-insert witty greetings here-

-insert k bai here-

Lucifer: Yearning Armageddon

Chapter 3

||The Devil and His Foxes||

Lucifer had a strange lucid dream that night.

While he wasn't entirely sure how his consciousness drifted here, he found himself standing atop a lush, verdant hilltop, the gentle rise of the land culminating to a point in the distance. The grass beneath him was rich and plenty, but seemed to have been meticulously trimmed to a warm fuzz. They'd probably tickle his feet if he wasn't wearing his shoes.

A soft path of packed dirt wound its way up to the peak, flanked by the local trees of peaches planted in neat rows and the Japanese exclusive trees of cherry blossoms, lightly carpeting the ground in their shade. A gentle, refreshing night breeze constantly swept its way down from the starry, cloudless skies. Lots of stars up there. They sparkled like glitters. Like thousands of tiny angry Thors.

The moonlight was gentle, hardly cold, entirely not hot or too bright. Just perfect. Exactly as the one that endlessly beamed down upon Old Kyoto.

Odd. This dreamscape seemed to have been scrupulously crafted to be a perfect, homey place for its captive. Whoever was the culprit, they seemed rather considerate — their true intention aside, which raised even more questions. Another into the yet-to-have-answers pile.

Lucifer tried to float upwards, and unsurprisingly, he couldn't. This was its own Realm, after all, and it wasn't his, and he was also in a dream. His soul that contained his father's powers were still in his body, and only his consciousness had drifted to this place.

So much for forcibly breaking away.

After a brief sigh, Lucifer trekked his way up the hill, picking the deliciously red peach along with him as he took a bite into it.

It was sweet. Deliriously sweet.

Only kids would like this fruit.

Or Eve. Then again, Eve would eat a fruit labeled 'DON'T EAT' with a black skull inside a triangle.

At a leisure pace, he made it up the hill path in no time at all. The air was noticeably several degrees cooler up here, which still didn't surprise him as Yasaka was a kitsune, and kitsune preferred the cold far more than warm weather. He'd be inclined to agree as well. While he wasn't bothered by either extremes, he liked wearing winter coats. Those Italians had the right idea whenever it came to fashion. Never when it came to war, however… Mussolini was a square-headed imbecile, he was surprised that man managed to take Ethiopia.

Through a significant amount of losses, but still.

Kicking the failed Italian dictator outside his mind, Lucifer approached the cottage at the center of the hilltop clearing. It was tiny. A cabin suitable only for a single person. But steaming nearby was a hot spring, just as Yasaka had mentioned. It was surrounded by man-sized green bamboo, and had steps made of stones leading up to it. Decorative plants doing their decorative job, and a tiny river flowed underneath a small bridge. Just like the rest of the area, it blended seamlessly with the nature around.

With that, Lucifer stepped into the rustic wooden porch and knocked on the dark mahogany door as he wasn't a savage.

"It's Uber."

Almost instantly, he heard shuffling from the other side, and the door opened to reveal a mostly human fox-lady standing in the doorway. Her hair and fur was a shade of light gold, and her bangs framed her cute little face and her lustrous amber eyes. If Tamamo's were closer to a chestnut, Yasaka's were closer to the amber amulet that trapped her. Rich in color and emotions.

The kyuubi was dressed in a long-sleeved kimono that went down all the way to her ankles, predominantly white in color with golden floral patterns. A red sash wrapped just underneath her breasts, maintaining the traditional dress altogether. The lower side of the dress split into a leg slit, where Yasaka had placed one of her hands at the base of where the slit began, which was her hip.

Seeing The Devil, she frowned, and crossed her hands as her lips formed a pout. "You're late."

Her voice was just as he remembered. Deeper than most women, yet the most melodious and downright enchanting, and would have activated neurons of any male or female. If his voice was thunder dipped in honey, her voice was that honey.

"I feel welcomed already," Lucifer smiled an easy smile, taking note of the giant bushy tails swaying side to side behind her. Classic Yasaka. Trying to be mean while her tails yet betrayed her intentions of acting upset. "How are you feeling darling."

"I am not your darling," Yasaka scowled as she turned on her heels, and walked into the hallway.

"Not yet," he whispered under his breath as he followed the multi-tailed fox. Down the hall, and into a side chamber with an open porch, with a view of a freshly trimmed lawn overlooking a small pond and the spring from earlier. The living room, he assumed.

There was a short table, barely the height of his shin, and she bid him to sit on a patterned cushion on one side while she took up the one across.

Lucifer had his own ideas, however, and he was always inclined to follow it since it was his, and his ideas were generally the better one than most that wasn't made by him.

"Hey!" Both of her vulpine ears perked up in irritation as the Devil, after placing down his barely-eaten peach on the table, had strode away from his host, and decided to take a seat by the overhanging porch instead. After he unbuttoned his suit, of course, to prevent wrinkles and prevent the buttons from popping and ruining the fabric.

"C'mere, fox. No need to be all formal with me. I know you missed me. Don't even bother twisting your words to not lie."

"I just missed seeing anyone," she replied vehemently, but nonetheless walked her way to him.

And proceeded to sit on top of his lap, because she was only as tall as his chin and that was including her ears.

Her four tails automatically went over his sides so they wouldn't cover his face, and Lucifer snaked his arms around her slender waist as he rested his head on her shoulder. Just right next to her frowny face.

"I missed you too."

"...Fine," Yasaka huffed. "I do miss you. But not as much as you thought."

"Mhmm." That was a big fat lie, but Lucifer decided against teasing the stubborn kyuubi — which, admittedly, worryingly, had lost a few of her tails. "I can't help but notice your tails fell off."

"They didn't," Yasaka grumbled, reclining against his chest, placing her hands above his. "My power comes from the leylines. This place is nowhere near them, wherever this is…"

Lucifer began to rock his body side to side, easing her down. "Somewhere in the Gap? You reckon?"

"I doubt it. Ophis would have gotten upset if it was."

"Maybe she was the one who did it."

"For what reason?"

Lucifer shrugged his 'no idea' answer, but he decided to elaborate in the end. "Maybe not indirectly. She's been cajoled by a terrorist group… She somehow believed they could kick Red out of the Gap. Ever heard of the Khaos Brigade?"

"Ugh…"

"You've heard," Lucifer smiled, glad he got to skip the wordy exposition. "I'm just saying. She was in the list Odin gave me either way, so I'll see her some time soon."

"Who else is on that list?"

Lucifer jogged his perfect memory. At least for his last day. He didn't really keep track of unimportant things that happened in the past… Took up precious space of his admittedly endless memory.

"Well… There's Zeus," he muttered. "Ophis, Michael, and then there's Nyx. And there's also Ajuka Glassy-Legolas… And I believe that's all of them."

"...Ajuka Glass-what…? You mean Satan Beelzebub? Glasya-Labolas is Falbium's family name."

"Oh," Lucifer 'oh'ed plainly. "Well. This is Odin's writing. He's probably forgotten their face."

"You forgot the name of your own children. Well, your children's children, but still."

"I created them," he corrected. Through Lillith and her whoring, specifically, but his point stood. The devils wouldn't have bred with her if it wasn't for his demand. "I didn't have sexual intercourse with anyone to produce a 'kid'. And why would I? They exist to take over their parents and continue whatever business they have. Explore a new branch if they are ambitious."

Yasaka huffed an audible breath of air out of her nose. "I still don't understand your stance against having children. I'd be delighted to have my own kit."

"Well you're you and I'm me, and I have daddy issues," Lucifer chuckled, having gotten over it to not be bothered admitting. "Having kids is an unnecessary risk. They'll have my blood, my powers, and my dashing look." Yasaka rolled her eyes. "But my intellect? My impeccable decision-making? That's a gamble. I never gamble."

"Because you are not your father," Yasaka completed his ended sentence.

"Exactly," Lucifer squeezed her with affection. "My father gambled with humans and look at what that has gotten him? He loved them too much and he received constant heartbreak in return, watching his harmless hairy apes grow into a murderous, self-persevering, racist, rapist pieces of garbage."

"There are always the good ones, you know. The ones worth saving."

"Terribly unfortunate that good deeds never wash out the bad. Hell would've been terribly empty if that was the case. …The New Hell, I suppose."

"Mmm. Unfortunately," Yasaka hummed in content as a gentle breeze brushed her face and ears, causing the pair to flick because she didn't want the white fur ball to catch any dust. Not that there was any dust in this place; she checked, but it was done out of habit.

She sighed before she continued the talk. "Do you believe in second chances, Lucifer?"

"That's too broad of a question. That depends on the subject now, is it? Would I have given a kid fiddler a second chance? Perhaps. But only after he walked into a tiny guillotine. Or a flaming hot rod vaguely shaped in the shape of a phallic object. Women are as capable as men if they were equally wicked."

Yasaka physically winced as she looked up to him, showing her expression of disgust.

She received a carefree smile in return. "Doth the truth disturbeth you, my vulpine liege?"

"It's the fact that you're always so smug about it that bugs me," Yasaka sighed as she returned her gaze outwards to the lawn. "...You must be wondering why I brought up the topic."

"Not really."

"Well I'm telling you anyway," she fumed, slapping the side of his head with a tail. "It's about Tamamo-no-Mae."

Lucifer smiled as he recollected his past activity with said fox spirit. "Mmmn. Tama. What about her?"

"She has been atoning for her sins for the past thousand years ever since she died," Yasaka sighed, "You may pet my ears. This will be a long story."

"Really? How noble of her," Lucifer absently replied, but he still brought a hand away from her lap and up to her lush straight platinum-golden hair. Yasaka shuddered when he began to give her the scritches and the scratches, caressing her soft fur with the gentlest care and sometimes the naughtiest of pinch.

"Mmh…" she hummed, pleased. "...It's been so long since anyone has caressed me like this. You take a very long break between your visits, Lucifer."

"That's the only way I can get you to admit that you miss me," he told her. Because that was easier on the ears than 'I need to make sure my demons burn people correctly and not kill them instantly'. It was called eternal damnation for a good reason.

"...Ever the sly devil you are…" Yasaka muttered, stifling her blush while her tails swept over the floorboards, shifting left and right as though they were very furry brooms. "Now where was I? Ah yes… Tamamo," she continued once she recalled. "Amaterasu took her in a long time ago. A thousand years ago… actually. Several decades before you instigated the Great War."

Lucifer hummed, signifying the ex-kyuubi that she had his ears and attention.

"She was a stone then. A cursed stone."

"How strangely familiar."

"Shush," Yasaka shushed him. "She turned herself to stone. She consented to be a stone because she was appalled by her past acts. She slayed an army of eighty thousand, sent by the emperor to kill her. They thought she had poisoned their emperor while it was his own health that was decaying. Labeled her a fox demon when they used to sing praises and tell tales of her beauty."

Lucifer chuckled upon hearing that. "Leave it to them to point fingers and find a scapegoat… A scapefox in her case, I suppose."

"She was traumatized, Lucifer," Yasaka chided, disliking the fact he wasn't taking this seriously. "She's not a murderer. Her heart isn't as muddied as she thinks it is. Amaterasu knew of this, and she took her along with her to be raised as her servant. Not a position too dissimilar to what she is in my place."

"That's kind of her," Lucifer supposed, noncommittal to his reply just yet. "How did she get to your place then?"

"Avowedly, my place is…" A pause, as Yasaka thought of the proper word to describe it. "Livelier than Artemis' domain. Her palace, while much bigger, is much emptier. And the Goddess of the Sun isn't exactly the idlest. Although far from the biggest such as Christianity, Islam, or Hinduism, Shinto isn't the smallest either. It's still the predominant religion of an entire country."

The two biggest religions believed in his existence, by the by. He was the Devil in one, and Iblis in the other… Both also believed in God except under a different name. It was why Lucifer never bothered much with names — they were just names. Sugar would still taste as sweet if people called it salt.

Still. He was still the exact scapegoat. Humans like to point fingers that it was the devil that did it, that whispered evil notions in their head. The truth was those evil notions had always been there, ruminating and nestling without the need of his 'whispers'. All creations just couldn't accept the simple fact that they were imperfect, that they were weak to temptations, that their free will meant they had the option to be evil or good, and always needed someone to be blamed when they faltered.

Whatever floats their boat. Lucifer couldn't say that he cared about what they thought of him. Humans never bothered themselves with ants. They stomp and squish those tiny creatures without realizing and without feeling guilt, and ants lived without caring about the giants either.

So why should he? They would all meet the same end eventually. Not even Heaven could shelter them from the Apocalypse.

"Okay," he muttered. "...Is it time where I ask you why you're telling me all this?"

Yasaka sighed. "What I mean is… she's been through enough. She's been hurt and it took a long time for her to trust anyone, human or not. If you intend to break her heart, then I beg of you; don't. She doesn't deserve it."

"Controlling fate, are we? Have you achieved godhood as well while I'm away?" Lucifer cocked an eyebrow, much to Yasaka's dismay. "Oh don't give me that look. I am many things but a heartbreaker isn't one. Depression doesn't make her any less worthy of affection. As long as she's wise to be mindful of my obsession with freedom and my fear of tying the knot after she chose to fall in love with me. Hardly a serious matter for fox spirits like you."

"I didn't fall in love with you; you tripped me," she pointed out, delicate fingers running across his strong, smooth jawline. "With sweet words that happened to please my ears, your admittedly comforting presence, delightfully warm hugs, and, I suppose… skillful scritches."

"Why bother with the details? The big picture is that you fell for me." He shrugged, giving her his skillful scritches to the base of her ears.

Yasaka liked that.

"As fun as it is playing this silly game of who loves who first, can I have your word? That you won't harm Tamamo?"

"Why would I? She's adorable. Willing to love and desperate to be loved…" much better than those valkyries already. "And I do take pride in being the person capable of mending a broken heart. Melting the heart of an ice queen… Monopolizing a frivolous fox Guardian until she can't be sated by anyone else other than me…"

Yasaka failed to stifle her smile and giggles as she felt him on her neck, playfully nuzzling her while sparing a few quick smooches.

"Very well. I believe you."

"I'm honored," Lucifer said. "Dare I say her tails are as fluffy as yours?"

"Don't blaspheme," Yasaka scoffed, fully aware that her tail remained the fluffiest out of all kitsune. "...Then, I assume that'd have changed your mind regarding the Trihexa business?"

"Let's not get too optimistic now. There's a fine line between optimism and having delusions."

"But why not?" Yasaka broke away from him as her feet felt the balmy fuzziness of the trimmed grass, staring at him as she stood there. "You have the potency of a Creator, Lucifer. You can seal Trihexa and still you'll have enough to keep yourself protected."

"Because that was never part of my duties, both when I was an Archdevil and even now. You can assume it's my pride or obsession of doing anything perfectly that held me back from being your hero."

"But you won't just save my Realm, but every Realm there is. If not for them, then at least for me?"

Lucifer was practically immune to her puppy-eyes. Tricks like that only worked for him once, and Yasaka had performed it when she requested him to convince Nurarihyon, leader of the East Yōkai Faction, to foil in and serve under Yasaka and spare his men should the Kyuubi required, while still retaining most of his autonomy. How did he manage to convince that stubborn gourd-headed yōkai? Well… By ensuring his ravenous demons wouldn't snatch away their livestock or cause sudden disappearances.

It cost him a few thousand souls, but Nurarihyon caved in at the end. A pity. Some of his demons had gotten a taste of yōkai flesh.

"No offense, vixen," he said, unapologetic, "but this isn't something I'd do for anyone. I've nothing to do with Trihexa's emergence, but I have no intention of keeping him sealed. It's simply the time for the Beast to wakey-wakey."

Yasaka crossed her hands and frowned. While she understood it was the natural order of things, as difficult a pill it was to swallow, Yasaka still wished there was something that could convince Lucifer to step in.

"But of course, that doesn't mean I'd abandon you… Or the people I do care about," he added, bringing hope into her eyes. "There's another universe where I am the only ruler, and there is plenty of space for rent. You've earned yourself a spot by maintaining a more or less amicable relation with yours truly. Of course, there's no such thing as a 'plus one' rule. I'm not that generous."

"...So you'll save me and my people while you let billions of others suffer a fiery death?"

Lucifer shrugged. "I like your people. They're there to have fun and oddly shaped. Humans are… hardly as interesting. Not all of them are horrible, sure, but they have families, and their families have friends, and then their friends of friends… Saving just a part of them can never be an option, so don't ask me to take a few of them; it'll never be just a few."

"...I can live with that," Yasaka muttered, shrugging as well. Lucky for her, Yōkai had always been a secluded faction. The people they cared for the most were their own people. And she couldn't find it in her to say that she cared about every individual of other races. As long as her daughter lived and her people survived, then she had done her duty as their Chief Guardian.

Lucifer chuckled. "And I'm the devil."

"Well I never claimed to be a saint."

"Don't. They're boring. And dead," he added. "And they'd never invite me to the hot spring."

"Would you like to? I was planning on taking one before Odin mentioned you might appear here."

"So you waited? How sweet. But I'm not a fan of hot baths," he said, getting up. "Although I'm perfectly fine with watching you take one."

Yasaka smirked as she led the way. "Well well… A voyeur."

"I find you more irresistible when your body is covered in transparent fluids. And it's not voyeurism when you're aware I'm watching you."

"Not even making a wet joke?"

"Not when it's too easy," Lucifer hummed as they stopped before the hot spring. The misty steam flowed to their ankles. "Here. Let me help you with your clothes."

"How very gentlemanly of you. Or do you just want to see me without an article of clothing?"

"Both."

Yasaka lowered her tails as he untied her sash, flinging the red obi over his shoulder as he placed both his hands over her shoulders, and her supple figure smoothly slipped out of her kimono, along with all four of her tails. Lucifer couldn't help but run a fingertip down her thin backline, causing her to shudder and swat his finger away with a tail, although she didn't hate the gesture as much as she was just being coy with The Devil.

Lucifer sat by a large boulder by the side as he watched her settle carefully down the spring, sighing in content as she submerged herself in her small relaxation pool. Albeit she wasn't the most voluptuous woman he'd ever seen and laid with, it was her confidence over her desirability of her body that struck him the most. To be fair, kitsune was a kind that was well aware of their adorableness and their attractiveness, and the more tails they had generally meant the more confident they were in their power and body.

And who could hate a woman with healthy confidence?

And all that aside, Yasaka was still extremely attractive. She was neither a maiden or blushing virgin, neither did she appear old enough to be firmly established within the role of mother. A young mother, at most, which brought his mind to that adopted kit Tamamo mentioned.

"Tamamo told me that you picked up a kid," he said as Yasaka rested her head against a cushion installed along with the hot spring. Very catering for her, this dreamscape turned out to be.

"Kunou…" she sighed melancholically. "I hope she's alright. I don't doubt Tamamo is great with kids, but still… Having another soul raise my kid is… saddening, to say the least."

"Is she your offspring?"

"Her parents passed away when she was a pup. Old age, you see… they've become my servants for a long time, but it wasn't until a decade ago they decided to elope. Such is the case of late bloomers. You know I've always wanted a kid, but I can't bear a child with anyone that isn't a kyuubi."

Not if she traversed to his Realm, but Lucifer refrained from telling her this in case she started to get strange ideas. Besides, she had herself preoccupied already.

"It'll take her a while to grow all her tails, but I was just like her once. My late mother was kind and gentle. She is how I aspire to be as a mother," Yasaka said with a peaceful smile. Perhaps the gentlest she had smiled thus far. And then it shifted back to her usual mischievous one as she stared at him. "Of course, you're always welcome to be her surrogate father."

"No thanks."

"Why not?" she shifted closer to his side, laying her face above her hands over the flat rocks. "Contrary to everyone's opinion, I think you'll make a good father."

"In case you've forgotten, I killed my father."

"And so what?" Yasaka flitted her tail, splashing water into his dress pants, earning herself a frown from the Archdevil. "He might have been a bad parent in your eyes, but you won't necessarily repeat what he did to you. Matter of fact, I doubt you'd repeat with your child what God did to you. I have eyes for this kind of thing, Lucifer. It's called a woman's intuition."

Lucifer didn't change his mind. "The problem with kids is that they're small. They're young, they're inexperienced, and they will make mistakes, and you can't always keep your eyes on them no matter how hard you try. Because if you try too hard, that's bad parenting, yet you can' fully trust them to make the right decisions."

"But that's what parents are for," Yasaka said. "Children make mistakes and the parents scold them so they won't repeat the same mistake in the future. Or at least feel bad about it," she flattened her ears as though embarrassed of her past repeated mistakes. "...kitsune is rather stubborn, mind you."

"Really? What a surprise," Lucifer said with complete lack of surprise. "I won't take care of your kid but I'll… look out for her, alright? Will that shut you up?"

Yasaka smiled smugly. "That will shut me up."

"Good. Don't bring this matter to me ever again."

"Oooh~ so grumpy."

"You were grumpy then. I get to be grumpy now. Make me too grumpy and your rock might accidentally bump into things."

Yasaka narrowed her eyes, her pupil narrowing to a slit. "Don't you dare."

"Dare I what? I'm not in control of accidents. Much as I am in control of your tails."

The former kyuubi snorted, upset. She gathered a bundle of her tails in her hand and wrung at the sodden fur. They looked less impressive now that they were soaked.

Speaking of which, "Do they ever get in your way? Your tail, I mean."

"How should I know?" Yasaka shrugged, her large, furry ears wiggling along. "I always had a tail since I was born. I've never been without in my entire life. But they're so good to pet and stroke and brush, even more so when someone else does it for me. Someone special…" For a moment, Yasaka stared past him into the distance, caught in the grip of a fond memory of her mother before her attention returned to Lucifer once more.

"It becomes somewhat a symbol of our pride and power, as well as the more sentimental kind like trust and affection. It's why we — kitsune, I mean — don't allow random strangers or even friends to touch it. Helps that most people think it's bad luck or a curse may befall them should they touch it without our consent."

"Well they are easily admired," Lucifer said, trying to form his chair made of Power of Destruction until he realized he couldn't. It bummed him out a bit, but not for long.

"Mmmn," Yasaka melodiously hummed, happy that he agreed. "I suppose that makes us more animalistic than most. Bestial, even. But couldn't that be said of all of us?"

"I wouldn't know. I don't have tails. Not even horns," then he added after remembering, "Or wings."

The mention caused the edges of her lips to turn down. "...I still think it's viciously cruel of Michael to cut your wings. I would've liked to see it."

"They're just feathers," Lucifer waved his hand, telling her to save her sympathy as he was already way over it. After all, they thought it was still valuable to him. The greatest insult to them would be going against their belief, and therefore, his wings that were put on display somewhere in Heaven was worth just as much as a pile of garbage in his eyes.

Her smile returned then. "You're a strong man, Lucifer. And I'm not talking about your power."

"I know," he said nonchalantly, effortlessly manly without intending to. It was his confidence and sheer will that won Yasaka over, truth be told, and she had no doubt she wasn't the only one. His deep voice, his looks, and charming albeit arrogant personality were a welcome bonus. That, and his eyes.

By the gods, his crimson eyes. They smolder like hellfire in the dark yet they were genial like embers of a fireplace. How many women and even men had their heart flipped by just his wordless gaze alone? Even right now when he wasn't staring at her as she was staring at the nearby cottage, Yasaka couldn't deny that he looked picturesque. Well, he was once God's perfect Archangel so that shouldn't be a surprise, but still… He had that devilish charm no one else possessed.

Well of course he did. He's The Devil with a capital TD.

No one could've told the many years of disappointment he suffered, because he was just so damn confident at all times, never faltering and always had a contingency plan in mind.

When he turned to look at her, Yasaka averted her eyes to the steaming water as she buried half her face in the hot spring, not wanting to be seen blushing by Lucifer out of all people.

"You know," he began, his voice reverberating through her chest, no thanks to her brief reverie of the devil. "Didn't you find it strange that everything in this place seems specially made for you?"

"Hm?"

"Your cottage is Japanese-style, rustic, reminiscent of your home. The air is permanently cool just as you like it, never changing in spite of the passage of time. And I'm guessing the moon never sets either. There's your favorite fruits, peaches and… what's that red thing over there?"

"Strawberries?"

"Right," Lucifer lowered his pointing finger. "There's also a small river and ponds filled with edible fish and eels. You love eels don't you?"

"I do," Yasaka absently nodded, her golden brows furrowing. "What are you trying to say? This place might be a gilded cage but it doesn't take away the fact it's still a cage. I've wandered far away from the clearing here, but the forest goes on forever. Kind of like an enchanted fairy-tale forest. There're plenty of glades and streams and I explored as much as I wanted, but no matter what paths I took, I always ended up back in the cabin. I have even touched the stars, Lucifer. It's a small place with the illusion of a big one."

"That's not what I meant," he said. He could've said it earlier but Lucifer was not one to cut sentences, even when he was right. "What I mean is that whoever trapped you here has taken great lengths to ensure you're comfortable."

She still couldn't connect the dots, and therefore tilted her head to one side as her ears lopped. "...And…?"

Lucifer lowered his eyelids by half. "And I can visit you when I'm asleep."

"...Aaaand…?"

"And I'm positive whoever trapped you here was aware of that fact. Are you familiar with Stockholm syndrome? How long will it take you to lose your mind being confined in a place like this? Only two weeks have passed and you're already the crankiest I've ever seen you. Perhaps their intention is to keep you here and make you think you're forgotten, and once you've given up hope, they'll come to you as your rescuer."

Why she certainly was because she was quite knowledgeable of psychological terms made by humans. Hearing that, Yasaka rose from the water as transparent globes of fluid coursed down her curves, gliding off the edge of her breasts as an expression of anger contorted her face.

"I will slay all of them," she seethed. "Tear them limbs from limbs and burn their corpses."

"Of course this is just a theory," Lucifer said, taking his hands off this kind of responsibility. "Tamamo said she found you in this state when she was about to tidy your bedroom, no? Maybe they had left you in a hurry, and the reason they didn't take you with them is because Tamamo had shapeshifted into you."

Everything he said made sense. Even if it was just a speculation, Yasaka couldn't think of other answers. Perhaps that was because she was furiously upset and she just wanted immediate answers, but she couldn't care less. Whoever the culprit might be, they would find that she could run out of mercy.

Wrath was a scary thing, Lucifer thought. Many often make up in wrath what they want in reason, only to end up dragged away because they lose control of it. Lucifer couldn't say he could understand, as he was always in control of his vices, not the other way around. It was what placed him significantly above the rest.

But, he supposed, all creations were bound to lose themselves from time to time, while he could sit back, kick up his legs and relax, smiling his self-satisfied smile.

Not this time though. "About time I leave then," he said, immediately causing Yasaka to lose all her anger in that instant.

"Wait, wait… you're leaving now? Do you know how to leave?"

"I'll just put myself to sleep," he shrugged as he placed her clothes atop the rock, careful to not let it slip down to the pool. "The sooner I get out, the sooner you might as well."

"Well… I know that, but…" Yasaka brought a tail forward, fiddling with the white tips as her ears flattened forward. "...Can't you stay here a little bit longer? I haven't talked to anyone for weeks."

"You're unexpectedly clingy."

"It's this place's fault!" she fumed, exiting the spring as her four tails shook the water off, along with a sassy whip at the end to flick away the water. She saddled herself on top of him, sitting on his lap only this time she was facing him, and completely naked and completely soaked. "Lay with me for a moment, Lucifer."

Her aroma rushed up his nose and invaded the entirety of his head. Fox-fur and flowers, and somewhat fruity.

But first she coated his suit in water — granted this was in his dream and he wouldn't be clean or wet when he came to, but 'a moment'?

"A 'moment'?" Lucifer grasped her peach-shaped rump and squeezed her ripe kitsune ass, eliciting a yip of surprise from her. "Are you mocking me? I've turned your little servant into a heaving mess, I can do the exact same to you."

Yasaka smiled tauntingly, lifting her head to sneeringly stare at him. "Is that an invitation to challenge?

"It's a brief insight into your fate."

.

.

.

One thing he liked about Yasaka was that she wasn't a fan of foreplay. Took too long and, knowing him and his sadistic tendencies, Lucifer would've teased her until she had to plead to get to the good parts. Or his right part inside her, frankly speaking. Her 'style' of play was reminiscent of her species; playful with a little rough and tumble.

Well… maybe a bit more than just a little.

A mischievous, hungry and sultry look in her golden eyes, Yasaka forgo all her modesty and clawed the buttons of his shirt — much to Lucifer's dismay. He even shouted 'hey!', and was visibly upset until he told himself his suit was safe outside this world in a gem.

She clicked her tongue as undressing him took longer than he undressed her prior, what with his suit, his vest, his dress shirt, his tie, his belt, his pants, his boxer briefs, and then socks and shoes. And people claimed men didn't wear as many clothes as women.

Once she stripped him bare, with Lucifer of course doing nothing but watch her struggle with his clothes, Yasaka promptly re-saddled herself on him, and groaned and giggled as she finally got what she wanted.

She shuddered as she let her body adjust to his length and girth, Lucifer himself gritted his teeth, a twitch on his right eye as hot wetness soon coated his throbbing member.

"Mmmmnhh… Gods I've missed you being inside me…"

"You finally admit you were ever after my body," Lucifer said, accepting her kiss as Yasaka had leaned in earlier, wanting to keep his mouth shut so as to not ruin her enjoyment. A horrible mistake on her part; Lucifer was always the better and more aggressive kisser.

Running his hands across her stream of golden silky hair, Lucifer clasped the back of her head as he deepened the kiss, sliding his tongue between her lips. Not wanting to lose this soon, Yasaka swiveled her ears and hips as she began riding him, slowly and gently at first, but quickly shifted into bouncing on his laps instead as loud squelches of juices permeated through the cold breezy air. And along with it, her moans began to leak and fill the rhythmic silence between the slapping.

Watching her mounds of breasts going up and down before his face was nice and all, but Lucifer didn't like it when his movements were restricted. With a determined snarl, Lucifer placed his hands under her thighs and got up from his makeshift seat, and turned her around.

"Kyah!" Yasaka squealed as he slipped out of her so suddenly, causing her to quiver as he lowered her legs so she could stand on her own. Only to make her shudder and groan in delight as he impaled her once again, pinning her arms to her back with one hand while the other firmly grasped the base of her tails.

"Ah—kkh… Yes! Faster! Faster!"

She was certainly quite different when she didn't have to concern herself with propriety and decorum. She had always had a wild side to her, she just knew how to hide it better than most. Thrusting her as deep as he could, Yasaka expertly joined with his rhythm, squeezing and pulling at his shaft as he drew it out, and came a little as he filled up her walls with his size.

He tugged her by her neck and pulled her up, her body arching forward as her fingers curled, grasping for something to hold but finding nothing but air. She settled by using her tails, curling her bushy whips around his toned stomach and powerful neck, yanking him towards her as if to tell him; more of the same, please.

"Ooh~!" she squealed, a douse of flame to keep him spirited.

And more of the same and better she got, as Lucifer gave her a relentless pounding. Whenever she tightened around him, her entire body shaking from the explosion of pleasure as she climaxed, her lips smiling wide and bright as bit of saliva passed between her gnashed teeth, Lucifer delivered a quick tug of her tails, keeping his lover moaning non-stop and tightening her grip as he took her.

Amidst another orgasmic series of cries from Yasaka, he grasped her sizable breast and squeezed her hard as he shoved deep inside her, giving the fox-girl something thick and warm to remember him by during her stay in this private world of theirs. Her moans drowned away his growl as Yasaka stretched her arms back, finding their way around his neck and hair as she kept on bucking against him, not yet satisfied with just one round.

Good for her, because he was the Master of Sins, and Lust was among the deadliest and hardest to satiate. And seeing her face flush red all the way down to her neck, slowly gradating away from her breasts down, her bright pink nipples pert and hard, only fueled his desire to firmly make her his woman again.

"Done already? Surely not…" Yasaka teased as she thought he was placing his hands on her rump to pull himself out. She was proven wrong as a jolt of ecstasy shot through her brain. "Mmmnh… Ah..." she breathed softly, a wide eager smile on her face. "Well… fortunately not."

.

.

.

Lucifer woke up not feeling refreshed in the slightest. He couldn't remember how many times they did it, but Yasaka definitely was the only few who could give him a run of his money, dreamland or not. Nonetheless, he did manage to outlast the fox and riddled her skin with his hickeys more than she did to his, although he fell asleep not five minutes later. But a close victory was still a victory.

…That said, she squeezed quite a lot from him. Maybe it would be a good idea to keep a long break between his visits, or at least time it when Yasaka wasn't being a horny fox as much as she was a mischievous one.

Now, he found himself staring at the dark ceiling of Yasaka's personal chamber, complete with another naked kitsune laying on top of him, both her arms splayed across his chest, and her lithe legs curled around his not-so-naked leg as Lucifer wasn't the type to sleep naked. While he didn't sleep with his suit — not wanting to wrinkle it, obviously — he did sleep in his dress shirt and boxer briefs.

What if someone came by? Looking half presentable was the bare minimum of his standards, and only wearing his forest green boxer briefs did not even scrape that bar. Only by adding a shirt that he deemed it acceptable, as a man should only expose his upper body when he intended to swim. Otherwise, that would just be showing off, and Lucifer was not as vain to think he possessed the only desirable body. Rather, his type of body was often found in all corners of the supernatural world.

But the way he dressed? Now that was his alone.

…

Why was he here again?

Ah yes… Yasaka and the stone that didn't belong to a philosopher.

Rubbing his neck and sitting up, Lucifer felt a shift next to him as Tamamo peeked her eyes open. Those ambers shimmered in the dark, absorbing as much as natural light as possible as the kitsune flicked her auburn ears.

"...Lucifer…? Are you leaving…?" she asked, her voice adorably croaky. She looked out the window and forgot nighttime was pretty much eternal in this Realm.

He hummed a yes, before replying in a low voice. "There's a place I have to be," he then checked his left wrist, where then a silver watch materialized, cinders sparking as it appeared, as though it was burning except in reverse. It pointed at two, which meant there was no time dilation when he was in Yasaka's prison. Unless this was two in the afternoon and he had amazingly overslept, which was highly unlikely.

The Devil was never tardy.

Especially so when he no longer needed sleep to operate.

"...Alright…" Tamamo yawned, stubbornly keeping her eyes open as she lay on her pillow. "...I was hoping to wake up in the morning and see your face."

"You're not the only one," Lucifer chuckled as he glanced at her.

Bad mistake, perhaps.

Lucifer wasn't a stranger to cuteness, but Tamamo had that irresistible vulnerability in the way she looked so defeated. She knew she wanted him to stay but she refrained from asking because she didn't want to trouble him. A genuine look of affection as well as attachedness but also the acceptance that she couldn't force him to stay.

…Maybe just this once. He kinda liked seeing her getting excited.

"I changed my mind," he said, much to her surprise as he then rested next to her, pulling the duvet above them as he reached out a hand towards her, beckoning her towards his unaccompanied chest. "C'mere you big furball."

Her eyes lit up as well as her ears as Tamamo giddily squirmed to him, her tails thudding against the blanket as she nearly cried from joy as he held her close.

"Ooohhhh~ thank you thank you thank you," she squealed as she planted her cheek on his chest, snuggly tucking her head underneath his chin. "This has been the best night of my life!"

"So far."

"Mikon~!"

He ruffled her messy cerise pink hair as the pretty fox gave him her little kisses on his neck in return, staring at him with big amber eyes until he leaned in, and gave her a quick peck on her lips, before laying completely on his back while holding her. As a result, Tamamo now lied directly on top of him, and as awkward as her position was, she had no inclination to get off from her new favorite person.

As he watched her, he noticed her ears wiggled, twitched and swiveled with a life of their own, falling in line with Tamamo's playful demeanor. Each of their insides were a clean white to contrast with her amber outsides, and filled with large, fluffy and ever-so-sensitive tufts of fur. It was very, very hard to resist reaching out and start petting them, but too many and then he'd spoil the magic.

"Kyaun!" She yelped as he gave her a light tap. Her butt was round and plush he could probably use it as a pillow. Coupled with her fluffy tails, that seemed like an idea he could get behind. "Aara... Do you intend to have another round? But Lucifer-dono, much as I loved the idea, our previous nightly activities have rendered me all too weak. My body is covered in hickeys - and while I don't mind, I need to transform myself to Yasaka-hime early in the morning."

Trust him; he had had enough sex for a night. Perhaps even a week. "Just copping a feel," he instead said, much to her delight as Tamamo giggled impishly, telling him to cop as he pleased. Lucifer gave her a satisfied smile before inviting his new lover for a more intimate kiss.

A few minutes later, the kitsune had drifted off to sleep in his arms, both tails curled around his leg, refusing to let go.

Lucifer sighed as he brushed a strand of her hair off her lips, and Tamamo instinctively nuzzled his hand as though she was awake. She was even smiling as she did.

He had taken a liking to her, that was without a doubt. Yasaka was coy with her affection, which he appreciated, but Tamamo had no trouble in being vulnerable. That was an endearing sign of trust, and Lucifer knew not many people in all Realms had ever trusted him this quick. It was almost childlike, how quickly her trust grew, just because he provided her with something she'd sought for years; acceptance.

He supposed he could zone out for the next hour or two. Going back to sleep would just bring him back — wait, no it wouldn't. Not unless he had the amulet equipped. Thus, he took the necklace off his neck, only to pause, and wear it again because he'd rather not have anyone steal it or store it in Hell.

Eh well. Meditating for an hour or two still wasn't so bad. He'd meditated for a month straight out of boredom, at the same time figuring out how to listen to beings lesser than him. Like Gods do to their human followers, except he could hear Gods that didn't necessarily follow him. What's a few hours compared to that?

But it was within the next hour that he felt a pang of pain, like a gentle slap to his chest, as he felt a shift from the Realm of Asgard. He heard the silent cry of the God of Thunder. The silence of the God of Mischief. And he heard the mourning of their people.

Lucifer's uplifted mood significantly worsened as he learned Odin had gone to Valhalla.

With that, he shifted his next destination from Mount Olympus to Asgard before the sun rose. He'd never attend the funeral of a God, even for a favor. But an old friend? One of the very few individuals who had ever treated him with the same respect when he was an archangel and when he had achieved godhood? A God who had considered him as equal? Never once treating him as anyone else would treat The Devil?

Even Lucifer knew that kind of friend was rare. In fact, Odin was the only one he had left. Lucifer had many acquaintance, millions of underlings, a handful of lovers, billions of enemies. But a friend like Odin? He was the only one.

Perhaps his last one for a long while. Living forever was one of the reason why Lucifer was against the idea of having too many acquaintances; they could never live as long as he'd hoped, and Lucifer despised feeling sad.

So yes. The Devil could grant the Allfather one last respect.

To be continued…

FLUFF FOR THE FLUFF GOD

Since I never watched DxD because i'm engaged and doesn't plan on freaking her out too much, I decided to give Yasaka a somewhat classical look of cute animu fox grill instead of the DxD looks, because ew, wtf are those eyebrows or worms?

Well anyway.

I hope you enjoyed it. Some lengthy sassy back and forth amongst other things ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) with Yasaka and some tender lovin' short but sweet moment with Tama. Perfectly balanced. As all things should be.

He's also noticeably less confrontational to the people that doesn't mind to be around him. The difference between his interaction with the asgard band and the fox waifus are like heaven and hell. I like the idea that Lucifer's basically Odin's adoptive son at this point, because of how bittersweet and tragic it is. Lucifer is like what Odin wished Loki could've been, I think.

GotB (god of the bible) might have been his father, but he weren't his daddy - some oversized smurf with weird mohawk steel hair

Next chap is Luci meeting Rosie and then taking her to hike mount olympus, maybe causing a shenanigan with thor and brynhildr

Follow and review and stuff. I don't feel so good chief. I think it's the goddamn yoghurt i ate yesterday… shiet. F in the chat for my stomach and respect for my trusty toilet