Another day, another late-night shift. The same dull patrol routes, with no action or anything remotely interesting. Matt had hoped working with his brother directly under the Sins themselves would have been more eventful, not just doing lame security guard jobs. Today was his lucky day though, as a loud 'thud' came from the dark in the generator room, too loud to be any of the small creatures that normally crawled throughout the room.
"WHO'S THERE?!" Matt yelled out, his nerves rising in excitement as something interesting was finally happening in his drab work week. He started to inch towards Vigne's and Satania's location.
'What do we do?' Satania mouthed. Vigne however was struck with fear while Gabriel and Raphiel could only watch silently.
"Aha! Freeze!" The guard yelled, with his bright flashlight aimed right at Satania and Vigne. "What're you doing down here?"
"W-w-w-well officer-"
"HAHAHAHA, for it is I, the great archdemon Satania Kurumizawa McDowell! I required transportation to hidden parts of hell, and as a lower demon, I implore you to give me and my friends access!" Satania gawked.
"Wait Kurumizawa? THE KURUMIZAWA?!"
"You know HER?!" Vigne asked, stupefied.
"Of course I do!" the guard said excitedly.
" My name echoes far and -"
"My wife and I love her family's bread! Their bakery is the best in our whole neighborhood!" Muffled laughter could be heard from the other side of the room.
"Holy crap! Matt..angels! HERE!" the other guard said while roughly pushing Raphiel and Gabriel out of their hiding spots.
"Watch it man!" Gabriel shouted at the demon. The brother pulled out two small cubes, in the blink of an eye the devices expanded and formed chains binding Raphiel's and Gabriel's wrists.
"What the-?" Gabriel tried and repeatedly failed to jerk her hands free from the binds.
"Uh oh." Raphiel muttered.
"Nice one Damien! We can finally use these shiny toys. I call shooting the small one!" Matt cheered.
"I got next." Damien said moving out of the blast range. "WHAT?!" the four girls yelled. Matt aimed his rifle at Gabriel, the chrome finish glinting as a blue pulse began to flow through it.
"H-h-hold on! Maybe we can talk this out!" Vigne said as she jumped between Matt and Gabriel.
"No can do girly. We're just following orders. Don't make me shoot you - hey, wait a minute. Have I seen you before? You look familiar..."
"Nope! No you have not but if you could just put the gun away-"
"Pass. Look either two angels are dying or two angels and a stupid demon are dying tonight."
"I-I know! How about a deal with the bakery you love so much!" Vigne said as her eyes looked to Satania pleading for her to play along.
"R-right! Of course! If you let the angels live then the Kurumizawa bakery will supply your family with our famous bread every week for 1 month!"
"Make it a year." Matt retorted.
"6 months." Satania countered back. Matt narrowed his eyes and aimed his rifle at Gabriel again.
"SATANIA!" Gabriel yelled.
"Fine! A year's worth!"
"Deal." He shook Satania's hand. "The handcuffs are staying on though."
"Come on!" Gabriel yelled.
"Really?" Raphiel sighed.
"Hey I'm not losing this job! Pays too damn well to sacrifice." Matt responded.
"Come on Matt, stop bickering and shuffle them in the police truck. The Cardinal Sin of Lust should be in Roodkloof at this time. We can report to her." Damien said exiting the room.
"Uhhhhh..couldn't we go to any other Sin? Like any other one at all?" Vigne asked nervously.
"Nope. She's the closest and she's the one who stationed us here anyway so we'd be going to her regardless." Damien responded.
"Of course she did." Vigne sighed, entering the blacked out armored vehicle last.
"What are we supposed to do now?" Gabriel asked.
"Not much with these things on." Raphiel responded, jiggling the handcuffs. "There's gotta be something we can do! Angels getting handed off to the Sins is not gonna end well." Satania said.
"No crap. Next time look before you jump!" Gabriel barked.
"At least I can land!" While the two bickered Raphiel watched on in amusement while the person who would normally break them up remained silent in thought. 'This is just perfect. I don't have the energy to-'
"Well Vigne agrees with me! Right Vigne?" Gabriel said, looking for support in her argument.
"Huh? Oh, yep! Uh..what are we talking about?"
"How we're all screwed once we get to whoever this Cardinal Sin is." Gabriel said.
"Oh...right." Gabriel eyed Vigne's gloomy face.
"You okay? You've been really quiet since we got in this moving box."
"I'm fine, but don't worry about meeting the Sin. It'll work out."
"How can you be so sure?" Raphiel asked.
"You'll see." Vigne answered before resting her head against the door of the SUV.
"How the hell can four girls talk so much!?" Matt yelled back to the cabin.
"Relax Matt. We're here." Damien said, turning the car off.
The group stepped out of the SUV and into a dark garage. "This way." The girls were led into an elevator, and Matt pressed the top button, floor 13. The doors closed and the elevator whirred to life as it shot up towards the top floor.
"Please tell me I'm not the only one who's nervous." Gabriel whispered to Raphiel. "We're in the same boat on that one." Raphiel whispered back.
Once the elevator arrived , the group walked up to two grand blood red doors, which Matt banged on twice. "Enter" a feminine voice ordered. The room was minimalist but elegant, with white walls, a velvet red carpet and a large window in the back. The only furniture consisted of a black desk paired with a large black swivel chair and two chairs in front of the desk for visitors. A single photo frame and two sleek desktop monitors rested on top of the desk. The owner of the feminine voice was viewing the bustling city through the window view from her chair behind the desk. After dragging the girls to the center of the room the guards stood at attention. "Sin of Lust Lilith! We found four trespassers at the restricted site. Two of them were angels."
"And you brought them here?" Lilith swiveled her chair to face the group, a glass of white wine in her hand. Long. silky hair in a very recognizable shade of indigo spilled down to her back. A sleeveless black dress hugged her slim body and ended at her knees. A pair of rose-pink eyes were hidden behind black-framed glasses. "I believe my direct orders for angels were to shoot on-" her jaw slacked as she finally saw the full group.
"Hey Auntie…" Vigne muttered.
"A-Ahem. Well done. I will take it from here. You are dismissed." Lilith said. The two brothers glanced at each other quizzically then back to Lilith.
"But Sin Lilith the angels-" Damien began.
"Will be punished by me personally . Of course you will receive a generous bonus on your next payday for escorting them here with public discretion, and for keeping mum about this." Lilith finished, winking as she placed her finger in a 'shush' motion.
"O-of course Sin Lilith! We'll be heading back now. Don't forget our deal !" Matt grinned at Satania before him and his brother left the room and the large doors closed again.
"You're really gonna give him all that bread Satania?" Raphiel asked.
"We always have leftovers sitting around. He won't know the difference." Satania smirked.
"Well played."
"HOWWW'S MY CUTE WITTLE BABY NIECE!" Lilith squealed while leaping from her desk and crushing Vigne in a bear hug.
"You don't call, you don't write, you barely even visit me these days!" she said while stroking Vigne's head.
"Eeeee mffffed uuu too." Vigne muffled into Lilith's chest.
"Uhhh..." Gabriel trailed off as the the three awkwardly watched the exchange between the two.
"Oh! Right, you all probably need an explanation since my dear niece most likely never mentioned a word of me." Vigne gasped for air as Lilith finally freed her.
"I am Lilith Tsukinose, the current Sin and paragon of lust. It's a pleasure to meet my nieces little friends." Both angels' jaws dropped.
"Pftt hahahaHAHAHAHA! W-wait wait. You're telling me punctual, perfect, goody-two shoes Vigne is related to a Cardinal Sin?! That's RICH! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA" Satania laughed madly.
"You must admit, the juxtaposition is pretty funny." Raphiel said to Vigne, who was currently glaring at all of them.
"Its nice to finally meet the 1st and 2nd highest graduating angels in their class."
"You know us?" Gabriel asked.
"Well platinum over there is the heiress to our largest trade partner after all. And you - well a little fly told me a lot about you." Lilith said, lifting Gabriel's face up by the chin forcing her to make eye contact.
"Uhhhhhh…." Gabriel trailed off, blushing madly.
"And I'm the great Satania Kurumi-"
"The little bakery demon." Lilith said, never breaking contact with the now crimson red Gabriel.
"Stop teasing her auntie!" Vigne yelled.
"Ohoho! Of course! Now that introductions are out of the way, care to tell me why two angels and two demons illegally sneaked into hell?" she asked, her cheerful demeanor instantly swapped to serious one, freezing all four girls on the spot. 'Crap.' Satania mentally facepalmed. Before anyone could respond knocking could be heard from outside the office.
"Oops! I almost forgot I had visitors coming." Vigne's face paled at that. "Not 'those' types of visitors Vigne. That group session is for tomorrow night." Lilith added with a wink.
"TOO MUCH INFO AUNTIE!"
"Come now, this way!" The older demon lead the girls into her connected luxurious penthouse suite. Lilith opened the front door to two demons, a tall one with a wide grin on her face and a short one whose face screamed 'I want to be anywhere but here'.
"Yo Lily!"
"Hey."
"These two are my guests: Invidia, the current Sin of Envy and Beelzebub the current Sin of Greed and Gluttony."
A little taller than Raphiel, Beelzebub had shoulder cut black hair with orange highlights and bright orange eyes . She sported a black open blazer with an orange and black striped t-shirt underneath, a t-shirt that was stretched to its limit due to her large bust. Jeans and flats completed her outfit and translucent orange and black wings jutted out of her back, instead of the usual bat shaped ones. Invidia was the complete opposite both in appearance and personality. Her small, diminutive figure made her even shorter than Gabriel. Soulless, black eyes glanced around the room and landed directly on the two angels. Wild and unkempt lime green hair traveled down to her legs. Wearing a green turtle neck sweater and black pants all covered by a over-sized lab coat, Invidia fit the image of a pint sized mad scientist, with an extra helping of mad. Beelzebub zipped around getting a good look at everyone.
"Hello allll! The Sin of greed and gluttony at your ser- vice." She faltered as her gaze landed on to Gabriel, who stared back with a deadpan face. "W-well this is new! Didn't think I'd ever get to see angels down here in one of our offices! This must be SUPERRRRR awkward, especially since there's an older, sexier version of Vigne he- OW!"
"Shut your face." Invidia said pulling on Beelzebub's ear. "Lilith, why are angels in your penthouse?" the petite demon asked, gesturing to the now slightly blushing Gabriel and chuckling Raphiel.
"These are my niece's friends. Don't worry, if they're anything like Vigne they'll be harmless. As for why they're here, well we were just getting to that part." Lilith said.
"Three Cardinal Sins! IN ONE DAY! CAN I GET YOUR AUTOGRAPHS!?" Satania exclaimed.
"Sure!" Beelzebub flashed a toothy grin.
"No." Invidia deadpanned.
"A-hem. So... why and how did two demons and two angels sneak into hell, and a guarded government building on top of that?" Lilith questioned the group.
"Well, for starters, we used an old portal in Al Cielo. We don't know why it dropped us at that place but it did." Raphiel explained.
"Satania's been having weird dreams and visions Auntie..so we thought...you might be able to help?" Vigne said meekly.
"Why not just go to a doctor?" Lilith asked, narrowing her eyes.
"She thinks they're real to the point where she feels what happens in them. And whenever she gets one they always cause her a headache or pains of some kind. Also she um...thinks they can tell the future? Not really sure on that one...but she needs help!"
"Hmm...they could be happening because of puberty." Lilith said.
"Really? Puberty." Gabriel asked, unconvinced.
"It's not uncommon for demons to get puberty late in their youth. Judging by the looks of the red-headed dullard, her body matured faster than her mind did." Invidia added. "Hey! I'm smart!"
"Sure you are. Then again ...hmm.. what's your full name?" Invidia asked.
"Satania Kurumizawa McDowell."
"I'll be back." Invidia quickly strutted to Lilith's office.
"So demons have governors? I thought Hell was completely -"
"Lawless? Full of savages? Nope! We got laws and stuff, but aside from what we ban, anything's game." Beelzebub smirked.
"Interesting." Raphiel said.
"I'm back, and I solved what's your friend's issue is. I'm a genius, as always." Invidia said, returning from Lilith's office and plopped onto an L-shaped couch. "Your a succubus, well at least part-succubus."
"You figured it out that fast?" Beelzebub asked.
"I have my ways. Where was I... right. Mature succubi and incubi have the ability to manipulate beings by attuning to and weaponizing their desires or aspirations. Your 'visions' are just your succubus powers going haywire and showing your inner desires as dreams. As you learn to control your new powers the headaches your power fluxes cause will eventually go away." Invidia said, ending her lecture.
"That settles that then!" Lilith smiled.
"But that can't be it right Auntie. She had visions of burned down villages and fighting." Vigne said.
"Yeah!" Satania said. "Why would I desire th-"
"Desire for conquest? World domination, conquering heaven, etcetera. Ring any bells?" Invidia interjected. Satania faltered at that.
"Well then. Satania, if need be we can send you home to your family to rest. You three, however need to return to Earth immediately. We'll contact your school to make sure there aren't any issues with your absence. Heaven's branch for the program can be notified there." Lilith ordered.
"It can't just be powers! If it wasn't for my vision we wouldn't even be here!" Satania said.
"Really? How's that?" Beelzebub asked.
"I saw a cathedral in one. Once I recognized it and found it the pain went away and I saw a bit of future me and Gabriel at that same cathedral. Visiting the location of my vision helped me clear it. I don't know why, but it worked! In the vision with the fighting, the small homes looked like they do in Hell. A lot of it was built with cobblestone. Looked old as heck though." Satania rambled.
"Slechtvoorteken. The old and dated description matches. It is far though." Invidia added.
"That's fine! As long as we can get there that'll be another one of my visions sorted out!"
"Absolutely not! I forbid it!" Lilith boomed.
"Please! I need to get to that town!" Satania pleaded.
"No. As we said earlier, your visions are tied to your powers, but we don't know yet if it's prophetic or illusions manifested from your succubi side. Until we know for sure that your vision is reality or not, it is too risky to send you anywhere."
"But Auntie-"
"That is the end of it. If you need time to rest before you leave, your welcome to stay here. But I won't permit any travel out of the city." Lilith said.
"That's not fair to Satania!" Raphiel challenged.
"Are you questioning me, angel ?" Lilith snarled, as an immense pressure immediately filled the room. Pink light radiated fiercely from her eyes, as she glared at Raphiel.
"Apologies." Raphiel muttered.
"Hmph. If you weren't my niece's friends you and Gabriel would already be dead. Do not forget your place." The pressure lifted as Lilith's eyes returned to their normal shade. Lilith let out a frustrated sigh and walked back to her office.
"Yikes." Beelzebub winced.
"Now what?" Raphiel asked.
"Aren't you a Sin too? Can't you do something?" Satania asked Beelzebub.
"Haaa, alright I'll try talking to her. No promises though!" Beelzebub said and fluttered to the office. "Knock knock." The connecting door clicked shut.
"My position on the matter still stands." Lilith directed to the lady who just entered her office.
"Your gonna turn 'em down, just like that? After they came all this way?" Beelzebub asked.
"You know the current situation is too dangerous for any exploration of the sort."
"Come on Lily! The town they're going to is quiet and farther inland. It'll be much safer. Besides it won't hurt for them to travel and learn a little."
"Beelzebub, I know that little blond girl must spark some emotional memories for you -"
"SHE DOESN'T!" Lilith arched her eyebrow. "Okay, maybe she does."
"But we need to be practical. Especially if we have angels in the mix. And why would they go to the locations of more dangerous visions first? They're hiding something." Lilith replied, turning back to her computer.
'That is a good point. But if her visions are real... I got it!' Beelzebub snapped her fingers. "Okay hear me out Lily. I just thought of something."
"I'm all ears."
"You're worried about them getting hurt right? What if I took 'em in for a few days. I'll get Lucifer to prep them on combat, and then, after you've assessed them, they can go to Slechtvoorteken! You can even give them a small convoy just in case anything goes south!" Beelzebub rambled excitedly.
"You're not gonna drop this huh? Lilith sighed, massaging her temples.
"Nope!" Beelzebub grinned, popping the p.
"Fine. Okay, I'll bite. I hope you know what you're doing though."
A/N: ~Hello All! Finally back with Chapter 7! Lots of new characters in this chapter. I thought it would be cool to have the seven deadly sins in the story, so they act like surrogate officials, each with their own responsibilities in hell. The other 4 may or may not have debuts.
As always, any comments and criticisms are welcome! Thanks for reading!