Emi stepped to the subway platform, breathing a sigh of relief at having escaped the packed confines of the train car. She took a moment to straighten her hair and her clothes, which had gotten ruffled, and readjusted her purse before making her way towards the exit.

A week had passed since Asbeel had been killed and Raphael had been taken back to Heaven. Since then, Urushihara's hair and wings had gone back to their usual color, and the city had remained quiet. Gossip about the blown-up hospital had circulated around her work for a few days, but like everything else it soon faded into the background of old news. Things felt like they were going back to normal.

She sighed. Like so many times before, Emi was on her way to the Devil's Castle to retrieve Alas=Ramus. But for the first time ever, she felt relieved at her destination. Never did she think the home of the Demon King would be a place she would want to go. But when the run-down wooden structure appeared in her line of sight, she felt her anxiety that had been building over the past few days dissipate in an instant.

Emi had been more than reluctant to listen to Alas=Ramus when the child demanded she stay with her papa. For a few days, no less. Call it parental instinct or what have it, but after she had fought so hard to keep Alas=Ramus from being taken, to hand her over so soon to someone else had been more difficult than she expected. She'd wanted to keep Alas=Ramus with her for at least a week, if only to reassure her that Alas=Ramus was safe.

But maybe Alas=Ramus sensed something, because she insisted on being with her papa. "Come back later, mama! On the big cheese moon!"

In other words, when the moon was full, as it would be tonight. Aside from the fact that the girl had an uncanny sense of astronomy, she'd explained in her own way that Papa needed more than just one day with her. Perhaps for the same reasons as Emi.

It was reaching sunset when she'd reached the red corrugated steps of the staircase that led to the second floor apartments of the Villa Rose complex. From outside, she could see lights were on and a shadow in the window, but the bicycle was gone, which meant Maou had not yet returned from work.

The apartment still didn't have a door; Ashiya had removed it to clean up the debris, and left only a hanging tarp to cover the hole. From inside, she could hear someone talking. But it was not Ashiya, like she expected.

"You have to be careful with it, okay? Don't squeeze it."

Lucifer? Emi cocked an ear to the tarp. The way he spoke, in hushed, instructive tones...it would make much more sense if it were Ashiya speaking. She'd never heard Urushihara tell someone to be careful before. But who could he be talking to...?

"Here, just put that right here…Ahh, that's it, that feels much better…"

Emi frowned, and stepped closer.

"Not so hard, not so—OW!" She heard Urushihara hiss. "…N-no, it's okay, just keep going, but try to be gentler…"

That disturbed feeling only grew worse, and she peeked into the flap. There she saw Urushihara sitting with his back turned towards her. His wings were out and one of them half-curled around him to the front, the other hunched at his back. He seemed to be bending over something.

Then she felt her stomach drop when Alas=Ramus' voice said, "Feel good, Loosifah?"

"Very good, thank you Alas=Ramus…"

"Haha, it's slimy!"

"No, don't lick it, I know it smells weird, but don't lick it. Just rub some here, and…"

Emi smacked aside the flap and strode into the room before she even had time to think, saying loudly, "Alas=Ramus, what do you think you're…?!"

She trailed off and stopped in the middle of the room when Urushihara turned to reveal Alas sitting in front of him, both of her hands on his wing, and a mess of salves, ointments, and bandages littered around them. Both of them gave her equal looks of surprise and puzzlement.

Alas beamed when she recognized her mother. "Hi, mommy!" she said.

"…uhhm, what are you doing?" Emi finished, with genuine curiosity this time.

"Fix Loosifah's wings!" Alas answered, showing her fingers, which were covered with ointment, as proof. "Make pain go poof! Away!"

Emi turned to Urushihara, whose surprise had fallen back to his usual bored expression. "I thought your wings would have healed already."

"Demon's Frost is different," Urushihara replied. He spread his wing in front of him and inspected it closely. "It messes with your systems and slows healing to the same rate of a human. It'll be a week before the effect wears off and they heal completely, so for now I've got to take care of them the boring way. Alas=Ramus wanted to help, so I let her."

"…Oh." That was all she could say. Even if it (thankfully) wasn't the scene she'd thought she'd walk into, it was still rather bizarre in its own way.

Alas scooped up another glob of salve with her finger from one of the jars, saying, "Here, Loosifah!"

"I think the right one's done for now, you can put that on the left…"

Urushihara unfolded the other wing, and for the first time, Emi saw the wound up close. Even against the dark feathers she could make out dried, crusted blood, and the feathers were clustered and matted near the joint.

Urushihara lowered the wing to Alas, and she grasped the edge with surprising dexterity, carefully spreading the salve across the wound. Visible relief flitted across Urushihara's expression, and he gave a soft sigh under his breath. When Alas had finished, he stretched and contracted both wings experimentally.

"Feel good?"

"Uh-huh. I think we can bandage them up now."

"Okay!" Alas immediately went for the biggest roll of bandages and started unravelling it with a squeal of glee. She handed one end to Urushihara, who had to twist awkwardly around himself to start wrapping the bandage around his wing. He dropped it a couple times, and then even when he got it finally started, it went all over the place. Alas=Ramus didn't help matters, as she started to run around with the other end before Urushihara convinced her to hand it over so he could loop the cloth around again. Finally Emi had had enough.

"Honestly, have you ever had to treat your own wounds before?" She walked over to her daughter, taking the roll from her before she could unravel it completely. "Here, let me do it."

When Alas pouted, she said, "I'll wrap, and you can tape it, okay?"

Alas=Ramus seemed satisfied with that, and sat to the side watching as Emi expertly reeled back the loose cloth. Before pulling it out again, she set it down and instead picked up a handtowel next to the medicine, going to wet it by the sink.

"I get that you probably haven't had to dress your own wounds before, considering how fast you demons heal, but I thought you might have learned a thing or two about medical hygiene when you got to this world," she scolded lightly. "First we have to clean up all this blood. The wound won't heal properly if it isn't clean."

She began dabbing at the feathers that weren't covered in salve. There wasn't anything she could do about the front of the wings—it would have been better if they had been cleaned before the medicine was applied—but she supposed they could just be bandaged for the time being and cleaned up next time. She touched the cloth to the spots at the back instead, pausing only when Urushihara hissed and pulled back slightly.

"Sorry." She set down the cloth and picked up the bandages again. It was only when she began looping the bandages around his wing that Emi noticed Urushihara staring at her.

"What?" she snapped, feeling self-conscious. It was then that she realized the appendage beneath her hand was stiff as well. She hadn't handled many wings in the past—in fact, she couldn't remember the last time she'd had to touch one—but for some reason she could tell that it was tense. It mirrored the look of confusion on its owner before he looked away, masking it with his usual blankness.

"Nothing," he mumbled. "…Thanks."

Emi paused, and all of a sudden it dawned on her what the situation must look like—the Hero willingly treating the wounds of one of her sworn enemies. A blush tinged her cheeks, and she continued her operation more slowly. "Don't get the wrong idea," she said, no less sharply. "I just couldn't take watching you botching up something so simple."

To her surprise, Urushihara didn't reply with a snide remark or protest, but merely stared out the window, his eyes distant. She, in turn, didn't say anything further, finishing her wrapping and beckoning for Alas=Ramus to come over again. Alas happily helped her to tape over the end of the bandage, and she moved on to the next one. This, too, passed in silence, yet it prickled at her so awkwardly that when she was done she was quite ready to have it over with so she could leave.

"There. How's it feel?" she asked when Alas=Ramus had patched up the last bandage.

Urushihara stretched his wings again and flapped them slowly, the air gusting with the movement. "Fine," he replied. "Sturdy."

"Good. You can ask one of the others to help you next time you need them changed." Emi set the bandages down by the rest of the medicine.

Then she paused, her eyes passing over his wings again, and before she could stop herself, murmured, "Your wings are actually pretty nice-looking."

At Lucifer's second look of astonishment she grew defensive and followed with, "Just because I didn't expect them to be so neat! With the way you keep yourself and your living space I thought they'd be all matted too."

Lucifer's expression became annoyed. "Angels don't have to take care of their wings, at least not that often. They're just naturally clean. And I do take care of them occasionally. When I became a fallen angel I found they get itchy if I leave them for too long, so I groom them when I need to."

He suddenly twisted himself around, displaying extraordinary flexibility as he reached to the feathers on his back, picking through them a few times before turning back to the front and inspecting what he'd drawn out. He dusted his hands off and returned to the same spot, this time tugging out a few stray feathers. These, too, he merely let fall to the floor.

Emi grimaced. "Ew, don't do that now! And at least pick up after yourself, don't just leave your feathers lying around the floor!"

"What do you care? You don't live here!"

"I care because it's happening right in front of me, and it's gross!"

"Then leave! You don't have to watch this! It's weird anyways for you to be watching!"

"Fine, I will! Alas=Ramus, let's go, we can—Alas! Don't pick those up!"

Alas had taken hold of the feathers Lucifer had dropped, and was about to put them in her hair when Emi took them from her, dropping them back on the ground an instant later with a grunt of disgust. Lucifer merely rolled his eyes, subtly scraping his feathers to the side out of sight.

"Bye-bye, Loosifah!" Alas=Ramus waved cheerfully over Emi's shoulder as she picked her up and strode towards the doorway. Lucifer raised one hand in response, his expression softening a little.

Just then, the toilet flushed, and the bathroom door opened to reveal a pale-looking Maou. He gingerly made his way to the sink where he rinsed his mouth with a few splashes of water.

"Are you still sick?" Urushihara asked.

"I think this is the last of it." Maou rubbed his stomach uncomfortably. He opened the freezer and fished out a popsicle from its insides. They were among the only foods that didn't upset his stomach, and because of this Ashiya, for the first time, commented on the wisdom of Urushihara's foresight to purchase so many. In return, he promised to replace the computer mouse that Urushihara had broken with a better upgrade.

Maou finished the popsicle quickly, tossing the stick with surprising accuracy into the trash bag at the opposite side of the room. He sat at the table and slumped forward "Was that Emi's voice just now?"

"Yeah. She came to pick up Alas=Ramus."

"Oh. WHAT?!" Maou suddenly jerked up, his face distraught. "Even though I didn't get a chance to say good-bye?!"

"It's not like you won't see her again. Besides, you've had a whole week with her."

"That damned Hero!" Maou punched fist into palm. "Maybe if I run, I can still catch her!"

He immediately dashed for the doorway, scrambling to get his shoes along the way. Just as he disappeared through the tarp there was a chorus of surprised voices, the loudest of which was Ashiya's.

"M-My liege! Where are you going in such a hurry?"

"Nevermind, Ashiya! I'll be back in a bit!"

Urushihara yawned and stretched, his wings folding out of sight. Ashiya made his way through the tarp, giving an exasperated sigh. "Urushihara! Explain what has worried our king so?" he demanded.

"How would I know? Everyone does crazy things around here."

"Ahh, you're useless. I'll ask him myself later." Ashiya set down the bag of groceries he was carrying. He bit his thumb worriedly. "Perhaps I ought to follow him just in case..."

"It didn't look like anything too concerning, Ashiya-san. Just let him be."

That voice belonged to none other than Chiho. The girl smiled as she entered the room, carrying a bag of her own. "Good evening, Urushihara-san! How are you feeling today?"

Urushihara shrugged. "All right, I guess. I feel better than yesterday."

Chiho held up her bag. "I brought more bandages and medicine, in case you need it."

"Fwaa~, more medicine?"

"Sasaki-san is always of such great help," Ashiya said with a smile. "You really needn't go through all this trouble for us..."

"Oh, it's no trouble. With Dad's line of business, he says it's always good to have as many spare first-aid materials as you can."

Her eyebrows furrowed in sympathy. "Still, it wasn't very smart of you, was it, Urushihara-san? Playing around with knives while Ashiya was cooking like that. It's no surprise you cut your shoulder."

Urushihara ground his teeth. "Like I said, that's not how it happened at all..."

"He simply doesn't want to admit a foolish antic had gone awry," Ashiya interrupted. "In any case, thanks to you we have all recovered quickly."

"I'm glad to help! Especially with you and Maou-san home sick with a cold...It really has been a hard week for all of you, huh?"

Ashiya gave her a reassuring grin. "Nothing we can't handle. Especially with such kindness as yours."

Chiho blushed. "W-Well, I'd better be off home. Say hello to Maou-san for me!" She waved and left the apartment.

Urushihara turned, pouting, and opened his computer. "You didn't have to lie so much, you know..."

"We cannot mention anything about last week's incident, per Maou-sama's orders."

"But did you have to make me sound like a knife-juggling maniac?!" Urushihara burst out. "'Flipping knives because I saw a video and thought it was cool'...Couldn't you have come up with anything better than that?"

"Anything outrageous would have been suspicious. Besides, it fits perfectly with your complete lack of consideration for others."

"Who's lacking consideration! And don't talk about outrageous if you're gonna come up with something as insane as that story!"

"Be quiet, you circus-juggler-wannabe."

Urushihara crossed his arms. "Why did Maou bother modifying her memory anyways?" he muttered sourly. "She looked fine to me."

Ashiya didn't reply. Urushihara's tone made it obvious that he knew perfectly well why Maou had chosen to do as he did. As strong as she was, she was inexperienced compared to them with such harsh visions of the world, and it seemed cruel to leave her with nightmares.

Maou returned not to long after, but by then it had already gotten dark. Ashiya rebuked him for leaving so hastily when he was still recovering, but Maou just waved him off. He caught his breath at the dinner table, and Ashiya brought him another popsicle.

"Did you catch them?" Urushihara asked offhandedly.

"Yeah. I managed to find them just as they were entering the station." Maou grinned broadly. "No way Alas=Ramus wasn't getting a proper send-off by her papa."

"Geez, you make it sound like she's going off to college or something."

"Please, on that day, I'll make sure the whole world knows how proud I am! Ashiya, do you think you'd be able to budget a parade?"

"I'll start financial preparations immediately, sire."

"Gimme a break..." Urushihara started searching for his headphones, if only to block out the sheer stupidity at his back.

Suzuno lowered her hands, the glow of magic fading. "It seems you're cured, Demon King," she said with a smile. "There is no longer any trace of Asbeel's energy."

Maou sighed in relief. The three demons sat in the apartment, Urushihara at his usual desk, Ashiya next to his king at the table. Emi sat across the table from Maou, playing with Alas=Ramus.

"We appreciate the check-up, Crestia Bell," Ashiya said.

"It is no trouble." She glanced at Urushihara. "Lucifer, have the effects of the Demon's Frost worn off?"

"Yeah, all fixed." Urushihara raised a casual hand.

"That's good to hear," Maou commented. "Oi, Urushihara, be sure to thank these two properly. And Chi-chan, when you get the chance."

"You're more likely to see her at your work, can't you thank her for me?"

"Don't be a brat, just show some gratitude."

"Suuuurre, thanks, Emilia and Bell."

Four pairs of eyes simultaneously rolled to the ceiling.

"Why didn't he go back to Heaven when he had the chance," Emi muttered under her breath. Nevertheless, Urushihara heard.

"You heard me, didn't you? Earth is waaaaaaay more interesting than Heaven ever could be."

"Unfortunately." Emi raised her arms when Alas=Ramus ran from them to Maou. She crossed them instead. "Maybe I ought to make it too dangerous for you to want to stay here, and you'll run back to Heaven begging them to reconsider."

Urushihara was unfazed. "If I went back to Heaven, that means I'd be turned against you guys. You wouldn't want that, would you?" He turned and offered a leering grin.

"Hmph. I beat you twice, I'd easily do so again," Emi said disdainfully. Urushihara shrugged and returned to his computer.

Suzuno took a sip of her drink. "Still, I am surprised you turned them down so easily. If you had returned, they might have even welcomed you back like a hero."

Everyone else, with the exception of Alas=Ramus, gave a loud snort. Suzuno frowned.

"Putting aside that that was unusually well-chorused...what was with that reaction?"

"Me, a hero..." Urushihara said, leaning his cheek into his palm. "That's really funny."

Suzuno shrugged. He had a point. "Nevertheless, you told me Michael had said you had done Heaven a great service. I'd assumed at first that they meant the fact that you had incapacitated Raphael, who seemed to have gone rogue on Heaven, but...they probably meant Asbeel, didn't they?"

"Yeah, probably." Urushihara nodded at his game. "Asbeel was a bad mark they couldn't erase on their own. Heaven's a real stickler for their own laws, so they weren't allowed to execute him, since he'd been sentenced to life in prison. All they could do was wait for him to die, and of course that wouldn't happen until the end of time."

Ashiya gave a light, bitter chuckle. "So, we ended up doing them a favor. Must have been a pleasant surprise for them."

"Unless..." They all looked to Maou, who appeared thoughtful. "Unless they sent him on a suicidal mission."

"You think Heaven ordered Asbeel and Raphael to attack us, thinking we would kill them?" Emi asked in surprise.

"Urushihara already said Asbeel and Raphael weren't here on Heaven's orders, so I don't believe that's it. But I also don't believe that the likes of Asbeel would have escaped from prison so easily, without at least half the angelic forces after him. At least, not unless they weren't really trying to get him back..."

Suzuno furrowed her brow. She wouldn't admit it aloud, but the thought of that level of corruption unnerved her somewhat. "What an underhanded plot."

"The higher-up angels are pretty capable of stuff like that, so I wouldn't be surprised if that's the case," Urushihara put in. "Heaven's definitely not the happy-go-lucky paradise the humans think it is."

"Still...That's a big gamble on us being able to take Asbeel down."

"It wouldn't have mattered, would it? If we didn't end up winning against Asbeel, then Heaven would simply arrest the both of them once they had taken Alas=Ramus and return Asbeel to his cell...and they would have the Sephirot in hand. Win-win."

Suzuno felt her stomach squirm. She hated the thought that they might be playing into Heaven's hands. Looking at Emi, she saw the Hero had similar feelings in her expression. But she chose not to dwell too much on it, instead mulling her thoughts around her drink.

"If this keeps up, we'd be better off making plans to strike back against Heaven instead of always waiting for them to make the next move."

"Maybe," Suzuno agreed, nodding. "But for now, we would do well to rest and gather our strength."

"In any case..." Maou closed his arms tightly around Alas=Ramus, who squealed and hugged him back. "I'm just glad it's over."

Suzuno smiled at the sight. "As am I." For now, at the very least.

That night, when Emi and Suzuno had gone to their apartments and Ashiya and Maou had gone to bed, Urushihara was still playing on his game console. Ashiya had complained before that the light from his screens bothered him at night, so he'd enclosed himself within the closet, though a sliver remained open for fresh air.

He didn't expect the door to be opened partially after the lights had gone off. Urushihara jumped, for he'd thought Maou was already asleep.

"Don't do creepy things like that! This isn't a ghost movie!"

"Sorry, I just...wanted to ask you something."

"Can't it wait until tomorrow?"

Maou shook his head. "It's been kinda bothering me, so I want to go ahead and get it over with now. Sorry to ask so late, but..."

"Whatever..." Urushihara sank back into his game. "What d'ya want to know?"

"Tell me about Asbeel."

"Eh?" That broke his concentration. He cursed when the game made an unhappy noise, signalling his virtual death, and started up a new game. "Why're you asking this, all of a sudden?"

"I just want to know more about him."

Urushihara took the opportunity to glance at him. Maou stood somberly, the light from Urushihara's game giving him an eerie look in the dark. He had on a strange expression, like he was trying to be nonchalant but was acting too stiff. Urushihara decided it was better to give him an answer than dismiss it, lest Maou start to pester him until the night was out.

He scratched at a bothersome itch on his chest. The Carver had long since healed over, but despite his demon's blood and the help of Suzuno and Chiho, faint scars still remained here and there. Every now and then they reminded him of their presence, annoyingly so. He used it as an excuse not to look Maou in the eye.

"...He was a criminal. And an idiot."

"Sariel called him the strongest angel in Heaven. Maybe the strongest being to have ever existed."

"Sariel would also boast that he had the biggest wingspan of any other angel."

Maou frowned into his drink. "Still...Asbeel was strong. But..."

"But he should've been stronger...is what you're trying to say?"

"Yeah."

Urushihara sighed and set aside his game. He sat all the way up. "Like I said, he was an idiot."

Maou seemed to sense he was willing to explain more. He opened the door farther and leaned against the shelf Urushihara sat upon.

"Asbeel was an arrogant fool who came to believe in his own fairy tales. The others in Heaven called him the Immortal Giant, Asbeel the Invincible, Asbeel the Forsaken...Forsaken because he fell in love with a human. That was taboo at the time, so he was made to fall and imprisoned."

"'Made to fall'?"

"God made us who we are. He's able to take that away as well."

"I see."

"True, Asbeel was ridiculously strong. You felt his power." Maou nodded. "The thing is, did you notice his wings?"

"What about them?"

"They were black."

Maou's eyes widened. "...So that means..."

"He was still an angel, but he was part demon too, like me. Not only would that have reduced his power considerably, but he didn't think that a weapon like the Demon's Frost dagger would have an effect on them."

"So that's why you -"

"Yeah. A big guy like him could be near the daggers, even cut by them and not notice a little draining of his energy. It'd be like losing a drop out of a lake. But used enough times...I just used the dagger on him to sap away his energy, little by little, until he was just weak enough that I could deliver the finishing blow."

Maou sat back. "That was...really clever of you."

"You don't have to sound so surprised!" Urushihara huffed.

Maou gave him a wry grin. Then his face sobered. "Michael warned us someone else would be after us."

"So?"

"Who do you think it could be?"

"Who knows?" Urushihara waved a hand. "Could be anyone from Heaven, or Ente Isla for that matter. Don't bother trying to guess. We'll find out soon enough."

Maou chuckled softly. "Yeah...with our luck, anyways."

Far away, on a remote mountain peak, a shadowed figure perched atop the highest crag. He stood looking over the city below, a scattering of lights and buildings amid isolated hills. A light breeze tugged at the hem of his black trench coat, its flapping the only sound in the area. Barely visible against the clouded, pitch-black, the outline of a pair of giant wings sat hunched at his back.

The man inhaled, and breathed a long sigh. "I guess I'll need to take matters into my own hands."

A giant purple hole suddenly appeared in the sky behind him. He leaned backwards and fell into its depths, as if being sucked towards the center. The Gate closed around him, and the only sound that followed was the wind.

RN:...I'm sorry if I scarred anyone with that first part. But it was also one of the first scenes I wrote, so I'm really happy I finally got to put it in.

~I realize I've left a lot of unfinished plot points in this story. That was intentional. There WILL be a sequel. Please lay your worries to rest. I don't know if I'll get to it right away, because I've worked on this one for so long and to be honest I want to take a little break and focus on my other works for a time. But I wrote this story with plans for a sequel in mind, so you can be sure that there will be one appearing in the future.

~The thing about Sariel and his wingspan was supposed to sort of reference how his wings grew under a full moon. That, and I guess that's what they compare in Heaven. Instead of...you know...other things.

~Ahhhh, I'm so happy I finally finished this! To be honest, when I first started this story I didn't think it would get this far, nor gain so many supporters. Thank you so much for sticking with me, and for all of your reviews. They're honestly what kept me going when I lost my drive. Until the next one!