The deepest layer of Hell.
A place reserved for the deepest of treachery and betrayal. A frozen wasteland with nothing but bitter cold, the glaciers reminded those who resided here of their regrettable actions.
Or it was moments before. Now...
It was a current hellscape of divine hellfire, boiling water rushing from the melting ice to drown all those freezing in this abyss from ice caps that had never been melted. Alas, the Sinners of this realm would experience that pain repeatedly, for death would not come.
Even in his rage state, he was careful.
And at the center of the burning inferno, he floated quietly.
No screaming.
No yelling.
None of that was necessary.
His aura was all that was necessary to tell that something was not alright. This was a rage that had been building, smoldering within, and finally released into the blazing vortex it had now become.
"Rough day, huh?" Lucifer made his presence known, the flames lavishing every inch of his body, but unable to harm him.
It was a good thing about being a demon was the resistance to fire. However... These flames stung just a bit.
But not as much as his silence.
"Guess we need to talk," Lucifer exhaled, depressingly lowering his head.
"Did you know?"
Naruto's words caused Lucifer to squirm. He knew anything but the truth would piss him off further and he wasn't sure Hell could survive the constant shakes.
"Originally, the answer was no. But I do now after finding this." Lucifer's body visibly drooped as he held out an immaculate yet straightforward letter. "It's from Lilith... She refused to give up and continued watching your descent... She contacted Heaven for you."
"She never gave up and looked to them for an answer."
[ X ]
"What the hell happened to my door?"
"Sir, that is the least of our problems!" Moxxie squinted at his boss's complaining, ignoring the severe vibrations shaking the building. "I'm worried about what is going on? Why is everything shaking?"
"Stop panicking!" Loona smacked Moxxie, leveling the imp for the second time that day.
"I thought Hell Shakes weren't real?" Millie glanced around rapidly, worried about the building withstanding such pressure.
"Apparently they are!" Loona fidgeted, wildly scanning everyone in the room while Moxxie groaned. "This just started just as I opened the portal. What happened?"
"Naruto," Beelzebub responded, donning a deep scowl, leaning against the shaking wall, and staring out the window. "There aren't very many things that can push him to blow his top, and I can name them all on one hand... And not in a good way."
"Archangel Michael..." Charlie grimaced, her features having returned to normalcy before her face soured. "Is now really the time for that?"
"He might be better off if he did blow his top more often. This is ridiculous! Why the fuck did that angel do to piss him off like this besides the obvious!" Blitzo winced, regaining his footing before scowling.
"Because one day many years ago... Archangel Michael came to collect my mother... And Naruto wasn't able to stop him from taking her." Charlie's somber tone, and with each word, her mood dampened, and her posture slumped.
"There's more to it than that," Beezlebub exhaled. "While Lucifer was the one who promised Naruto that when he arrived here in Hell all those years ago, Lilith would help him, but Lilith was more active in searching for routes back home."
"Back home?" Millie looked on, confused. "He's a Sinner, right? Wouldn't that mean he is from above?"
"It's... Not that simple." Vaggie shook her head, wincing as she glanced at Charlie, asking permission to tell.
"Naruto isn't from this universe," Charlie spoke after a short pause, letting her words sink in. "No one is sure how or why, but when he died in his world, he found himself at the gates to this Heaven. And despite being a hero in his world, having saved so many lives... Having ended just a few sealed his fate with the angels above."
"That... Explains a few things, actually." Loona pursed her muzzle inquisitively.
"How does that answer anything? It muddles it even further! He kills all the time with us! Some hero. He's a Sinner like the rest of us!" Blitzo loudly pronounced, causing Charlie to wince.
"Sir..." Mox furrowed his brow. "Given all the missions we've been on with him, we always do the killing. I can't recall a time he killed anyone."
"Unless they deserved it," Loona added, recalling their mission thoughtfully.
"Okay, I wasn't there for that one... And they kind of deserved it. Ugh, reminds me of those heinous kids I dealt with!" Moxxie responded, exasperated, before shivering at his memory.
"And he's sweet as heck. Always looking out for us on missions, watching our backs even when he's not into it, and cleaning the messes we get ourselves into. I don't know how often he's kept Mox out of harm's way." Millie added with a smile.
"Huh?" Moxxie looked confused before his head jerked at Blitzo's response.
"More than enough. He owes him a house by this point." Blitzo rolled his eyes, tapping his foot and glaring at the others. "Okay, you made your point. But the question remains... Did it just stop shaking?"
"He's calming down... About time Lucifer is good for something." Bee answered scathingly, causing Charlie to wince and depress further, only for Bee to sharpen her gaze. She crossed the room, and her gaze pierced into Charlie's. "It's why I came to stop you from doing anything stupid, girl. You're needed more than ever. There is a reason I made sure to remove him from that dump and send him to you. And it is the same reason Lucifer sent him to work with these ruffians. He is going to need people to trust."
"And if there is anyone he trusts the most, it is you."
[ X ]
"Ow..." Lucifer rubbed his jaw before exhaling. "Guess I deserved that... But did you have to hit me that hard?"
"Yes," Naruto growled, stepping onto the cooling water and glaring at Lucifer. "You could have told me as soon as you knew. Would have made quite a few things a lot easier."
"Probably should have, but I have reasons I didn't," Lucifer shook his head before his expression softened, watching his friend turn his back. "What are you going to do?"
"Don't know." Naruto shook his head, growling in his throat. "Got a lot on my mind. Gonna need some time to think about it..."
"More like brood about it," Lucifer rolled his eyes before grimacing at the dangerous look he received from Naruto.
"Coming from the man who is hiding his feelings by working on rubber ducks." With a tear through reality, Naruto clicked his tongue and left Lucifer alone with his thoughts.
"I'm far from perfect, too, my friend." Lucifer exhaled before his gaze shone momentarily. "But just like with my little Charlie, I'll do everything I can in my power... I'm not done helping you yet. I'll build you back up before Lilith finds you a way home."
"You better believe it, my friend."
[ X ]
"So why have you called all of us, Satan?" Mammon drummed his fingers on his chair, a malicious curiosity fixated upon the leader of the sins.
"Yes, I am curious to find out for myself." Beezlebub glowered, her stomach tying in knots, knowing he knew the situation.
What was he planning?
"I think we all know the reason why after yesterday." Satan simply stated, closing his two sets of eyes before a hellish glow shone as he opened them again. "This has been a long time coming... We cannot allow any demon to reside above the law!"
"Something must be done about the Embodiment of Death."
[ X ]
His head ached. Naruto wasn't sure what to think.
This entire time, he had thought he had failed. That he couldn't keep Michael from taking Lilith, only to come to learn she wanted to go to Heaven despite knowing she would be leaving behind a depressed husband and a lonely daughter.
All for his sake.
Naruto's heart sank.
There was still that desire to go home, but at the cost of splitting a family? He knew better than anyone that Heaven wouldn't give her back just to stick it to Lucifer.
Naruto slumped on his bed. What was he going to do? He possessed an unyielding disdain for this world's Heaven. And it wasn't just because of being sent to Hell.
It was because of how they treated both the living world and the denizens of Hell.
It just felt so wrong! Could he even accept a deal from a Creator that would allow such a thing?
All of this caused Naruto to hesitate. He had to think about...
"So this is where you have been? You came back here." Loona's voice resonated from the doorway.
"Why are you here?" Naruto raised his brow, turning to see Loona hopping onto the wood-peeled counter.
"I brought her since I knew where this place was. Said something about you not returning to the hotel last night." Loona retorted with a slight amount of sass while jabbing her thumb at the doorway.
Naruto's head snapped back to the doorway, seeing Charlie's tall, slender figure step through the archway, grimacing. "I heard from Vaggie this place was awful, but I didn't think it would be this bad."
"Honestly, it's a little cleaner than it was. Beezlebub must have started her renovations." Loona smirked while shaking her head. "Not sure why she doesn't level the whole place..."
Charlie recoiled, and Naruto glowered. Loona smiled before concern washed over her expression. "Everyone is worried about you... Even Dad."
"I am not!" Blitzo's voice resonated from within the fridge before stepping out. "Stop putting words into my mouth! I am concerned about my investment."
"Uh-huh. Sure." Loona rolled her eyes at her father.
"How long have you been in there?" Naruto jerked his head back, genuinely caught off guard.
How the hell did he sneak past his senses?!
"I hid in here waiting for you to show up. I wouldn't want to go back to that goody-to-shoes hotel either." Blitzo grinned while flashing air quotes.
"Stop making fun of my hotel..." Charlie fumed under her breath.
Naruto screwed his face and glowered. He still should have sensed him...
"We all are, hun," Millie announced her presence alongside Moxxie as they entered the premises with Vaggie.
"You're more than just a coworker. You watch my back, I watch yours, however I can." Mox tried to announce confidently.
"And I'll do it better," Vaggie smirked as Moxxie scowled and gave her a shaded look.
"Is everyone here?" Naruto threw up his hands and glared.
"Of course!" Lucifer made his grand entrance with Beelzebub in tow. His eyes locked with Naruto, and with a heavy sigh, he stepped forward. "I may have let many things go since the incident... But there are a few things too important to me to give up on. As one of my few trusted friends, I refused to allow you to wallow in self-pity and doubt even as I languish!"
"Is that another one of your reasons?" Naruto squinted while Charlie worriedly glanced at her father.
"Should I be worried about you too?!" Charlie concerningly glanced at her father and Naruto.
"Absolutely!" Lucifer chirped, leaving it up to interpretation whether he was answering Naruto or Charlie.
"Okay! It's getting too crowded in here! Time to get to work!" Blitzo scowled at the number of people in the ratty apartment. He turned to Naruto and jerked his head to the exit. "Let's get out of here. I got a job with your name written all over it! Something about some sick fuck up there diddling kids and murdering them after. You in?"
A deep scowl crossed Naruto's features. A murderous aura bubbled around him momentarily before he took a deep breath. Glancing at everyone who had come to this dump for him, a sliver of a grin graced his lips.
Maybe... Just maybe... He could...
With another deep breath, Naruto stood and nodded toward Blitzo. "That's a job I can get behind."
"Think I want in on that job..." Vaggie glowered, mumbling before recoiling from the glare Charlie gave her.
Naruto grinned, cracking his knuckles. If the Almighty wanted to see him after all this time... He could wait. He made him wait all this time.
It was only fitting.
[ X ]
"You come to me again?" An annoyed angelic man wearing an exorcist's mask turned to face a woman approaching him. "I'm not taking you back, no matter how many times you beg. Not after you left me."
"I have no desire to return to you. I have a family I love." Lilith retorted with a sharp tongue and scoffed.
"Not for long," Adam muttered under his breath, but loud enough for Lilith to hear. Her withering gaze didn't affect him as he turned his back on her. "Then we have nothing to talk about..."
"You're making a mistake," Lilith warned.
"Excuse me?" Adam turned around viciously and glared. "You think I'm making a mistake? You? The one who betrayed me for that washed-up, Fallen Angel?"
"Because you are." Lilith snapped back with vitriol. With a huff, she turned her back and slowly marched away, pausing only momentarily. "This message isn't from me and comes from a higher power ..."
"Ha! Who does he think he is? He hasn't said a damn thing in an eternity! Why should we listen now?" Adam gnarled his teeth behind his mask.
"Your funeral." Lilith shrugged her shoulders, continuing her march away. "I'll be sure to put a black rose on your coffin when he's finished with you."
"For if you continue down this path against Hell, you will die."