Hi everyone, thanks again for all those who read my story.
Just a brief explanation for what you're about to read: as I based the country where Asuka is now on Italy, there are references to different languages, however (except for a couple of sentences) I only used English. I thought about writing conversations in Italian, but then I would have had to put the translations somewhere and it would all become a mess, so in the end I just sticked to English :)
Enjoy reading!

Eight years before present events

"Ti amo."

For less than a second, Asuka's movements froze. Thank God she was not facing the man on the bed. She pulled up her jeans and zipped them, then grabbed her shirt from the armchair beside the bed and put it on. She tied her little scarf around her neck and put on her oversized cardigan. As she put on her boots, he spoke again. "Ehi, hai capito cosa ti ho detto? You understood? Ti amo! I love you!" He repeated, uttering the only words he knew in her language.

'The language's not the problem, here.' She had understood the first time, but it seemed that ignoring him was not a great strategy. She turned around and tilted her head to the side with a sheepish smile. "I'm late for work. See you." That said, she stormed out of the apartment. 'See you never again, you freak' she mentally added, and got annoyed at the chuckle she heard in her head.

Once she stepped onto the street, a gush of cold air met her. It was winter in that part of the Western Continent, and according to the weather forecast, a snowstorm would hit the city that night. She had already experienced one the year before, and for two days she had been blocked at home. But it was the norm, there. Winters were harsh, and summers were scorching. She would stop by the grocery store after work to buy provisions for a couple of days.

Asuka had been away from Konoha for a little more than five years, and she had been living in that city for two years; she had been leading a pretty normal life. She had learnt the local language, found a job as waitress in a bar and made some friends (if 'people to whom you're constantly saying bullshit about yourself' could be considered as friends). A couple of weeks earlier she had turned 23, and she had shared a cake with her colleagues after her shift. They had even bought her a present.

After work, she would go to the local gym and practice taijutsu, or as they called it there, 'Eastern Martial Arts'. Whatever. There were some people there who were good sparring partners, but she always had to hold back, and that was frustrating. So, whenever she could, namely on her day off work, she would leave in the morning and go to the forest by the lake outside the city, where she could go wild. As wild as she could go without using chakra, though. Luckily, she was not physically suffering from her chakra deprivation anymore, but she still was unable to use that energy. At least, focusing on taijutsu got her to open four gates. Sometimes she daydreamt about going back to Konoha and bragging about this with Gai, then beating up Kakashi. Her first win against him would be so glorious. But then she would remember why she was there, and she would forcibly push such happy fantasies out of her mind.

When she had left Konoha, her father had given her enough money for a couple of years, and a list of villages and people he thought would be wise to seek, as he believed they might help her. However, because of the war, some of those villages had been destroyed, and the people she managed to find were either too scared of her or too old, or already dead. She stayed at two or three villages that were on the list, but she couldn't get much help there.

The first two years after the seal were spent in complete hell. Amanozako wouldn't let her sleep without haunting her dreams, filling them with horrifying images of death and pain.

And, when Asuka was awake, she would sometimes experience what she had named Amanozako's 'urges'.

The first kind was hunger. The problem was that she hungered for human beings. When that happened, when she started to feel her stomach growl in an intense way, Asuka would run to the woods and hunt down animals, which she consumed raw, tearing their skin apart with her teeth and plunging her head in their organs. After that, she would wash off the traces of blood in a nearby lake or river, trying to erase from her memory the taste of the still hot flesh she had just wolfed down.

The second kind of urge was sex. She understood there was a certain cyclicity to it, as it appeared about once a month. There were some nights when she wanted to have sex so badly, that she would accept the invitations of the filthiest men on earth, and also have multiple partners per night.

The real problem was when those two urges coincided. Many of the men she had slept with hadn't lived to see the morning after, even in the Shinobi villages she had visited; good thing she hadn't revealed her identity, and that she had left her forehead protector in Konoha.

That was when she started living in isolation, and after a while her failing suicidal attempts began.

"Just give up, Princess. I'm not going to let you die, as long as I'm still within you," Amanozako told Asuka, who was crying, horrified, as she saw the blood from her self-inflicted wound on her chest dry up, and her injury close quickly. The pain was there, but she wouldn't die. She sniffed, drying her tears with her arm. "I can't. I can't let you roam free. You would just bring death and destruction."

The demon sighed.
"Stop being so altruistic, Princess. You make me sick. Don't you understand? The very same people you want to protect the most are the ones who discarded you as soon as you became a problem. Your father is the first in line."
She shook her head. "He's the Hokage. He bears the responsibility of all the village upon his shoulders. He did what he had to."
"What about your brothers, then? They didn't even come looking for you. And that boy you feel so attached to? Where is he now?" Asuka bit her lips. She couldn't let herself be carried away by such thoughts, even if she knew they were there, in her mind.
"They are proud Leaf ninja. Sacrifices are necessary, if they are done for a greater good." She repeated that mantra by heart. After all, it was a rule of the ninja world. Missions come before your companions. The image of Kakashi popped into her mind, but she erased it. He used to think like that, too, but he had changed. Obito had made him realize the importance of friends. And yet, he had done nothing to make her stay in Konoha. 'Stop thinking about it. He couldn't do anything. Don't be fooled by her. Amanozako only wants to get free.' Then, she felt a shivering cold inside of her.

"You'll come to understand that men are evil and selfish, Princess. And then you'll be happy to release me."
Asuka thought she was crazy, but she thought she had felt sadness in her words.
After that, Amanozako didn't speak for about a month.

Only a village remained on the list. Her father had told her it was somewhere in the Western Continent, but the villagers there were former shinobis that had been banned from the Five Great Countries due to their powers being too dangerous. They seemingly had a kekkei genkai that enabled them to command demons and ghouls simply by locking eyes with them. They said that the Hida clan were their distant relatives, who however had developed their abilities more in the fuuinjutsu field and did not possess any eye ability.

Nevertheless, the village's whereabouts were unknown, and from what Asuka understood, it could also be all just a myth. In fact, Asuka had wandered for a year around the Continent and still hadn't found any clues about it. As she had spent almost all her money, and since Amanozako seemed to have calmed down a bit, she had decided to spend some time in that city. It was the capital of the Ita country, a big, crowded city where Asuka felt she wouldn't stand out. At first, she had had a hard time getting used to living there as a civilian, but she grew accustomed to it, although she always felt as if she was living someone else's life.

"Uuh.. Are those the same clothes you were wearing yesterday, Asuka?" her friend and colleague Nina asked. Asuka absent-mindedly looked at her outfit, while taking her work uniform out of the locker, and sighed. "Yeah." Nina was immediately by her side, nudging her in the ribs. "Well, then I imagine your date with Mr. Writer has ended fine…" sue teased. Mr. Writer was the nickname they had given to a regular customer of the bar, who usually came in just after lunch and spent the entire afternoon there, working on a novel of some sort. He had developed this crush on Asuka, and finally, one week earlier he had asked her on a date. They had gone out a couple of times already. Asuka didn't really like the man, but he was attractive, interesting to talk to, and he fucked decently. He provided enough distraction from her thoughts.

"He told me he loves me." Asuka said, with the same emotional involvement she used when listing the daily specials. Nina gave a shriek. "Whaat? Isn't it a little too early?" Asuka eyed the girl as she buttoned her shirt. Wasn't it obvious? She had been with Kakashi for two years and they had nev- 'Stop. Stop thinking about him. You need to move on, for fuck sake.'

"And what did you tell him?" came Nina's question. She was a beautiful, short girl with black curls and dark eyes, and now she was looking at Asuka with extreme curiosity. She was a big fan of romantic stories. "That I was late for work." Nina giggled.
"Actually, would you mind serving him if he comes today? I don't feel like speaking to him that much…" Nina tilted her head to the right. "Sure… is he that awful in bed?" She asked, in her eyes a sympathetic look. Asuka shrugged. "No, there's really nothing wrong with him – apart from the love confession that had him immediately classified under 'creep' – it's just…" As a silver-haired ninja popped up in her mind, Asuka shook her head in a failed attempt at making him vanish.
"It's just he's not my type," she concluded.

Seven years before present events

"I think I love you, Kakashi-senpai…"
The jounin looked at the violet-haired woman lying in her bed, as he put his flak vest back on. She was looking at him expectantly. "Nah, you don't," he said, sighing.
"What… do you think you can tell me what I feel for you? I swear, my feelings are true!" He rolled his eyes to the ceiling, cursing his bad decisions. Anko would have been a far wiser choice for a one-night stand. Or even Kurenai, at least if she had accepted. Asuma had just come back, and she had never left his side eversince. Instead, it was Yugao he had followed home, after they had completed their mission, the night before.

They were still all shocked by last week's events. Itachi Uchiha, the ninja prodigy, ANBU captain, had slaughtered his entire clan, leaving only his little brother Sasuke alive. Yugao had been the one to find the child. They had quickly disposed of all the corpses and prohibited access to the Uchiha neighborhood. Kakashi still couldn't believe that such a skilled ninja, as Itachi was, had gone crazy and murdered his whole family. And he had ended up straight into the bingo book as an S-class missing nin. Truly a pity for a boy with such potential. Kakashi had always valued him, ever since the Uchiha genius had become a member of Team Ro. When he had become a team leader, Yugao had taken Itachi's place in Kakashi's team. Even though she was a skilled kunoichi, though, she could not even begin to compare to him.

"Yours is not love, it's just admiration. You keep calling me senpai, after all. And, even if it were true, I'm sorry but it would be one-sided." It was better to make things clear there and then. There wouldn't be another night like that.
"Are you still thinking about Asuka, Kakashi-senpai? It's been almost seven years since she left…" Kakashi didn't reply. Her comment had left him annoyed.
Yes, he had been thinking about her. Every day. But it was not like he was still waiting for her to come back. She was most probably dead by now, even if her name was not on a grave in the cemetery or inscribed on the memorial stone near the training grounds. He had been thinking about her as he had been thinking about Rin, Obito, the Fourth, or his father.
As he got out of the room, Yugao heard his whispered words. "You'd better find yourself a nicer guy than me." The woman sighed, a pained expression in her eyes, and watched him go.

"You wanted to see me, Lord Hokage?" Kakashi asked, kneeling before the old man. They were on the roof of the Hokage building, and the man had his back towards the ninja, looking at the sculptures of the faces of the previous village leaders.
"How long have you been part of the ANBU, Kakashi?" It was a strange question. He thought back to when he first joined. It had been his teacher, Minato, who had requested him to become a black op.
"I started during the Fourth Hokage's tenure, so… about ten years." Ten years. Wow. They had gone by relatively quickly.
"Minato wanted to find a way to relieve the sadness in your heart. That was his motivation… he wanted to keep you close to him." Kakashi's head sank.
"I thought so." Minato-sensei had always been kind to him. The affection he felt towards his teacher had never disappeared. He wondered if that was the feeling a child would develop for a caring older brother.
"When Minato died, I resumed my role as Hokage, and took all of Minato's ANBU under my command. However…" the old man turned to Kakashi, who was still kneeling before him, "keeping you by my side has not helped you. Your heart is getting darker and darker," he said, frowning. He glanced at the Hokage Monument, and for a while he seemed lost in distant thoughts. "If she were here, she would probably scold me." Even without saying her name out loud, Kakashi knew he was talking about Asuka.
"You know… After your first mission together, she started complaining about your position in the ANBU, claiming you were unfit for the black ops." That came as a surprise to Kakashi. He didn't know she had such an opinion of him. Then again, if what the Third had said was true, and she had started saying such things after their first (and only) mission together, she was probably worried about him, because of his own confession to having fallen into the darkness.
"Take off your mask," the Hokage ordered, and Kakashi complied.
"Ten years… Maybe I demanded too much of you." Kakashi gave his mask to the Third, who threw it away. Kakashi watched it as it flew in the air. "You are hereby relieved of your duties as an ANBU. You will assume a new position."
'What?' Kakashi thought. Was he being demoted? "Yes, sir!" He replied, nonetheless.
The Hokage sighed, then smiled. "You will be a jounin supervisor!" Kakashi's right eye widened. What the fuck? Him, a jounin supervisor? He could never take on students… How was he supposed to treat them? He didn't know anything about children! He couldn't possibly do such a thing.

Six years before present events

"Hey, Asuka, we're going to the karaoke tonight, do you want to come with us?" Nina asked, pointing at their four colleagues. Asuka glanced at the clock on the wall. "Yeah, sure. I've never been to a karaoke before," she replied. It was already too late to go to the gym now, and she felt like taking some time off her thoughts about Amanozako.

The week before, she had pretended she was sick and did not show up at work. The demon's hunger had come back even more powerful than ever, and Asuka had to flee to the mountains to avoid hurting some innocent people. It was the first time in almost three years it had happened. Just when she had thought she could coexist with the demon inside her.
She still hadn't found the village his father had written on the list, but she had found a book in the local library that seemed pretty interesting. Its title was "Myths and legends of the Eastern Continent, Volume II." It had been written by a certain Mr. Soga Umako, a name that revealed Eastern origins. The book was basically a dictionary of Eastern mythology, with definitions and explanations about different gods and heroes, but which also contained folklore stories about ghosts and demons. As soon as Asuka had set her eyes upon the book, Amanozako had started stirring. Asuka thought that could be an indication that she was on the right path to discover something useful. Too bad that Volume II only covered definitions from M to Z. When she asked the clerk about Volume I, she was told that they didn't have that. The book, out of print for 15 years, had been a donation to the library many years before. Asuka was disappointed, but had taken the book, nonetheless; that was her field, after all. The book was very detailed and well-researched. The stories, some of which Asuka knew too, were accurate and true; even the descriptions of the spirits and demons were realistic. The girl had seen some of the ghosts the book mentioned, and she had to admit that the descriptions matched reality. She had done some research on the author, but she couldn't find anything about him. It seemed that was the only book he had ever written in his life, but she couldn't find out if he was still alive, where he lived or any other relevant information. But she needed to investigate on that matter, as that was the only lead she had. She had to find a solution and go back to the village as soon as possible. When Amanozako's hunger returned, her resolve only grew stronger. She couldn't afford to break down and succumb to the demon inside her.

Asuka didn't know many of the songs that appeared on the screen, as they were all old classics of the Ita country, so she pretty much stayed put at the far end of the couch in the karaoke room they had booked, sipping her ice tea and enjoying her colleagues' performances, even if some of them were so out of tune that Asuka felt embarrassed in their stead.

"Wouldn't you want something stronger than tea, Asuka?" the bar's cook, Marco, asked her, offering her his vodka-based drink with a tantalizing smile. Asuka shook her head. "Thanks, but I don't drink alcohol."
It was not that she didn't like alcohol; she enjoyed its taste. The problem was that, the few times she had drunk in the past, Amanozako had always taken over. That was true for drugs, also. A few years before, she had taken some pills that, according to the man who had sold them to her, would have freed her from bad thoughts. It happened shortly after she got to the Western Continent, a night she was feeling particularly depressed and hopeless. When she had woken up, the dealer laid beside her, in a pool of blood, the flesh on his neck bitten off. That morning she decided she would never take something that could alter her consciousness again.

Marco grinned at her, scooping a little closer and leaning in to whisper in her ear. "I'm sorry it didn't work out with your last boyfriend… I'm sure you'll quickly find someone else… You're such a beautiful woman." Asuka didn't want to think about her so-called ex-boyfriend. They had been together for a couple of months, and she had left him as soon as he had told her he loved her. She hated that phrase. It was such an abused expression. Asuka eyed the man next to her. He was clearly intoxicated, if his alcohol-stinking breath was enough proof. He leant towards her, his face dangerously approaching hers; she put a hand on his chest to stop him, smiling sheepishly. "I'm sorry, I guess it's my turn to sing." She stood up and reached Nina, grabbing the hand she was offering. As Asuka sat by her, Nina apologized on the cook's behalf. "Marco's a cool guy, but he tends to be a little clingy when he's drunk. Don't mind him, he won't remember anything tomorrow," Nina whispered in her ear. Asuka nodded, then looked at the screen. "Oh, I know that song," she said, looking at the title on the screen. That was a song that had been aired a lot on the radio a few months before. "Great!" Nina cheered, and passed the microphone to Asuka.

It was so relieving to sing. She hadn't done that in a while. It was a corny love song, of course, but it let her vent out her frustration. When the song ended, she looked around herself, as nobody was speaking. Five pairs of eyes were staring back at her, dumbfounded. Had she sucked that bad?
Nina was the first one to react. "What the hell, Asuka! You've never told us you could sing! Holy crap!" She shrugged. "Well, I… I took some lessons when I was a kid, that's all." Silvia, the blond barista, was outraged. "That's called talent, you idiot! Why did you keep it hidden?" Asuka did not understand. Who in their right mind would willingly say 'Hey, you know what? I'm good at singing!' It was not like she had ever aimed at doing that for a living, after all. "I guess it's never come out as a conversation topic…" she tried to justify herself. "Conversation topic my ass!" Nina continued. "Can you play an instrument?" She asked, then. Asuka nodded, a little frightened by the ardor she was seeing in her eyes. "I can… could… strum on the guitar." Silvia let out an exasperated sigh, raising her hands in a dramatic gesture. "She can play! We're always desperate at the bar searching for decent performers and we didn't know we had a genius before our very own eyes!" Asuka frantically waved her hands in front of herself, in an effort to dissuade her two colleagues from whatever they were scheming.

That was how Asuka found herself working at the bar as a waitress for five days a week and perform as a singer and guitarist one night a week.

"Marco told me you dumped him."
Asuka gave a start; she hadn't noticed Nina approach from behind her. She had gone to the rooftop of the bar to enjoy some fresh air during her break. She nodded. "Yeah."
"He told me you dumped him just when he told you he loved you." Asuka sighed and closed her eyes. She hated those words. "Yeah. What's with the men here, huh? Saying such a meaningful thing like that just so casually." Nina looked at the girl next to her. She had known her for almost seven years, but she felt like she didn't know her at all. "What is your problem with love, Asuka? I don't know what it's like in the Eastern Continent, but here… we are open about our feelings." She shook her head. "How can you love someone after only three months of being together? That doesn't make sense! Love is something you build together with time. After three months, it's just infatuation."
"Have you ever been in love, Asuka?"
That question caught her off guard. It brought back memories she wished she had buried deep within her mind. Her nodding was only slightly perceivable. "How much time did it take before you confessed your feelings?" Asuka keep looking straight ahead.
"We never did." Her voice came out as a whisper. Nina did not have to ask to understand that Asuka was referring to someone she knew before she moved to the Western Continent.
"Don't you wish you had?"

She had always thought her feelings for Kakashi went far beyond the simple 'love' everyone was always talking about. Maybe the very fact that it seemed such a common thing had her scared. She liked to think of herself as uncommon, special. She had never been moderate; instead, she had always been intense, and reckless. She gave all of herself for what she cared about, so she refused to think that her feelings for Kakashi could be so simple, so uncomplicated. She could never tell Kakashi she simply loved him. Her feelings were much bigger, there was still not a word for them.
That was what she used to think, at least.
On the contrary, Kakashi, as awkward at expressing his feelings as he was, he had tried. He had told her she was like the sun to him. Wasn't that a love confession?
And she had never told him anything like that, she had never voiced out loud what she felt, just like she had never told her father and her mother she was so happy to be their daughter, just like she had never told Asuma and Toshiro that she felt privileged for being their sister.

She wished she had told all of them she loved them.

And intense feeling of regret spread inside her, and she clenched her jaw. Would she be able to see them all again? She was slowly losing hope. Her investigations were leading nowhere, her training had seemingly arrived at a dead-end, as she had no motivation to keep it up, her chakra still was nowhere to be found inside of her.

Five years before present events

Kakashi was sure he would fail those three, just like he had done a few times, already, in the past. He didn't like the kids he had been assigned to. He thought the Hokage either held him in high consideration, or really hated him… Those brats were so annoying.

First of all, the girl. Acting all kind and cute in front of her teacher and the boy she liked, yet he felt like she was hiding the personality of a vixen. Proof of it, her behavior towards her blonde teammate. She didn't even seem to have much potential, either. At that age, girls like her only thought about trivial things such as their looks and their crushes, instead of focusing on training.

Then, the Uchiha brat. Talk about a revengeful person. Understandable, considering his past trauma, yet Kakashi could not stand his arrogant, superior air. He reminded Kakashi of his old self.
Maybe that was why he didn't like the boy.

Lastly, the nine-tail brat. Such an obnoxious, loud-mouthed idiot. How could someone like him even hope to become a ninja? And, what's more, since he met him, Kakashi hadn't been able to think of anything else but Asuka. She used to be so fond of that kid. He hated him the most. Yet, he had surprised Kakashi when he said that his dream was to surpass the Hokage and to be acknowledged by the village. He could see an interesting flame in the boy.

Kakashi sighed, entering his apartment and taking off his sandals. Those three would never cooperate, so he shouldn't be so annoyed. That time the next day, they would be returning to the Academy. However, there was a little voice deep down his conscience which was telling him they could be interesting kids to train. He glanced at the bells on his desk. The image of Minato-sensei popped into his mind, and he thought back to his own test, back in the days. He had only pretended to work together with Rin and Obito, but he had only used them to catch the bells, which he had managed to. Minato had understood that, yet he had made them pass, nonetheless. But their cell had always lacked teamwork. If Kakashi had trusted his companions more, maybe he wouldn't have lost them… Maybe things would have gone differently. He turned in the bed and faced the wall. He'd never know, but sure as hell he would never, never make that mistake again. If those three idiots didn't show teamwork, he would fail them with no hesitation.

There was a faint knock on the door. He thought about pretending to not be home, but stood up and walked to the door. As he opened it, he found a pretty young woman looking expectantly at him. She seemed relieved upon seeing him. It was the fourth, maybe fifth time he had seen her, but it was the first time she had come to his house, looking for him. Her name was Rei, a civilian who worked in Konoha munitions store. He had met her a few weeks before, as he was accompanying Guy, who wanted to give his students a present for not wanting to take part in the chuunin exam. Talk about weirdos. Kakashi knew full well why he had approached her in the first place: she reminded him of a certain kunoichi he once knew. Wavy, brown hair, that reached her shoulders, and big, dark green eyes. They had chatted a little as Guy chose three kunais, then he had come back alone that evening and invited her to dinner, he had walked her home and followed her inside her apartment, and into her bed. She was sweet, shy and innocent, and had wanted to keep the lights off as they had sex. His interest had quickly decreased, but it seemed she had grown fond of him, instead.

"Hi," he greeted. She lowered her eyes. There she was, acting all shy again. "I'm sorry to have come to your house like this, but… I was walking nearby and thought that maybe… I could come by and see if you were home…" The wisest thing to do would have been to interrupt her and tell her he was not interested in her anymore. It would have been better not to give her false hope that the two of them could have a future. Instead, he took a step back and let her into his apartment. He watched as she entered and took a quick look around, still shy, her cheeks red. He couldn't help but compare that woman to Asuka, and he hated himself for that. It was not fair to Rei to think she was just a bad copy of a girl he hadn't seen for almost ten years. And yet, her pretty face was boring without the mole under her left eye, her shy behavior was annoying and lacked that recklessness and boldness that could have rendered her interesting, and even though kind and sweet, she was not bright and warm. And during sex, she would stifle her moans, as if she was embarrassed by her own pleasure. He hated that. She was just Asuka's bad imitation. Kakashi glanced at her, before leaning in to kiss her lips.

A bad imitation, though, would still be enough for him.

"Rei, I need to get up early tomorrow. Would you mind going home, now?" It was not even an hour later, and Kakashi was already trying to get rid of her. She looked at him with doe eyes. "Kakashi, there is something I need to tell you… I… I think I love you." The man closed his eyes and sighed, trying hard to suppress the wave of irritation he was feeling. 'Note to self. Next time you want to get laid, just ask Anko.'

"I'm sorry, Rei. I don't feel the same." The woman lowered her eyes and a furious blush spread on her face. "You're right, I'm sorry, what a stupid I've been… it's just too early, isn't it?" She stuttered, collecting her clothes and quickly putting them on. "We need a little more time," she said, after a while. Her heart sank when she heard him sigh. "Listen, Rei. I'm starting a new job tomorrow. I'll be busy and I won't have time for… this," he said, pointing at himself and the girl. "It's better to end it here. I'd only make you suffer." Yes. The whole 'it's not you, it's me' story. Always effective. "I… I understand." She replied, her shoulder slumping and her head sinking. She turned on her heels and headed towards the door, tears uncontrollably streaming down her face. If Rei had hoped Kakashi would run to Her, take her into her arms and back into the apartment, going back on his words, she would have been disappointed. Kakashi didn't move from his bed, instead leaning his head on the headboard and sighing. He would need to find another munitions store.

Three years before present events

'Princess, I'm warning you. Don't get yourself involved with this man.'

"Oh, just shut up. What are you afraid of?" Asuka said, patting her stomach, and looking at the black door of the brick house in front of her.
She had finally managed to find Soga Umako, the author of the book she had found a few years earlier. It had been so difficult to find him, and she had made several failed attempts. In the end, she had stalked the publishing house of the book for a year, before they gave up and gave her the address of the former editor-in-chief that had followed Mr. Soga. He had retired a few years before, so Asuka had to travel to his country house and wear him out with her questions about the writer. In the end, he had given her the man's old address, saying that he didn't know if he was still living there. The city he used to live in was called Fiore, and it was a 5-hour train ride from Ruma, where Asuka lived. She had taken a week off from her work to go there and investigate.
Asuka rang the doorbell and waited a couple of minutes. She heard a bit of a shuffle, before the door opened, revealing a young man. He was tall and muscular, with red hair and olive complexion. What stood out most in his face, however, were his violet eyes. 'What an unlucky color combination,' Asuka thought. Indeed, that man lacked any sort of balance and delicateness in his features. He was looking at her curiously. "May I help you?"
Asuka nodded. "I hope so! I'm looking for Mister Soga Umako, I've got this address but he might have moved," she said, 'or died,' she mentally added. The editor had mentioned he was a pretty old geezer. The man raised his eyebrow. "It's unusual for someone to come looking for him, who would you be?" he asked. Asuka's heart started beating faster. She was excited. Finally… finally there was a lead!
"My name's Asuka Sarut… Asuka Sarutai! I work for Ruma University, history department. I came across Mr. Soga's books and wanted to chat with him on that topic." Yes, her alias was flawless. The man tilted his head to the right and made a confused face. "I would have never thought the old man's books could ever attract anyone's attention…" he turned towards the inside of the house. "HEY, GRANDPA!" He yelled. "Someone's here for you!"
After a while, Asuka heard someone dragging their feet on the wooden floor of the apartment, and an old man made his appearance at the door. Asuka's first impression of the man was not that good. She thought she was looking at a walking umeboshi. The man was clearly in his nineties, short and wrinkly, and his eyes were bleary with cataract, but she could see that their color was violet, like that of the younger man. His hair was pale yellow in color, probably it had once been red and had lost its original shade. He had long, pale yellow moustache, similar to whiskers, in that they were two long, thin braids that started just above his mouth and ended at his waist level. 'Ugh.' Asuka realized she had been staring with disgust at the two hairy appendixes for too long and smiled sheepishly, trying to act nonchalantly.
"Who are you, miss?" His voice was feeble and croaky, just as Asuka imagined. She introduced herself again as a university researcher. After showing interest in his books, the man's face lit up, and he moved from the door to invite her in. He asked his grandson to prepare some tea, and Asuka followed him into his living room. The house was just like Asuka imagined old people's houses: yellow and moldy. There was a peculiar, pungent smell, that she linked to mothballs.

'Princess, has nobody taught you that you're not supposed to enter a stranger's house?' Asuka sighed. 'God, what's up with you? I get that you're not good with me wanting to get rid of you, but please, stop being such a scaredy-cat!'
In the last year, the relationship between Asuka and Amanozako had somewhat relaxed, to a point where they would even joke about their situation.
Amanozako growled lowly. 'You're such an idiot, Princess. Don't come crying to me, later,' she warned. Asuka scoffed. 'Oh, come on, that old geezer is having trouble breathing, what could he possibly do to me?!' The demon inside her sighed and repeated her insult towards her container.

"Are you from the Eastern Continent, Miss Sarutai?" Asuka shook her head. "No, my parents come from there, but I've always lived here," she replied. How good she was at lying, she praised herself, ignoring Amanozako's groaning. The old man seemed interested, and asked where her parents were from, exactly. "Oh, a small village in the Land of Fire… Are you from the Eastern Continent, too?" He nodded, excitedly. "I'm from the Land of Fire, too… would you mind… if we spoke in our mother tongue? It's been so long since I last heard it! Oh, well, if your parents taught it to you…" Asuka smiled. She liked that old man. "They did," she said, in her original language, "although I haven't spoken it in ages, so I'm a little rusty." In the meantime Ken, Mr. Soga's grandson, had brought them tea. Asuka took a sip, and her taste buds started dancing in her mouth. "So good, Mr. Ken!" He smiled at her, as he poured a cup for himself.

"So, what did you want to know?" the old man asked. Asuka put down her cup on the table. "I would like to know if you have a copy of the first volume of 'Myths and Legends of the Eastern Continent' that I could borrow. I've been researching into this topic at university, but I only came across the second volume. I found it pretty accurate, so I wanted to read the first part, too. Also, if you have some free time in the next days, I was wondering if you would be so kind to answer some of my questions." She was so good, so professional. There was no way he could see through her lie.

Soga stood up, not without difficulties, and dragged his feet to the bookshelf next to the sofa. He took a book from there and brought it close to his eyes, to read its title. "Here it is." He opened it and passed it to Asuka. "I think you might find this interesting." The page the old man had opened the book on described the story of 'Amanozako, the Queen of all demons.' Asuka's heart sank, but she kept her composure. Inside her head, Amanozako was screaming to go away. It almost seemed as though she was fearful of the man. Asuka hastily closed the book and looked at the man in front of her. Ken hadn't moved from his spot on the armchair. "Thank you very much, Mr. Soga. I… I've just remembered I have an appointment with my colleague." She stood up, putting the book inside her bag. "Your colleague from the university, right?" Ken asked, putting down his cup and looking at her in the eye. Asuka nodded, "Yes, of course. We've been researching on the matter together." She hurried to the door. "I hope I'll see you again soon, Miss Sarutai," Soga said. "You know where I live. You can come when you want. Maybe next time we'll talk about your condition." Condition? What was he trying to imply? Asuka got out and quickly ran away. She had never, never felt so uncomfortable since her coming to that country. Her body was shaking uncontrollably, and after running for almost half an hour, she had to sit on a bench in the park to calm herself. She put a hand on her stomach and, for the first time in ten years, wondered if Amanozako was alright. The demon was still silent.

She read the book on the bus as she went back to the hotel, and her worry for the demon only grew.

Was it right to feel sympathy and compassion towards the evil spirit that was inside her? Probably not. She was probably going crazy, but if her story were true, then Asuka couldn't help but feel that way.
The book mentioned how Amanozako had been, centuries before, a benevolent goddess, loved by men and worshipped especially by soldiers. They would pray to her before going to war, wishing for peace and a safe return home. However, as time went by, wishes changed. The soldiers who left wouldn't pray for peace anymore, but they asked for wealth, power and for their enemy's deaths. Amanozako realized the evil within men, pointlessly fighting each other for futile reasons and, disgusted by their actions, turned from a peaceful spirit into an evil demon, punishing men for their behavior. She became one of the evilest spirit on earth, and was given the nickname 'Queen of demons,' as she would fly from village to village with her ghost servants, bringing death and desperation along, until she was sealed by a monk, who gave up his life to accomplish his mission.

Asuka was lying on the bed of her hotel room, that night, thinking about Amanozako's story. The demon still hadn't said anything. The woman put a hand on her stomach, and sighed. She then heard a knock on the door. "Miss Sarutobi, room service you requested." She stood up from the bed and opened the door. She couldn't wait to eat all the delicacies she had ordered. She opened the door, counting the money she owed and a generous tip for the waiter, but as she raised her eyes, she was met with a pair of violet orbs.