I.M.P
Sora felt strange. He knew he'd been hit by a car, and yet he didn't feel like he was in much pain at the moment. On the contrary, he felt safe, even though he was once again surrounded by darkness and falling. It's not like he could wake up in a worse place than Hell. A glow appeared beneath him, and a platform appeared, bearing a painting. It depicted his early human self, as well as pictures of Kairi, Riku, Donald, and Goofy. He landed gently on his paws... Wait, paws. He was still in the form of the Lion Demon, strange. His journeys always began in this place, so why was he here? His life was over. He was in Hell, paying for his foolishness in abusing the power of "awakening."
"Why am I here? It's over... I messed up. I ignored all the warnings and went to Hell as punishment... literally. There's nothing more I can do," Sora said bitterly, clenching his fists, wincing as his claws dug into his flesh.
"No... not yet," a familiar voice called out, and Sora began to look around.
He had heard it many times, but never saw anyone. Behind him, a light suddenly began to glow, and a white, double door with golden handles appeared. The lion cub knew what to do and went through. He landed again on a platform with a new picture, this one red and clearly showing him in his demon form. The picture depicted various people he didn't yet know. As well as Hell itself, which was currently being attacked by strange creatures. Were they... Heartless or Nobodies? They were depicted as white silhouettes, with horns and wings. The creatures' faces were disturbing; one eye was normal on all of them, while the other was shaped like an X. But most disturbing of all were the creatures' smiles; they all grinned eerily.
"They need you... thousands of them. Lost in the abyss... on the verge of extinction," the voice rang out again.
Sora didn't understand this; once again he turned around the room and spoke: "Who needs me? And how can I help? I... I can't even help myself, I... I'm alone," the lion demon said in a slightly dejected tone.
"Do not despair. Even in hell... there is light. There is friendship and hope, just as there is darkness and cruelty in life. May your heart be the key that guides you," the voice said, and he could feel it slowly becoming light.
In a building, in a very run-down part of the city called Imp City, there was a high-rise building. It had black and white striped horns, and inside was an office with the word I.M.P. written on the door. There, in a room that had seen better days, Sora lay unconscious on a couch. Two small demons were with him, examining him. They were a man and a woman, both not particularly tall. They only reached the boy's waist and looked like they belonged to the same species.
The man had red skin and white freckles on his cheeks. He also had pointed white hair that led to his black and white striped, curved horns. He had yellow eyes with black slit pupils and a long, thin, red tail with a triangular barb at the end. His arms and legs were very lanky. His legs were turned inward, and his feet had cloven red hooves, like a goat's. The small demon wore a dark blue coat with red buttons and white cuffs. He also wore black pants and a white shirt with a black turtleneck. His outfit was rounded off with a large red bow tie and fingerless gloves.
The woman also had red skin and a long, devilish tail. She had a pair of thin, black horns. Her black hair was cut in a short, messy bob with bangs. She also had the same yellow eyes and long, thick eyelashes protruding from them. She had a small beauty mark under her right eye, as well as a small gap near her front teeth. On her right shoulder, the demon had a black heart tattooed, and she also wore makeup consisting of shimmering dark red eyeshadow, thick black mascara, and black lipstick on her lips. She also had two white marks on her upper-right arm, one on the upper left leg, two on her tail, and one on the tip of her tail. Her clothing was all black, with a hint of yellow, consisting of a black choker around her neck. She wore a black off-the-shoulder crop top with straps held up by two golden-yellow buttons. The woman also wore black fingerless gloves and black ripped denim shorts. She wasn't wearing shoes, so her hoof-like feet were visible.
"Apart from a few scratches, he's undamaged. Amazing considering how Blitz drove," the man remarked, looking at the lion cub's shoulder.
"His head doesn't even have a dent; he seems like a solid son of a bitch. With a soft yet spiky mane," the woman said, impressed, examining his head.
"So again, since when do we pick up random guys we find on the street?" asked a female demon who looked like a wolf.
She has a pointed, dog-like snout with sharp, pointy teeth and a dark gray nose. Her eyes were red, with a white iris and crotch-like pupils. The wolf-like demon wore gray eyeshadow and black winged eyeliner for makeup. Her fur is white with gray countershading framing her face and gray patches on her shoulders. Unlike real wolves, she had long, voluminous silver hair. She swept it to the side to reveal her dark gray ears. The left side was pierced with two small, black hoops, while the right side was ragged. As is typical for animals, she had a large, dark gray, bushy tail with a white backing on the underside. She also wore a piercing on her right eyebrow with a black ring for jewelry. She towered over Sora by quite a bit. Around her neck, she wore a large, black, spiked choker. She also wore a tattered gray crop top, the shoulder held at the neckline by a series of cross-shaped spaghetti straps forming an inverted pentagram. She also wore black shorts, tattered at the hems, with a white crescent moon detail on the right side.
"Loony's right... we're a professional assassination company, not some stupid charity for suicidal pedestrians too brainless to cross the street," said another male demon, larger than the other two, insultingly.
Like the other two, he had red skin with white spots of varying sizes covering parts of his forearms, chest, and tail, as well as most of the right side of his face. He also had yellow eyes with red iris, was red, and had a heart-shaped symbol in the center of his forehead. Unlike the other smaller demons, the larger one had rather broad forearms and hands, as well as a long, narrow head from which protruded large, curved, black-and-white striped horns. He had black spikes on his head, upper back, and tail. His tail ended in a triangular point with a black spot at the tip. Also, unlike the other two, he had pointed feet with boot-like heels. His outfit consisted of a tattered, slate-gray collared coat with red buttons at the chest. He also wore black, knee-high boots that matched the shape of his feet. Like the others, he also wore black, elbow-length, fingerless gloves with large, rounded yellow decorations on the tops.
"Blitz... cut him some leniency. He's very young and fresh in Hell, so anyone would run around and not pay attention to their surroundings," the black-haired demon woman said sternly, lowering the lion cub's head.
"Is this that 'mother instinkt' I've heard about? Where women see every young child as their baby?" the female wolf demon asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Not quite, Loona. Millie is very lenient with minors. As long as they're not condescending and spoiled brats. Or our assassination targets.", the small male demon explained, patting the red demoness on the shoulder.
"I don't care what's wrong with that big house cat, I'll have a lot to say to him when he wakes up," Blitz said angrily, pointing at Sora, who suddenly groaned.
Immediately, everyone looked at the teenage demon, who slowly opened his eyes and began to move. Sora could feel a slight headache, which was no surprise considering what had happened. The Keyblade wielder slowly stood up and held his forehead as he became aware of his surroundings. He quickly realized he was in a building that was somewhat run-down.
"Finally awake, you death-defying circus lion, because I have a lot to say to you," he heard Blitz's voice approaching him.
His vision was still a bit blurry as he looked at the figure next to him, who had a strange heart symbol on his forehead. Sora's eyes immediately widened, and his expression became serious. He immediately summoned his Keyblade in his hand and slashed at the demon with the long, backward-curving horns. Blitz was so surprised that he didn't have time to grab his flintlock pistol. Millie immediately jumped in with her combat knife and blocked the attack.
"Hey, if you attack my boss, I'll cut off your arm," the red woman said angrily, growling.
"Exactly, fucker... I'm going to shoot several bullets of hot lead into your body," said the large red demon, aggressively pulling out his distinctive flintlock pistol and aiming it at the young Lion demon.
"Don't do anything rash, boy," said the second, smaller demon man in a serious tone, also aiming a pistol at the unwilling guest on the sofa.
Loona watched the whole situation intently, but especially the weapon the boy had conjured. She had seen those strange keys somewhere today, where were they? Sora slowly regained his senses, and his vision returned to normal. He looked at the demon with the heart symbol on its forehead and realized that it wasn't the symbol of the Heartless at all. He immediately made his Keyblade disappear again, whereupon the other demons also calmed down.
"Im... I'm sorry. I mistook the symbol on your forehead. I mistook you for something else," the lion cub said gently, sitting up on the sofa.
"Oh yeah? Is this about me being just an imp and not a sinner like you?" Blitz asked, offended, aiming his weapon at the Keyblade master's head.
"Imp? What are you talking about? Aren't you a demon?" Sora asked, confused, tilting his head.
"Blitz, put down your weapon. He seems really new to Hell and doesn't know how things are here," the smaller demon explained, putting down his weapon.
Millie also put away her knife, but the larger Imp was hesitant to put away his flintlock pistol. Which was no surprise, since the lion demon had attacked him just a short time ago. However, he didn't assume Sora had any prejudices, and his demeanor didn't seem like that of other sinners or demons in Hell.
"Are you okay?" the female Imp asked, smiling sincerely at the young demon.
"Um... yes," Sora said, a little hesitant as he stood up.
Since waking up in Hell, he'd only encountered shady and brutal demons. But they seemed friendly—well, as friendly as this place could be. It was still so surreal, this dream wouldn't let him go. Even though he'd had it so many times, the young Keyblade fighter didn't know what to do now. Perhaps he needed to accept his situation for now and see how he could manage.
"Did... did you bring me here after I jumped into the car? Why did you do that?" Sora asked cautiously, looking down at the smaller imps.
"Well... you're so young. And judging by your appearance, you probably not so long here in the... well," the other small imp man said hesitantly.
"Now don't act so stupid, Moxxie. He's in HELL! The Inferno, the damnation, Los Angeles without annoying tourists and boring museums!" Blitz yelled bluntly, pushing the smaller imp aside slightly.
"Exactly, so far, the other demons have just been nasty idiots, shady characters, or wanted to stab me," explained the lion cub, rubbing the back of his head.
"You've got it, boy. The sinners are all depraved scum. Otherwise, they wouldn't be here. But that doesn't mean all demons are like that. Most of us just want to get through the day without losing a limb," Millie explained kindly, which Sora could even relate to.
"Exactly, we draw the line somewhere, too. After all, we also make friends and fall in love," added Moxxie, putting an arm around the imp lady to pull her lovingly towards her, who then rubbed her head against her partner.
From the smitten smile, the Keyblade warrior could see that the two were probably more than just friends. It also reminded him of the voice, saying there was light in hell. And when there was light, hearts could connect. At least something that gave the lion demon some hope. He'd managed to make friends in many places, and he'd surely succeed here too.
Suddenly, Blitz reclaimed the attention and pushed himself between the other two imps, speaking in an offended tone: "No more of this miserable sentimentality. I didn't drag your furry ass here because I was worried about a teenage sinner. I did it so you could pay for the damage you caused to my company van."
The large imp pointed to a nearby window, and Sora immediately looked out and spotted the vehicle in a nearby parking lot. The gray van, bearing the company logo, had a dented hood and a shattered windshield, as well as several scratches in other places. The lion cub smiled sheepishly and rubbed the back of his neck as he turned back to the imps. Millie and Moxxie stayed somewhat in the background, while Loona watched the young Keyblade fighter from her table. Blitz scowled at Sora, tapping one foot impatiently and crossing his arms.
"It... It exits money in Hell?" the young Keyblade player asked uncertainly, searching his pockets, where he found only his Gummi Phone and two healing potions.
"Yeah... imagine! This whole place runs on money and is sustained by money," said the large imp in a sarcastic tone, making wild hand gestures.
Sora wasn't quite sure what to do. Money had never been an issue for him; most of the time he was able to earn enough Munny on his travels by defeating Heartless or Nobodies. Unfortunately, his pockets were empty, and even if there was something in them, he doubted that anyone could pay with his currency in Hell. He still had his Keyblade, but he doubted there were any Heartless in Hell. Heartless were attracted to the light of the hearts of the living, desperately trying to fill their emptiness with it. Which didn't work, so they kept stealing more hearts. It would make more sense to search in the world of the living than here. There was probably just as much darkness here as on their home world.
"The Realm of Darkness."
"So... you said you're a company... you're not looking for an employee, by any chance? Or I could work off the debt?" the lion cub asked shyly, grinning sheepishly.
Both Loona and Millie and Moxxie looked at him wide-eyed. A sinner who wants to work for an imp? The boy wasn't just new to Hell, he'd really just arrived. Everyone had thought he'd try to escape, and they'd have to hunt him down. The sinner was either really submissive or a good guy too good to break the rules. Whatever it was, Blitz smiled enthusiastically and approached Sora to shake his hand.
"Of course you can, welcome aboard. My name is Blitz, the "o" is silent." the large imp explained cheerfully.
"Okay? I'm Sora, with a non-silent "o." "Nice to meet you," said the Keyblade fighter, slightly confused, as he pondered the name of his new boss.
"Hello, I'm Millie. Nice to meet you," the little imp female greeted him in a more than friendly voice and extended her hand as well.
Sora had to bend down slightly to shake the demon's delicate hand. The little imp male came next and extended his hand in a friendly manner.
"I'm Moxxie, I'm pleased too. If things ever get too chaotic here, come to me," he said, emphasizing the last sentence in an uncomfortable tone that made Sora's tail twitch nervously.
He looked over at the wolf-like female demon, who had simply returned to her phone and said in an uninterested tone, "Loona."
"We warmly welcome you to I.M.P., the Immediate Murder Professionals! The best assassins in all the rings of hell," Blitz said enthusiastically.
The lion cub's eyes widened when he heard what kind of company had just hired him. Meanwhile, Loona found the video on her phone that had been shown to her on her sinstagram account. She hadn't watched it before, as the three imps had returned to the office with an unconscious Sinner. But the beginning of the video definitely showed the strange key that Sora had summoned. Luckily, the phone was on silent, so she was able to watch the recording unnoticed. Her eyes widened as she watched the Lion Sinner fight; his movements and attacks weren't those of a novice, but of a skilled fighter.
She looked up from her phone at Sora and wondered in her mind, "What is such a strong guy doing here with us?"