Disclaimer: Bonesboy15 doesn't own Helluva Boss or Naruto. The following is a written work of fan-fiction. It contains adult language and situations. Reader discretion is advised.

Who's That Father?

Are You Ready?

(Then: Beelzehaven, Wild Things Facilitated Medical Floor)

A young she-hound whined and whimpered where she laid in bed. Team Beta flanked her, mostly because the gentle giant that was Choji had a soft paw on her head and stroked his claws through her hair as he took up one side of the room. Buster, Chase and Shikamaru were muttering in a huddle on the other side. Chase looked ready to rip someone's head off, and the other two seemed to be attempting to talk her down.

"How's she doing, Doc?" Naruto asked as he walked up to the Drude that was talking to one of the few interns-slash-nurses from Sloth that were willing to do their time at a Hellhound owned and operated facility. Priscilla, at his heel as she often was whenever he needed to stretch his legs while at work, nudged him and silently reminded him about a meeting he had coming up in a few minutes. His eyes narrowed and his lip curled at her for a brief moment – a look that didn't scare her but got his point across – before he settled and looked at Dr. Nairod.

"About as well as any preteen can during the early hours of childbirth." He muttered as he scribbled on a notepad and tore it off. He handed the paper to the intern. "Mr. Palmer, go down the street to the local Belle's and get this filled, if you'd please?"

"That's a lot of heroin for one Hellhound, doctor." The skinny and tall Baphomet mumbled. Even before Naruto had a chance to get annoyed – he's the one that was paying for this intern to be here, the little fucker could at least pretend to not give a shit about the hierarchy – the physician Drude's cloak ruffled and the air visibly darkened around him.

"Yes, but it will mix finely in the alchemical pain relief this child is in. Now go, and return within the hour or else I will fail you."

"Y-Yes sir!" The Intern yelped and shot off with as much speed as a Baphomet could manage.

"That seemed a bit harsh, even for you, Doctor." Priscilla mused. Dr. Nairod turned to face his two Hellhound superiors, his cloak still ruffled in a windless air.

"Most Sloth natives need extremes to be properly motivated, and if this student doesn't see the need of haste for a child's health, then his own needs will have to suffice." Dr. Nairod growled before he calmed. His cloak lost its billow and his lens-like eyes gained a sinister gleam. "Besides, it wouldn't be the first internship nor medical career I've prematurely ended. I have quite a bit of a reputation back home."

"And we're all the better for it." Naruto said with an appreciative smile. He clapped a claw on the doctor's shoulder and squeezed him gently, to express his gratitude. It said a lot about the ghastly physician's understanding of Hellhounds that he didn't react poorly to the gesture. "Keep me updated and let me know if you need anything, Doc."

"Of course, Mr. Uzumaki." Dr. Nairod 'smiled'. Naruto felt his ears burn and go flat. Priscilla huffed out a soft chuckle that was quickly silenced up when he gave her a wordless glare. He turned to remind the Drude that he needn't be that professional – Naruto had a very healthy respect for those that practiced the medical dark arts – only to find that the specter-like doctor had floated off.

"Your meeting with Prince Gaap is in twenty minutes." Priscilla dutifully reminded him. Naruto felt his shoulders slump and he ran a hand over his eyes.

"Which means my walk is over. Thanks, Pris." He sighed. He redirected them towards the elevators and rubbed his face. "Remind me, what is this meeting about?"

"The Prince is intrigued by your Friend for a Day venture with Duke Vepar last week, and would like your opinion on a potential guard or companion should he see a need for one," Priscilla said as she tapped away at her tablet. "He also made the same expressed note as Duke Vepar concerning sexual consort, though that might have been done mostly to quell any suspicion on our end of his request."

"Prince Gaap is the medicine guy, right? Likes to mess with lights and such?" Naruto asked as they stepped on the elevator. "Maybe we can rope him into being a voice for our Pack medical plan, helping the unseen?"

"That sounds plausible, test the waters with him but don't make anything official until our legal teams can meet." Priscilla added before she smirked. "How are your classes going?"

"Ugh, don't remind me." Naruto growled and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I have a fucking paper due on the agreement made between Paimon and Lucifer and how each tried to swindle the other out of power when Lucifer first ascended to King."

"Didn't Lilith settle that matter?"

"Yes!" The large fox-like Hellhound threw his claws into the air. "If the paper was on that, I'd be done already, but for the life of me I can't find a single fucking textbook or academic passage that goes over the two having a glorified dick measuring contest!"

"Did you extend a search to include the gossip pages of Greed or Gluttony?"

"...Beelzebub's scuffed knees...I will later." Naruto grumbled as he rubbed his face again. He hated classes about Hell Law so fucking much, but as his assistant loved to point out, the degree would look good for him and by extension the business.

(Now: Greed, East Streets)

The large train of five black SUVs moving as one would be a concerning sight if it were seen anywhere other than the highways of Hell. As it was, it was just another Thursday for most of the 'Hellway' traffic. Not a single, self-absorbed eye blinked as the large Rumblers tore off towards a certain crime family's territory. Behind the wheel of the third card in the line, the commander of this little trip glanced at his watch. That done, he took a dark paw from the wheel and put a finger to the kitted out collar on his neck.

"Control, this is Foxtrot. We are officially three clicks out. Time - ETA, three minutes, over."

"Acknowledged, Foxtrot, over," Priscilla said back to him. Despite being a non-combatant, she was one of the three Hounds he absolutely trusted to manage everything from an entire Ring away. One of the three was sitting to his immediate left, while the last was following up on leads about 'The Shadows'. "All team leaders,this is Control, verify comm request. I repeat, all team leaders, this is Control, verify comm request, over."

"Control, Foxtrot, I verify comm. Over." Naruto released his PTT and returned both hands to the wheel. He clenched and unclenched his jaw as they neared their target destination.

"Control, Alpha One, I verify comm. Over." Rex called in from the front of the SUV convoy. Beside him, Shikamaru put a hoofed digit to his neck.

"Control, Beta One. I verify comm. Over."

"Control, Gamma One. I verify comm. Over." Rios chimed in after a second, being in the ride directly ahead of Naruto's.

"Control, Echo One. I verify comm. Over." Kaine threw in from where she and her team held up the rear. A sharp burst of static made Naruto frown. He put a finger to his collar again.

"Lambda One, this is Foxtrot, radio check, over."

"Foxtrot...Co One..Oger, ov–" Mitch's broken message sounded over the comm. Naruto growled, that was the last thing they fucking needed on a raid like this.

"Lambda One, this is Control, equipment check. Serious feedback on our end, over."

"Control, Lambda One. Roger, over."

"Lambda One, Beta One," Shikamaru said with a smirk as he stared into his rear view mirror. "Did you just whack your collar against the seat, over?"

"Beta One, Lambda One. It fixed the fuckin' radio, didn't it? Over." Shikamaru and Naruto shared knowing smirks with one another. They both agreed, without saying a word, that Mouse was supervising radio contact and was probably flipping his shit over the rough love shown to his modified Com-link Collar prototypes. Once the bugs were worked out – mostly static interference from Inter Ring Energies – they'd be produced and sold en mass under the Wild Things Facilitated label, which would grow their revenue substantially and allow them to further pursue Naruto's goals.

"Lambda One, Control, that's coming out of your pay. Break." Priscilla called for a wait. "Gamma One, Control, confirm: do you have a visual on target location, over?"

"Control, Gamma One, I confirm: I have a visual on target location. ETA, thirty seconds, over." Rios grumbled over the line.

"All Teams, this is Foxtrot," Naruto put a finger to his neck. "This is it, guys. Stick to the plan. Hit hard, hit fast, and once those doors pop open, 'Guises remain on. Understood, over?"

"Foxtrot, Alpha Team acknowledges, over."

"Foxtrot, Beta Team acknowledges, over."

"Foxtrot, Gamma Team acknowledges, over."

"Foxtrot, Echo Team acknowledges, over."

"Foxtrot, Lambda Team acknowledges, over."

"Foxtrot, All, this is Control. Confirmation back from Hive: You are cleared to engage weapons free. I repeat, you are cleared to engage weapons free. Silence, over and out."

"You heard the lady, guys." Naruto said to the three in the vehicle as Rios rammed through the Knowlastname Manor gates and consequently ran down the guards stationed there. His eyes flashed as he drove into the crumbling manor through the East wall, just as Alpha and Gamma had and Echo and Lambda will.

As the smoke cleared from the Wild Things' explosive insertion tactic, the now human-disguised Hellhounds donned the Angel's Exterminator-like masks to further obscure their identities, as none of them present wore anything that identified them as mercenaries from Wild Things Facilitated. It wasn't to hide that they did it. No, it was to remove any possible connection to what would happen today from the company. Getting wrapped up in litigation could potentially hinder – if not block outright – any future operations or jobs that the company took part in. Naruto's Hounds worked their collective asses off to get where they were today – deemed the pinnacle of Hell's soldiers of fortune and enjoying all of the perks that came with such recognition – and they weren't about to let a bunch of greedy Imp bastards ruin that for them.

"Gamma Team, blow the roof off. Alpha Team, find and detain our host. Echo, Lamda, clear the grounds. Beta, on me, we're going after the merchandise here." Naruto ordered aloud before he and Beta – sans the offsite Buster, who was organizing and overseeing Wild Things' bloodthirsty horde of Freelancers perform Pack-like guerilla assaults on several of the Familiwit Knolastname's properties and fronts – broke off to peform the very assignment he gave Alpha Team.

Behind the black mask over his human disguise, Naruto's blue eyes shone bright. He couldn't wait to meet the crime lord that orchestrated the assault on his Pack. To look the sonovabitch that funded betrayal in the eye. To tear into the criminal right where it hurts the most just as he did to his puppy.

As has been said before, by both himself and by his closest friends, Naruto let a lot of things go. He didn't care what demons thought of him. If they wanted to try to kill him, the door was open, he had gotten his post-mortem shit sorted out once he hit twenty. If they thought he was afraid to go broke again, they'd be laughably mistaken; he had been saddled with what was essentially, to him, a fortune for his victory in the Coalition of Kings Tournament. Most of it went to his business, a sizable portion was saved away for Himawari's future, and the rest got spent on essentials.

The one thing he never condoned, wouldn't allow, couldn't fucking accept in passing without any sort of retribution were any digs or strikes aimed at his Pickle or her then-uncertain status as his blood. The attempted abduction was an unlucky act on these Greed bastards' end. Attacking his company with fucking missiles while his puppy was in it and breaking her arm in the process?

Death was too good for these fuckers. It could have their souls once Naruto said they had suffered enough. He wasn't going to just bury them – he wasn't naïve, this assault would only be a setback for a crime lord that's been around for as long as Crimson Knolastname has – no, that was too easy. He was going to crush this crime family and grind at their spirits until they begged for the sweet release of Death.

Just as his poor puppy begged for him to help her.

(Then: Beelzehaven, Wild Things Facilitated – Emergency Medical Tents)

"It hurts, Daddy! It hurts!" Himawari sobbed as her arm was set in the plaster that would keep it steady. There wasn't enough pain medication or knowledge of it in Hell to regulate the right amount for her to get through the stitches her head needed and cast application. The safe dose she'd gotten was starting to wear off, and any more would be a dangerous risk.

"I know, baby. I'm sorry," Naruto said as he stroked his puppy's exposed left ear while he held her so she could get the broken limb set. He quelled his boiling blood as best he could, jaw clenched and nostrils flaring. His puppy's stitches – she had fifteen fucking stitches in her head by her ear; whoever fired the missile was going to die in the most painful way he could imagine – stared up at him. Reminding him of the horrors they'd gone through. "It's almost over."

"Hurts!" Himawari's whine tore at his black heart. Any other time for any other injury, at this point in her life, he would have tolerated only so much whining – he couldn't let her grow up a crybaby no matter how much he wanted to; she'd be eaten alive, possibly literally – but considering the event they survived? She gets a pass today. Fuck, she gets a pass for the next week, month, shit, she gets a pass until her birthday later this year.

"You're being so brave," Naruto said tightly, swallowing back every snarl and growl that was meant for the cause of her pain. His eyes locked with Nairod's lenses for a brief moment – the furious shadow around the Drude told Naruto exactly his thoughts on the matter; he was so fucking lucky to have such loyal people under his command – before he stroked some of his puppy's hair back as she whimpered. "Such a good, brave girl, Pickle. My brave good little girl. I'm so proud of you."

The setting of the cast ended a few minutes later and his emotionally and physically drained puppy let out tired whimpers.

"It hurts, Daddy..."

"Shh, I know, baby girl. It's almost over."

"Almost done, dear." Nairod's soft tone followed. His clawed fingers danced along the casting mold, etching into it. "What's your favorite color, Himawari?"

"It's orange, obviously." Naruto answered in her stead. His puppy let out a tired growl and nipped at the thumb near her cheek. He arched an eyebrow. "Oh, is it not?"

"It's purple, Daddy. Your favorite color is Orange."

"Oh, that's right. Silly me." Naruto smiled and craned down to kiss the left side of his puppy's head. "Guess it's purple then."

"Purple it'll be." Dr. Nairod nodded before he locked his lenses on Himawari's drooping eyes. "Watch this, sweetheart."

Himawari's drooping eyes got wide as the intricate scrawling of seals and lines turned the bone white plaster around her arm a soft purple before they faded away.

"...Magic...!" She gasped as her tail started to wag. The Drude looked far too pleased with himself. He chuckled and twisted his hand, where a Levithan Licorice Lice Lollipop popped into view. Himawari started to tremble-whine with excitement and Naruto snorted at the physician.

"Tsk, show off." He nudged his puppy as she took the treat and went to eat it, wrapper and all. "What do you say, Pickle?"

"Oh! Right," his pickle beamed at the Drude. "Thank you!"

"Anytime, my dear." Dr. Nairod chuckled. He nodded to Naruto and darted off to his next patient. Eight of the missing Freelancers had gotten injured in the attack, three of them required critical on site care while the other five were deemed fit enough to rest for a day and allow their natural healing abilities take over. Two of the missing ten were already casualties, lost by chance and unfortunate luck. He'd have to send their families something in recompense and cover funeral costs for his Helhounds.

Naruto felt his collarbone flare with heat and ignored it as he cradled his puppy, gently combing his claws through her hair and over her ear. Despite the sugary treat, Himawari was asleep in minutes. He let his eyes drift shut and his lips curled.

When I find the fucker that did this...They'll wish I left it to Bee-Lzebub to handle.

(Now: Knolastname Manor)

"Movement. Three o'clock." Shikamaru warned, snapping Naruto from his trip down memory lane. The disguised Hound nodded and braced on the nearest corner adjacent to the hallway indicated. Choji and Shikamaru slipped to the other side while Chase propped up beside him. Naruto locked 'eyes' with Shikamaru and nodded. The disguised Baphomet unclipped a canister from his kit, pulled the pin and tossed it down the hall.

"Flash Bang!" He warned the others. Silently, Naruto counted to four then rounded the corner and knelt, so Chase could shoot over him. His AR's muzzle flashed in bursts – winged three Loan Sharks unlucky enough to be in the way – as her rifle picked off whoever remained.

"The fuck are these mooks?!"

"Who cares, kill 'em a-auuugh!"

"They killed Kenny–hurlk!"

"You bast-arrrghs!"

The gunfire stopped – in this hallway, anyway; there was still plenty more shooting and screams happening throughout the manor – and a brief silence filled the hall as they crept up. Once they confirmed the enemy was down, Choji broke the silence.

"...Did they really say what I think they said at the end?"

"The stupid North Street meme? Yeah. I doubt it was intentional." Chase deadpanned. Naruto and Shikamaru snorted their amusement while the largest of the group chuckled. They sobered quickly when a door creaked open and aimed their weapons at it. Choji covered their flank while Naruto signaled to Shikamaru that he would move up. Shikamaru nodded his understanding.

Naruto had only nudged the door with the barrel of his rifle and a shot rang out. The hole in the wall was caused by a small arms caliber, similar as to what what the target kept on hand as reported by his pup's maternal grandfather. Six or seven shots, possibly. That's one down, five or six to go.

Naruto backed up and estimated what he could of the room from a glance. Then he beckoned Shikamaru over.

"Room eval. Weak points. Five seconds." He ordered. Shikamaru nodded and poked a glance around the corner. Another crack rang out and he ducked back. He lowered his shotgun and put his disguised hands together in his 'thinking pose'. Not even three seconds ticked by before he broke from it and grabbed onto his shotgun again.

"B-Three, suppressing fire breach with me. B-Two, make a hole in the walls directly ahead of us, at a forty-five degree angle, two seconds after we breach. Foxtrot, stay on his heels."

"You heard him. Form up." Naruto nodded as he stepped back and took a kneeling position to cover their flank while Choji moved up. Shikamaru counted down and at one he and Chase barged in. Their weapons unloaded along with the target's. None of the three hit any demon they aimed for, especially after Choji roared and barreled through the weak, flimsy wood and plaster that made up the manor wall. Naruto darted in behind him and beelined for the desk at the other end of the room.

A white haired, dark red imp covered his face with his arm and blindly fired his large revolver. Naruto stomped down on the hand and brought the butt of his rifle down on the Imp's exposed forehead. Once. Twice.

"Foxtrot– Boss!" Shikamaru stopped him before he could bring the rifle down again. Naruto snarled at him and was met with a cold apathetic Baphomet glare. "Stick. To. The. Plan."

"Right." Naruto groused. He stepped away and huffed another breath. "Right. I'll check in. B-two, bag the target. Prep to extract."

"Yes, sir." Choji nodded and stepped up with a large black duffel bag. While he and Shikamaru loaded the little fucker into the bag, Naruto tapped the push to talk key on his collar twice. A beat of silence, as he and Chase covered the door and the hole they made, while gunfire and screams throughout the manor dwindled to a close.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the radio came to life.

"All Teams, this is Control. Silence lifted. Sit-rep, over." Priscilla's professional demand was a weight off Naruto's shoulders.

"Control, this is Echo-One, West wing secured. No casualties, over."

"Control, this is Lambda-One, East wing secured. No casualties, over."

"Control, this is Gamma-One, packages delivered and ready. One casualty; Gamma-Two, minor GSW, hind leg. Over."

Naruto snarled before he could stop himself. Chase glanced at him and he shook his head. He was fine. He wasn't thrilled one of his Hounds got hurt, but so long as it was actually minor and not life threatening – given Rios' calm call in, he doubted that his mate was injured too badly; he was likely reporting it in just to snub Salem's tough guy act – this operation was going better than could be expected.

"Gamma-One, this is Control. Extract immediately, over."

"Wilco, Control, Over."

"Roger, Gamma-One. Beta, Alpha, Foxtrot: Sit-rep, over."

"Control, this is Beta-One, HPT secured and prepped for extraction. No casualties, over." Shikamaru dutifully reported in.

"Control, this is Alpha-One, cargo secured, no casualties, over." Rex added just as fast.

"Control, this is Foxtrot. Operation success, no casualties. Verify, request permission to detour to Pride on exfil, over." He wanted to see his puppy. He wanted to kiss Loona. He wanted to calm the fuck down before his flaring temper ruined his plans for the little greedy fuck they had bagged up on Choji's back.

"Negative, Foxtrot. Regroup and fall back for debriefing. Over and out." Oh, that smug bitch ordered that on purpose. Naruto scowled but complied. He nodded at Chase and let her lead them out while he and Shikamaru took up the rear.

"...You know, if you ducked out of the passenger seat at the RTS, I wouldn't report it." He offered lowly as they retraced their steps out of the building and stepped over the corpses their assault had left in their wake. Naruto snorted at the subtextual offer.

"I appreciate that, Shika. We both know that Pris would kill us."

"Well, you definitely. If she comes after me? I'm going straight into denial."

"Thanks for your unwavering support, dick." Naruto deadpanned as the disguised Hounds got back into the SUVs, loaded up and pulled out. They regrouped with Gamma at the gate and peeled out after they activated the detonator. He stared into the rear view mirror as he watched the Knolastname manor get blown apart.

The whole operation lasted less than thirty minutes. A lunch break for the unfortunate wage slaves that resided in Hell. He glanced back in the rear view mirror to where Choji strapped their high priority target between his large form and the lithe sniper that was Chase.

Step one was complete.

Time for step two, Naruto balled his hands around the steering wheel in anticipation while his eyes flashed. Torture.

(Now: Unknown)

As a feared Crime Lord of Greed, Crimson Knolastname had been in his fair share of grudge matches. His ability to squeeze funds from any corner of any Ring had endeared him to Mammon, enough that instead of the usual seventy-five percent fee required to operate as a Family, Crimson was only ever taxed for fifty. It was an amazing deal, one that Crimson knew way deep down in the depths of his soul that it was for that reason alone he got to his position as one of the top feared Imps in all of Greed. Ever true to his Ring and the Sin that ran it, Crimson wanted more. More influence. More power. More money.

That said, he knew the risks that came with such a strong sense of Greed. He lived long enough and played the game well enough to know. Waking up with a black bag over his head was an inkling that one of his endeavors for more had gotten him in this position. No matter. Once his men got him out – and they fucking better get him out; Al swore on his soul that they were all loyal to him and his fucking wallet – of this predicament, he'd cut his losses and find a new venture for cash.

Maybe he could finally get that waste of space he called his son to pull some weight–Ugh! Bright!

"Crimson Knolastname." The snarl and hot breath that smelt of rotted meat and alcohol told him it was a fucking mutt that had gotten the drop on him. Damn, a clever fucking mutt, too. Must've been in a Human disguise with an Imp mask on, over it.

"You owe me a fucking house."

"If we're playing that game, you owe me a fucking building. Prime location in Gluttony, not too far from downtown center. Very fucking pricy." The Hellhound stepped into the light enough to block it out of Crimson's eyes – the scar from that last mutt's assault was still fresh around his left eye, and getting that shit re-inserted was a fucking pain in the ass; that mutt was so fucking dead! – and come into view. He was a tall motherfucker, built like a fucking statue, looked a bit like a f–Oh. Oh, fuck.

Fuck! The Hellpup trade was gonna be a fucking sure thing! Crimson knew it would! That spineless mayor was certain that practically no...one...invested...Fuck, he wasn't being an innovator like that shit mayor had implied. He was the last one to see the fucking 'closed for business' notice!

Still, now Crimson could say what he always wanted to say to the fucking runt that cheated him out of a massive cash out win.

"You owe me fifty million d–urk!" A brown paw as large as his head closed around his neck. Crimson's red eyes shone as he glared at the glowing blues of the Hound in front of him.

"Let's get one fucking thing clear right the fuck now." The fucker snarled and pulled him close and fuck those teeth were massive! Talk about fucking intimidating, did he sharpen those fuckers? That's a fucking brilliant idea. "I. Don't. Owe. You. Shit. Understood?"

"F-f-fuck y-y–!"

"I see. Perhaps an example is in order."

The hound let his throat go and he dropped through the shoddy wood chair he'd been tied to. Stupid mutts, now he was free–His arms were still bound, as were his legs. Oh, joy. They'd doubled up on rope. Ugh, what a fucking waste of money! Figures a fucking dumb mutt would do that. The squeaking wheel of a cart had Crimson look up and gawp at the pile of cash that was brought in. Stacked in a pyramid, bricked bills bound by loose tape, and all such a lovely color of green. The mutt grabbed the top brick and thumbed over it, each crisp bill crinkled like it was freshly printed.

"This is ten thousand dollars. Undistributed. Ringless. Fresh." The Hellhound kept dragging his thumb across the bills and Crimson felt his ire rise. This mutt shouldn't have access to that kind of funds! It was outrageous! Infuriating! A fucking insult–! "Depending on where it's settled, it could be worth a Sin's Fortune...or a Mammon Print."

The currency of Greed was ridiculously inflated, practically worthless. You could have ten thousand One-Hundred Bills printed from Greed and still barely exchange all of it for a single Pride Soul. Crimson knew this and this mutt better fucking know he knew this. He wasn't a fucking idiot, one didn't become a crime lord, shit one didn't become a FamiliaDon by being an idiot. Except for Cyrus Gold, the Zombie King of Greed, he was the only exception. Fucking cursed bastard.

"That's why, as it is, this is worth more than a single lump of gold. More than the value of most Souls in Pride." The Hound continued. He set the brick back on the cart and grabbed something from the bottom shelf. Crimson's eyes dilated and his jaw popped open once he registered what it was: a gas canister. The lid was unscrewed and contents poured over the freshly printed, Ringless bills.

"What the fuck are you doing?!" Crimson wheezed. The hound looked at him and tossed the canister away once it was empty. He came over and reached into Crimson's pocket, his golden lighter was claimed and opened. The flint was flicked and a flame sprouted. Crimson's eyes widened again. "No. No, you're fuckin bluffin! No ones stupid enough to do this to their own money!"

"You're right. Good thing it's not mine."

"The fuck do–?!" Crimson's eyes constricted and shone bright. "That's my money."

"Yep." The Hound drawled as he examined the lighter. "It's your money. It's your lighter. What comes next, Crimson? It's your fault."

His lighter was casually tossed onto the flame. Part of the Imp died as he watched the lighter fall on the gas-covered bills he'd squandered and hoarded away from his greedy lackeys. Money he had saved just in case. Money he saved for future endeavors. Money that was his and only his. He was so..so..furious.

"What...the fuck...did you just do?" He whispered, so mad he couldn't even think straight.

"I made a point." The Hound returned as he stepped closer. "This? This was just one of your stashes my people found. We found eighteen more. You're pretty paranoid, aren't you, Crimson?"

"I'm gonna kill you, Mutt. I'm kill you, your family and every fuckin mutt that helped you! Do you have any fucking idea who the fuck I am?"

"Yeah." The Dead Mutt crouched down and stared him in the eye. "You're a fucking nobody that attacked another nobody...And Queen Bee-Lzebub. Guess who sold you out?"

There was only one individual that would write Crimson off as an acceptable loss. One soul he answered to. One soul he feared above anyone or anything else.

"...No." Crimson whispered. "I-I was loyal! I never stiffed him! I payed him so fuckin much–!"

"Yeah, you did. Shame it all went to waste, isn't it?" The Hellhound's teeth glistened in the firelight as his blue eyes shone. "Just like how you funded the attack on my business. That shit, I let that shit slide. You and me, we're Hellborn of the streets – Yeah, I did my homework on you, Crimmy. So, believe me when I say I know the risks with this shitty life. I know I have enemies, but I make one thing very fucking clear, one thing that even Lucifer himself will abide by and honor and back me up if I so requested. You wanna know what that is?"

"Oh, enlighten me, fucker." Crimson sneered. His golden tooth was plucked from his mouth before he could blink. Simultaneously fast and painful. He swallowed back his reaction and focused on the hound.

"Don't. Hurt. My. Puppy." The Mutt snarled as he ground the tooth in his hand to dust.

Oh, that explained so much.

Crimson felt his eyes go wide. The situation finally dawned on him. This was never about the abduction. It was never about the money. It was never about the attack on a business.

Crimson had unintentionally instigated an Inter-Ring Gang War, with a small time, well hidden Don. And he broke the first fucking rule about Gang Warfare. The one fucking rule most Familia respect – yes, even Crimson did to an extent; there's a fuckin' reason Moxxie never got targeted by the other crime lords of Greed or any other Ring – keep family out of it. If they weren't part of The Life? They didn't get dragged in. If it were an 'accident' – car crash, poisoning, or wandering into a shootout – that was different, excusable. Suffering injuries from targeting a building bomb or, for example, hired missile attacks? Not okay. Not allowed. Especially not by most Sins (save for maybe Levithan, but he's a fucking oddball, even by Imp standards), since that tended to dwindle their prospective power.

Hell had very, very few rules, but those that existed? They better fucking be followed. Crimson wouldn't have survived as long as he had if he ever ignored that. Shit, he'd have a better chance getting off scotch free if he blackmailed a Sin than he would going after another Crime Lord's family as bloodthirsty as he did. ..Come to think of it, wasn't there something about some Greed Imp shacking up with Asmodeus? Food for thought.

Right now, he had to face down this Youngblood and show him how true Mob Bosses ran things.

"How the fuck am I supposed to know your little cur was in the wrong place at the wrong time?" Crimson spat. Glowing blue eyes narrowed and the hound stood. A foot buried itself in Crimson's gut. Once. Twice. Three times.

"Wrong answer." The Hound gestured to the side and whistled. Another squeaky cart– Oh, fuck no. That was a larger pyramid of money. The Hound smirked, teeth exposed. "Let's try again. See this pile of your money? I'm going to use it to perform a magic trick. I'm going to make your money disappear."

"I'll kill you. I swear on Satan's breath! You're dead, Mutt! You're gonna be dead and skinned!" Crimson snarled. The Hound chuckled and pulled the gas can up from where it sat on the bottom shelf.

"Oh.. We're going to have so much fun together, Crimson. This is just the start." The Hound chuckled darkly as he finished dousing the fire and pulled out a match from his pocket. A flick of his thumb and it was lit. It gleamed off of the mutt's sharp teeth ominously. "After all, there's still seventeen stashes left to go before I start to get physical."

"Seven–That's all my–No, no you can't! No!" Fwoosh! The bills went up in flames and the Hound chuckled while Crimson trembled as he closed his eyes. He felt something in him creak. "..The fuck is wrong with you..?"

"There is nothing wrong with me." The Hound snarled. He grabbed Crimson's horn and pulled him close to the fire. "Open your fucking eyes before I cut your fucking eyelids off, Crimson!" The Imp snarled at the threat but obeyed the demand and felt an unpleasant churn in his stomach as he watched his stash burn to ashes. The Hound snarled at him as his hold on his horn tightened. "By the time we're done, you'll be begging me to put you out of your fucking misery."

He'd never say it aloud, but Crimson absolutely believed the Mutt was right. This was only a small fraction of his hoarded goods. To see it all go up in smoke, his life's purpose wasted like a cheap cigar? He might very well go mad.

Death was preferred to Insanity in Hell. They say that the Insane stay aware after the body dies. Crimson was a greedy bastard, he'd never deny it, but he was not keen on dying insane. When his time was up, if it ever came, he wanted to go without a thought to accompany it. He just wanted it to cut to black, just as it did for his father and his father before him.

"You're a monster." The words slipped out before Crimson could stop them, a weakness exposed, but it was too late to take them back. He didn't know what was more unnerving, that the Hound didn't immediately respond, or that when he did, he didn't sound upset about the insult. It was just one word, one word that made Crimson wonder where he'd fucked up so bad to get this sort of torture from a fucking Hellhound of all things.

"Maybe."

Another cart rolled out and Crimson gulped. This stack was even larger than the last. Was it just going to keep getting bigger? The Hound kept a firm grip on his horn as he once more doused the Ringless freshly printed bills in gas. Another match was procured and lit by a sharp, black claw.

"Or maybe I'm just your monster, nullum cognomen."

AN: So, I may have been absorbed in replaying the Arkham series...Just a smidge. Can you tell? ..Yeah, Steve, again, part of the joke. Oh, the fluff comes back next chap, and we start to get to the nitty gritty in the chap afterwards! God writing this one sucked, thank god you finished it, Steve.

...Is that still recording? Oops, whelp, can't take that back. Bask in the praise my dude. You did good.

Onto ch 26!