Tatsuki's dreams were… frightening, to say the least. She saw images of war, murder, theft, lying, cheating, and all sorts of other sinful things that she wished she didn't know about. People murdering each other over trivial matters; who gets the most money? Who gets the most land? Whose religion is right or wrong? Questions like this started all these horrible things. She couldn't help but grow to hate it. She hated war. She hated evil. She just… hated.
Most of all, however, she was disgusted. Humans are such fickle creatures, she discovered. They lie, cheat, steal, and murder each other for the stupidest reasons. She had originally believed that humans were naturally good inside, but now… now, she could see something else.
Humans are corrupt, greedy, self-centered beings. They only do what's best for them in the moment, without thought as to how it would affect others. They sin without a second thought. In other words…
"Humans are… evil?" she asked no one as she sat up in an amazingly comfortable bed. She heard a woman chuckling on the other side of the room.
"Glad to hear that you finally know the truth," the woman said, sitting on chair opposite the bed. She had dark red hair and lime green eyes that appeared to have vertically slit pupils. She wore fine dress of red silk, and wore an arrogant grin on her face. "Humans are such thoughtless creatures. They seek nothing more than power. It's really quite sad."
"Who are you?" Tatsuki asked cautiously.
"Who, me?" the woman said with mock surprise. "Why, my name is Lilith. I was told by Lord Lucifer to keep an eye on you."
"Lucifer?"
"Your father of course. The master of this realm called Hell. I have to apologize for how you were brought here. Wrath doesn't really know how to hold back." Lilith stood and approached Tatsuki with a smirk. She held out her hand to the dark-haired girl. "Come. Lord Lucifer wishes to speak with you in person." Reluctantly, Tatsuki took the woman's hand and rose from the bed. She saw that she was still dressed in her school uniform. Lilith pursed her lips at the outfit. "I don't think you should speak meet with your father in that. Come with me, and we'll get you something nice to wear."
Tatsuki nodded nervously and followed Lilith.
-o-
Tatsuki looked at herself in the full-body mirror. She could only recognize her head. Everything else was different. Lilith had given her a black, strapless dress that hugged her body snugly, but with fair comfort. It was simple in design, and practical enough for her to run in if necessary. She never really noticed before, but she did have a pretty good figure. Probably because she was an athlete for most of her life, always exercising and trying to stay in shape for the next competition.
"Well, don't you just look charming?" Lilith said with the same flair that a designer would. "Now that you're all prettied up, we can go see your father." Lilith then ushered Tatsuki to follow, and the two of them headed down a hallway that Lilith said would take them to Lucifer's throne room.
Tatsuki couldn't help but appreciate the medieval design of the building they were in, whatever it may be. It was clearly a Gothic design though, like most European castles that she had seen in books and on the Internet. The walls were lined with statues and painting depicting particularly grisly moments in human history. There were so many, in fact, that she didn't even bother counting them. She didn't even want to look at them, but it was always like watching a car crash or a train wreck; she couldn't turn away.
Eventually, they came across a huge pair of double doors. A single skull adorned both the doors, splitting down the middle with the space between them. Lilith simply pressed her hand on the left door, and both doors opened inward. She then stood off to the side and motioned for Tatsuki to enter alone. Nervously, the spiky-haired girl entered the room beyond the doors.
Directly ahead of her, a lone man sat on an obsidian throne with a large ball of blue flame hovering above him. She heard the doors slowly creak closed behind her. She looked back as the threshold sealed, then looked forward again. She began trembling noticeably.
"Come closer," the man on the throne said in a serene tone. She hesitantly complied and approached him, taking each step carefully. She stopped about ten feet from the throne and looked down, afraid to see the man's face. She heard him rise from his seat and walk closer to her. Her heart raced as panic began to run through her mind. She closed her eyes tightly, half expecting to suddenly be struck. She recoiled when she felt a hand on her cheek, but she slowly stopped shaking when she realized that the touch was… gentle. She slowly looked up, surprise evident on her features.
"You look so much like your mother," the man before her said. His hair was dark and neatly combed, and his eyes were blood red. He wore an outfit similar to something that a government official would wear. His face was perfect in appearance, without a single blemish or wrinkle. He even had a warm, fatherly smile.
"You're… Lucifer?" Tatsuki asked, completely caught off guard by his appearance. She had expected him to be a monstrous and utterly evil creature, with horns and everything.
"Yes," the man said with an affirmative nod. He gently pulled his hand away from her face. "I have waited a very long time to meet you, Tatsuki. My own daughter."
"So… it's true? You really are my father?"
"It is the complete truth," Lucifer stated. "I only wish that we could have met sooner. I am greatly relieved to see that growing up in human society has not made you as terrible as the humans themselves."
"Wait," Tatsuki stopped him. "Are you the one who showed me those things while I was asleep?"
"Yes," he confirmed. "I showed you those images to show you how horrible humans truly are. I am sorry if they scared you, Tatsuki." There was a momentary silence between them.
"I… I thought you would be…" She trailed off, no longer as certain in her beliefs as she always had been.
"I know. But you must realize that we are family. I am your father, and I intend to act as such. But I can only do that if you allow me to."
"What?"
"It is your destiny to decide the fate of humanity," he explained. "Side with me in the coming war, my daughter. I am unable to leave this realm, but you can shatter the bonds that tether me to this place. Join me, and we will remake the world into something truly amazing."
She stared at him, unable to think properly. Millions of questions flooded her mind all at once. Why was he being to kind to her? Was he really just a misunderstood creature? Could he really be the ultimate evil she had always heard of and sometimes read about? If he was, then shouldn't he be treated her like garbage?
Maybe he really is just misunderstood, Tatsuki soon thought to herself. She looked at him with awe. A man with a face like his couldn't possibly be evil. Just because he lived somewhere frightening didn't make him a bad person, she reasoned. Even still, she felt uneasy. He still seemed to let off an air of intimidating force. "I… I don't know if I should."
The ruler of Hell nodded. "I understand. I shall give you until tomorrow to make your choice. Your eighteenth birthday is when it must begin. You may go. Lilith will guide you back to your room." Tatsuki nodded and turned to leave as the huge doors opened. Soon, she was out of Lucifer's sight.
"She must choose us," said a cold, rasp of a voice. Lucifer turned to see Tenebris Pavor standing by his throne, his hands behind his back. "Why do you not force her, my Lord?"
"It is simple, Pavor," Lucifer stated. "She must come to believe that we are the ones that she trusts. I can sense much turmoil in her heart. She is struggling against herself." He shook his head in disappointment. "It is truly pathetic."
-o-
Tatsuki sat on the edge of the bed in her room. She looked around the space. There were no windows. A part of her was grateful for that. Who knows what kind of things roam about in the Inferno? She lay back on the bed, her mind racing. Nothing about this place was what she expected. So far, at least. She couldn't help but feel bad for her… father. He was trapped down here, unable to break free and do whatever it is he feels he has to. She shook her head at that thought. No. He was evil, and deserved to be stuck down here. Wasn't he?
She groaned and grabbed a pillow, placing it over her head in an attempt to hide her confusion. Should she help him? Should she leave him? Everything she thought she knew was thrown into question. She had slowly started to accept that she may not have been human, but Satan being good? That was impossible! … Right?
"What's real anymore?" she asked to nobody in particular.
-o-
Kisuke sighed tiredly as he finally finished making the adjustments to the Senkaimon. All that remained was to wait for the portal to warm up some. After which, Ichigo and the others would be able to go and save Tatsuki within the next hour.
"Finally complete, I see," David said with his arms crossed as he stood behind Kisuke.
"Yeah," the shopkeeper replied. He took off his hat and ran his hand through his hair. "I'm not sure if it'll work though. There're a million different things that could go wrong. Making a gate to Hell is risky to say the least."
"I don't doubt it." The Grim Reaper plopped down on a rock. He leaned back and observed the false sky of Kisuke's training grounds. "I've got a really bad feeling right now."
"Hmm?" Kisuke looked at the Reaper with a confused expression. "What do you mean?"
"I'm not quite sure," David admitted solemnly. "I just have the feeling that things are only going to get worse from here."
