A tattoo shop was not a place Regan dreamed she'd need to visit. As she laid on the pleather chair she shook with the buzzing of the artist's needle. She hated the tears that fell down her nose. She did like the distraction of the new pain.

Over her head but out of her sight were an angel and a devil. They had followed her for months and they quietly influenced her. The angel wanted to see her do good with the opportunities she was given while the devil wanted to see her have fun and scare people.

The angel fought hard that day to push her towards the Honor Students' Dinner. The devil noticed she didn't seem all that disappointed.

"You know this is permanently in her skin and blood forever now." The devil said, his arms crossed comfortably over his black sweater.

The angel held her folded hands to her chin. "She misses her sister. Regan calls for her name when she sleeps. Her sister was too young when she left this world."

"Yeah, but Raf, she knows her parents will freak and the kids at school will talk." The devil said, he liked seeing the angel's blue eyes burn into lightning. He knew each mortal they met she loved even when they broke her heart.

"Sulfus, Regan is hurting herself because she wants to heal. She wouldn't have felt better at the Dinner with everyone's condolences. Even if it's a mistake I'm glad she's taking care of herself." Raf said, she remembered that Regan's sister liked clovers very much. Now there was a blue clover on Regan's hip.

Sulfus didn't get caught up in earthling's emotions; they were all too fragile and they came in abundance. He did get caught up in Raf's compassion because despite all the training and professionalism she still let herself care for every single earthling. The hassle was like carrying a mountain and she hurdled it with grace. Raf needed a break from this extra depressing terrestrial. She knew he was watching her as she watch Regan. She didn't have to ask him if he wanted to break with her. He didn't ask her.

Raf's familiar that could magically change her into a pseudo human was a ladybug named Cox. Sulfus' familiar was a coral snake and both creatures did as they were asked. The immortal creatures flew in an abandoned fast-food joint when they transformed. She hid her halo and he hid his horns. Her feathered wings melted into her back and his bat-like wings rolled into his muscles.

Raf left a bus route at the tattoo shop so Regan could get home safely. Raf knew the girl was feeling sad but not stupid. She'd return to sleep in her bed that night.

Taking Raf's sun-kissed hand in his bone-pale hand Sulfus walked them down the street.

"I kind of like seeing the vines grow up the walls and through the windows." Raf said as they passed by For Lease signs. "Someone will gentrify this area eventually."

"I like seeing it crumble." Sulfus said, he wondered how many rats were scurrying around the homeless humans.

"I wish we brought spray paint, adding some color to this dull area would offer some hope." Raf said, both hands around Sulfus' arm. She couldn't be so close to him when she was an angel so she smelled him while she could. He smelled like a campfire and motor oil; she adored that smell.

"I'd write curses in the old script and draw you. People will cry for all different reasons." Sulfus said, he usually hated flowers but Raf was the exception to everything.

Raf rolled her eyes. "Go ahead and curse them, in their desperation the people pray harder and come closer to us."

"I just want to be closer to you." Sulfus said, he waited for Raf to put her arm behind his back so he could hold her waist.

"Me too," Raf said, she rested her head on her shoulder. She didn't say she wished they could be human all the time, she didn't say she loved him more than her wings, halo and duty and she didn't ask him if he wanted to trade everything they already for more times like this.

They found a bench. Raf was closer so she pushed off the cans while Sulfus took off his leather jacket for them to sit.

"Your hair is about to touch the streets." Sulfus said, pulling her long blonde hair off the bench and onto his lap.

"Almost ready for the jump-roping contest." Raf said as she laced her fingers through his. She remembered the time he painted her nails baby blue and she painted his coal-black.

"You're almost there." Sulfus said. He could look inside her big blue eyes all night.

"Almost." Raf said, looking into his almond-shape amber eyes.

He wanted her to forget about their responsibilities, their friends and the entire other world they came from.

"Let's just stay here until morning." Sulfus suggested, though his desire was stronger than he let her hear.

Raf sighed. "Every moment we do share is special. I live off these moments like earthly ones live off water."

"I want more. I want you." Sulfus said in a grave voice. The confession risked destroying their happy bubble. He liked risk and he liked her when she was honest.

Raf wanted to swear her heart to him but that made the eventual separation harder. She knew they had to soon but she wasn't ready yet. Raf felt extremely happy and very sad at the same time. Suddenly a ripple went up her back, a seventh sense said she was close to danger. Raf knew Sulfus could protect himself, quiet savagely, but she still felt a need to cover him.

"I felt that too." Sulfus said coldly.

He pulled her into his chest as he looked east towards the sense of danger. Raf pushed over his shoulder and looked in the same direction. The street was empty but they saw a figure hiding under a broken streetlight.

There were plenty of villains and trouble in their world. Once in a while that trouble snuck into the humans' world. They didn't transform because the option of a simple mugger was possible. They could go easy on one of those.

Into the light of a streetlight stepped a knight in silver-painted armor. He carried a comically sized sword in his hands. The helmet was bronze but had a thick silver-paint job. The immortals had charges that went to comic cons so they were aware of cosplay.

Sulfus chuckled at the goofy looking human. Raf wondered if there was a threat hiding behind the knight.

"I am Pressly Darville, descendant of the Archangel Ariel I am a Devil Slayer. Taste my blade, evil one!" The knight nasally announced.

Raf was confused; on the one hand it was just an earthling. On the other hand hearing a word against the man she loved had her blood boil. She tightened her hold on Sulfus and waited.

"Here's a show, we should've gotten dinner." Sulfus said, he lightly twirled a strand of yellow hair between his fingers.

"Young lady, step away from this animal. He's after your soul." Pressly Darville said.

"Like any fool in love." Sulfus offered.

Raf whispered, "He might actually know!"

"Please." Sulfus whispered back then said in a normal voice, "Tally ho, good sir, may I ask what maketh me a devil as you say? It's the cheekbones, right?"

"Don't mock me, devil! I know what you are! I've been trained my whole life to recognize a devil in disguise. Miss, please come to my side I'll protect you from this beast!" Pressly Darville said as he approached the couple.

"I'm good, really, oh but look at the time," Raf said staring at her empty wrist, "We really need to be going. Don't worry, he's not all that evil."

"You really don't think I'm evil?" Sulfus asked in offense.

Raf shined a big fake smile and said through her teeth, "Is that really what you want to hear? Right now?"

"Let go of that beautiful babe!" Pressly Darville said as he raised his sword and sprinted.

Sulfus carefully moved Raf's hold and stood up with eyebrows pressing and his voice annoyed, "Do not refer to her as that."

The plan was to grab the toy sword and shove it down the earthling's throat. In a millisecond he remembered Raf wasn't into him getting too brutal so a few scratches would have to be all.

Sulfus never imagined the foam blade he grabbed would burn his hand. He pushed Pressly Darville the Knight back ten feet then held his bubbling hand.

"Dammit!" Sulfus said, more in aggravation than pain.

"Let me see!" Raf was terrified to see his flesh was red and peeling. He healed himself in seconds though they realized the threat was the knight! "What was that?"

"A flea I'm about to squash." He said, Raf watched fire engulf him and he returned to his true Devilish form.

Pressly Darville was on his feet again with the lethal foam weapon squeaking in his hands. "Surrender demon! You shall return to hell one way or another."

By his red wings Sulfus flew over the human and slammed his boot on the knight's neck.

"Pathetic." The devil said, he could break the human's neck with the tiniest flick.

"Yes you are!" Pressly Darville the Knight said in great confidence through his helmet. The wax drawn star on the road shinned as Sulfus' boot landed. Gold shinning chains sprouted from the road and wrapped around Sulfus.

The devil's scream tore at Raf's heart. She immediately engulfed herself in feathery light and became an Angel again. Flapping her wings she sped towards the trapped devil; the chains were oddly soothing to her touch and evaporated when she tugged them. Raf carried Sulfus above the knight.

The contact of her true skin against his was poisonous. Touching him made her nauseous and her delicate skin began to bruise. Raf didn't care because he was safe in arms.

"My darling…" Raf said gently, she looked down at the knight with fury in her eyes.

"Your eyes are electric when you're peeved." Sulfus said, he flew out of her arms and their mutual bruising cleared, their stomachs cleansed.

Raf flew down to the knight, she pulsed extra wind towards the earthly one she hated.

"What are you!? How can you hurt an immortal? Who gave you the right!?" Raf demanded, in a beam of lightning grew in her hands and became a glistening gold sword.

Raf was ready to slice off his head when the knight kneeled and placed his sword before himself. Raf halted in the air, unwilling to attack the defenseless.

The knight took his helmet off. Underneath he was an average looking human. His scalp was shaved clean but his upper lip had a prickly trim of sandy hair.

"Praise be your name. An angel, oh merciful holy one! I am your servant!" Pressly Darville said, bowing his head and offering her his sword. Raf eyed him suspiciously then took the sword by its grip. His weapon felt rubbery like a toy.

Raf examined the toy and saw in the tiniest fibers that blessed water was soaked in the foam. Real stuff, pope worthy, Raf was impressed that a rando human had such access.

"Answer my questions!" Raf said, her tone steely and Sulfus dug the attitude.

Pressly Darville puffed up his chest and proudly said, "I am squire Pressly Darville Darville, heir of the Ariel Legacy of Devil Hunting! I'm saving the world one burnet devil at a time!"

"How many great devils have you murdered so far!?" Sulfus yelled, he was held behind Raf's warning arm. Pressly Darville bared his braces at Sulfus.

"Tell us." Raf said, causing Pressly Darville to perk up and quickly respond, "Tonight would've been my first, my lady. But tell me this, why do you float near the beast? The devils are the immortal enemies of the angels."

"I do not need this lecture from some-" Sulfus would've thrown fireballs on the boy if Raf hadn't shot him a glance.

"Adversaries we may be but we need one another," Raf explained, "The universe needs devils!"

Pressly Darville gasped, it sounded like a chew-toy, "The Devil has infected your mind, oh hott one!"

Pressly Darville jumped from the fireballs thrown at his knees. The armor squeaked when he rolled.

"I'm the hott one here, idiot!" Sulfus said and looked sweetly at Raf to say, "For the record, Raf, you are the most stunning but that doesn't have the right to comment."

"Sulfus, you know very well the law forbids us hurting an Earthly One! I am trying to remove a lethal threat!" Raf said, flying in front of Pressly Darville without turning her back on him.

"And the lightning sword?" Sulfus raised an eyebrow.

Raf raised her index finger. "To disarm, not dismember."

"Great Angel, I would do whatever you ask of me, you are my savior and soul." Pressly Darville said, a hand over his heart.

Sulfus growled, Raf said, "If you're being sincere then I ask you give up your quest to fight a single devil ever again."

Pressly Darville sucked air between his teeth, "Okay that's an exception. But your mind is under the control of the wicked devil, he's told you some kind of lie to make you his protector."

Raf grinded her teeth and dove at Pressly Darville. She tore his armor off his body, crushed the metal in her hands and bound his arms behind his back. Pressly Darville had always dreamed that angels were pictures of perfection. This particular angel proved that and then some.

Pressly Darville gazed at Raf's face and said, "I will follow you to the ends of the earth."

"You cannot kill all the devils of the earth." Raf said slowly, she threw the foam sword over the downtown building's skyline.

Pressly Darville struggled in his shackles, "The world would be pure good without them!"

"Are you kidding me?! You have the blues, rock n' rock and hip hop to thank us for!" Sulfus yelled from behind his angelic love.

"And war, disease and chaos!" Pressly Darville retorted.

Sulfus crossed his arms and condescendingly said, "Call it population control, terrestrials are the most dangerous in high numbers."

"You disgusting, evil- how can you stand this thing!?" Pressly Darville begged.

Twisted, arrogant and cruel as he was Raf still saw Sulfus as her most trusted ally and the keeper of her heart. Raf could barely say the words to Sulfus so telling this stranger was impossible.

"Stay here." Raf told Pressly Darville, she turned around to Sulfus. The look in her eyes said they needed to fly above hearing range.

"I say we throw him in the river." Sulfus suggested.

"Sulfus, you don't really hate the terrestrials." Raf stated.

"Now is not the time for a humanity debate." Sulfus told her, "We have to remove that before he comes after my people."

Raf wanted to hold his face but resisted, "He wouldn't last two seconds against Temptel. He just took you by surprise."

"I'm wide awake now, Raf. We need to get rid of him." Sulfus said darkly.

Raf leveled her expression, "You aren't seeing a bigger picture. He said there was a legacy; what if there are more Devil Hunters? Earthlings who can see us and hurt us?"

"I'm not too worried about all immortals, he seems to love the Halo Heads." Sulfus said, rolling his eyes.

"If an angel tried to get in his way-"

"You're the only angel who'd ever care if a devil was harmed." Sulfus interrupted, his voice dripped with wonder and bitterness.

"I don't believe that. We should tell the professors, they could make sense out of this crazy." Raf said, looking down at Knight Pressly Darville.

Sulfus' eyes narrowed, "I am not taking him anywhere near the Golden School."

"I understand that. Would you bring the professor here?" Raf asked. "I'll keep my eye on him."

"After all the lunacy we saw tonight I am not leaving you alone." Sulfus said, he wished he could hold in his arms and keep her near forever.

Raf looked gently at the red star on his face, "Honestly, with a target on devils, I don't want you to leave either. I guess I could telepathically call Arkhan to us."

Sulfus grinned, "I love your powers."

"And I love you." Raf said, allowing a small smile and a long stare into his eyes.

A gagging noise from below brought them back to the street. They looked down to see Knight Pressly Darville trying to crawl away like a worm.