- Lucifer, Amaterasu, Tsukuyomi -
"Classism is what I try to AVOID!" Lucifer shouted the last part as he avoided an explosion.
Amaterasu was breathing heavily as she controlled four rings. "Fuck...fuck you. Take this more seriously."
"Uh-huh," Lucifer threw a cluster of explosive orbs in Amaterasu's direction before turning back to Tsukuyomi. "It's more about not living with a go-to philosophy that allows you to short-hand interactions. I understand where you're coming from, especially given the history of the world but, as I've said a hundred times now, your line of thinking is dangerous."
Amaterasu countered the cluster of explosive orbs with her own. She was slow to throw her own attack back and decided to call for a pause in the match.
"Switch!"
Lucifer sighed, "We'll continue this after."
Amaterasu switched to using one ring. The match between her and Lucifer was more even now though Amaterasu still failed to keep up.
"Fuck!" Amaterasu fell backwards, putting up her hand to show she surrendered.
"You're getting better," Lucifer said, offering a hand up. "Genuinely."
Amaterasu grabbed his hand and pulled herself up. "That would mean more if I had both hands."
Lucifer shook his head. "Maybe someday. You'd still lose though."
Tsukuyomi interjected. "So do you think that those you defend would do the same for you if your positions were swapped?"
"No," Lucifer groaned. "But so what? I'm a first-gen archangel, life was never going to be fair for me, the least I can do is try to help others."
"I think that's where you are being dishonest," Tsukuyomi disagreed.
"Excuse me?" Lucifer's eyes narrowed.
"Tsuki I don't-" Amaterasu tried to reason.
Tsukuyomi continued. "I think you are lying about wanting to help the less fortunate. What you have shown me, what you have told me, and especially what I have heard and read, proves to me that you are a being of strong conviction, selectively at least."
Lucifer folded his arms. "Is that right? ."
Tsukuyomi tilted his head to the side slightly. "You push yourself constantly in battle. I truly believe what I have heard about your willingness to fight any being in this world if you needed to. What I find difficult, if not impossible, to believe, is your supposed altruism. I had a theory about you that I now believe more than ever."
"Tsuki, please don't," Amaterasu spoke through her teeth.
"Go on," Lucifer spoke calmly.
Tsukuyomi looked from Amaterasu to Lucifer. "You want to prove yourself to the world. You follow in Death's shadow because doing so is the best way for you to achieve said goal. Unfortunately for you, this world forgets, and forgets often, unless one does something cataclysmic. Now, I also believe you would never do something so damaging to achieve your goal."
Lucifer closed his eyes and exhaled from his nose. His eyes opened with a mix of anger and fatigue. He spoke with a bitterness to his tone that surprised Amaterasu and Tsukuyomi.
"You're a few thousands year late on that one. I have my own theory about you though. You believe in this "balance" because you watched from the sidelines while the world tore itself apart during Ragnarok. You desperately wanted to know why such a thing could happen and instead of actually thinking about it you decided that both sides were wrong and now continually entrench yourself in that belief."
"I've given you my answers over and over again, with the slim hope that you might change your ways and start to see things reasonably. That was my fault, for assuming better of someone buried under millennia of bias. There's shit on top, shit on the bottom, and you're living proof that there's shit in-between."
Amaterasu went to argue with Lucifer but stopped when she noticed the look on Tsukuyomi's face. It was obvious to her that what Lucifer said had actually affected Tsukuyomi in a way stronger than anything she had seen in centuries.
"Tsuki..."
Tsukuyomi couldn't find the words to respond. He looked at the ground. For the first time since their meeting in Han'ei, he couldn't bear looking Lucifer in the eyes.
Lucifer didn't say anything before flying off.
- Yamato, Peter, Sabu, and Xiao -
Peter, Xiao, and Sabu were chatting with each other around a campfire as a light snowfall fell around them.
Peter laughed, "Yeah, Dahlia can be one of the more protective ones of Zac. She still upset that beings call him "Zac" instead of Zaccaria?"
Xiao scratched his beard while sucking on a candy, "No, she's gotten over it. What's your birth name again?"
Sabu looked interested.
Peter shook his head, "Not happenin', Xiao."
Xiao groaned, "I could have died of old age in my first life the amount of time I've been waiting for you to tell me," He turned to Sabu. "What about you? Find it hard to believe your birth name is "Sabumaru" given what I know of you."
"I'd rather not say," Sabu replied. "All the orphans were nameless. We were only given a name if we lasted long enough to be used."
Xiao crunched down on the candy in his mouth, "Fuck, I always forget how dark some of your pasts are. I was just a farmer."
"Do you miss the life?" Sabu asked.
"Fuck no," Xiao was quick to respond. "Simpler life, sure, but I had no control over it. I've said it to new recruits before; I'll take a fight against a god over the whims of nature any day. Plenty of horrible ways to die to magic but honestly, most of them get beat by starving to death, at least that's how I always felt about it."
Sabu smiled before quickly shifting to a glare. He pointed at Yamato, who was now approaching the three.
"Not an enemy," Peter sighed. "Or he shouldn't be."
Xiao whispered, "He the one with the eldritch contract?"
"He is," Peter looked over at Yamato. "Seemed like he had control of it."
Yamato got close to the three and looked around. "Where's Lucifer and Death."
Peter motioned for Yamato to sit. "Luce was annoyed by somethin' Tsukuyomi said and went to get drinks with Death."
Yamato sat down beside Peter. The clink of his swords caught Xiao's attention.
"Samurai?" Xiao asked.
"No," Yamato responded in an irritated tone. "I only use these blades because of their quality. I asked the blacksmith who made them for a spear but he refused. He gave me these after I confirmed that I was Japanese."
Peter's eyes went wide. "Arryx made those?"
"You know the blacksmith?" Yamato was surprised.
"Yeah..." Peter hesitated. "He made my sword and Luce's dagger. He's always had that strange habit of giving weapons based on a human's birthplace."
Xiao took his chance. "What weapon did he offer you, Peter?"
"Not happenin', Xiao," Peter responded.
Xiao clicked his tongue and switched his eyes to Yamato. "Why are you here?"
"To peace keep," Yamato groaned. "The rebellion leader caught Kahvis' attention."
"S'that right?" Xiao shifted slightly.
"Yes," Yamato continued. "We had been in talks with them joining our ranks but the leader is frustratingly traditional. I met with them to-"
Xiao shot from his position in a burst of speed, tackling and pinning Yamato to the ground.
"He's not an enemy, Xiao," Peter negotiated.
Peter gave Sabu a look to stay out of it. Sabu nodded before wincing in pain.
"Get off of me," Yamato threatened as his skin started to darken.
Xiao pushed the back of his arm into Yamato's throat, causing Yamato to cough. "You think your contract will stop me from snapping your neck? Answer my questions and you can walk out of here."
"Xiao," Peter stood up.
"Sit the fuck down, Peter," Xiao threatened. "Whoever that rebel leader is, their soldiers attacked me and my squad."
Peter gripped his hand into Xiao's shoulder. Xiao's head whipped around. The two exchanged glares. Peter's fingers dug deep into Xiao's shoulder. Xiao looked at Peter's hand and got off of Yamato, knockimg Peter's hand away as he stood.
"Talk," Xiao glared at Yamato.
Yamato rubbed his throat as he stood up. "I negotiated with the leader. I made sure that they understood how foolish it would be to continue making enemies of Death and the Grim. The negotiations took a few months and a lot of fighting on my part. Believe me when I say, I have no allegiance to the being."
Yamato coughed while healing his throat. "I offered them and their army safe passage to the resistance territory in exchange for convincing Death and you not to kill them on the way out."
Xiao pulled a white stick from his pocket and held it out to Peter. Peter sighed as he lit it for Xiao. Xiao took a long drag and exhaled a large plume of smoke.
"Let me see if I have this right," Xiao's glare deepened. "You want Death and me to turn a blind eye to someone who, unprovoked, threatened the lives of Grim soldiers?"
Yamato tried hiding his irritation. "I know it's a lot to ask but there's no point in continuing to fight. The leader has agreed to meet with you so that she can properly discuss this with you."
Xiao took another puff from his smoke, "Right? And where will this discussion be held?"
"It can be here if you like?" Yamato almost sounded condescending. "So long as you and the others swear not to kill them on sight. Which, so it's understood, would only lead to the full force of the rebellion going wild and attacking everything."
Xiao finished his smoke and crumpled it in his hand. "Alright. I swear on Death's name that the rebel leader shall not be attacked or killed unless provoked. Now go get them while I inform the others."
Xiao walked away, almost stomping with anger. Yamato glared at Xiao's back. Peter tapped Yamato in the stomach with the back of his hand.
"Don't," Peter warned. "Xiao's allegiance has, and will always be, to the Grim. He was ready to kill ya and ruin the relationship between Purgatory and the resistance."
"Are all Grim like that?!" Yamato's patience broke.
Peter sighed, "All the ones that work outside of Purgatory, yeah. While there's not a Grim in this world who would go against Death, there are those that believe the Grim are allies, not soldiers, of Purgatory."
Yamato sat back down gripping his face in his frustration. "This territory is burning the last of my patience," He looked up at Peter. "You know, I didn't believe Kahvis when they told me that the Izas would stay out of a REBELLION of all things in their own territory, but here we are," He pulled out an echo.
Peter sat down next to Yamato. "Izanagi has always sided with probability. The man practically worships it. Can't blame him for that, 'specially given the results."
Yamato scoffed, "I hope he understands that luck is a whore."
"I don't think ya should..." Peter stopped after hearing a voice come out of Yamato's echo.
"Did they accept the terms?" The voice said.
Yamato glanced at Peter. "Not yet. I'll tell you the location where you can meet. The Grim leader swore on Death's name that they wouldn't kill you so long as you don't provoke an attack."
"So be it," The voice huffed.
Yamato gave the details of the group's location to the voice before ending the call and putting the echo away.