Chapter Two: Moonlit Memories

(Five years later)

"Stupid Pervert. Knocks me out! Damn that senile, paranoid, idiotic old man! I don't care if I'm older! I still look like a teenager, and he's some perverted middle aged man! Who knows what he did after he knocked me out!"

A girl who looked to be around 15 was muttering to herself, a small golden golem fluttering alongside her, embossed with a paler gold cross. Her face was hidden in the shadows created by her overly large cloak, which was very hot in the warm Indian climate. But, after the…incident in the last village as a result of her having a very large temper tantrum in a mostly uninhabited area outside of the village, she thought it best not to be recognized.

Recognition could cause some very angry villagers to grab the pitch forks and torches.

Rinsetta Walker was pissed. Majorly so. The 'Damned Bastard' (as she had affectionately dubbed General Cross) had knocked her out so he could leave without her knowing where he went to. He'd left her a note telling her to go to London to find The Black Order, an organization of exorcists located somewhere in London.

"Did he even tell me where, in London the damned place is? Nooooo! That would be too easy, wouldn't it?"

People walking near her on the small country road decided it was time to hurry up and get away from the crazy person under the cloak before something bad happened. After exchanging pointed looks the three men and two women sprinted off, modesty forgotten when faced with a cloaked, muttering, and to all appearances, crazy person.

She didn't care. So what if people thought she was crazy? She was leaving for London the following day if she could get to the train station. She wouldn't ever see these people again. Anyway, she had the excuse of old age for going a little crazy. Not that anyone would believe her if she told them that she was a hundred and twenty years old. In fact, she'd probably be locked up in some insane asylum. Considering the fact that she was probably at least slightly insane, that might not be such a bad idea, thought Rins musingly, until they figured out she couldn't die, and would start doing all sorts of tests and experiment s on her. It was better to act at least slightly sane in front of other people, or they would start getting uncomfortable in her presence.

She supposed the fact that when she woke up after being knocked out by the perverted bastard, she had thrown a huge temper tantrum and pounded a crater into the ground on the outskirts of the village that they had been staying at; Bajmay hadn't gotten her any points in the normal section.

What she didn't know was that back at the village that she had just left that there was now a legend of a White Haired Demon that rose from the ground and created the crater by unleashing the demons unimaginable fury at the piece of poor, unassuming land as a way to get back at those who had imprisoned it in the earth.

The Legend of the White Haired Demon of Bajmay would be passed done for centuries to come as a way to get the village to behave. If you misbehaved in Bajmay, the scary, evil demon was going to come and eat you!

Or so they said.

After her temper tantrum, Rins had started walking towards the nearest train station, which was about 30 miles away from the remote village of Bajmay. She was currently about 10 miles away and it was getting dark.

Sighing, Rins started setting up camp. Even she didn't wasn't to be wandering around at night.

A small fire crackled merrily in front of her, the glow and warmth of it made her mind wander to another night, years ago, spent camped on the side of a road. It had been right after Mana died, was resurrected, and killed again.

(FLASHBACK)

Tears running down her face, a fifteen year old Rins stared unseeing into the small fire in front of her. The only sounds coming from the fire and the muffled sobs that came from Rins.

She was unkillable. Immortal. Cursed. She had tried to kill herself again, with the same results as the last six times. Even with a knife in her heart, she just wouldn't die. Poisoning hadn't worked. Neither had hanging herself. Nor had cutting. She couldn't drown, and couldn't burn to death. She had no need for oxygen anymore, and all the fire did was tickle.

A cough sounded, rousing her from her thoughts.

An old woman stood, leaning wearily on her walking stick, dirty and obviously tired.

"Would ye mind if I sat by yer fire with ye? T'is late and I'm weary and old."

Rins nodded, moving over so that the elder woman could sit closer to the fires warmth. The woman nodded gratefully, gratitude in her eyes.

"My name is Maeve, child. What be yours?"

"Rinsetta."
The old woman, Maeve, observed her from the corner of her eyes, taking in the tear tracks and defeated expression on the young girls face.

"Beautiful. The name, that is. In the old language, the word Rinsetta meant forever. Me favorite saying was Rinsetta Alvea Yon Ein. Forever Lives the Flame. The flame of the sun that never goes out. No matter what. T'is beautiful."

Rins was looking at Maeve. Forever… it was ironic, thought Rinsetta, my name means forever, and I now have forever.

"Thank you." For the first time in the days since Mana's death, Rins smiled. She had forever to do what was right. To fight for the light, (AN: ha ha! It rimed! I didn't even mean to do that!) and rid the world of Akuma.

"For what?" asked Maeve.

"For helping me realize that I need to live to do what I can to make up for what happened."

Looking slightly confused, but pleased none the less, Maeve settled down next to the fire, and went to sleep.

"Thank you." Whispered Rins to the sleeping woman.

(FLASHBACK ENDS)

Smiling at the memory of Maeve, she looked up at the night sky, observing the fading color in the west, and the rising full moon already high in the sky. It dominated the night, illuminating the world around her in a silvery bluish light, turning everything into an ethereal otherworldly scene.

Standing, she walked from her camp onto the open road, closing her eyes and reveling in the felling of the warm night air playing through her white hair, her cloak lying in a heap on the ground. Her head tilted back, the moonlight playing across her face.

Rins was as ageless as time itself, and a part of the world surrounding her. Rins was part of nature and nature was a part of her. At that moment, if anyone bothered to look, the whole world could tell.

"Rinsetta Alvea Yon Ein." She whispered.

Forever lives the flame.