"Strut!"

"I'm strutting, jeez!"

"I need more oomph in that strut, little girl!"

"For the last time, I am not a — ack!"

No one made a motion to help the prince from the ground. Hilda was about to, but then she decided that watching Baby Beel was enough work for her. Besides, she didn't really serve him.

"Oi, why do we gotta go over this shit again?" Saotome inquired, sitting on the steps that led to the altar.

"'Cause we got a flower girl," Tatsumi answered simply. He looked like he was about to collapse due to exhaustion, and Hilda wondered why. He seemed like he slept soundly last night.

"That kid ain't no fuckin' girl. Do ya think I'm blind — ?"

An immediate reply: "Yes."

"Fuck off. That's obviously Prince En underneath the wig and the makeup." He tilted his head to the side, lighting up a cigarette. "But … at an angle he does sorta look like a chick."

"It was a necessity," Hilda inputted, arms crossed over her chest. She rolled her eyes once En stumbled yet again.

"WHY DO GIRLS WEAR HEELS?!" he wailed, about ready to cry.

"ASK YOURSELF THAT QUESTION! AREN'T YOU A GIRL?! NOW WOMAN UP AND PERFECT THAT STRUT!" Misaki shouted at "her."

"And he's next for the throne?" Tatsumi muttered lowly.

Saotome patted the edge of the cigarette, bits of ashes falling to the ground. "Any idea on why that brat's here?" he asked Hilda.

She sighed in irritation. "Didn't Oga just tell you — ?"

He waved her off impatiently. "Yeah, yeah, he's gotta flower your wedding — I got that. But what the hell is he doing here in the first place? It's dangerous for him." He observed the clumsy prince.

"Lamia brought him here with a little bit of persuasion."

"Surely you've heard the rumors of Prince En comin' here, didn't ya? As if seeing that bastard Hecadoth was enough." He let out a low tch, shaking his head.

Hilda's eyes widened. "You saw Hecadoth, too?" she asked.

"Yeah, like two weeks ago. Asshole looked like he was trying to blend in as if he was some tourist, but he failed big time. Dude's got a stench of suspicion; you can smell his shit from afar. He's probably here underneath Behemoth's orders, and it's definitely gotta do with your kid." Saotome gestured towards Baby Beel, who was sitting on the pews and staring at amusement at his brother's failed attempts, with his chin.

"What about Beel?" Tatsumi asked defensively.

"Like I said, punk, I'm not blind. I know that the kid is Lord Beelzebub the IV."

"If you knew that, why'd you have to ask all those questions about him before, huh?!"

"'Cause I wanted to see why he was with the both of you, posing as your 'kid.' That shit's not believable to me." He paused, rubbing his chin. "But he kinda has Hilda's ears … "

"Saotome, do you have any clue as to what's going on?" Hilda asked him seriously. "Hecadoth and Prince En's strange arrivals … Why would this occur? What's Behemoth's agenda?" Yolda, you have gone way overboard.

"Behemoth's a shady guy. I can never tell what goes on in his head," Tatsumi's former teacher commented. "Whatever it is, though, it's probably somethin' dangerous."

"Wait a minute, back up," Tatsumi interrupted. "Who the hell's Behemoth? What's going on?"

"Behemoth's the head poncho of an army underneath the Great Lord and Prince En," Saotome explained gravely. "He's infamous for doing some dirty shit without the Great Lord's permission, but the intention underneath all that shit is basically for the good of their land. Put simply, you don't want to be on his target list."

"I'm already on someone's target list," Tatsumi muttered, casting a glare Hilda's way.

"And," he continued on, "he's also got a son, Jabberwock. He's the one in charge of handling the 34 Pillar Division. Basically, he does his dad's shit. Guy's a violent monster when provoked, so watch your backs."

Tatsumi didn't seem at all deterred by the information bestowed upon him, but Hilda could see his jaw was slightly locked due to tension. "You know a lot about … all of this."

An unidentifiable emotion flittered across his former teacher's eyes. "Yeah," he murmured.

"Watching our backs won't be a problem," Hilda declared. "All the pillars are easily detectable given Hecadoth's version of blending in."

Saotome grunted. "All right, yeah. Enough with all this unnecessary talking. You guys got a wedding in just a few days. Let's actually rehearse, all right?" He flicked his cigarette to the ground and put it out with his boot. "Okay, Hilda, repeat after me: 'I, Hilda Whatever, take you, Oga Tatsumi, to be my lawfully wedded — " He got cut off.

"Can you make the vows shorter? I wouldn't like to be up at the altar that long," she demanded, impatient. All these suspicions floating around concerning Behemoth was prickling at her being.

"Fine by me. How's about this: 'I, Hilda Whatever, take you, Oga Tatsumi, to be my hubby. I promise to not bullshit you no matter the situation. I promise to love and honor your face."

Tatsumi's face contorted into slight disgust. "What's up with the 'love and honor your face'?"

Hilda rolled her eyes and placed her hands on her hips. "Was that your wedding vow to your wife?"

"And so what if it is? It's short, and it works, right?" He grumbled something underneath his breath. "If you're both gonna act like whiny bitches, then you might as well make your own damn vows."

Tatsumi agreed, "Fine."

Hilda snapped her attention towards her fake fiancé. "We've been through this, Oga," she told him exasperatedly. "We have no time — "

"Nah, it'll just be me. You can say the traditional vows if you'd like." Once again, his face was unreadable. What was his agenda?

"And just what are you going to say?"

"You'll find out."

His ambiguity irked her to no end. It wasn't exactly helping the situation at hand.

Saotome didn't seem to notice the exchange between the two or just chose to ignore it. "All right, let's continue on," he announced gruffly. "Now that we're done with the vows — "

Hilda was far from finished. It would be mortifying to repeat such vows during the wedding in front of their guests. "I am not saying your damn wedding vows, and you — " she flashed her irritated gaze at her soon-to-be-hubby " — are not creating your own vows. We are sticking to the traditional vows."

Tatsumi returned the gaze defiantly. "'Kay, woman, chill. I'm making the vows, not you. You don't have to do shit about it. You can say the traditional vows all you want."

She needed to know exactly what he was going to "vow" to her. Knowing him, he might cause a flashy scene and list down all the traits she possessed that pissed the hell out of him.

Hell, he might even confess —

No, Hilda thought firmly. He wouldn't dare. He wouldn't do that. No matter how much we anger each other, we wouldn't dare do that to one another. We've gone too far for this arrangement. There's not going back, and Tatsumi knows that.

She broke the connection between eyes and faced Saotome.

I trust him.

"Well then, that's settled. What's next for us?"

The tall man flipped through his notepad. "Uhhhh, shit, what's this? Oh, that's the grocery — " His eyes widened, and he immediately tore, crumpled, and threw the piece of paper away heedlessly. "There's nothin' else, actually. Other than the kiss, 'course, but it's not like you guys needa practice that since you're a bunch of horny fucks al — "

Tatsumi gave a simple shrug. "All right," he conceded and pulled her forward, capturing her unprepared lips.

If she didn't acknowledge the fact that she was attracted him in some way or another, she wouldn't have kissed back. If they weren't supposed to be pretending to be a couple in love, she wouldn't have kissed him back. If they weren't around so many spectators, she wouldn't have kissed him.

She wrapped her slender arms around his neck and pulled him closer. She opened her mouth to deepen the kiss even more. He let out a satisfied groan at that, one hand sliding down to squeeze her —

"EWWWWWWWWWW!" a child shrieked.

The duo pulled apart and faced the source of the deafening agony without letting go of the other.

Prince En's face was colored messily with red blotches. Disgust was written along with it. He was no longer wearing the heels Misaki, who left to attend to other matters.

"Are you freaks crazy?! If I didn't stop you sooner, I might've had to be sent to the hospital from mental illness or something!" He closed his eyes and shuddered. "I forbid you two from showing all that kissy-kissy stuff in front of me!"

"Daabuu!" Beelzebub cried out, pudgy arms reaching out for them.

Hilda released her strangely tight hold on Tatsumi and went to retrieve Master. Once he noticed she was about to hold him, he shook his head and began fussing.

She bent down to his level in front of the pew. "Master? What's wrong?" she asked worriedly. Was he hurt? Was he hungry?

"Daa! Abuu, daa!" He gestured towards Tatsumi.

Hilda regarded her fiancé. "Your son is requesting for you, Tatsumi."

Tatsumi rolled his eyes at her, but he didn't hesitate to obey his "son's" demands. He picked up Baby Beel, who immediately smiled and giggled at him. Tatsumi poked his belly, and Beel squealed ecstatically.

Hilda couldn't help but smile warmly at seeing such a sunny view. She stood up to join them. She took a hold of her master's hand and started playing with him. His eyes grew brighter seeing her partake in their playtime. It was her first time playing with him while Tatsumi had him. She usually left to her private devices once it was Tatsumi's time to spend quality time with him, but she merely couldn't help it now.

Lamia smiled at the pseudo-family. Prince En rose an eyebrow at the scene playing before him. Saotome lit up a new cigarette, facing away from them — but he had a slight smirk planted on.

"Aw, well, isn't this just so sweet?"

Hilda's happiness diminished into nothing as soon as she heard that ghastly voice. Tatsumi's eyes hardened, his hold on Beelzebub tightening.

Yolda was standing at the entrance of the church with Izabella and Satura behind her. All three were donning their usual wet nurse outfits.

Prince En sparkled at the sight of them. "Yolda! Izabella! Satura!" he shouted out with glee.

Yolda's haughty smirk and the seriousness etched heavily on Izabella and Satura melted away at the sight of their master. It was replaced with wide sparkling eyes filled with adoration and love. Their tense statures relaxed, anything remotely considered menacing vanished.

"Prince En!" Yolda exclaimed, holding out her arms.

The older brother of Baby Beel was about to run towards his wet nurse to mimic a rather clichéd scene, but Hilda grabbed onto the back of his dress to prevent him from doing so. She pulled him back as gently as she could, far away from her sister.

At that, Yolda glared at her, fists clenched at her sides. "And just what the hell are you doing? You have no right to do that, manhandling Prince En as you please. You could've hurt him!"

The prince struggled against the strong hold on his dress. "Yeah! She's right! Now let go of — !"

Hilda released her grasp on him, but before Prince En could make his escape, Tatsumi used his free hand to grab onto him. Unlike Hilda, he wasn't gentle and all but dragged him all the way behind him and held him tightly.

Prince En was ready to complain yet again but kept his mouth shut once he saw the deathly gaze Tatsumi locked upon him.

"You have no right to treat Prince En with such disrespect!" Yolda said angrily, green eyes flashing with rage.

"And you have no right bustin' in our rehearsal," Tatsumi shot back.

"Oga Tatsumi, do not interfere."

"Believe me, I wouldn't have if you hadn't been stickin' your fuckin' business up in our asses." He gritted his teeth.

Seeing Tatsumi talk like this towards her sister was extremely attractive in Hilda's point of view. She was able to snap out of her intense gaze and prevent herself from jumping him right then and there. She had a bitch to deal with.

Hilda gestured to the door, signaling Yolda to follow her out.

"What is it going to take for you to just stop?" Hilda demanded once they exited the church.

"Oh, and whatever am I doing, my dear sister? I'm just here to visit. Once I heard Prince En was within your 'care,' I had to arrive as soon as possible." Yolda's eyes turned dark. "I had to hear from meager civilians that he was here with you. So tell me — why is my master with you? What exactly are you doing with him without my consent?"

"He's my flower girl."

" … Please tell me you're joking."

"I don't fuck around when it comes to you, Yolda."

Yolda laughed bitterly. She appraised her sister from head to toe. "You were looking quite vulnerable in there earlier. It was almost as if you guys looked like one big, happy family." She smirked. "Don't get so caught up in your delusions, Hilda. This wedding is a scam, and Beelzebub isn't your real son."

"Like I don't know that," Hilda snapped icily. She knew that. She knew all of that. But hearing Yolda say it out loud so clearly troubled her. "I know you are hell-bent on destroying my wedding, but to actually get Behemoth involved is a new low for you."

"What are you talking about?"

"Hecadoth. Surely you've seen him around the past few weeks or so."

"What does Hecadoth have to do with Behemoth?"

Hilda sighed impatiently. Ugh, acting all oblivious. "Don't play dumb with me. Hecadoth is one of Behemoth's trusted pillars. Are you actually getting these type of people involved in your personal affairs? Are you that desperate to actually accomplish your petty revenge? You are going to endanger everyone, including your master."

Yolda flipped her blonde hair over her shoulder, waving off her assumptions. That action only fueled her suspicion even more. "Like I said, Hilda, don't get so caught up in your delusions. I have absolutely no intentions of asking Behemoth for help in what I am fully adequate in doing myself. And don't make it seem like I don't know how much of a dangerous man Behemoth can be."

"Some time ago, I had the unfortunate pleasure of meeting Hecadoth. The fool was acting all nonchalant, attempting his elusiveness regarding my master." The memory of it lit the fire within Hilda. "Hecadoth wouldn't come here on his own terms. Someone must've ordered him to do so, and it could be Behemoth, Jabberwock, or, worse, both of them."

Yolda furrowed her eyebrows at that and shook her head. "All I want is Prince En's safety. He is my number one priority, and I will put him before my plan against your fake wedding," she said resolutely. It was the only statement uttered by her sister that Hilda believed.

An idea hatched inside Hilda's brain. It was ridiculous. It was probably insane. But it could kill two birds with one stone so easily. She just had to search for the right words to make a batch of convincing sentences.

"If you want to protect him, be my bridesmaid," Hilda suggested.

Yolda gave her an incredulous look. "Are you bullshitting me? You are fully aware of the fact that I am determined on destroying your fake wedding, aren't you?"

"Yes, I am well aware of that. The only way you can protect Prince En from whatever danger your mind is conjuring up is to be at my wedding. I don't want you at my wedding, but I am in need of another bridesmaid. You protect him, and one of the groomsmen doesn't feel lonely walking down the aisle." She sighed. "Not that I care about that person's feelings whatsoever, but what's needed has to be dealt with accordingly."

Her sister let out a laugh of disbelief. "Ha! Like I'd believe you. I bet you have an ulterior motive behind this little suggestion of yours. No way would you invite me to your wedding even if I said it was needed to protect my master. I'm even your biological sister, and you still wouldn't invite me."

"Just take the offer or leave it. Otherwise, your master's life is in my hands during the wedding," Hilda warned. She truly wasn't going to put Prince En's life in any danger. She still served his family in some way or another even though she left the Academy — it wouldn't have ever crossed her mind.

"No. I'll take you up on your 'offer' only if I get to bring Satura and Izabella." Although Yolda accepted the offer, she still had that careful look in her eyes … and something else Hilda couldn't distinguish.

"As long as there are no disruptions."

"I'm still going to destroy your wedding, though."

"Ah, see but there's the catch." With that, Hilda smirked haughtily. "Your top priority is Prince En's life no matter what, Yolda. You can guarantee he will be safe if you are within his presence. Either you become my bridesmaid and stay put — and don't think I would forget about your fellow skanks — or fuck up my wedding and risk Prince En's safety."

"You wouldn't dare, Hilda. Regardless of the fact that you're not directly serving my master, you are still required to protect him to a certain degree. You know what that means, darling sister of mine?" Yolda came closer with narrowed eyes. "You have to make sure he is safe within your presence during the wedding, even now as well."

Hilda scowled at that. She's right. He's still underneath my protection, but then …

"So does that mean you're not invited to the wedding? You're not my bridesmaid?"

"Did you not hear a word I — ?"

"Yes, I am responsible for his safety. With that said, you don't need to be at my wedding. You have entrusted Prince En upon my watch from now to the time of the wedding." You think you can fool me? Hilda thought smugly.

Yolda was lost for words. "B-B-But I have to attend your wedding!" she stuttered, cheeks red. "I am in charge of him!"

"Fine by me. Attend my wedding as my bridesmaid. Just don't cause any havoc. That's all there is to it."

Yolda slammed her hand on the table. "I'll be your bridesmaid!" she spat. "Fine! I'll fuckin' do it! Prince En will be under my care, and I'll make sure not a single hand touches him. But mark my words, Hildegarde."

Hilda stayed silent, glaring.

"I'm not the only one that wants to destroy your wedding."

Suspicions confirmed.

It was rare to find a calm, secluded area in the arcade. There were so many young kids with coins in their pockets, running from the fighting games to the crane machines. Some adults were busy wasting their money on games based on luck and chance, eyes mad with greed and ignored exhaustion.

Tatsumi arrived from the tiny dango stand that was adjacent to the arcade, carrying some delectable delights in one hand and a large Slurpee bought from the arcade's Slurpee machines. He placed the food down and took a seat next to Hilda. Baby Beel was on her lap, playing with a squeaky Totoro toy Hilda won from the crane machine.

"So, you gonna tell me what went on between you and your evil sister?" he asked, immediately munching on a dango.

Hilda let out a deep breath. "She's my bridesmaid now," she replied.

"Are you serious?"

"It's the only way she won't actually ruin our wedding. She could attend our wedding to protect her master as long as she was my bridesmaid."

"Yeah, but she'll find a way around that, won't she?"

"If she does have Behemoth on her side, then she will." Her eyebrows deepened at the thought. Yolda would go through such drastic measures to merely destroy her wedding. Perhaps the fact that she has Prince En with her provoked her sister even more.

He took a sip of the Slurpee. "What else?"

"She gave me a warning that someone else wants to ruin our wedding, as well."

"Damn, so many haters."

Out of nowhere, Furuichi approached them. He looked fatigued. "Lamia is driving me crazy!" he shouted, wringing his hands through his hair. "She pulls me wherever En drags her. I can feel some bad vibes comin' from the little guy, so I try to separate myself from her, but she keeps such a tight little grip on my shirt. Look at it!"

Tatsumi didn't take one glance, but he still said, "Looks fine to me."

"Bastard, you didn't even look!"

"I sense that it looks fine."

"THAT DOESN'T MAKE ANY SENSE." Furuichi collapsed on one of the chairs. "It's a good thing I managed to escape."

"The main thing is Prince En is enjoying himself. Luckily, we have Lamia around to keep him from straying away," Hilda said, watching the young couple a couple of feet away from them. Lamia looked bored while En was busy smashing the buttons of the arcade game.

"Aw, shit." Tatsumi plucked off a strand of hair from his tongue. "That's disgusting!"

Furuichi grimaced. He was about to comment on how that dango stand was known for its disgusting ingredients when a rather large man bumped into him with brute force. The action caused Furuichi to fall off the floor instantaneously.

Hilda looked away from her master once she heard the fall. She glanced at Furuichi briefly before targeting her attention at the man that bumped into him. Before he disappeared up the staircase, she saw that he had a black trench coat, hood up to conceal the back of his head, with a seemingly familiar crest on the back.

— okay, guys, only two chappies left.

brace yo'selves.

i had a particularly difficult time writing this chapter. i seriously have no idea why. it was bothersome, and i basically suffered from writer's block.

that was a pain in the freakin' arse, but i kind of like how simple it is personally.

so, enjoy & review!

|R.I.P. Cory Monteith (1982 - 2013), AKA Finn Hudson from Glee

You will forever be loved & missed. Thank you.|