Lucifer stood next to his Baby Girl's bedside, buttoning up his black shirt and watching her sleep. The slight movement of her chest as she breathed and the way her eyes moved around under the closed lids fascinated him. He had been amongst living mortals before but not like this, never so intimate or personal and never for this long. The two had developed an odd relationship as the days passed and turned into weeks. Admittedly, Lucifer had come to enjoy his sweet doll's company more than he expected, and most of the time, they got along well enough, but she was hiding something from him. A good wife shouldn't hide things from her husband, sure he had his own secrets, but that was different,
"Lucifer?" His father called from the open door. Lucifer was so lost in thought that he had not heard the heavy wooden door open.
"Shh, she's sleeping." He hushed in a whisper as he finished with the last button on his shirt.
"Did you tell her you're leaving?" His father asked in a low voice.
"Nah, I'll let it be a pleasant surprise." He chuckled as he rolled up one sleeve. She made this little sound as her lips twitched at whatever she was dreaming about, and he couldn't help but smile a bit. She was cute and, at that moment, content. She was usually content while she slept, "I wonder what she's dreaming about? What has taken my Baby Girl away from her Hell?" He pondered as he began working on the other sleeve.
"Why do you insist on making her miserable?" Came the question he had been expecting.
"Miserable?" He hummed, "I think that's a bit of an exaggeration, Father. If I wanted to make her miserable, she wouldn't be peacefully sleeping in the Crowned Prince's bed." Lucifer explained. "But to answer your over-embellished claim. Toys are supposed to be played with, aren't they?"
"She's to be your wife, not your plaything." His father replied as frustration swept the room.
"You forced her on me, and I will treat her however I please. If you have a problem with that Father, then you marry her instead." He replied, finishing his task while still staring at his sleeping wife. "Japan then?"
"Yes, God seems to think there has been a demonic attack that has killed a human." His father sighed at the subject change, and Lucifer reached out to brush away some loose hair that had fallen in her face.
"His reasoning?" Lucifer asked, finally breaking away from her bedside and walking across the room to his dresser.
"A soul popped in just a bit ago that wasn't in the death book. He wasn't supposed to die for another twelve years." He informed as Lucifer put on his watch that correlated with Earth time.
"What did this soul say happened?" He questioned, picking through various objects in the top drawer of his dresser.
"Doesn't know. He claims he was walking down an alley in Nagano city when someone grabbed him from behind. He felt an excruciating pain in the side of his neck, and then poof." His father divulged as Lucifer pocketed a few items but seemed stuck between two stacks of bound bills.
"Poof, huh?" He pondered before turning to his father, holding up a stack in each hand, "Yen or Won? I can never remember."
"Yen. Won is Korean." His father answered, causing Lucifer to drop the bills in his right hand back into the drawer.
"Humm." Was all Lucifer replied as he moved back to the bed and grabbed his packed bag, hoisting it onto his shoulder before walking back to his Baby Girl and giving her one more sniff, "I bet it's that husband of hers, William, was it? That's who she's probably dreaming about." He guessed as her comfort filled his nose.
"Stop that, Louie. It's creepy." His father ordered.
With a smirk, Lucifer straightened himself, "What? She's a pretty little doll that deserves admiration."
"Let's go." His father insisted as he turned from the door, "Oh, and Louie. If it's him,"
"Yeah, I know." Lucifer quickly cut in, taking a few long strides to catch up with his father, "I don't want her leaving the castle grounds. I've already told her that, but she's strong-willed, and I don't put it past her to try when I'm not around."
"She's not a prisoner." His father remarked.
"No, but if she goes into Hell City, they'll smell her soul from a mile away. Even if she tells them she's mine, some won't care, especially in my absence." He explained, "I don't want to return to a broken doll."
"She'll be fine while you're gone, Louie. Like you said, maybe even happy."
The duo made their way to the throne room and across the massive hall, "Be careful." His father said.
Lucifer nodded, pulling out a knife. He wrapped his free hand around the sharp blade and pulled the knife through, slicing through his skin. Blood oozed from his clenched palm while he handed his father the bloodied knife and began reciting ancient words as he dipped a finger from his uninjured hand into the blood that pooled in the other.
~~~
Nagano city Japan is where Lucifer ended up, it was growing dark in the city, and the street lights were starting to pop on. The air was thick and heavy, but it didn't bother him. He hoped this would be a short and sweet mission, but that hope dwindled as he approached the scene. Flashing lights of cop cars, the smell of a dead human, swarming police officers and detectives. He loathed role-playing, but with so many people crowding around his body, he didn't have any other option. Quickly finding a hotel nearby, Lucifer dropped his bag onto the bed, pulled out his fake badges, and sifted through them. He needed to get close to the body. Finally finding the ones he was looking for, Lucifer slipped one badge into his pocket, the other hung around his neck, and he grabbed a handgun out of his bag. The gun wasn't real, just a very realistic replica. If something were to go wrong, it wouldn't be Lucifer that needed a weapon. Checking himself over in the mirror, he gave his reflection a nod, and out the door he went.
Lucifer confidently approached the police barricade,
"Hey, who are you?" An attentive officer asked in Japanese.
"Forensics." He answered back in Japanese, flashing the fake badge in his pocket. The man's eyes went wide, but he quickly composed himself. Lucifer was sure that seeing him and hearing his fluency surprised the man, but he didn't question it, and without another word, the man stepped aside and let Lucifer pass.
Lucifer spoke every language fluently, any language known or ever known to living souls he knew, and communicated flawlessly. Perks of being his father's son and a handy gift that made this aspect of his responsibilities much easier.
Quickly finding the scene of the crime, Lucifer squatted down by the actual forensic scientist and pulled a pair of gloves from her kit,
"You are?" She asked as Lucifer slipped the latex over his hands and looked at the victim. The man lay face down, a massive chunk of flesh and meat missing from his neck,
"Dr. Aba," He quickly answered, showing her the lanyard before poking around the gaping wound, "I work in Lizuna. We had a similar case a couple of weeks back. Your head detective called just a little bit ago. I happened to be in the area and told him I would check it out. Have you ever seen anything like this before?" He questioned.
"No. It looks like someone cut out the throat." The nameless lady replied suspiciously, "Where in Lizuna? I have a few friends who—"
"Not here for pleasure, ma'am." Lucifer interrupted, "Though I am free later this evening." He winked, causing her to blush and snap back to the victim.
Lucifer examined the grotesque scene. The head was barely connected to the body. However, there were no defensive wounds, but the main thing Lucifer noted was the actual wound. The man's throat wasn't cut open. It was bitten, ripped out by one of his own.
"Whoever did this moved the body?" He asked.
"Had to. Something like this would have left blood everywhere, but there is very little on the ground here." She confirmed, "And it looks like whoever did this tried to wipe away the blood." She said, pointing to the smears around the wound, "Dead about a day if I had to guess. We've searched missing persons, hoping to get an ID, but nothing. Poor guy had no one looking for him."
"Right, have a good evening," Lucifer replied coldly, standing up and taking off the gloves.
"That's all? You're not going to help?" She asked, looking up at him from her squatting position.
"Nope, I was mistaken. No relation to my case. Good luck, though." He replied, his back already to her and walking away. Lucifer had gotten everything he needed from the scene. It was half-demon, and he had a pretty good idea who. "You damned fool." He grumbled to himself.
Kitakyushu was his next destination. He hoped he would find who he was looking for there. It took him a few days to get there, but he also was in no rush, so he took his time. Lucifer enjoyed the mortal realms, especially Earth. Humans were so unpredictable, and he loved it.
He traveled by daylight, but the nights he spent indulging in alcohol, drugs, women, men, sometimes all together, but the fun had ended. He had a job to do, reminding himself as he snorted a line of cocaine off the dingy dresser of a cheap hotel. He jumped in the shower to clean away the sins of his night before dressing in a simple pair of jeans and a v-neck short sleeve. Returning to the room, he grabbed his bag and dropped twenty thousand yen on the bedside table for his night's companion, who was still deeply asleep before leaving the room.
Entering the small lobby, Lucifer tossed the key to the lady behind the desk and put his bag on the counter. She was small, fair-skinned, old, and wrinkled. Her greying black hair was tied up into a messy bun that looked like it was just plopped on top of her head,
"I should be back for this later today. If not, hold onto it for a few days." Lucifer instructed, handing over a few bills, which were quickly snatched from his fingers, "If I haven't returned in a week, keep anything of value for yourself and burn the rest, making sure everything with my name is destroyed."
The older lady behind the counter counted the yen and smiled, "Of course, Young Prince."
"And the address you gave me?" He glared at her, though she didn't look up as her fingers sifted through the bills.
"I assure you, my Prince, he is there, or at least last I heard. Oh, and our deal?"
"Assuming your information is accurate, I'll give you another hundred before your next assessment, though make sure you've moved. You've already been here too long, Quenone."
"Of course, Young Lord, and please do not call me that here. My name is Sakata."
Lucifer walked out onto the street. His destination was just a couple of kilometers up the road, so he walked. His hands crammed into his pockets, he began the short journey as his mind drifted back to the mission. The hunt was usually his favorite part, but things were different this time. This job he didn't want, but it was his responsibility, and it had to be handled.
As Lucifer entered a tiny town, he followed Quenone's direction, walking up the main street, around the corner to the left, and sure enough, he stood in front of a tiny little store. The bell above the door chimed as he walked in. He felt around, and sure enough, he sensed the soul he was here for,
"Gregory? That's what you're going by now, right?" Lucifer called loudly as he locked the door behind him and strolled down an aisle full of paper goods.
"Louie?" A voice rang back as he heard footsteps approaching, "Hey Louie! That time already, huh?" A short, rather plump man greeted.
His well-kept black hair was cut close to the sides of his head, the longer top combed back, and those brown eyes that smiled nervously at him were nothing more than a charade. If he took out those contacts, his eyes would be black just like their mothers were,
"No, Olreth, I'm here about the dead body in Nagano city. I know you did it." He sighed, picking up a box of plastic sporks. Half fork, half spoon. He couldn't help but wonder why anyone would need these silly things as he put the box back with a sigh, "You know the rules, Brother, and you know the consequences."
"What? No, come on, Louie, I wouldn't, and in Nagano? That's like eleven hours away." He defended, and he did it well. Keeping himself calm to not give anything away, but Lucifer could smell his brother's lies in the air.
His half-brother had the same talent as him and the same teeth, which was damning evidence. "I saw the body, and I know those bite marks." Lucifer tsked, "It was either you or me." He revealed, "Poor momma didn't live long enough after I was born to pop out another." He waited as his brother's defense started to fail. Anxiety and fear potpourri the room now, "Why did you do it, Olreth?"
There was a long silence, "He stole from me! I gave him a job. I even let him sleep in the back because he was homeless, and the crooked little bastard emptied my register and ran to Nagano using the money I made to get there. I couldn't just let him go!" He admitted, breaking down as sweat dripped from his forehead, "Come on, Louie, Brother, please, you have to understand."
"We have rules, Olreth," Lucifer sighed.
"I know, believe me, I know, but it was one mistake," He reasoned.
"Three mistakes. There was that girl you married," Lucifer replied.
"She cheated on me." He justified.
"And we can't forget that poor prince who befriended you." He said, taking a few steps forward as Olreth moved back.
"I was young, just getting out into the human world, but Louie, both of those were years and years ago. Ancient history."
"History nonetheless, and I warned you after your wife that if it ever happened again,"
"Please don't take me back. I hate it there. I have a life here. I swear on my life, it won't happen again." He begged, getting down on his knees.
"You swore that last time." Lucifer reminded, looking down at the sad heap, "Get up and let us go." He ordered. Lucifer walked past his pathetic brother and took a couple of steps toward the back of the store, but Olreth didn't move. "That was an order, Olreth." He warned, but the half-demon still didn't move, "Please, Brother, get up and come with me."
"I'm not going back to Hell, Lucifer." His words came slowly through gritted teeth as anger caught Lucifer's nose.
"Yes, you are. I will drag you back if I must." He sighed, "Don't make this difficult, Olreth." Despite his final plea, Olreth planted his feet and growled at Lucifer, "The hard way it is then." Lucifer grumbled but didn't waste a second as he lunged for his brother, who had kicked off the ground, forcing himself back to avoid him.
The fight destroyed the little store. Each of the two half-demons was thrown into shelves, causing their contents to be scattered and crushed. Finally, Lucifer got the upper hand and tackled Olreth to the ground, where he held him by the throat. Olreth struggled against the grip as his sharp teeth snapped at the hand that held him. Lucifer was bleeding and bad. Olreth had taken a chunk out of his shoulder, the pain he could deal with, but the blood loss was starting to affect his head. One thing he hated about the mortal realms was that he had to abide by their laws, which meant bleeding and death.
"Last chance, brother." Lucifer growled, "Come back with me."
Olreth sputtered and spat like he was trying to say something, so Lucifer loosened his grip only for Olreth to spit in his face,
"Fuck you and your dad!" He growled as Lucifer wiped the bloody spit off his face.
Lucifer sighed before crushing his brother's throat with one swift move, and everything suddenly fell silent. He had every intention of dragging his brother back to Hell if he refused to cooperate, but his injuries were too severe, and he was growing weaker by the minute. Lucifer knew Olreth would get the upper hand if this battle went on any longer, and he couldn't allow that. With another sigh, he slowly got up. A mixture of his blood and his brothers filled the air. He looked down at his blood-soaked hand. The crimson liquid shined in the light. Without a second thought, he licked away most of the blood. Even mixed with the muddy-tasting demon blood, he could always pick out sweet and tangy human blood. Grabbing his dead brother by the foot, he pulled the body towards the back of the store, and with the chalk in his pocket, he sketched out the devil's door onto the wall before mustering up the strength to open it.