Violet

Setsuna awoke in stillness, his legs and toes on a carpet of sand overlooking a pool of shattered glass. He could not feel the pain of being stabbed, or the familiar snoring of his mother. It was just him, the stars in a clear black sky, and a pair of legs squatting with their knees around his head.

Tilting his head up he could see the face of a smiling woman he could not recognize. She had striking, wavy violet hair hiding pointy ears, with a long tuft of it draped over a teardrop-shaped crystal suspended from a circlet. That circlet crowned a feminine figure with ribbons of snake skin wielded against human form, perhaps ten or twenty years his elder.

As her mouth opened, a voice he could not comfortably place echoed through the landscape. “That’s one way to break a curse.”

“Excuse me, lady?” Setsuna was not in the mood to be on his best behavior, in the circumstances.

“Michael’s first born, Nagahisa.” The woman smiled. “You’re supposed to have killed him.”

“Why the crap would I do that?” Setsuna quickly got up with an intense gaze, still unsure of his whereabouts.

“To gain his birthright, and to assume your rightful place. To rewrite the rules of this world once more.” She paused, perhaps to give Setsuna a chance to catch up, or perhaps to menace him. “This time is different.”

“Who do you think you are?” Setsuna didn’t like people who couldn’t get to the point so much. “And where am I?”

“While your body is lying safe, still, and silent on a bed in Harajuku, attended to by your mother and sister, your soul has journeyed elsewhere.” The lady raised her arms to the sky, making a swaying motion to their shared surroundings. “Your arrival has been expected, Prince Setsuna Kai.”

“Charmed. How do I get home?”

The woman laughed, uncomfortably. “Any time you’d like. Though I hoped you didn’t have such a simple mind. Do you have any desire to seek knowledge and wisdom?”

Setsuna sat up, realizing right then that he was unclothed and without any possessions. There wasn’t much that he could do besides entertain her notion. If this was a dream, well, no harm done besides a passing effort at fighting off boredom.

“So you know about the curse of Kai?” The woman nodded slowly, still smiling. “And Nagahisa. Can you see the future?”

“I can see things that may be.” Her arms coiled behind her head.

“If the curse ran its course, what would happen?”

She closed her eyes while biting her bottom lip. “In the simplest of terms, Nagahisa would die by your hand, you would acquire the power of angels, and you would marry your sister.”

A toad caught Setsuna’s throat, causing him to cough out in disagreement. “That’s awful. And really gross. Never going to happen.”

“Certainly.” The woman opened her eyes. “Now, your body will be overcome by the blood of demons, the right to rule this world will fall to another mortal, and Elegy will be your greatest champion, should she have the courage to renounce her pain.”

“Elegy… Not Mirai?”

“Mirai has another destiny. She loves you in her own way.”

“And Takajou?”

“As always, as ever. He’ll never leave your side.”

“Who are you, again?”

The woman hugged Setsuna gently. “I am your godmother, Yuriko.”

“Never heard of you.” Setsuna grumbled.

“Ask Tsubomi. You’ll find out.” Yuriko withdrew from her embrace, gazing deep into Setsuna’s red pupils, clutching at his sides.

“Don’t worry. I won’t.” Setsuna mumbled, not one for mystical mumbo jumbo.

“As expected of the great Prince.”

Setsuna stirred, the sky falling upon them both, fading into darkness, as his eyes closed gently against the warm slience.

“Arise, traînard.”

Setsuna’s eyes lifted to see Elegy right over his face, arched over the head of the bed.

“I got your Halloween costume finished. If you don’t get up in five minutes, I’m selling it while there’s still demand.”

Arms functional, Setsuna touched the center of his chest, checking for pain. Nothing. Exhaling with relief, without a word, Setsuna motioned to Elegy approvingly. He was ready for a new day.

Traces of sunlight ripped through the cast off shadows of cables overhead. It was midday at Omoide Nukemichi, its residents rummaging through prepared routines readying themselves for the night to come.

As a tradition, “Trick or Treating” was roughly a decade old in urban Japan, more popular with bar crawls among adults and college kids than with children and families. For those who could handle — and wrestle with — the lot of overconfident college kids, it made for very good business.

Setsuna had returned donning a garish red coat and one sword, expecting to meet the one in white with two of their own. It was not to be.

“You should close your mouth before you start drooling, nasty one.” condesended a womanly figure with long white hair, dressed in a gothic lolita black dress with pink eyes, a black headdress and wings to match.

“Hey, I know that voice.” bellowed Setsuna. “You’re supposed to be Tao?”

“I’m supposed to be Suigintou.” Tao stated matter-of-factly. “Popular character these days. Do you follow Rozen Maiden?”

“Nope. Not into girl stuff. Or weird anime loser stuff.”

Tao raised their hand to their forehead, shook their head and groaned, just loudly enough that Setsuna could hear.

“What’s up with your hand?” inquired Setsuna.

“What about my hand?” glowered Tao.

“It’s got these… markings, like a toy. How’d you even DO that?”

“That is what my hand has always looked like, urchin.” Tao pulled down one of the puff sleeves on their dress to expose their shoulder, a ball and socket joint connecting the arm and chest, much to the awe of Setsuna. “Do you have any other questions?”

Setsuna had the sense that perhaps he should not engage in more dumb questions at this time. “Um, not about you, thanks. Is Davi working, today?”

“Davi’s getting ready for tonight. Though she’ll likely take pause for the right guest.”

“Can I see her now?” Setsuna badgered on.

“If you could tell us what you are supposed to be dressed as…?”

“Oh, yeah! I’m Dante from the Devil May Cry™ Series.” Setsuna grinned while twirling two guns, western gunslinger style.

“Is that why you’ve spray painted your King Riser black?” observed Tao.

“Yeah, gold’s overrated. Looks cheap. Black goes with everything, y’know?”

“If you say so, prince.” Tao waved Setsuna through the door, either satisfied by his answers or sending him away to go bother someone more tolerant.

Most bars aren’t terribly interesting during the daylight hours, the concrete flooring and walls bearing markings of brawls gone by. Heaven’s Ward would generally be no exception, but for the occasion.

Shimmering Christmas lights draped the walls, blinking orange, white, and purple. Rows of Jack O’ Lantern heads and fake webbing lined the windows and countertops, as goofy, plush spiders and sheet ghosts added a little extra personality to the scene.

Behind the bar were two familiar faces, at least, Setsuna was pretty sure he knew the faces.

“Hey, Davi!“ he waved towards the woman about his age with wavy blonde hair dyed purple near the roots. She was wearing a frilly full body dress and cape with knee high boots. “And… Mecchi?” he glanced at the shorter girl, wearing a familiar white and blue schoolgirl uniform with a waist-long green wig.

“Setsuna!” said the ladies in unison. Mecchiyama thrust both arms into the air and waved as Davi calmly lifted a hand to convey the same.

“You’ve come back to the land of the living?” clucked Mecchi. “Have ya got any tales worth sharing before circumstances unknown whisk you back?”

“I’m fine, Mecchi.” Setsuna methodically responded, turning towards Davi. “Um, is now a good time to visit?”

“You’re just in time!” Mecchiyama continued. “For a new episode of Mecchi Mecchi Matchmaker!”

Setsuna looked slightly dismayed. “I’m sorry, what?”

“You really like Davi, right? And she really likes you.”

“I… I am…” Setsuna sputtered, struggling to think of the possibilities. He turned to Davi grasping for some morsel of help. However…

Davi stared back at Setsuna with the biggest pair of doe eyes he had seen since Nagahisa accidentally broke the chain on his bike. A disarming power known to very few. She fell silent, eagerly waiting for Setsuna’s reply.

Mecchiyama had to know about Takajou, he thought. This wasn’t a mistake. Yet, chances like these don’t come often, and he did just save Davi’s life through nobile if self-immolating means. Setsuna hissed wind through his teeth, breathed in, and replied.

“…Davi, would you do me the honor of being my date tonight?”

“OF COURSE!” Davi jumped in the air, brimming with excitement. “I’ll go tell Tao to cover for me, just hold on a moment!”

Setsuna sat down on a stool next to where Mecchiyama was, behind the counter as loud footsteps hastily made their way to the entrance. Quietly he simmered to Mecchi, “Why have you got to keep starting shit?”

“It’s good for Mecchi business!” Mecchiyama raised a finger to the sky. “Besides, you gotta get to know more girls. Boys gotta make the first move, you know?”

“I would happily spend my nights with Takajou if you weren’t dead set on screwing up our relationship.”

“And what’s Takajou got to offer? He eats all your food, scams your friends, messes up your plans…” Setsuna now recalled with unsettling clarity why he stopped spending time with Mecchiyama.

As they bickered, he punched in a tiny text message to Takajou to explain himself and the circumstances, lest Takajou appear out of nowhere to cause unforeseen issues.

Tao and Davi returned, the latter beaming in a manner that put Tao at ease. Davi sincerely proclaimed, “It’s settled. We’ll go out once I’ve cleared up tonight’s menu with Tao.”

“Great.” Setsuna gave a very tiny smile. Deep down inside, he knew there would be consequences to disappointing the Setos.

Thinking on his feet, Setsuna knew the place to be, based on a tip from his neighbor. “Would you like it if we went as a couple to the Kawasaki Halloween Parade?”

“I’d love to!” Davi had a very wide smile.

“Hey,” Setsuna cleared his mind to think instead about planning his route on short notice. “Since I need to know what group we’ll be marching with, you are dressed as… a Touhou girl, right?”

“Byakuren Hijiri! The sealed great magician!” Davi unfurled a glowing scroll that stretched out the height of three people her size. “Would you like to ride on my motorcycle?”

“Would I?” Setsuna was now smiling much wider than before. “I wouldn’t have it any other way!” He crouched down on one knee to give Davi’s hand a kiss, eliciting a chuckle from her and Mecchiyama’s direction.

“Seems that he can be a nobleman when he tries.” Tao simpered.

“Shush.” Davi gave Tao a side eye and an elbow to Tao's hollow midsection. “I’ll change clothes, pack my bags, and we’ll be off in 30.” Davi gave Setsuna a kiss on the cheek before heading behind the counter, leaving Setsuna alone to spend the remaining time sipping apple juice in silence with his self-proclaimed rival Tao and rekindled frenemy Mecchiyama.

Sitting two-up behind Davi in a Dante costume meant Setsuna needed to make a few last minute modifications. The jacket had to be folded up and pulled into a backpack, sharing space with Davi’s Byakuren dress and boots. This left Setsuna’s toned arms free to cling onto Davi’s midsection, much like the unnecessary belts around his own.

Meanwhile, Davi had an entire latex biker bodysuit with purple highlights and a green kercheif around her neck. Though she insisted it was part of being the character, neither Setsuna nor Mecchiyama’s web searching skills could place where it came from.

Both agreed that this was a nicer experience than taking the train. Bumpy as it could be, the wind was at their side, there were no foul businessmen, and Setsuna could reflect on his hot blooded days in Makai. Almost as though it was yesterday.

“This backpack you have,” observed Setsuna at a traffic light. “It’s practically the size of a gym duffel bag… do you work out that much?”

“Three times a week!” chirped Davi. “Though I don’t usually bring that bag with me. That’s for Tao.”

“Tao works out?” inquired Setsuna, imagining how a living doll could build muscle. Perhaps by chugging a few gallons of milk and playing rugby on the regular, it could be possible… but how would doll joints react to protein?

“Not usually.” Davi contemplated how to answer the question, “Only for appearances… no, Tao is very easy to disassemble.”

“What?”

Davi giggled. “Tao can be dismantled and slotted into luggage pretty easily. That’s how we’ve gone on vacations, short breaks, cross country rides in the past!”

“Tao doesn’t mind?”

“Well, it’s a little tricky to have Tao riding two up with all of their knives.” mused Tao. “All that metal makes flying tricky. Nobody’s seems to know what to expect even when we call ahead.”

“So, you leave Tao in a suitcase and reassemble him when you land?”

“Precisely!” Setsuna couldn’t see it, but he could imagine Davi grinning widely at that boast. It was probably a good time to change the subject.

“How did you learn to ride a motorcycle so well?”

“Oh, casual interest! We’ve had a few regulars who were happy to talk up how much better Hondas were over Harleys.”

“I had one, once… sieging a crowd of Nightmares in Makai.” recalled Setsuna of his adventures, so long ago. “It kinda got lost in all the bodies.”

“Do you miss it?”

“Yeah...” As accommodating of a parent as Tsubomi could be, a motorcycle was a bit of a bridge too far. Setsuna’s past experience at ten years old was not reassuring. Though he did have wings, the argument posed that flying like a bat required more skill than riding a two wheeled, gas powered, high risk motorbike did not go over well.

“You can ride with me whenever you’d like.” Davi offered.

“Oh, uh, thank you.” mumbled Setsuna.

“Just good friends!” Davi offered with a sing-song inflection. Setsuna unconsciously replied with a monosyllabic sound.

“You have a friend coming to the parade?” questioned Davi, coming at another traffic stop.

“Yup, Mirai’s going to be in the magical girl group.” Setsuna searched his memory for details, coming up short.

“Oh, we should go join her, first thing! I want to meet her.” proclaimed Davi.

“It has been awhile…” reflected Setsuna on the last time he’d spoken with her. “I hope she recognizes me.”

“Well, Tao certainly didn’t have any trouble seeing through your disguise!”

“Fair. I just don’t know if I’d be able to see through one of hers.”

Davi and Setsuna pulled up at JR Kawasaki Station, a weathered, grey train station with enough dust and grime to remind one that it hadn’t been remodelled since 1985. This was the beginning of the 1.5 kilometer parade route, ending at a mall resembling a Destinyland-esque interpretation of an Italian village.

Both of them quickly jumped off the bike, changed into full attire, and began the search for a few possibly familiar faces from within the magical girl group out of a crowd of 2,000 total costumed attendees.

Setsuna wasn’t terribly up to date on recent fare like Shugo Chara, but he was reasonably aware of the really popular cartoons from when he was much younger, like Sailor Moon, Utena, Magical DoReMi, and…

“HEY, where’s Takajou?” questioned a very loud Cure White, with a finger pointed straight at Setsuna’s Dante.

“Snoozing, apparently.“ dismissed Setsuna. “He hasn’t been responding to my text messages all day…”

“Oh, this is Mirai?” inquired Davi.

“Yeah, I’d know her voice from anywhere.” Setsuna took a step back to do quick introductions. “Mirai, this is Davi Seto, proprietor of Heaven’s Ward. Davi, this is Mirai… my neighbor.”

“Devil summoner and part-time hero of Harajuku!” proclaimed Mirai.

“Excellent, most excellent.” Davi flattered her with closed eyes and a curtsey. “And your costume is absolutely lovely. Has anybody told you that you sound exactly like Cure White?”

Mirai’s voice reached a low pitch, responding in a steady tone, “I have absolutely no idea what you could be talking about, at all.”

“She sounds like Mirai to me.” Setsuna shrugged. “I gotta say though, the costume fits you.”

“Speak for yourself.” sighed Veil, dressed up in a puffy Mipple costume.

Grinning, Setsuna went on. “It really showcases your legs!”

Mirai’s immediately went for a high kick in response, which Setsuna countered by intercepting the leg with both hands before it connected with his face. Unfortunately, he was less prepared for the flying roundhouse kick that connected with his other side.

As Setsuna clownishly crumpled to a heap, Davi put one hand over her mouth. Mirai turned to Davi. “You could do better than him, y’know?… so could Takajou.”

“He means well.” smiled Davi, waving a hand over Setsuna’s body while his hindquarters was turned towards the sky.

“That’s true, but he’s a lightweight.” Mirai brushed her hand through her long, blue wig. “Hey, do you think this hair looks good on me?”

“Quite nice, indeed.” nodded Davi.

“Well, mom kept saying that it makes me look like a stereotypical heroine.” Mirai ducked slightly to adjust her bow, perhaps to avoid inviting a certain comparison. “Maybe red really is more my color.”

“I AGREE!” came the sound of a shrill voice not too far off in the distance.

“Oh no.” groaned Mirai.

Approaching the three was Shiny Luminous. Or rather, an approximation of Shiny Luminous. Ms. Luminous is typically blonde, delicate looking, and the center of a massive set of pigtails. This one, however…

“The grand lady-bandit, the great darkness, Balanese enchantress, RANGDA has arrived! To bless Cure White with the power of FRIENDSHIP!”

Ratna “Rangda” Manggali was donning an ill fitting outfit that vaguely resembled Shiny Luminous from Pretty Cure. To her credit, her incredibly long tail of red hair was tied into the appropriate hairstyle, though the remainder of the costume seemed hastily thrown together, at best.

“I have enough friends, thanks.” waved Mirai. “Still pissed about that time you stole my Devil Riser.”

“But Cure White must always protect Shiny Luminous! It’s canon.” Rangda brought out a meticulously assembled Pretty Cure fanbook to help her case. “Shiny Luminous has so much airtime in Pretty Cure Splash Star, she’s the Queen after all!” Rangda winked as Setsuna and Davi watched from a short distance.

Turning towards Setsuna, Rangda observed the other Devil Child. “So, who’s this prince of darkness?”

“Setsuna Kai, ma’am.”

“Pretty nice build! Still, you’re no Mirai.” Rangda stuck out her tongue.

“Thanks for not wasting my time. Really.”

Rangda went back to crouching behind Mirai in her Cure White costume. “Let’s do a pose! A team attack! Something that’ll really get the crowd pumped, something like…”

WHAM

Rangda’s gut connected with an out of nowhere fist from a woman in a Cure Black costume. Rangda recoiled in immediate pain, collapsing in the open arms of Davi.

“What is your deal?” scrutinized Cure Black in a slow, condescending tone. The lady had an impeccably good costume yet put seemingly no effort into styling her hair to look the part.

She had elven ears, beautiful piercing eyes, and purple hair down to her shoulders, a giant crescent moon tuft of it always on the right side of her face.

Rangda was still trying to catch wind, unable to speak as “Cure Black” and Mirai as Cure White looked down on her, black feathers hovering around them.

Cure Black continued. “You don’t respect others. You don’t fight fair.” Her face scrunched up in a look of pitying disgust as her arms put forward a half-hearted shrug. “You don’t even deserve to know my name.”

“I think we should go now.” concurred Mirai. “All bits considered, it was nice seeing you, Setsuna from the Devil May Whine™ Series.”

“Later, Mirai.” saluted Setsuna.

“Perhaps next time, you can bring Takajou?”

Setsuna stuck out his tongue, as Davi cut in. “Is this Takajou somebody I should know about?”

“He’s… um… sometimes my boyfriend.” Setsuna whispered, not certain everybody in the crowd would approve.

“Would you mind if I met him?” smiled Davi, as she was waving a hand over Rangda’s tiny scrapes and scabs.

“…Are you sure?”

“Yeah! If he wouldn’t mind.”

Setsuna mumbled something unintelligible under his breath while rapidly texting follow up messages. Davi approached him as Rangda was breathing normally again.

“I honestly didn’t know you were gay.” Davi spoke in hushed tones.

“No, I’m not gay. I really like being with Takajou, yeah. Not gay.”

“Are you… okay with that?”

“Yeah, totally straight. There is nothing gay about me, at all.”

“The Great Rangda’s extremely gay.” soothed Rangda. “Stealing hearts, stealing goodies, falling in love with all the bad girls! That’s my game.”

“I’M. NOT. GAY.” insisted Setsuna.

“Whatever. I’m going to find out what 'Cure Black'’s deal is.“ Rangda threw down a smoke bomb causing Davi and Setsuna to erupt in a coughing fit.

When the smoke cleared, Rangda was still standing there, mid-running pose.

“What are you two still doing here? There’s a parade out there! GO!” Rangda somehow turned invisible.

Davi looked around as Setsuna stood with arms crossed, unamused. “I suppose we’re not going to be marching with Mirai, tonight.”

“Yeah. Parades don’t usually allow for random violence.” mused Setsuna. “Maybe we should head back to the folks dressing up as video game characters? We might fit in better there.”

“Worth a try!” concurred Davi.

As Davi and Setsuna headed back towards the video game characters, a whistle was heard off in the distance. Davi tried to observe the source as Setsuna prepared for more nonsense.

“Heyyyy, are you with the Capcom crew?” waved a Proto Man with a feminine voice. Her tremendous shield was being carried by a little teddy bear.

“One of us is!” Davi extended a hand to introduce her date. “This is Setsuna, and I’m Davi. He’s Dante…”

“…from the Devil May Cry™ Series.” interjected Setsuna.

“…and I’m Byakuren Hijiri. From Touhou Project!”

“Oh, I think I’ve seen Dante before.” Proto Man removed her helmet, revealing an inanimate teddy bear head wearing cool sunglasses. “Devil hunter for hire, right?”

Setsuna exhaled. “Yeah, I think Dante’s alright. Say, uh, who exactly am I talking to?”

Proto Man motioned to a Mettaur at her feet with the signature stubby legs and helmet. It wasn’t upon closer observation that Setsuna realized…

“Oh, you’re Dullahan.”

“Sure am!” The ponytailed girl’s head was wobbling about to create the illusion of marching feet, as the body crouched down to readjust the helmet of a Mettaur. “You don’t seem to be spooked by much.”

“Comes with the territory.” remarked Setsuna, as he flapped his bat wings, allowing for more breathing space over his coat.

“Would you mind if we marched with you?” inquired Davi, in search of additional companionship.

“No problem at all! I don’t seem to have that many friends around this time around… not too many of the smaller demons wanted to get involved in the parade this year.”

“Has something bad happened?”

“Just a few over-eager devil hunters last year. Though as far as I know, they’re college kids and not the real thing.” mused Dullahan. “Anyway, I suppose my disguise is convincing enough!”

Setsuna glanced back at his massive bat wings. Davi’s hooves were sufficiently covered by a pair of heels with wooden inserts to make her feet look more like a human’s. His wings couldn't be hidden as easily, short of ripping them out. A move that was sure to come with some adverse side effects.

“We should be fine.” reassured Davi. “I’ll make sure no trouble befalls any one of us.” Davi lifted a hand to show her scroll glow orange, briefly taking the shape of a javelin before returning to its original form.

“Let’s go marching, then.” concurred Setsuna.

At the moment their group in the parade was halfway to the mall, the shape of a man leapt over their group. Landing with a pronounced impact, head still straight down, the figure had long, bright red hair and a Heian-period black and gold trimmed samurai armor over white sleeves and pants.

As he lifted his face to look at Setsuna, Setsuna responded in turn…

“Gene Simmons?”

The man clenched both fists and rose his arms above his head in muted frustration. “No, absolutely not, no! I am the great samurai Taira no Kagekiyo.”

“Oh, historical figures are that way.” Setsuna motioned further back.

“Have you not heard of Namco’s demon hunting classic on the Famicom?”

“Digital Devil Story: Megami Tensei II?” asked Davi, curious what he might be getting at.

“No, Genpei Touma Den: Computer Boardgame! It’s a game where you capture the three sacred treasures of Japan with up to four players to defeat the demon armies of the shogun Minamoto no Yorimoto on a cloth map with miniatures.” Taira kneeled to Davi, showing a slight trepidation in his step after realizing he’d given a sudden sales pitch.

“Goodness, that sounds neat.” exclaimed Davi. “Do you think we might have space for it at Heaven’s Ward?”

“Maybe if you have a Famicom and an old TV to spare.” Taira recovered from embarrassment. “I’m not sure I’ve seen salarymen play it regularly, though. Well, salarymen besides myself.”

“Maybe we could start a board game night?” Davi raised the question to Setsuna. “I could use some help with handing out flyers when we do.”

“…Um, sure.” surrendered Setsuna, before staring down Taira. “Have you got a problem with real demons?”

“Demons… exist?” Taira looked left and right expressing confusion and curiosity.

“…Long story. Anyway, who are you marching with?”

Taira sheathed his sword and stood upright, tired of holding his impressive squat for minutes on end. “I’m a late entry, wasn’t able to find a vintage Namco crew on short notice. Least, ‘Mappy’, ‘Pac-Man’ and ‘Clyde’ thought I was a little too intimidating for their crew.”

“We wouldn't mind if you joined us.” offered Davi, with Dullahan’s body making a shifting back and forth motion as her head nodded on the ground, trying to express the same sentiment. “Our original group fell apart on account of some… significant… disagreements.” Davi’s head tilted to the side as she did not want to explain further.

“If you’re prepared for some kendo as we march.” Taira pointed to Setsuna’s plastic sword strapped to his back behind his wings, as he reached for his own blade.

Setsuna took out a plastic facsimile of Dante’s sword “Rebellion”, and gestured his hand towards himself. “Just bring it.”

The trip to the mall was largely uneventful, besides Setsuna and Taira’s impromptu dueling for the crowds with cameras. Davi waved to the crowds as Dullahan’s Proto Man would occasionally hide in the crowd and jump out to a whistle from elsewhere to “protect” her from the kendo practitioners while flexing.

“Would you like to stay for the afterparty?” inquired Dullahan, to a worn down Taira and Setsuna.

Setsuna shook his head. “We’ve got dinner after.”

“We do?” Davi raised her eyebrows and put a finger to her lips in anticipation.

Revealing his flip phone, Setsuna showed her a text as he described the circumstances to the group. “One of my friends suggested the two of us try the Vampire Cafe in Ginza.”

Davi put a hand to her mouth to withhold a chuckle as she saw that the sender was esteemed devil summoner and wrangler of chaos “Tsubomi Kai”. Setsuna's mother.

“If you don’t mind, of course.” Setsuna shrugged, offering the idea.

“Not at all, devil child.” Davi smiled and pointed to one of her canines of normal length, in contrast to Setsuna’s pointier teeth. “Take me to your castle!”

Setsuna reached back one arm behind his head in a show of self-consciousness. “Um, if it’s okay, do you mind driving?”

Davi nodded generously. “It’ll be my honor, as always!”

“Taira” and Dullahan waved the couple off and said their goodbyes as Setsuna and Davi headed back towards the Japan Railway station, the night still young.

Ginza was a roughly thirty-five minute ride by motorcycle when taking the Shuto Expressway Haneda Route with fair traffic. Between the speed they were going at to make their dinner reservation and moderate amounts of traffic, there weren’t many convenient stops to talk on the way over.

All that time made Setsuna reflect on how he got here, how he met the Setos, and what he didn’t know about Nagahisa.

As they stopped on the way to turn left on Harumi Dori Avenue and Tokyo Prefectural Route 304, Setsuna broke the silence.

“Nagahisa told me that he met you and Tao over group therapy, is that right?”

“You could say that.” proclaimed Davi. “We have these memories that don’t make sense with the present time. Like a collective dream, where the details are all wrong.”

“Huh. Nagahisa said that it was about Ouji.”

Davi paused for two heartbeats before responding. “Right, Ouji never lived.”

“Excuse me?” blurted Setsuna in the tone of an incredulous teen.

“There’s no record of Ouji having existed, but we all remember a time when he was there. Just as I remember having died before. Just as Nagahisa remembers dying.”

Davi was not in a position to see or feel Setsuna’s jaw drop, though she could feel him hold onto her just a little tighter than before. With no other follow up, Davi resumed, “I know it’s a little hard to believe.”

“I believe it.” snapped Setsuna. “…Maybe we should talk about something else.”

“Certainly!” chirped Davi. “What’s it like living with your mother?”

“It’s fine, I suppose.” pondered Setsuna. “She does most of the work around the apartment. Throws us in a car for chores. Calls us to make sure we’ll be home for dinner. Throws birthday parties, signs us up for clubs. Lots of mom stuff, but also randomness.”

“Such as?”

“Helping to groom and walk Scylla’s lower torso, that one that’s six dogs? Each of us had to manicure and play with two of them before she could calm down. Saving a few makura-gaeshi from having their pillow cases swiped by trick or treaters looking for a cheap sheet ghost costume… we’re pretty sure they stole the pillows to begin with. Training a horde of Lemon-Chi summoned by a kid’s expired lemonade stand to clean people’s homes instead of making them feel sick.” Setsuna shrugged. “Small stuff.”

“It sounds like your mother really cares for demons.” Davi paused before asking a potentially touchy follow up question. “Does your father help out?”

“Uh, no. I haven’t seen him since I was… ten. Haven’t heard from him for that long, either.” grumbled Setsuna.

“Maybe he’s busy?”

“…Sure.” Setsuna was eager to change the subject again. “Mom’s doing fine, anyway. We help her out.” Elaborating in a softer voice, Setsuna clarified, “She makes us help out.”

“I’m sure she’s grateful.”

“Do you ever do random things like that with Tao?”

“Hmm.” Davi thought hard. “There was the bunny incident.”

“Rabbit problem?”

“Yeah! One day, we started seeing these bite marks show up on the food. As we went looking for the source, we saw this bunny rabbit just above the pantry. That little one could run fast! Tao just wouldn’t let me do anything at all.”

“Tao’s your knight in shining armor?”

“Yes and no!” Davi shared in a bit of a huff. “Tao was deeply concerned that it might be a vorpal rabbit…”

“They don’t exist.” clarified Setsuna.

“That’s what I told them! Tao wouldn’t listen. They’d go up and down every room of the bar with every knife, mouse trap and portable cage we had. And Tao insisted that I stay put outside until they found the tiny furball!”

“Tao eventually got it?”

“Nope.” Davi confidently beamed. “I snuck back in and caught them with a basket as they were carefully investigating the counter for crumbs. It was nothing more than a white rabbit of Inaba. Wouldn’t let Tao live that down for a week.”

Setsuna smiled to himself, picturing a crestfallen Tao enduring the indignity of being defeated by a fluffy bunny.

“Here’s the building, restaurant should be on the seventh floor…”

A pair of elevator doors opened to a dark hallway with deep red hues. An animatronic talking skeleton with a top hat was placed on the right besides a smattering of fake cobwebs. Each wall was laced with mirrors pointed in uneven directions to give a sense of greater liminal space. Ahead of them was a tall, drawn red curtain through a hexagon-shaped portal stretched out to resemble a coffin.

Though this space was oddly familiar to him, as though there was something in Makai that looked like this, Setsuna couldn’t quite place the aesthetic.

In front of the skeleton was a tiny call bell with a sign in front that read “Please ring.” Davi took the initiative.

A deep, muffled voice from the inert skeleton implored, “Wait just a moment, if you please.”

Four seconds later, a woman’s scream was heard from another loudspeaker, the curtain swiftly opened, revealing the host for the evening. Vampire Rose!

Rose was dressed to the nines like Bella Lugosi with a heavy coat, a tophat with fake wings, and curly hair that draped over one of his eyes. He was no mere Malice Mizer impersonator.

Vampire Rose walked with his hands on his hips uncomfortably close up to Setsuna. “What is your name?”

“Dan… Kai. Setsuna Kai.” Setsuna quickly thought twice about playing a character in a themed restaurant, lest he give the impression that the actors might be upstaged.

Rose got straight up to Davi’s face, making her step back a little bit with her hands to her face. “Too close! Too close.” Rose took one very small step back to accomodate his guest’s wishes. “And what is yours?”

“Davi Seto!” Her eyes closed and she chuckled softly at the inquiry.

“Follow me.” Rose walked down a hall embossed with glowing red blood cells beneath as he marched towards their table.

As they walked down the hall, three assistants in similarly pale makeup, black lipstick, colored wigs, and the dress of a butler or maid flanked them within stone arches.

Rose turned to the duo as they walked down the hall. “Welcome, guests. Offer your blood!”

The assistants spoke in turn, “Offer your blood!”

Davi and Kai were both led to one of the smaller rooms behind a large curtain, dubbed the “Victim’s Room”. The space was dominated by an L-shaped couch to allow guests to sit side-by-side rather than across, if the moment called for some intimacy.

Once seated, Rose leaned down and position his face right up against that of Setsuna’s, continuing his address in baritone. “Tonight, we welcome you to our vampire cafe. Here’s the menu. Call me if you need anything.” He motioned towards the bell, and quickly demonstrated the drinks and eats with intense page-turning.

As he left, he drew the curtains behind him, giving Davi and Setsuna time to themselves.

“This is a fair bit more than I was expecting for a host cafe.” opined Setsuna. “I hope you like Italian food.”

“It’s fancier than Saizeriya!” declared Davi. “Do you read much vampire fiction?”

“I don’t read much, if I’m being honest with you. Though, I did like Blood: The Last Vampire. Competent swordplay… Blade was excellent, as foreign films go.”

“I was… kind of really into Tokimeki Midnight when I was reading Cookie.” Davi was hiding her face behind the drink menu as she confessed. “Would you mind humoring me a bit?” Setsuna could spot her heels swaying a bit in a kicking motion under the table as she made her request.

“Before, or after food?”

“Before!” Davi shifted herself to be directly at Setsuna’s side, her green eyes staring through his red eyes as she gently held Setsuna’s hand. “What’s your type?”

“Type A. I’m an O, myself.”

“As it happens, I might have some to spare.” Davi casually pulled down the collar of her turtleneck with one finger as her head swayed away from Setsuna, offering herself as a mock sacrifice.

Setsuna hesitated, exhaled deeply, then kissed her neck gently in a series of small pecks from her shoulder making his way towards her ear. Davi’s breathing was starting to get raspy and intense.

“Hold it.” Setsuna whispered before advancing further. “I sense someone’s coming.” Setsuna backed up as Davi readjusted her collar as the sound of loud footsteps advanced towards their curtain. Swiftly it flew open to reveal…

“Good evening! I’m Zett the butler.”

“Takajou.” Setsuna monotoned, as Davi buried herself in the contents of the dinner menu to hide her flushed face.

Takajou Zett had pale makeup, black lipstick and eyeliner covering his black skin, over a snappy red and black suit with a corset over his belly. A top hat covered his some of his hair, looping down to his giant ponytail that reached his waist.

Setsuna facetiously addressed his sometimes boyfriend. “When did you start working here?”

“Not longer than five minutes ago, my master!” Zett beamed.

“How convenient.”

“I see you have brought a healthy snack with you to the Vampire Cafe.” Zett tapped on Davi’s shoulder. “I hope you understand that we do not normally accept outside food or drink on the premises!”

“Davi’s not getting thrown out, Zett.” Setsuna insisted in a slow, calm demeanor with half-open eyelids.

“…Hello.” spoke the voice behind the dinner menu. Lifting it down to reveal Davi’s calmer face, she continued, “I’m Davi Seto, proprietor of Heaven’s Gate.” She lightly waved to Zett to help clear the air.

“Takajou Zett, at your service!” Zett twirled his tophat and extended a long bow to Davi ”Setsuna has informed me of your unusual circumstances!”

“It’s been quite a night!” concurred Davi. “We’ve been trying to sort out recent events, and a few of our mutual friends suggested a dinner date.” Davi looked off to the side, with a look of guilt. “Setsuna had been trying to contact you all night. I take full responsibility for any trouble this has caused.”

“Please, don’t trouble yourself madame.” grinned Takajou. “I pull this kind of shit off every other week. Twice, if I’m lucky!”

Setsuna’s eyes got very wide. “Wait. Is there something you’re not telling me?”

Davi stood up straight as the passive aggressive lover’s quarrel was playing out in front of her, readying herself in case there was a need to dart out the door with Setsuna.

“Nothing to concern yourself with today, Set-chan.” Takajou grinned one of his classic cheshire cat smiles. “What would you like to eat and drink on this glorious night?”

Setsuna knew from experience it was best to roll with it than to put Takajou against a wall. Neither he nor anyone else had great success in forcing answers out of him. Takajou simply needed to be persuaded, often by his friends, and on his own terms.

Davi, at this time quite familiar with the drinks menu, volunteered to go first. “I’ll have the Iron Maiden — The Virgin’s Fresh Blood, I believe that one’s non-alcoholic?”

“Absolutely is, mademoiselle.” Takajou wrote down something on a pad of paper as he was demonstrating an eager demeanor that seemed a bit out of character for an establishment run by haughty “vampires”. Takajou eyed his beau. “And for you, monsieur?”

“I’ll just have a black coffee.” Setsuna proclaimed without looking at the menu.

“Vampires aren’t big on bean juice. However, life finds a way.” Zett proclaimed.

Davi continued with an entry on the dinner menu. “I’ll think we’ll share… Judgement of the Traitor, Execution by Fire? It looks pretty big, so we’ll probably share that.”

“Roast chicken with veggies, got it.” Zett winked and gave a thumbs up. “I will return with haste!” He closed the curtains quickly, leaving Davi and Setsuna to themselves once more.

“I wonder if he’s filling in for Berith.” speculated Setsuna, like a small child trying to figure out the means behind a magic trick.

“Berith?” inquired Davi.

“His brother, he’s got two.” clarified Setsuna. “Berith is pretty fond of the goth gay aesthetic. Generally he doesn’t get along that well with Takajou. Though Takajou might have asked for a favor…” Setsuna folded his hands in front in a planning pose. “…or forced an opening in his schedule.”

“They do seem like they might be a handful.” Davi chuckled lightly. “I think I can see why you love Takajou.”

“…He does mean a lot to me.” Setsuna breathed in deeply to calm himself. “Not many people understand, but he means a lot to me.”

“I respect that.” Davi brushed Setsuna’s arm while keeping enough distance to avoid creating more drama in this venue. She leaned in to whisper in his ear, “Would you rather be with him tonight?”

“We’re fine.” brushed off Setsuna. “I’d rather get to know you better. We might be able to find some answers for what’s been going on lately.”

“Well understood.” Davi gave a bow as familiar footsteps approached and the curtain opened itself again.

“Drinks!” announced Takajou. “I don’t know anything about the ritual we’re supposed to perform here, so you’ll just have to make something up on your own.” Takajou served a reddish drink with a candied cherry on a cross to Davi, and a purple drink with dribbling red candy down its side to Setsuna.

“Oh, and the chi…” Takajou flipped open the dinner menu on the table in an apparent attempt to try to recall his lines. “The highly acclaimed dish, Judgement of the Traitor, Execution by Fire!”

He pulled out a semi-spherical tray covered by a black cloth, wiggled his fingers over it, and revealed a moderately sized chicken over a pentagram dressed with veggies on a plate. Looking over and under the cloth, the back of his hands, and at his pockets, he scratched his chin before casting “Agi!” and lighting the bird on fire.

“Improvising! I guess I didn’t bring all the equipment for the job tonight.” Takajou rubbed the back of his head sheepishly with a grin, eyes closed.

“I never would have expected this level of service from you, Zett the Butler.” snarked Setsuna, as he was readying himself to dine on the chicken.

“And for my last trick…” Takajou took the plate from the serving tray and slammed it squarely on the top of Setsuna’s head.

Setsuna awoke in stillness, his legs and toes in shallow water in what looked to be a bathtub he did not recognize. It was just him, the sounds of urban life through a closed window, and a pair of legs surrounding him on his sides.

Tilting his head up he saw… Davi.

“Hey, Setsuna.” Davi shyly waved.

“Hey, Davi… I made a mess of tonight.” Setsuna’s head took a fair bit of punishment, such that he was having a little trouble fully closing his jaw from the swelling.

“Don’t worry. I shouldn’t have been flirting with you… I didn’t really understand your situation with Takajou.”

“About that…” Setsuna looked behind him at Davi, who seemed about as much in her birthday suit as he was. “This doesn’t count as flirting?”

“…Maybe the rose petals and lavender are more than what’s needed for healing, medically speaking.” Davi winked as she grinned.

“Well, if we’re doing this…” Setsuna reclined back on Davi’s body, as Davi hugged him gently. “…do you mind lifting up your legs?”

“Oh, sure, I suppose.” Davi lifted up her legs, ending with giant hooves, to honor Setsuna’s request.

“…I think they’re beautiful.” Setsuna’s stomach undulated, as though he was withholding a chuckle.

“Well, at least you appreciate them.” Davi blew a tiny raspberry in Setsuna’s direction. Her legs submerged carefully into the water, back to cradling Setsuna’s sides. “Have you ever been to Makai?”

“Not recently. Mother doesn’t allow us to go to Makai.”

“Why do you think that is?” inquired Davi, with a more serious tone than Setsuna had been used to hearing all night.

Setsuna let his muscles relax in the pool of lavender and roses, trying to wrack his brain as to why that might be. “The last time I was there, I… woke up Hoshigami.”

“You’re the son of Lucifer, is that right?” Davi rubbed his sore shoulders as her probing continued.

“Yeah, Elegy and I are Lucifer’s children.”

“Did you know that when Lucifer woke up Hoshigami, he created Second Heaven?”

Setsuna’s eyes got very wide as his body tensed up. “Second… Heaven?”

“Makai, Second Heaven.” Davi continued rubbing one of Setsuna’s shoulders with one hand and pointed at the sky out the window with another. “Lucifer eliminated First Heaven, the land of the angels and the gods, to create a home for humanity away from the Word of God, rewriting its rules and hierarchy in the process.”

“Davi, how… do you know any of this?” Setsuna nervously chuckled, not expecting to be in the presence of one who knows more about this world than himself.

Davi stood up and moved herself to the space opposite him in the bathtub. Setsuna, for his part, modestly covered his eyes before he saw too much of Davi before she got back in the tub.

Looking straight into Setsuna’s eyes, Davi continued, “Long ago, I was given a vision by Eleleth, of the true origin of this world and what might be its future.”

“An angel?” inquired Setsuna.

“No, Eleleth is a luminary, like…” Davi paused to think of how to explain this. “Think of Elelth like a projection of a sect of gods that you might not even know about… the supreme divine triad.”

“You’re not with the angels?”

Davi shook her head. “No, I’m not. It was Ouji who had a vision from Uriel, one of the angels.”

Setsuna blinked, a spark in his eyes as he was trying to comprehend Davi’s account of events.

“I’m sorry.” Davi looked away from Setsuna. “I have a fair bit that I wanted to share with you, because I think you have a few answers that I’ve been looking for, too. So, maybe we should slow down…”

“Let’s start with Ouji.” Setsuna proclaimed. “Someday, I might follow up about these luminaries, but right now, what I really want to know is what’s been ailing Nagahisa.”

“Right.” Davi looked dead on at Setsuna, sitting upright in a determined pose. “Ouji was given a vision of the apocalypse, held up in the skies by Uriel to be like the angels. Behind him was what was left of humanity, on a burning earth. Ahead of him was a promised land, a Third Heaven. That day, he changed.”

“Was the idea that… he’d wake up Hoshigami and generate that promised land?”

Davi nodded. “As I understand it, he was created by the angels to wake up Hoshigami with the power of demons.”

This felt too familiar to Setsuna. “The power of demons… if he's created by angels and not demons, then who would he get the power of demons from?”

“I’m not fully certain on all the circumstances… I died before Ouji’s intentions were clear. Some of this comes from sharing knowledge with other people. I’m afraid you’ll have to ask your family about that.”

“Nagahisa?”

“Your family, Setsuna.”

“Wait…” Setsuna’s face turned pale, thinking about the family matter, then of the potential origin for all this knowledge. “How are you so certain that Ouji once lived?”

Davi pulled her legs closely to herself. “We have memories from before Hoshigami awakened. I don’t know why we do. Maybe there’s something unique to all of us? Maybe it’s pure chance. Maybe it’s all just part of Hoshigami’s will.“

“Sounds like our god has a plan.” deadpanned Setsuna, tilting his head briefly to accentuate a smirk. “That said, I don’t give a damn about destiny.”

“As you would.” smiled Davi, easing her posture with her eyes closed. “How many times have you woken up Hoshigami?”

“Once! I remember waking Hoshigami up once…” Setsuna pondered the consequences of the question. “…but… hold on. Takajou, Elegy, Mirai, Lucifer, Veil and Cool… they were with me, when I woke up Hoshigami, right? …or was I alone with Cool?” Trailing off, Setsuna’s voice grew softer. “Wait…” His jaw went slack.

Davi held both of Setsuna’s hands, as he was still staring off into space.

Setsuna looked into Davi’s eyes again. “We’re looping, aren’t we?”

“It seems so, Setsuna.” Davi confirmed. “Though this time might be different.” The words made Setsuna jolt at attention, out of his wonderous daze.

“Hey Davi,” Setsuna whispered, “would you happen to know of a snake lady named Yuriko?”

“…Never heard of her.” Davi confronted the question with a puzzled expression. “Why do you ask?”

“She said something about being my ‘godmother’, and everything here feels… familiar. Like from an old dream.” Setsuna was grasping at how to explain all this to Davi, though it seemed like she was now light years ahead of him as far as understanding the world they lived in.

“Just a thought.” Davi interrupted. “If you had the chance to create Third Heaven, like your dad created Second Heaven. Would you want to try?”

Setsuna sighed. “I don’t know where I’d begin, Davi. I just want a better world for my friends. As long as there’s hope, we can overcome everything.”

Davi lept at Setsuna to hug him tightly, ambushing him in the tub, before whispering in his ear, “You may be simple and headstrong.” She backed up to ruffle his hair. “I really like that about you.”

With a quick gesture, Setsuna held Davi by the sides of her arms, looked straight into her eyes, and kissed her directly on the lips, leading to a surprised noise from her direction. An act that was quickly reciprocated, before the sound of a window cracking broke up their embrace.

Assembling his thoughts and bearings after a long night, Setsuna sighed and pulled himself out of the tub. “Just one more thing I'll have to ask Takajou to forgive.”

Davi laughed, before setting back in the bathtub. “You’re always welcome in Heaven’s Ward! Plenty of mysteries to solve and rumors to pursue.” She gave a big wave as Setsuna walked out of the room in his underwear with the rest of his clothes assembled in one arm, giving a small one handed wave in return.

As he headed out, Setsuna made his way down the stairs of the second floor to see Tao with another demon he did not recognize, at opposite ends of the base of the stairs.

Tao glowered in the shadows at Setsuna, who felt very small at that moment, clutching at his laundry.

Setsuna strolled, then power walked, then ran, then sprinted as quickly as his feet could out of Omoide Nukemichi, headed straight for the home of the Baal brothers.