"Hey M. S.," The King of Hell whispers, "don't look now, but I think Reaper just came in." I turn around to see Reaper and The Four. Reaper is arguing with them about something. I hear my named mentioned until Reaper draws his scythe to Death's throat. After that, a waiter shows them to their table.

"You should say hi," The King of Hell suggests.

"No," I reply, "if he was here for me, he would've spoken first."

"I'm serious," The King of Hell replies, flipping some meat in a skillet, "I mean, what's the worse that could happen?"

Let's play this out shall we? Option one: He outright ignores me.
Option two: He leaves.
Option three: He well... Actually now that I think about it, it can't be that bad. I mean, none of these are terrible, none of them great.

"Yeah," I reply, "I'll give it a shot. Let me take their order."

"Sure," The King of Hell replies, "hope it goes well." I go to Reaper's table.

"Uhhh..." Death whispers, "Your girlfriend's headed this way."

"She's not my girlfriend Death," I remind, "do I need to teach you a lesson?"

"Dude," War explains, "he's not teasing you. The Metal Skinned's coming this way."

I look up, and there she is, her long brown hair which glistens in the light of the hellfire touches that light the restaurant. "What are you ordering?" She asks.

I try to think of something to say, but then decide not to bother. It's better for me to focus on killing the author, growing stronger. Not just for me, for both of us. I won't let her lose the happy ending she has here.

"I'll take demon's fire special," I reply, "go light on the sauce, heavy on the meat, on double down on the veggies."

"Sure," The Metal Skinned replies, "and the rest of you?" The Four place their orders. The Metal Skinned walks back into the kitchen.

"He didn't even recognize me," I explain, "didn't even react."

"He's been training so much," The King of Hell replies, "so much it'd drive a man mad."

"What are you implying?" I inquire.

"Reaper only cares about killing gen," The King of Hell explains, "he's so obsessed with the other side he's forgotten about those in his world. However I think he still cares about you. I mean, think about it, gen took everything from him. He's lost sight of his family and freinds. You need to bring him back. I saw him and the four arguing. I think he might still love you. I say give it a shot."

"Where would I even start?" I ask.

The King of Hell moves the hand on the clock. "Boy look at the time!" He exclaims, "it's your lunch break! I don't see any open tables, so why not sit at that one where Reaper is. Looks like there's an open seat."

"Thanks," I smile.

"I'm a sucker for cute couples," The King of Hell replies, "in fact, take the rest of the day off with pay. Consider it a Christmas gift."

"Thanks," I smile, "if you ever need a favor, let me know."

"Don't worry about it," The King of Hell smiles.

I head to Reaper's table. He's looking down at his water, thinking, but the moment I sit, he looks right at me...