Raked Over the Coals [Lukas/Kokuto]

THE CITY OF LIGHT
Sweat hot against his skin, Lukas sprinted. The treadmill under his feet complaining, physical therapist hovering some distance away from him, monitoring a screen. Small pads lined the man's chest and arms, several sections of his skin freshly bandaged. The result of another fight the day before checkup.

Looked like it would be one with another spar after it, too.

Slowing down as the machine whirred to a stop, Lukas stepped off the treadmill, grabbing a shirt as he ripped off the sensors. "So what's it say?"

The PT glanced up at the quincy, shaking her head before walking away.

"Yeah, sure, okay." he spat behind her back, swinging the shirt on before leaving the clinic. Swinging the door open, Lukas pulled out his newly issued phone; unblemished. Man, that feels good.

Pulling up a list of phone numbers he scrolled for some time, before pressing down. Fifth day in a row, simple process: Call, Challenge, Fight. Sometimes there were a few extra steps, but, so far? Like a charm.

The phone rang for some time.

"Hey, yeah, Kokuto, I need to spar with you. Name's Lukas, we fought together a couple times."

Getting a call from Lukas of all people was the last thing he had been expecting that day. At first, he thought to let it ring and listen to the voicemail, if he left one. It'd give him more time to think, at least. From what he had heard and looked into relating to this guy, despite fighting alongside him, he had his apprehension.

Fuck it. Can't hurt to see what he wants. Maybe what I want can align with it.

He picked up the phone. A spar? Sure, he wasn't really doing anything else today. Plus, he was someone he could approach about something that had been on his mind for a bit. He confirmed it, the two set a location and time. Kokuto showed up a bit early, taking some time for a smoke outside, before heading in.

"Yo. Need somethin' from you too, but it's more of a question than anythin' else."

His eyes slowly went to the Leiden Hant around his arm. Even though his sense of the item was dull, as if it were suppressed or muffled, even his Reikaku could feel the inklings and hints of power from it.

"D'ya think it's possible for me to learn how to manipulate Reishi like you guys? Maybe even become a Quincy? Dunno how feasible it'd be, since I'm technically dead, and a Demon, but...I still figured it'd be best to ask."

He wanted to leave this cursed, devilish body behind. It never really belonged to him in the first place, after all.

THE CITY OF LIGHT
Ending the call with a press to the screen, Lukas pocketed the phone before dissapearing into the stadt. Arriving at the training hall, he'd check the time, tossing the phone downwards before working with weights. Pushed against the far wall, he'd start to sweat again before the door pushed open.

Lukas' eyes snapped to Kokuto as he entered through the door, the glass frame swinging back closed as the quincy shifted out from underneath his press to hunch forward, hands joined across his knees. The daggers of his eyes sharp, pointed solely in the demon's direction. If looks could kill.

"Ask what you want." he replied flatly, taking a moment to stand, stretching his arms behind his back. As the ligaments popped audibly, Lukas half-cocked a smile, before it dissapeared as he met Kokuto's gaze.

"Far as I know, anyone can be a quincy, if you're capable, and willing to learn. Can't say I'm the one to tell you how, but I got one piece of advice, at least." Left arm raising, Ahnengeist materialized, pointing towards Kokuto. "If you're already dead, don't be afraid to die."

Yeesh, even though Lukas had been the one to invite him, the guy still glared at him like he did something wrong. Well, it wasn't entirely surprising -- he was a demon still. But, depending on how he answered his question, that could hopefully change.

His lips parted in hope and surprise as he heard confirmation, a slight smile coming to his face. He'd figure out the other details that needed to be addressed later. The fact that it was possible in the first place was enough to get him to start looking into it once he was done here.

But, as Lukas mentioned advice that he wanted to give, Kokuto raised an eyebrow at first. But, as he spoke and manifested a weapon in his hand, Kokuto, without thinking, snickered as his own curved sword was summoned to his hand by instinct. Kokuto just shook his head in response, chuckling softly as he pushed the blade of Lukas' bastard sword aside with a finger.

"First of all, that's pretty shit advice, both in general and how its worded. Second, Christ, man, that's edgy as hell."

Lifting the weapon to his shoulder, Kokuto's eyes narrowed slightly. Part of him thought it was a bad idea to, but, he figured he might as well humor the poorly-worded statement.

"I don't care about dyin' at this point. Already did it once, and since then, I've come close to it over and over in the last couple centuries. If it happens, it happens."

THE CITY OF LIGHT
Lukas rolled his eyes. "Because it might kill you again, jackass. I'm not a surgeon."

Lowering his sword, Lukas moved further into the training room, distancing them some ten meters from each other. "Never had to train a quincy from scratch, so we're gonna try something I read about once. Ready?"

A heartbeat later, the quincy's reiatsu exploded outwards, a heavy breath from the man dragging it back towards himself. It bucked, raging against the man's attempt to restrain it. A step forward rocketed him into range, Ahnengeist shining as it split the air. Heel rocking underneath, Lukas bucked, the initial approach a feint.

A pirouette, ducking to the demon's left. Rolling against an open palm, Ahnengeist twisted, a shot towards Kokuto's sternum. The blade becoming paler as it did, immaterial if it'd connect.

If that's what he wanted to say, then he should have worded it better. Nevertheless, Kokuto just rolled his eyes, shrugging as a wave of red energy flashed to life around him. Keeping the weapon at his shoulder, Kokuto watched with a raised eyebrow as Lukas started to step back, moving further into the training room.

"Well, what's this-"

Before he could finish, Lukas charged toward him, and Kokuto lowered the weapon to his side, his eyes narrowing in response to the attack. Initially, he began to lift the sword from his side into something resembling a natural guarding stance, but, was quick to adjust as Lukas' footwork suddenly shifted.

Rather than bring his sword up to defend, he reached out with his free hand, the sickening sound of metal scraping against metal screaming in his ears as it slid to a stop between his armored fingers. Despite the sound, he remained unfazed as he moved to hold the sword away from him, his arm trembling lightly from the strain.

"Y'know, before you try stabbin' someone, you might think it's important to actually explain what you're doin', you fuckin' psycho. I might be hard to bring down, but that doesn't mean I'm just gonna stand here and let you turn me into a demon kebab."

THE CITY OF LIGHT
"Would you believe that's part of it?" Lukas' face betraying his heart, teeth bared in a near malicious smile. The pressure of one blade against another, someone who could react - this is what his heart beat for. The hunt.

Got more fight in ya than I expected. Lukas rocked backwards - the blade fading out of Kokuto's grasp, Ahnengeist twirled with a flourish. The man's intensity rippling through his reiatsu, distinctly separate from any idea of killing intent.

"Struggle with me. Scrape. Claw. Pour yourself out, and I'll force the power of a quincy in its place. By blade and by arrow, the only way I know how." The assassin shifted in stance, left arm leveling forward, body profile shrinking as the blade's tip circled.

"En garde." A step launched the man, thrusting for Kokuto's chest.

Far from afraid or worried as Lukas pulled the sword from his grip, Kokuto took a half-step backward, lifting his sword from his side. He was really supposed to believe that Lukas swinging at him like a maniac was part of his plan? With the malicious smile the guy had, he looked more like he was just using it as an excuse.

"No, not really. Don't think anyone sensible would."

Lukas' next words, however, only made him narrow his eyes. Force the power of a Quincy in its place? Wasn't a Quincy's entire thing about manipulating and weaponizing the Reishi in the area around them? Didn't their weapons also annihilate things entirely? How would you even "force" that kind of power into someone in the first place?

"Even if I don't know everything about you guys, that doesn't sound right."

But, he didn't get a further chance to comment on the matter, with Lukas suddenly stepping forward with a thrust. Bracing himself and putting a bit more weight on his back leg, Kokuto lifted his sword, twisting so the hook near the end was facing outward, keeping the weapons in a bind as they connected, sliding Rakshasa's Claw to lead Lukas' blade into the snare of the hook.

With a quick, forceful tear, he'd attempt to force the blade away again, using what little momentum he had after the action to lead into a violent swing, intended to make it feel like he'd been hit by a semi-truck and swat him away. It didn't seem like Lukas was going to listen to him about the matter -- and, what the hell, he needed training anyhow. For now, at least, what was the harm of going along with it?

THE CITY OF LIGHT
"Then I'll shut up, and you can find sense when we're done." Spoken through the smile, Lukas' words danced with heat. A lifetime of violence fighting against the tongue.

Stepping forward with Ahnengeist as Kokuto hooked onto the blade, Lukas responded with force. The training room cracked and buckled in protest. The floor erupting into spiderwebs as his arm bulged, wrenching against the demon's force. With a blink, weight would disappear from the black blade. A footstep behind the man, spinning to slam the pommel into his back.

Kokuto was tough enough - Lukas wasn't going to pull any punches. If this is gonna work, don't think I can hold back.

The theory was there; a quincy's power of destruction could be taught, with patience. If lacking patience, some tutors took to shortcut by imbuing their students with their powers directly. Definition for imbue notwithstanding, Lukas reasoned that draining out the demon's spiritual power to then pour in his own...

Well, it was his first time doing it.

He can find sense? He sure was confident. As he felt the weight disappear from his sword, Kokuto instinctively went to turn -- the guy was an assassin, and he figured that he, in all likelihood, he was gonna go for a backstab.

But, while he wasn't fast enough to avoid or block the sudden pommel strike, the red aura flickered to life as the weapon crashed against his Devil Steel, and even though it wasn't an actual part of his body, he could feel the ability straining upon contact.

But, it wasn't enough to budge him or bring him down. Rather, Kokuto continued to turn, reaching with his free hand to grab Lukas' wrist, before suddenly and forcefully lifting the man up with the intent to throw him over his shoulder and send him crashing into the ground with enough force to cause the entire building to shake and rumble, as if he'd been hit by a tank.

If Lukas wasn't pulling punches, Kokuto wasn't going to either. He wanted to fight dirty and fight like an assassin? He'd fight with every underhanded technique he'd developed and learned during his time in the worlds of both devil and man.

But, that also meant that he wasn't going to give him a chance to recover fully and properly. The broken chains from the handcuffs around his wrists suddenly elongated, reaching out to ensnare Lukas by his legs, before throwing him across the hall, intending on hurling him into the wall with an equal force to before.