The world is changing for everyone, and everyone has to find some way to deal with it.
“The land is… refracting. Structures are appearing that aren’t quite like anything ever created in either Heaven or Hell, and they seem remarkably resistant to being changed. I don’t know who first started calling the new area Abe, but it’s very fitting. The land grows like a living thing.”
Roy and Gracia discuss some difficult plans.
Gracia Hughes had been blessed with an innocent face. It had served her well, as the wife of an investigator. She had also been blessed with a sharp mind, which had served her even better, as the wife of Maas Hughes, in particular.
The world is changing for everyone, and everyone has to find some way to deal with it.
Lucifer’s eyes were hooded. “I am very dedicated to a stable world for all of us, but I’m doing it out of spite towards the dead. I’m not going to kill you off with unwarranted optimism.”
Lucifer and Michael deal with their history.
Warning: While it’s not exactly non-con, there are violent and coercive elements to the sex in this story, and the sex in question is between siblings.
Before Michael could find some way to show just how pissed off he was getting, Lucifer leaned into him again. And kissed him.
Those who are left forge connections along with their new world.
“Remind me again why we’re bothering to talk to anyone else about this little project of yours?” Arariel asked as she strode back to him.
Pet Shop of Horrors crossover. While visiting the US, some of the tennis boys come across an unusual pet shop. This evolves, as such things do, into some strange situations for a few of them.
If anyplace could hold the interest of his senpai when they were determined to play tourist, he’d figured Chinatown would be it. Something was always happening.
Belial and Kanzeon have tea.
Belial took another sip of hir tea and aimed a glittering smile at the being across the table. "So. We’ve caught up on gossip, traded fashion tips, and one has flattered your latest blend. Don’t you think it’s time we got around to business?"
A bit of Tezuka’s family background.
In one of the few speeches Kunimitsu’s father made that Kunimitsu’s grandfather approved of, the man declared, "Everything is about connections – who you know, you notices you, and especially who you can rely on." His grandfather had declared the rest of the speech to be garbage, but that was hardly unexpected.
Kurai finds something odd in her realm.
She turned away from Noise’s worried eyes to contemplate the perfect silver bubble that had manifested on the out edges of her realm. The bubble touched Assiah, butting up against so closely that it seemed to rub raw the psychic skin keeping the planes apart. Staring at it she thought she saw flickering images of a castle, a forest, a cathedral, and for a moment, and endless plain of horizons. She didn’t really know how she was going to get from the here of Gehenna to the there of the not quite real place inside that bubble. Not knowing what else to do she placed her hands against the silver, misty edge and pushed forward.
How Ryouma’s uncle came to be away from the temple.
Temples and their priests got all kinds of visitors, some of them pretty odd. But the last thing Konzen had expected, when he opened the door to answer the bell, was for a tangle of limbs to land on and hug him while crowing "Sanzou!"
Mad Hatter visits Yukimura in the hospital.
An individual of duller perception might have assumed se was seeking younger patients to entertain. A fool might have lashed out in a misguided effort to drive hir away.
It was not Seiichi’s judgment that was numb, and no one could call him a fool.
Mad Hatter and Yukimura start to get acquainted.
"Experimental surgery, hm?" he asked without turning away from the window.
"One could just snap one’s fingers." Hatter’s breath was warm against the back of his neck. "One gets the impression from your other visitors that a miraculous recovery would be only what’s expected from you."
Michael talks to Tezuka.
Tezuka was taking a break and drinking some water when he noticed the angel approaching.
Belial introduces hirself to Rikkai.
Masaharu nudged his partner. "Who’s that?" he asked, nodding at the slight, lean figure in black lounging against the fence. Yagyuu finished a swallow of much needed water and raised a brow.
"I think that’s Yukimura-san’s visitor. The one from the hospital that no one ever quite managed to meet."
Michael encounters Setsuna at Fudoumine.
“I thought all of you left,” Setsuna continued. Despite his words, he was smiling easily, standing in his favorite slouched position. “So what’s up with you being here?”
“Belial is playing with souls, and I don’t want him to get a lot,” Michael replied shortly.
Sanada’s and Yanagi’s reactions to the whole story about Belial.
Saying that Genichirou and Renji were not happy simply did not address the magnitude of their feelings on the subject.
Michael’s offer to Fudoumine.
The guy he was here to visit, Tachibana, seemed as pleased by the news as anything else. “So,” he said. “Yukimura will be playing at Nationals.” He practically glowed with anticipation.
“Yep,” Michael said.
“And you’re here because…?” the girl asked, eyes sharp.
Sanada and Belial talk about Seiichi.
"What do you want with Seiichi?" Genichirou asked, bluntly.
"His soul," Hatter answered.
Genichirou reminded himself, strenuously, of Renji’s caution that he wouldn’t get anywhere with Hatter unless he could keep his temper. He told himself it was just like dealing with Niou in a really bad mood.
Kurai and Noise explain things to Sanada.
Belial waved a hand. “Not at all,” se said. “Her Majesty is here to relieve certain misapprehensions regarding her husband’s domain.” Se glanced pointedly in the direction of the boy se had indicated previously, who was standing a little ways off and obviously trying not to look too much like he was hovering.
Yukimura followed the glance. “Ah,” he said. “I see.” He looked back at Kurai. “In that case, welcome.”
Kurai is depressed and Hatter is curious.
It was the Witch’s shattered realm that eventually drew her—with all its psychic pain and loneliness like a blackened mirror for her own.
Lucifer visits Rikkai.
Renji, along with the rest of the team, was starting to get used to Mad Hatter’selusive, mocking presence among them. He supposed he should have knownthat would be the signal for a fresh turn into strangeness.
Lucifer finally meets Michael at Fudoumine.
“What do you want?” Michael demanded, glaring. If there had been any justice in the universe, Lucifer would have combusted on the spot, and Belial would’ve gone up right along with him.
Belial chats with Sakaki, who turns out to be an old ‘friend’.
Sakaki Tarou paused on his way across the grounds of Rikkai Dai to visit his contemporaries on staff, and watched the junior high tennis team practicing. This team was always worth watching, but this time something specific caught his attention. Something about them had changed, since the last time he’d observed these players. It was most notable in Yukimura-kun, and Tarou sighed faintly as he contemplated the inherent disorder of what he was seeing.
"Taken," a light voice stated next to his ear.
Kurai has a plan.
“No one has done the triumvirate ceremony since before the first wars,”Noise said. Kurai made small sound of agreement. “You don’t have to do this,” Noise said, rather plaintively. “Besides, you have to be a triumvirate and you’re just you.”
Yukimura decides how to deal with Belial.
"You know," Belial observed, voice a little husky, "this is one of the things mortals and celestials really aren’t supposed to do."
"I’ve already sold my soul to a demon," Seiichi noted, dryly, against Belial’s collar bone. "Breaking another rule is supposed to concern me, why?"
Constantine gets an invitation from the Witch.
“She’s been trying to reach you Herself, she has,” Mad Hettie said in lieu of a greeting. John had a bad feeling that he knew the ‘Herself” Hettie was refering to. “She’s been tryn’ but you’ve been shuttin’ her out the way you shut out everything so I’m here to tell you and you’re here to listen, Johnny-lad.”
Ann discusses older brothers with Michael.
He should have known Ann was going to come after him at some point the minute his bastard of an older brother had shown up. Well, he had known, to be honest, though he had been avoiding thinking about it.
Raphael comes looking for Michael and gets a surprise.
He very nearly bypassed the first school, figuring it for a fluke, until the boy with glasses looked directly at him, sighed, and inquired, "We’re not interested, but thank you anyway." He eyed Raphael. "You might try Hyoutei."
Tezuka talks to relatives about his problems.
“Pfft. You make me feel old. I’m Hiiragizawa Eriol, though you’re free to call me ‘uncle’ if you like.” Something about Eriol’s purely friendly smile made Tezuka uneasy. He wasn’t sure precisely why he wanted to have a wall at his back at the moment, but he forced himself to ignore the urge and go on.
Belial introduces the Fujis to the Mudous.
Notes: Contains consensual sibling incest.
Yuuta sighed, resigned, and then had to take a second look at the person who had hailed his brother. He didn’t think he’d ever seen anyone dressed quite that flamboyantly outside a festival. Or, possibly, a circus. He was busy enough looking at the top hat that it took him a few moments to notice that his brother had paused beside the strange person, and was now standing on Yuuta’s other side.
Between him and the strangers. Yuuta took a closer look.
Yanagi talks with Belial.
It had been a long practice, and only got longer when Hatter decided to tease Genichirou. Renji sighed.
A memo is mis-directed to Tsuzuki’s desk.
"To all demons rank of Brigadier or Duke," Tsuzuki read aloud, "from the domain of Beelzebub. Angelic response to recent demonic acquisitions among mortals are reaching undesirable levels. Any demons who are free are encouraged to go, forthwith, to Assiah (e.g. Earth, the mortal realm) and rectify this. Sec’y, Choronzon."
Hisoka was staring. "There is nothing more blind than bureaucracy," he declared with conviction. "They can’t possibly really think you’ll participate."
Somewhat troubled, Belial seeks out Yukimura.
Belial took a few steps out of the shadow, not far enough to show hir face. Apparently, it was still too many, because Seiichi stood, frowning, and came to hir.
The Messiah and the Adversary chat, and Lucifer drops in. Aziraphale and Crowley sweat.
The Adversary stared at the Messiah, frowning. The Messiah stared right back, also frowning.
"You’re not what I was expecting," Adam said, at last, feeling that a Messiah ought to be wearing a white bathrobe, or have a halo, or somehow demonstrate his difference from ordinary humans (perhaps funny-colored eyes?).
Belial talks to Rikkai about the past.
"One is not kind," she said, very precisely, without looking around. "Nor benign. One has corrupted lives and souls and cities. Most recently, one provoked the Host to attack an ally and caused the destruction of Kurai’s kingdom and people. One led Kurai herself into a marriage that would have sacrificed her life, by lying to her at nearly every turn. You should remember this."
Sakaki gets what he wants.
It was not, Tarou reflected, unusual for Keigo to sit in the window when he and his coach were discussing the tennis club. Tarou gave him that much latitude, because Atobe Keigo’s willing obedience was a valuable thing. Normally, however, he paid proper attention, no matter how he lounged.
Sanada and Belial spar a bit, verbally and otherwise.
Genichirou had known it was dangerous to invite Hatter to spar with edged weapons. He had, however, been confident that Hatter wouldn’t kill him, or even significantly damage him. He didn’t normally like the idea of handicaps, but in the case of a demon he’d take it.
He was coming to the irritated realization that, even restraining himself, Hatter was fast enough to touch him.
Mizuki has to deal with Tsuzuki’s unexpected perception.
"Okay, so let me get this straight," Tsuzuki said, nibbling one fingernail in concentration.
Hajime tried not to laugh at the rather cute picture the man made.
The seal of the contract.
Seiichi remembered when Belial had set the seal of their contract.
Some embarrassment over the seal.
Genichirou, Renji noted, seemed unwilling to look anybody in the face—no, that wasn’t strictly accurate. There were specific people he wasn’t looking in the face, and all of them had just signed the same contract.
Rikkai encounters shinigami at Nationals.
The day was clear and hot, good weather for their first match at Nationals. Renji supposed it was cosmic parity for something else to go wrong. He sighed when he saw Hatter’s eyes brighten, as the team made their way toward their assigned court. What had caught her attention this time? He looked in the direction she was starting to edge in and suppressed the urge to put a hand to his forehead. Of all the people for Hatter to decide to tease, of course it would have to be Fuji Yuuta, and, by extension, Fuji Shuusuke.
Sakaki meets an old acquaintance.
He was, Keigo reflected, getting better at spotting the angels. It was something in the way they held themselves, apart from any mortal excitement around them. At a place as excited as the courts hosting Nationals, they stood out. The one that seemed to have caught Kantoku’s attention today, though, was a bit different from the usual run.
Hisoka gets help from an unexpected source.
Hajime had figured out some time ago that Kurosaki could feel what other people felt, especially if they felt it strongly. It was equally obvious, to anyone who watched carefully, that Kurosaki didn’t have perfect control of this ‘gift’. Accordingly, Hajime had dropped a few hints about Nationals, how many people showed up, how excited everyone got about the matches. A few neighborly cautions.
He was starting to think both his team’s self-appointed guardians had completely missed them.
Michael taunts Belial about winning and Lucifer gets involved.
"Hah!" Michael took his opportunity, as the teams filtered past each other on the way out of the stadium, to taunt Mad Hatter. "Told you we’d kick your asses."
Someone takes an interesting walk.
He supposed that he should be doing something more active than walking down the street, but with all the confusion lately, he didn’t see that he had many options other than to entertain himself. After all, Ryouma was busy testing his limits on his own somewhere, and all his other playmates seemed to be wandering off in the wake of the Nationals.
Kurikara and Michael hit it off.
Kippei really did hope that at some point his days would become less interesting.
Mad Hatter tempts Ohtori and tweaks Sakaki’s nose.
Someone had claimed the practice room ahead of him; the plaintive notes of a violin filtered dimly through the closed door, flaunting his reserved 5:15 to 6:15 slot in Ohtori Choutarou’s face.
If the seal broadcasts sensation…
"Niou," Sanada said, carefully, "are you really suggesting an… orgy?"
Konzen gets home and he and Ryouma finally meet.
Ryouma was fairly used to uproars around the house every now and then, especially when Nanako found his dad’s latest stash of magazines or one of his noisier senpai stopped by for a game.
This, however, sounded a little different.
Ryouma is still chasing Tezuka.
Dear Buchou,
Happy 40th. Heard you passed the Park Ranger certification; congratulations. Hope bears don’t eat you.
