Content Warnings: Death
Previously on On Dating a Demon: Ashley had gone to a Guardian-controlled prison to try to break Mako out. She'd helped with a group who was attempting to do a large-scale break out, and Isla and Mako had exited. Isla had taken her and Mako to an abandoned house where Arnold waited. Mako and Arnold had been together in a relationship back in Demond World when Arnold went by the name Takeshi, but he eventually left to try to find his brother who had been taken by the Legion. Arnold and Isla explained that since time had been reversed, she and Ashley had been lost to Time and therefore have an excess of energy. Isla's energy has been capped off so that it didn't kill her, and Isla warned that if Ashley's isn't capped as it continues to grow, then her power would outgrow the limits her body could handle and she could die. Ashley's not sure how much she believes this since neither Genkai or Hiei ever mentioned anything. She also feels like Isla is keeping something else from her.
Ashley's brother Oliver, has a symbol tattooed onto his left forearm, which is the symbol of the Guardians. The symbol is of two rapiers crossed in an X shape with the latin phrase, "vita in morte," beneath it. He tried to get Ashley to come with him and his family but Ashley had run. Guardians chased her and Ashley hid in a secret chamber in Mrs. Tromme's bakery to escape them.
Ashley likes to go running when things get too much and she needs a break, but she doesn't do it often.
About a month ago, before the Fourteen Gone, Ashley had been abducted by two demons working for the Legion. She'd killed them with her power. She'd used her electricity to map out their bodies and fry them from the inside out. It had torn her apart emotionally to realize she'd killed them later.
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Monster
The front of the house exploded, shards of glass, wood, and metal flying everywhere. Ashley was on her feet and pulling Mako out of sleep at the same time that she felt Arnold power up next to her, his energy growing with a force like a train. A barrage of bullets exploded from where the front door used to be, but Arnold took them all. Eyes blazing, he faced down the Guardians that were descending upon them, giving them time to escape.
Isla ran for the packs that they'd moved to the kitchen, while Ashley grabbed hers and Mako's shoes. Hands shaking with adrenaline, gunshots drowned out all rational thought. Pulling on her shoes and grabbing the jacket she'd left at the foot of her cot, Mako's hands were grabbing for her arm, trying to haul her up.
Isla returned, packs in hand. She shoved them into Ashley and Mako's chests before racing toward the back of the house. Ashley swung hers on her back, following Isla blindly, but as they approached, a window blew out. They ducked, almost too late, as shards of glass rained down upon their heads. Ashley felt Isla's energy soar to life. She attacked the Guardian who stepped through the door first, catching him off guard and hurling him against the far wall. Another slipped in after him, and Isla whirled on him.
She was a warrior, fighting them off. One after another came in, but she fought deftly, dropping one after another before they had time to discharge their weapons or get any attacks in.
Ashley couldn't begin to hope to imagine jumping in before Isla kicked the last Guardian through the back door and out into the lawn. "Come on!" she yelled, stepping back and allowing Ashley and Mako a chance to escape first before following them out into the night.
The cold air had only gotten colder as night wore on, but Ashley ignored the burn in her lungs and against her skin as she sprinted across the short lawn. Fingers fumbling with the gate latch numbly, Isla pushed her aside and used her energy to blow apart the latch.
Ashley and Mako followed Isla through the alleyways, sprinting even when they couldn't hear anyone following. They ran for several minutes, stopping every so often to allow Ashley and Mako a chance to catch their breath and listen for Guardians, then continuing again.
Eventually they slowed, right as they were a block or two from the shopping district. Isla finally halted them behind a dumpster - out of sight from anyone looking into the alley, and far enough from the other side of the alley to be shrouded in darkness.
Daylight glowed gently above the tops of the buildings, a reminder of the approaching day. Isla kept watch as Ashley and Mako caught their breath and passed a water bottle between them. With Isla so close, Ashley didn't try to have the conversation with Mako that she desperately wanted to have. Everything that Isla and Arnold had told her about Potentials and power and outgrowing what her body could handle… neither Genkai nor the others had ever said anything about it, but they had seemed so sure. Did Mako know what they had been talking about? Was any of it true? Or something spouted off to manipulate?
They had to wait for less than an hour before Arnold joined them, jumping from the rooftops above to land silently in front of them. He was incredibly quiet for how large he was.
The relief on Isla's face was clear, although she didn't say anything that might betray her true feelings toward him. Instead, she turned to Ashley, who leaned against the brick wall with Mako.
"Unfortunately, you need to make a decision," she said, picking up from their conversation before they were interrupted. "If you tell us where the detectives are, we'll take you to them."
"Don't you need to get back to your rebel group?"
Her jaw clenched. "Not immediately. I'd rather make sure you're safe."
Glancing toward Mako, his expression was guarded, as she'd noticed he often took when Arnold was near. He watched her quietly. She lifted her brows, hoping they could have an unspoken conversation. Isla watched them like a hawk, hands on her hips. She didn't offer to step away and let them make a decision. And Ashley and Mako had barely had a moment alone since the prison break to discuss anything that they had told them. And it was obvious that Isla wasn't going to let them have that moment now.
"Whatever you decide, I'm with you," Mako said. His tone was sure. Nothing wavered in his expression. "You came back for me. I'll get you to Hiei, if that's what you want."
There it was again. Did she want to go to Hiei? She wanted to say yes, even though she knew she shouldn't. But where else would she go?
"They'd be in Cappadocia," Ashley said before she could change her mind. "They had bases in New York, Moscow, and Brazil, but they're all gone. Cappadocia is the only one left that wasn't affected by the Fourteen Gone. If they're not there, then I don't know where they would be."
Isla nodded anyway. "We'll go there, then. Even if he's not there, they'll likely know how to reach him." Kneeling, she pulled a map out of her pack, lying it on the pavement.
At first glance, the distance between London and Cappadocia didn't seem that far. Barely six inches of distance between the two cities.
But as Isla broke it down, the distance stretched between the dots on the map like two points in two different planes of reality. The enormity of what they were about to undertake was staggering:
Two thousand, two hundred and sixty miles. On foot.
The Guardians were after all of them in various ways. Even if they could purchase a plane ticket and sneak aboard somehow without being recognized, the borders had closed. Checkpoints had been set up in and out of the cities along the roads, so taking a car wasn't an option. The trains were similar. The country was completely shut down. Mainland Europe might be a different matter, but from what the Internet had been saying before the satellites fell, it wasn't that different. Curfews had been set in place, and Guardians or soldiers or police patrolled the streets and checked the modes of transportation. The only way out - especially for four people already being hunted - was to walk.
Ashley barely heard Isla explaining their schedule or what they needed in terms of supplies. None of them were trained for something like this. She'd once read that people who trained for marathons could easily walk twenty miles a day. They'd be lucky if they walked ten miles a day.
If they walked ten miles a day, it would take two hundred and twenty six days. Over seven months. It was October; it would be nearly May by the time they reached Cappadocia, and that wasn't even factoring in inclement weather or winter. Hell, winter was only a month away, really. A month and a half if they were lucky.
But what choice did they have? Isla was right: they couldn't stay. None of them were safe.
There was a ferry that went from London to Amsterdam, but that would have taken them too far north only to have to go south again. Plus, Isla said she had a contact in Dover that could smuggle them onto a boat.
It seemed too complicated - they needed to get to Cappadocia, so the best idea, at least in Ashley's mind, was to get on the ferry in London and just go.
But they couldn't afford to be reckless, Isla reminded her. As Arnold reminded her again. And as Mako also gently reminded her when she was in an irritable mood. It didn't make sense why they were bypassing a perfectly good ferry from London to Amsterdam. Sure, it might take a little longer, and sure, they wouldn't have gotten to use Isla's contact, but the ferry was right there, and instead, they walked for a full week to get to Dover.
By the fourth time Ashley brought up the subject, Isla snapped, "Are you prepared to try to slip through a Guardian checkpoint? Because that's what we would have faced if we boarded the ferry in London!"
"Won't there be a Guardian checkpoint in Dover, too?" Ashley groused. "It is an international port."
Isla was silent for a beat, gaze on the ground. "We're not going to board the boat in Dover."
Dover was seventy miles from London. It took about a week to get there. A week, and they still hadn't left England's shores. With Demon World hanging above them in the sky like a large second moon, watching as they fled from their home country, Ashley couldn't help but understand, at least a little, of what the demons from Demon World must have felt when they fled from the Legion.
When she and Mako had landed in Heathrow two weeks prior, Ashley never would have thought she would be fleeing with a pack on her back and blisters covering her feet or the skin between her thighs chafed from her jeans. She never thought she would be terrified to even breathe when a caravan of trucks passed along the road, or that she would be hiding in the ditches between the road and the fields in the heather. The gorgeous countryside that made England home had become less scenic, and more of a promise of safety. By day three she could easily pick out the bushes that would make the best hiding places. The paces that it would take to reach them. How much time she would have once they heard the familiar roar of Guardian engines tearing down the roads before they would reach their little runaway group.
It was a game of nerves and determination, and Ashley breathed a sigh of relief when they finally saw the sign for Dover.
Once they reached the city, it was another day to find the person that Isla said she knew. And then another, still, for the captain to hide them below his deck when the moon and Demon World hung in the sky and the Milky Way galaxy was scattered across the inky blackness above them. Ashley could see her breath cloud in the air in front of her. It was an odd detail to remember: seeing her breath as she glimpsed England one last time before she followed Mako's shoulders below deck.
Isla shared the news the captain had given her as they were crammed into a space the size of a broom cupboard: Mainland Europe had supplies and they were shipping those supplies to England. They were also sending the psychics and demons they had arrested to England. Ashley had seen the dozen men and women - humans and demons, alike - being forced into unmarked buses outside a rest stop in Dover. The sight had chilled her to the bone before she realized why. But seeing the Guardians dressed in black fatigues and carrying rifles forcing the prisoners to board, Ashley understood. They carried rifles even though the prisoners were all handcuffed, but it was a handcuff like she'd never seen before. Like a metal cuff with a glowing ring around the middle.
This was what they were escaping.
"Energy shackles," Arnold murmured under his breath behind her. They were hiding in the shadow of two buildings, waiting for Isla to get back from her contact. Ashley glanced over her shoulder at him. With his height and build, Arnold was intimidating, but in that moment he looked ready to commit murder.
"Energy shackles?" she asked. Ashley could probably guess what they were from their name alone, but Arnold seemed to know exactly.
"Spirit World has something similar. For them, it's bands of energy meant to keep the wearer's forcibly at bay. Those fluctuate, depending on the wearer's own power, preventing them from breaking free," he explained tersely. He nodded at the prisoners and the ones they wore. "And those are the Guardians' design. They accomplish the same, but they're fixed at a certain energy level, based on the wearer's peak energy when they're locked on." The way he spoke, it was like he had intimate knowledge of how the shackles worked.
"So Spirit World's is more advanced, then?" She backed away from the opening and away from possibly being seen. Catching Mako's eye, he turned back to the map in his hand. They'd barely gotten a chance alone. Ashley saw the way Mako watched Arnold when the larger man wasn't looking. It was like Mako was living in a memory. But she saw the way Mako interacted with Isla. It didn't line up at all - especially when Mako had said he'd been in a relationship with Arnold. She would have thought there would only be animosity between him and Isla, but they frequently shared smiles, even if there was a hesitation there. It wasn't a friendship, per se, but there was some shared history between them. They'd never crossed paths when Isla had visited Japan, so it could only have been from his time in the Guardian facility. Ashley wanted to ask, but again, they never had a single moment alone.
Arnold nodded, catching Ashley's attention again. "They are. Humans have never had to utilize something like them."
The memory haunted Ashley as she huddled in the space below deck with the others. Isla tried to stretch out her legs, but didn't get very far before she hit the wall across from where they sat. It was an area that was tiny, and reminded Ashley much too much of the place she'd hidden in Mrs. Tromme's bakery. Arnold looked the most uncomfortable, and Mako sat on Ashley's other side, the furthest away from Arnold that he could be. The space was too small to stand, and nearly too small to sit in. "They're transporting the psychics and demons somewhere north," Isla said.
"And you never heard where?" Mako asked. "From your time with the Guardians?"
Wait.
Hadn't Isla said she never joined the Guardians?
They'd hounded her, and eventually, yeah, they capped her power or whatever, but she'd never said she'd joined them.
Isla looked like she tasted something sour. "No."
Ashley caught her eye, and Isla rand a hand through her hair as she let out a breath, glancing back down to her hiking boots.
Ashley opened her mouth to demand the truth - because she had had an inkling before that Isla wasn't being entirely truthful, and now it was obvious - but the single flickering bulb above their heads winked out, plunging them into darkness.
Heavy footfalls landed on the floor above them, pressing them into immediate silence.
"You're welcome to look, but you'll come up with nothing, I promise," the captain's gruff voice trickled through the seams of the hatch that they had descended through.
"Oh, I know. You're good about this stuff," a feminine voice joined his. Isla had warned them about this, as well as the captain, himself, when he ushered them through the hatch. A Guardian had started joining him on all of his trips down to the mainland. From the words the captain had used, it was standard procedure at this point. Still, Ashley could hear her heart in her ears, and didn't dare breathe. "But you and I both know this is just protocol." The woman who spoke had a chuckle in her words. "Just do what you would normally do and pretend I'm not here."
The boat took two hours from the time that the engines roared to life just on the other side of the hull from where they sat crammed into the space, to the time that they puttered down to nothing as the boat reached the Calais dock. Ashley could hear people calling to one another from above their heads - possibly somewhere on the deck itself. She hadn't heard the captain's and Guardian's footsteps go above deck, but then again, she could barely hear herself think above the noise of the engine.
As the engines sputtered to silence, a third and unfamiliar voice joined the boat's Guardian and the captain. "-and you've searched the vehicle?" a man said in a thick French accent.
"I have," the female Guardian said confidently.
The third man said something in French and his footsteps faded quickly. Ashley's eyes had long-ago adjusted to the compartment's darkness, but it was difficult to make out any more than general shapes where billowing colors didn't bloom in her eyesight in place of what she couldn't see.
When the hatch finally opened, light spilled into the compartment, blinding Ashley immediately, and she flinched on reflex - half expecting the third Guardian to have returned and have found them out, but a woman's voice greeted them on the other side.
As Ashley's eyes adjusted, she saw the female Guardian was holding up her left arm, her right hand pulling down her sleeve so everyone within the compartment could see her wrist. A symbol was inked there: three black dots inside circles were connected by a larger strong, black circle. As Isla and Arnold saw the symbol, they relaxed visibly.
"I thought he'd never leave," the female Guardian said said, sticking a hand into their compartment. Isla was the first to make it to her feet and take the Guardian's hand.
Too shocked to move, Ashley stayed rooted in place. Arnold was the next to stand, and after a prod from Mako, Ashley stood so he could. Blood rushed back to her limbs now that she could stretch, and she swayed as she stood.
The woman was clearly a Guardian - the crest with the same design as Oliver's tattoo was embroidered above her heart on her uniform with her last name beneath it. Black fatigues. Flaming red hair pulled back into a flawless bun. A standard-issue rifle leaned against the wall of the boat in the corner. The woman was very clearly a Guardian, but she smiled with Arnold, and shared a smile with Isla and Mako as well. "I watched him go, so you should be safe around the docks," she was saying, "but beyond, I can't promise anything."
"That's alright," Isla replied, taking her pack as it was offered by the captain. "This has saved us for now. Thank you."
"Stay strong," the Guardian whispered fervently, before sending them on their way.
No one came after them. After two days of traveling, eventually Ashley stopped glancing anxiously over her shoulder.
Mako, it seemed, was also nervous. He was glancing over his shoulder more and jumping when animals scattered the underbrush in their haste to get away from them, but no one ever came, and eventually Ashley caught his eye. They would be okay.
But she had one more question added to the list for when she eventually confronted Isla.
A sort of numbness came with traveling by moonlight. Keeping off the main roads, even if it was just walking parallel to it several paces off, they were able to follow a path, at least, without having to create a new one.
Arnold took point, leading them through France, with Isla at the rear. Ashley walked behind Arnold and Mako behind her, mostly so that Mako wouldn't have to be any closer to Arnold than was absolutely necessary. They didn't talk as they walked, and Ashley took to counting her steps each day, always making it to ten thousand before she lost count.
From Calais, they walked until they crossed the border of Belgium, which took two days. So many towns had been abandoned. Cars left out in the middle of roads after they'd run out of gas. Trains were abandoned in the middle of nowhere. People, it seemed, were intent on making it to the main cities to seek help and community. A few people still remained in the country side, and the four were careful to avoid those areas.
Really, they were careful to avoid anyone. There was no way to tell who had bought into the humanity first rhetoric, especially after the Fourteen Gone, and who still held logic.
By some miracle they'd found a tiny cottage at the edge of Melle right as the season's first freeze descended upon them. Most of the entire town had been abandoned, it seemed, but it was too much of a risk to build a fire. At least they had shelter for the night. And tomorrow, Ashley and Isla would travel through the town and try to find any clothes for their group while Arnold and Mako traveled around the town. A necessary precaution, even though from what they could tell it was abandoned.
Warm clothing would be a welcome reprieve from the thin layer she currently wore. The long-sleeve shirt and jacket she'd stolen from the house back in London had been great to ward off the London chill, but as winter approached, it was quickly becoming ineffective.
In the cottage, there were three bedrooms. None were very big, but it meant that Arnold and Isla could sleep together, and Ashley and Mako could each have their own beds. However, with the chill of a house without heat, Mako approached Ashley.
"I don't know if it's right for you humans, but I'd be fine sharing a bed. To stay warm," he added in case it wasn't obvious.
She should have thought of that, and nodded. "That'd be fine." She and Mako bid goodnight to the other two, then make their way up the rickety stairs. There was a bathroom, and Ashley ran a toothbrush over her teeth. "How are you doing?" she asked, crossing to the bed and joining Mako under the covers. With the way the wind was picking up on the other side of the window, a storm was blowing in, and the temperature was beginning to drop in the house.
He'd been her student back in Japan, but after nearly two weeks of traveling together and the end of the world, their relationship had evolved from a student/teacher relationship, to companions. He was older than her, after all, and she could see it in the frown lines that framed his mouth and the lines between his brows. He was much older than her, even though it didn't feel like he was.
He shrugged, golden eyes on the corner of the room. "It is what it is."
"I'm grateful you're here," she began, "but why? You look miserable; why don't you just leave? Leave all this behind you?" He was silent. Ashley sucked in a breath, preparing to say the words she'd been mulling over for days. "You don't owe me anything, you know, and you certainly don't have to stay here. It's obvious that being around Arnold hurts." She didn't want to say them, but there they were. He knew, at least. He didn't deserve to be miserable for her sake.
He didn't say anything, and Ashley was certain that there was something he wasn't saying. They'd known each other before, yes, but not to the degree that she expected any favors from him. He was supposed to lead his own life in England and with the Deans' College. Maybe all of that was a pipe dream now, but she had expected him to stay there, not travel with her across the mainland chasing a possibility.
"I told Hiei I'd stay with you if anything happened to him."
Ah. There it was.
She tried not to jump to any conclusions. "Did you offer or…?"
"He asked me. After he probed me to make sure I wasn't Legion."
"I could have told him you weren't."
"You didn't even know about Nobuyuki." Well. He didn't have to say it quite like that. "He was always muttering to himself, and his energy was wild. If I was Legion you would have been the last to know. Especially with how trained they seem to be."
He said it with a straight face, but the ridiculousness of his statement made it seem like he should be smiling or laughing at the obviousness of it all. Ashley really hadn't been clued in at all.
Still, annoyance flared. "Well, nothing happened to Hiei. He just decided to leave. You're free to go; please don't stay on my account." When he didn't say anything, she continued. "You look miserable."
Mako grimaced, which didn't help anything. "It's hard being near…" He didn't have to continue that statement. Arnold wasn't physically affectionate with Isla, but the way they moved together made it seem like they were more than just casually dating. Like, there was some sort of bond between them that went deeper than simple dating. Almost like how older couples moved - the ones who had been married for seventy years and knew each other inside and out.
Mako changed the subject. "Do you feel anything in this room?" He glanced over to the corner of the room again, and her gaze followed his. There was nothing in the corner at first glance. When she didn't make a move to respond, he continued. "Hiei once mentioned you were talented in the supernatural."
"I was in the first time line."
"He said you had an experience with a spirit." When she didn't answer, he pressed: "In this time line."
"Annabelle."
He leveled a look at her, brows raised, eyes wide, lips pursed. She'd given herself away, just like she always did. Only this time he had caught it.
"Annabelle is… was… the most supernaturally aware person in our family before me. She lived during the turn of the last century, and died as a child. She enjoyed attention."
That was all she was willing to say on the subject. It was the only thing she ever really wanted to give. If people were smart, they would figure out the rest. Understanding read clear as day on Mako's face. If Ashley was the most powerful psychic in her family, even before Annabelle, then the child-ghost probably wouldn't take too well with having to share in the limelight.
One summer night years ago Annabell had pushed her down the stairs - and Ashley could still feel the pressure from both of her hands on her left side, just above her hip, icy cold and firm even though nothing had been there as she'd passed across the staircase landing - there was nothing Sophia could say to make her go back into that House at night.
So much changed after that night. And none of it had to do with the cast she had to wear for 8 weeks.
Mako didn't press, but he did tangent slightly. "So do you sense anything in that corner?" Ashley opened her mouth to protest, but Mako caught her. "Don't say you can't feel anything. You've only looked toward that corner once since we've been in the room, and you only did it after I did. You've been purposefully ignoring it. I know you feel something."
Only her sister could ever call her out so accurately.
It had been a long time since she'd even tried to sense anything spiritual. Feeling Yukina's energy had been as close as she'd gotten to doing it, back during everything with Heathrow. The process was slightly different. Or at least, she'd done it slightly differently than she did when it came to sensing the supernatural.
Ashley had kept that side of her under lock and key for a decade. She'd avoided the subject and blatantly denied having any sort of sixth sense, for lack of a better phrase. She wasn't even sure she remembered how to reach out to spirits, but she wasn't going to try with whatever was in the corner. Mako was being annoyingly persistent and she wanted him to stop. There was nothing good that came from her ability to sense, or the talent she had within the supernatural realm.
Nothing good had ever come from her abilities, and it would have been better if she didn't have them at all.
But Mako was right; there was something in the corner, but she didn't want to try to figure out what it was, and she was much happier just pretending it wasn't there at all. If she couldn't rid herself of the supernatural ability, she could bury it instead.
She took a page out of Mako's book. "How much of what they said before adds up? All that stuff about potentials and power capping and outgrowing what my body can handle? Genkai and Hiei never mentioned it."
Mako rolled his eyes, knowing exactly what Ashley was doing but let her do it. "The power capping… I've never heard of. But the potential stuff kind of makes sense."
She waited for him to continue.
"It's like… hmm…" He struggled to put his thoughts into words. "You humans have people who are physically strong, right? Like weight lifters or those people who run at great distances?" Ashley nodded. "Take the people who run at great distances. You have two people: One who has been training all of their life and one who is genetically pre-disposed to run. They're built for it. Both people train their hardest and are the best, but the one who is genetically equipped will always be better. Their body can handle running at great distances naturally." That made sense. No matter how she trained, she would never be on the same level as Usain Bolt.
"It's the same with how much power a person can attain. If a person is naturally equipped to handle more power, then they can train their body to handle it faster, and for larger quantities. If they're not genetically equipped for it, they can still train to handle large quantities, but maybe it takes longer to get to that point or they can only handle it for short spurts of time? Or maybe they can't handle power past a certain point no matter how hard they train. But if a person was just given power without being trained for it, it would rip apart their body. Maybe not right away, but it could severely damage their body. And damaging it over and over again could kill you. Like with anything, if you want to be able to attain great power, you have to put in the work in strengthening your body. And even with training, sometimes your body can only handle so much. For some, it's S-class, for others, it's A or B class." He shrugged. "That's how I've always understood it, at least."
So, then, Isla and Arnold weren't so far off base. There was truth in their words, even if they had been shit at explaining it. The power capping still didn't make sense, but maybe Genkai knew and just hadn't said anything?
"Do you trust them?" Ashley asked next, picking at a loose thread in the sheets.
Mako shrugged as another gust of wind rattled the window. "Whatever my history with Takeshi - Arnold... I've known him for many years. He's a good demon." His voice wavered, but held strong. "He's loyal, and a good ally to have. I don't know Isla very well, but I like her. You know her better-"
"Knew." Ashley cut him off. "I knew her. I'm not sure I know her anymore." When he lifted a brow, she continued, "She lied about her death, and she lied about not joining with the Guardians." Ashley shot him a pointed look.
Mako grimaced. "That was my slip. She asked me not to tell you."
"Tell me what?"
He shook his head. "We met in the Guardian prison. She was my guard. She got me out. You can ask her for the rest."
"Mako-"
"It's not mine to tell," he said simply, stunning Ashley to silence. "And I know that there's probably a good reason she didn't tell you before."
"Like what?" Ashley scoffed. "We've always been best friends and suddenly she's keeping secrets."
He didn't repeat himself. He didn't need to; his words reverberated in her head. There's probably a good reason she didn't tell you before.
Just like how there was probably a good reason that she and Arnold had relaxed as soon as they'd seen the symbol inked onto the female Guardian's skin? There was a reason, yes, but she wasn't sure if it was good.
Still, Mako trusted her. And Ashley had trusted her up until the Guardian prison break.
"If you ask her and she tells you and you don't like the reason, we'll break off on our own," Mako said quietly in the silence. "I know the way now that we've looked at the map so much. I can get you there, but it would be better with the group we have." Still, it was tempting to just offer it as an option and leave at first light with him. "Strength in numbers," Mako said, shutting the idea down before Ashley could suggest anything.
He was right. She needed to talk to Isla.
"So... do you sense anything in the corner, or not?" Mako asked with a smirk.
She rolled her eyes dramatically, sliding down further into the bed. "Good night," she said pointedly. Mako nodded once, and Ashley turned onto her side.
Neither Ashley nor Mako woke once during the night, whether in fear or by loud noises, or by something standing over them. The night passed without incident, although both turned and huddled together for warmth sometime by the middle of the night. Once they woke in the morning, frost crystals covered the window. They left the room how they found it, then made their way downstairs where Isla and Arnold were pouring over the map.
"Good morning," Isla greeted them, glancing up before turning back to the map. Pen in hand, she was mapping their path for the day. Ashley came to stand between Isla and Arnold, arms crossed over her chest for some kind of warmth. Mako spared a glance toward the map, but instead moved to the front of the cabin to try and peer out of the front of the curtains, torn and ripped with age.
"We're here now," Isla said, pointing to the town that was a short walk from where they were. Ashley followed Isla's pen as she traced a path to their stopping point for the night. It would be 8 miles. Fewer than usual, but they had to go into town, which would shave time off of the day.
"We're down to two days of MREs," Isla said, glancing over to their packs by the front door. "I was thinking that when we went into town we'd find clothing first and food second."
Ashley nodded. "That sounds like a good plan. So it's just us?" Mako stood at the window, peering out the damaged curtains to try to see beyond the bushes that covered the front of the cottage.
"That'll be safest," Isla replied, sparing a glance toward Mako as well. "Send Mako and Arnold into the forest to meet us on the other side since we don't know what we'll find in town."
Mako finally shot a glance over his shoulder at them. Arnold trailed a thumb over his bottom lip absentmindedly, his attention on the map in front of him, but his gaze was far away.
"Works for me," Mako said easily. His gaze slipped to Arnold, briefly, before turning back to the frayed curtains.
Isla and Ashley had split away from the other two ten minutes prior. The countryside was quiet, with just a few birds singing. It was cold enough that the toads had quietened for the winter.
"At some point," Ashley said, breaking the silence apprehensively. "I want to talk you you. Just us."
Isla didn't say a word and Ashley glanced up from the ground toward her. Behind them, the low growl of a vehicle approached. "We will," Isla finally nodded, looking like she'd rather chew glass. "Remember to hide your energy while we're here," Isla changed the subject, waving to the vehicle as it passed them. No one waved back. They had seen a few in the week that they'd been traveling. Apparently vehicles weren't as uncommon after the Fourteen Gone as they had originally thought. "We don't want hunters after us."
It was mildly annoying, that Isla would die for two months and as soon as she showed her face again she was this sudden advanced psychic. Then again, she had been advanced back in August - neither Hiei or Kurama had caught on what was going on with her. But it was still annoying to be reminded of something that was second-nature at this point.
If Isla sensed Ashley's annoyance, she didn't comment on it.
Based on the size of the town on the map, it had seemed like it had had a population of a few thousand before the Fourteen Gone. Now, however, only a few locals had stayed, and all of them peered out of their windows as Ashley and Isla passed through. Both girls tried to keep their eyes on the road and tried not to be as noticeable as possible. They were just travelers passing through. Traveling further into the mainland to reach Isla's great-uncle in Dendermonde, and away from the coastline in case of any more tsunami's. If anyone asked any deeper questions, stick to the truth as much as possible. Try to change the subject quickly. They'd rehearsed their story enough times at this point that it shouldn't be an issue.
Passing straight through the main road of the town, it was easy enough to find a clothing store that was still in business, although the windows had been boarded up and they had to knock on the front door to gain entry.
The man who opened the door was an anxious-looking man. Tired eyes and deep bags under his eyes like he'd barely slept. A ski cap was pulled down over his head.
"Can I help you?" He spoke German, unsurprisingly, and Ashley thanked her lucky stars that she'd taken the language in secondary school.
"Guten tag," she replied. Although she'd taken it, Japanese was obviously much more ingrained by now, and she struggled a little to remember everything, stumbling over a few words here and there. "We're looking for …we're traveling and need clothing. Is your shop… do you sell clothing for winter?"
The man listened, and although he looked stressed and like he was without sleep, he was also kind, speaking slower for her and welcoming them both inside.
"I apologize for not having an open door. We've had to make a few alterations to things based on what's going on." He showed them his winter section, which was nicely stocked. "Where are you headed?"
"Toward Dendermonde." They'd picked the town from the map. It was far enough away to make sense to buy the clothing, especially with the threatening winter. "Her great-uncle lives there."
"She can't speak?"
"She didn't take German, before. So we have to rely on my sub-par skills."
"Well you're sounding good so far. Let me know if you need anything. I'll be at the front."
Ashley and Isla made quick work of searching through the inventory. They would need base layers and insulating layers initially, and later, outer layers as it continued to get cold, to be able to stay warm enough. And Mako and Arnold needed them, too. Getting extra clothes in sizes that were very obviously not their own would draw a few heads, they knew, but hopefully not raise any alarm.
Once they took their items up to the register and the man was checking them out, he observed aloud, "Buying quite a bit for a trip to Dendermonde."
"Well, we could have sworn a storm is coming in, isn't it?"
"These are a little big for you two, as well." The store manager held up the coat meant to be Arnold's, raising a brow at Ashley and Isla as another knock came to the door at the front of the shop. The man slipped out from behind the register and verified who was on the other side before opening the door. They seemed to know each other, and greeted each other warmly, their words too quick for Ashley to translate in her head. The two men who entered went straight to the winter section as well, and the store manager came back to the register.
"To answer your question," Ashley replied, "they're for our boyfriends. They're traveling with us."
"And they didn't come into town with you?"
"They wanted to sleep so we told them we'd meet them on the other side of town so we could get a move-on."
Whether he believed them or not, Ashley couldn't tell. He finished checking them out and as Ashley handed over the money, she said, "Is there a place that sells MREs around here? Or camping food?"
He pointed them in the right direction, and as Ashley and Isla made their way there, purchases in tow, Isla hissed under her breath. "Let's make this quick. Those guys that came in at the end were watching us."
Ashley spared a glance over her shoulder as they entered the shop that the store-manager had pointed them toward. Sure enough, the guys who had entered before were casually making their way down the street.
Ashley and Isla wasted no time in the second shop. The store owner asked much fewer questions, and they were back on the road in no time. The guys from before had all but disappeared, which only seemed to make Isla all the more jumpy.
The rest of the walk through town and then making their way to the rendevous point took about two hours, and the wind was beginning to pick up again. It wasn't cold enough for snow, but rain would still be cold, and if they were caught without shelter would be detrimental.
Isla and Ashley made their way to where Arnold and Mako were waiting for them while constantly checking over their shoulders and trying to inconspicuously search for any energy signatures approaching them. It was hard, though, keeping their own energy so low in fear of the Guardian's detecting devices.
"Did you notice?" Ashley asked as they approached Arnold and Mako's hiding area. "There weren't any Guardians in that town."
"We haven't seen any since entering Belgium."
The two girls reached Arnold and Mako quickly, and divided the spoils between all of them. Isla and Ashley quickly changed while the two demons kept watch, and then vice versa. It felt good to be warm again.
They traveled for another few hours, until the sun hung low in the sky and storm clouds gathered on the horizon. It had felt like someone was watching them the entire day, but they never saw anyone, and no one could feel any energy signatures following them.
There was nothing to be done, even as they settled down for the night and pitched their tents in the forest, except to make sure that someone was on guard duty all night.
Even though they'd gotten the re-supply of MRE's in town, Isla had been adamant that for the use of MRE's they couldn't have any access to any other form of food. They were to be used for emergencies only. But killing food out in the forest was tough unless you had a long-distance power or a gun. And their gun made noise.
"Ashley-" Arnold began the question that he had asked every single day since they'd left London.
But the answer was always the same: "No."
Arnold could glower and roll his eyes, but that that was the one thing that Ashley was never doing ever again.
Arnold didn't have the horrible memory of feeling her energy surge through another living being. Arnold didn't have the thrilling feeling of power as her energy mapped out the body of another. Arnold didn't know what it was like to take a life so unexpectedly and so viciously as Ashley had taken the two demon's lives before. That had barely been a month and a half ago.
It felt like years, but at the same time it felt like no time at all. Ashley would never be able to bury that sickening feeling - using her power to take a life. You did what you had to to survive, Yukina had told her later. Focus on that: you're here, now.
What always scared her more than the sickening side of it was how much she'd loved using her power. Even in that way, there had been nothing but a breathless excitement left behind in its wake.
Arnold could blame Ashley for forcing them to put out more work than was needed when a simple solution was available, but that was the other part of it: it wasn't an available solution, and no matter how many times Arnold asked Ashley to do it, Ashley was always firm.
Isla could have done it, but her power was loud and drew attention. If they weren't being careful of people following, she was the obvious choice. As it was, the gun would have to be used. The silencer helped the noise issue, at least. The rabbits that Mako managed to kill were a little more than mangled from it, but they would eat fine. Ashley could tell that Isla was a little worried about giving him a gun when Arnold was around, but after a stern look from Ashley, she relented. Mako wasn't a bad shot, really. He'd aimed the barrel at their heads, keeping the mangling to a minimum.
They ate and replenished the campfire for the first watch. Low tree branches created an almost canopy for them, which should protect them from the rain and wind for the most part. Arnold would take first watch, then Isla, Mako, and Ashley.
Each shift was only a few hours long, but sleep still passed quickly. Dreamless and light, it felt like it had only been a few minutes by the time Mako stepped into the tent with a "Your turn," as he laid down into his sleeping bag.
The temperature had dropped with the storm, but it seemed that it had passed through earlier in the night. Ashley exited the tent to cool, dry air, and the fire was still flickering, providing a little warmth. The ground was soft and wet underfoot; a few puddles had pooled around their campsite. Poor Mako.
Ashley kept her energy hidden, but pushed her awareness out, trying to pick up anyone's who might be watching. It still felt like they were being watched, but maybe it was just an area with a high number of restless spirits.
Hours passed and nothing happened. She never picked up on any signs of activity on the edges of her awareness. Although that feeling of being watched never passed. Like a string pulled taught, she never let her guard down.
Dawn broke, and with it the others rose as Ashley woke them with gentle words. They ate quickly and began tearing down their campsite, packing away the tents and sleeping bags. Ashley and Mako tore down their own tent and Arnold and Isla theirs.
Ashley met Mako in the middle, folding the fabric of their tent gently, and handed it off to him to put in the bag as she turned and crossed back over to where they'd dropped the tent poles.
Tent poles in hand, Ashley stood and turned, but something grabbed her hair and yanked.
Excruciating pain lit her head on fire, and tears welled in her eyes as she gave a sharp cry. She stumbled backward, desperate to keep up with the person who had grabbed her and end the pain. Heads of her comrades shot up, Arnold immediately powering up, his stone skin rippling beneath the new sun like a million diamonds across his skin.
"Not another move," the man spoke English. Ashley tried to turn her head, but the person gripping her left little room for movement. The cool metal of what felt like something sharp bit into her neck as she tried to turn.
"No," the man behind her cooed, gently. "You're not going anywhere, you cursed thing." From what she could see, a second person trained a gun on Arnold, and a third held a gun on Mako. Both stood at least ten paces away. "We're going to take the demons and this psychic here."
They'd felt her energy. If the pain at her scalp wasn't so excruciating she might have been embarrassed. It was a stupid mistake. Neither Arnold nor Mako moved. Arnold looked like he was ready to rip the men's throats from their bodies. Mako watched in fear.
"Now, then, just come-"
The afterburners of a rocket tore through the clearing, reverberating in her chest as blood spurted from the ears of both men holding the guns. They dropped as one. Isla's hand was raised in what Ashley could only assume had been some sort of sound attack. Absolute anger raged in her eyes as she turned her gaze upon Ashley and the man gripping her.
In his panic, breath huffing, he backed up even more, pressing his blade even firmer against her neck. Adjusting his grip on her hair, a strangled cry slipped past her lips again. The pain was weakening; all she wanted was to fall to the ground and cry, but his hand wasn't going anywhere, and if she moved too much, she would die.
"You try anything and she'll die," the man behind her hissed, a confirmation of what she had guessed. "Besides, you'd have to be pretty damn powerful to kill me and not hurt her." He adjusted his grip again. Her hands were at his hand, clawing at his skin to try to get him to let go, but every time she found purchase, he would shake her, the knife nicking her skin again and again.
"None of you deserve to live." He pushed the knife into her neck again, this time the point beginning to dig into her skin. Any more pressure and she'd have a knife through her throat. "Even if you kill me, at least there will be one less of you."
He was going to kill her.
Isla, Arnold, and Mako watched in horror, the gears turning behind their eyes as they all tried to come up with a way to get her out of this.
If Arnold or Mako moved, Ashley would die.
Isla wasn't so precise as to kill the man without killing her.
Through the tears that clouded her eyes, Ashley could see that they'd come to the same conclusion she had.
Yukina's voice was in her head: Survive!
The surge was immediate and as strong as she could manage to take as little time as possible.
A perfect electrical map of the man who held her. She felt his heart stop beneath the weight of her power. She felt his brain sizzle and his skin bubble.
His grip around her loosened. The knife at her throat nicked the skin as it dropped from his hand.
The man fell to the ground behind her with a thud.
She'd taken another life. Number three. How many would she rack up?
Vaguely, she was aware of someone talking, but she couldn't tear her gaze from the ground. She couldn't bear to look up.
She'd shocked Hiei back at Genkai's - enough to make him lose his footing and fall, twitching, to the ground. It had been a light zap. Enough to disable him. It was humorous at the time.
She could have done that here, too. But she'd chosen to kill her captor.
She could have just zapped him. Disabled him. But instead, the addictive grip of her power tingled through her with a giddiness that was unwarranted for the crime she'd just committed.
Again, someone was talking, and Isla was at her side, hand out to her, but Ashley couldn't focus on her words.
Disgust bubbled in her stomach as tears clenched her throat.
She was a monster.
NOTES: Hello Dear Readers! I am back! ... After seven months... Please accept my apologies! A lot has been happening on my side, but I'll keep all the excuses to a minimum and just say that I now have a TikTok account! My username is: aplagueofdragons. It's been keeping me busy, as well as my new obsession: Jujutsu Kaisen. Eventually I'll have to post the fanfics I've been working on for that fandom, but that won't be for awhile, yet.
Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I've been looking forward to this one (as well as chapter 39) for years, and I hope you liked it, too!
A HUGE THANK YOU to all the people who reviewed and supported my last chapter: Mediocre Dunces, musicnutftw, GinaLiz, and Xiyou-Chan. Also, HOLY COW Xiyou-Chan reviewed every single chapter and Star Charter reviewed every chapter they read, too, and I cannot tell you the amount of LOVE I have felt from your reviews. All of your reviews. This was my longest break while writing this fic to date, but all of your support kept me going. Thank you, thank you! I'm not sure I know how to repay you five, but please know I appreciate each and every one of you from the bottom of my heart.
I do not own, in any way, the characters, places, or ideas of the Yu Yu Hakusho universe created by Yoshihiro Togashi. I only own my own characters and plot. No money or income is generated from this story.