Chapter Text
It started off slow. Demons and angels weren’t supposed to engage in any kind of romanticism. Interacting with one another was hardly allowed, but even then, the two creatures didn’t come across one another very often. It wasn’t very common for a demon to visit Heaven, or for an angel to visit Hell. So it was pure chance for Daisuke Kambe and Haru Katou to cross paths.
Daisuke had never taken notice of any angels before, or even other demons. Mainly because there were no angels in Hell. Every now and then an angel would be cast out and fall, but it didn’t happen often, and when they fell, their angelic appearance was stripped from them, leaving them with only the traits that caused their fall. Some were left disfigured or with missing parts like limbs or organs, and others were left with symbols permanently burned into their skin, representing the sins they dared to commit. Daisuke considered himself lucky, since he was a pure demon. He wasn’t an outcast, and he wasn’t sent to Hell after death. He was a pure demon spawn, which was the most common. He resided in the Fourth Circle of Hell: Greed, where souls were forced to spend an eternity fighting over treasures and riches beyond one’s imagination. He found it amusing, watching everyone be so possessive over something they could never get enough of.
He was allowed to visit other circles of Hell, but he wasn’t allowed to become a permanent resident of any of them. Now, he didn’t rule over the Fourth Circle as he’d like, but he did assist beside Katsuhiro Takei, which wasn’t too bad. The Fourth Circle was where he belonged, and he liked it that way. It wasn’t too violent, but it wasn’t too boring either. People didn’t just fight over possessions, they killed for it. Despite what humans may think about the afterlife, you can die again. In fact, it’s a popular torment method, forcing souls to relive their deaths over and over again, with no escape. People here could kill and injure. They won’t heal, but they will respawn, just with an eternal wound. The Fourth Circle was the place meant for the greediest of human souls. Those who hoarded money, with no intention of sharing, not even with their families. Those who would stop at nothing to get what they wanted, even if they had to commit the most treacherous of sins. It was right when the circles started to get interesting, and he thought it the perfect place to spend his eternity.
Haru, on the other hand, was an angel residing in the Second Sphere of Heaven: Ambition. He often ran errands for God, which included visiting Hell to reevaluate any souls who were thought to be misplaced, but this didn’t happen so frequently. He made sure he was as good as could be, and did everything he could to ensure he was everything God wanted. He’d seen what happened to imperfect angels, to angels who went against His word. He’d seen the worst of punishment, and it was his greatest fear to be in the shoes of anyone who dared to turn their backs on the one who loved them most. Haru loved being an angel. He loved being able to live in such paradise, with other angels who were just as wonderful. He loved being good, he loved being pure.
Haru was only allowed to visit other Spheres of Heaven when running errands, which was pretty often. He usually checked to see how the residents of the other Spheres were doing, checked up on the conditions of the Spheres, and evaluated the angels who governed each Sphere. Despite his duties, Haru didn’t govern any Spheres, but he was a higher up, and stood by the side of Yukihiro Kiyomizu, which meant he was important.
Today he would be going to the Fourth Circle of Hell by himself to reevaluate a soul who was believed to be misplaced. This made him nervous, because it didn’t happen often, and being around demons made him anxious beyond belief. But he held faith. He knew if anything bad were to happen, his father would protect him. The Second Sphere was moderately sized, and had everything the souls needed. It didn’t have any ‘wants’, things that the souls didn’t need. In the center of each Sphere, there was a crystal teleporter that only angels had access to. It allowed them to travel from Sphere to Sphere, or from Sphere to Circle. It was just tall enough to hold one angel, kind of like a single-person elevator.
“Haru, take this scroll, it has all the information of the soul you’ll be evaluating. Be sure to read over it carefully, we wouldn’t want someone who doesn’t belong here to be brought up. It could be very dangerous.” Kiyomizu handed Haru a white scroll with golden rods. It was pretty, and emitted importance.
“Yes, Kiyomizu, thank you,” Haru took it in his hands, gripping it tightly to his chest before exiting the hall and making his way to the center of the Sphere. “I will guard it with my life.” Unlike Hell, angels could not be reborn, not as themselves, at least. Their souls were sent to Earth to relive as humans, and were meant to use the good they’d known in Heaven on Earth. Really, it was a test to see who was truly pure, and who truly followed the word of God. It was to see if angels would follow Him both in life and in spirit.
Haru made it to the teleporter and stepped onto the platform. It wasn’t encased like an elevator was, you could stick your arms out of it and still be teleported, it was more two platforms hovering over one another to create a space. Because Haru’s scroll was addressed to the Fourth Circle, he was automatically teleported, no need to press buttons or focus too hard on anything. He felt himself dematerialize, and experienced an intense rush of what could only be adrenaline go straight to his heart and shoot up into his head, and before he knew it, he was dead center in the Fourth Circle of Hell.
Man, it was dark here. A tint of red clouded Haru’s eyes, and screams and curses filled his ears. The sounds of desperation and greed surrounded him, as well as treasure and wealth. Okay, Haru. All you have to do is make it to the Fourth Hall, present the scroll, evaluate the soul, hopefully take the soul, and head back home. It sounded easy enough, but Haru was still scared out of his mind. He cautiously made his way down the walkway that led straight to the hall, being sure not to look any other way than straight ahead. He walked for quite some time,, but was able to make it through. He reached the doors, a dark crimson with a giant ring in the center of the door for knocking. He took it, knocking it against the dark wood three times.
The doors opened up to a large hallway, just as red as the outside, with a single staircase in the middle. Haru called out, “Hello?”. No answer. He hastily made his way up the stairs, hoping he was going the right way. He’s never been to the Fourth Circle before, only ever the First, also known as purgatory, or limbo, to convince non-believers to devote themselves to God. He reached the top of the stairs, a pair of glass double doors waiting for him. “Katsuhiro Takei” read a small plaque in the center of one of the doors. Haru carefully approached, knocking slightly. The double doors flew open, Katsuhiro and another demon awaiting his arrival.
“H-hello. I’m-”
“Haru Katou? Angel of God, Second Sphere of Heaven, here to evaluate Hikaru Misaki’s soul?” The shorter man, who sat in a large chair, who he assumed to be Katsuhiro, spoke. He was tan, with brown hair and chin stubble, and he wore a very professional suit, black. Another man, slightly taller, with slicked back black hair and black jeans stood next to him, silent. Haru was nervous, this man was not wearing a shirt.
“Oh, um, yes. I have his file right here,” He presented the scroll, rolling it out onto the desk, “as you can see, Hikaru has spent a large portion of his life donating to and participating in charity events. He also took part in volunteer work and was a caregiver for the elderly. I think it’s safe to say that his placement was a mild mix-up, and he should be up in the Second Sphere for his acts of Ambition.” Haru found it hard to focus, he felt the taller man’s cobalt eyes digging into him, almost as if gathering intel without his permission.
Katsuhiro nodded and made a sound of agreement. “Correct, he did do all these things, but,” he turned to the taller man, waving a hand, “Daisuke, could you pull Mr. Misaki’s file?”
The taller man, who Haru now knew to be Daisuke, nodded, and reached into a filing cabinet to retrieve Hikaru’s file. “Here you are, sir.”
“Thank you. You see, Haru, Mr. Misaki did all of these things out of greed for his own personal gain. The charity work was to make himself look like a giving person. His volunteer participation was to make himself appear caring and compassionate. It doesn’t say anywhere here in our file that Mr. Misaki did these things as an act of humanity. He belongs here in the Fourth Circle, with us.”
“But, sir, he-”
“Greed is greed, Mr. Katou, whether it’s materialistic or personal. This man is a man of greed, and it is in Greed he will stay.”
“But he contributed to his community, to his cause-”
“Thank you for your time, Mr Katou, but my decision cannot be changed. You cannot do things out of your own interest without committing acts of greed. You may go.” He handed Haru a copy of Hikaru’s file to give to God, and with that, Haru left to his Sphere to deliver the news of his failure.
~
Daisuke was dumbfounded. He didn’t interact with many angels, but the angel that currently stood in front of him to discuss the placement of a soul was absolutely stunning. He’s never really paid any attention to the looks of an angel, because he didn’t care for angels, but this Haru Katou guy truly was the epitome of angelic. He wore a white gown that exposed his collarbones and shoulders, which complimented his grayish-brown hair well. Normally, gray hair was for the aged, but Haru pulled it off quite well for a young one, probably because of the brown tint. His eyes were the same, gray with a brown undertone. The angel proceeded to talk, presenting his file on Hikaru, but Daisuke wasn’t listening. He was too entranced by his appearance, he had never seen something so perfect, so pure, so untouched . He knew Haru cared about his position, he talked with a passion, despite not really knowing who Hikaru Misaki even was. He could tell Haru was the type that believed anyone could go to Heaven. He guessed he didn’t know much about God either, and how picky he was with allowing souls through his pearly white gates.
He continued to fixate on the angel, drinking in the sight. His skin appeared smooth and unscathed, like he’d never endured an injury in his life, not even a paper cut or acne. And despite the stern yet nervous look on his face, he looked so incredibly soft. Unfortunately, the meeting ended sooner than Daisuke had wanted, and Haru was sent away.
He watched him leave the office, the door closing behind him. “Please excuse me, Mr. Takei.”
“Of course, Daisuke. I know you’re a busy guy.”
Daisuke disappeared in a flash, only to find himself reappearing right in front of Haru Katou, inches from his face. “Hello.”
Haru jumped, a quiet yelp escaping his lips. “Y-you..who do you think you are!?” He delivered a stomp to the ground, staring Daisuke down with a serious look.
“Me? I’m the second-in-command of the Fourth Circle of Hell, Daisuke Kambe, please to-”
Haru burst, making Daisuke take a step back. “Yeah I got that! I meant, who do you think you are staring into me like that? What are you, some kind of angel hunter, huh? You target angels and seduce them into committing sinful acts with you to get them cast out of Heaven and sent down here to this..this…”
“Hell?” Daisuke chuckled.
“Yeah!” Haru looked heated, and his face was red with anger.
“You know, with this kind of rage, you could get cast down here yourself. Ever heard of the Fifth Circle, right below us? Only the angriest of souls go there.”
Haru froze, and spoke a quiet “Really?”.
“No. I’m just messin’ with you. Everyone gets mad from time to time, but it’s not a sin. At least, I don’t think it is. I’m not too close with the man upstairs.”
“It isn’t, but let your anger get out of hand, and it will become one.” He spoke with authority and superiority.
“Yeah, yeah, whatever.”
An awkward pause between the two ensued, before Haru broke the silence, “Well, I must get going. I have more work to do up in my Sphere. I hope to see you never again.”
“Ouch, that’s rude, don’t you think? Aren’t you supposed to be an angel?” Daisuke leaned forward, his nose almost touching Haru’s.
“I wouldn’t think so. Not seeing you means no more mistakes will be made in soul placement.” Haru felt nervous, very very nervous. Daisuke was so close, he could smell his evil aroma seeping from his hot skin. He glanced down, taking in his toned muscles, examining the symbols etched into his chest. A sigil of Baphomet, and many many symbols of greed. Currency symbols, images of treasures and wealth, and zodiac symbols of which he assumed were the majority of the souls that resided here. He stepped back, putting distance between the two of them. He refused to allow himself to feel temptation.
“Sure.” Daisuke winked.
Haru delivered a scoff, and proceeded to leave, making his way down the bright red staircase. Daisuke watched him, wondering when he’d see him again.