A/N: This chapter is a little late but the next one will be released either this or next week.

Have fun reading

Lucifer stared at the chessboard in front of her. The figures hadn't moved from their place ever since Lindow had disappeared and had begun gathering dust. The can of beer stood to the side, cold and untouched.

And she just sat there and listened to the minutes slowly ticking by.

The director hadn't called for her which was unusual considering their situation right now. Doctor Oguruma probably already reported to the director about the strange circumstances of Alisa's awakening. Maybe there were other reports of similar events happening with New Types that would raise the director's suspicions.

Naturally, he probably already knew that she took Alisa under her wing. The timing should have raised some red flags long ago and yet the director was silent. He hadn't called for her, not even for a special mission. Hibari or Tsubaki informed her if she was sent on a solo mission again or not.

"Maybe it's too soon after Lindow's disappearance." The thought had some merit. Lindow's supposed death had made an impact on multiple levels. The morale among the God Eaters just started to recover and the First Unit was still struggling to fill the hole that he had left behind. Sakuya was going a good job but she was starting to burn out, the Shinigami didn't show his face more than necessary and Kota was just incredibly lost on what to do in this situation. He noticed that something was crumbling, and he tried his hardest to lighten the mood and fix things.

On the other hand, she didn't have any solid proof for all of this that would directly point to the director. He could always sacrifice Oguruma if push came to shove and – considering the circumstances – it wouldn't be a heavy loss for him. The only thing Lucifer could bring on the table was that she had seen 'something' in Alisa's memories, and she doubted that it would hold up much without further proof.

There was no weight to her word or name here. People wouldn't believe her when she was pinned against an accomplished and intelligent man like Schicksal. At this point, nobody would even believe Alisa since they always could say that the girl wasn't quite sane after what happened.

Considering this, it made sense that he saw no need to call her. He probably did that to diverge the attention further away from him and make his enemies uneasy and impatient to make a mistake, so he could spot them and weed them out too.

Lucifer hummed softly, thumb trailing over her lower lip.

The reason why Lindow had to go down couldn't be only because he was popular and had a good reputation. There had to be some solid evidence and something that the director perceived as threatening.

"Where is it?" The thought was echoed by the shadows starting to pool around her.

She grimaced and pressed her eyelids together.

It felt like something hot and sharp tried to bore itself through her skull and into her brain.

It was just the lack of sleep and the strain of physical exercise, she told herself, it would pass.

Lucifer pinched the bridge of her nose and hissed as another wave of pain shot through her head. Her gaze fell on a small stack of papers besides the chess board. Mission reports, some intel about Aragami sightings, Licca's list of materials she needed for a new blade and – naturally – Alisa's training plan.

The woman clicked her tongue.

Taking the girl under her wing had been a mistake. She should have trusted her gut feeling instead of rationalizing that it was for her own benefit in the long run. A loyal pawn that she knew of what it was capable off and how to dispose of it was a useful tool. However, it took time and patience and there was no guarantee that it would be successful.

The palm of her right hand covered the back of her left.

"What can this girl do for us outside for being cannon fodder when we need it?" The low hissing voice of a shadowy apparition that crawled over the desk filled her head. Its long, broken limbs warping around the wood of the table as it twisted its head with a noticeable crack.

It was looking at her, waiting for an answer that she would not give.

"That girl is useless. A waste of time. Disgraced and just one step away from being discarded." It continued.

"He could still try to use her." She pointed out in her thoughts as she reached out towards the files that were strewn around the desk. Before she left for the next mission, she should at least clean up before this mess got out of hand.

"Not if she's dead."

Her body tensed just for a second. She frowned.

God Eaters could survive a substantial amount of physical abuse and shrug off damage that would kill a normal person. She would rather take a torch to the face and being shot at as having to fight against a God Eater if she was completely honest with herself. Her regeneration factor and stamina couldn't keep up with a run-of-the-mill God Eater. If she wasn't able to kill them quickly, they would simply outlast her.

"It isn't easy to kill a God Eater…Not to mention the whole cover-up..." She grimaced a little. "Too much trouble."

She had played with the thought more than once. Not that she would go around murdering the whole den but just in case things go south. There had been reasons why the director decided to kill Lindow via Aragami. If their confrontation every became physical, Lindow would have broken the man like a twig.

Even if she killed the director and managed to break out, they could track her bracelet if she didn't find out how to intercept the signal beforehand. Removing it wasn't an option. Nobody really went into detail what would happen, but it didn't take a genius to figure out that removing a device controlling and regulating Oracle Cells in one's body, was a bad idea.

She suspected that the Oracle Cells either would begin to eat or mutate her body. None of these possibilities sounded pleasant or would help her.

"A disgrace won't be missed." The shadow wasn't going to let this ludicrous idea go.

"Probably but he might get suspicious."

"Why not coerce him to order you to kill her? Both will lose a pawn, but he would also lose problem and you would prove your loyalty to him."

Lucifer glanced at the abomination sitting on her desk.

A tempting thought. The nagging feeling that taking Alisa under her wing had been a mistake hunted her every time she looked in the girl's face. Sometimes her eyes weren't blue anymore, tainted brown, green or grey. She could feel it scratching against her skull from the inside, whispering into her ears in the dead of night.

The heated muzzle of the gun that seared into the flesh of her palm.

Every fiber of her being and even the apparitions conjured by her brittle state of mind told her to get rid of the girl immediately. Too much of a waste of time, too much of a burden, too much of a memory. The excuses started to pile up, the whispers grew more intense, the shadows sought her out more frequently than before.

The clock was ticking. Everything was waiting for her to slip while she was balancing on this small tread between sanity and insanity.

She knew she would fall one day and once that happened wouldn't be a way back. There was only the gaping dark abyss below.

Lucifer leaned back and smiled as she stared at it with half-lid eyes.

Everything had its uses. The girl would be useful in some way or form. If she wasn't, she would die anyway. However, the idea was tempting. If Alisa didn't perform, this was a possibility she should consider.

A broken tool had no use for her.

"Discard her before she becomes a burden."

There was this certain pull to this idea. The temptation was there, accompanied by the tiredness that started to spread in her mind.

"Keep an eye on them."

Lucifer narrowed her eyes. Something was beyond the shadow in front of her – sitting across from her. The faint smell of smoke filled her nostrils. The shadow hissed.

Her amused look transformed into a glare, but she couldn't help but chuckle.

"Now there's a nuisance from beyond the grave," Lucifer muttered under her breath. "I really should get some sleep."

With a glance at the clock, she estimated that she had still four hours left before Kota would come to pick her up for breakfast. It wasn't much but she would go with what she had. Maybe one day away from all this would help her mind to somehow go back to a somewhat stable state. There as just a mission scheduled today, and she would be with the 1st Unit for a change. As far as she recalled, Alisa wasn't coming with them.

Maybe she should postpone the training with Alisa as well for two or three days.

A little bit of distance might keep all of this at bay and it would give Alisa some time to recuperate from her harsh training routine.

Helping out Tsubaki had its benefits – even though Alisa preferred to be "official" active duty again. It had been Sakuya's idea since Alisa had nothing to do when Lucifer didn't take her with her. Tsubaki didn't seem to be very on board with the medic's suggestion in the beginning but she accepted the help with the stacks of paperwork that littered her working desk.

It gave Alisa some insight on group organization and mission planning, despite the monotone and borderline mind-numbing task of going through reports. The girl stifled a sigh as she went through the paper on her clipboard. With a frown, she noticed that the next briefing they had was with the 1st unit.

Kota's, Sakuya's and Lucifer's name were listed for this clean-up mission in the old city. Soma would be sent on a retcon solo mission on the carrier.

Alisa frowned.

Normally, they would send a four-man team since the old city was a large area to cover. In addition, Lucifer had been on one or two missions per day, aside from the training sessions both of them had. The workload that the older woman had started to worry Alisa. Maybe she should convince Lucifer to take at least a day off.

Alisa looked at the almost empty tribune in the briefing room.

Like usual, Soma was – like always – one of the first, sitting somewhere in the back with his arms crossed before his chest. Sakuya was sitting at the front and her stern expression morphed into a gentle smile as their gazes met. Lucifer stood just a few steps away from them on the stairs to the side, leaning against the railing.

For a short moment, she straightened her posture and gave a salute before easing her back against the railing again. As always, she appeared proper even though the rings under her eyes were growing darker.

Kota was missing.

This time Alisa sighed audibly.

That came to no surprise.

Tsubaki noticed that too.

"Is Mr. Fujiki going to grace us with his presence today or not?" Her tone was dry, icy and not amused. Sakuya gave her an apologetic smile while Lucifer glanced at the clock above the entrance.

"…Give or take five minutes." It was Lucifer who responded to Tsubaki's inquiry.

"Fine. Since it's his third offense, don't forget to tell him to see me after your mission."

That meant punishment. Alisa didn't know if she should grimace in sympathy or smile in smug satisfaction. He brought that upon himself, after all.

"Since one team member is missing, we should discuss the recent changes." Tsubaki leaned forward on the desk in front of them. "There are more Aragami as anticipated."

This wouldn't be a problem if it was just low-tier Aragami. Lucifer or Kota were enough to clear a field of Orgetails or Zygote on their own with their experience. Which meant, it was a medium or high-tier threat.

"What should we expect?" Sakuya crossed her legs and crossed her arms before her chest as she spoke.

"Orgetails, Zygotes and our newest addition, a Vajra."

Alisa felt how her muscles tensed at the mere mention of that breed of Aragami. She tried not to grit her teeth or give any indication of how uncomfortable this made her. A shy glance into the group confirmed her fear. Lucifer was already watching her with an unreadable, cold expression. The green eyes sized her up and stared her down.

The young woman felt how her heart constricted and her gut twisted in discomfort and nervousness.

Lucifer had invested so much of her personal time in her to help her overcome her fear – to help her to become powerful only to see her flinch away as if everything amounted to nothing.

Alisa couldn't imagine what a disappointing sight she had to be.

She almost breathed a sigh of relief as Kota burst through the door with a quick apology and drew Lucifer's attention from her. He quickly jogged over and took a set to Sakuya's right. Tsubaki glared at him but then just cleared her throat.

"As I was saying…Recent reports suggest that the Vajra is feasting there and won't leave any time soon."

"That…wouldn't be a problem under normal circumstances," Sakuya said and then threw a glance towards Lucifer who returned the gaze with an unreadable expression. "But Lucifer is probably not at her best at the moment and Kota doesn't have the experience with Vajra-type Aragami."

Lucifer rolled her shoulders but stayed quiet. It was neither an affirmation nor disagreement.

Tsubaki sighed. "I'm aware."

"Maybe we could borrow a God Eater from the 2nd?" Sakuya purposed.

"…I will do it." The words came so quickly over the girl's lips that she needed a second to even realize what she had said. All of them looked at her – and none of them quite in favor of this idea. All of them, except Kota.

"Alisa, while I'm glad that you want to help, it's…" Sakuya didn't need to end this sentence for Alisa to understand. A hint of worry flicked through the older woman's eyes.

Kota crossed his arms behind his head and frowned at his superior.

"Why not?" He cut in. "She has trained very hard over the past two weeks. You should give her a chance. Right, Lucy?"

"…This isn't our decision to make." Lucifer's usual soft voice carried a sudden cold edge and Kota almost flinched away from her stare. Again, she neither spoke for or against the idea but Alisa couldn't believe that she was thrilled with it.

"…You were on a mission with her a couple of times since the incident." Tsubaki threw in. "Your input would be appreciated."

Lucifer clicked her tongue and then inhaled deeply. "She has defeated Aragami stronger than a Vajra but physical strength is not the issue in this case."

She paused, glanced in the distance and fell silent for the next couple of seconds.

"…I won't deny the fact that this is a risky move but if she wants to, let her prove herself. I will keep an eye on her during the mission. I'm confident that Sakuya and Kota will be enough to drive the Vajra back if something happens and we are forced to retreat."

"So, you suggest that I should take the risk that someone might get killed?" It was almost a taunting question from Tsubaki. She didn't look angry as if she just calmly spoke out what she was thinking. Lindow already suffered this fate. There was no guarantee that it wouldn't end up the same way.

Lucifer looked at her with half-lid eyes and smirked.

"Supervisor Amamiya, every mission has a possibility of getting someone killed but the issue of us being more people also can make things safer for everyone involved. Kota isn't a rookie anymore and neither am I or Alisa. I don't know how it will go and I give no guarantees. However, I can offer my head. If things go south, I will take the blame."

"Wait, wait! That's going way too far!" Alisa opened her mouth to already say something but Lucifer motioned her to be quiet. The others just stared at Lucifer as if she had grown a second head. Tsubaki was surprised but then poorly hid a smirk that crossed her lips. ´

"If Sakuya doesn't have something against it…" Her attention went back to the medic who blinked one or two times before nodding with a smile.

"I'm confident that we will succeed."

"Then it's decided. Alisa will join you on this mission. Start with your preparations immediately. Dismissed."

High heels clicked against the metal ground until the door opened and closed.

Alisa stood rooted to the spot.

She wasn't sure what just happened.

"Congrats!" Kota's bright grin flashed up in her vision and snapped her out of her stupor.

"Thank you." She bowed in front of Sakuya and Lucifer. While one returned a gentle, warm smile, the other just shook her head.

"Don't thank me too soon." Lucifer looked at her as she spoke – or rather looked through her.

"B-But…"

"Thank Sakuya, not me. She will take the blame for a failed mission…" Lucifer glanced at the medic. "Because I doubt that she will let me take it."

"We will succeed, so there's no need to think that way."

Lucifer clicked her tongue again. "Charity and confidence are nice and all but don't forget that you are the leader."

Then she looked back at Alisa.

"The outcome of this mission might decide if you can be a God Eater or not. So prepare yourself carefully."

The acrid smell filled the air. Another Aragami dead. The Vajra had retreated but they couldn't track where to.

Lucifer closed her eyes. Listened, smelled and tasted the air even though she forced the urge to hunt and kill down. It would be the first Aragami that would escape her in this manner and something inside her didn't like that thought.

Vajra materials made good God Arc material. That aside, there was nothing more exciting than stalking the prey and go in for the kill. Maybe it was just her mounting frustration with her situation speaking but she needed to release it somehow before her mind did stupid things again.

Her tongue wandered over her dry lips.

Not to mention, a stellar mission result might be a benefit for her and Alisa.

It had to die – as far as an Aragami could be killed.

Lucifer heard steps. The stride, the careful slowness of them told her that it was human. The smell of heated metal filled her nostrils. Too silent and slow for Kota. Alisa would have probably called for attention immediately to report her findings.

That left only one.

"So, it isn't in this area either," Sakuya said with a sigh. "Kota told me that he and Alisa didn't find anything either."

The medic glanced shortly toward the decapitated head of an Orgetail that was laying a couple of feet away from them. She neither looked particularly bothered nor horrified by the sight. Her gaze wandered through the room – probably to count the bodies.

"Strange..." She noted with a frown. "Hibari didn't say that it left the parameters."

"Maybe the tracking devices are faulty there as well." Lucifer sighed, rubbing the black blood off her face. At this point, she probably smelled like an injured, half-dead Aragami. The dark uniform hid most of the spots but the stench still stung her nose.

"Say…" The medic hummed a little bit as she spoke. "Why did you vouch for Alisa?"

"Why did you?" Lucifer threw back as she pulled the God Arc out of the Zygote's oversized eye.

"I trust that you know what you are doing. That aside, Kota was right. Alisa worked hard and she deserved a chance."

Lucifer just gave her a nod. It was as good as a reason as any other.

"The reason is simple. The more she proves herself to be a good God Eater, the more she's needed." Lucifer answered. "She has to prove it to herself."

If Alisa performed well, Kota's running mouth would do the rest. Once rumors would be out in the open, opinion about her might turn a little bit for the better. People might take the risk to rely on her which made it harder to dislodge her from her surroundings.

But that was all speculation.

Maybe nothing would happen at all.

It was always a gamble with humans.

However, if she called for the favor to be repaid, Alisa wouldn't ask questions.

Taking up the discarded and using them for a game they sometimes never knew they were a part of. She helped when everybody turned away, held out her hand while the others would have left her to rot. Even if they were distrustful in the beginning, once earned it was a pledge of loyalty for a lifetime.

It was frightening how easily some lost themselves in servitude just because of one kind gesture even though the person offering it was anything but.

"Don't worry. Kota's with her." Lucifer threw Sakuya a glance. The gentle smile on the medic's lips was almost looked like she was going to tease her about it later on.

"I'm quite impressed that you can read a hint of worry anywhere on my face." She tried to not sound too annoyed. It wasn't what she was worried about.

Lucifer narrowed her eyes as she looked at the golden particles in the air and grimaced for a moment.

A familiar feeling, almost a shudder crawled up her spine towards her head. Lucifer's gloved hand wandered to her neck. She probably never really got used to it. Most of the smaller Aragami were already dealt with. Sakuya watched their surroundings, eyebrows furrowing. Then she stalked over to a piece of debris and kneeled down behind it. Lucifer followed suit.

"The Vajra?" She whispered.

"Probably." The medic answered.

A deep rumbling noise that sounded like rolling thunder came from the alleyway across from them and confirmed her suspicion. It was getting louder.

"It smelled the blood." Lucifer mused. The Aragami was hurt and it needed to feast on something to regenerate faster – preferably other Aragami.

Lucifer pulled her eyebrows together and then looked down at herself.

"…It probably smelled me too." The thought gave her an idea. Maybe she could work with that if she could make herself more "interesting" as prey.

Her slim finger reached under her collar, the fingernails already digging deep into her flesh. It started to burn slightly as her nails broke through her skin. It would heal fast either way but all she needed was the smell of human blood.

"I can get its attention and lure it down the path down there. Then you can ambush it from behind. I still have a stun grenade if it catches up too soon."

Sakuya didn't look particularly thrilled but she didn't argue against it. "I will notify Kota and Alisa about our position."

"Good…"

Lucifer inhaled deeply as she stepped out in the open. Then with a swift movement, she dragged her fingers over her skin, leaving four deep scratch marks behind. The smell of copper filled the air but maybe it was not enough as she already felt the injury closing up. However, she locked eyes with the Aragami who stopped moving and watched her.

Seconds ticked by as they just stared each other down. Then Lucifer closed her eyes, turned her back to it and started to sprint away. She heard something bend and break behind her as it almost crashed into the building as barely made it around the curve.

Her hand already reached for the stun-grenade in her pocket.

The Aragami pounced.

"Watch out!" The shout caught her attention.

Alisa had just rounded the corner and stared at her – her face pallid, her body frozen in motion. It looked like the first day they started their training, the first mission where she was too afraid to pull the trigger. This mission was all or nothing for her.

She had to prove it to herself that she could make it.

"I can offer my head."

Lucifer slowed down her sprint to an almost standstill.

What would make a better tale of heroic exploits as saving another comrade from the beast that caused her to fall?

The woman watched Alisa already ready her gun, her hands trembling. There was a purpose for them. A constant fight against fear. Run or fight. Stay or take the leap, dangers be damned.

There were others there for a moment. Each gaze resolute, convinced despite the fear.

The feeling of weariness grew. It was unwise and dangerous but at this point, she couldn't make herself care.

She smiled and closed her eyes as she already felt the static in the air.

"Show me that you are worth the effort."

It was always a gamble in the end.

A gunshot rang out.