- Lucifer and Tsukuyomi -
Lucifer found himself training consistently with Amaterasu throughout the months. Given what little progress was being made by Xiao and Death, he felt it might actually be a good use of his time to train so that he'd be ready for whatever happens. Unfortunately for him, Tsukuyomi had started making it a habit of coming to the training sessions to talk afterward.
"You're fucking deluded," Lucifer spat.
"Why?" Tsukuyomi asked genuinely. "I believe what I believe with reason. From what I have read and heard, even what I have personally experienced, my views seem perfectly fair to me."
"What about your mother and father?" Lucifer grumbled. "They're ancients; do you believe they're part of the problem?"
"In a sense, yes," Tsukuyomi sighed. "I do not believe that all things that affect the balance of the world do so equally."
"Of course you don't," Lucifer exhaled with fatigue. "That hasn't stopped you from earning your reputation though. Don't make yourself out to be more open-minded than you are."
With each session of training, came another back-and-forth between Lucifer and Tsukuyomi.
Tsukuyomi was flipping through pages of a book as he spoke. "Are any of the records I listed incorrect? Are the numbers off? I trust your knowledge of this world so I am willing to believe you if you say they are."
Lucifer let out a long groan before answering, "No! What I'm trying to get across to you is that you're belief in balance has misguided you into being a classist piece of shit."
Eventually, Amaterasu started staying around to listen in on the arguments between the two.
"Explain it to me again, just so we're clear!" Lucifer demanded in frustration.
"Fine," Tsukuyomi respectfully agreed. "The world requires balance. I believe this balance is often disrupted by the strongest and weakest of the world. Maybe a simpler explanation would help?"
"Sure, why not?" Lucifer smiled.
Amaterasu left after seeing Lucifer smile.
"Well," Tsukuyomi started, "I think the antithesis to balance, is greed and the things that can cause greed. And I believe that greed is most often found in those on top, and those on the bottom."
"Have," Lucifer took a breath to pace himself, "have you considered that maybe those on the bottom are "greedy" because they have had the bare necessities of their existence siphoned from them?"
Tsukuyomi spoke confidently, "I think that is a lazy excuse. There is no justification for the infliction of pain onto the innocent if avoidable."
"IT'S," Lucifer closed his mouth and screamed before continuing. "It's...it's not that simple and to believe as such is lazy."
Lucifer left, leaving Tsukuyomi to mumble to himself.
"Lazy..."
- Lucifer and Amaterasu -
Lucifer and Amaterasu were exchanging advice. Lucifer was holding one of his wings as he spoke.
"I leverage durability, especially with the wings. I think you could do the same with your rings. It might be more beneficial to use one ring solely for defense, two for offense, and one for needed flexibility."
Amaterasu placed her hand underneath the center of one of her rings as it floated horizontally.
"I've tried mastering that style but there are difficulties in the mental separation. I think you would benefit from using more burst-style flames."
Amaterasu shot a small flame through the ring, causing the tiny puff of fire to become a medium-sized fireball.
"I learned how to do this through trial-and-error. I've found it to be one of my most useful tools."
Both would nod, humming in agreement or disagreement at the other's suggestions. After the months of training, Amaterasu felt confident enough to ask Lucifer an unexpected question.
"How's the Grim mission going?"
Lucifer's expression immediately filled with distrust. "Why?"
Amaterasu spoke carefully, "Because I haven't heard good things from the Kage," She sighed. "I'm not up to anything, I'm just curious."
Though Lucifer believed her, he couldn't help speaking with a tone of doubt.
"Regardless, I can't tell you anything more than what the Kage know."
As Lucifer left to speak with Tsukuyomi, Amaterasu couldn't help feeling a little hurt by the clear distrust Lucifer had shown. She sighed as she walked.
'I guess I can't blame him.'
- Lucifer and Tsukuyomi -
Tsukuyomi was motioning his right hand in frustration. "You must admit you have some amount of bias? I think you might be confusing the human world with ours."
Lucifer, dragging his hand across his face, groaned, "Obviously I have bias, everyone does. I'm not arguing while thinking of the human world though. How can you look at this world's history and think LESSERS were the problem?"
"Not THE problem, A problem," Tsukuyomi corrected. "I think ancients and lessers both suffer from desperation. The former is desperate to keep, the latter is desperate to have. That desperation breeds greed, which corrupts balance."
Lucifer's eyes rolled upward as he tilted his head to the sky. He felt the looming despair that this argument would continue in circles unless he just walked away. Whether through stubbornness or curiosity, he decided to ask another question.
"Why do you respect me? Why do you view ME as a good representative of this "balance" you're obsessed with?"
Tsukuyomi answered with an eager tone that surprised Lucifer.
"Because you grew your strength - continue to grow your strength even - while appearing as if you want nothing more than your own safety and the safety of those you care about."
Lucifer didn't find any joy in the compliment. He did, however, find what he believed to be a potential turning point in the two's arguments. He spoke confidently.
"You only know as much about me because of who I am. I am one of the most well-documented beings in this world, second only to Death, maybe. If you didn't know anything about me, other than what you've seen since I've been in the territory, what would you think of me?"
Tsukuyomi seemed confident as he went to respond to Lucifer's question but before any words left his mouth, he stopped. The more he thought about Lucifer's question, the more his answer seemed to elude him.
'Well of course I-' one thought stopped. 'I know I would-' another. 'I do not think it is that simp-' and another.
No answer lasted in Tsukuyomi's mind. His eyes shifted from Lucifer to the ground.
"Until next time," Lucifer said before flying off.
- Lucifer and group -
Lucifer was recanting what had just happened with Tsukuyomi. Lina and Xiao poked at his wings as he spoke.
"Ya sure he doesn't just wanna fuck ya?" Peter asked.
Lucifer shrugged. "That'd be easier to deal with. I wouldn't even be humoring his argument if not for the genuine respect he's been showing me."
Yvere chuckled, "Yeah, it's not common for beings to stay around after someone tells them to fuck off."
"It's similar to emberscale," Xiao said.
"How do you deal with the heat of this?" Lina asked.
The ground beneath Lucifer was bare mud surrounded by snow.
"Archangel body," Lucifer and Peter responded.
Death and Sabu were staying quiet. Sabu hated that Tsukuyomi seemed to be obsessed with Lucifer. Death hated Tsukuyomi's beliefs. The two, unbeknownst to each other, were sharing a growing hatred for Tsukuyomi.
Sig and Lao were exchanging stories during lulls in the conversation.
"He says his training is going well," Lao grinned.
"Mine's still in New Death City," Sig sounded melancholic. "Lucky us that we found incredibly patient men."
- Yamato, R'yaarj and Kija -
Yamato stood amongst piles of gigantic collapsed bodies.
"Why do you even have the swords?" one of the collapsed bodies groaned.
Yamato, ignoring the question, yelled, "IS THAT ENOUGH FOR YOU?!"
An unsettling wave spread throughout the air as Yamato's voice sounded as if it was echoing in two different tones. The beings that had been spectating started leaving, clutching their heads in pain as they went.
Yamato continued shouting, "MONTHS I'VE BEEN IN THIS FROZEN SHIT HOLE YOU CALL A BASE! MONTHS OF PROVING I'M "WORTHY" OF A MEETING WITH SOME BEING TOO FOOLISH TO RECOGNIZE WHY THEY SHOULDN'T PICK A FIGHT WITH DEATH!"
Yamato's face was warping as he shouted. Blood started to stream from his eyes as his body darkened into a purple hue. The beings that were clutching their heads started falling to the ground.
"Well," Kija spoke calmly, "you've more than earned my attention. I'll hear what you have to say but first I need you to drag back the monster inside of you. Unless it speaks for you?"
Yamato looked around at the beings that were writhing in pain. He breathed deeply. Each deep breath seemed to revert the changes to his body.
'Wrathfulness is next to godliness,' R'yaarj taunted.