Interesting partnerships

Series: Hazbin Hotel

Pairing: Kagome x Alastor

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters or series

Long nails tapped against the second floor railing following an almost forgotten melody, old memories had started to resurface more often these days, and Kagome's gaze was now trained on the reason why.

When she agreed to stay at the hotel and help where she could, the miko hadn't been sure what to expect, but it certainly wasn't the cheerful princess currently mangling what was supposed to be a group therapy session. Charlie Morningstar was perhaps one of the biggest mysteries Kagome had ever encountered. It wasn't a question about the blond's abilities, after all while the royal didn't act like it, she was certainly powerful, not to mention her family legacy would've ensured her survival despite the disrespect her people felt for her. No, what stumped the azure eyed miko was the fact that someone itch so much hope and well….purity hadn't been tainted or corrupted from the sheer malice seeping from every crevice of this land. Despite being laughed at and disregarded, Charlie persisted in chasing her merciful ideals in a way that reminded Kagome of her own time among the living. Back then she'd been so full of optimism, facing every challenge with unwavering determination, no matter how unlikely her odds had been.

She didn't know if she wanted to laugh or vomit.

Naive positivity only caused more suffering when things went wrong, but then again, the miko supposed that was exactly the point. After all, her partner was more than resourceful enough to get his way through other means, him bringing them both here was highly influenced by his desire for entertainment.

"Are you going to join in?" The static-filled voice that appeared behind her brought a smile to her lips, if Alastor was planning to go with her, things were certain to be interesting.

"Those type of trust exercises aren't all that helpful, I don't think they're legitimate in the first place." An arm wrapped around her shoulders, and the miko leaned back. "I might be convinced later, if it gets pitiful enough."

"You're always so thoughtful my dear." Laugh tracks echoed the male's chuckles.

"How about you?" Finally, the miko turned to face her partner. "Surely, watching from afar is not the type of entertainment that'd keep you satisfied, not even as a way to kill time."

"Why, you know me so well, darling, but I do believe we can take it slow for a while, smell the roses…so, what do you think?" Genuine curiosity dripped from his every word as he brought them both closer to the railing to get a better view of the laughable attempt at a trust-building exercise going on in the first floor lobby.

"Does it matter when you've already come to a conclusion?" Kagome asked, she did know him well. "You don't think any of them has any hope."

"My dear, your words are always a pleasure to listen. Whether it's just an opinion or one of those fascinating stories of yours, I could never be bored with you." Or of her…though the unsaid part of the sentence was likely the more important one.

"People change, dead or alive, it makes no difference. I have seen it happen once or twice. That said, it's no easy feat, a few improvements in the environment here and there can help, but unless a person wants to change for themselves nothing will come out of it." Slender fingers went to play with the edge of a crimson lapel. "Even if the current guests aren't exactly lost causes, there aren't enough people in hell with the potential for redemption to matter. Especially not with the reduced time limit."

Quite a lot of people here found enjoyment in here, surrounded by the same vices that saw them cast into Hell to begin with. She should know, Kagome was one of them.

Rehabilitation may be the stated goal of this endeavor, but she'd rather gouge her eyes out before living in Heaven, under the rule of the self-serving hypocrites that threw her down her without a second thought. Her role had been that of a scapegoat, and once she'd finished restoring the Shikon, the so-called angels had been quick in trying to bury any hint of their mistakes. Pinning the blame on her, they'd washed their hands of the tragedies caused by their own damn incompetence. Kagome had been struck down the instant she'd managed to get rid of the Shikon. But their paranoia had a cost, they'd killed her to ensure every wisp of the jewel's power would vanish, not noticing the cursed relic hadn't been destroyed, but was sealed within her soul instead. Years of fighting greed and ambition let the miko realize what her fate would've been had she let the little secret out, so she'd kept quiet as they condemned her, accused of every drop of blood spilled because of the jewel.

Freedom in Hell was better than imprisonment in Heaven.

Not that it made her situation any easier to swallow. Kagome hadn't taken her fate all that well at first. Anger and betrayal had mixed with despair and only helped the Shikon when it tried to take advantage of the dark energy that now filled the very air she breathed. It hadn't worked, she didn't die sealing the damn thing only to be taken over and become a continent puppet for the relic. Time hadn't made much sense during her self-imposed isolation, but by the time she'd managed to regain some semblance of herself a few hundred years had passed.

Of course, the version of herself that came out of that mess was a far cry from the always positive priestess who'd willingly sacrificed herself for others. Indifference had taken over her existence, and while she'd began living within the city and eventually earned the title of overlords, Kagome found herself bored and sleeping through without caring to count the days.

Not until Alastor sparked her interest once more.

"Ah, that little problem, yes, couldn't have imagined such a thing would happen, and with such timing too." His grin widened as he took a step back while making her turn to fully face her. "Poor thing must be worried."

"Just her? The whole city had a mental breakdown," the miko scoffed.

"We should take strolls more often, I believe" Alastor said, his head tilting as he turned pensive. "Though we might be quite busy by the time the more amusing sights happen."

For every word the male spoke, there were a hundred more hidden underneath, and that's precisely why Kagome had chosen to become his partner.

It was all based on self interest. After drowning in apathy for so long, Alastor's arrival in hell had been the one thing that finally stirred her interest. A regular human soul achieving that much power in that short time was unusual, but it wasn't that, or his almost inescapable radio show that caught her attention. No, it was the gall he'd shown as a deal maker, trying to trick a wish granter into a contract that made her burst out laughing from the first time since she'd fallen into hell. He was an amusing figure to follow around. And apparently, she was an interesting enough existence for him to play along with her whims. So they'd become partners in every possible way. Truly, agreeing to play his random games had been the best choice she could've made, even after the mess from seven years ago.

Dangers and risks were far better than the dullness of nothing happening for centuries.

"Shall we go then, dear?" A red clad arm was offered to her.

"Oh?" Smiling, the miko wrapped her hand around his elbow. Overlords panicking and calling a meeting had all been expected, so she'd gotten ready to go out early in the morning. They probably weren't counting on her attendance, but they wouldn't turn her away either. "I supposed I was planning to go, though I wasn't sure you'd want to come with me."

"It's been quite a while since we've attended one of these, haven't we? Surely we have a lot to catch up with, so many friends to reconnect with." Laughing at his own word choice, the male guided her towards the stairs.

"That's one way to say it."

While there was no one who'd doubt their respective strength was enough to warrant their title, most of the other Overlords were the farthest thing from friendly towards them.

Alastor's initial habit of hunting down anyone who stepped in his path combined with his untrustworthiness meant most preferred to keep their distance. Her reputation was a little better, but Kagome's lack of interest with the rest had led to her missing quite the number of meetings before the Radio Demon showed up in her doorstep, so most of her relationship with the others was superficial at best. Plus, thanks to the nature behind their powers, anyone with common sense was wary of them. To be fair, neither the miko nor Alastor cared too much about fostering friendships with the ret of the Overlords.

Curiosity was her main motivation these days, though, so she'd decided to show up regardless of her partner's decision. The meeting would give her a chance to get as much information as possible. If nothing else, Rosie would share what any rumors that crossed her way. Now that Alastor chose to join her, the miko was even more hopeful about it, the radio host had an uncanny ability to find himself in the right place at the right time to witness the chaos after all.

"What if they still don't listen? Do you think most of them are like Adam? Of course not, there's no way, it's Heaven…right? Should I start packing? It's still early, but I've never been there…they wouldn't mind Vaggie going with me, would they?"

Pacing with enough energy to start making a hole in their bedroom floor, the princess of hell barely paused for breath between one question or another, and Alastor's grin widened further.

Truthfully, the Radio Demon wasn't supposed to be within the room. For all of Charlie's naïveté, even she knew letting him see her vulnerability carried dangers, but even knowing that 5the princess of Hell came back every time. Because throughout the last few months, Kagome had all but become a confidante. Oh, he'd been shooed away once or twice when caution finally stopped the blond's tongue, however, the princess clearly felt guilty about asking him to go somewhere else at any given time, so his presence was tolerated more often than it should.

"Charlie…" The fallen priestess was soft and warm, her tone kind as she took a sip of tea. It was still enough to make the younger demon stop in her tracks, hands frozen in the middle of an animated wave. "You're making me dizzy."

"Oh, haha…sorry, it's just…I guess that first meeting with Adam stressed me out more than I thought…" The barrage of words slowed down as embarrassment colored the blond's voice.

"If someone like Adam managed to make it to Heaven and hasn't been thrown out, then at least we know their standards cannot be that high." Motioning to her side, Kagome offered a soft smile. "Now, won't you test my new brew?"

"Ah, yeah, sure…it does smell a little sweeter." Red eyes glanced at him for a second before the princess moved to sit down, forced by her own sense of politeness to not reject the offer.

"I've been working on this one for a bit now, it took some experimenting, but I think I finally found the right balance." Deceptively delicate hands poured the dark liquid into a cup Alastor conjured with a snap of his fingers. If he tried to jump into the conversation, Charlie would become wary, so he contended himself with doing a few parlor tricks while enjoying the show. "Now, let's try to focus on what is happening now instead of letting that asshole get into your head."

"Right, you're right, I have to calm down, and…wow, this is so good!" Blinking, the princess stared at the cup before taking another sip.

"Thank you!" The cheerfulness in the priestess' voice was definitely true this time. "I'll have a cup ready for when you come back."

Swallowing down a laugh, Alastor drank from his own cup. If there was one thing his partner had been obsessed with from the moment he met her, it was tea. The first thing she'd asked for help with was to procure ingredients that would make a decent brew. She'd spent decades fiddling with herbs and flowers attempting to replicate or improve the taste she could only vaguely remember. An adorable little hobby that the radio host got to enjoy the rewards of.

As an added bonus, it was also a very efficient way to get others to start moving at the pace she wanted them to. That's part of how she'd gotten the princess to start to open up about her worries.

The other part was thanks to Kagome's honesty.

Lofty goals were hard to support, and while it was clear Charlie wouldn't waver in her attempts to chase redemption, it was also evident her constant failures still weighed on her. The optimistic princess needed someone to reassure her. Naturally, Alastor had never even been an option, he'd mocked the idea of the hotel far too often to become a source of strength; though Vaggie would doubtlessly stand by her, her support was too blind, to the point that even the most naive person in hell would notice.

"Maybe Angel hasn't fully redeemed himself but there has been some progress and it would be unfair to ignore that." Pensive and kind, the fallen priestess' voice had the exact type of tone that put others at ease. "It's normal to feel a little…anxious, but panicking will only make you loose focus of what is happening now. Just be clear about what the hotel has accomplished and the implications it carries. If they are truly just they'll have to listen." Pausing to take a sip, Kagome continued. "…and maybe make sure to pace yourself a little, it's hard to consider any proposal if you're struggling to follow through."

"Be clear and slow down a little…I can do that…wait, what time is it?!" Whatever calm the tea time had given the princess, it was gone in a flash when she saw the clock on the wall.

This time he did chuckle when Charlie almost tripped on her way out of the room, mumbling something about packing and weather, and suitcases.

Being granted a show just before breakfast was something he wasn't about to complain, so he'd lurked in the background when they were woken up by hurried knocks. And while even the Radio Demon wasn't sure how his partner felt about Charlie, she eventually got more involved coming up with a better functioning rehabilitation program, all of it out of spite.

"So energetic and full of hope…" Alastor trailed up, whirling the last of his tea. "The angels she's about to meet…do you think they're the ones you've met?"

"Probably, centuries don't seem to mean much here or there." Her previous warmth had vanished as rested her head on her hand.

"Yes, yes, immortal angels wouldn't have to worry about time. "Static increased as he felt the change in the priestess' mood. "Did any of them strike you as particularly merciful, darling?"

"Mercy can only be had when there's empathy. It's a pity cowards can only think of their own survival, they're more likely to double the number of exorcists sent here."

"A pity, now is it?" Leaning forward. Alastor got a better view of his partner's face. "That's quite the expression for someone who'd say that to have, my dear."

It wasn't often that Kagome showed the cruelty she was capable of, on occasion he got to witness the echoes of the girl she'd been when she'd been alive, but for the most part the fallen priestess was just faintly interested in what was going on around her, looking for amusement. Between her previous self imposed isolation that only ended after they met and her mostly human appearance, she could easily pass as an inoffensive sinner, Even now, many thought of her as little more than favored servant or pet Alastor kept at his side for the sake of entertainment.

Well, certainly, he was never bored when she was by his side, but theirs was in fact an equal partnership. When he'd heard rumors about an Overlords almost no one had seen he'd been intrigued, especially since the only other rumor there was about them were whispers of them being a wish granter. So of course, he'd gone into the apparently calm territory, forced his way into the area no one got close to and was greatly rewarded by the charming little demoness waiting who laughed when she realized he'd tried to trick her into a contract. But she didn't try to attack him next and asked for his name. They fit together and his initial visits turned into a permanent companionship. Soon enough, they'd become partners, she'd shared parts of her stories, and he'd revealed some of his history in return. A mutually beneficial relationship that gave him the chance of seeing the echoes of the girl she'd been when she'd walked among the living…and though rare, he'd also witnessed the fallen priestess shed her mostly human form when rage took over.

Her bloodlust was a sight to behold, and he was sure to see it again soon, he'd never met someone with a heavier grudge towards Heaven as his partner. Alastor wasn't sure if the fondness the priestess seemingly had towards Charlie was genuine or not, but the one thing he knew for a fact was that she wanted the angels to come to the hotel and grant her the justification to finally get some revenge.

"Careful, my dear, your control is slipping." Long fingers closed around both of her shoulders as he stood to stand behind her.

"They'll blame it on you." True enough. "Should we take the night out?"

Sharp fingernails sliced through white skin and the scent of her smell was even more intoxicating than usual as she raised her hand towards him in an invitation. A promise for mutual satisfaction.

"I suppose it will be better to calm down your hunger before the others notice…and I won't refuse a taste."

A/N: Not exactly what I was planning to upload or when I was planning to upload, but when life wants to be chaotic it's just chaotic. Still, I wanted to get something out so here this is.

As always thanks for reading and any and all review/comment/criticism is greatly appreciated.