a sign of politeness; a kiss on the cheek was a sign of friendship. And a kiss on the lips was a way to show one's love. Hilda had witnessed many kissing scenes before – thanks to her beloved soap operas. She always thought how nasty that looked, considering that the people were only acting and they didn't even bear feelings towards each other. The idea of virtually being glued to a man, who you might like, and tasting the whole ingredients of his mouth just irked her. She wondered why showing your affection towards your beloved one had to be in such an inappropriate and… just that way when you might infect each other with innumerable bacteria.

She had all those prejudices until that moment.

Until she shared that kiss with Oga.

Saying that Hilda was unprepared would be a huge understatement. It all happened in less than a minute but the events processed for her very slowly. After she felt his iron grip on her arm, Hilda's body stopped obeying her. It wasn't the first time that Oga grabbed at her arm in impulse. However, his fingers didn't leave her enough room to escape this time and they actually hurt. The slight pain awoke her from the previous trance like state when he pulled at her arm and turned her around. Different faces flashed by her vision till her eyes and lips met his.

Startled by the sudden encounter and a closeness as never before, she defensively squeezed her eyes. Her body froze on the spot and she felt a chilliness as if the whole world stopped turning. Nevertheless, she was sane enough to know that it was still turning – even if her own world seemed to have stopped a while ago. The source of the bitter coldness was none other than Oga himself.

His body – his gripping hand and lips – possessed an iciness which seemed to extract her own body heat. Oga didn't budge as he let out a harsh breath. It passed her skin like a strong wind and seemed to be the only heat source around her now. Hilda didn't shift, too, or she rather didn't dare to move one limb and stood there stiffly without taking a single breath. She was completely oblivious of her behavior and surroundings. How much time had already passed while she was absorbed in her aimless thoughts? What were the others thinking while all that occurred in front of them? What was Oga thinking?

What was he thinking?

He didn't have the slightest idea how difficult it was for Hilda to make that decision. Say either she didn't want to return with Behemoth or she didn't want to leave her new life in Ishiyama. She didn't know which of those weighted more and which was more accurate to her current situation. However, the last few days made her believe – even if it was little by little – that she was attracted by Oga Tatsumi's actions a tiny bit. Albeit, the same few days provided her reasons to distance herself from him. Given that she was additionally pressed for time; that was why she unexpectedly decided to leave with her stepfather.

Until he kissed her.

Just what the heck was he thinking? Why did he do that now, of all times? Was that his way to stop her? To prevent her from leaving? If so, there would be many other rational ways to do so. God damnit, why, why, why the hell did he have to kiss her?!

Why had it to be with Oga?

Hilda opened her eyes hesitatingly. Then, what she saw in that moment, multiplied her shock tenfold. Oga's fierce eyes were open and stared at someone… something – just anything behind her. Never before had she witnessed such a cold, ruthless gaze of him or anyone else. If looks could kill, nobody would survive the presence of that man in front of her right now.

With all her might, she pushed him away. It hardly made an impact on him though; he barely made a step back and let go of her wrist. It was the first time that he looked into her eyes there. Hilda couldn't perceive what sort of expression she was showing that moment but as soon as Oga looked at her, his face relaxed somehow. As Hilda watched her own reflection in his eyes, the current darkness within there seemed to slowly fade away. Apparently and to Hilda's disappointment, he became aware of his action only then.

Her palm hit his face the next second. Hilda slapped him half-heartedly but the bruise and ache was evident. She panted heavily with her hand still sprawled out and her mind exclaimed one question again and again.

Why him?!

She stayed silent and paid no attention to the spectators when she turned around. Nobody else wasted a single word on that matter ever again. The students of Ishiyama watched the motionless Oga and Hilda's retreating back. She passed Behemoth and Jabberwock and left with them that minute.

Above all, she wondered about Oga's reason why he had to steal her first kiss.

Why had it to be with him?

It had been a few days since Hilda left the school, the Oga household or seemingly their entire life. Nobody talked about her or what had happened that day. Not even the teachers provided information on her fast departure, which was a clear sign of Behemoth's big influence.

Hilda left them as quickly as she came.

That was the impression of the students in Ishiyama. However, could it be that easy for some – for two certain people to be more precise – to ignore everything and live as if nothing had happened?

One of those two was sitting on his chair in the classroom and stared at the two empty seats next to him. He let out a deep sigh in frustration and rested his head on his desk.

"Furuichi-kun." Kunieda came to him, sharing the same cheerless mood. "Did you get in touch with Oga-kun?"

Furuichi glanced at her and shook his head. Kunieda nodded understandingly and took her own seat. Since Hilda left, Oga also didn't come to school. The others leaded their lives as if everything was normal. None of them revealed how bothered they were by Behemoth and Jabberwock's infiltration. Leave Oga's personal affairs aside, that incident was a defeat for whole Ishiyama and a point for the Akumano Academy, also known as the Demons. Nonetheless, they had to take the humiliation for now and wait for their time. As long as Oga wouldn't do anything for the time being, neither would they. Sooner or later, he would return and they just had to wait patiently.

Of course, the silver-haired had tried to call his best friend many times. All Oga did was text him a simple "I'm home don't worry". Furuichi guessed right that Oga would be at home by Beel's side all the time. He deliberately didn't visit them since Oga should need some time to rest mentally. What Furuichi didn't consider was that Oga would stay away for a complete week and isolate himself from everyone. Therefore, Furuichi decided to drop by him this time.

After school, he supplied some junk food that Oga always nourished on to cheer him up. On second thought, could food cure lover's grief?

On third thought, who would have thought that Oga would get lovesick?!

Sure, it might be too early to say that. Furuichi had already noticed that the blonde was somehow special to his friend, even if Oga didn't admit or see it himself. Though, his last act was a clear sign of what he felt for her, even if Oga had claimed the opposite before. Furuichi was shocked by that kiss, not because it was news to him, but Oga's timing was very unexpected in his opinion. Knowing him, Furuichi believed that it would take years until Oga became aware of his feelings and confessed to Hilda. Maybe, his timing was the reason why she didn't approve Oga's lov-… affection and left.

Maybe, Hilda didn't feel the same way as Oga.

As he arrived at Oga's home, Furuichi knocked on the door. Oga opened it much faster than Furuichi guessed. It was the same usual Oga just with a striking anomaly.

"What happened to your eye?!" was the first thing Furuichi burst out without a word of greeting.

"Get in." Oga hissed emotionlessly and strolled lazily to the living room.

They sat down on the couch and Furuichi's gaze landed on Oga's lightly swollen eye again. "Did you get into a fight?" he asked less panicked, since Oga seemed to be fine, but a little worried.

The dark-haired rested his elbows on his knees and bent forward. He sighed and answered absent-mindedly. "I tried smokin'…"

Furuichi blinked in confusion. "Smoking? How can you get this wound by smoking?!" he thought in disbelief and asked asininely, "…did you fall on the lighter or what?", and added loudly after a short pause. "Wait, did you say smoking?!"

Oga rolled his eyes. "Damn, you're as fast as ever…!"

"He tried…" a third, female voice spoke from the kitchen and joined the two. "But he'll never try again. I've made sure of that!" she cracked her knuckles.

"M-Misaki!" Seeing her, Furuichi understood the cause of Oga's swollen eye. "What are you doing here?"

Misaki glared at him. "It's weird that my lovely little brother asked me the same yesterday. Am I that unwanted here?"

"That's not what I meant…" Furuichi sweatdropped and grinned nervously.

"Anyway, I've cleaned up the kitchen." Misaki turned to Oga, who was looking out of the window incuriously.

"I didn't ask you to." Oga murmured still audible to his sister.

"You're welcome!" she responded with her teeth clenched and tried to stay calm. "So, would you bring out the garbage then?"

"Haa?!" Oga wanted to protest. "Can't you just take it out when you leav-… hmpf!" He couldn't finish his sentence when Misaki's shoe landed on his face.

"Am I your personal maid or what?! Just get the hell out of here and go for a blow!"

Oga cursed lowly under his breath but obeyed her anyway and slammed the door behind his back. Furuichi watched them in silence so far and didn't want to incur the wrath of Misaki. He stood up tensely. "Well, since Oga seems to be fine for now, I should better-…"

"Sit down, Takachin." She commanded earnestly.

Furuichi gulped and did as he was told instantly. He respected and probably feared Misaki as much as Oga did, if not more.

Misaki took a seat next to him. "What happened to Tatsumi?"

Furuichi wasn't expecting that and was surprised by her question. "E-excuse me…?"

She scowled at him menacingly. "Don't play dumb! You're the only person who knows him better than I do." Hearing that, Furuichi didn't know whether he should be flattered. Her next words surprised him more though. "Does it have to do something with Hilda-chan?"

"… what?"

"Hilda, that blonde bombshell!" Misaki brooded over their encounter again. "That's her name, right?"

"How do you know Hilda-san?" Furuichi spoke out his thoughts.

"I've met her here before since she's taking care of Beel. Tatsumi and you are lucky 'cos you have a nice classmate like her." she told honestly.

Furuichi thought about her words and agreed to them. Hilda loved Baby Beel and took care of him as much as Oga did. Not only the infant, but she unconsciously raised Oga, too, more or less. Since Oga addressed himself to the tasks of a father, he neglected himself. But when Hilda entered the Oga household, she created order in his chaotic life. The barbaric ogre became more patient, lively or even happier… you could say that Hilda tamed him. And now that she was gone, Oga truthfully became an ogre living in a cave.

Interpreting the silence, Misaki leaned back and crossed her arms. "So it is about her…"

Furuichi was caught off guard and couldn't deny it. He didn't tell Misaki, who was oblivious of Oga and Hilda's cohabitation, everything though. "Hilda-san has left our school…"

Another moment of silence filled the room before Misaki broke it. "I see." She stood up to leave before her brother returned. "Takachin, please take care of Tatsumi in my place. He needs you even if he doesn't say it."

"Misaki, wait. Where are you going?" Furuichi called her to no avail.

She revealed a determined look but didn't say anything. After leaving the apartment, she took the elevator while Oga went upstairs.

In a shaded room in Behemoth's mansion, Hilda was lying on a huge bed. She wanted to sleep – sleep unendingly to forget everyone and everything around her. Quite the contrary, there were many occasions which prevented her from sleeping peacefully. A couple of weeks ago, terrible dreams had hindered her to sleep primarily. She didn't have that former nightmare anymore though because she resorted to the source of it by choice.

Now, Hilda was standing in the middle of her nightmare.

A blue-haired maid knocked on the door and entered the room. She respectfully bowed although Hilda wasn't facing her. "Hildegarde-sama, Master Behemoth wishes to eat dinner and is waiting for you-…"

"I'm sleeping, Isabella." Hilda interrupted in an annoyed tone.

"But the Master-…" The maid called Isabella wanted to say something but Hilda's glare was enough to quieten her. "… I understand."

Isabella wanted to leave when Hilda stopped her. "Has Jabberwock returned yet?"

"I'm afraid he hasn't, Hildeg-..." Hilda's glare darkened. "… Hilda-sama."

"You can leave." Hilda dismissed the maid, who bowed anew and did as she was told.

Hilda turned around and squeezed her pillow on her face as if she was trying to sleep. Rather, she wanted to turn off her brain, mind, feelings and memories – just everything including the whole world. She didn't leave that room much since she had returned to her stepfather's place. Behemoth would send a maid several times to check on her. Although the mansion was kept tightly under surveillance by his men, she would be able to escape somehow or other and Behemoth didn't put it past her.

The truth was that Hilda didn't intend to leave for the time being. Where would she go anyway? Lately, there was a place that she had started considering as 'home'. But now, there was no way that she could return to that place.

She couldn't return to Oga's side.

Ever since she came back to the mansion, she was wondering why she decided to leave Ishiyama predominantly. Many reasons pushed her literally towards Behemoth or rather, away from Oga. Anyway, the main reason wasn't that she was pressured for time back then. It wasn't that she had an odd feeling after seeing Jabberwock again. It wasn't that she was afraid of her stepfather's potency to ruin Ishiyama in case of she disobeyed.

No, the main reason was one line – one statement of Oga himself that she overheard by accident and tried to suppress all the time.

"I can't love Hilda."

The moment his voice rang in hear head, she felt a big lump in her throat which made it hard for her to breath. Once, Hilda had read in a magazine that memories, which you didn't want to remember from the bottom of your heart, could be somehow locked up by your mind as if you had never experienced them. She was almost able to do that or successfully ignore those words' indescribable impact on her for a while.

Then, he had suddenly done that contradicting act at the worst place and time. That act had reminded her of those words as if one would push a dagger already stabbed in your body much deeper.

"I can't love Hilda."

"Damnit!" she threw the pillow aimlessly and shut her eyes and ears. Why would somebody kiss a person that he didn't love? Not even Oga was that much of a fool that his words and actions didn't match each other. The only explanation would be that one of them – either his action or his words – was a lie. Each of the possibilities increased her wrath even more that she didn't want to think further about it.

Each possibility… meaning that either the kiss was fake… or Oga did really lov-…

"NO!" she scolded herself and interrupted her chain of thought. Hilda didn't believe in love. She stopped believing in love between two people recently. She didn't even believe that her own mother had loved her. She never did…

The only person who had ever loved her was her late father.

Thus, she only believed in parental love. A father's love to his own child wasn't fake. The way how her father had loved her… and how Oga loved Beelze…

Yes, he loved Beelze.

But not her.

She was fine with that since she never expected such an affection from him. She didn't even intend to have a relationship like that with him.

"I can't love Hilda."

Nevertheless, why were his words hurting her that much?

Hilda almost felt tears building up in her eyes when the door opened with a loud noise. The person who stepped in without permission wasn't a maid but Behemoth in person.

"Get out!" Hilda hissed icily with a dark glare. Her opponent didn't seem to be affected by it though.

"Get ready. We're attending a party."

"You can go to hell or anywhere but without me!" she turned around and faced the wall. "And now, leave!"

Behemoth wasn't pleased to hear her answer. He clenched the jewel box in his free hand and threw it on the bed next to her head. "I didn't ask you to come. We're leaving in an hour, so make sure you put on something decent."

Hilda adjusted herself to a sitting position and scowled even darker. In return, Behemoth just revealed a sneaky grin. "Blame your damn father for it, you little whore! You have to keep up with this sort of stuff for the next two years. This is what you are here for!" he left with a deafening laugh.

"Curse you!" Hilda grabbed the closest object to her, namely the jewel box, and threw it at the door.

Once a year in the first December Sunday, many enterprises would assemble in a luxurious meeting at a high-class hotel. Some of them would donate goods such as cars, paintings or jewelry – whatever their company was producing and known for. The less, grand companies would buy those goods at an auction. However, donating their money for charity wasn't their prior motive though. For them, it was like a power struggle to demonstrate their wealth and outplay their rivals.

Another reason for the assembly was, much to Hilda's displease, gathering successors of the companies in one place, arranging a marriage between them and merging the enterprises that way. Way too many men – some of them were in Behemoth's age, if not older – were already gaping at her although she decided to wear a black, long loose dress that didn't show much skin. She didn't even put the jewelry on which Behemoth wanted her to wear – just another show of his wealth. With her hair tied to a single ponytail and a plain makeup, she looked much older than sixteen but still gorgeous enough for the spectators.

"Well, whom do we have here?" a male approached her from behind. Hilda recognized his annoying voice immediately though. "What a rare sight to see you at a place like this."

Hilda could say the same about him if she was interested in a conversation. Instead, she only met him with an indifferent expression.

Behemoth greeted the newcomer with a dishonest smile. "The youngster Himekawa. What a good coincidence to see you here. Has your father sent you in his place this year?"

Himekawa just glanced at him and answered rather to Hilda. "My old man is quite busy. That's why I have to show my humble self here."

The elder man laughed. "You young ones nowadays; it's hard to motivate you. Well, this is also part of business, so stop complaining."

"I'm about to leave this crap anyway. Wanna join me, Blondie?" Himekawa suggested to Hilda, who showed the same disinterest.

Before she could refuse, her stepfather spoke in her place. "What a good idea. My dear Hildegarde was starting to get bored, too."

"What?!" Hilda hissed at him dangerously with the urge to strangle him right there.

"Himekawa-kun, would you allow us a father-daughter talk for a moment?" Himekawa nodded and went off to get his chauffeur. Behemoth grabbed Hilda's upper arm and lowly spoke to her then. "Listen, you may be useful to me this one time, so do as I tell you."

Hilda pulled back her arm angrily. "You bastard! Is that how you behave in Jabberwock's absence?! You're lower than I thought!"

"Don't be a fool!" Behemoth glowered. "You've caught his interest. Do you know what it means to be on good terms with the Himekawa Company? Just go along and accompany him a little for the rest of the evening."

"Are you ready?" Himekawa came back, ready to leave.

"Tch!" Hilda grabbed her bag and left with him.

Outside, a car was already waiting for them with the driver and another servant. "Alright, you guys can leave." Himekawa demanded and dismissed them.

"Yes, Master Tatsuya." The servant bowed before leaving the couple alone.

"Wait, are you telling me it'll only be the two of us?" Hilda asked skeptically, wondering whether Himekawa could even drive a car – legally or not.

Himekawa grinned at her mischievously. "What, you don't trust me?" he asked teasingly. "Wanna go back in there to your detested bastard of a father?"

Hilda watched him for a moment. If it were another person in there, she definitely wouldn't play along with that and go home. However, she somehow knew that Himekawa wouldn't try a foul act on her.

Not after their last conversation back in school.

On second hand, Himekawa made her more at ease than those rich strangers at the party. Even if it was just a little, Himekawa reminded her of her time in Ishiyama and he was a former classmate more or less. Anyway, leaving the party was the best thing at the moment, no matter how or with whom she left.

Hilda got in the car and so did Himekawa. She observed him from the corner of her eyes and asked. "You knew it, right?"

Himekawa started the engine and replied haughtily. "Although I know quite a lot, you need to be more precise, sweetheart!"

The last name earned him another glare. "You knew that Behemoth would allow you to go out with me." Although Hilda herself didn't consider that a date.

And neither did Himekawa. He became serious and started driving. "I know how that son of a bitch works. It's his fault that many of our trading partners went bankrupt and vanished from the surface. Buying little companies and eliminating everyone who opposes him, that's how Behemoth's power has grown for the past few years." That wasn't any news to Hilda. She continued to listen to him anyway. "My company is the only one working independently of his influence. Independent and more successful." It wasn't a sign of arrogance but a matter of fact. "That's why he would do everything to grab our attention, even if it means to sell his own daughter."

"Tsk! Don't talk as if I'm his biological offspring."

"It wouldn't matter." Himekawa commented dryly. "Believe me, Behemoth would do everything for power."

He was right and Hilda agreed to that. Silence filled the air between them until Hilda broke it. "Since your strategy worked out, where the heck are we going?"

Himekawa grinned again and pedalled stronger. "Where the real party is!"

"We're here." Himekawa stated as they got off.

"The San Marx Academy?" Hilda looked at the huge building. She was familiar with that school since Behemoth wanted her to study there. Because she had no interest in it, she intentionally failed the entrance exam though.

"So you know it. Not that I've expected less from you…" Himekawa walked to the two men at the entrance.

"We've already waited for you, Himekawa-sama." The men bowed respectfully. They also greeted Hilda respectfully. "Welcome to the San Marx Academy, Milady."

She ignored them and turned to Himekawa. "What the hell are we doing here? If you want me to accompany you to some damn prom-…"

"Just wait and see." Himekawa interrupted her and stepped in. "She's with me." he told the doormen and pointed his thumb back at Hilda.

"If this is some kind of a joke…" Hilda thought in distrust but followed him anyway.

Two other servants greeted them inside and escorted them to the elevator, which brought them a few floors down. Loud yelling and cheering reached their ears before they finally landed at their destination and got off. Hilda didn't expect an event like that there.

A crowd of noble people were gathered, sitting on bleachers around an encaged ring.

A/N: Well, Hilda left. Don't tell me you hate me for separating them, please. If she decided to stay with Oga and Beel, the story would end much faster and you don't want this to happen, right?! *nervously-grinning* Four days later, this story will have its 4th anniversary. Honestly, I've never imagined that it'd be ongoing for so long and I still have no idea when it'll be finished! But I can tell you, if I had to divide the story in three parts, this chapter would be the beginning of the second part. More revelations will await you about the newest characters and our heroine herself…

Back to the plot, I've kept Oga's POV to a minimum since I had to catch up on Hilda's reaction to that 'can't-love' line of Oga. Also, Jabberwock will make his entrance next chapter again and I only focused on Hilda's bad relationship with her stepfather.

So far for now and I'm afraid to accidentally give spoilers here. I'm very pleased to read your wonderful reviews on the last chapter. Thank you very much, dear Readers!

For further updates and regarding the other stories, please have a look at my profile for announcements or PM me. But I can assure you that I won't abandon any of them.

~Illusion137