Author's note: Thank you for the great feedback on my first Beelzebub story! It was so much fun reading your opinions and talking with you that I decided to write another one. This one will be longer than the first and explore some different ideas. I hope you'll like it!

Note to my little sister, who has just started watching the Beelzebub anime: This includes spoilers right through the end of the anime. So maybe don't read it just yet.

It was a lazy, boring day at the Tatsumi household. The parents were away with Misaki, so Hilda, Beelzebub and Tatsumi were left alone at the home, watching reruns of Gohan-Kun. Not that Hilda minded. There was nothing near as adorable as her young master, engrossed in the story, screaming for the hero and threatening and shaking his tiny fist at the evil Baron von Poop. And even though she would never ever admit it to his face, it was kind of cute to see Tatsumi holding the Young Master, just as much into the action on the TV as the baby. She couldn't help but smile a little.

"Oy, why're you smiling? It's creeping me out," said the delinquent suddenly. "Shouldn't you be angry that Baby Beel likes the hero more than the baddie?"

"Why?" said Hilda simply, her smile gone as quickly as it came. After all, she had a reputation to maintain.

"Well… I don't know. Shouldn't he learn how to be evil? He's a demon, after all!"

"Just because we demons are evil does not mean we are bad people, you rat."

"Huh?"

Hilda sighed. Could she explain the intricacies of the Codex Gorsalokel to him, so he would better understand how a demon was supposed to behave? Probably not. He'd just get it all wrong. She had to find something simpler, something he could relate to… wait, that wasn't all that hard, was it?

"It's just like you. You do not care for other people in general, and fools standing in your way will meet a gruesome end. But that does not mean you don't have friends or family that you care for."

"Like hell I do," replied Tatsumi, but without feeling. With all the underlings he'd acquired lately, it would be hard for him to deny it properly. Sometimes Hilda wondered whether he noticed the changes in him. By her observation, against all odds, becoming the father of the son of the Great Demon King had actually made him nicer.

"And I'm not like that Demon King. I don't want to destroy your world."

"Are you sure about that? Is it not annoying and in the way? Would you not try to destroy it if you weren't a pathetic worm, unworthy of ever even seeing the magnificent palace of terror in the…"

"Yeah, I get it," said Tatsumi to Hilda's dismay. She did not like being cut off. "Good point actually."

That worried her. Had she just given him a really, really bad idea? No human being could single-handedly destroy the demon world… but then, she had thought the same about Ishiyama High, too. He noticed her uneasiness.

"Don't worry, I won't blow up your home as long as the demon king doesn't blow up mine. Deal?"

Hilda nodded. "We have an understanding, then."

They shook hands, and the young master agreed with an enthusiastic "Daah!". Then they returned to watching.

She was not sure why she agreed. By all laws, she should have killed Tatsumi right then and there. No, she should have killed him even earlier, back when he announced that he would not destroy the human world after all. But could she even do it?

First of all, Hilda was by no means sure that she could beat him in a fight, especially if the Young Master was on his side, which he probably would be. Even if she succeeded, the Young Master would hate her for the rest of his life. There was also the fact that she had grown to respect Tatsumi a lot, and really did not want him to die all that much anymore. But finally, and most confusingly, when he had mentioned her home right now, the images in her head hadn't been of the demon world at all.

Suddenly, a low grumbling filled the room. The sky darkened, and lightnings began to flash. Tatsumi looked accusingly at the young master.

"Is that you, Baby Beel?"

The Young Master looked back at him and held up his hands. He had no idea either. Tatsumi turned to Hilda, but she was clueless, too. All she had were a few theories, each more unpleasant than the last. It would at least not be a bad idea to be cautious. She whispered, "Better get ready to fight…"

The lightnings intensified and ended with a loud bang that spread smoke everywhere. When it lifted, a strange figure was standing in the remains of what had been the TV.

"Howdy, partners, what's up, y'all!"

Tatsumi looked at the figure, then at Hilda, then at the figure again, then at the young master and finally back to Hilda.

"Do you know this punk?" he asked, confused.

Of course she did. The man was tall, dressed in a blue coat that gave him a naval sort of look. The heavy boots looked more like from a western movie, though. And the head… well, there was no head. Hilda had never known whether the head went missing at some point or he never had one. In its place was a cloud of steam that came from the end of the neck. Two holes and a bent line in it formed a make-shift face, always smiling. There were not a lot of demons of his kind, and only one with the dress sense and, most importantly, a reason to visit them.

"This is Akephalos. He is the head officer of Akephalos's Wild Hunt, and before you ask, yes, he did choose that title only for the pun."

Akephalos affected a posture as if she had ran a sword through his rump. Part of her wanted to compare how it would look like if she really did this.

"Aww, Hilda, darling, you keep breaking my heart. Why are you so mean to me? Did I ever do anything to you? You're still as pretty as a flower, by the way. Ah, if it ain't the Young Master. And you must be his contractor!"

He turned to face a completely bewildered Tatsumi and shook his hand. Beelzebub just stared in wonder at the weird character.

"Wait, so Beelzebub is your master, and you're some sort of commander… is that like with En and Balthasar's something-squad of whatever? I always wondered why Baby Beel didn't have anything like that…"

"The Young Master does not need an army of his own," said Hilda with a little smile. "As his contractor, you are the equivalent of an entire demonic army. The Great Demon Lord has recognized this and thus fired this slime bag."

If Tatsumi noticed her hostility towards Akephalos, he didn't comment on it. Instead, he simply said, "What happens if I punch him in the face?"

"Ain't nobody still alive who ever tried that, boy, but I'd sure like to give you a taste," said Akephalos, clearly enjoying himself. "But we ain't got time for that right now, seeing as I'm on a mission for the demon king himself. Now, you just confirmed that you won't follow his royal highness's orders, right? For this reason, partner, I'm placing you under arrest."

"Better punch him in the gut then, right, Hilda?" said Tatsumi, unimpressed. She was inclined to agree with him, but this was demon politics, and the ground was filled with people who had taken it lightly.

"Wait a moment. Akephalos, you are attacking the freedom of a contractor of the royal family. This is illegal without authorization from the Great Demon King himself. As the representative of the royal family on this plane, I demand you show me this authorization now or leave immediately!"

"Sweetheart, why'd you have to be so formal? Yes, he didn't do any of that authorizing business, and he technically doesn't know that this is happening. But you and I both know that once the execution is over, it's just a matter of telling the story right. In the end, the Great Demon King will think it was his idea all along. So don't give me any of that legalese…" - he dropped his voice - "bitch."

Hilda turned to Tatsumi. "The chest, his left. He's got an old wound there. Hit it good."

Tatsumi smiled a smile that only a demon would ever call pleasant. "Oy, Ake…thingy, you don't get to call her bitch! What say you, Baby Beel?"

"Aaahh-uuuhh!"

"Then let's go! Zebul Blaa… huh?"

The punch was thrown with all the young master's magic behind it. But shortly before Tatsumi's fist hit Akephalos, the magic seemed to… stop somehow. One second, the red glow was there, and then it wasn't. Tatsumi still hit him, but the demon just let out a short "Uff".

Tatsumi looked at his hand in wonder, then showed it first to Beelzebub and then to Hilda. The Zebul spell was gone. Akephalos began to laugh.

"You've got a mean swing, brother! But it ain't gonna help you here. You see, I've got some special tricks in store for contractors. Right now, your link with the young master is cut, and that means…"

Akephalos punched Tatsumi right in the stomach. Hilda saw it almost as if it was in slow motion: Tatsumi being thrown off his feet. Spitting a little blood. Flying through the air. Hitting the wall. An unhealthy crack. The loud thud of the landing. She was in shock.

"Dabii?" said the Young Master, with tears in his eyes. That brought her back. She drew her sword and began to engage Akephalos, but he just laughed. Suddenly, she felt something around her wrists.

"Oh, darlin', you shouldn't let your guard down like that. Caught by demon ropes like a preschooler, seriously."

Hilda pulled, but she knew it was hopeless. Demon ropes were mass produced and not all that great weapons, but against an unsuspecting opponent, they could be very useful. All because she had thought a little too long about Tatsumi.

"You know I'll be out of here in five minutes," she said, scowling. "And I'm better than I was during our last fight."

"Don't I know it. But in five minutes, I'll be long gone. I'd take you with me, but my transfer demon isn't as great as he once was, sweetheart. The trial is in a week in the market place. If you want, come, and bring the young master. He likes you, and my… partners would like you to care for him once he's back under our control, where he belongs."

"…and if I refuse?"

"Hilda, sweetheart, like you even need to ask! Now listen good."

He moved closer to her and began to whisper.

"You bitch have a lot of enemies. So many proud demon families got to see their sons serve the future demon king. And then, all of a sudden, the only one that gets all the fame is you and some farm boy?"

"This is not a farm, idiot," she said.

"Oh, but they're all farm boys and ranch hands and what have you in their hearts, right? Ordinary guys, surprisingly good at something, but living an ordinary, human life, until magic enters their world, and then they're the hero. It's all very nice and poetic. That reminds me, are you two guys doing it a lot?"

"I will kill you, and everyone who looks like you," she hissed through clenched teeth, but he ignored her.

"Nah, you're not at that part of the story yet. I bet you will, though, in the end, unless someone stops you. And that someone's gonna be me. You don't hear about nine out of ten farm boys, because guys like me kill them, and that's gonna happen here again, so you gotta think about where this leaves you. Now, I'll ignore all these your on account of me being a nice guy and you being surprised and all. But the next time we meet, you better be a whole lot nicer, sweetheart. You're not irreplaceable. We'll find you and the young master, you know we will, and when I start your trial and say you worked together with that punk against the Great Demon King, it'll not even be a lie. Just something to consider. Ta ta!"

He touched Tatsumi and, with another blinding flash, was gone. Beelzebub was sitting, astonished and about to cry any minute now. The room was destroyed, the glass door gone and the TV in pieces. There was a bit of Tatsumi's blood on the floor. And she was still wrapped up. There was only one thought on her mind.

"Holy shít."

Woohoo! This story has been a long time in the making, but I think I've finally figured it out, or at least the big things. I know it's rather vague right now, but expect intrigues, daring rescues and heroics, Beelzebub's inner-most thoughts, weirdness and possibly oil rigs in the demon world. That last one is because I just started watching the new Dallas, and it's awesome.

As always, I'd love to read your reviews! I got a lot of good points from the ones on my previous story, and I guarantee that I'll reply to all reviews that were not posted anonymously.