Disclaimer - I don't own The Devil is a Part Timer!/Hataraku Maou-sama! or any of its characters. Copyright to Satoshi Wagahara, White Fox and Funimation. Momoko and Shizuka are original characters created by me.

Ahh, here we are, at the end of Misfit Together, AKA the HaMoShi fic. Remember - the last one-shot from Heaven is a Place on Earth still happens after all this! I just want to throw this out there - I found the perfect reference for Shizuka's design! He looks like a brown-haired, hazel-eyed version of Daisuke Hiraoka from the anime Shirobako (which is awesome, btw, go watch it), even down to the glasses and fashion sense. So if you want a better idea of what Shi'ka looks like, google that name ;) Anyway, this may well be the last we'll see of these OCs. I mean, I'll still have them in my head but idk if I'll write about them anymore. Still unsure whether or not I'll write any fic for my demon family AU but it's always possible. I'd recommend going to my Tumblr (which is on my profile) and checking my tags for 'demon family', 'Momoko Hamasaki' and 'Shizuka Kusanagi' cuz I have stuff about them on there~ And if you're into musical theatre, watch out for my Putnam Spelling Bee one-shot collection~ And so, with all that said, it's time to bring this fic to a close... With the longest chapter yet

Chapter 20

It wasn't anything personal. Really, it wasn't.

She had known Urushihara for some time before she learned the truth about him. But she had never once met Maou before. There was nothing to remind her that he was anything other than a monster. Sure, she'd given Urushihara time and she was finally coming around. Their talk might have been stilted and awkward but it was certainly a step in the right direction. This would take even more time to get used to. It had been only a few days since she had visited Villa Rosa and she was still in a daze of sorts. She'd come so far only to be knocked back a couple of steps. She hadn't given up entirely. Oh, no, not now. No way. She just... had to regain her strength.

The sun was only just beginning to set and Momoko was strolling through the quiet streets of Shibuya on her way home, one hand gripping the strap on her backpack. She had met up with a few friends from school, hoping it might distract her from all this madness, but she couldn't help but worry. Her friends noticed, of course. Her usual extravagant dress sense was gone and had been replaced by the plain and simple, almost rushed, look that told them she had something weighing heavily on her mind. And nothing they could say or do cheered her up for long.

The sky was growing darker and soon, she noticed a figure walking towards her. One that seemed eerily familiar.

The weird thing was, Sariel seemed surprised once he recognized her. He hadn't been watching her or looking for her, he was simply on his way home, the same as her. Still, Momoko kept her guard up. He may not have been expecting to bump into her, but she could still hear her friend's words clear in her mind.

"Trust me, he's bad news."

And he really had meant it.

Momoko felt a chill run down her spine as Sariel smiled at her and slowed almost to a stop as they drew closer. What was even weirder was that his smile wasn't quite as sinister or discomforting as she expected from him.

"I saw you with that other boy a week or so ago," he said, "I hope the two of you have followed my advice."

He thought he had driven her away from Urushihara. Frowning, Momoko opened her mouth to speak but was interrupted.

"After all, such a delicate, young beauty shouldn't be risking her safety with a creature like him."

Seeing the flirtatious look he gave her, Momoko grimaced, then had to bite back a smirk at the voice in her head that snidely whispered:

"Good sir, I am, in fact, a lesbian."

Instead, she chose to voice a different thought:

"He isn't a 'creature'..." her nerves were starting to get the best of her but she stood her ground, "And I am not 'delicate'..."

His expression, his posture, his entire demeanour changed instantly. Now, Sariel was standing bolt upright, looking down at her (as best he could, being roughly the same height as her) with a menacing glare.

"Ah, so that's how it is," he muttered under his breath, just loud enough for Momoko to make out what he was saying, "Another poor human has fallen victim to the demons' temptation."

He took on a more threatening stance and Momoko flinched, ready to run.

"So what kind of tricks and spells did he use to manipulate you?" he spat.

No tricks. No spells. He didn't do anything. He didn't.

The fact that she even had to reassure herself of that made her self-disdain rise. She didn't need this right now. She knew Urushihara was her friend, and that this man was the one hoping to manipulate her.

He made a grab for her wrist and she quickly snapped back to reality. Before he got a firm enough grip on her, she pulled away sharply and swung a fist, hitting his jaw and throwing him off balance. With Sariel momentarily distracted, Momoko turned and bolted.

She heard him swear and shout after her but she didn't turn back. If she could just get out of his sight before he regained his footing she might be able to lose him and get home safely. But then she heard a soul-crushingly familiar sound. A loud and sudden whoosh of wind running through feathers. Without stopping, she turned her head to see a magnificent pair of wings of the purest white. The shock made her trip up and the memories froze her in place. But only for a moment. He was flying towards her now at almost breakneck speed and Momoko was being forced ahead by fear and adrenaline.

It was late. The streets were empty. Her mind was racing, trying to think of a way to save herself. She pulled her backpack off and unzipped it, digging frantically until she found her phone. She was panting and getting desperate, but she still hesitated over Urushihara's name as she scrolled through her contacts. Flicking past it, she tried calling up Shizuka instead.

No answer.

"...!"

Sariel was gaining on her. As she looked around she realised she didn't recognise where she was anymore. In her blind panic, she had strayed from her usual route home and gotten herself lost. She was lucky enough to find a hidden back alley and ducked into it, praying it would at least buy her some time. This time when she pulled out her phone, she didn't hesitate.

"Momo...?"

He sounded hopeful. That was expected, considering how their last meeting had ended.

"Hanzo..." she struggled to catch her breath, "Hanzo, that guy, Sariel... H-he's chasing me... He... he thinks you must've put s-some spell or something on me, I-I don't know... But he's after me..."

That sounded somehow familiar. Urushihara thought back to the last time Sariel had caused them trouble, when he had kidnapped Chiho. He had supposedly wanted to perform some sort of tests or experiments on her or something to find out how a human being could be effected by being in such close proximity with a demon. He had no doubt in his mind that he would be willing to do the same to Momoko.

"Where are you?" He tried to keep his voice level.

"I-I'm not sure... Somewhere in Shibuya. It's dark, I'm freaking out, I-I need help..." She could feel tears pricking her eyes.

"Stay where you are. I'll come find you."

Despite everything, Momoko felt herself relax. She hung up, dropped her phone into her backpack and sank to the ground, drawing her knees to her chest and lowering her head. For now, she just had to hope Sariel didn't find her.

She couldn't tell how much time had passed, but at some point, she heard the beating of wings approaching her hiding place. She tried to pull her legs and her head closer, making herself as small, and as unseeable, as she possibly could. The sound seemed to be getting faster and faster, nearer and nearer. It was only a few feet away now and then, it stopped and footsteps fell by the entrance into the alley. Momoko gritted her teeth but refused to look up.

Until she heard the person speak.

"Momoko!"

Her head shot up and she saw Urushihara standing there, looking down at her with a mix of concern and relief in his eyes.

That wasn't what made her stare, though. Behind him, his broad, black wings spread out as far as they were able to in this small space. She blinked a few times and swallowed uneasily. He quickly noticed and brought his wings in slightly.

"Sorry," he mumbled, "I'll get rid o-"

Momoko held up a hand.

"Wait, don't...!" she told him. He stopped and gave her a questioning look, "I'm gonna have to get used to this anyway..."

An awkward silence fell over them for a few seconds, then Urushihara smiled gratefully and she smiled back. Only a moment later, however, Momoko's smile faltered.

"What about Sariel?"

Urushihara took a step closer and crouched down in front of her.

"We tracked him down first," he offered a hand to help her up, "Suzuno's dealing with him now."

Once he was satisfied that his friend was alright, he let out a sigh and shook his head.

"I really didn't want you to know about all this. I knew it wouldn't go down too good."

He gave a soft chuckle but stopped when he heard something down the street. He turned and peaked out from the alley, leading Momoko to do the same. What they saw brought a smugly satisfied grin to Urushihara's face, and a look of confusion and wonder to Momoko's.

A little further down the street, Suzuno was calmly walking along, her long hair loose and flowing behind her. What surprised Momoko was the almost comically large mallet she held over one shoulder, and the bruised and beaten Sariel she was dragging behind her with the other hand.

She looked like she had done this before.

She probably had.

When she saw Momoko, she smiled gently and nodded to her.

"You're safe."

She released Sariel and let his half-conscious body drop to the floor. He let out a pitiful groan and Momoko took a step away from him, just to be safe. Urushihara only sneered at him.

"What shall we do with him?" Suzuno asked, also gazing down at the crumpled heap with disgust.

"Last time Maou tried throwing him into a Gate. But then he just ended up back in Hatagaya. Do you think that would happen again?"

"Perhaps. We can't be sure. Good Hanzo, do you have the magic to open up and control a Gate?"

"Uh..." Urushihara thought for a moment, looking back at his still-present wings, "Maybe not. I think I've probably used up most of the stuff I got left. Do you?"

"Hm. Perhaps I do. But now I'm thinking, what could be consequences of sending him back to Ente Isla? Or even Heaven, if we could manage it? Surely, that would spark some unwanted attention from that side. And if he disappears from this world, there'll be questions of what happened to him. I don't expect him to take any more risks with us after this whole ordeal."

With that, Suzuno grabbed Sariel by the collar once again and shrank the mallet in her hand down into a hairpin, Momoko looking on in amazement. With a casual goodbyes, she made her way back out of the alley.

Urushihara wings twitched a little. Stretching his arms, he dismissed them. He slumped over with a groan.

"I have, like, no energy left..."

Momoko couldn't help but laugh at his laziness, making him pout.

"Seriously, you don't know how draining it is to use magic in this world...!"

His face softened as she continued to laugh, then turned uneasy. Yet hopeful. After Momoko's laughter died down, she went quiet, unable to meet his eyes.

"... C'mon," Urushihara said, turning around, "I'll walk you home."

The following afternoon, he was leaning against a wall in the Hatagaya Station with Shizuka beside him.

"Whoa... Man, you sure miss a lot when you take a shower, huh?"

Urushihara just snorted. Shizuka had noticed the missed call from Momoko and tried to call her back the night before, but after such a stressful event, she had fallen asleep almost immediately after entering her bedroom. When he asked her about it in the morning, she had suggested the three of them just meet up. The boys had been waiting at the station for what felt like ages, but most likely wasn't much more than 15 minutes. Still, they could feel their anxiety rising the longer Momoko was taking to arrive.

"Hanzo! Shi'ka!"

They both looked up and smiled at what they saw. She was back to her old cheerful, colourful self. The wildly clashing accessories, multitude of bangles adorning both her arms and the old cat-ear-shaped headphones around her neck were a welcome sight for Urushihara and he felt himself light up.

But there was still something wrong. He still felt tense around her, but why?

His question was answered in only a matter of seconds when Momoko jogged over and greeted them. As soon as she was close enough, she reached out a hand and lay it on his head.

Fighting the urge to smile, he let his face fall into an annoyed pout and carefully removed her hand.

- ~ THE END ~ -