The Second Coming of the Messiah

Makoto remembered the smell of the waters, of the sand, of the land of Cocytus. It called to him, sang him sweet nothings when he watched Kokabiel sink into its icy depths until his head was the only remaining thing free.

It was where Makoto remembered himself, and it was where he left part of himself. He was so close to the Land of the Dead that he felt as if he were coming home for the first time. He frowned as he heard the waters of Acheron churn, in the tune of a heartbeat. Looking up from the waters, he saw a woman staring back at him from the Land of the Dead, dressed in the blackest dress he had ever seen. She offered him a tentative, small smile and he found himself lifting his hand to wave to her. It felt as if he was greeting an old friend, and it made his mind and heart ache.

No one could see her but him.

He left Cocytus soon after with Bennia in tow, though he knew he would have to return eventually. Thanatos was oddly silent throughout the entire ordeal, as were the other beings that inhabited his Sea of Souls. It was a solemn silence.

It was his third night in a week without sleep.

|

|

Sitting in a dimension filled with undulating, ever changing color, a black haired female wearing Gothic Lolita styled clothing stared at the sky in wonder. She was born from the nothingness of the Void and grew to love the silence of her home dimension more than anything.

She enjoyed many, many millennia of silence in the void known as the Dimensional Gap, but Great Red had invaded her home and cast that silence asunder with his annoying yelling and shouting as he did tricks such as barrel rolls through the air.

Her name was Ophis, and when she felt the stirrings of Death appear in the world parallel to her own, she knew she had to recruit him, a transcendent being like herself. Using the information gathered by Vali, Kuroka was to stake out the being and do her best to persuade him to join the Infinite Dragon in her quest to rid her home of Great Red. If Kuroka failed to do so, Ophis would have to take care of it herself, and she was loath to leave her home lest the Dragon that fueled itself on Dreams destabilize it further with its corrosive and chaotic energy.

"I, just want my silence back…"

|

|

Four figures were standing outside of the apartment building Makoto lived in around the center of town, and only one seemed displeased at being barred entrance to their home by the very being they just finished a bounty for.

"What have you done?"

"You haven't even seen it yet!"

"Azazel. What. Have. You done?"

The leader of the Fallen let out a huff as he crossed his arms over his chest. "I bought the apartment building you live in, and fixed it up. So what?" The figure standing next to him looked extremely uncomfortable, grinding the toes of her left shoe into the ground nervously while she held her arms behind her back.

"I sleep there. Bennia sleeps there. You purchased my home, and proceeded to tear down my walls. While we were inside. How is this payment?" Makoto was about a split second away from declaring himself enemies of the Fallen Angels if their leader didn't come up with a good explanation, and fast.

"Well, I was going to give it to you after I was done fixing it up!" Azazel tried to defend himself, "You will have a super cool lair again like the old days, Big D, chill!"

"Big… D?" He shouldn't have asked, because the moment he did, Makoto realized he didn't care and didn't want to know.

"Big Death, of course! You are like the OG, Original God, of Death. So Big D."

Makoto had no words for the man. Bennia looked like she was halfway between an aneurism and busting her spleen, from both the need to laugh and righteous anger at her Master being so casually addressed by the Fallen.

"Don't call me that, ever again. I am pretty sure you told me you were going to pay me. In. Yen." For such a stoic guy, Azazel was feeling a good bit of anger from Makoto at the moment. That super blank face was sort of creeping him out.

"Hey, hey, I never said I wasn't going to pay you too! Remember, our contract was for Kokabiel, and Kokabiel alone. Your pet skeletons brought back much more than just Kokabiel. Hell, this is for bringing me back an armada of traitors!" The Governor General was quick to correct the misunderstanding Makoto was under, easily seeing how it came about. I really need to start asking permission before I just do these things… Nah, that was a dumb idea. Stupid, Stupid, Stupid.

Makoto thought about what Azazel said and soon realized he was right. His only target was Kokabiel, the rest was collateral. Had they not attacked him, they would still be free from the imprisonment they faced within Grigori territory.

"How long will this take?" Makoto eventually relented, knowing that it was too late to really do anything about it. He knew that the Governor General held no negative intentions behind the acts, and it would allow him to house the reapers in an area besides the air around his small apartment.

It was obvious that the man was also in a great mood. Azazel in any form of good mood was not good for the moods of those around him, Makoto soon realized.

"Aaaand… done."

The sight of Fallen Angels dressed in orange jumpsuits huddled into a chain gang filled the sky, as well as a ten winged Fallen wielding a… lightning whip?

"Lets go, Lets go! Move it LADIES, I ain't got all day!"

Makoto turned to Azazel and quickly made his thoughts known.

"There is something very wrong with you and your organization."

"Don't I know it, kid. By the way… your skeletons brought back a Human with them, and I kind of don't have anywhere to put her. Soooo, I was hoping that you would let her stay with you from now on! Death, this is Asia, Asia, this is Death." The figure that had been standing beside Azazel stepped forward upon being introduced to Makoto.

He was being emotionally blackmailed. Makoto didn't know whether to be mad or not when he saw those big, green doe eyes staring at him in wonder, in hope.

"Hello, Death-Sama! My name is Asia Argento, thank you very much for saving me last night!" The blond haired girl dressed in a black set of church robes spoke up, a large smile on her face, "I… I thought they were going to kill me! I… I can find somewhere else to live if you do not want me to stay around…" Tears welled up in the girl's eyes as her tone shifted from a false cheer to sadness, and Makoto held back a sigh. What was it with girls crying that bothered him so much?

Something about those green eyes made him want to protect her, and it was hard for something to trigger that type of feeling in him. It was the innocence she held, and that light aura that seemed to hang around her. It was a refreshing change from the tainted light of the Fallen and the darkness of the Devils.

"Think nothing of it." Makoto eventually relented after silent contemplation, "You may stay."

Makoto wasn't going to go to Azazel for help again. He would rather deal with the Bubbly Devil than a Fallen Angel who pawned his problems off on him.

Bennia, Makoto and Asia missed the sad smile of Azazels' face as Bennia introduced herself to the blond that would be living with them from then on.