Opening Song: "My Demons" by: Starset
Astoreth and Daigon are watching television as I plan my route from the balcony of our room. There are several buildings really close to each other, and I can jump from one rooftop to another. Some are more spread out, but I can just fly over to them. With the cover of night and snow, I should be invisible to the people on the ground.
"How long are you going to be out?" Astoreth asks.
"Hopefully I'll be back in thirty minutes or so. Once I find Asuka, I'll be heading back." I jump up onto the balcony railing and dive off into a huge gap separating the hotel and a tower. My wings deploy and catch air.
Snow crunches under my boots as I touch the tower's roof and take off running for the nearby skyscraper. The tip of my wings grip the steel and concrete as both my white and black wings magically pass through without causing damage to the structure.
The faint aura of power starts to become more potent as I climb up to the top. I haven't seen Asuka in a while, but when she absorbed that scroll back at Hebijo Academy, the amount of power she was generating doubled and became easier to detect.
I ease up to the edge and crouch down. My eyes black out, and the irises turn red. The color orange paints my vision and allows me to see through walls. Normal people appear as blue because their souls have not been exposed to power, shinobi are white, and hunters are red. Brilliant white is the kai of a true good shinobi's soul, and red is the yoma blood that taints the soul of a hunter. Shinobi with grey souls have a distortion of black evil mixed within them.
Most of the people I see are blue. Some are red, but no whites yet. I examine the area but see nothing on the ground. Asuka must be higher up. I begin scanning the rooftops and tall buildings. Something catches the left corner of my eye and I turn out of reflex.
Halfway up this hotel stands a white figure dressed in winter attire. Asuka. A load falls off my shoulders as I breathe a sigh of relief. She's okay. For now. Asuka's about two miles from where I am staying. Now I know where to start in the morning.
Although I can't see with a hundred percent accuracy, she appears to be upset about something. Everything within me wants to go see her right now, but I know I'm not alone. I stand up and draw some corruption from my soul to form a muzzle like respirator. The black grabs hold of my face and encases my nose and mouth in a mask. It restricts the ability to bite if something happens and also protects my identity since I know who these people are.
"Could you explain to me why you left Gessen?" I ask.
A suppressed gunshot erupts from behind me. I reach behind me and catch the incoming projectile. 7.92x57mm Mauser from a Karabiner 98 bolt action rifle. A fine souvenir this will make as I drop it in my side satchel.
"Has it ever occurred to you that bad little girls like you shouldn't play with guns?" I tease as I spin around and chase after my attacker. She pulls the bolt back on her rifle and chambers a new round.
I quickstep to the left and dodge the second bullet. My wings sprout from my back as a red staff rockets toward me. Gold etching of a familiar insignia marks the tip of the woman's staff as my left wing blocks the incoming attack. She bounces off, and I wrap her up in my right wing and trap her up against an entryway leading down into the building.
"Let her go!" The other girl yells as she loads a new round and fires. I hold my hand out and catch the bullet tip. My thumb holds the chunk of lead as the middle finger flicks it back.
TING!
The bullet hits the attacker's gun and she staggers backwards. The masonry at the side of the building trips her, and she rolls backwards over the edge.
"Help! Someone!" The rifle girl screams as she tries to pull herself back up.
"I don't know how much you're getting paid, but it's not nearly enough to cross me." I stare into the face of the girl I have pinned up against the wall. Her face is wrapped up in a black cloth mask and her glasses reflect my wicked appearance as she struggles to break free.
My God, I recognize those shamrock green eyes anywhere as my gaze breaks through the lenses of her glasses. Just because I can, I bring my black wing up and deploy a barbed spike that rests inches from her left eye. She stares back at me with a fierce look in her eyes as she tries to shake free; "Let me go! R.B!"
I pull my wing back and drive the spike into a piece of the girl's clothing. The barb detaches from my wing and pins her to the concrete. She yelps in shock, but realizes that she isn't hurt. So she won't be tempted to just rip away from the wall, I placed it in the flounce of her black insulated skirt.
"NO! You bastard! How could you!?" She curses as I back off and run after the girl dangling over the skyscraper's edge. She loses her grip and falls.
"R.B! NO!" Glasses yells as I dive off the edge of the building.
I flap my wings and close the gap between us. All that's going through this girl's mind is her imminent death. For a brief second, she opens her eyes. Just like Ryona, she has a blue and green eye. The only difference is R.B.'s right eye is green and the left eye is blue. Whereas Ryona's right eye is blue, and the left eye is green. This has to be Ryoki's other sister.
I hook my arms around R.B.'s body and swoop up. She wastes no time in clinging to me. Both of her eyes are closed, and she crushes me as I slowly land on top of the skyscraper we were previously fighting on.
Glasses is still stuck to the wall and trying to remove the barb I stuck in her dress. "R.B.! You're alive!"
R.B opens her eyes and slowly let's go as she tries to make sure she's on solid ground. I walk over and grab the barb wedged in glasses' dress. "You…saved her… Why?" Glasses stammers as I twist and pull the spike out.
"I'm afraid I can't answer that."
It would be best if I made a hasty retreat since these two probably called for the others. Things could take a turn for the worst if that happened. The spike turns to dust within my hand, and a new barb sprouts out of my wing tip as I dive off the skyscraper again.
Before I get too far away, I look back in Asuka's direction one more time. She's asleep and still safe. Although these two didn't give me much hassle, Asuka will definitely have her work cut out for her tomorrow since there are six of them, and that's not including Oliviera.
As I glide though the sky, I wanted to tell that girl with the glasses who I was because I knew her.
"Imu. She's still alive. Thank God." I say aloud.
That's why I showed her mercy but since Imu's here, that means someone else must be as well. Son of a bitch… That means if Asuka gets in trouble, I won't be fighting just anybody…
Daigon is the only one watching television as I enter the room. I made sure no one followed me here and since Imu and R.B didn't recognize me, my identity and cover are still safe.
"How did it go?" Daigon asks.
"Humbling to say the least. The girl is still safe. Tomorrow morning, we'll be watching from a distance." I reply as I sent down on the couch next to Daigon. He's watching a movie about a post-apocalyptic wasteland in Australia.
This man, a guy painted white, and this woman with short hair are driving a huge Semi-Truck through the desert while trying to fend off an army of raiders. Even though this is just a movie, it's not an exaggeration of life outside of the city walls.
Raiders, yoma, evil hunters, shinobi, and everything in between fight countless battles daily. Every day is a fight for survival out there. Even the weather is a force to be reckoned with. The uncontrollable rage of the unpredictable elements make traveling the wasteland unforgiving year round.
"Did Astoreth go to bed?"
Daigon shakes his head no, "Not yet."
"Okay." I get up and make my way to the other end of the room where Astoreth is lounging for the night.
"Hey Alan…"
"Yeah?"
"Thank you…" Daigon says as he gives me a salute.
I nod my head and continue forward. What should be said? I don't want to pry, but I need Astoreth to open up so I can talk to her about the issues she's facing.
Knock…Knock…
"Astoreth, can I talk to you? It's Alan."
"Sure."
The door opens up and Astoreth is dressed in some kind of robe. It appears she has been crying about something because her eyes are like mirrors leaking water. Astoreth walks over and sits on the bed as I pull up a chair. She seems to know what I'm about to do so she lays down and covers her head with a pillow.
"Um… Astoreth… I know you probably don't want to talk, but Daigon…"
"Daigon needs to mind his own business." Her muffled voice interrupts me.
"Look, I've only known you two for a few hours, but if there's one thing I've learned about Daigon is that he cares about you. Why can't you see that?"
"Because Alan, he shouldn't care about me! I've done things that can't be forgiven!"
My temper starts to flare up and my face burns, "Don't you dare pull that bullshit with me! How's that any different than what I've done?!" I yell back.
"I've eaten newborn children the moment they were born!" Astoreth snaps back as she starts to sob.
"I've taken sons and daughters from parents, and fathers and mothers have had to bury their children because of me!" My head starts to swell up as I think of the Bolakna.
"When I was trying to protect my people… the shinobi I killed never did anything wrong, because they were only following orders…"
Astoreth remains quiet as I try to tell the story: "One day, I killed a woman, and a teenage boy around my age …. And because the others retreated, I followed them back to their camp to spy so my team could gain the upper hand in the next battle. In the middle of the camp, I saw somone telling a man that his family died in combat. The man broke down in tears as he pounded his fists into the ground…"
I regain my confidence as I keep my emotions restrained, "He then pulled out a gun, stuck it to his head and shot himself. I felt so sick that day because even though I'm not the one that pulled the trigger, his blood still stains my hands because I took his wife and son away. Take away an honest man's family, and he truly has nothing left to lose."
For a couple seconds, neither of us say a word. There is no shortage of evil things I've done. As a kid, I attacked my sister. When I became a hunter, I was cruel to Minori and her family. When I learned my lesson with Minori, she lost her family. When Roger and I fought at the Bolakna, I failed to protect him. When Roger and I were reunited and life started to look up, I was forced to kill him.
"As a guardian for Ishtahullo, I was entitled to do whatever I wanted…" Astoreth states as she wipes her eyes; "I was so full of pride that I honestly believed Kagura couldn't touch me. Then when Roger's ancestor challenged us, he decimated us despite our best efforts. As punishment, he killed my husband and Daigon's wife. Their bones made Jonathan's armor as well as Roger's and Octavian's. My son and Daigon's daughter didn't do anything wrong, but Roger's ancestors fed them to Kagura while they were still alive. That way we could live with similar grief that we inflicted on humanity."
Astoreth un-wraps her robe and shows me her pale body as she stands up. A black scar slithers all the way down from her heart, in between her chest and down to her stomach.
"After I failed Ishtahullo and lost my son, the Yoma King Shin took away my ability to be a mother. He then tried to carve my heart out, but Daigon betrayed Shin and told the Honored Elders where Shin's kingdom was in the Fracture. Everything Shin ever built collapsed under the unbridled rage of the Honored Elders. Because Daigon and I accepted our punishment and repented, the Honored Elders allowed us to live for a higher, more divine purpose. Now Shin is nothing more than a pawn compared to the king and queen on a chess board."
"So that's why you wear a dress?" I ask.
"Yes… It hides the ugliness within, and sometimes, even when I'm asleep, I can still feel the sacrificial knife Shin used dragging through my body as I hear my son cry for me." Astoreth says as she runs her fingers down the scar.
"When I was ten, I was corrupted by yoma blood, and I attacked my sister as a result. Ever since that day, I've been running from my past. Trying to hide it, but what's done in the dark will soon come to the light. No matter what it is. It may not be today, or tomorrow, or next week, but it will happen at the most inopportune moment. That's the way the world works."
I reach over and take hold of her hands, "Astoreth, I don't know how you feel, but I want you to know that I care about you. Daigon cares about you. Roger cares about you. Roger loved you and Daigon so much that he wanted the both of you to live a meaningful existence rather than getting dragged into this life of killing and regret. That's more than I can ever say."
Astoreth sighs and looks down at the ground: "I've never shared this much about myself. Thank you Alan."
She looks back up with glassy eyes and hugs me. Her head digs into my shoulder as she begins to huff and sob. I wrap my arms around her and offer comfort. Out of nowhere, another pair of muscular arms wraps around and lifts both of us into the air.
"Astoreth, I never meant to hurt you…"
"It's okay Daigon." Astoreth cuts Daigon off.
He sits both of us down and Astoreth ties her robe back, "Alan, you better get some rest. We have a job to do tomorrow."
"Okay. Goodnight."
"Goodnight Alan."
Daigon and I leave the room and head back to the living room. Daigon seems to be feeling a lot better now that I talked to Astoreth.
"Hey Alan. Thank you."
"You're welcome." I reply with a smile. Daigon chuckles and waves as I close my bedroom door and fall on the bed. The firm mattress bounces me around as I try to get comfortable.
Dealing with that for nearly seven thousand years? God that has to be hard. Losing what I held dear at the age of ten felt like an eternity. Then when Roger, Haruka, Hikage, and the others died back at Hebijo, it felt like forever also. Even though it's only been two months. I can't imagine dealing with suffering that great for over seven millennia. Despite our differences, Astoreth and I aren't much different.
She was cut into, I have to take shots of holy water to avoid turning. She lost her son, I lost my family. We both have done horrid things. Although, I think after tonight, Astoreth's wounds may start to heal. What happened to her was horrific.
Astoreth had no shame when she showed me that marring scar on her breasts and stomach. She was so desperate to talk about it that her nakedness didn't bother her. Daigon wanted to help, but it's hard to talk to someone who already knows the story, and has been your partner in crime.
Astoreth felt that it was hypocritical and shameful to talk to Daigon about it, and she didn't want to talk to Roger since his ancestors are the ones that punished her. Everyone does things they aren't proud of, but the greatest gift from above is knowing that redemption is never out of reach…
"Hey Alan, I got something for you!" Daigon says as he opens the bedroom door. My dreary eyes crack open as I look over at him. It appears he has some normal clothes in his hand. He sits them on the edge of my bed and begins showing me the different shirts.
"I went shopping this morning before Astoreth starting cooking, and I was wondering what you think."
He holds up a black tee shirt with no markings. "I like that one." I state.
"I was hoping you would say that because that's all I got." Daigon replies.
As for the pants, they're all denim blue jeans. "Damn, where did you get those!?" I say as I grab a pair and examine them.
"There's a store a couple blocks away that sell a variety of different clothes. I figured black slacks weren't popular with you since you seem like a rough cut kind of person."
Not that this country doesn't have denim, it's just rare because it's not the style around here. Most of it is formal since Oliviera is the ruler of this part, but I guess she has some leniency towards the more casual look.
"I also got you a fashionable blue hoodie, and a face warmer to help protect your identity while we are scouting for your lady friend."
The red face warmer is insulated so it will shield my face from the cold. My plan is that we blend in with the crowds and find Asuka. When we do, Astoreth and Daigon will keep an eye on her while I return to the hotel and change back into my armor. Hopefully she will be done by nightfall.
I can't wear my armor because if Imu or Ryona are out patrolling, they can see though the illusion my talisman gives off to untrained eyes. If I wear regular clothes, then I will just look like an average citizen, but I will be able to see them.
"Very good Daigon. Now if you will excuse me, I am going to clean up and get ready for breakfast."
He nods his head and leaves as I strip out of my armor and hop in the shower. The steaming water mixed with soap and shampoo rinses my scarred body off as I scrub my brown hair with my fingertips.
"Alan! It's time for breakfast! Astoreth says as she knocks on the bathroom door.
"I'll be there in a second!" I quickly dry myself off and head back into the bedroom. I put on a black shirt and some blue jeans. Both of the clothing items fit perfectly as I put my socks on and head into the kitchen.
Cinnamon and sugar decorate the toast Astoreth is dipping in egg and milk batter as Daigon pours everyone a cup of coffee. He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a silver flask. A cream colored fluid mixes with the black coffee as he stirs it around.
"Daigon, are you putting liquor in the coffee?" Astoreth asks without looking.
"NO! I'm just adding some milk."
"I don't believe you." Astoreth replies.
"Don't pretend you don't like it! Everyone loves Irish crème because it's good for you! Right Alan?" Daigon states as he hands a cup to me.
"Builds strong bones and character." I answer as I take sip of the hot liquid. Irish whiskey, crème and coffee all combine for a robust flavor as it falls down the back of my throat. Daigon takes a sip and sits down next to me.
"I may or may not have picked this up when I went out. However, it was Astoreth's idea because she put it on the shopping list." He snickers as he reaches under the table and pulls up two huge bottles of crème liquor.
"Whatever you say Daigon." Astoreth says as she hands us each a plate. Three huge pieces of French toast dusted with powdered sugar and eggs lie on my plate. All which look delicious.
"You should start writing my shopping list more often if that's the case." I joke as the three of us take a drink of the coffee all at the same time...
The food Astoreth prepared was god tier. Literally. The toast didn't get soggy when the syrup was added, the eggs were cooked over easy, and the coffee she made was amazing. Although Daigon added his own special ingredient. I take everyone's plate over to the sink and drop them into a tub of water.
"I can get those." Astoreth says.
"Nah, it's fine. I need to do something myself. You two need to go get changed." I reply as I scrub the plates with a sponge.
The maids get paid to do this, but why make them do it? They have two hundred other rooms to deal with so this won't hurt. Daigon and Astoreth put on their new clothes as I finish putting the last plate in the drying rack.
Daigon is just wearing a plain black shirt with some blue jeans while Astoreth is dressed up in a green insulated dress with some black stockings. Daigon has a plain black hoodie while Astoreth has a fur coat. In all honesty, they actually blend in.
Normal people can't see them, and Imu and the others will just see them as guardians roaming the city. Not really knowing who they belong to. The only one who might recognize them will be Ryona, but I doubt Astoreth and Daigon will get close enough for her to notice.
I lace up my boots and head out to the elevator. Daigon pushes the button and the doors slide open. All three of us get in and begin making our way to ground level.
"So this girl? Is she special to you?" Daigon asks.
"Maybe. I don't know." I reply.
"If you are willing to take on a psychopath and her army, then I'd say she was more than special." Astoreth says.
"I'd rather not talk about it."
"Why?"
"She's probably pissed off at me. That's why Astoreth." I state.
"Ah man. Nothing worse than when your woman is mad. I should know. Amphitrite could be an ass at times, but she did put up with a useless son of a bitch like me for nearly two-thousand years of marriage. Best two thousand years of my life." Daigon says as he looks at the broken wedding band etched in his forearm.
"She's not my woman."
Astoreth touches my face and brings me eye level with her; "She's not Alan's woman. It's his special lady friend. I can see it in those unique eyes of his."
I yank away as she giggles, "Yup, his eyes dilated when I said that. By the way Alan, you have some of the most beautiful eyes I've ever seen. They remind me of my little boy."
Astoreth doesn't tear up or hang her head as she says that. Deep down, I can feel that she meant it. Since we talked about what was going on last night, Astoreth seems to be more confident now. I'm sure she's still struggling, but now Astoreth knows we are here for her, and when she meets Asuka, I think they will really like one another.
The elevator door opens and we head through the main lobby and out into the streets of Ursania. It's even colder today and these clothes are barely doing anything in terms of warmth, but I have to work with it.
Traffic has doubled, the trains are running non-stop and the amount of pedestrians on the streets have tripled. Snow is still falling from the smoky sky above.
"Okay. Astoreth, I want you to head to the east. Daigon, you take the west. I'll head to Asuka's last known position and search from there." I pull my hood over my head and put the red face warmer on.
"Are you trying to get rid of us because you want to pay this girl a 'SPECIAL VISIT'?" Daigon snickers.
"I know if you're lying Alan! I can tell it through your eyes!"
"The short answer, yes. The legitimate reason, splitting up will keep your auras from giving me away to Oliviera and her squad."
"Right. Let's do this." Astoreth says.
Her and Daigon head in the directions I told them as I head in mine. My pocket watch reads 8:27 A.M. Hopefully Asuka hasn't left her hotel yet. If I can get there before she leaves, Astoreth and Daigon can keep an eye on her while I retrieve my armor.
Although this face warmer and hood are protecting my identity, I'd rather not take any chances. The crowd I am currently walking in has one speed. Very slow. Most of the guys have their hoods on. Some even have face warmers. The girls have earmuffs so I don't stick out.
Up ahead, I see a flash of violet hair. My heart starts to pound as a familiar smell comes to my nose. I'm suddenly transported back to when I turned ten. My mother's graphic death and what followed rips into my eyes as if it's actually playing out right now.
No… This won't get the better of me. I have to face it. No matter how much it hurts. I press onward across an intersecting road as I remain in the middle of the crowd. I see another glimpse of violet strands flowing in the icy wind. Ahead stands a girl I haven't seen in seven years. She's dressed up in a black coat, and her leggings are thick enough to withstand the cold.
My heart starts to ache as I pass by her. She appears to be patrolling this side of the city and she follows right behind me, "Excuse me sir…" The woman grabs the back of my hoodie and gives a small tug.
Damnit… I have no choice. I turn around and suddenly, I see a little girl from my childhood. The girl I swore to marry as a kid. Besides her growing in height and her chest getting bigger, she looks exactly the same when we were kids. The night I bit her, and how she protected me regardless of what I did keeps playing through the reflection of her purple eyes. "Do you have the time? I'm supposed to make a delivery at 9:00."
"Sure…" I reach into my pocket and pull out my pocket watch, "It's 8:47."
"Okay, thank you!" She walks off and tries to pick up this box. Despite being a shinobi, she's still human and that thing looks heavy. She barely lifts it up off the ground before dropping it. This goes against my better judgement.
"Ma'am, do you need help with that?"
"If you don't mind. I usually don't talk to people but you seem like a nice person." The girl says.
I walk over and pick the box up. I have no idea what's in it, but damn is it heavy. "Where are we going with it?"
"To an orphanage. These are supplies for the children. Lady Oliviera is donating this to those in need."
The girl begins to walk in the general direction, "I'm Murasaki."
"Maximus, but you can call me Max." I reply as I follow her.
I keep my eyes on the lookout for anyone else. So far, I've met four of the six working for Oliviera. I hoist the box up on my shoulder as Murasaki takes me down an alley to another street.
"So do you live around here?" Murasaki asks.
"I live outside the city gates. I'm just here on a family resupply."
"I see. I'm trying to earn money to attend school." She replies.
Last night, Oliviera was talking about funding. Imu, Ryona, R.B and Murasaki all working for the same reason? What are they trying to do? I keep from dwelling on it. Otherwise if the conversation stalls, Murasaki might get suspicious.
"Yeah. School can be expensive. At least you found a way of getting the money."
"Did you go to school?"
"I was homeschooled." I answer.
"Cool. My older sister insisted that we gather money. I just wanted to stay home. What can be taught that I can't teach myself?" Murasaki says as she walks up a series of concrete stairs leading up to the orphanage.
"After you." Murasaki says as she opens the door for me.
"Thank you." As I walk in, several children run up and grab hold of my legs. "Murasaki, who's this stranger?" A little boy asks.
"Is he your husband!?" A little girl asks.
"NO! I'm going to marry Murasaki! You can't have her!" A little brown haired boy says as he playfully hits my leg. I reach down and grab the back of his green shirt. He squirms around as I lift him up into the air. His eyes are just like mine except they are blue.
"She's all yours son." I sit him back down on the ground and he runs off and hides behind Murasaki.
"He's just a good Samaritan who offered to help me." Murasaki says as all the little kids gather around and hug her. I sit the stuff down in the cafeteria where staff members of the orphanage begin sorting through the supplies. Food, water, medicine, clothes and shoes are carried off to their various parts of the building.
I figured I've stayed long enough. I need to get back to the task at hand. I shouldn't have done this in the first place, but I couldn't stand the feeling of leaving Murasaki stranded. As I walk out the front door, the same little boy from before grabs my legs again, "Thank you for helping my future bride kind sir!"
I pat the top of his head to show gratitude, "You're welcome kid, but don't tell anybody."
"Hey Max! Wait!" Murasaki yells as she runs over to where I am. The little boy runs back inside as Murasaki approaches me. "Thank you. You didn't have to do that."
"There's a lot of things I should have done, but didn't, and I'm tired of doing nothing."
"You sound a lot like my friend Miyabi. Her parents used to say that all the time. Maybe you can meet her before you leave."
Deep down, I want to see Miyabi one more time. Just to see how she's doing. I haven't seen her since mom died. Being away for so long makes me think about the stories behind our names. Miyabi's name is supposed to translate to elegant, but mom intended for the name to mean Beautiful Scarlet.
She gave Miyabi that name because mom had scarlet fever before giving birth to Miyabi. By the grace of Elysium, Miyabi miraculously survived and so did mom, and that's where mom got Beautiful Scarlet from.
Then a couple years later, I came along unexpectedly. Mother didn't know what to call me when I was born, so the village doctor said that when I opened my eyes, it would come to her. The moment I did open my eyes, mom exclaimed Alan, and it was because of the noble look of my eyes. The eyes of my own mother.
"I would love to, but I need to get going. Father is sick with fever and he needs some medicine."
"Wait…" Murasaki reaches into her coat pocket and pulls out a bottle of prescription grade medicine, "I hope your dad gets to feeling better."
I reach over to take the pills to keep from looking suspicious but something on her wrist catches my eye. It's made of aluminum and shiny. No… I pull away and try to clear my head.
"What's wrong?" Murasaki asks.
"Nothing. Nothing. I was just enamored by your beautiful bracelet there."
She looks down and realizes what I'm talking about. "Oh this! This was a gift from my little boyfriend when I was a child! Although I've grown out of my feelings for him, I keep it because it makes me think of him. I hope he's okay. Where ever he is." Murasaki rubs the green stone and looks the other way to keep her purple eyes hidden.
The polished green stone set in her bracelet was a piece of jade I found alongside a river when I was eight. I even went through the trouble of gathering up resources and money so the local black smith could make a cheap bracelet. I gave it to Murasaki for her seventh birthday, and she loved it despite being too big for her wrist at the time and being low quality.
"I'm sure he's okay. He's probably a doctor by now."
"I sure hope, because that's what he always wanted to be."
I reach out again and take the bottle of medicine. Damn, these thing will do the trick. High quality acetaminophen, but I hand it back, "No, I'll be responsible and buy some myself. I'm sure some kid in there probably needs it."
"Okay, but if it doesn't work, I want you to come find me. I want your dad to get well." Murasaki says.
"Thank you. Goodbye Murasaki."
"Good bye Max."
She turns around and heads into the orphanage as I return to my original goal. I know what I did was stupid because I could have jeopardized the entirety of my mission. Maybe it was a dumb thing for me to do, but helping Murasaki eased a burden I've been carrying for a long time.
Seeing Murasaki mature into the beautiful woman she is now almost made me forget that there was a wedge dividing us. I can't help but wonder what kind of life I would have had if I wasn't attacked that night. Would it have been Murasaki I'd given my heart to? Would we have had one future together as a happy couple rather than two futures split?
The thought makes me sad, but I can't dwell on things that could have been. Things change, and my heart feels like it should belong to Asuka. As my name suggests, I have to be noble to my cause. No matter how much further the wedge is going to divide me from my past friends and family…
Astoreth and Daigon are already on top of a skyscraper overlooking the hotel Asuka is staying at. The both of them are lying prone and intently watching.
"That girl hasn't left yet." Astoreth says.
I check my pocket watch again: 9:43 A.M.
"Boy Alan. You sure did pick a pretty one. She almost as pretty as Astoreth." Daigon says as he points at Asuka.
"Who said I picked her?" I ask.
"Come one Alan, we're fallen elder gods. We can feel desire in your heart." Astoreth replies.
Asuka finally leaves her room and heads down to the ground floor where she finally exits the hotel. The first glimpse of her amazes me. Just like that night when we were in the hot spring together.
"I see it in your eyes." Daigon snickers.
"Shut up Daigon."
"The same eyes my son had when he saw beautiful women." Astoreth adds.
I will admit, I haven't seen Asuka in a while so of course I miss her. I do feel a sense of love for this girl. Why? I don't know. I could have had all the girls I ever wanted, including the other elites at Hanzo Academy, and the ones at Hebijo without trying, but that didn't seem right to me.
Asuka just has something distinct about her. It's not for the power. I already got that. It's not for the nobility because I come from Minori's family as well as Jonathan's clan of hunters. Money? I don't need money. I have so much I couldn't give it all away before the age of seventy.
This feeling is much deeper. It's like the one Roger told me about when he first danced with Murakumo. There's just no explanation. Asuka begins heading east and blends in with a crowd of people.
"Astoreth, Daigon. Keep an eye on Asuka. I'm going back to the hotel to get my stuff. Since I can't run around in my armor, let me know when Asuka gets in trouble, or passes her test."
"Can do boss." The both of them reply.
I want to stay and help but I've already done too much. Murasaki has seen my disguise so if she sees me running across the rooftops, not only will my cover be blown, but it could put Asuka in danger as well. If I come out with my armor on, my aura will be amplified and anyone that can sense power can track me down.
Astoreth and Daigon will be fine because they can just say they are guardians looking for their master, or if it's Oliviera, they can say they were out for a stroll.
"I'm sorry I can't stay."
"Don't worry about it Alan. We understand the circumstances. We won't let anything happen to the girl." Astoreth says.
"Thank you." I check my watch again: 9:57 A.M. Asuka must be starting in three minutes. I take one last look at her as she rounds the corner of a building. Astoreth leaps down to the ground and tails Asuka as Daigon sticks to the rooftops.
"Good luck Asuka." I say as I run back to the hotel…
Ending song: "A Job to Do" by Jerry Cantrell