Chapter 14—Edmund

The rest of the afternoon, Hika spent with her brother. The question bugged her though—who was going to move in this time to their house? Sure it was large enough to take up to twenty more people—as it at one point done in the history of her bloodline. But who else could be coming to join them? All of Night and Takji's group had gone back to working for Lord Koenma as guards of the Vault and it wasn't like they could just take a random vacation from work. It couldn't have been any of the demons from Yoko's crew. They were all too demon like—scales, fins, tails, you name it—for human world detail.

As Ryota had predicted, he still beat her in their training sessions. He would have creamed her had they been willing to let their wings be their way of fighting, but Hika was still unable to fly because of the cut in her wing. While the tear was slowly closing it was closing at the rate of a regular bat. It would take several more months, if not a year or two for her wing to be in one piece again and for her to start to learn to fly again.

But that did not mean that the girl did not fight her hardest against her brother. She wasn't going to be able to call a time out when the Demon attacked, even if she was outrageously tired. The girl was able to hold out a bit longer and she thought that it had something to do with the energy chicken she had eaten on the way to their training session. An hour after their battle had started she was finally pinned face first into one of the indoor training hall walls with her brother poking a sharp dagger at the middle of her back. She could tell that he was impressed because of the way he breathed. She had never heard him gasping for breath before during any of their other training sessions and for that she felt ecstatically excited, even if she hadn't won. It meant that she was giving the man a work out which meant that the girl was getting better.

Hika hadn't been a slouch when she had first gotten to the human world. She had trained for thirty minutes every day which didn't count the endless flying and missions that she went on. She'd just been proven to be weak after her brother had decided to show up and teacher her how to fight 'the proper way' as he so affectionately put it. That she could keep up with him for an hour was impressive to her and made her feel ready to face whatever the demon threw at her and her friends and family.

"Very good Hika," her brother said after releasing her and putting the dagger away in the sheath that had been dropped somewhere during their fight. "With a little more work you'll be doing great. I do not see how you can keep up with everything you are doing. School work, track meets, track practice, hanging out with your friends, my training and the training that mother puts you through, not to mention the runs through the forest you always take before you go to bed."

"It is called time management brother. You should invest in it," Hika teased as she started to stretch and do cool down techniques so that she didn't get cramps or sore muscles afterwards. "So, you haven't spoken once about who this new housemate it. Who is it? Do I know them? Were they a friend of yours from when you were training with our father?"

"From what I've been told he was a friend of Hiromi's that used to work with her. He's been given a vacation of sorts for the next few months to add another layer of protection on this house. Koenma is fearful since the demon hasn't attacked recently," Ryota explained and smiled at her, "He's some kind of demon bird or something. All I know is he's supposed to have been one of the people that tried to get Hiromi to leave after she was captured by Yoko Kurama and Kuronue. By the way," Ryota put the weapons they'd fetched during their frights away and turned on the girl. "Did I hear wrong or did one of your friends say that his name was Kuronue?"

"You heard right," Hika said, suddenly becoming wary. She had yet to figure out if her brother was working with her mother and 'Aunts' on the 'Get Hika and Kuronue together' plan that they had going. "He's Kuronue's reincarnation, but he doesn't remember much; the odd memory here or there. Why? Does it matter?"

"Not really, it's just cool getting to meet the legendary Kuronue is all. After all he was like a saint in our household up until you got that nightmare and we all decided that you didn't need to hear any more of those stories about the past," Ryota said with a shrug and a smile. "He doesn't look like much though, for someone that was reincarnated from such an amazing demon and all. He's got a weird energy that I can't quite place, but I suppose that's what happens when one reincarnates against Spirit World's say so." During this, he really had shown little to no acknowledgement that he'd known any of it before, or that he knew about anything about a plot.

Hika relaxed a little, sure that her brother hadn't wanted his little sister to date anyone simply to protect her. After all he'd reacted like Charlie was some kind of abdominal snow monster or something like that that wanted to eat Hika. "By the way, what was up with the way you treated Charlie earlier? You've heard me talk about Charlie before." Hika asked, punching her brother lightly on the arm as she led the way out of the training hall back towards the rest of the house. The training hall had been divided from the house by a long enclosed walkway that gave a sense of walking through water because the glass was a light blue and had a texture like old stain glass—rough yet smooth at the same time.

"A brother's got to protect his little sister can't he? And every other time you've talked about Charlie you never let it out that you were dating him Hika. What was I supposed to do? Say oh Hi, it's nice to meet you. I really don't' care what you do with my sister? I gotta do what an older brother's gotta do." Ryota said with a laugh as he slung an arm around the shorter girl's shoulders. "Don't worry about it. He seems like a nice guy. But should he ever do anything to you. Come to me. I want first crack at him." For this comment, Ryota received a brutal punch to the gut from the girl who walked off as he doubled over in pain.

Hika was just leaving the shower after a nice relaxing shower that she ran into the new housemate. The young man that she saw before her in the hall looking completely lost was slightly tall, though not too much so. His blond-brown hair was combed out of his eyes and at the same time seemed trim and proper. His clothing was rather modern-a pair of Wrangler and a button up black shirt with a small insignia on the cuffs in the form of a flying white bird that fit to his body just perfectly.

He turned his attention to the girl that had just left the bathroom, his attention landing on the fact that she stood there with a towel surrounding her body, but not much else. It fully covered her body but at the same time gave a sensual feeling to the scene. He opened his mouth to say something before stopping and simply smiling, averting his dark gaze from her body.

"Hika, right? I'm Edmund. I know Hiromi when she was alive. It's a pleasure to meet you," he said, while his gaze was averted. No matter how many centuries went by, Edmund had been raised during the height of male gentleman requirements. No matter who the young woman before him was he would do right by her, until his plan was complete. He would get this young woman on his side one way or another. She was Hiromi in Edmund's mind and that wouldn't change. "I heard about your predicament and thought that I'd be able to help."

"Oh, thank you," Hika said, clutching her bath towel tighter around her body. She had been under the belief that she had been alone in the house. Ryota and her parents had gone out to grab the dinner and so she had thought it would be a good time to go and clean herself off before anyone got back. She had left her clothes in her room though having only been focused on getting a nice and cool bath. The young woman smiled weakly over at him and then padded quickly across the hall to her room and closed the door behind her.

Within five minutes she was dried, dressed, and ready to face the new man that would be living with them. When she exited her room she couldn't find the man however until she left the house and went into the garden. He sat there, wings surrounding him as he seemed to meditate. A group of birds had surrounded him and were looking at him curiously. Hika giggled a little and the birds took flight. She gasped at the sight as his eyes slowly opened, the birds obscuring the view for a moment as he rose form his spot. And then the magic was gone along with the birds.

"I'm sorry, I just thought it was kind of cute, you sitting there with that bird on your head. I didn't mean to disturb you," she said before Edmund was less than a foot away. She fell silent as she looked up at the other man, her heart racing for a moment for some untold reason.

"You needn't apologize for that. Hiromi did the same thing when I first met her. You are remarkably similar to her in every way it appears. With the exception that you are a half-demon," he said with an inclination of his head, his gaze running over her body in an appraising way before he turned and left her there staring after him. "You shouldn't let your guard down so easily Miss Hika," he said and held up a hand. In it sat a lock of her hair. "The demon might attack at any moment. It would be a pity if a beauty such as yours was tarnished before its time." With that, he walked away.

Hika gaped after him and searched her head for the place which he had cut the hair from, anger knocked aside by fright. She did not like this man that had come to live with them, but she couldn't seem to put her finger on why she didn't.