Shinde

Chapter 3

A/N: I plan to have this out on Halloween or the day after it.

"Was it a dream?"

That's the sole question that runs through Meg's head as she wakes up. The first thing she does is look to her legs. Fine, if a bit dirtied. Still, she can't be sure. But it's then that she feels a chill, and her gaze travels to the window. It's open, courtesy of Jo, who had (technically) broken in the other night. She opens her palm to see the coin, vaguely remembering clutching it tightly as she slept.

The answer is no. The demon is far too real, but Meg feels oddly safe. Apparently, she has a lack of common sense, though Jo probably sees common sense as a bad thing. It wouldn't surprise the red-head if Jo thought common sense to be a bad thing. Or maybe Jo thought that if people thought rationally, this could all be avoided.

Meg should ask her, the next time she sees her.

Putting on her shoes, Meg decides to go for a walk.

A small, brunette girl yawns, stretching as the sun relentlessly attacks her face. She should really go outside more, like Sei tells her to, but that would mean Sei would win. Amy simply can't tolerate that. She rubs her eyes, only to jump when she opens them.

A figure stands, hood casting a shadow over their face. "Do you know where I can find the demon hunter?" they ask, voice cutting through the air like a knife. Amy's eyes widen as she feels herself lose control to something, and her arm points to the door. The figure smiles.

"Thanks." They walk past, the young girl shocked into silence. She shivers as the woman walks past her, the cool jacket brushing against her slightly. As soon as the woman is gone, she falls to the ground on her hands and knees.

That much power can be scary, if you know it could kill you at any moment.

Sei recognizes this fact as the demon walks into her room. The strings holding their jacket to them unravel, the dark cloth finding a resting place on a chair. Her silver hair reflects the light, casting a sort of glow about her.

"What are you doing here?" Sei nearly yells. "Did you hurt Amy?"

"No, though she looked pretty scared," remarks Jo. "You may want to comfort her, later on. I can practically smell the fear. But I didn't come here to terrorize you, or your little friend there. I came to give you some information."

"Why would I want information from you?" spits out Sei, glaring.

"Well, did you know that your 'relative' was, in fact, one of my friends in his youth? Did you know the flaws in your story? Did you know that those weren't their real motives?"

"What do you mean?"

"You see, huntress, my only purpose in my life was to fight to defend my country. I was bribed, persuaded, and even tortured, but I remained loyal. I grew stronger, too, and unbeatable. So much so that my own people were afraid. They thought that I would betray them, so they started a rumor. We weren't even all that religious."

"Are you calling my ancestors liars?"

"Not liars, mind you. More like... mislead. But then again, you probably think I'm lying, don't you?" Sadness suddenly fills her eyes, the sudden change shocking. But just as suddenly as it appeared, it's gone. "Also, I have a warning. Don't hunt me. Don't try killing me with your little tricks. It won't work. You will die. And then who will take care of that nice little girl out there?"

With that, Jo leaves. Through the back door, too, thinking that Amy has had enough stress to last a lifetime. Sei is left to reflect on what just happened. The demon that she has hated, feared the most, just came in. She did not fight. She did not kill. She simply made several statements and a warning. But still, Sei feels like she has to stop her. But how?

"The floor is dirty, you know."

Jo lazily opens one eye looking straight up at Meg. Again, she's sleeping on the street, quite literally in fact. The blinding sun makes Meg merely a faint silhouette, but Jo recognizes that voice. And that aura, or lack thereof. "Looking for someone, or did you just get lucky?" jokes the demon, glancing up at the girl.

"A bit of both, I think. But why are you sleeping on the street?"

"Because I'm tired?"

"I would say you'll get sick, but I'm not entirely sure if that's possible," comments the redhead, sitting down on the curb. "I realized I never thanked you, the other day. So, yeah. Thank you." Upon seeing the mildly surprised look that Jo gives her, she asks: "What?"

"You went out, looking for a dangerous, killer demon, to thank them?" Jo starts laughing, a smile making it's way onto her face. "You are strange, aren't you? Not that that's bad, mind you. If you're the odd one out in a world of rotten people, that means you are, in fact, good!"

Meg laughs along with her until the laughter dies, and then she becomes serious. "So are you seriously planning to kill everyone?"

"Well, there are few people who aren't on my lengthy hit-list. But I'll make a deal with you." Jo sits up, leaning closer to Meg. "You have one year to show me why I should spare this place. If you don't, I'll destroy it all in one go. And I'll leave you alive, so you can remember it. What do you say, Meg?" She holds out her more beastly hand. Meg doesn't know it, but Jo is subtly testing her limits, seeing just how much "demon" she can take.

Without hesitation, Meg shakes her hand.

Sei looks at the giant metal capsule, knowing full well who's inside. She walks up to the panel next to it, pressing a button as she speaks into it:

"Hello, Grandfather."

A text appears on the screen, showing her her ancestor's thoughts. "Hello, Sei."

"I... spoke with Jo today."

He is silent for a bit before the words slowly appear on-screen. "What did she have to say? Are you hurt?" The text then shows up remarkably quickly. "Is she dead?" Of course, he would want revenge on the person who did that to them. Such a horrible thing of living forever, yet still decaying, still aging is a torture.

"I'm fine, and she's still alive. She told me some things and then gave me a warning to not hunt her, or try to kill her." Sei hesitates briefly before adding some more. "Is it... is it true that you two were child-hood friends?"

Her grandfather does not reply.

A/N: Oh damn... sugar crash.

Wish. Me. Luck.