Lucien, Hazumi and Azel

Hazumi didn’t usually return home before dusk but in her current state even she realized it was the wise thing to do. There were still hours to go before the sun came up when she landed on the rooftop, this time too tired to stretch or do anything else. In fact, even the flight here had felt like an agonizing eternity – the wounds weren’t healing properly and the mysterious hunger from before was threatening to resurface. 
 
[i]What’s wrong with me?[/i] the angel wondered with a sigh as she sat down and let her eyes roam over the city. It was unusually quiet, no crime or violence screaming to make itself noticed. It was too calm somehow, in a way that spelled upcoming disaster… But of what kind? Would it mean too much work… or too little? Her hands were itching to taste blood but there was nothing worth killing for. Hazumi bit her lip and tried to reject the idea of once again losing her purpose. 
 
She got to her feet and staggered back to the apartment where her almost-splitting image opened the door. Both of them took a surprised step back – her because she still wasn’t used to seeing her own self staring back at her, and him, because of the state of her beaten body. After a second elapsed they both silently nodded at each other and Azel took a few steps back, his fake wings catching on the light-fixture and causing a curse. A smile touched Hazumi’s lips at the familiarity of that feeling. Taking a rugged breath she stepped into the bathroom and sat on the closed toilet, leaning her back on the cold tile. She heard Azel alerting Lucien of her return and tried to clear her throat enough to speak. The action caused the rupture to soak her shirt with more blood so she pressed her hand against her broken throat before she tried to speak again. 
 
“Guys?” She called, her voice strangely faltering. “Could you come over, please?”

Lucien was sharpening his blade. There was something coming. He could feel it. Just like it was in the days before heaven's gate fell. War. Death. Catastrophe. There would be blood and death. That much is certain. Lucien grinned. "I hope your sheep are ready for it, Cowards. Because true Demons are knocking on the door.." He said aloud, apparently speaking to the Council. Several good things would come from the chaos, that much was certain. He heard the door opening, and glanced over expectantly. The nightly ritual hadn't stopped, even when it was revealed that the Cowards had been lying to and manipulating her for their own purposes. 

His dau-the Demon came first. Lucien's face flickered with grief, and then it was gone, back into his usual mask of repressed violence. It was a constant battle, to remind himself that it wasn't his daughter, walking and breathing again. It did nothing to improve his opinion of the demon, but he had to admit it's effectiveness. The Demon was still breathing when it should be killed and rotting by now. Didn't make it any less annoying, but it served the purpose of keeping the Demon alive, certainly. As Azel began to speak, likely to alert him of the obvious, Hazumi called out. Something was wrong. 

Lucien stood quickly, brushing past the Demon, and opened the door tot he bathroom. At a glance he took in the damage. "What happened?"

"Maulrnuk..." Hazumi said simply and swallowed which made her frown. "But... something is wrong."

Azel poked his head in the bathroom and his mouth quivered into an unbelieving smile. 

"Are we seriously having a conversation in the bathroom?"

"I'm still bleeding." Hazumi explained with a frown. "I'd get the carpet dirty. I barely managed to get out the stains Lucien created yesterday."

"Right. Well, I'll go read--"

"No. Stay." Hazumi asked and leaned her head on her knee with a sigh. "I need advise. I need to know what I'm fighting for. I need to know what you guys fight for."

Azel jumped the opportunity to talk first - he knew once Lucien started his opinion would be as good as non-existent.

"Survival. But if I had your guys' power, I'd fight for peace. I'd try to protect the weaklings such as myself and allow them to leave their own trail in this world."

Hazumi stared at him with a puzzled look. 

"I thought you demons preyed on the weak."

"A biological need is not the same as an ideological desire. Death will always exist, I just wish I could tip the balance enough to give everyone an opportunity to live, not just the strongest ones. Like in the human world - something you two wouldn't know enough about."

"What do you mean?"

"Humans are almost identical phycisally. Sure, they still find ways to prey on each other but they're much closer to equality than any of us."

Hazumi didn't say anything but it was obvious she was trying to comprehend the idea of humans being worthy of respect. 

Ah. Maulrnuks. Nasty little bastards. As Hazumi explained to Azel about the reasons she had decided to have this conversation in the bathroom, Lucien wisely decided not to pursue the subject of how it was just a carpet and she was [i]bleeding[/i]. Some things were not meant to be understood, and this was clearly one of them. He remained silent as Hazumi asked her question and the Demon leapt in before he could. There was something to what the Demon said. As he finished, Lucien spoke. 

"The Demon is right. Out of all of us, the humans have nothing that makes any one of them better than the other biologically. They all suffer from the same weaknesses, the same strengths. Things only begin to change when they change it. As for what I fight for, I'll tell you that when you tell me what is wrong." She had said something was wrong before Azel had stuck his head in there, and she had abruptly changed the subject. He leaned against the wall, sword in hand, waiting expectantly. 

Hazumi's eyes slid up to meet Lucien's and she stared at him as if he had the pieces necessary for her to form a sentence. 

"Something is wrong... with me." She admitted. "With my body and my soul... I don't know what but they're malfunctioning and... not healing properly and... plaguing me with hunger... It feels... strange. But worse than that, I'm not sure that... that what I'm doing is right. If I shouldn't be doing something else." She sighed and leaned her head back on her knee. This was pathetic.

Lucien raised an eyebrow. It was rare for an Angel's healing property, even with the current sheep of the Council, to not work. And strange hunger? It was odd, to say the least. "Hunger for what, exactly?" The unsureness could be dealt with easily enough later. The failing of the things in combat that are keeping her alive, that was a bit more complicated to deal with. And who knows? Maybe(as impossible as it was) she was hungry for demon flesh and he could solve that problem quite quickly. Lucien glanced briefly at Azel at the thought, smirking slightly. 

Hazumi didn't look up at him this time and she kept silent for slightly longer than before. Her voice sounded uncertain when she spoke. 

"I don't know... All I know is that I want to kill. It doesn't feel right to... it doesn't feel right to come back home so early when I know there's so much to kill out there. But how do I know if they really deserve to die?"

"Well they probably don't." Azel muttered irritably.

Lucien didn't even bother glancing at the demon this time. "Depends on who you're killing. Most humans don't deserve to die. They live normal lives, doing the best they can with what they have. Some, however, are like demons. Evil, they give into the darker sides of their nature. Murders, rapists, child molestors. They deserve to die." Lucien stared at Azel now. "Most demons deserve to die as well. Whether it be simply their nature or personal choice, they cause nothing but death and suffering wherever they go. Humans are playthings to them. Some, very few, don't deserve to die. For whatever reason, they use their powers to help. To Keep the Balance, or to protect, or care for. Very, very few."

Hazumi looked up to Lucien and pinned her eyes on his.

"That... You sound wiser than you did before. You sound more like an Archangel now." She pointed out. "They also say that. But they don't think humans deserve to die at all. But... they told me to kill those humans... Or... could you have been the one who gave me that order?" Something dark appeared in her eyes as she placed the accusation and only spread when she continued. "In order to shake my belief in the Council? In order to make me do your bidding...?"

Lucien's eyes narrowed. "Be very careful. I am many things, most of them flaws, but I am not the type to order the death of innocents just to convince one that she is being blinded and manipulated by the Cowards." He gave a bitter smile, remembering. "They say alot. They said their new weapon would make Angels stronger, make it easier for us to fight against the Demons who were slowly but surely winning the War. We believed them. I believed them. [i]She[/i] believed them, and was the first to volunteer. Her death wasn't quick, nor clean. A Demonic parasite, if what they told me was true. Worked too fast, they said. Honorable sacrifice, they said. Then, they turned around and used her as a scape goat for when we lost the war."

"In other words, no. I don't want you to see the truth about them badly enough that I'd convince you to murder humans who didn't deserve to die, even if I possessed that power!"

Hazumi smacked her lips and paused before she finally spoke. 

“What happened to her. Tell me more. ...And what happened to you.”

"That," Lucien said softly, "is a very long story. You sure you want me to tell you it?"

Was she? That story could further convince her of the incompetence of the Council and only double her doubts. Then again, hadn't she always wished to be able to know as much about them as she possibly could? Hadn't she wished to be educated and respected for knowledge that went further than demon's anathomy and skills? 

And did she really have anything left to lose? 

Biting her lip nervously Hazumi nodded. 

Lucien was silent for a few moments before beginning. "It was towards the end of the Great War. Hell's forces were marching steadily towards Heaven's gate and there was nothing we could do to stop them. We had lost this war of attrition. When we died, our souls went back to heaven and then were reborn, but we took time to grow into our full strength. When we beat our opponents, our only benefit was knowledge how to kill that type easily, and there was always more, always stronger." 

"The Demons, however, when the Demons died, they were reborn and ready to fight within seconds of being reborn. When they beat their opponents, they were one step closer to evolving, to becoming stronger. For everyone we slew, dozens would leap up in it's place, desparate to kill an Angel and consume it's essence. We had been retreating for years, and the only victories we gained from the conflict were coming back from it alive. Then the Cowards came, proclaiming they had found a way to make us stronger. To turn the tide against the Demons." 

"We were desparate enough to believe them. The Demons were almost upon our doorstep, and we had no where else to turn. My daughter, she had just come of age two days ago. Old enough to be sent to the War front. She was so proud, so eager to do what she could to fight against those that had taken her mother and threatened her home. She was the first to volunteer. I was there when they injected her with the substance. It [i]felt[/i] wrong. It's essence was Demonic, but suppressed. I should have stopped it as soon as I felt the wrongness in the substance, but I didn't, because I still trusted the Cowards."

"For the first few weeks, she was fine. No notable change, she was just normal. She survived her first conflicts, I made sure of that, and she served Heaven to the best of her ability. I had never been prouder, never been happier. Three days before the Fleshshaper's monstrosity reached the Heaven's Gate, she began to change. To sicken. Her wings darkened, and she began to puke a black liquid. It grew worse and worse, and when I confronted the Cowards they told me they had made a mistake. It was a Demonic Parasite that they thought would help us. Obviously, they were wrong. Before I could kill them, the Fleshshaper's construct arrived at the gates."

"We managed to slow the creature, but not stop him. The Cowards were being held accountable for their claims. They needed a scape goat. My daughter's wings were now black, and she was nearly unable to move by herself. So they used her. Claimed her wings had blackened because of the betrayal she had done, helping the Demons get that monster to the Gate. They dragged her before a mob." Lucien's voice, soft grief filled while he spoke, suddenly turned hard and hate infused every word, every syllabel. "They dragged her in front of a mob that tore and spat at her. They made me watch. They claimed she deserved no trial because of her sin. Then they took a sword and decapitated her to the roar of the crowd." Lucien's voice broke and his gaze was far away, reliving the scene. The horror, the helplessness, the burning rage and hate. The betrayal. 

Shaking his head, he returned his gaze to Hazumi. "Minutes aftewards, the Fleshshapers monster broke the gate. Everyone panicked and tried to stop the Demons from flooding in to the opening. In the chaos, I was left unguarded. In the chaos I found the Coward who killed my daughter, and I [i]killed[/i] him." Lucien's voice took on a fierce pleasure and satisfaction. "He was the only Angel to not die by a Demon's hand that day. The survivors scattered to the human world as Heaven burned."

"The Cowards perfected their formula there. They got to mind control the newest generation. Black wings, sin of their forefathers. It was disgusting, and I was sealed in onyx and unable to stop them. They [i]created[/i] Dark Wings. They claimed it was sin that they had to wash off.." Lucien gave a laugh. It was a harsh sound. "Their own sin, perhaps." He stared at Hazumi for a few more moments before speaking again. 

"You asked what I fight for? I fight for vengeance. I fight for death. They will die, and I will die. There is no place for us left in this world. It is your kind that this world belongs to, and we should not be ruling you like the Gods. It used to be that I fought for peace, for balance. I respected the Demons, and acknowledged their need for existence same as ours. Even during the war, I pushed for pursuing peace. Obviously, that changed when they ransacked Heaven and the Cowards killed my daughter."

While she was listening, Hazumi’s face betrayed her growing shock and… sympathy. His words almost seemed to cause her physical pain, making her heart beat faster and her eyes – water. Her breath became even more labored and by the time Lucien spoke of the fate of his daughter tears were already streaming down her cheeks. Clutching her chest she tried to ease the pain in her heart that felt like she was dying herself and the only thing that could save her was holding another being close or being held herself. 
 
But Lucien didn’t stop talking. He continued and he destroyed all she knew about her sins and her duties and then… then came the worst part. Then he said the fate of the world lie in the hands of the likes of her. And his words gripped her throat tight and squeezed all air out of her. And he told her he wouldn’t stop destroying until everything she knew was gone, and that was a mission she couldn’t follow him in.
 
Beside Lucien the second dark angel in the room placed a hand on his arm in a gentle, reassuring gesture. Lucien’s daughter looked up to him with a smile and kissed his cheek. As she removed both her lips and her hand from him her figure slowly grew, the wings and smile slowly disappearing, replaced by the sight of an unfamiliar demon. 
 
“I’m sorry for your daughter. But this was the last time. I won’t take her image again.”

Hazumi took a deep breath and lifted her head to stare at the opposite wall. 

"Sorry for your daughter." She repeated. "And thank you."

He could tell he had made an impression, and could only hope it was enough. He hadn't wanted to cause suffering, which was why he had given her a choice. But truth was often not the easiest thing to bear, and it often caused pain. 

"Sorry won't bring her back. Neither will their deaths. But they deserve to die for their crimes. And I will make sure of it." He stood, wiping away the tears that had gathered in his eyes when Azel had granted him a final favor from his daughter. Some Demons didn't deserve to die. Very few, and Lucien had only met one before now. This would make two. 

 "I can't tell you what to fight for. Only you can decide that. But I can tell you, that whatever you chose, you'd best believe in it with all you have. Because someday, it may be all you have left." He glanced at her beaten and battered form, once more in control of himself. "Now, I assume you've healed enough to stop bleeding, and you can make it to the bed. Something tells me that a cold floor isn't doing wonders for your malfunctioning health."

Hazumi nodded. 
“Go out. I’ll shower first.” 
 
And just like that the moment was over and reality caught up to this unusual bubble it had somehow left behind. Whether the void of the burst bubble would leave a scar, only time would tell. 
 
Outside the bathroom Azel hesitated and shifted uncertainly in place. It didn’t seem right to pretend this all never happened. But it also felt wrong to talk about it. 
 
“Would you like me to leave?” He asked simply.