"For evilness' sake, would you be considerate enough to put your own dishes in the sink for once instead of leaving them on the table?!"

For what seemed to be the hundredth time in a row, the comment rang out in the Devil's Castle, temporarily ceasing all other conversation and drawing attention to the utterer. Ashiya, the blond Demon General-turned househusband, paid no mind to the several pairs of eyes trained on him, and instead continued to glower at the occupant on the receiving end of his pointing finger. The eyes followed his considerably long arm to said occupant, whose back was turned to Ashiya and seemed to be doing his absolute best to disregard him.

Upon seeing it was, yet again, Urushihara, they sighed and shook their heads, turning back to the table.

"Don't worry about it for now, Ashiya. We can take care of the dishes once everyone's done eating," Maou called, simultaneously trying to keep his grip on a squirming Alas Ramus. "Come on, Alas, open your mouth for daddy…"

He, Emi, and Suzuno were seated around the table for a midday lunch, having a pleasant chat before leaving to go to Asakusa for the Sumidagawa Fireworks Festival, as Maou had been planning for the past month. Somehow he'd convinced Ashiya that this was a good use of their money (helped by the large chunk he'd saved up over the past year) and though Ashiya was now more frugal than ever as a caution, even sacrificing his chance to go to the festival to save money, the Demon General was happy to let his king enjoy himself with his daughter. The daughter who was now adamantly avoiding the spoon of baby food Maou struggled to feed her, protesting loudly all the while.

"No, iss funny! Iss weird! Don' like color!"

"But I thought you liked bright colors, Alas! Isn't this better than that mushy brown stuff you had to eat before?"

"Maou, she hasn't tried this version yet. Emi-dono and I just bought it today," Suzuno interjected.

"Oh. Well, Alas, I'm sure this stuff tastes waaay better than the other stuff. Come on, just try a little bit!"

"Don' wanna, don' wanna, don' wanna!"

Emi Yusa, who was sitting right next to the pair and had been massaging her temple for the past five minutes, finally gave a frustrated sigh and shot out a hand. "Here, shut up and give it to me."

"Huh? Oh, okay…" Maou meekly surrendered the spoon.

Emi examined the spoon's contents before cocking an eyebrow at the Demon King. "Hey, Maou, what was the name of the yellow jewel of the Tree of Life?"

"Which one? There were two."

"I don't know, just pick one!"

"Okay, sorry! Ah, um…"

"Malchut," Suzuno offered helpfully.

"Thank you, Suzuno." Emi bent so that she looked her daughter straight in the eye and gave a big, entirely-too-cheerful grin. "Nee, Alas, remember your friend Malchut?"

A bright smile to match Emi's immediately covered Alas' face. "Uh-huh! Tha's muh fwend, Malkoo!"

"Well, Alas, don't you think Malchut would be sad if you didn't want to eat something just because it was his color?"

"Malchut was female," Maou whispered hurriedly.

"What? Oh, erm, I mean, her color?"

At her words, Alas Ramus' face fell from her pout, and she nodded to the floor. "Uh-huh," she mumbled quietly.

Emi grinned. "Well, then, let's make Malchut happy and give this a try. I'm sure she'd be extra happy if it turned out you liked it!"

Alas immediately brightened and nodded. "Okay!"

She opened her mouth, and Emi fed her the spoon, wiping away the excess that dribbled down her chin. Her eyes widened at the taste, and she held out her hands as she gulped it down. "More, more!" she pleaded.

"There you are, Maou, she'll probably be waking you up in the middle of the night for the stuff now," Emi sighed, handing over the spoon.

"Not that I approve of your methods, but that was pretty clever, Emi," Maou acknowledged, taking it from her and digging it into the baby bottle.

Suzuno let out a breath, then gave a rare smile. "Things have gotten back to normal surprisingly quickly, considering Gabriel was defeated only a few weeks ago."

"Yeah…it seems like a distant memory," Maou agreed. His grip tightened protectively around Alas Ramus as he spoke, apparently without him realizing it, for he suddenly jerked when his daughter squealed, "Daddy, too hard!"

"Huh? Oh, sorry! Sorry, Alas. Here, ready for another bite?"

Emi didn't speak, but secretly she shared the sentiment. It seemed they were all eager to forget the difficulties they had faced during that time—most of all, the agony of losing Alas Ramus. It had only been a short time since the little girl appeared in their lives, but already she had wriggled her way into a deep, special place in all of their hearts.

"Distant for you, maybe. I still remember a moping Maou like it was yesterday, moaning and all depressed just because he lost his daughter. It was embarrassing."

All except one, it seemed. Urushihara's drawling voice cut through like a foghorn, shattering the mood.

"Lucifer! How dare you speak of Maou-sama's pain so rudely?! All of us were saddened when we believed Alas Ramus to be lost, but Maou-sama was especially torn! You ought to have more respect!"

"Ah, it's okay, really, Ashiya," Maou tried to interject, poorly so. He wasn't too keen on having one of his less dignifying moments brought up, by either of his generals, but his weak protests went unheard. To his relief, Emi came to his rescue, though perhaps not intentionally.

"Don't bother lecturing the likes of him, Ashiya," she spat. "A recluse like him, who doesn't bother getting close to anybody, could never understand what it's like to lose something precious."

"Unless you mean his computer," Ashiya snorted, and to his surprise, Emi laughed in response.

"I wish you would stop saying things like that," Urushihara muttered glumly. Though his back was resolutely facing the rest of them and hadn't moved, his head had sunk lower with each jab the others had thrown his way.

"You bring it on yourself with the things you say," Emi countered, with no patience or sympathy for the fallen angel. "You ought to expect the reactions you get by now."

"Yes, perhaps if you actually bothered to help out now and then, we'd consider acting more favorably towards you." Ashiya, though the most suspicious of Ente Isla's Hero out of the three demons, seemed to be enjoying his newfound, albeit temporary alliance with her against Urushihara's hikikomori nature.

"Not to mention if he changed his outfit every now and then," Emi added, catching on.

"Or maybe his hairstyle."

"Or got a job."

"Or a life."

"Or a—"

"Maouuuuu," Urushihara whined, his reddening face beneath the folds of his arms. "Make them stoooooop…"

"Oh, now look what you did, Alas, you spilled it all over your shirt! Now I've got to change you again…"

Either the Demon King was deliberately ignoring him, or he genuinely missed Urushihara's begging. Either way, he was going to be of no help to the half-angel. Giving up, Urushihara simply hunched his shoulders and tried to absorb himself into the comforting hypnosis of the computer screen, his only friend. Maybe he'd search online for a pair of good headphones when he was alone…

"Hmph. Pathetic. You were never this easy to bully when you were a General," Ashiya said scathingly. He missed the odd look given to him by Suzuno.

"That's because nobody dared to say things like this when I was a General," Urushihara muttered under his breath.

"Urushihara, if what we're saying bothers you so much, why don't you just go crawl into the closet you've become so fond of?" Emi suggested, though from her tone it sounded far more like an insult.

Somehow, it didn't register as such for the fallen angel. "Ughh, that actually sounds like a good idea…" he mumbled. He closed his laptop and was slowly getting to his feet when Ashiya's nagging voice came again.

"Oh, no you don't! Not at least until you've put your dishes away and taken the trash out like I told you to! I've asked you three times now, and those bags are still sitting in the corner!"

"Oh…right…I forgot, sorry…" Urushihara didn't sound the least bit apologetic, and gave a disinterested glance at the bags in question. He didn't move from his place.

Ashiya made an annoyed tsk and returned to the dishes. "Honestly, it's all I can do to keep this place from falling apart. It's not like I sit around dawdling all day, you know! Not like you do 24/7! In fact I haven't had a moment to myself during all the time I've been here! The Great Lord Satan knows I want to…And it'd be just a little easier if you didn't sit around all day, wasting away in front of that screen! Do you know you could go blind in two months if you spend every minute that close to a screen? Not that I'd care, it'd serve you right! But I'm certainly not going to be the one to take care of you if that happens, and you can bet I won't be paying for any bills that come—"

"Ashiya, quiet."

Though the command was barely heard, it sliced through Ashiya's rant like a cleaver, and he immediately silenced. Slowly, nervously, he turned to look at his king, who was no longer smiling. Instead, his eyes seemed to be glowing, and his voice was slightly deeper than normal.

"Your lecturing is grating on my ears," Maou continued, even as the women around him tensed at his demeanor. "I say that is enough for today."

"…Y-yes, my lord. I apologize." Ashiya was quick to bow, deep and respectful. He resumed washing the dishes in silence, his face red with shame. Urushihara didn't say anything, but he, too, was marginally apprehensive as he opened his laptop again.

The glow faded from Maou's eyes, and he gave a bright, cheerful smile to the two women. "Sorry about that. What were we talking about?"

Such a 180 flip in attitude, Emi thought, shuddering, though whether it was from his previous mood or his sudden cheerfulness, she couldn't tell.

"Daddyyyyyy," Alas whimpered, tugging on his shirt. She'd gone very still at his outburst, but now that it was over, she appeared to deem it safe to say just how she'd felt. "Daddy, don't be angry. Daddy gets scary when he's angry!"

"Ah, I'm sorry, Alas! Here, is this better?" Maou gave a big, over-exaggerated grin, showing his teeth, which had, Emi suddenly noticed, four neat pointed canines.

Alas Ramus, unfazed, giggled and nodded. "Uh-huh!"

Suzuno gave an odd look to the Demon Lord. "Sadao-dono, I've been wondering about this for a while now, but the three of you seem to have been acting a little more…demonic, lately."

"Really? I hadn't noticed anything…" Maou looked genuinely bewildered, despite his behavior only a moment ago.

"It's not that surprising. In a way, we have been more demonic for the past couple of days." Urushihara's monotonous voice floated to the table yet again.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Emi raised an eyebrow.

Urushihara didn't answer right away, instead going to type rapidly at his laptop. He pulled up a webpage, then scooted aside so the others could see. "Here. A really bad traffic accident happened a few days ago at that nearby highway. At least three cars were totaled, and a truck pulling a gas tanker exploded. Nobody's died, but at least five people were critically injured, and most of the highway's been sectioned off, which has been causing a lot of slow traffic lately. All that panic and frustration's been leaking everywhere since then, enough for us to regain a little bit of our magic. It's probably started to return us to our demon forms as well. A few more days and we might even be able to manifest our true forms."

"Since when do you read the news?" Emi blurted out, not entirely intentionally. Regardless, Urushihara scowled at her.

"That actually explains a lot," Maou said thoughtfully. "I guess I have been a little more commanding lately…And it explains why I was able to start up the fryer again when it broke down with no warning…"

"You used magic without realizing it?" Ashiya asked in disbelief. He shook his head. "Sometimes I wonder if your mind's where it ought to be, Your Highness…"

The dishes done, he untied his apron and went to the refrigerator. "Who wants some ice cream?" he asked, opening the freezer. "I think there's still a little left…in the…"

He trailed off, and the pallor drained from his cheeks. It was soon replaced with a bluish-purple tinge that quickly darkened, so that the result was not unlike Urushihara's hair. His eyes bulged, and several strangled, wordless sounds clawed their way from his throat, before he finally ground out, "U…RU…SHI…HA…RA…"

"Hmm?" Said fallen angel, who was by now quite used to his name being said in such a manner, didn't even bother to turn around.

"Would you mind explaining to me…where exactly all of THIS came from?!"

'This', and the reason for Ashiya's dramatic change, were boxes and boxes of different flavors of ice cream and popsicles, all crammed together in the icebox. When Maou finally caught sight of them after Ashiya stepped aside, he let out a choked gasp; clearly he, too, had been unaware of so many desserts.

"You mean the ice cream?" Urushihara answered back, his apathetic tone unchanged. At Ashiya's response of 'yes', which sounded much closer to a cheese grater being dragged across the pavement, he gave a flippant wave of the hand. "Well, I finished all the ice cream we had not too long ago, so I figured that with it being so hot lately we needed more. I wanted to buy only the ice cream online, but they had only this variety package, so I got that instead. It was a bargain price, so I thought it was a good deal. By the way, could you hand me one? I'm practically melting over here."

The refrigerator door closed with a SLAM. Everyone else, with the exception of Urushihara, jumped, but neither he nor Ashiya paid any mind to the apprehensive audience the other four had suddenly become.

"And the price…" Ashiya hissed, his rage making it difficult to speak properly. "What was the price?"

"Ashiya," Maou said warningly. But it seemed the Demon General had given up on listening to his king; his demon's blood was boiling, and not even the Devil Lord's great authority could subdue such primal reactions.

Silence, then, "…Plus shipping and handling, about 6,200 yen."

Perhaps it was the lack of direct attention for the entirety of that conversation. Perhaps it was the insensitivity of Urushihara's comments. Perhaps his patience had finally reached the end of its streak, and on this especially sweltering afternoon, those cold numbers drew the last straw. But whatever the reason, something seemed to snap within Ashiya. His features darkened, and his voice rasped forth like it was uttered from the depths of Hell itself.

"That's it…" he breathed, looking for all the world like his usual demon form. "That's it! That was the last of our free money! You've actually caused us to go in debt, for the first time since we've arrived in this forsaken world! We won't be able to buy any more food until Maou-sama's next two paychecks! Worthless angel! Those popsicles better be loaded with nutrition, because that's all you'll be able to eat in the next month!"

"Ashiya, please, stop yelling!" Suzuno said in a hushed tone. She cast a worried glance at Alas Ramus, whose face was starting to scrunch up into a wail, and Maou, whose expression was growing more serious.

Urushihara didn't respond for what seemed like a full minute. Then, in a bored tone, he replied "Sure, whatever. At least it'll taste better than your cooking."

"Urushihara!" Emi exclaimed. Though she was used to Urushihara's blatant disregard for courtesy, the last comment had sounded far more insulting than was typical of the shut-in angel.

Ashiya drew himself up to his full towering height, his face a twisted mask of disgust. Emi was suddenly reminded of how the demons in Ente Isla used to appear when looking down upon humans.

"Even for a demon, I never imagined you might be this despicable," Ashiya said venomously. "With an attitude like that, it's no wonder you were kicked out of Heaven! If I were God, the only reason I might seriously consider letting you back in would be so that I could cast you right back out again! Or better yet, tell that fellow angel of yours, Michael, to strike you in the spot that would teach you some respect!"

Crunch!

"ALCIEL!"

Ashiya fell silent once more, but this time he physically shrank back, fearful, when his master suddenly stood, fists balled and fangs bared in a snarl. The Demon King didn't transform beyond that, but that made his image no less daunting.

Alas Ramus fled to her mother, too frightened to make much noise, while Emi silently gathered her magic in one hand, ready to summon Better Half if need be. In the corner of her eye, she could see Suzuno subtly reaching for her hairpin, but not yet withdrawing it. So far it seemed the Demon King had everything under control, and while that would normally mean her sword would be drawn right away, this time she was happy to allow Maou to take care of the situation. She would only wield her weapon if Ashiya decided to turn this into a fight. Hopefully, with the Demon General's unnaturally sincere sense of loyalty, that wouldn't be the case. She didn't want to have to break anything, and she hated to have to bring Alas Ramus into play

These were the reasons she would have given if asked why she stayed her hand so readily. In truth, a part of her was held frozen in terrible awe to see Maou in a position of such authority and power. This, then, was the true might of the Demon King she had been born to defeat.

"Alciel," Maou repeated, quieter but no less intimidating, "enough. I will not tolerate this pettiness any further. You've stepped beyond proving your point, and you're scaring Alas Ramus. That I cannot excuse so easily. I demand you cease this behavior."

Ashiya, who had sunk to one knee and was bowing his head low, stammered from beneath his hair, "F-forgive me, my lord. I agree that I was out of line. Please, exact your punishment upon me."

"Do you think you're in a position to make requests?" Maou hissed, and Ashiya flinched.

"N-no, my lord."

"Indeed." Maou stepped forward, until he was no more than half a foot away.

Ashiya began to tremble, for the Devil King's rage, though rare, was notorious, and his punishments severe. He had been the brunt of his lord's rage only once, when a campaign in the East had gone horribly awry and he was forced to report his colossal failure, of a strategy which had taken months to plan and even more to exact, to Satan himself. His punishment, after suffering a quick but brutal beating that cost no effort from the king himself, was to then venture into the human armies alone and retrieve a vital aspect of that campaign; an advanced weapon, which had been lost in the attack. Alciel had barely managed to escape with his life, and from then on devoted himself to ensuring absolute perfection in every move he made, in penance for his mistakes.

Now he was to be dealt judgement once more, and though his insides burned with the thought of once again failing his master, he accepted it without complaint. He deserved every amount of pain he was going to receive, no more, no less.

"I want you to get out."

The sentence was simple, quiet, and so unexpected it almost didn't register right away. When Ashiya realized what Maou had said, however, shock surged through him, and he dared to raise his head. "What? But, my lord, I—!"

One glare from Maou was enough to silence him once more. In the same stony tone, Maou continued, "Don't whine, this isn't banishment. I want you to leave, and reflect upon what has transpired here. Your overwhelming capacity for guilt and self-blame is enough to punish you ten times over. I don't need to add to that."

This was certainly a far cry from what Ashiya had been expecting. Maou had not laid so much as a finger upon him (though his contemptuous words were no easy blow) and though it was definitely true his own guilty conscience would make up for the beating quite easily, he had not expected his king to be so perceptive of it.

But he didn't dwell on this, and instead gave one last bow. "I shall leave immediately, my lord."

"I'm not finished, Alciel."

Cold, icy dread poured sluggishly through his system, and he waited with bated breath for the King's next words.

"That being said, you are to go out and spend money on something." He held up a hand to silence Ashiya once again. "Though your frugality has saved us from the brink of bankruptcy, lately you have been far too obsessive with it. Not once have I seen you do something for yourself, and it's affecting all of us as well as you. Tonight is proof of that. Therefore I order you to go out and do something which costs money. I don't care what it is, as long as it is something fun. When you have calmed yourself to the point that you can speak in a manner more befitting a Demon General, I will consider forgiving you."

Ashiya trembled, and protesting tears threatened to spring from his eyes. But he could not disobey, and he merely whispered, "At…At once, my lord."

He stood, untied his apron, and picked up his wallet from the counter. As he was putting on his shoes, Maou stopped him once more.

"Say, Ashiya…" He turned back to see his king once again in entirely human form, a wide, easy smile showing his teeth. When their eyes met, Maou winked. "Think of this as time off. Go…relax, watch a movie or something, eh?"

Ashiya nearly retorted that they didn't have the money for such pointless entertainment, but he stopped himself. "I will…find something, my lord," he said instead, giving one last respectful bow before stepping out. Soon his footsteps could be heard traversing down the metal staircase outside.

Maou heaved a big sigh. Suddenly he seemed deflated now that he was no longer so threatening, and both Emi and Suzuno let out their breaths. Alas Ramus ran to her father and clamped herself around his leg.

"Daddy, Daddy, don't be mad!" she cried, her pudgy face scrunched up in a wail. "Daddy's scary when he's mad! Please don't be mad at Aseeya, Daddy! Please don't send Aseeya away foweva, Daddy!"

"Oh, he won't be gone forever, Alas," Maou said gently, reaching down and picking her up. She wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her face in his shoulder. "He's just getting a time-out, is all. He'll be back by the time we get back from the festival, and then we can all sit down and play together again. Okay?"

Alas Ramus sniffed and nodded into his neck. Maou chuckled softly and set her down again. "Now, go ask mommy to help you get cleaned up, then we can all head out as soon as you're ready."

"Wha—? Maou, why me?!"

"Okay! Mommy, Mommy, clean up time!"

"Y-yeah, clean up." Emi sent a murderous look at Maou, unseen by Alas, as she allowed herself to be led to the bathroom, taking out Alas' kimono from her bag before she got to her feet. Suzuno gave a small smile, then stood.

"I'll go back to my room to freshen up and change as well," she said. "Thank you for the lunch. I'll be back in about ten minutes." She bowed and shuffled out the door, closing it softly behind her.

Maou waved, then took a deep breath and glanced at who was likely going to be the most difficult one to deal with.

Urushihara hadn't spoken a word the entire time, nor had he moved a single muscle from his position. That is, except for his hand, still clamped around the crushed remains of his computer mouse.

Strong for a wiry kid, Maou remarked to himself, allowing a brief flash of humor. Looks like someone got back some powers after all.

He stood there in silence for a few seconds, wondering how to start, when Urushihara unexpectedly spoke instead.

"You sound like God."

"Excuse me?" Maou squawked indignantly, without thinking. Then, catching himself, he cleared his throat and said, "I-I mean, really?"

Urushihara unwrapped his hand from his mouse, shaking off bits of plastic from his fingertips. Maou winced when a few were peeled from the skin, showing deep red welts and even a couple of oozing cuts.

"Don't worry, I'll just buy another one online," Urushihara said, when he noticed Maou's look, and the Devil King had to suppress a laugh at his audacity. The fallen angel wiped his fingers along his shirt, leaving faint red smudges against the white. "What I meant was, that's how God sounded whenever he punished one of the angels."

"How often do angels get punished?" Maou was genuinely curious, as he had always heard angels were typically the epitome of good behavior, never deviating from the rules and always the first to deal divine justice.

"More than most people think. After my fall, they were dropping right and left out of Heaven. Either I sparked something rebellious or the rules just got too tight, I don't know. No matter what it was, though, God wasn't lenient when it came to dealing punishment. Believe me, I was the first to know."

Maou's expression sobered, and he murmured, "Are you upset at all? I mean…with what Alciel said?"

It was no exaggeration that Ashiya's lectures against Urushihara were a daily, almost regular occurrence. But somehow, during all that time, Ashiya had never brought up, much less jabbed at, Urushihara's former status as an angel. It was well known Lucifer had spent a good number of decades trying to find ways back into Heaven. No matter how unhappy Lucifer might have been with his position, Heaven was his home. To be banished from one's birthplace was tragedy enough. One could only imagine the pain of losing Paradise forever.

Thus Maou was surprised when Urushihara merely shrugged and replied, "I gave up on trying returning to Heaven a while ago. I left in the first place because I was bored, remember? It's been ten thousand years. I got over it."

This was incredibly mature of Urushihara to say. He was without a doubt more tense than usual. Maou could tell that much. Perhaps it was their time together fighting as demons, but Maou could sense that Ashiya's comments had affected him, even marginally.

But he could also sense that no amount of prying would do any good. In fact, if anything they might cause a measure of harm. So Maou simply smiled, and nodded. "Okay. That's good."

At that moment, Emi and Alas Ramus chose to come out of the bathroom, Alas having been changed into a lovely white kimono with yellow chrysanthemums gorgeously blossoming all about, and Emi in her own deep red kimono with cranes flying gracefully. She was wringing dry Alas' dress. "I managed to get all the spots out," she said, draping the cloth over her arm. "Is there some place I can hang this?"

"Oh, yeah, right on the clothesline over the balcony."

"Daddy, Daddy, what hat should I wear?!"

"Hmm? Oh, well, let's take a look…"

Emi looked for the clothesline in question, then edged her way around Urushihara, who refused to budge even as the Hero leaned over him, struggling to pin up the dress outside the window while trying not to fall on top of the purple-haired NEET at the same time.

"Ugh, would it kill you to help or at least move over a little?" she grunted frustratedly. Then she suddenly blanched, and looked down at Urushihara worriedly. "Uh…I mean…"

"You already said what you meant," Urushihara stated, no hint of malice in his words that were brutally honest nevertheless. Before she could give a retort, however, he scooted over just enough so that she could put her feet closer to the windowsill. Emi looked at him strangely, but either Urushihara ignored her or didn't notice, because he was soon typing away at his laptop like usual. She turned back slowly to the clothesline, and successfully managed to pin up the dress.

A knock came at the door. "Sadao-dono? Is everyone ready?"

"Yeah, just about, Suzuno!" Maou called back, re-adjusting a straw hat on his daughter's head. It sported a lovely blue flower, as well as a ribbon that flowed back and forth in the air whenever Alas shook her head.

"There. A lovely lady all ready to go to the park," he said proudly. Alas giggled, and did a twirl.

He looked up. "We ready to head out?" he asked Emi.

"I think so."

"All right. Okay, Alas! Do you want to hold Mommy's hand or Daddy's…" he trailed off when he realized Alas had disappeared. "Alas Ramus?"

"You mad, Loosifa?" He whipped around behind him when he heard her voice, finding her looking imploringly at none other than Urushihara.

"Is Loosifa mad?" she asked again. Her hands fidgeted behind her back, and her face held one of those genuinely concerned expressions only little children are capable of.

"Not really. Nothing to be mad at," Urushihara replied, not looking from his screen.

This didn't serve to reassure Alas. Instead, her face pinched, and she looked as if she were about to cry. Recognizing the signs, Maou immediately rushed forward, but it was too late—Alas butted her head into Urushihara's shoulder, gathering the material of his shirt in her tiny fists.

Urushihara jumped at the sudden contact, and for the first time that day seemed to show actual signs of emotion. Emotion which included shock, apprehension, and awkward reluctance. Out of the three demons, he had handled Alas' crying spells the worst, preferring to lock himself in the closet where her wails were the most muffled. He wasn't sure he'd be able to contain himself if he had to be right next to her while she screamed her lungs out…

"Loosifa not bad," Alas whispered.

Urushihara raised his eyebrows. Maou did too, after he'd closed his mouth from shock. Emi, however, was quick to move forward.

"Here, Alas, don't touch him, you might catch some of his NEET—." She feel silent when Maou held her back and put up a hand that begged wait.

"Geb'rel bad. Geb'rel's a liar. Other angels are liars. Loosifa's not a liar. God should kick all of them out, not you."

Somewhere, in all of his antisocial reluctance, Urushihara was touched. Truly he was. He hadn't been lying when he said he'd given up on Heaven a long time ago. Nor had he really been all that bothered, rationally speaking, when he'd heard Ashiya's spiteful comments. But somehow, the toddler's infantile words struck a note deep within him, in the tiniest bit that still sang a melancholy tune when it remembered the smell of home.

However, being the socially inept hikikomori that he was, he could muster up no further gratitude than an awkward smile and an "Um…th-thanks, Alas…" as he tentatively gave her a pat on the arm. Even that was a record milestone, and Maou had to shake himself from staring dumbly before reaching down to scoop up Alas Ramus once again.

"All right, Alas, let's leave him alone. If we don't leave soon, we'll miss the train. You said you wanted to see the fireworks, right? Well, if we hurry, we can get a good seat."

"We'll see them wherever we sit," Emi said, and Maou rolled his eyes, but didn't respond.

Alas still seemed upset, but she nodded and hugged her father around his neck. Maou smiled, then glanced back at Urushihara. "We probably won't be back until late tonight, so you'll get the place to yourself for a while. I don't know when Ashiya will be back, but knowing him, he might stay out until tomorrow trying to prove himself to me. If he gets back before we do, just put up with him until we get back."

"Yeah, yeah, okay." Urushihara waved an airy hand. "Get going already."

Maou raised an eyebrow, then went to put on his and Alas' shoes. Emi stood outside with Suzuno, and Maou and Alas joined them.

Urushihara sighed and stretched. Finally, he thought. A whole quiet apartment all to himself…he had to enjoy these moments while he could. He got up and retrieved a fudgesicle from the freezer, then opened a tab to 'Jungle'. Instantly a pop-up appeared, and was just as quickly closed down by Urushihara, who by now was an expert when it came to dealing with such things.

Wonder if there's a sale on that shirt I saw earlier…

Suddenly the door opened again. "Oh, and Urushihara?" Maou said.

"Hmm?"

"As a punishment for sending us into debt, you're suspended from buying anything until we get at least a 100,000 yen surplus."

…Damn.

It was nearly dusk when Urushihara heard the faint sounds of footsteps coming up the metal stairs. Hearing only one set, he groaned. "I was hoping he'd be out a little longer…"

He closed his laptop on a site labeled 'Warfield 2' and was about to sneak into the closet before Ashiya came in when there was a knock on the door.

He paused. That's odd, Ashiya never knocks…Then he saw a small brass key lying on the countertop, and nearly groaned again. Unless, of course, he forgets his key…

The knock came again, more urgently. "Yeah, yeah, I hear you. Just hang on…" Urushihara moved to the counter first, intent on brandishing the key teasingly in front of Ashiya's face the moment he opened the door. Almost as much as he loved the Internet and his games, he could never pass up the chance to point out and make fun of every lapse in Ashiya's so-called perfection. Serves him right, the uptight little kiss-ass—

"Lucifer? Is that you?"

Urushihara froze, his hand inches away from the key. I know that voice…

The deep bass, definitely not Ashiya's usual baritone, came again. "I was told you could be found here, but I never truly believed…until now."

No. Not him. Not him, DAMN IT ALL! Those idiots in Heaven! He knew they were desperate, but to call on that monster—!

Not good, Urushihara thought, panicking. Not good. I need to call the others!

But before Urushihara could make a step towards his computer, there came a crunching noise as the door was suddenly taken off its hinges, and an angel walked through.

If Gabriel had been large, then this angel was massive. So tall that he had to duck in order to fit under the ceiling as he replaced the door to the wall, he was a hulking mass of muscle, so that even Gabriel would be a matchstick by comparison. Unlike all of the other angels seen by the troupe in the past, this one didn't wear a toga. He was clothed in dark, ragged skins that looked like they hadn't been changed in centuries, and his shockingly red hair fell in long strands all about his face.

Lucifer swallowed. His palms were sweating, and every instinct in his being was screaming at him to run, to put as much distance between himself and this creature as possible. If he were as he was when he was still a Demon General, he would have.

But instead he slid his hands into his pockets to hide his shaking hands, and relaxed his body into a slouch. Tossing his hair to the side with a flick of his head, he gave a welcoming grin, and tried not to let his teeth chatter.

"My, my. If it isn't the Forsaken himself…Asbeel."

RN: Disclaimer. I'd normally put it on top, but I suppose I'm feeling a little lazier with this story.

Reviews. I'm hardly ever shameful about asking for them, they are a writer's direction and fuel. After all, what is a writer without readers? And how does she know she pleases her readers without them telling her (constructively, of course) how she's done?

Thank you very much for choosing this story. With enough (good) reception, I just may continue.