The Devil Herself
[Revised]

Summary: For Mikan Sakura, transforming five devilish boys for the better is definitely not an easy task. The problem? Those boys have a winning streak for misbehaviour. Her secret? She's the Devil herself.

Disclaimer: All rights belong to Higuchi Tachibana-sensei.

She felt her lips twitching in frustration. She knew he had this thing—she shuddered at the idea—over her. She didn't mind the kiss, it was just lips saying hi to one another. It was his confession that lingered in her mind.

For the first time in her life, she finally got to hear one. In hell, she had been hearing rumours of her fellow demons liking her but none got the courage to ask her out. In truth, she thought that nobody could declare their love for a demon such as herself. Before she was born, inside Yuka's womb, everyone knew she was different. Born from Lucifer and an Anathemate, she was unlike others.

Yuka's Anathemate qualities didn't show in her. It was as if her demon blood rejected it and consumed her completely.

"Natsume Hyuuga," she growled as she shot up and was about to charge him. Her landing wasn't very lucky though. Her foot landed on a slippery tile and fell hard against the floor.

Darkness engulfed her eyesight. She couldn't see anything but black. Was she dead? It was unheard of for a demon to get killed by soap. She would be remembered by the little devils as the female demon that was murdered by a slippery creature named Soap.

"What happened, Natsume?" a voice asked. From the tone pitch, she deduced that it was Nogi. Had he and Natsume died as well?

"N-Natsume, don't tell me you lost it and you killed her…" This time she was sure this was that Andou.

For a moment, she felt tired. Had the five died and had come with her to the purgatory to torment her in no end?

"Stupid," Natsume hissed. "She slipped and lost her consciousness."

"Hey! She's starting to wake up!"

Mikan's eyesight was a bit blurry when she woke. Heads of the five poked out, but she couldn't identify them if it weren't for their hair color. She felt pain on her head. She hadn't felt pain before, so this was it felt like to be hurt. Being in the celestial word released her from physical pain.

Natsume flicked her finger against her forehead. "I see that the sleeping beauty was interrupted in her slumber."

She scowled at his obvious sarcasm. "Has the charming prince come to kiss her lips?"

Memories of the past bitten the young lad and caused his cheeks to turn pink. Their bathroom scene entered his thoughts. It made Mikan contented to see him flustered over a kiss. She crossed her arms and realized that she was in a bathrobe. It wasn't her own so she reasoned that it could be Natsume's. Maybe, she thought, there was still good in him.

He smirked. "The prince already did."

Or maybe not.

The other four boys looked at them back and forth. Their eyes continuing to observe the sight before them and their minds trying to process on what just happened and what was happening.

It was Ruka who spoke up. "Mind to fill in the gap."

"The wretch kissed me." Natsume claimed.

The brunette's eyes widen in shock and her mouth formed a very huge 'o'. "I did not kiss you!" she denied, realizing later that from other people's perspective it looked like she was lying.

"You dare taint Natsume's pure lips?" Youichi questioned. If Mikan wasn't sure that he was straight, she would have thought of his as gay. Hearing the words from the boy's mouth caused another shock to her. Natsume's lips haven't been kissed before? Clearly, the situation was being unexpected to her.

Tsubasa jerked his chin. "Take responsibility."

Mikan was almost on the point of pulling her hair. "I'm the victim here! He kissed me!"

Her words caused the other four to cringe, especially Ruka who evidently showed a disgusted look. "As if Natsume would do such thing."

Mikan felt her lips went dry. Her words came to a halt. There was no way those boys would believe her. She was nobody to them. Of course, they would side with Natsume. What was she expecting?

It was Natsume who decided to save her the trouble of coming up with her words. "Don't you remember something?"

She glanced at him. "What?"

He flapped his shirt's collar, indicating to Mikan what he was referring to. Mikan looked down and realized what he was gesturing. Her robe. She tightly clutched her hands on it.

He leaned closer to her, his lips twisting a grin. "Don't you remember I slip the robe on you?"

She drew back. "P-Pervert!"

Chapter Three: Acceptance

It took her hours to compose herself. She recalled her father's lessons about men turning to wolves and preying on women. Lucifer may not look like it but when it came to Mikan, he was very concern for her well-being. He taught her the perspective of men when it came to ignorance and wants.

Mikan cursed in silence. She regretted not listening carefully to her father's teachings. She was searching for a thread connected to her memory with regards to her conversation with her father. She distantly remembered him babbling about young male adolescents who were driven by lust.

Her thoughts were cut short when a raindrop fell from the dark sky. Her endeavour to kick Natsume Hyuuga out of the room was successful but she knew it would only be temporary. Her thoughts drifted to the same scene she remembered under the pouring rain.

"It's raining again, Angel." Mikan sighed wistfully.

"You're not supposed to be here. Demons are not allowed in this place. In normal circumstances, your kind burns and writhes in pain once they step foot in my room, but you… well, you're different."

"I am different. I'm Lucifer's daughter."

"You always say that. Lucifer's this, Lucifer's that. You must be proud to be his child."

She smiled almost awkwardly. It wasn't bad for a devil to smile, but Mikan couldn't quite perfect hers. It had been too long since she last. . . smiled. "I guess I am. Aren't you proud you're God's child?"

"I am."

"The same goes for me. Others may think that both of us are completely different—you an angel, me a devil. It's only our race the separates us. You and I, we're the same in a way."

The Angel patted Mikan's head and smiled. "One day, I'll create a place where devils and angels would co-exist. No differences, no wars and no useless deaths."

"The war would end soon."

She missed her angel badly. She knew the angel's dream was a foolish utopia, but it sounded sweet in her ears. Ever since Lucifer's betrayal, he and his supporters were thrown away in a barren land. They survived of course. They could neither eat nor sleep, but they felt agonizing pain like a human did, which was unnatural to them.

For every step they took, it was like walking on burning chasms. To survive, they feed on the woes and wicked deeds of men. It took them centuries to adapt to their new and uncommon lifestyle.

Angels can never enter the barren lands of the demons and the demons can never enter the sacred home of the angels. It was the newly formed rule.

But everything changed, when a war broke out. It was the second war, ever since Lucifer's betrayal. The Dark Ages began and neither the demons nor the angels were the enemies. It was the Unmentionables who started this war. They didn't come from the angels' side or the demons'. They weren't born—they were made. Up until now, their creator hasn't been found.

Angel and devils worked together to stop the forces. It was hard but both had the same goal—to vanquish their common enemy. The Angels found the Unmentionables a foe considering they bring havoc to the celestial world and to mankind. It was their job to protect their sanctuary and the human beings. The Devils on the other hand had a different motive. The Unmentionables were a threat to their existence. The Unmentionables collected massive amounts of sinful desires and feasted on it. Apparently, they "stole" the devils' energy source and the said group fought them to protect what was theirs.

When both sides—the Angels and the Devils—merged, they had defeated the Unmentionables. Trust and friendship started to rekindle between the two races. Different set of rules were made and treaties were started.

The Treaty of Solstice was created to mend the broken trust between God and Lucifer. Twice a year, demons were allowed to enter the holy sanctuary. It was then when Mikan met her angel.

The room's door opened and Natsume came in. With a long, proud posture, he strode to where the brunette was.

"If you're not so busy daydreaming, I just would like you to know that dinner is being served."

Mikan arched a brow. "How disturbing of you to make an effort of reminding me."

"The cafeteria staff doesn't feed students without their dormitory partners. The academy has the silliest rules and ever since you came here, I was no longer an exception to that rule." He said.

Mikan rolled her eyes and got up. Before leaving, she took another long look at the window.

The young brunette continued to stare at the ceiling as if she was anticipating something or someone to appear and save her from this misery. It wouldn't happen though. She was stuck in this place until she fulfilled her mission. It wasn't impossible like how many people say that it actually was, it was just that the other party was not making it easy for her.

If she hadn't committed her crime, then she would have been happy and content right now. She had another idea. What if she didn't come back? What if she continued to stay here in this world and lived an ordinary life?

With little magic left, she could act as an alice and live a human life. There was nothing to live for even though she returns. Her mother wasn't there. Her father wasn't home most of the time. She didn't have any other relatives. Her Angel was. . . dead.

She felt a sharp pain across her heart. Sometimes she would forget about that fact. It wasn't intentional whenever she forgets, but it was built in her system. It was built in order for devils not to dwell too long in the past. Apparently, she was still continuing to live in the past. It made her wonder if ever she was really meant to be a demon.

She felt things that an ordinary demon should not. She felt anger, happiness and guilt. Those three emotions shouldn't have existed, but it did. Surprisingly, those emotions happened when it revolved around her Angel.

She shouldn't remember the Angel's death. She shouldn't pay heed to it. But how could she forget when living at this moment reminded her of it? How could she forget when her punishment reminded her that she betrayed her friend and killed her Angel?

The scenes kept on playing inside her mind, it was a bit vague and blurry but the sight of blood on her dear Angel's body was clear.

She was supposed to be dead. That was her original punishment. God wasn't forgiving to their kind, it made him remember things. Her crime made him remember the time Lucifer betrayed him. It made him suspicious of the current alliance.

It pained her that sometimes she had forgotten and that God hadn't. How could he forget when his only child was murdered? She felt sick.

It was thanks to her father that she still continued to live. She didn't know if she should thank him for that. No parent would want to see their child getting buried before them. Mikan believed that death was a better option than continuing to live and remember her sins.

"Hey, Natsume, are you still awake?" she asked as she shifted on her bed.

"Leave me alone." Was all he replied.

"Do you believe in angels?" she asked, casting off his rude reply.

He didn't bother replying. Mikan thought that he must have fallen asleep in an instant. She sighed.

"I believe," he said softly. "They're taking care of my little sister right now."

Mikan couldn't see his face in the darkness. She could not imagine what kind of expression he was making. From the sound of his voice, it hinted sadness and longing. Maybe she and Natsume Hyuuga were not as different as she thought they would be.

She coughed. "Um, how did she die?" She sworn she saw him falter in the dark. She bit her lower lip. She should have kept her mouth shut.

"An accident," he muttered.

"How old was she?"

"Twelve."

"You're right. She's probably in heaven now. Most kids who die early go straight to heaven. They're kinda like the VIPs."

Natsume got up, his back resting against the headboard. He turned the lampshade on. His red orbs looked straight at her. He would have been a wonderful demon, she thought at the sight of his physical features.

"What the hell are you talking about?" he looked at her as if she was some psycho.

She waved her hand dismissively. "Nothing, it's just me being crazy like always."

A smile appeared on his face and was followed by soft chuckle. His sudden outburst was met with the unforgettable expression of incredulity of Mikan. The brunette felt good. His smile made her comfortable. It was the first time she felt this happy ever since she set foot in this world.

Natsume jerked his chin at her. "Hey, don't go telling people we're close or something. My laugh doesn't mean anything at all. Got it?"

She tried to hide her grin. "Got it."

He shut the lights off and covered himself with his blanket. His turned the other way, his back facing her. Tomorrow morning, she would wake up and see another Natsume Hyuuga. He had different sides to him. This might be the last chance she'll get to talk to him properly, she might as well use that chance.

"Do you believe in demons?" she blurted without thinking. She couldn't comprehend why she asked that. Sometimes she found herself confusing. Maybe she wanted someone to acknowledge her existence.

"I do." He replied.

"Why?" she asked, curious at his response.

"They're the ones who took my sister away."

She felt her stomach turning. The existence of angels would not exist without its other counterpart. The striking difference between good and evil would not exist if the other was missing. She had forgotten once again that human beings were frail creatures who believed in the existence of evil.

"Do you think devils can have guardian angels?" she asked.

"No." Mikan heard his blanket shuffling. "Because they're not supposed to have one."

Her lips drew a straight line. "I heard a story about a devil wishing for a very own guardian angel."

"That's bogus. Why would the devil wish for something stupid as that?"

"The devil saw what angels looked like. It mesmerized her how beautiful they were and no matter how much she was revered by her own kin, she knew she would never be beautiful and pure as the angels are. She was born tainted and twisted."

"How did the story end?" he asked with a yawn.

"The devil got what she wished for. She got her own angel."

"So it was a happy ending?"

Mikan smiled. "Yes."

"Then stop bothering me. Go to sleep."

She kept her blanket close to her face. She felt her eyes burning. She wished the story ended better. Her previous actions made her realize how selfish she was. She closed her eyes and fell asleep.

When the devil found the angel no longer breathing, she knew the angel will never come back. She observed her bloody yet beautiful face. Oh, how she wanted to have someone like her close by her side. She didn't want the angel to leave so she broke the angel's wings and it broke the angel's apart.

Then the devil realized something that she wanted too long ago. She didn't want an angel. She wanted to be an angel.

To Be Continued