- Xiao, Izanami, Izanagi, Death, Lucifer, Lina, Sig, Lao -
Xiao and Izanami were set up to have their match in the main castle's training ground. Lao seemed excited, especially compared to everyone else. Death stood in the middle of the sparring square.
"No magic, no weapons. Xiao's contract will obviously be seen as an exception to the first rule. The match is over once one of you surrenders or I stop it."
Everyone else was on one side of the square. Lucifer and Izanagi were next to each other, with Lina and Sig behind Izanagi. Lao was pacing with excitement.
Izanagi whispered to Lucifer, "Does he understand what he's doing?"
"Yes," Lucifer confirmed. "I think part of the reason he's doing this is because of Kamlai."
Izanagi nodded. "It is quite impressive that a human managed to become the world's second rank in martial arts. Even considering the costs..."
Lina spoke in a deep voice, "It's not just Kamlai. Xiao also wants to strike you two traitors in the face. He's just nice enough to use a duel as an excuse."
Sig tapped Izanagi on the back with the handle of her dagger. "Consider yourself lucky."
"I always do..." Izanagi mumbled.
Death blinked out of the center and next to Lucifer. "Start!"
Xiao and Izanami circled each other. Xiao's arms turned black as he examined Izanami for openings. Izanami kept her arms low, unsure of how much effort she should put into the fight.
"Have you ever fought Wukong?" Izanami asked Xiao.
"Of course not," Xiao responded. "That would be a waste of time for both of us."
Izanami tilted her head slightly. "Then what point is there to this?"
Izanami wasn't trying to insult Xiao. She was actually worried about how she would handle this fight since she was certain that if anything went wrong it could be her and Izanagi's heads. Despite Izanami's intentions, Xiao's response was bitter.
"Don't compare yourself to Wukong."
Izanami sighed. She could tell that Xiao wasn't going to be dissuaded from this fight no matter what she said. She rushed Xiao, opting to go for grappling in an attempt to safely end the match. As she lowered her stance to sweep Xiao's legs, she felt Xiao's knee slam into her nose. She reeled back as a small amount of blood dripped from her nostrils.
Xiao didn't miss his chance. He ran at Izanami but stopped as his eyes met hers.
"What's going on?" Sig asked.
Izanami put a thumb into one nostril and blew the blood out of the other. "Alright then. Your youth isn't your fault. Should you ever get the chance, I highly recommend sparring with Wukong. It can be useful knowing what the best is capable of."
'Oh no,' Izanagi thought.
Izanami softened her posture. She slowly walked up to Xiao with both hands by her side. What happened next, didn't seem real to those spectating. If the others didn't know any better, they would have assumed that Xiao and Izanami had practiced a choreographed fight beforehand. Xiao was slowly, thoroughly, beaten backwards.
Xiao barely managed to block Izanami's strikes while having his own offensive completely shut down. At best he felt like a child who was being taught the basics and at worst, someone who was slowly being ripped apart by a wild animal. He could feel more weight behind the strikes that he blocked than the ones that landed, proving to him that Izanami was in full control.
Izanami went to finish the match. Her fist shot for the left of Xiao's chest, stopping just before making contact. Lina's fingers prodded the back of Izanami's neck.
"That's his heart," Lina threatened.
"I'm fine," Xiao reassured Lina. "She must have learned that habit from Wukong."
Lina pulled her fingers away from Izanami's neck and walked back over to Sig and Izanagi.
"I'm done here," Xiao said. "There's no point in continuing."
Izanami rubbed the back of her neck. "You have potential, you just need time."
"No," Xiao walked over to Lao for healing. "I'm not interested in being the second-best martial artist in the world. If I wanted to kill you or a god of your strength, I would never challenge you to a fair fight," He turned to Lina and Sig. "We're going to be staying in the territory until further notice."
"As will I," Death stated.
- Lucifer, Sabu, and Lao -
Lucifer was having a farewell meal with Sabu and Lao. Sabu and Lao had already given their goodbyes to Peter and Yvere but Lucifer decided to speak with them alone.
"I owe you two a great deal. I want you both to know, that you'll be far safer with Xiao and his squad than with me."
Lao grinned but Sabu remained sullen.
"It's okay," Lucifer assured. "Choosing this life doesn't negate the good you've done, nor does it take away your ability to continue helping the world."
"Thank you," Sabu spoke softly. "I plan on rejoining you someday after I've learned from Sig and Lina. I know you don't want me solely living for you but I want you to know, that you gave me purpose and...and that I consider you all family."
Lao pulled out his echo. He went to put it on the table but Lucifer stopped him.
"It's yours," Lucifer said. "Same as your contracts, same as your gear. Besides, Satan has enough of the things and it would be less awkward for Xiao if he doesn't have to field calls from Dimitri."
Lao smiled. "Thank you, for everything."
Lucifer joked, "Make sure Xiao remembers that you two killed Artemis and Apollo. I don't want him trying to lord his Grim accomplishments over you."
- Peter and Xiao -
Xiao had asked Peter to join him for a private conversation regarding their contracts. The two were sitting in one of the carts with Lina outside on watch. The tapping of Lina's fingers told Xiao it was safe to start.
"I was ordered by Mary not to tell anyone."
Peter shrugged. "I live around demons, the demon lord, and I'm friends with Zac. Ya don't need to act like it was yer sole knowledge."
Xiao scratched the back of his head and sighed. "Still...if you had died because you didn't have the contract's strength..."
Peter leaned back and motioned his hand in disagreement. "Nah. Ya see, my guess as to how I activated whatever THIS is, is that I was about to sacrifice my life for someone I love like family. Weird that I need to say this out loud, but I have no sexual feelings for Luce. And IF ya had told me sooner, I would've misinterpreted and wasted a lot of time."
Xiao pulled out his smokes.
"Not in the cart," Peter said. "It still smells after the last time."
"Wasn't going to," Xiao responded. "I was just wondering if maybe there's a plant or something out there that could help you with your contract's side effects?"
Peter sighed, "It's not..." he hesitated for a moment. "It's not something I think I deserve to have helped. I've never told ya, but after recent events, I guess ya've earned it. I was a level three prisoner."
Xiao cleared his throat and tried to hide the distrust in his eyes. "What did you do?"
Peter looked to the side. "I was a shit man, husband, and father," He wiped his eyes. "I don't deserve the strength of this contract. Being impotent, feelin' nothin' down there, I think THAT'S what I deserve."
Xiao lifted a smoke halfway out of the box before lowering it back down. "What about the tattoo on your back?"
Peter clicked his tongue. "Really? Are you a glutton for information as well?"
Xiao shrugged. "I wasn't expecting to hear all this, so why not?"
Peter and Xiao stared at each other for a moment. The distrust slowly left Xiao's eyes.
"Fine," Peter took his shirt off. "It's somethin' I learned from the man who properly taught me swordplay. Lines on the arms represent the burdens one creates, while lines on the back represent the burdens one carries. Keep the lines simple, but never replace them."
Xiao rolled up his sleeve and looked at the tattoo on his shoulder. It was an upside-down scythe, with multiple hands reaching for the handle.
"Does the placement have any meaning?" Xiao asked while glancing at Peter.
"Yeah..." Peter spoke with melancholy. "There was one mission that Luce and I did a long time ago. I shielded a woman from a bolt of lightnin' while movin'. It burned a line down my back with the uh...what are they called? The branching scars that electricity causes?"
"Lichtenberg," Xiao grinned. "Surprised that would mean so much to you?"
Peter grinned as he put his shirt back on. "It's part of the..." he shook his hands uncertainly. "-concept? Regardless, it was just the first thing that came to mind at the time, and what with the whole never-replacin' thing..."
"I can see why you've hidden all that," Xiao acknowledged. "We live so much longer than we're supposed to, it can get more than tiring having to explain things. Still," he scratched the side of his nose. "how old are you again?"
"Nah," Peter stood up and started to walk out of the cart. "Not tellin' ya my given name either."
Xiao followed quickly behind. "Come on! There's no chance those things are more important to you?"
"They're not," Peter agreed. "I just think it's funny how much ya care."