Gift For Satan

Arthur slept blissfully unaware of how much his bad day was about to become his worst day ever. Nothing in his past could prepare him for what was about to happen. He shifted mildly, becoming uncomfortable in his computer chair. The feel of the cool desk against his forehead and the way his neck was bent to place it there… everything was only the beginning of a long, horrible night.

Suddenly the dynamics of the room changed. A second entity has appeared, literally out of thin air. A mild scent of sulfur came with Satan as he approached the desk. The smile on the Demon’s face grew as he touched a few strands of silky smooth, dark green hair. It would be fun to pull… soft to the touch, but strongly rooted.

At the contact one gold eye flashed open. Arthur could feel a hand lightly on the back of is head. He shut his eye again and hoped to feign sleep until he could think of a way to get out of whatever situation he was in without revealing his nature. However, the touch did not cease and soon became a caress… almost a pet. Arthur paused as he considered exactly who could be petting his head.

“My poor friend, there’s no need to pretend you’re asleep,” Satan’s voice murmured. The words were almost purred. “I know you’re awake and I don’t play those kinds of games… unless you like to.”

Arthur jerked away and rushed to his feet, facing the man. The high white of the fluorescent lights highlighted only Satan’s cruel features… sharp canines, dark nails, slightly wild hair that could be mistaken for horns. He was smaller than Arthur… only about 5 feet and 5 inches, while the scientist stood at an amazing 6 feet and 7 inches. However, from Arthur’s experience, size was never a factor.

“I don’t know who gave you this address,” Arthur stated, “but I’m not the one who made you.” His interest was peaked. “However, I would love to know who did.”

“That’s a long and slightly boring story,” Satan muttered. “Suffice it to say I got to play with my favorite snake and feed a gorgeous, though incredibly ignorant, couple some fruit…”

“I don’t understand,” Arthur mentioned. “If you’re not here because you think I spliced Pokemon DNA into your body, why are you here?”

“Why are any of us here?” Satan laughed. “Fun and Profit… You’re both to me.”

“Normally I’m the one making cryptic statements and confusing the Hell out of someone. I really don’t like this side of it very much. Who are you and what do you want?”

“My precious… Please allow me to introduce myself. I’m a man of wealth and taste. I’ve been around for a long, long-”

“Not happening. I don’t believe in musicals, so if you want to sing, the door is over there.” Arthur pointed to the locked door of his lab. “Either answer my questions or go out in the hall and get all of that song out of your system.”

“You’re quite a grouch. Oh well. I always love a challenge.” Satan paused to run his tongue over his teeth. “My name, as the song was beginning to imply, is Satan. I’m not Lucifer, Beelzebub, or any of those other upper management, board of director, CEO jerks. I’m just Satan, Lord of Darkness and Middle Management on Hell.”

“You mean [u]in[/u] Hell, right?”

“Who, here, is the Devil? Me. That’s right. I’m the one telling the story, not you, bitch.”

“If you’re going to be an asshole, just get out. I’m tired and I need to get back to work.” As Arthur approached his microscope, he found a pair of arms and legs wrapped around him from behind and Satan’s pelvis pressed against the small of his back. “What the hell are you doing?”

“I have some work I want you to do, Arthur.” Satan whispered the words directly into the green-haired man’s ear and felt him shiver at the mention of his name.

“Get off!” Arthur attempted to shove the smaller man off, but he held fast.

“I’m trying, but you aren’t cooperating.” Satan’s clever double meaning was lost as the scientist suddenly lurched forward. Satan almost lost his grip, but held fast. “Aw… I almost wish I had a different vantage point to see you, bent over like this.”

“You fucking pervert!” Arthur’s struggles became more desperate as he thrashed from side to side, hardly making Satan budge.

“Once again, I would be fucking, but you aren’t cooperating… yet.” To add emphasis, he bit the top of Arthur’s ear lobe softly.

“That’s it…” Suddenly the form within Satan’s grasp lost consistency and became like tan Jello, dropping him to the floor. The squishy, pseudo-liquid slid quickly across the floor, taking on an emerald green hue as it traveled.

“So that was what it meant when it said Artificial Shapeshifter…” Satan could hardly find the will to be angry as he watched with fascination as the green gel formed into that same man in black clothes and a white lab coat. “That’s amazing…”

“I’m amazing.” Arthur nodded, taking the compliment and expanding it out of proportion. “Now, can we talk, or do you need to fall on the floor again.”

“I’m willing to land on the floor, so long as you’re there to be my cushion…” The line wasn’t as smooth out loud, but it still had the desired implication. Satan wasn’t giving up that easily.

Arthur sighed. “You asked for this…” His body turned fluid again, but this time formed into a large bull. Gold eyes seemed to glow as he snorted aggressively. He was bluffing, but maybe Satan didn’t know…

The smirk on his lips said he did. “Go ahead. Charge me… smash me into your computer or that big, fragile looking incubator. I dare you Arthur…”

The bull shifted into a large, fire-breathing canine, resembling a Hell Hound. It was the Pokemon known as Houndoom. Arthur bared his sharp teeth and growled at Satan instead. The Demon rolled his eyes and sauntered over slowly. Something in his demeanor was not afraid… in fact, everything in his demeanor was not afraid. Arthur decided to risk it and brayed. With the sharp howl came a blast of flame that struck Satan head on. However, he only stepped forward, uninjured and smiling.

“Arthur, honestly… I told you I was Satan… Lucifer’s left hand man… Was it really so hard to believe?” He knelt in front of the creature and grabbed one of his horns possessively. “Is it so hard to believe I want you.”

Arthur tried to jerk his head away as he felt an almost serpentine tongue touch the edge of his dog-like muzzle. However, the grip on his horn more powerful than he estimated, so he was forced to become insubstantial again to get away. He crawled along the ground and reformed himself by the wall. “I don’t know what you think you’re doing, but stop it.”

“Why, darling? Isn’t the first rule of Karma ‘what goes around, comes around’?” The Demon approached him again and Arthur raised his palm. Thick, brownish vines launched forward and flew at Satan. However, the Demon’s body simply radiated enough heat to turn the offending plants to ash. “Honestly Arthur, don’t you have a little sin that needs venting… virtue for the rending…”

Arthur shrank back, looking almost like he wanted to cry at the comment. “What goes around comes around… If that’s true, why couldn’t she love me back? I’d sell my soul to know the answer to that.”

Satan smiled as his hand reached out and lifted Arthur’s face to meet his. Lips spoke just centimeters from Arthur’s own. “Your soul is already bound for my Lord. However, if you come with me and do as I say, I can give you the answer you so deeply desire.”

Arthur looked resolved… even blasé. His gold eyes were flat and coppery. “Tell me and my body is yours.”

Satan looked surprised by how easy this was. He was expecting more of a fight from Arthur. The file indicated the scientist was an intellectual equal for most Demons. Apparently his heart was a weak point no one thought to tap before. “Victory doesn’t want you, because she has him.”

“Him who?” Arthur’s demand came out in a bare hiss. “Her little boy toys… green eyed weaklings who can’t compare to her power. I’ll kill them all…”

“Green eyes… fortunate you should mention that… Right now the one you desire more than any other is the plaything of Lucifer himself.”

“That’s impossible. Victory is goodness and light with a single bit of evil I added by accident. You’re lying.”

“While I lie quite a bit, this time I’m telling you the truth.”

“Liar!” Arthur shook with anger and bared his teeth, but Satan could see the fear in his eyes. He suspected the truth, but denied it so fervently.

“Why should lie when the truth is so much more rewarding?” He squeezed Arthur’s chin tighter as his claws pressed into the man’s cheek. His thumb lazily stroked over Arthur’s lips that he longer to kiss and bite. “I can prove it, if you’ll allow yourself to come with me. However, you’ll have to leave your body behind.”

“Why?”

“Because otherwise the roundtrip takes about eight thousand years.”

“I’ll go with you…” Arthur’s eyes seemed to deaden again. “I’ll go anywhere for Victory…”

Satan sighed as he ran both hands over Arthur’s cheeks. “So much love, wasted on a girl who can never love you back… I might be able to pity you, if you didn’t pity yourself so much…”

“Shut up Demon! You don’t anything about this kind of love.”

Satan’s expression went livid and his claws gripped Arthur’s face tightly. “Don’t ever say that again.” Sharp fangs clacked together violently so close to Arthur’s face he felt the vibration in his cheek. “I know your place to a tee. I invented your kind of love, right along with that petulant God, Anteros.”

Arthur refused to be impressed. His mind fought the urge to be scared. However, both still rose within him. “Just take me to her, before I change my mind and add myself to the list with the ones who already denied you.” His strong words came out with a hint of fear in them, but Satan still growled with anger.

“I hope you enjoy the pain of having your soul jerked forth from your mortal shell…”