Love or Lust

'So, any progress?' asked Moni's father when he called her in the morning.

'Not this soon, you know how stubborn angels are.' Moni said, half asleep from being woken by the call.

'You can do it, right?' he asked with a slight hesitation in his voice.

'Dad.. I know I can do it, he's mine.'

'Heh, I like your confidence.' he said, this time she could hear him relax. 'I'll call you again later.'

'Okay, just not this early anymore.'

'All right. Have fun there.'

'Thanks, hear you later dad.'

*

'Are you settled already?' asked Enkel's father.

"As if you don't know." thought Enkel and rolled his eyes. 'Yeah, pretty much.'

'Good, good..'

Enkel waited for his father to ask the real question.

'So.., how's your contact with Moni?' his father finally asked.

'Just fine. She's a good neighbour.'

'Only that?' his father asked, his worry showing.

'You know how suspicious demons are, but I'll handle her.'

'You sure?'

'Father, she's mine.' Enkel said and heard a sigh on the other side.

'I have faith in you, my son.'

'Thanks. I've got to go now. Meeting up with friends.'

'Have a great time then, speak to you later.'

'Yeah, say hi to mother.'

'I will.'

Enkel put down his phone and yawned. 'I could have used a little more sleep.' he muttered.

*

'Good morning.' said Tova when he stepped on the train and saw Meiko and Susi standing at the other side.

The train was pretty crowded but most people kept an unconscious distance from the two demons and Tova slipped through them to join the girls.

'Morning.' said Susi, followed by a sleepy '..mohnin..' from Meiko.

'Not a morning person?' asked Tova to Susi with a nod to Meiko.

'Seems so.' Susi said, grinning slightly and held Meiko by her arm before the acceleration of the train toppled her over.

'Going to meet your friend again?' asked Tova. 'Istava and I are going to see Enkel now.'

Susi nodded. 'Yeah. School assignment stuff.'

Tova nodded. 'Same here.'

Meiko yawned. 'We there yet..?'

'Not yet.' Susi chuckled.

'Oh, hey..' Meiko said to Tova. 'You're here as well.'

He laughed. 'Did you get any sleep last night?'

'Never enough..' Meiko yawned again. 'Beauties need more sleep than others.' she said with a sleepy smirk.

The train slowed down and a moment later the doors opened. Istava was at the front and Tova gestured for him to join. He moved through the other people and reached his friend and the girls when they were pressed further by the crowd getting on the train.

'Busy today.' said Istava, getting pushed toward Meiko. 'Seems there's an event going on further down the line.' He braced himself against the train wall to keep Meiko safe from being crushed by him, although their bodies almost touched. 'Sorry about this.'

Meiko smiled softly. 'You know, a demon can protect herself.' she said, holding up her hand and showing her sharp fingernails.

'Better for the hero to protect the demoness and keep the NPC's from getting hurt by her wrath in this adventure.' he grinned with a wink.

'NPC's?' Susi asked, looking down so she wouldn't look directly into Tova's eyes while he had braced himself to the wall as well.

'Non player characters.' Tova said. 'Those characters in games who give you quests and who you can talk to for a bit. They're like the everyday kind of people.'

'I see.' Susi said with a nod.

'Why didn't I think of calling them that?' chuckled Meiko. 'Didn't expect that from an angel.'

'With him, you can expect anything.' said Tova with a nod to Istava.

Istava shrugged. 'Sometimes the world is just a big adventure game. Unfortunately no save points.'

A turn in the track made the mass behind the guys press harder against their backs and a little into the girls. Susi stiffened a little and Tova tried to push himself back.

'Sorry..' he whispered in Susi's ear while he could smell her fur more clearly and felt how soft it must be underneath her clothes.

'It's okay..' she whispered, sensing his warm and strong chest which made her a little nervous.

'I never heard of a hero doing this to a demon.' Meiko chuckled, feeling Istava's body press lightly against hers.

'I haven't seen a quest that played out in a stuffed train yet, so no telling if it exists or not.' he said, grinning to hide his embarrassment.

'I'll keep an eye out for it with the next game I buy.' she said, glad that her leather top hid the details of her chest.

*

They could all breath easier the moment they struggled their way out of the train.

'Glad to be out of there.' said Istava, stretching his arms.

'What, weren't you happy to be this close to a real beauty?' snickered Meiko.

'I don't know. I never saw her behind me.' he said, looking up innocently.

Tova laughed as Meiko chased Istava to the exit. 'I guess we all have another anecdote to talk about.' he said.

'Yeah, I wasn't planning on becoming so warm again.' Susi said, then looked away. 'I mean, with so many people on the train it gets very warm quickly.'

Tova tried to suppress the memory of the sensation against his chest. 'Yeah, it does.' he said and they walked in silence to the exit.

Outside they found Meiko holding Istava in a headlock.

'I give, I give.' he chuckled. 'You are a natural beauty as a succubus.'

'Good.' Meiko said with a smirk and let his head go. 'Remember that.'

Tova and Susi laughed when Istava fixed his hair and Meiko turned it back into a mess.

'We are going in that direction.' said Susi, pointing to the right.

'Ah, we are going to the apartment.' said Tova, feeling a little disappointment in his gut. 'I guess we'll see you some other time then.'

Susi nodded. 'Say hello to Enkel from us.' she said and gave the guys a little wave with Meiko when they left.

Meiko chuckled after they went on their own way. 'Maybe we should have them protect us on every train ride. We could tease then into madness.'

Susi chuckled. 'I'm no succubus though.'

'I'll bet Tova thinks you're cute.'

Susi saw the devious grin on her friend's face and gave her a soft punch against her arm. 'Whatever you're thinking isn't going to happen.' she said, but the thought of him thinking she's cute didn't leave her mind until they arrived at the café where she worked.

*

Istava and Tova had just turned into the street on the route to Enkel, when they saw Enkel and Moni walking up to them.

'Hey, guys!' said Enkel.

'Hey.' said Istava to Moni and Enkel. 'I thought we were doing this at your place. Or are you going on a date with Moni now?'

'Yes.' said Enkel earnestly, turning Istava's grin into a look of surprise.

Moni laughed at his and Tova's expression. 'Those faces..'

'You're kidding.' said Istava.

Moni coughed once and took a deep breath. 'When I heard you were going to talk about the assignment I suggested joining us at the café since we had the same plans.'

Enkel smirked a little. 'I thought it was a good idea. Doing this with six should be more fun than with three.'

Tova nodded. 'Why not?'

Istava agreed and the four continued on to the café.

*

At the café they found Meiko sitting outside.

'Oh? Missed me so much already you convinced your friends to come here?' she asked Istava with a big smirk.

'I heard you felt nervous without me, so I had no choice but to come and protect you once more from the world.' he said, smirking back at her.'

Tova leaned to Enkel while they watched the two gamers compete in banter. 'Still think this is a good idea?'

Moni laughed and clapped her hands. 'Hey, lovebirds!'

Meiko and Istava looked back at her. 'Lovebirds?' they said simultaneously to the amusement of the rest.

'Where's Susi?' asked Moni.

'She's gone to put on her uniform already, so she can start her shift right after we're done.' said Meiko.

'She works here?' asked Tova.

'Yes.' said Enkel. 'We met her here for the first time.'

Susi came out of the front door at that moment, adjusting the ribbon behind her back and froze in front of Tova. 'What are you doing here?' she asked, her heart suddenly pumping harder and her ears going flat.

Tova watched her in her maid uniform, thinking the black and white matched her grey fur very well, especially with the black footwear around her digits and short white socks, and the frilly white edge underneath her skirt and décolleté, accentuating the fine curves of her chest. The headpiece topped off her cuteness. Her flat ears made him realise she wasn't comfortable.

'Sorry, we were invited to join you.' he said. 'If you don't want us here..?'

'I thought it would be fun to bring them.' said Moni. 'I forgot how embarrassed you feel in your uniform, sorry.'

'You do?' asked Tova.

Susi nodded quickly. 'I'm just not suited to wear something like this.'

'Why not? It looks really good on you.' Tova said.

'Wolf demons generally aren't into wearing cute clothing.' Meiko said. 'But she has to wear it to work here.'

'Ah.' said Tova. 'I didn't mean to put you down.'

Susi shook her head. 'It's all right. I'll get used to it.' she said softly, her tail wagging slightly. 'The manager offered us all drinks, so what would you like?'

Meiko leaned forward after Susi went to get their order and smirked at Tova.

'What?' he asked, sensing he would be the butt of a joke now.

'Smooth.' she said.

'I only gave her a friendly compliment?'

Istava laid his hand on Tova's shoulder and shook his head. 'Don't go into it. Women will just dump you into a maze of words and then it's game over.'

Meiko laughed. 'You're just a sore loser.'

'Guys! Guys!' said Enkel before another round of banter started between the two and put his assignment book on the table. 'We have to have a look at this before Susi's shift starts.'

Susi came back soon with the drinks and Tova helped her with her chair so her skirt wouldn't get ruined, ignoring another smirk from Meiko.

They were about to discuss the first item on the list when they heard a shout next to them.

Their attention went to a short, blond angel with a shocked look on her face, pointing her finger at them.

*

'Let's put it in a box and see how well it floats downriver as a pirate cat.' said a young boy to his friend, holding the struggling kitten they just caught.

His friend looked nervously around. 'I don't think we should do this.'

'It'll be fun!' the first boy said, looking around for a discarded box.

'Didn't you hear about the cat monster who destroyed the car of the guy who ran over a cat two days ago?'

The boy couldn't see a box, but saw a discarded empty tin can close to him and grabbed that. 'My dad said it was probably a couple of drunk guys who went wild that night.' he said and handed the can to his friend. 'Here, tie this to its leg. Let's see how fast it can run.'

'I don't..'

'Come on! Or do you want me to tell everyone at school how much of a wimp you are, afraid of monsters in the night.'

The second boy sighed and tied a piece of string to the can with a heavy heart, then tied it to the kitten's leg while it mewled for its mother.

'Cool! Let's chase-' the first boy said before he noticed the shadow looming over him.

The boys heard low rumbling and sweat started pouring when they looked up. Two flashing yellow eyes glared fiercely at them from a brown-red feline-like head, sporting two small sets of horns and more sharp fangs than they dared to count.

It held out its clawed hand slowly to them and without even having to think about it the boy put the kitten in its hand. It put its other hand carefully over the kitten, then let out a loud snarl, turning the boys instantly into pee soaked, bawling babies, running home to their mommies.

The feline monster looked at the tiny trembling kitten in its huge hand and tried to undo the knot of the string.

*

'Blasphemy!' said the blond angel. 'Unnatural!'

'Excuse me?' said Moni, feeling irritation welling up inside her.

'What are you talking about?' asked Enkel, confused by the sudden outburst of the angel.

'Demons and angels sitting friendly together!' the angel said. 'That is not done! Those monster should not be here!'

'Now wait a minute!' said Tova, his anger rising at that remark.

'AH!' the angel said, looking away. 'Stay here! I will deal with you after I've taken care of the evil deed nearby!'

Before anyone could say anything she ran off and around the corner into an alley.

'What the heck was that..?' asked Moni.

The angel ran through the alley as two crying boys rushed by and saw a demonic feline toying with a small kitten in the back lot. When she saw the tin can tied to the kitten her blood boiled.

'STOP THAT YOU MONSTER!' she shouted, sprinting towards the demon.

The demon looked back, startled by the blond fury speeding towards him it took a step back.

'CEASE YOUR CRUEL DEEDS AND HAND OVER THAT INNOCENT LIFE!' she shouted.

She panted as she reached him and looked up with glaring eyes. The demon felt very nervous from the angel, even when the top of her head only came up to his stomach.

She held out her hands. 'Give me that kitten, or I will deliver divine punishment to you myself.'

He put the kitten carefully into her hands and stepped back.

'Now begone! And never do any misdeed again or I will send you back where you belong!'

He lower his head and hurried off.

The angel turned to the kitten and stroked its head. 'You're safe now from that bad, bad demon.' she said and untied the string. She saw a cat sitting a little further down the lot and shoved the kitten in that direction. 'Now, hurry to your mommy. I have another mishap to correct.'

The kitten watched the angel run off down the alley, then mewled for the mother it had lost two days ago.

*

'Ye gods, it did come back.' Meiko said at the sight of the blond angel.

'Now where were we?' the angel said as she returned to the group. 'Oh yeah, thou shall not mix, so cease this unnatural gathering!'

The girls and guys looked at the angel, standing righteous with her hands on her hips.

Tova shook his head. 'Why don't you go back to school and come back when you're graduated as an adult?'

She raised her eyebrows. 'I have graduated and am an adult!'

Everyone's eyes went wide.

'Sorry,' said Enkel. 'but that's a bit hard to believe. I haven't seen you around our school.'

'That's because I graduated at the holy academy in the north. I came here to experience the big city and live with my grandmother. And to spread goodness and vanquish evil because I have a sixth sense for it.' she said proudly.

Istava groaned. 'Not from the north..'

'What do you mean?' asked Meiko.

'They're rather fanatic. And most have only known small towns, which means they never learned about how we live here in the big cities.'

Meiko nodded, having heard of those extremists on the sides of angels and demons. Totally nutcases in her opinion.

'So, I will make sure you angels aren't tainted by the evil of those demons!' the angel said.

'Hang on.' Moni said. 'We aren't doing anything wrong!'

'Then I'm just in time to prevent it.'

Enkel saw Moni getting ready to chew the angel out and placed his hand on hers. 'Aren't you in the wrong? You come here accusing us of things that haven't happened when you don't even know us? You haven't even told us who you are. That is very impolite in angel etiquette.'

The angel opened her mouth to retort, then shut it again. 'You're right, my apologies.' she said. 'I'm Maki.'

Enkel introduced the others and himself. 'You didn't have demons in your school?' he asked.

Maki shook her head.

'Then it's no wonder you don't know what's going on.'

'You mean you are all in the same school?'

Enkel nodded and explained how they take classes together since good teachers are hard to find and it all becomes more efficient. He showed her the assignment book they got for the last year and how they spend that living and learning mixed in with daily life.

Tova brought her a chair to sit on after she felt confused. 'But it's all wrong..' she muttered. 'How can you be so friendly together?'

'I don't know if I'd call it friendly, looking at those two.' Tova chuckled, gesturing at Meiko and Istava.

'He'd wish I'd be friendly with him.' Meiko said and stuck her tongue out at Istava.

'I bet she's the only succubus who won't be able to seduce any guy.' he grinned back at her.

'See?' chuckled Tova.

Maki nodded. 'I see..' she said softly and stood up to bow. 'My apologies. I will go home and think it all over.'

They watched her walk away in silence.

'Will she be okay?' asked Moni.

'I think she will.' said Enkel. 'She seems strong enough.'

*

Maki walked back through the alley, trying to sort out the conflicting thoughts in her mind. At the back lot the soft meow of a kitten caught her attention and she saw the demonic feline again with the kitten. Anger welled up inside her, thinking how he dared to come back and hurt that kitten again.

She wouldn't warn him this time before releasing all her fury on him and hurried silently closer until she saw the demon feeding the kitten soft food out of a can of cat food. It pawed at the tiny spoon the demon used to feed it tiny bits at a time, mewing impatiently but purring softly. The demon smiled gently at the kitten as he fed it, crawling carefully with a claw behind its ears.

Maki's anger sank away into another confusing emotion. "Why are you feeding it now?" she thought.

Moving closer she saw the demon looking startled at her, back at the kitten and then back at her in panic.

'Wait.' she said, holding up her hand. 'I don't understand..'

The kittened demanded more food and the demon gave it another bit from the can, watching it eat eagerly.

Maki moved closer. 'I saw you with that can tied to this kitten..' she said, pointing at the can lying a little further away.

He nodded.

'Did you do that?'

He shook his head and held up two fingers, then his flat hand at the height of the two boys.

She had to ponder for a moment before she understood. 'Those two crying boys?'

He nodded and her stomach sank into her feet.

She watched the kitten eat. 'What about its mother? Isn't she here?'

The demon's eyes turned sad and nodded at a patch of grass nearby. She saw a small fresh mound of earth with a tiny cross stuck into the ground.

Tears ran down her cheeks as she put her hand on the demon's arm. 'I'm Maki, and I'm really sorry..'

He put his hand on hers and smiled gently at her while she cried silently. 'Peyli.' he said softly.