- Part II -
On Loving a Human
Chapter Thirty-Five
A New Day
"Hiei?" Ashley called.
Around her, lightning illuminated the clouds. Flashes of light every once in awhile, but otherwise dark. The area around her was rocky, and she realized she was kneeling. "Hiei?" She called again.
Ashley knew he was just beyond where she could see, but the fog was too thick to see very far at all. It clug to her skin, and made her hair stick to the back of her neck and face, but she reached up to swipe it away. Her fingers came away red. Blood. Hers? Or someone else's?
She rose, slowly. The lightning continued to flash, and she could feel a great power just beyond the mist go out.
"Hiei!" the shout ripped from her lungs, piercing the air -
Ashley woke with a start, and was immediately aware of the person standing over her. She flinched away, awareness flooding back to her.
"Ashley?" the woman asked, eyes worried. A moment later, she realized it was only Sophia. Relaxing, she whispered, hand going to her heart. "You nearly gave me a fright."
Her older sister stepped back, unsure, worry and stress and sleepless nights eating away at her. "Sorry," she murmured, unable to hold Ashley's gaze. "You'd asked me to wake you. It's morning."
Nodding, Ashley swung her legs over the side of the bed. "Have you slept?"
Sophia was already shaking her head. "They're too loud."
Ashley nodded again in understanding, even though she'd never experienced it herself. The constant flow of knowledge had to be overwhelming, especially during a crisis like the one they found themselves in.
Three days. It had been three days since the Fourteen Gone - the fourteen cities that had marked the beginning of the attacks. The Internet had deemed the nickname before the power grids had been destroyed, and then the satellites fell from the sky like metal asteroids. Communication and electricity disappeared in the same day, barely six hours after the attacks.
Oblivions, at S-class level. The power of a nuke at the hands of each demon. And the attacks were simultaneous. Ten S-class Oblivions obliviated ten of the most populous cities on Earth first. New York City, Sao Paulo, Seoul, Mexico City, Manila, Mumbai, Lagos, Moscow, Istanbul, Tokyo. In the first thirty minutes that Ashley had been watching the news with her family, another four cities met the same fate, before the humans could scramble to predict where the demons would hit next. Los Angeles, Buenos Aires, Paris, and Chicago were also reduced to ash. By sunrise, nearly 225 million souls had ceased to exit.
The tsunamis came next.
With the fourteen of the most populous cities down, their next target was to flood the most populous coastal regions. Tsunamis, created by powerful elemental demons, wiped out islands and peninsulas, causing widespread panic and destruction. The west coast of Portugal, Spain, France was gone, as was the southwest coast of Wales and Ireland. Nearly all of South America's coast was decimated, as well all of North America's east coast. Africa, Australia, Asia, and India. The Northern and Eastern coasts of Europe, Canada, Alaska and Russia remained untouched. News anchors were coming up with theories by lunchtime.
But with the coasts destroyed, ships reduced to bent steel, ports washed away, the death toll became insurmountable. Millions upon millions dead, all in a single day.
The stock markets crashed, and panic ruled.
And then the power was cut, plunging anyone left alive into darkness and silence.
"They wanted us to know," her father had said by candlelight that first night. Dinner had been sandwiches, to use up the supplies in the refrigerator. The power wasn't coming back on anytime soon, said the Internet before that, too, fell. "They wanted us to know, and they wanted us to scramble, before showing that they were in charge and we are at their mercy."
Their. As if anyone knew who had orchestrated the attacks. The Legion was silent, but before the tvs and news channels were cut, it was all but decided. It was the demons, after all, who had destroyed the Fourteen. The Legion was almost certainly behind it.
Ashley's phone had taken on a full charge the night prior after Hiei had left for Tokyo, and before the city was destroyed, and she had left it plugged in as she raced downstairs to find the world imploding. Before communication and electricity fell, though, she'd gotten hold of Yukina. The girl told Ashley in the briefest of texts that they were alive and at the Cappadocia base, before the signal was lost. With the satellites fallen and the Internet gone, Ashley's cellphone was nothing more than a brick of metal and wires and glass. A glorified flashlight at best. But at least they were alive. And Ashley let out the stress she'd been holding, praying that Hiei had been spared, too. Even if she couldn't talk to him, at least she knew he was safe.
The following morning, British officials came for Mako, and no pleading or discussion swayed their hand from dragging him away, to whatever governmental facility they were using to house demons. Demons and known psychics. Even demons who had obtained citizenship were taken away. The demon couple who lived down the street had been taken, leaving their front door open and their cat waiting for them on the stoop. Anyone that could be deemed "dangerous" or with powers, was taken away.
Ashley recognized that she could probably power their home, but if anyone were to find out what she was doing, they would have dragged her away, too. Not for the first time, she was protected from the backlash because she looked like a "normal" girl: blonde hair, storm-grey eyes, and no wings, horns, or different-colored skin made her stand out as other. And Genkai had taught her how to properly hide her energy. Not for the first time, she was grateful.
Time had nearly ceased. The digital world was dark. The only electricity that remained were battery-powered, and those would only last so long. Sophia and Ashley had made a run to the store the night prior. Canned soups were nearly picked clean, but there were plenty of fruit and veggies. They grabbed what they could as well as several self-filtering water bottles and a case of water, their father reminding them of the survival lessons he once ingrained in them. Enough days without electricity and the water supply in their homes would stop pumping clean water. They left as soon as they had found the iodine tablets as well, barely avoiding a brawl that was breaking out in the batteries aisle.
The attitude that had come with the second world war had dissolved. Keeping calm was difficult, if not nigh impossible.
Which was why she needed to call in a favor.
"Dad?" Ashley asked Sophia, who had crossed the room to the closet and was throwing clothing at Ashley. Jeans, a t-shirt, and sweatshirt.
"He's left for the office, to try to keep the employees calm. Doubt anyone would leave their families right now, though."
"I told him to wait for me," Ashley groused.
"Be quick about your errand," Sophia either ignored her or didn't hear. Not that Ashley's comment was aimed at anyone in particular. "I'd really rather you didn't go at all."
"If anyone can help it's Eckhart," Ashley said, pulling off her pajama pants and pulling up the jeans. Screw dressing nicely. Their first cold-snap had descended right after the Fourteen, and with no electricity for heat, she wouldn't get warm once she reached her destination. "He owes me. I played for him at that dinner back in Tokyo."
Sophia shrugged, her arms crossed and watching her sister pull on the t-shirt. "Still, it doesn't mean he'll honor it. Not now."
"I can't see why he wouldn't. A favor is a favor."
It was a relatively long walk to Wright United. Ashley could have traveled by car, but most of the streets were filled with emergency vehicles. If not, they were filled with cars and buses of people trying to leave. London was one of the most populated cities, and it was by luck alone that they hadn't already been attacked.
Of course, Ashley recognized that if it was the Legion who had staged the attacks - who else would it be? Who else had that much power to put on display? - it was probably her presence alone that had stopped the attacks from reaching London. The Legion had been trying to get to her for the last six months, so they likely wanted her alive for whatever reason. What didn't make sense, though, was why when she was suddenly defenseless, the Legion was nowhere to be found?
She couldn't dwell on it; it would make her insane. She focused on the city around her.
While half the city fell into chaos, the other half continued on normally. Mostly the older generations who had grown up with stories from their parents about the Blitz. They still checked the mail, even if there was nothing there, still trimmed their rosebushes, still headed out to work, even if they walked.
Some businesses continued as normal, or as normal as they could manage. Hopefully what they experienced wouldn't become the new normal, but just three days in, and Londoners were adapting. The rest of the world, she didn't know. Humans, though, could adapt to anything.
It took nearly an hour to reach her father's company. The one Oliver should have inherited. The one everyone thought she could excel in.
The glass skyscraper loomed above her into the sky, but she didn't pause to wonder at it. Her goal was the tenth floor, and the lifts were out. Ashley had to stop a few times in the stairwell to catch her breath, but eventually she reached her destination.
Down the hallway, fifth door on the right. Though, all the offices and walls and doors were glass, so she saw her target as soon as she turned the corner.
Eckhart sat at his desk, writing something in his notebook. Computer was dead, as well as the lights, so the only light available came from the cloudy day beyond his window.
She didn't knock, but rather went on in. What was he going to do? Call security on the phones that didn't work?
He looked up as soon as she entered. "Ashley," he said, stunned. His pen faltered above the page. Close up, he was disheveled, his hair sticking up and his shirt rumpled. Bags hung below his eyes. If she hadn't grown up knowing him she wouldn't have recognized him. He had always been well put-together. Except at the end of the world, that is. "What are you-?"
"I'm calling in that favor you owe me."
He stayed quiet, but not out of confusion. He capped his pen. "Your timing is terrible."
Ashley shoved her hands into her pockets, immensely uncomfortable, but at least there were windows everywhere. And the rest of the floor wasn't as deserted as she would have thought. "What better time to call it in?" She didn't wait for him to ask what it was, but rather barreled on through. "My friend has been taken by the government. I want you to get him out."
She'd already asked her father, who had tried and failed. Once the cell towers went down, there was little that could be done. Her father owned Wright United but Eckhart had the connections. If anyone could do it, it was him.
"I… I can't."
"You promised me a favor," she pressed.
"I recognize that; I did," he finally stood, fingertips grazing the table. "I've lost everything though."
"I don't care about you," it slipped out before she could stop it. She crossed her arms, but Eckhart did not bat an eye. "I just want Mako back."
"If I was the man I was three days ago, I would happily do everything in my power, but you have to understand: my name means very little these days and I have lost all my assets. It's all gone," he said again, like he couldn't believe it himself. He trailed off, and removed his glasses slowly, tossing them lightly to his desk. Ashley barely noticed. She'd been so sure Eckhart was the answer. It had been a miracle she had even remembered the favor. What was she going to do? She couldn't just leave Mako - "I can do this though," Eckhart interrupted her thoughts, "is he human or demon?"
His words brought her attention back to him, but she hesitated. Would telling him bring harm to Mako?
Eckhart seemed to read her mind. "I'm not asking to know, but depending on which it is will say where he's been taken."
"He's a demon," she replied.
He nodded, thinking. "He'd be taken to Clover and Russet then. They've converted a building there for the demons that don't post much of a threat."
"What if they think he would?" Ashley forced herself to ask. "Mako's an oblivion."
Eckhart sucked in a breath. "Then it would be at Lacey and Hill. An old warehouse has been converted until they can get something better."
Ashley nodded, committing it to memory. At least it wasn't across the city. "Anything else?"
Eckhart pinched the end of his nose; an anxious habit. "The guard changes shift every six hours, at midnight, six, noon, and six in the evening. They're on rotation for twelve hour shifts. Depending on his class will determine the wing he's in."
Well, it had been more information that she'd had going in. And Ashley didn't even want to know how he knew about the guard changes. As soon as he told her what she needed, she left. The way he had told her the information, though, had sounded like he was expecting her to break in and get him herself.
The world hadn't completely descended into madness; she couldn't just break him out. She didn't know exactly how she'd do it, but she'd figure it out. Maybe Sophia knew of something.
Ashley walked back home, shouldering past passerby, all trying to keep their heads down and not attract attention. Before, the crowds might have been on their cell phones or walking with earbuds in, but no longer. Guardians still stood at every street corner, clutching at their weapons and scanning the crowds for any suspicious activity. Or any demons.
Fighter jets roared across the sky, headed… somewhere. Of course the military would have found a way around the no communications and electricity issue. Maybe they hadn't been affected to begin with? Maybe it was just the citizens forced to live with this particular dark age.
Nearly halfway home was when she felt it: power building, and calling to her like a beacon. It was unfamiliar, but familiar at the same time, like a dream forgotten. Even without being near it, it was comforting and she knew it would be warm, like a bonfire on a cold night.
Ashley looked to the sky, but buildings blocked her view. Every instinct urged her to meet the energy with her own, but common sense ruled against it. Not under the Guardians' watch. Instead, Ashley picked up the pace, breaking into a jog and then a run as she felt the energy moving, leading her away from the clusterous city and toward a park. She shoved past people trying to reach it, her feet slamming against the pavement.
As soon as she turned around some bushes, he was there, waiting for her, and she ran into Hiei's arms, slamming herself into him. Relief poured out of her as she embraced him. He was the same. Exactly the same as she remembered, as he clung to her as well, hidden from the people passing by who would surely shout for a Guardian if they saw his eyes. Breathing him in, they stayed like that until Ashley pulled away and kissed him. He kissed her back, cradling her head in his hands.
When she finally came up for air, she didn't want to let go of him, but she had to look him over. Make sure it was really him.
His clothes were tattered, and he sported a few new wounds, but nothing too serious. "When I saw Tokyo gone, I thought-"
"I know," he replied, whisper hoarse, and nodded. Neither had to finish their sentence.
"I- I felt you - your energy, just now. What was that?"
He watched the people passing by, just feet from where they stood hidden. Just feet from danger. He looked like he would rather not pause to explain, but she watched him expectantly.
"We were bonded, before. In the first time line," he said. "So, if I power up, or if you power up, we can find each other. Our power is linked," he rushed through the explanation. "I don't have a lot of time. We need to go."
He tugged on her arm, trying to pull her away, but Ashley held her ground. "Go?"
Hiei turned back, eyes blazing. "I'm getting you out. We have a safe-house in Cappadocia."
Cappadocia. Where Yukina told her they were. Where Bjorn took her a lifetime ago. "Yeah, I know."
"Then you know," Hiei said, voice severe. "And you've seen what they've done. It's time to go."
He halfway turned, but Ashley stayed rooted to the spot. "Mako is still here. They've captured him, Hiei. Taken him to a warehouse at Lacey and Hill. They're rounding up all the demons and psychics."
"We can come back for him." She still paused. "You just said yourself - they're rounding up psychics, too. You're not safe here."
As much as she wanted to, as much as she wanted to escape the hellhole that had become her life and melt into him and let her lead him, she couldn't. "I can pass as "normal," and my family is still here, Hiei. I cannot leave them."
He finally started to turn back toward her. "So what are you saying? Are you coming or not?"
Ashley paused, hesitating. She reached for his hand, calloused and worn with years of fighting. Surely he would understand, but she couldn't just leave. Not when the world was crumbling around them and her family would remain behind. How could she just run off with her boyfriend? They needed her here, not to disappear. They would wonder forever whether she was killed or taken if she left now.
"I'm staying," she said, her voice breaking over the words.
But Hiei, Hiei was glowering. No sympathies left for her. "For all I've done to protect you… You choose now to play the hero? And for what? To get yourself killed?" He hissed at her and glared at her like she was nothing more than fodder. "For some kind of twisted honor? Mukuro was right. You're nothing but a distraction."
She tried to step closer to him - surely he didn't mean his words. They were scathing and like flames licking at her heart, but he stepped away, ripping his hand from her grasp. "You've protected me so I can protect my family now. Besides, you said it yourself - we're linked, right? We can find each other again, easy."
"Only if you power up, Ashley," Hiei hissed, incredulation written over his face at the idea he even had to explain it to her. "And you just said yourself - psychics are enemies right now. You power up, and it'll be like a beacon to them."
"But what about your Jagan-?"
"Haven't you been listening to me this last week? The Jagan doesn't work in Europe, or here. There's too much of the humans' old magick. As long as you're here, you've betrayed me. It's obvious you don't love me like you said you did."
"Hiei, that's not it at all -!"
He didn't listen, just steamrolled over her. He had so long thought of her as his human bulldozer, but right then, she would yield to him. "Love is just a convenient excuse for you to do whatever you want with a failsafe written over it. If you stay, your feelings are obvious for me."
She held her ground, even as tears swam in her eyes. So it was like that, then. If he wanted to try to use the feelings he knew she had for him to make her bend to his will, it wouldn't work. As much as she wanted to go with him, she couldn't leave her family.
Her silence was answer enough, and Hiei's face twisted into pain, anger, betrayal, and finally, an emotion that she wondered if she imagined - understanding - as he spared her a final glance.
"Try not to die," he spat, and disappeared, leaving her alone.
Ashley stayed in the foliage for what felt like hours after Hiei left, her heart still beating, but it might as well have been ripped from her chest. She was numb. Surely Hiei was just hurt. Surely he didn't mean everything he had just said. Surely he knew she loved him and didn't make her decision lightly.
Tears had refused to fall, but she wondered if they would. She felt like crying, like breaking down in that park and crying over his reaction, over his hurtful words, over the world, over the millions dead. But the tears never fell, and as the sun began to set, Ashley turned and walked on home. She was aware of the people around her and the Guardians' passing glances at her, but she was numb. People passed her like she was in a fog. Everything registered just a little slower than it should have.
But as she turned the final corner to her street, a commotion caught her attention down the street. Black SUVs parked in front of a house halfway down, their police lights flashing. Men in dark clothing and Kevlar vests moved about outside, moving suitcases into the cars. A flash of her father caught her attention, and Hiei was forgotten.
"Dad?" She shouted in confusion, and picked up pace. What was going on?
She jogged up to her house - the house with the SVUs parked outside, she realized - as a Guardian stepped out of nowhere and stopped her before she could get too close. Neighbors kept their distance, watching and whispering to each other.
"Ma'am, I'm going to ask that you step back." He was taller than she was, and young. Maybe just a few years younger than she was, but he spoke with full authority.
"No - I live here. What's going on?" She tried to step around him, but nearly stepped into the man that had come up behind the Guardian.
Blue suit fitted perfectly, Ashley recognized her brother long before she saw his face. "Ashley," Oliver said, the tightness of his jaw and hardness of his gaze sending off warning bells in her head. "You need to come with me."
"Ma'am," Haku ran up to Navia, back bent in a quick bow in his rush. "We've managed to capture him."
"And the others?" She asked, her tone light and stiff as she briskly walked through the hallways.
"We captured them, too. All of his followers, ma'am. We have them."
If betrayal didn't seep so far into her bones, she might have smiled. Finally. They'd captured the traitors. But while it was a good win for the day, a long road only stretched ahead.
She followed Haku, who led her to the Court of Traitors. So named for the legend-old traitors who had pledged themselves to the leader of the temple, only to break their oath. The current day's proceeding's were no different. She was not the first leader to take the high seat in the temple, but for the first time in three centuries, the walls were warm with fires in lit sconces.
Now, she entered the courtyard, standing on the dais on the side opposite the man she once called friend, advisor, general.
While she schooled her expression so that he would never know how deeply he had hurt her, his glare could have shattered mountains.
"NAVIA!" The man before her bellowed. His cry filled the courtyard, echoing over the witnesses. The very men and women he'd betrayed.
She ignored him. "Do you know why you're here, General Ryumon?" Keeping her tone passive was difficult, but remembering that his mutiny nearly cost her everything helped. "Why you're here at the Court of Traitors?"
He glowered at her, deciding this time, to remain silent. Energy restraints had been placed on his wrists and ankles, keeping his power at bay. He was one of her strongest warriors, after all. It wouldn't do well if he slaughtered everyone.
"You have conspired against me. You pledged me your loyalty, and instead mutinied behind my back. You led warriors to death under false knowledge you fed to them."
"I gave them no such knowledge."
"Join or die?!" she yelled, anger breaking free. "This is not the message I have spread since beginning this journey. That is not what we, as the Legion, stand for!
"You gave our recruits a choice - one they made out of fear, and thus turning the rest of Demon World against our progress.
"How could you look me in the eye and promise me you would help me lead my people into a new future, while spearheading an attack such as this? You gathered your followers and during the Battle of the Fools against the rebels, you turned against your brethren."
Ryumon's gaze finally faltered.
"LOOK AT THEM." Navia yelled, her voice strong with passion and filling the courtyard, washing over the warriors who had sworn themselves to her. "You rallied your followers to kill your brothers and sisters, all to get to me."
"You don't deserve to lead!" Ryumon finally shot back. Even though his hands were bound, he raised them to point at her. His gesture did nothing to intimidate her. He was powerful, yes, but she was more so. "You half-bastard!"
Navia swallowed, and lifted her chin higher. Her warriors who stood between her and Ryumon shifted, tensing.
"Thankfully for you, then," she whispered, deadly. A threat; a promise. "You won't be alive to see it."
The color drained from his face as the warriors tensed to strike. They would kill his followers, who were being kept in their own prison, which they knew. Ryumon's core, however, belonged to her.
"Even if you kill us, though," Ryumon had lost his bravado, stammering out his words. "That won't end things. Our other half will continue where we left off. You'll never have what you seek."
"Oh, you mean the human Guardians?" Navia finally pulled a coy smile out of her back pocket, wearing it just for Ryumon. She descended from the dais and made her way across the courtyard, her warriors parting for her as she moved. "True, they pledged themselves to us once, and deceived us into believing they were on our side, but, they made a vital mistake." Finally, she reached Ryumon, who stared at her, eyes wide. "Don't worry; you'll see your precious Razor on the other side."
Ryumon's eyes widened as he put together what Navia said, but before he could say another word, she shoved her hand - which she covered in her energy, creating a blade around her hand - into his center. Ryumon doubled over, clutching her own arm as she gripped his core and pulled it from his body. It pulsed once - twice - three times as she turned back to her warriors, before it finally faded to nothing and drifted away, like smoke on a breeze. Behind her, Ryumon dropped to the ground, cold.
"The rest are yours," Navia spoke to her warriors. The ones who kept their loyalty close to their hearts. "They tried to kill you to kill me." She paused. She could give a loud, bold speech, but that had never been her style. "Make them suffer," she all but whispered, instead.
Cheers rose up around her as they punched their fists in the air. Demons cried out for her, lifting her up. From the smallest warrior at only three feet, to the tallest at ten. They stood for her. They had fought for her. And she was the reason for Ryumon's betrayal. For them nearly being wiped out. But her forces had rallied, held the Spirit Detective's rebels at bay, and dealt with the newest threat.
As one, they marched out of the courtyard, on the way to deal with Ryumon's followers, leaving her facing the Court of Traitors alone. She'd known that someone was controlling the strings to those who strayed from her path. The ones who went out on recruitment missions and made the 'join or die' offer under the Legion's name, leaving out their original message: Arise, and claim your freedom. One World, One Life, One Peace.
Ryumon would never know that Navia had lied, of course. That was her own secret to keep. But she had to make him believe that all hope was lost. That she would win despite his best efforts. And she would still, though, it was a longer journey ahead than what she had originally planned for.
The Guardians, for one, were still a threat, their own betrayal message having arrived by note that same morning, after Ryumon had been captured, finally - after being spied on and hunted down during the battle - and after the battle itself had concluded. Which, really, said more about the Guardian's state of mind than anything. It had sent a chill down her spine, that Razor had chosen to communicate via note than through his mind techniques.
"Then - prepare yourself."
He was coming for them - for all of them, she knew, as a chill settled in her belly - and they had to be ready.
"Navia?" a familiar voice caught her attention. Haku was still near the entrance of the courtyard, but an old friend had joined him there.
"Daisuke?" she asked, but was already walking toward him. Relief settled over her. "I'm so pleased you decided to come."
They embraced, though it was odd for the shorter demon. Navia towered over him by nearly two feet, but they made it work. For Navia, seeing Daisuke there, in the flesh, when Shono wasn't, nearly made tears spring to her eyes, but she held them at bay. This wasn't the time for emotions. She could cry when she was in the shower later, washing off the blood of the last three days. She had lost so much and gained it back.
"How was your journey? Are you hungry?" Navia asked as she motioned to him to follow her from the courtyard, leading the way back to the meeting room. The walls of the temple were stone. The entire compound had been carved directly from the Bleeding Mountains themselves. Sconces lit the hallways every few feet, but it was still like living in a tiny prison. No natural light reached them except in the few open-topped areas, like the Court of Traitors, and that was not the place to think on complicated thoughts.
"I am fine, thank you," the man said. He was dressed plainly, in long pants and a tattered long-sleeve tunic. Horns curved upwards from his temples, and dark, round glasses sat on his nose. Navy hair stuck every which way, windblown from running from so far. "Though, I haven't decided to join you yet." His words made her pause. "I have heard the nastiness being repeated across the lands. Join or die. That doesn't sound like you, but I had to know for myself. Why are you fighting?" They stopped just inside her meeting room, the long table and chairs stretching across the room. A fire roared in the hearth - someone had lit it, likely knowing this was the first place she would retreat to once she returned home from the battle and the aftermath. Maps were hung precariously over the walls like tattered wallpaper. She shut the door behind them after Daisuke stepped into the room. It was soundproof, and they wouldn't be bothered.
Her heart tried to sink at his words. So, even Shono's best friend had heard that ugliness, had he? It had stretched so far that he had started to believe this was what she had fallen to.
Dion had warned her that she should have taken out the traitors as they appeared, but Navia had wanted, instead, to lull them into a false sense of security. Keep them believing she knew nothing, until she could capture them all at once, including the head of the snake, so that he couldn't slither off and try again.
But in the meantime, her reputation had declined.
For a moment she wondered if it had been worth it, but as a door creaked open behind her, and she felt the familiar energy presence of her daughter, she knew it was. It absolutely was worth it. Anything to keep Sachiko safe.
"Momma, I had another nightmare," a little voice warmed her heart, even as it broke for her child.
"Shhh," Navia soothed her, crossing the room and bending down to her height and reaching for her. Sachiko went to her gratefully, and Navia scooped up her daughter and held her close.
"Daisuke," Navia began thoughtfully, turning back to her old friend. "Have you ever met Sachiko?"
She glanced back down to Daisuke, who watched Sachiko with awe as he crossed the room to her. He reached to brush a strand of silver hair away from the young girls' face. She could have been more than six or seven. "She looks just like him - minus the hair, of course. That's you."
A smile spread over Navia's face, heart clenching for the man she knew Daisuke was speaking of. "Nyoko, she... she's how I came to realize this was my destiny, but Sachiko is the reason why. She's the reason for all of this. So that she can live in a world she deserves." She paused to press her lips against Sachiko's forehead. The young girl snuggled in close to her mother's neck, wrapping her small arms around her, seeking comfort. "I want to tell you my story," Navia began, "if you have some time."
A/N: Happy two-year anniversary to Ashley! Two years ago today I posted the first chapter of On Dating a Demon, and it's only by chance that I got to post chapter 35 - also known as the first chapter of part 2 - today. I'm at home with a fever today, so thought I'd take advantage of it to finish the chapter and get it posted.
Some things to note, the best picture I have of Oliver is Teddy Gestalt from the Rook on Starz. Look him up. Though, I picture Oliver being a little taller than Teddy. Also, if you've ever seen Aldnoah Zero when the nuclear missile destroyed New Orleans, that's the level of destruction I imagine the demons taking out the Fourteen. I'll post the link on my profile in case you'd like a reference. I thought I vaguely remembered Hiei or someone referring to Mukuro, who's upper S-class, as having the equivalent power of a nuke. Naturally, I started wondering about what kind of power an S-class oblivion, a demon who can create explosions, would have, and how they could use it against humans, and this is what I came up with.
But hey, we're at On Loving a Human, FINALLY. I'm so excited to be here, and I hope you are, too. Hiei doesn't handle rejection very well, does he? You would think he'd be better by now, but nope! He's still got some learning and growing to do. Also, Navia is one of my favorite characters, and not at all who you may think she is. If you don't already know, I like exploring perspectives in my writing. I hope all you readers out there stay with me through part 2, and ultimately, part 3.
Thank you to Mediocre Dunces and JohnGreenGirl for your reviews on chapter 33, and OdinsReaper and JohnGreenGirl for your reviews on chapter 34.
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.