I awoke again just after dawn. Everyone was still sound asleep but I felt the need to go for a short jog. It had felt like an eternity since I had last run for enjoyment. I somehow managed to work my way out of Fai's grip and snuck out of the house. I remembered a small shop near our home that sold clothing and I hoped I might be able to find some suitable running shoes and shorts or leggings. Luckily, I made it to the shop right as they were opening. I found a pair of black leggings, an oversized white t-shirt, and a pair of purple running shoes.
"Thank you!" I said as I left the store. They let me change in the back and I traded them my current clothing for the new outfit. I took off down the street; I tried to remember which directions I was going so that I wouldn't get too lost. I had been running for a few minutes when I suddenly heard:
"Ma-cha~!" I turned around, jogging slowly backwards, to see Fai running after me.
"Hi! Have you come to join me?" I asked, turning back around as he caught up.
"Well, you disappeared and we are in a new world. When I woke up and you were gone I got worried." He replied honestly. I picked up my pace once more, knowing he would be able to keep up.
"Sorry, I woke up and wanted to run, I didn't mean to worry you." I told him, feeling bad that I had concerned him. He simply smiled at me, remaining quiet. I guess he remembered what I said last time we ran together about not wanting to talk and run. That seemed so long ago now… I managed to steal a glance at him and noticed his typical smile had not faded. He appeared so content to just be next to me. After awhile, we ended up in front of city hall. We stopped in front of the building, both panting slightly.
"Ma-cha, do you mind if we go in for a minute? Syaoran wanted to ask about the creature we saw last night and I figure since we're already here—" Fai asked.
"Of course!" I grinned. We walked in and saw the aforementioned young boy already inside, waiting to be helped.
"Mai, Fai! I didn't expect to see you two here." Syaoran said, slightly surprised we were there.
"Good morning to you too!" I said back, faking anger.
"A—Ah! No! I mean—"
"Syaoran, I was teasing you~!" I laughed as he freaked out a bit. It was at that moment that we were called up to be helped.
"You did well last night, especially since you just arrived. Now you can collect your reward!" The woman from yesterday said.
"Reward?" I asked.
"I don't understand, reward for what?" Syaoran elaborated.
"You did defeat a demon last night, didn't you?" The woman replied.
"Is that what that creature was?" the youngest boy asked.
"Hey~" Fai spoke up, realizing something, "How'd you know what happened last night? We didn't tell you that!"
"Naturally we track everything involving the demons, that's part of our job." The bright-eyed woman smiled, "The demons pose a grave threat to our world, so what happens to them is of great relevance to us. Sometimes the demons appear in the day but for the most part they're nocturnal."
"Because what's better than a monster who only goes bump in the night?" I asked sarcastically. Fai chuckled a bit at my comment while the city hall woman continued.
"It is because their strength is tied to the phases of the moon. During the new moon the demons are at their weakest and during the full moon they're horribly strong."
"I see," Fai said, "You know, for a world plagued by monsters, these people seem remarkably calm. I'd expect them all to be hysterical and running for cover." I looked around the room we were in to see a bunch of people just calmly going about their lives. I had to admit, I was a bit terrified by the monster that attacked last night and I would love to never see one again.
"They don't have much reason to be afraid." The woman explained, "For the most part, the demons leave the general public alone and besides, we have specialists working around the clock to keep them safe!" She was so cheerful.
"What specialists?" Syaoran asked.
"They're called 'Demon Hunters' and it is their job to destroy as many demons as they can. We give a reward for every kill, like the reward we gave you." The woman explained.
"Does it pay more than the other jobs?" Fai asked with a big smile. Oh dear. He was plotting something.
"Oh yes. It's quite profitable. Would you like to select that as you official occupation?" The woman replied.
"What do you think? Sound like a decent idea?" Fai turned to Syaoran.
"Um… I guess that sounds good." The young boy replied. Fai filled out the paperwork, making Kurogane and Syaoran official demon hunters. He also picked out occupations for Sakura and I. He wouldn't tell us what he chose though. I had to admit, it made me a bit nervous. We stopped by the same clothing store I had gone to earlier to buy some work-appropriate clothing. Fai picked out outfits that he thought would work well, so I let him take charge. I sat with Syaoran near the front of the store while Fai went through the racks.
"How are you?" I asked the young boy. I had never really had a lot of time to talk to him, but he seemed like such an interesting kid.
"I'm alright, I'd just like to figure out where the feather is in this world." He replied, looking down a bit concerned. I put an arm around him in a friendly manner, smiling down at him.
"It's going to be okay, Sakura will be fine with someone like you looking after her." He grinned back, thankful to hear the encouragement.
"Aww~ You two look like you could be brother and sister." Fai chimed, standing before us suddenly with several bags of clothes.
"You think?" I laughed, looking the boy over, "I wish I had a brother like Syaoran. My brother was an asshole." They both looked at me, a little confused by my statement.
"You have a brother?" Syaoran asked as we divided up the bags and walked out of the store.
"Mhm~ but I haven't spoken to him in… hmm… how long has it been now? Ten years? Yes, I think it's been a decade." I smiled, breaking ties with my brother was probably the best thing I had ever done. Before they had a chance to ask me any more about my personal life, we had made it back to the café. Sakura was outside waiting for us. She greeted us and went inside to explain what had happened.
"Demon hunters, huh?" Kurogane said after we had told them everything, "Better than waiting around for them to come to us."
"Somehow I had a feeling you'd say that, so I already submitted the papers. See?" Fai laughed, holding up the cherry blossom electronic wallet city hall gave us.
"What the hell is that?" the swordsman asked.
"It's a special sort of license that demon hunters carry." Syaoran told him.
"Actually," Fai spoke up, "These happen to have the same name as you, Princess."
"What?" She asked excitedly.
"In this world, cherry blossoms are called 'Sakura.'" The blonde smiled.
"That's neat!" The young girl grinned.
"Every time a demon is defeated, the reward money is automatically credited towards the flower token. It's like a credit card!" I explained, finding happiness in the commonality to something from my own world.
"Here you go!" Fai said, handing the token to Syaoran, "Just try not to have too much fun."
"Wait a minute, aren't you going to hunt them too?" Kurogane asked the magician as he walked away stretching.
"Apparently, there are strict rules to demon hunting, they only allow two on a team. So, I opted for a different job."
"Don't keep us in suspense! What did you pick?" Sakura asked.
"Fai's been keeping it a secret since we left city hall!" I told her. He turned around, his hands on the back of his head, and smiled at us mischievously.
"I'll tell you after everyone has changed!" He handed each person a bag and instructed us to go find a place to change. We left the living room and each claimed a bedroom.