A/N: I've had a good chunk of this chapter written since December 2017, so it's incredible getting to share this with you now. Thank you for sticking with me this long. Since we've reached the end of part one, Chapter Thirty-Five, which is the beginning of part 2, will be posted on or around August 6, to mark the two years since beginning this story. I hope you enjoy the chapter! Please leave some love if you enjoy it; it truly makes my day.
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.
Warnings: vague descriptions of absolute destruction.
Chapter Thirty-Four
Turning Carriages into Pumpkins
Applause erupted as Ashley walked across the stage. She bowed once to the audience, then sat at the piano as the applause died. Beneath the spotlights, the stones on her dress shimmered. With that black dress on, she blended into the colors of the piano, almost becoming an extension of it.
She adjusted herself on the bench, reaching forward with her feet and testing the pedals of the piano. In the audience, people whispered to each other. To themselves it was likely quiet, but to Hiei it might as well have been they were speaking at normal volume to each other.
"…Chopin's Op. 66…"
"…can't believe we get to see it…"
The whispers set Hiei's teeth on edge, and he would have liked nothing more than to shut them up, but the whispers didn't seem to reach Ashley, because she began playing. The room descended into silence except for the piano.
Hiei had seen her play numerous times in the time he had known her. Usually whenever he was off patrolling and taking care of matters, he would return and find her at the piano. She never played a piece as difficult as the one she was currently playing, but during those times he could see the contentedness and joy radiating off her.
Now, as she played, she was stiff, methodical. Of course, her back was to him. As she played, he crossed the back of the stage to stand on the other side, finding Mako already there, violin in hand. They nodded to one another, but didn't speak.
Hiei refocused on Ashley. Sure enough, just as her back had been stiff from the other side, her expression held no joy. Maybe something more pained? As the piece backed off on intensity, her expression softened, emotion flowing from the notes, but it wasn't happiness. She was doing her duty, and that was it. This performance was a chore.
"I'll make sure she's okay, you know," Mako whispered, stealing Hiei's attention away from Ashley. When Hiei didn't respond, the oblivion continued. "During the battle. And… after, too. She told me about it."
He didn't reply, and Mako didn't say another word. As much as he hated to admit it, he was grateful. Next week would change everything.
Applause erupted as the piece faded into silence once more. Ashley stood and motioned to Hiei, catching him off-guard, but instead, Mako moved. He crossed the stage, a smile breaking through his obvious nerves as he joined Ashley on stage. She sat again and re-adjusted herself. Mako watched her, and once she was ready, they made eye contact. Barely perceptible, Ashley nodded and a moment later, Mako lifted the violin to his chin and began to play.
It was a soft melody, drawing out the notes, reaching higher and higher until they tumbled down the scale again. The piano met the violin and picked up the notes, tripping over themselves all the way to the bottom of the scale. The melody emulated darkness. Darkness overflowing, a single note held out until it began to fade.
Chords brought the melody back out of the darkness and Mako picked it up again, the violin screeching to life. Mako exploded the tune, bright, colorful music ripping through the air, forcing itself to be heard, and Ashley provided the backup. Before long, it turned into a conversation, the violin filling the air, and then the piano. Short bursts, long repetitions. The two musicians held a conversation between one another, human and demon, until Mako pulled away and pushed the violin's notes front and center.
Watching them, Ashley beamed. Mako pulled his heart and soul through the music. The piece that he and Ashley had worked on and perfected over the last two weeks, sometimes staying up late, but every minute of every day, Hiei had watched Ashley fuss over the piece. Tweaking things here or there, going back to Mako, and they worked out the kinks again.
Watching them over the last two weeks, since he was only around when he could be, it had been in direct contrast to how he had seen her last night, slaving away in front of the piano. There had been no joy in what she had done, forcing herself to re-memorize something she never thought she'd have to play ever again. Now, in front of him, and in front of the audience and the cameras, the joy and happiness shone brightly. Playing became something she loved.
She radiated as brightly as the stones on the dress she wore.
The dinner after the performance was the worst part of the benefits. It was the time that hors d'oeuvres were served, wine was poured, and patrons got to meet the performers. It was a second chance for patrons to meet the people who had just played and would decide whether or not to bump up their contributions. And it was the time of the evening that always lasted much, much too long in Ashley's opinion. She usually had an hour at most in her before wanting to quit and slip away for some peace and quiet before braving the throngs again. Though, that was back when she was still fairly new to the scene. That night, Mako stole the hearts of everyone in the room. Everyone wanted to talk to him, and since Ashley was his translator for the night, Ashley wasn't allowed to enjoy herself so much as she might have otherwise gotten to. Instead, she was working.
Toward her breaking point, she tried to slip away three different times, and each time another patron would approach Mako and strike up a conversation. Ashley would internally groan, and plaster on a fake smile, providing much-needed translation. After six-months in her English class, Mako understood some of what people said, but he was lacking in the ability to carry on a conversation besides the basics. Was this really what her life would be like if she took Laurie up on the job? Hopefully not, but there was no time to really contemplate that idea, because the patron Mako was speaking to decided to go get another wine refill and Mako grabbed at her arm, hauling her away from the people.
"Go get some air," he whispered so they wouldn't be caught and get interrupted again. "I'll go to the bathroom and take a break too."
He looked like he needed a break, honestly, though it was obvious he was loving the attention.
"Thank you!" Ashley nearly squealed and slipped away, cutting in between patrons and smiling politely with a quiet, "hello," any time someone spotted her. She nearly burst onto the balcony, the cool autumn air hitting her in the face. It was literally a breath of fresh air after an hour and a half of talking with dozens of well-dressed patrons all packed together in one room. A piano player played a light tune somewhere in the room, and the bartenders worked furiously. It was a nice party, she'd admit if she wasn't having to work. Though she didn't mind it quite so much; it forced others not to drag her into conversations she didn't much care to have. She should have, she knew: if she talked to the right people, she could easily find a job as a musician. The people in that room had money to spare, and she wanted a job as a musician, but with everything else going on and her own job offer to contemplate, she really just wanted a quiet evening.
Hiei had traveled the short distance with her to the hotel that the dinner was being held at, but had slipped away after they arrived and after he had realized what came after the performance. He had lasted all of five minutes before Sophia had grabbed him and told him to relax – that nothing was going to happen to Ashley in London, so he might as well join the family for dinner. And with Daniel joining the family, he couldn't claim a language barrier as an excuse. Ashley was happy he was getting to spend time with her family, though she wished she could have joined them, too.
The hotel rose far above the rest of the city, and benches dotted the large balcony that overlooked the city. Ashley wandered over toward a bench, gazing up at the sky. Most of the chatter had fallen quiet about Demon World being visible in the sky, but to her, and other psychics out there, Demon World was still visible and like a second, larger moon. It was beautiful, really, and it added an almost magical quality to the landscape with a thousand twinkling lights below the balcony.
Before Ashley reached the railing, a voice behind her caught her attention.
"Ashley Lynn." A brown-skinned woman parted her way through the crowd and followed Ashley out onto the balcony. She stood over six feet tall in her heels, but was as graceful and lithe as water. She wore a platinum dress that fit her body perfectly and cascaded to the floor. As she moved, it created illusions, changing ever so slightly from platinum to the lightest shade of blue, almost like a trick of the eye. The dress could easily be taken as provocative, but the way she wore it, as if she was royalty; it complimented her. She was heartbreakingly beautiful, with lilac eyes and silver hair that was pulled away from her face into a braid that laid over one shoulder, but above all, she looked familiar. Like Ashley had seen her once in a dream.
Mouth gaping like a fish for air, Ashley tried to find her words, Japanese coming up first before she realized the woman before her spoke perfect English. Her ears were long and tipped at the ends, like an elf's might be from fantasy mythology.
"Your accent is perfect," Ashley said in awe, the desire to spend a few minutes alone gone and replaced with wonder over her new company. "How did you get to be so good?"
The woman chuckled, and replied smoothly, "Oh, why thank you." Glancing at Ashley from beneath silver lashes, she finished, "I practice."
The air around her shimmered slightly, as if she was not quite there, or as if she was holding back her power. As Ashley tried to reach out to feel if she had any, what she was met with was a force so great it nearly stole the breath from her lungs.
"You're a demon."
She nodded. "I am." With Ashley's look of confusion, the woman led the two of them to the balcony's railing overlooking London. "But I find Earth's people and cultures to be fascinating. It's beautiful, really."
She leaned against the railing, taking it all in as Ashley hung back, wondering over the enigma that was this demoness. "You seem familiar," she finally told her, her words soft. She could barely hear them herself, but the woman heard them perfectly as she turned back to face Ashley.
"My name is Navia," she replied easily, "And I have had my eye on you for some time."
Her silver hair caught the light from the party just a few dozen paces away, and that's when it clicked in Ashley's mind where she'd seen the woman before. "You were at the piano bar," as she spoke, a small smile grew on Navia's lips. "That night that Hiei took me there. You were in a booth drinking a martini." The memory came back in a rush. A lone woman with silver hair wearing a fine dress sipping on something, whose eye she caught as they walked to the bar to order sake for themselves.
"Like I said," Navia replied, "I've had my eye on you for a long time. You played before, did you not? Back when you were a young adult? You played very well."
A blush crept along Ashley's cheeks, the heat causing her to only flush further. "Thank you for your kind words."
"And thank you for your kindness, today," Navia replied quickly, her gaze intense as she tried to impress upon Ashley her sincerity. "I thank all the performers. Not many people care about demons, much less will make a statement to the world that they do. Thank you for taking a stand."
"I don't require thanks; I would hope anyone would do it," she replied simply as Navia turned to look back over the city.
The older woman didn't reply right away. "It's beautiful, isn't it?" the woman asked softly. Ashley came to stand next to her, the railing cold against her hands. "The city, as it comes alive for night. But, everything must come to an end, don't you agree?"
"Well, if we're talking about science or history, yes." She paused. "Nothing really ever comes to an end though, does it? Merely changes form?"
Navia smiled, like she had a secret. "You are correct," she admitted. "I am glad I found you," she spoke, the words carefully chosen and earnest. Navia turned and took Ashley's hands in hers, her touch warm and comforting like a mother's. The demoness looked at their hands entwined together, as if she was contemplating something. She glanced back up at the young woman in front of her, as if nervous or hesitant. "I hope you continue to develop your power. I know you will be great."
Not for the first time in Navia's presence, Ashley was lost for words. How did she know? Ashley had been taking care to hide her energy while she was in London. Ever since she arrived and Elroy and the Guardian had scanned her. Ashley checked herself, but no, her power was still hidden in the way Genkai had taught her. But before she could reply, the demoness continued, "Take care, and I hope to see you again soon." With a gentle squeeze, she released Ashley's hands once more and walked away. Before she got even ten paces away she disappeared completely in a similar way that Hiei often did.
Upon going back inside, after taking a few extra minutes on the balcony, Ashley got herself a glass of wine and found Mako to continue acting as interpreter. If she was going to spend the next two hours or more forcibly talking to people and translating, she needed to get something out of it at least. It was a particular type of torture. One glass turned into two, which later turned into three.
The party lasted well into the night, and by the time Mako and Ashley made it home, Ashley had pulled off her heels which dangled from her fingertips, and she was barely able to walk in a straight line.
"What in the three worlds?" Hiei exclaimed as Mako and Ashley entered the foyer and shut the door behind them, giggling like schoolchildren all the while.
Ashley heard him as Mako locked the door, and turned in time to see Hiei approaching them. "I have missed you!" She threw herself into Hiei's arms and stumbled, tripping over her dress. "I am ready for you to rip this bloody dress off me!"
Mako caught the look that Hiei threw him over Ashley's shoulder as Hiei dodged Ashley trying to kiss him. "She's just drunk."
"Obviously."
"Where's everyone else?" Mako asked, looking up the stairs toward the second story.
"In bed," Hiei replied. "It's nearly midnight."
"Oh," Mako said as Hiei pulled Ashley after him toward the stairs. "Well, good night."
Stairs were a dangerous obstacle as Ashley tripped and then burst into giggles so hard that she nearly fell to her knees.
"Ashley," Hiei said softly, and she covered her giggles with a hand, trying to mask them. "I take it you had a good time at least?"
"I had a fantastic time!" she announced, a little too loudly, which earned her a shush from Mako who had come up behind them on the stairs. "Mako and I talked to so many boring people and I met a fan!" Her voice rose an octave, which made her dissolve into giggles again at the hilarity of how it sounded.
Hiei looked back to Mako. "She helped translate for me, but I think it was mostly boring for her. Nothing too out of the ordinary."
"A fan, though? What kind of fan?"
Mako heaved a sigh. He had likely been dreaming of collapsing into bed, but Hiei blocked the way up the stairs. Or, rather, Ashley blocked the way as she sprawled across the stairs, and Hiei stood in front of her so she didn't accidentally take a tumble down. However, Mako seemed to resign himself to his fate. "She told me it was a demoness who thanked her for making a public stand and has enjoyed her music for awhile."
That caught his attention. "In the last few years or last few months?"
"Last few years, I believe." Mako was watching Ashley, trying not to laugh. She was rather ridiculous when drunk.
Hiei didn't notice. "Doesn't sound like the Legion…"
"That's what I think, too," Mako replied, his attention shifting back to Hiei. "Sounds innocent enough, at least. And I didn't sense any ill will or malicious intent from anyone there."
Hiei nodded once in agreement. "I was scanning for Dion all night, but never found a trace of her."
"Maybe we should just take it for the small blessing that it is?" Hiei nodded just as Ashley leaned against his legs. Hiei turned back to her. Rather than try to help her up the stairs, he picked her up bridal-style, and carried her the rest of the way. By the time he laid her down in bed, however, she was asleep.
The sun was blinding through the curtains, and as Ashley's eyes fluttered open, she was immediately aware of a pounding headache.
Groaning, she turned over, coming face to face with a shirtless Hiei. "Good morning," he murmured and took her hand in his. Gently smiling through the pain, she returned the sentiment, and noticed her dress was missing.
"So, did you rip my dress off of me and make sweet, sweet love to me?" She asked, playful.
He appraised her, eyes gentle. "If you don't remember, that should tell you that I didn't."
"But my dress is gone?"
"I'm allowed to undress you, but I would never touch you when you were as drunk as you were last night. It would be undignified."
Ashley rose, leaning over him and kissed him once, briefly. "Thank you," she said, and kissed him again. She pulled away to stand up, but Hiei quickly rose, gently pulling her head back to him to kiss her again.
A soft moan slipped from her throat as she nearly melted into his arms. His pectorals were strong beneath her hand, and it took everything in her to pull away. "Hiei," he didn't pause, killing her again. This time she pulled away firmly. "Hiei, I need an aspirin. I'll be no use to you if I can't move."
"Stay. I'll get it." He kissed her again, and rose as she fell back onto the bed and covered her face with the blankets, trying to protect herself from the sun. She could hear him in her bathroom, looking at bottles and rattling pills, likely searching for one that looked like the aspirin she had in her medicine cabinet back in Tokyo.
Running water reached her ears for a brief moment before it shut off again, and before another heartbeat, he was back at her bedside. She took the pill and water gratefully, downing the entire thing before handing it back to Hiei.
"Sophia came by earlier. She wants to hang out with you today."
"And I want to hang out with her, too," Ashley replied. "I haven't seen her since April. It would be a shame not to get to see her at least once while I'm here. Well, apart from the airport and dress shopping." Hiei lifted the blankets and slid back into bed. Once he was in, Ashley scooted closer to him and he wrapped an arm around her shoulders, tugging her close. "I have an idea," she began slowly.
"Hm? What's that?"
"I'm thinking I'll bring that dress back with us when we leave tomorrow and you can rip it off of me when we're not in a house with my parents down the hall."
Hiei tried not to smile. "And when you're sober," he added.
Ashley nodded against his chest, drawing circles on his skin with her forefinger, which made gooseflesh rise.
For several minutes, they laid in her bed, breathing together and holding each other.
"Hiei?" Ashley broke the silence.
He grunted in reply. She moved her head to glance up at his face. His eyes were shut, but he was still clearly awake. Likely just enjoying the moment and her touch.
She settled back against him, and as she tried to find the words, her finger stopped drawing the circles. He shifted, and she glanced up at him again to find his scarlet eyes watching her. "What is it?"
Ashley lifted herself up, bracing herself on her elbows as she turned over onto her stomach to look at him better. "Laurie offered me a position. Here. For after Japan."
He shifted himself, to look at her better. "To play?"
She nodded. "It'd be as the College's symphony pianist."
He didn't pause, "You should take it."
Well, she wasn't expecting his absolute support so easily. "What about us?"
"I can visit you; that would be no issue. I've done it before, you know." She did. He'd told her about Nobuyuki's memories.
"And what about the others? Yukina? Kuwabara? Genkai? I'd miss them."
"Bjorn can always open a portal for you. Much better than traveling those sixteen hours in that ridiculous metal tube."
She snorted in laughter, which quirked the corners of his mouth upward. He turned so that his head rested on his hand and he could trace his fingers down her back with his other hand. Gently, he tucked a piece of her hair behind her ear.
She watched him watching her. The angles of his face softened, his gaze gentle. His hair was messed from sleep and sticking up at every angle. How did she get so lucky? In two timelines, they had found each other.
"So… you support this?" She asked as her own skin prickled with gooseflesh after his touch. A low heat filled her belly.
"I do. You told me once that this was your dream, didn't you? You should do it."
Mako left for his second interview sometime around lunchtime. Before that, it was a lazy Saturday morning with Hiei, lounging in Ashley's bed for some quiet time together and making love. Sophia had to go and run a few errands, but by the time Mako headed out the door, she passed him on her way in.
"Ashley?" She called through the house. "Are you amongst the living?"
Her heels clacked through the house, the marble floors echoing.
"I'm awake, thank you!" Ashley called back, leading Sophia with her voice to the kitchen. Ashley sat at a barstool with a piece of buttered toast in front of her, half eaten. Sophia entered the kitchen in time to see Ashley's hand against Hiei's cheek and Hiei leaning over the counter, as if they had just been caught in a kiss.
"You ready to go?"
"Go?" Ashley replied as Hiei straightened. "I thought we didn't have plans." She took a bite of toast.
"I made us a reservation!"
"Reservation for what?"
Sophia stayed by the door, not even bothering to remove her large sunglasses. Her hair was curled again, and she wore a bright red lip color, which popped against the casual jeans and blouse she wore. She could have been a model.
"Pop Up Painting!" She exclaimed, excitement rolling off her in waves. Pop Up Painting was something she, Sophia, and Oliver had always tried to do together whenever Ashley was home from uni. Oliver and Sophia had always been art-inclined, and as a child Ashley had always wanted to join them whenever they were doing something creative. As they had gotten older, it had turned into Pop Up Painting events.
How many stories did they have together at those events? As much as she was excited, a part of her still felt sadness. Oliver would be missing, most likely, but still - it would still be a good chance to spend some time with Sophia.
Ashley shoved the last bit of toast into her mouth and washed it down with the remaining water in her glass. While she finished, Sophia turned to Hiei. "What do you have planned for today?"
He turned, leaning against the counter to face her. "I'll be around London, keeping an eye on things."
"You mean on me," Ashley replied, coming up next to him and slipping and arm around his waist as he bent down to steal a kiss from her again.
"I won't let anything happen to her, Hiei. You can trust me," Sophia said from the doorway.
"It's not you I don't trust."
The day was marvelous! Rather than drinking at the painting party as most of the other patrons did, Sophia and Ashley picked up some Irn Bru, but they still had a good time, Ashley somehow getting orange paint on her cheek that neither she nor Sophia noticed until long after it had dried. She'd have to get some soap and water after it once they got home. After painting an autumn landscape, they took their paintings and walked over to the market, which was just wrapping up for the day. Sophia had plans to cook that evening since it was Ashley, Mako, and Hiei's last day there. Ashley held her and Sophia's paintings, following Sophia around as she got what she needed, while keeping an eye on the Guardians that watched over the market. These men and women didn't have rifles like the Guardians at Heathrow had carried, but they still wore their black fatigues, bullet proof vests, and weapons belt.
She mentally notated everywhere one of them stood, and where they walked, but she tried not to react or attract unwanted attention.
"Laurie offered me a job," Ashley said, breaking the silence as Sophia smelled a tomato.
Sophia froze, turning slightly to watch Ashley. "…But you already knew that, didn't you?"
She middle daughter shrugged and turned back to the vendor. "I'll take two tomatoes, please." In a louder voice she replied to Ashley. "I did. I was wondering if you were going to bring it up to me."
"What do you think I should do?" Sophia exchanged the money and accepted the tomatoes, placing them in her burlap bag that she'd brought with them.
"The fact that you're asking me speaks volumes," Sophia replied, beginning to walk to the next vendor.
Ashley hurried to catch up. "Hey! I ask you about stuff."
"Not this," Sophia replied, shaking her head, and slowed her walk. "Not music," she replied again, turning and stopping. The sun was getting low overhead and stretching shadows. "Why are you hesitating?"
Sophia still wore her sunglasses, but she cocked her head slightly, and Ashley knew she was watching her. She squirmed. "I just… I don't want to be the same person I was five years ago, you know? I'm different now. Or at least, I feel like I am."
Sophia didn't say a word for a moment. "Have you thought about applying elsewhere?"
That surprised her, but she could already tell where her sister was headed. "No? Laurie was the one who gave me the idea."
"Why don't you?" Before Ashley could reply, Sophia continued. "If you don't have to let Laurie know right away, maybe reach out to your other contacts and see if anyone else is hiring. You did just play two pieces on television. Perhaps someone is interested in hiring you?"
"You know everything that's spoken aloud, don't you?" Ashley wondered if Sophia was hinting at something more. "Did someone say something?"
Sophia, however, caught on quickly and smiled. "No. No one's said anything." Her smile turned teasing. "At least nothing definitive."
"Can you tell me who?" Ashley asked, drawing out the word. If she could figure out who it was, she could apply directly -
"I'm not going to give you hints!" Sophia interrupted Ashley's mental planning. "If you want this, you need to take initiative yourself!"
Ashley pursed her lips in irritation and teasingly glared. But Sophia just winked and turned away, walking toward the zucchini. "So how does all that work, anyway?" Ashley began, changing the subject as she followed her sister. "Is it like it comes in all at once? Like an overlapping radio or something?"
Sophia picked up a zucchini and tested its firmness in her hands. "More like I have to focus on a specific person or group of people. Everything else is just background noise. Which is nice, especially since I've learned how to fine-tune it." Sophia trailed off, her hands growing slack around the zucchini and her red lips parting slightly.
"Sophia?" Ashley asked after a long moment and the vendor giving her sister a strange glance, eyebrow slowly rising in apprehensive question. If someone was talking and Sophia was intercepting, Ashley had to draw unwanted attention away from her. "Sophia?" She came up next to her, setting the paintings aside for a moment, and placed a hand on her sister's shoulder, taking the zucchini and giving it back to the vendor. She immediately searched the area for Guardians, picking two out who happened to be patrolling not far from the zucchini man's table.
Ashley balanced the paintings on two fingers in one hand while the other led Sophia away, praying that moving someone who was intercepting messages didn't have the same consequences as moving someone during a seizure.
"Where's Hiei?" Sophia's voice came out quiet, and like a light switch flipping on, she came back to life, ducking her head down and picking up pace. "It's happening."
She quickly left Ashley behind, forcing her to try to catch up. "What's happening?"
"Find Hiei." Sophia's voice was firm, in complete opposition to her countenance just a few minutes prior. "Tell him to meet us back home."
The front doors slammed open. "What's going on?" Hiei's voice carried through the house like a general. He made his way through the house, back where he heard Sophia speaking, and her voice led him to the kitchen. Sophia sat at the bar stool where Ashley had sat that morning, Ashley standing across from her and leaning over a pad of paper that she scribbled furiously on.
Ashley whipped her head up toward him as he approached, pen stilled in her hand over the pad of paper as Sophia greeted him with, "The attacks. They've been decided."
"Hiei, what is this?" Ashley couldn't help but ask. Sophia had been muttering the entire walk back about how she should have known something big was coming. But it was bigger than what she thought. About how she should have given Hiei more time. How she should have known.
But known what?
"Ashley!" Sophia's sharp tone caught her attention again, striking out like her own electricity. "New York City," she said, continuing the list they had started just seconds before Hiei had burst through. "Sao Paulo. Seoul..."
Mako stood just to the side of them, arms crossed over his chest and his thumb tracing the line of his lips nervously. "They're targeting the largest cities," he muttered to himself. But Ashley heard him and even though she wrote every name that left Sophia's lips, dread filled her.
"Tokyo. Mumbai. Lagos-" Sophia continued, her eyes focused on something far away.
"That's too many to defend," Hiei observed. He had to prepare. Now. "What's coming?"
Sophia grew silent, still unfocused to the world around her. A warm purple glow began next to her, and Ashley spared a glance at Hiei. He'd activated the Jagan and was staring at Sophia intently, entering her mind and hearing what she heard. "Sophia?" Ashley asked, wondering if any other names would need to be added to the list.
She came back to the present like the force of a hurricane. "You need to get everyone out. Now." The Jagan flickered and the light faded in his surprise. Even Ashley felt that surge of power from her sister.
"How much time do I have?" Hiei asked, his tone serious.
"The first one will start before dawn," she replied. "They're not saying an exact time. They'll likely decide last-minute."
"If they know about you, Sophia, then they're probably working around your ability." Mako said quietly, stilling everyone in the room with the horror that knowledge brought.
Hiei was the first to regain composure and turned away to walk out of the kitchen. Phone in hand, he dialed a number as he cursed under his breath. Ashley followed him out of the kitchen, hovering next to him. On the other end of the line, Ashley heard someone yawn. "Hiei?" Bjorn asked, drunk from sleep. "Wha' on' earf time is eh'?"
"Bjorn," Hiei didn't pause, but spared a glance down at Ashley. "I need a portal, now."
"Alri', alri'. Let me put on pants. Hold 'an."
"Hiei?!" Sophia shouted from the kitchen, catching Ashley and Hiei's attention and forcing the demon's head to whip up. They both raced back over the threshold of the kitchen.
A large demon had entered through a different portal next to the kitchen table. He had light blue and white markings across his body, his head rounded and eyes slanted. A shark demon. Or, his body would have had light blue and white markings, except he was covered in blood, either his own or another's it was impossible to tell. Sophia, as unaccustomed to demons as she was, barely looked alarmed.
"Nori," Hiei said, more in alarm than a greeting.
Nori didn't pause for formalities or introductions. "Lord Koichi and Hana sent me, Jaganashi. We're under attack."
The color drained from Hiei's face as he spat, "What!"
"The Legion," Nori replied breathlessly. "They are attacking us."
"Where?"
"The Terasu Forest-"
As soon as Nori said the words, Hiei rounded on Sophia, eyes flaming and heat rolling off his body as his energy rose. "I thought you said the Legion had no idea about us?"
"They didn't!" She focused on something, her eyes losing focus from Hiei. "They do now, though. Someone tipped them off." Hiei roared in anger. "I'm sorry! I wasn't focusing on them!"
"So then who's leading the attacks? Those are cities! Millions will die."
"Does it matter?" Sophia rebuked. "People will die. Demons will die."
"Maybe the Legion is splitting off into two?" Mako wondered, but it was a moot point.
Hiei was shaking his head, a wall like Ashley had never seen before rising up around him as the gears turning in his mind. It was like his countenance changed. Like he was a completely different person than he had been that morning. Battle-tested. A warrior, but also something dangerous about him. "There's not enough time to figure it out now." He growled, stalking out of the kitchen.
"Hiei," Ashley caught up next to him, catching his hand as he stalked away. "What can I do?"
He was obviously fighting with himself. "I need you to call Kurama," he ground out. "Tell him Hana is under attack and needs assistance. We promised her soldiers, so we'll give her soldiers."
"And you?"
"I need to get everyone else out from Tokyo." The reality of what he said hit her with enough force to knock her to her knees, but she remained standing. She couldn't lose it now. Not when Hiei was about to face this alone.
Surely there was something else she could do. She didn't know what they were about to face, but she had to help. "But Hiei-"
"Trust me." His gaze bore into hers, eyes smoldering with all the force of a firestorm. Carefully, he softened his tone. "Please?" Ashley nodded, and reached up to kiss him. He kissed her back, hard, pulling her to him as if she was his last breath. Ashley kissed him, but also desperately tried to memorize his body against hers, but all too soon he pulled away as the whirling scream of another portal opened up. Bjorn's. "I'll send you men, Nori," Hiei called to the demon in the other room. "They will meet you at the forest."
Hiei met Ashley's gaze once more, keeping his eyes on her until he was swallowed by the portal and it closed behind him.
As soon as he was gone, Ashley was pulling out her cell phone and unlocking her phone. Hands shaking, she accidentally called the wrong person before Kurama's number was dialing.
"Ashley?" Even for it being early as fuck in Tokyo, Kurama answered with all the charm he ever had.
"The Terasu Forest is under attack," Ashley said, the words tumbling out in a rush. "Hiei is headed back to Genkai's, but that's because there's another attack on Tokyo coming. He told me to call you to send support to Hana."
Kurama took it all in quietly. When she was finished with the rushed explanation, his tone had grown more serious, taking leadership. "And you're sure?" Ashley nodded before she realized Kurama wasn't in the room with her. She replied in the affirmative. "Then stay where you are. We'll take care of this."
The line clicked dead, and Ashley turned back to the kitchen, feet guiding her back to Sophia and Mako. She half expected Nori to still be there as well, but he had also disappeared.
Numbness spread through her body. Anxiety. Panic. Helplessness. They were meant to have another week. They should have had another week. But the house was suddenly empty, and silence reigned loud.
It was still dark when her mum came to wake her, shaking her awake with such fervor that the bed shook. She'd only been asleep for a few hours, finally having succumbed to sleep in the wee hours of the morning. She and Mako were supposed to leave for Tokyo by 9 am. Of course, she wasn't sure what she would find when she woke, but sleep had won the final battle, and she'd been able to get a few precious hours of it.
"Mum?" Ashley questioned, groggily, but woke quickly upon focusing on her mother's expression. Horror, panic, devastation was written across her face, her hands shaking with adrenaline. "What? What time is it?"
"Get up," she said quickly, "and come with me." Glancing at the clock as she pushed away the quilt, Ashley could see that it was barely 4 in the morning.
Pulling on her robe as she tried to keep up with her mother, Ashley quickly padded down the hallway and down the stairs to the living room. Her dad was already there with the tv on, but something was off. Normally when they were in the living room, he was sitting in his favorite leather armchair, legs crossed. He was not sitting. He was standing, arms crossed, eyes wide and swimming behind his glasses.
Sophia was already there as well, Daniel embracing her from behind as she sobbed hot, ugly tears, her face red.
The tv switched from the devastated news anchor trying to hold back her own raw emotion to the footage they had.
Ashley's blood ran cold and her stomach dropped through the floor, the world narrowing in on that one moment. Sound disappeared from the room and all that was left were the images on the screen.
On the tv, the footage flipped between cities, the only way to tell which was by the caption labeling each.
New York City.
Sao Paulo.
Seoul.
Manila.
Mumbai.
All the cities that Sophia had had her write the night prior. Nothing existed of them anymore. The cities where the sun had risen for the day showed all of them were leveled to the ground, for as far as the camera could see. It reminded her of the old footage of Hiroshima and Nagasaki after the atomic bombs.
Where the sun had yet to rise, all the lights had been snuffed out; darkness reigned like it did before electricity. Some fires had caught on what was left, but no one was left to put the fires out. No one ran to the rescue. The cities were just … gone.
Mexico City.
Lagos.
Moscow.
Istanbul.
And Tokyo.
- End of Chapter Thirty-Four -
- End of Part I -
Hello! We have reached 200,000 words in this fic! If you've been reading since Chapter One, you've now read a story the length of novels like Moby Dick, Dune, and The Fellowship of the Ring. If you've been reading since my last note for a break, you've read another story the length of novels like Divergent, The Subtle Knife, and Wuthering Heights.
Please take a moment to stand and stretch, get some food, water, and go to the bathroom. Maybe get a couple hours of sleep if you've been reading since Chapter One. This story will still be here when you get back.
Thank you for your love and support!