2 Chapter 2

Off the Mortal Coil is the realm of Gods and Deities. Unbeknownst to Akane at this time, the threads of Fate had begun to spin differently for her. For at that moment, the Prince of Hell was in a heated argument with Lady Hell, Queen of the Underworld and the Damned. Their argument would change Akane's life forever.

"It's literally been fucking millennia, you damned old hag," the prince bellowed, his crimson eyes flaring with the heat of flames, "Step down or I'll challenge you for the throne!"

"Hitoshi," his mother replied, her temper flaring to match her erratic son's anger. Lady Hell was also known as the Goddess Lilith. Her crimson eyes and wild ash-blonde hair bellowed in the blaze of the flames of her throne. She wore a long blood red dress that faded into the black obsidian floor, "We've been over this before! I would love to fucking retire with your father and live out eternity in the Elysian Fields, but you lack the initiative to become the King of Hell!"

Hitoshi scuffed, folding his arms as he leaned his weight to one side, "I don't really fucking see how I lack 'initiative' when I'm saying I want to be the King of Hell! Are you going back to that marriage bullshit again?"

"You'd become the King of Hell, Boy! Not the Bachelor of Hell!" Lady Hell bellowed back, "And you've snubbed every Goddess, Saint, and Nymph from here to Olympus to Heaven's Gate, so what are you about to do with your options, eh?!"

Clenching his teeth and fists in rage, Hitoshi seethed at Lady Hell's declaration but was unable to challenge it. Despite his outbursts,he knew he was in no position to fight his mother, especially with his father's favor protecting her at all times. The irritated Prince tapped his finger on his forearm as ideas began to flow through his mind. He had no patience for Goddesses and their vanity - after all, mortal wars had been started over trivial things like who was prettier or more powerful. Saints were too saintly and Nymphs proved too much even for his sexual appetite.

As his ruby eyes scanned the dark throne room, his gaze fell to the river flowing with the Souls of the Damned beneath their feet. Hell wasn't simply a place of punishment, it was a place away from light. Those who were evil in their life spent eternity sifting through the waters of Hell's Palace, while others who had not been good enough to go to Heaven just dwelled in Hell as Purgatory. Humans were such disgusting creatures to him. He couldn't think of a more selfish creation that was wasted on the planet. Their impulsiveness and idiocy they insisted upon performing within their short pathetic years made him look down upon them.

Short

Pathetic

Years.

At that moment, a sinister smirk curled upon the lips of the Prince of Hell, turning to his mother with a sly expression, "I just have to be married, correct? You don't give a damn as to whom or what to?"

Lilith looked at her son with a suspicious gaze, "As long as you're married, you may take my throne."

"Then I'll be traveling to the Mortal Coil to find a bride. Do we have a deal then, old crone?" he asked, taking a step forward to his mother, with his hand extended.

Lilith glanced him over, her gleaming eyes examining her son in a scrupulous matter before moving to him and taking his hand, "I have a few conditions to add to your deal, Devil."

He scowled, gritting his teeth as he spoke, "And those would be?"

Lady Hell's snarky grin further fuelled her son's irritation, "You must live on the Mortal Coil. Your powers will be restricted and you will learn to live and love as a human."

"What the fuck?!" he shot back, "Why the fuck do I have to live amongst those flesh bags? Their frail psyches can't even comprehend our ethereal beings!"

"Hitoshi, if you want my throne, you'll accept this deal," Lilith tempted, squeezing her son's hand as she did, "If you want out of it at any time, I'll gift you a way home."

"Fucking Hell…"

"Don't curse your fucking home, it's rude!"

"Fine!" He growled, "But I get to take my pets with me."

"Take whatever demon you'd like," She laughed, shaking his hand before placing two coins in it and waving him away, "Go, my son, I have faith you won't fail."

Hitoshi cursed profusely under his breath as he exited the throne room. When he left, his Cerberus was laid out, patiently napping as it awaited his return, "Wake up, you idiots! We're going on a little excursion!"

The animal had three heads of three different colored furs that faded into a dark red body. One was golden, the other head pink, and the last one jet black.

From the shadows emerged a red demon, with gleaming white fangs and bright red eyes, "Hey Hito! How'd the negotiations with the Queen go?"

Hitoshi glared as he stomped down the hallway, "Get your shit together, Kurayami, we're going topside for a bit."

"Topside?" he asked, raising an eyebrow as he jogged along the side his friend's hurried pace, "You mean the human realm?"

"Yes! The fucking human realm!" Hitoshi hollered, his voice echoing through the halls with the rage of Hell's fury.

Dismissing his friend's outburst, Kurayami put his hands behind his head, looking up at the ceiling as he did, "You really hate the Mortal Coil, why do we have to go there?"

Hitoshi grumbled, grinding his teeth once more, "I made a deal with Lady Hell…"

"The Devil made a deal with his mother?!" Kurayami burst out laughing, "Man, you've got to be in a pretty interesting spot if you struck a deal with Lady Hell!"

"Fuck off" Hitoshi barked, ascending the stairs upward, the two coins slotted between his fingers as he showed them to Kurayami, "The old hag gave me enough for a one-way trip, but said she'd have a way for me to come back if I decided to throw in the towel."

Kurayami shrugged, patting the pink head of Cerberus, walking alongside the beast, "Like you're going to do that. She should know you better."

"Oh, we're not going to be among those flesh bags for fucking long, Kurayami," Hitoshi chuckled lowly, tossing the coins into the air and catching them leisurely as he walked, "We're only going to be up there a month at the most. I have a plan."

Kurayami grinned, "What do you have in mind, my lord?"

He glanced back over his shoulder, "She said I had to learn to love and live like a human, but she never said anyone else had to."

"So what are you getting at?" the red demon asked, scratching his head as he did.

"I'll find a bitch that's not on Hell's List, mortals are easy enough to tempt so I'll make her fall in love with me and agree to marry me," The Prince of Hell schemed, smirking in content as he did, "And then once that happens, you'll just make her have a little accident and die. Since she won't be on Hell's List, she'll go to Heaven and I won't have to deal with it anymore, but I'll still be able to take my throne."

"Ha! That's brilliant, man! You don't have to deal with the broad and get to rule finally!" Kurayami exclaimed with glee.

"Exactly," he replied, "We'll be home before you know it."