I've decided to keep this chapter short as it's basically self explanatory what comes after a mission when the most of the action ends. Besides, my chapters used to be only 2,000 to 4,000 words anyway.

- ML

UPDATE 13 July 2024: Timestamp

UPDATE 27 July 2024: Timestamp fix

Chapter 6: We Need to Talk

Year X820

The trio and family proceeded through seven different island checkpoints, and seven different commanders residing on each island. They all led groups of 17 guards. Communication must pass quickly, as none of the guards dared to question Shaumikizashi about his mask after the third stoned demon. By the time the group arrived as the final destination, Feather of Crow* Island, Reiji, Shugo and Ryouichi were no longer required for further travel with the family.

"It was a pleasure working with you all," Reiji bowed politely, folding her hands in front of her. She was doing her best to pretend her neck was bare or any jewelry. It was hard, in truth. The thought made her stomach turn. Ryouichi and Shugo followed, hands at their sides. Phina, Miyan, and Shaumikizashi returned the gesture.

"A bit turbulent, but you did your jobs well, despite some setbacks," Phina remarked. Shugo nodded stiffly, which Ryouichi winced a little.

Right, they were the "setbacks..." Reiji thought, straightening herself. She felt a little warmer, as if the cold was still wearing off her skin in waves.

"Oh, one more thing." Miyan duh into another pocket in her now cleaned up jacket, then handed Reiji another envelope: 83,000 Luba. The trio eyed the cash with glee, as they expected only 25,000 each.

"This is awesome! Thank you, Mrs Miyan!" Ryouichi grinned. She waved as the family moved on, leaving the trio and the driver at the dock.

"Now that that is settled, you still have 27 hours before your mission time is officially up," the driver smiled. Reiji watched as she pulled an unseen hair tie. A pair of bunny-like ears sprung free, pale grey. One ear was chopped close to the middle.

One look at those familiar appendages sparked something deep in her memory, then it all came flooding back to Reiji. That night, almost a decade-and-a-half ago; she saw the same familiar shape in one of their liberators, concealing her identity, wearing certain clothing. They were the same height, same chopped ear, identical eyes red iris rings around two huge pinkish pupils.

"Y-you're that girl," Shugo trailed. Ryouichi looked like he just might tear up as he threw his arms around the driver in a tight hug.

"Lamy, my hero!" the Beast Soul cried.

"Is that her name? What are you even doing here, of all places?" Shugo asked eagerly. Lamy eventually nudged her way out of Ryouichi's tight hug, laughing a little. All Reiji could do was stare in shock. She actually shed tears silently, catching the others off guard. Lamy was a member of the legendary Tartarus Fairy guild based in Foreititou, the magical center of all of Purgatory. And one of them had made the time to show up completely unmasked.

"Oh. Oh shit." Shugo rushed to her side as the buxom demon fell backwards into his arms. Lamy made a look, probably thinking she made a mistake revealing her identity. Reiji snapped out of her mental funk and cried outwardly. Lamy knelt in front of her.

"I take it you remember," the demon said nervously. Reiji only nodded. Ryouichi couldn't help but laugh at the situation. The green haired demon was not stressed, far from that. The joy she felt to meet such an important figure was simply so overwhelming, she forgot where her legs went for a moment. Reiji sat up from Shugo's gentle grasp.

"Please, forgive me," Reiji murmured. "I am just emotional."

"That's okay," Lamy smiled. Reiji stood up, as did the Jade Dragon slayer and the bunny-like female. She even handed Reiji a napkin from her pocket. "Sorry, it's all I have," she said, but the green haired demon accepted it, immediately blowing her nose with it. Reiji tended to get quite stuffy from crying any amount.

"Well now that you're done crying, can we eat? I'm starving!" Ryouichi remarked.

"You're one to talk, I saw the look on your face!" Shugo remarked. The two shot daggers at one another, getting close to each other to bicker. Reiji squeezed them in a cocoon to silence their banter, however.

"Oh, wow, you've become a natural," Lamy said. Reiji smiled, blushing lightly. "Well, I wouldn't say natural." She promptly dropped her two friends. Ryouichi moaned about his ankle (he did not put weight on it at all) while Shugo complained about his head (maybe he had a leg to stand on).

"Do you boys want food or not? I'm going to get pho and tiramisu with or without ya!" Lamy barked at the duo. They scrambled to their feet to leave the dock. Reiji walked next to Lamy.

Due to overall travel fatigue, the group were willing to settle for Lamy's choice of pho at a small open kitchen called "Pho 95*" just outside the gates to the closed off federal properties along the boulevard facing the ocean. The air smelled of spices Reiji did not recognize. The group were sat at a table near the serving bar, freshly served water and green tea.

"Why did you keep your identity hidden?" Reiji asked before sipping from her cup. Even the tea tasted strange, but tasty.

"Oh, I just wanted to see how you guys were," Lamy replied casually, stirring sugar in her glass of lemon water. "But it seems you're all doing great. Especially you, Reiji," she winked up at the taller demon. She looked away shyly.

"Oh, I don't know about that."

"Did you see my Dragon slayer magic?" Shugo butt in, leaning in.

"I did, it was incredible! Your kind are very rare to come by in Purgtory," Lamy conversed proudly. Ryouichi of course chimed in as well.

"I've learned how to make myself twice my size. See?" Ryouichi's body began to transform as he stood up, growing longer, bigger limbs. His suit began to stretch uncomfortably, but his growth stunted as he hissed in pain, shrinking down to normal. Apparently the Beast Soul's power was not kind to fractures.

"Mother of fucks!" he grunted. Shugo burst with laughter.

"Bwahahaha! The horse was better!"

Reiji sighed, shaking her head. Then she sat up straight as four plates were placed before them: pork and black momgoso dumplings. She used her chopsticks to grab one for a first bite.

"Mm, is this pork?" Reiji asked. Lamy nodded, eating with hers as well. Shugo and Ryouichi ate with their hands, as they didn't use "giant toothpicks," as the Jade Dragon slayer remarked.

Reiji noticed Lamy's spacing out as they talked and ate the appetizer dumplings, but kept getting talked over by her friends before she could ask. Shugo rambled on about a male and a female he was currently dating, while Ryouichi fumed at his friend "getting more action than him.

Reiji of course began to block the noise out as well, too focused on the friction of her rosary, the armor weighing her shoulders down, the sweat on her body in full swing, the pain in her feet from work, the broken glasses—

"Hades to Rei!" She jolted in surprise at Shugo's voice, snapping her out of her daze.

"Do you need to step out?"

"Uh..."

"Let's go to the bathroom," Lamy said, standing up. "Our bowls aren't ready yet and we need to freshen up. Come on." Reiji slowly got up with the bunny-like demon. The bathrooms were in the back alley of the open kitchen, including multiple options of male, female, unisex, and different sizes for different creatures to access. Reiji and Lamy went into a unisex bathroom, technically meant for one person. Lamy locked the door, letting her shoulders relax. Reiji closed the toilet seat then sat on it, looking worried.

Oh no, I've upset her. Is she mad at me? Reiji thought nervously, already anticipating a scolding for spacing out. Instead, Lamy turned and leaned against the door calmly.

"I wanted to talk about what happened today," she began. "There is something about you that I needed to confirm."

"Y-yes, what is it?"

"Are you and Ryouichi together?" There was a moment of silence at Reiji turned red. "Oh, absolutely not!" she blurted, causing Lamy to giggle.

"I'm just kidding, I knew that!" she grinned. "But seriously, I have an actual question."

"I'm not dating Shugo either."

"Not that!" the bunny-like demon said. "Are you aware you're possessed?"

"Am I... what?" Reiji deadpanned. "I am afraid I don't understand."

"I think you do, Reiji. Whatever killed those Ferals wasn't you. You don't kill," Lamy said with a more serious tone. "And whatever you've done, you have to be careful with it."

"I-I am careful," the green haired demon murmured.

"I mean it, don't let it take advantage again, it's dangerous to bond with things."

Reiji stood from the toilet, grabbing the part of her shirt just over the rosary. She slowed, gripping the piece of jewelry.

"I am, I'm not bound to anything," she insisted. Lamy frowned. Please believe me, please leave it be... "I'm not possessed by anything, I'm just c-coming to terms with my magic," Reiji continued, lying through her canines. Lamy nodded.

"Okay, I believe you."

Reiji used paper towels and sink water to wipe her armor clean. She finally took the gloves off to wash her hands, but found that they were not dirty with blood. She fixed her glasses, then rinsed the gloves themselves, choosing to keep them off for now. At her hands needed to breathe. Lamy went with her back to the main dining area. Their main courses were served.

Reiji's bowl contained skinny, meaty purple mushrooms and chicken flock. Shugo and Ryouichi both had some kind of sliced beef and ham with fries eggs. Lamy had ordered a dumpling bowl with orange fried rice and a mug of broth.

"Thanks for the food!" Shugo briefly prayed, probably to Miratona, then started eating, this time using a fork. Ryouichi was already halfway through his pho, slurping noodles and sipping broth. Lamy watched humorously as she ate. Only Reiji could not bring herself to take another bite after three mouthfuls of noodles. Everyone was carefree while Reiji was more confused about herself than ever.

What happened back there? Why is everything so strange now?

The rest of the day was spent touring the busiest parts of Feather of Crow Island. But before that, the four pooled the last of their stipend together for a relatively nice room at a small lake resort near checkpoint 17, where they would also leave the island at in the morning. Reiji didn't have the energy to walk much farther, so she spent the day napping.

Shugo and Ryouichi played rock-paper-scissors on who would also stay behind—no singles on missions—since Lamy and Reiji of course didn't trust them together in town. The Beast Soul lost, of course, but he didn't mind.

Now they were relaxing in the nice, cool room. Ryouichi spent almost half an hour in starfish mode on one bed while Reiji showered. She felt safe enough behind the locked bathroom door, as this island was relatively safe for break-ins and the like. Reiji gently scrubbed all over herself, especially her face, armpits, and legs. She watched as less than seven ounces of shampoo scrubbing washed down the drain, barely enough for all over her hair. The trio were poorly prepared and had to rely on whatever the room provided, so all of the shampoo would do. She emerged in a big cotton robe and her hair in an equally big towel.

The Beast Soul had since fallen asleep, snoring audibly. She smiled sheepishly, thinking of a small motor in place of his snores. She tucked the robe under her breasts for more comfort, since no one was paying attention, the laid down in the other bed.

Iji... Iji...

She glanced over at the rosary on the nightstand. The buxom female tried to throw it out, but it simply spawned right back on her. It couldn't possibly possessed. She grabbed the rosary and went to the bathroom. She dropped it in the toilet, then flushed. The toilet swallowed the jewelry out of sight completely. She smirked a little, leaving again. To her surprise, it was right where she first placed it on the nightstand, dry as before. Frustrated, she snatched it up and flushed it.

There it was, resting at the nightstand. She growled, trying to pulled the demon's eye jewel from the chain. Ryouichi began to shift in his sleep, his jaws grinding for a few seconds. Then he relaxed, his sleeping face facing the neighboring bed. Reiji froze. She knew he could sleep through almost anything, but his movement was still alarming.

Oh, what am I doing? She sat on the bed, the necklace now beside her. It comes right back out of the toilet and the vast ocean itself. It is not going anywhere.

Reiji lied across the bed, taking her glasses off. She pushed them aside, then closed her eyes, letting the mental clouds cover her thoughts in a much needed slumber.

18 years ago, once upon a dream

Year X802

Rei-tara and Zumo drew in the dirt with sticks. Rei-tara was focused on the ends of threads hair snaking just above her left drawing wrist, then retracting when she thought someone might notice. Rei-tara knew eyes were everywhere, but it was easy to pretend they weren't there. It was such a mysterious thing, drawing made up symbols in a little circle and pretending armored Dragonoid creatures weren't in every corner.

Watching. Scowling.

"I drew a froggy!" Zumi announced, pointing at the sketch. It was a splat of a thing with stick limbs and three little dots for toes. Rei-tara giggled at the silly drawing, although she could not see it as well as Zumi.

"That's a dead froggy."

"Is not!" the ginger girl pouted. A grownup approached them. Zumi froze up seeing the strange female. Her hair was messy, but that was normal. Her face was scribbled out in bold orange crayon. Zumi liked drawing bold orange scribbles on bad people, although Rei-tara didn't understand it. Rei-tara could smell the fear.

Then Zumi was gone and the stick was abandoned with the lonely splat of a frog. Rei-tara saw her later. There was a small bruise on her throat, but the Dragonoids don't care. No one sees it.

Zumi eventually got put in isolation when the female died one day. They found bold orange wounds in her neck. Zumi never colored that shade again. Blue was her new color. Blue was Rei-tara's color too.

But a part of Zumi probably liked her hair color again.

Reiji barely recalled her dream as she woke up. It was late in the evening by then. Ryouichi still snores, joined by Shugo next to him, already drool in a little on his pillow. Reiji froze up in fright when she saw a shade sitting by the desk. Then she relaxed when she recognized Lamy's ghoulish scent.

"Lamy, I did not mean to take the whole bed," she whispered apologetically.

"That's alright, I don't really sleep anyway," the bunny-like demon replied in equal volume. Ryouichi might not mind noise, but Shugo certainly did.

"How did you sleep?"

"Childhood dream, sort of. I cannot remember," Reiji said, feeling around for her glasses. Lamy walked up, tapping her searching hand with a small box. Reiji accepted it, raising a bushy brow.

"What is this, glasses?"

"Try them on."

Reiji opened the small case, touching a pair of glasses. They were sort of an oval shape. She put them on, then blinked. Her sight was not perfect, but she could see a lot better now.

"Oh, thank you, Lamy," the green haired demon smiled warmly. Lamy returned the expression.

"They're technically for reading, but you also need to get around somehow. You'll need them wherever it goes."

"It?"

"Your... attachment," Lamy answered. Reiji frowned. She had hoped the subject would not be brought up again. She looked down, shutting the case. "I do not wish to talk more, there is much to process."

"Understood, sorry," the bunny-like demon smirked sheepishly. "I still think it's impressive, seeing the power of a possessed artifact after all these years." Reiji did not respond. Lamy said nothing more after that.

She eventually joined Reiji in bed, stripped down to a shirt tank top and shorts. Reiji chose to keep the robe on, as it was very comfortable. She was even considering keeping it for herself. Lamy smelled exactly the same as before: grey and ash.

"I have a question, er, questions," Reiji began. She lied on her back to keep the glasses from slipping.

"Ask away."

"Back then, why did you save us?"

"It was a mission we willingly took on, knowing the risks. But Shugo made it easier."

"Really? How?"

"You were there when he went Feral, right?" Lamy questioned. Reiji thought for a moment, but it hurt to remember. Nobody talked about the beginning of their lives, it was better to just block everything out over time. "I don't remember," she answered at last.

"The fire, he started it. The fire didn't stop spreading, didn't extinguish, none of that. The entire prison collapsed eventually," Lamy said, lying on her back as well.

"Oh. Oh, I remember!" Reiji whispered. She could hear the fearful screams, then the cheers of weak creatures. They weren't supposed to be free, someone said, but hope was born again in emerald green fury. The sounds, the smells, the noise...

"You don't look a day older," Reiji commented, turning to look at the Tartarus Fairy. "Like you left there just yesterday."

"I thought you wouldn't notice," the bunny-like demon grinned sheepishly. "None of us can age anymore. Not since we spawned here in Purgatory, long before you all existed."

"Are your guildmates cursed?"

"Sort of, but no one bothers to question it," Lamt shrugged.

"How long have you been a little girl?"

"Phew, decades probably. Since before I fell from Earth."

"You lived on Earth?" Reiji sat up in surprise. The senses of the past did not matter in that moment. She was sitting next to a real life Earthling! Lamy snickered.

"It was ages ago, but yeah, we all did."

"That's incredible, you lived among Humans, as Humans live among us now."

"No, not like that. Humans feared us."

"Why would you say that? Humans are peaceful with us now," Reiji replied.

"No, we were a dark guild and nearly wiped out another guild and many more," Lamy lamented, looking away. "It's not something I really like to talk about."

"I'm sorry, Lamy," the green haired demon frowned. "I did not mean any disrespect."

"I'm okay, really. I was not a good person, very far from it," the bunny-like demon conceded. "We died on Earth, then we respawned here."

"What happened after that?" Reiji asked.

"We had to... learn how to survive for a while," Lamy answered, her expression blank. "We spent many years in limbo. Now we dedicate our lives to saving creatures from the same fate, at any cost. And I know you don't like to talk about it, but you need to understand that no matter what you have going on in your life, that rosary will protect you, no matter the cost," Lamy attested. Reiji nodded slowly, her heart racing. Somehow, it scared her a little how serious Lamy was. Did she know something they didn't? Lamy probably wouldn't say.

"It will protect me? How do you know?"

"It's what you deserve, the power to protect," the bunny demon smiled softly. "You are more incredible than you think. Never forget that." Part of the brown skinned demon wanted to accept her words, but it felt strange, simply unnerving how knowing that look was. But Reiji said nothing more, lying back down.

Whatever it was that Lamy knew in secret, she'd eventually find out. Maybe.

*Guess the Warrior cat

*Pho 95 is a restaurant I eat at sometimes in my state. They have a vegetarian pho I love so much. It's got fried tofu, green and white onions, cilantro, and I also add hella basil, crushed jalapeño slices, and squeezed lime! Phenomenal breakfast/lunch/dinner.