1. Tartaros Fairy: spell casting

2. Desirée Cavalry: physical endurance

3. Pheasant Peak: hand-to-hand combat

4. Titania Devil: potion creation

5. Snowblood: song

- ML

Chapter 13: Say Yes to Heaven

"REIJI! REI—"

Reiji sat up, screaming in terror. Her voice faded to a confused "wha," taking in her surroundings. It was dark and foggy as a dream. The female leaned on her palms, taking deep breaths.

I can breathe, and think...

"Uh... Hello?" she questioned hesitantly.

"Took ya look enough, Rei."

Reiji would have recognized the voice anywhere. She looked up to see Michele, barefoot as usual. The blacksmith wore a leather apron and long, leather gloves up to her elbows. Underneath she wore black long sleeves and what Reiji assumed was a black strapless top and denim jeans. Her thick locks were secured in her usual silver hair jewelry, also covering one droopy eye. The blacksmith cracked a half smile. "I've been waitin' for ya to come visit, but ya never did.

"Y-you... were waiting for me?" the green haired female questioned, eyes wide with disbelief. "You knew. H-how could you d-do this to me?" It was difficult forcing the question out. She had spent so long mentally preparing for this encounter but actively avoided Michele.

The blacksmith pulled her leather gloves off, dropping them on the floor, then raised her hands. She wore two bracelets baring red jewels each shaped like a half moon. The bracelets glowed, warping off her wrists. They took shape into twin mallets, dropping into her palms. Her muscles flexed to carry the heavy weight of the weapons. The mallets were silver, lined with bronze designs, and bore the half-jewels on the top of each large hammer. The half-jewels both had four familiar black marks on crimson red, surrounding thin pupil shapes. Reiji stared, unsure of what to feel.

"Just let it out," Michele said blankly. Reiji gritted her teeth, glaring.

"Y-you gave me a jewel containing something, something evil! A savage killer! You knew what it was and it, it killed people!" the green haired female ranted at the blacksmith. Michele sighed, lowering the mallets to her sides.

"My friends are afraid of me, even if they don't say it!" Reiji stood up, red in the face. "You could've warned me, Michele. I could've avoided this, Michele! Kiki, Mars, and Otto were cruel to me once, but they did not deserve to die! My life is over if my face is attached to this murder!" she shrieked towards the end, tears streaming down her face. She sobbed into her hands.

"A-all I wanted... w-was to live quietly. I don't w-want to join a guild, but everyone," she trailed off in a whisper, inhaling snot through her stuffy nostrils. "M-my peaceful life is over. T-this thing ruined me."

"I know how it looks, Rei. Believe me, it messed ma life up too," Michelle murmured. Reiji looked at her, puzzled. The mallets warped into dim red light, taking the shape of bracelets again. "These bracelets? I came across 'em at a market in ma old town. But I didn't buy 'em. No one told me to take 'em. They came to me, Rei. And that rosary was gonna find ya anywhere ya went. So I gave it to ye."

"W-what did it do to you?" the green haired demon asked. She took her glasses off and wiped her eyes.

"Killed ma pops," Michele replied. "He decided the ol' man needed to go. Plucked his eyes out and caved his face in." Her droopy grey eyes looked down, staring off somewhere. "My reaction was probably the same as yers. That's when ma told me about her rosary. It's an heirloom, yeah, but it didn't choose her. I probably wouldn't exist right now if it did."

"Did it... wait for me?" Reiji asked meekly. Michele nodded. "It always waits for a good host." The green haired demon tensed up, having expected the opposite answer.

"Are we the only ones cursed?" the green haired female asked, looking down.

"Yer dame didn't tell ya? Ah well, I guess ye still aren't ready fer the rest of it," she said, rubbing the back of her neck, sighing. "I'll at least tell ya why they kill first. About Riki, why she killed ya-know-who? It's kinda like a gateway." Reiji tilted her head to the side, raising a brow.

"Gateway to what?"

"To groundin' itself in the host," Michele answered. The fog suddenly cleared around the two. Behind Michelle stood a hunched over, muscular creature similar to Reiji's entity. It bore stripes like a tiger and the same red eyes. Its lower canines were long and sharp. His hair was black and grew along his spine to the tip of a thick, lizard like tail. When it straightened its posture, it was nearly eight feet tall. Reiji stepped back, trembling. Its aura was thick with a power unlike anything the green haired female had sensed before.

"A-another m-monster," she croaked. Michele chuckled.

"Nah, Trevon," she grinned. "He killed my worst enemy that fateful day an' now I'm stuck with 'em til I die." Reiji jumped, yelping in surprise as the seven-foot Riki appeared behind her. Her stripes weren't as prominent as the male entity. She eyed Trevon blankly, zero emotion behind her equally red eyes.

Michele's eyes darted up and down at Riki. "Oh, she's real pretty," the blacksmith smiled. "Looks just like ye too." Reiji covered her chest self consciously, blushing. "That's not what I meant, Rei. I ain't a creep," the blacksmith smiled sheepishly. "She killed yer closest worst enemies, all for you. Pretty twisted, I'll say."

"I, I want to leave," Reiji murmured. "My friends might be worried."

"Not scared of ya, are they?"

"Well, no," Reiji mumbled. "I don't know. I-I'm scared..."

Michele walked up to Reiji, holding her arms out. Reiji let the shorter female hug her.

"They ain't scared of ya, nobody is," she said in a softer tone. The silver haired female pulled away to look at Reiji's sad face. "Sorry about all this. Probably should've did it differently." Reiji averted her somber gaze.

"I... I liked you a lot, Michele," she confessed, blushing. "You're amazing in so many ways. Even in school, I admired you."

"I know, Rei. Always knew," the blacksmith replied, sighing. "Kinda hoped you'd've said so sooner, save the heart ache..."

"You were one of the few girls who accepted me. You were one of my best friends," Reiji whispered, tearing up. "B-but we can't be friends anymore. I just... I cannot forgive you for this. Not right now."

Michele nodded silently.

"I can return the armor, at least," the green haired female added, wiping her eyes. Michele shook her head, chuckling wryly.

"I made it for you, Rei. Keep it."

"But you said it was Ember Fauna.."

"Eh, little white lie didn't hurt ya," the blacksmith shrugged. Reiji frowned. "I should still return it, right?"

"Go back to yer friends, Rei. They're probably worried sick." The green haired female stepped toward the blacksmith, reaching out.

"Hey, don't change the subject—"

Reiji awoke from the vortex. She breathed deeply, touching her face and chest. The evening crimson Bellow sun was setting, turning the clouds into bloody cotton spread over a blackening sky. Reiji's ear twitched at the sound of tight rope swaying. She sat up in the net underneath her. She was placed in a hammock nearly 20 feet above Ryouichi's favorite body of water. The green haired demon looked at the filthiness on her clothes, recalling her digging from earlier.

She sniffled the air, then gasped. Her senses were overwhelmed by the mixture of aromas naturally present in the air. The trickling, rushing, and steady passing over water over slippery rocks and mud; the remains of prey hunted and eaten. Wood burning in cabins across over 10 miles of Loner Lumber Circke residences. Fresh budding food plants hanging from branches or fermenting on the ground. Cinnamon and peach pie.

Reiji looked down, spotting Takeshiro, Shugo, Ryouichi, and Ushizumo sitting around a small fire. Reiji laid back down, closing her eyes. Shugo looked up, standing from the log he sat on.

"I think she's awake! REI! I KNOW YOU'RE UP!" the Jade Dragon slayer hollered. The green haired demon pouted with a whine, reluctant to cut her rest short.

"YES, I AM UP!" she called back, sitting up once again. When she touched her face again, Reiji noticed her glasses were missing. However, her sight was unchanged. She spread wings of Hair Shower, then climbed out of the hammock. She flapped her wings in the short fall, landing on her feet. Soil, dead hair strands, and grass fell from her long locks. She stared at the faces of her four friends.

"Is something wrong, Rei?" Ryo asked through a mouthful of food. Reiji looked at the roasted, seasoned chicken lizard leg in his hand. The grease around Roy's mouth. The relaxed look in his eyes.

"Rei-tara, you're okay!" the female ginger beamed, throwing her arms around her waist. Reiji smiled warmly, patting her head.

"Oh, your glasses," Takeshiro said, taking them off his face. He took his own glasses from his pocket, putting them on instead. Shugo narrowed his eyes.

"Wait a second. Can you see?" he inquired. Reiji stared back. Even without glasses, his eyes were emerald green and clear as day. She cracked a smile.

"I can see and smell everything," she replied. Ushizumo gasped loudly, hands on her cheeks.

"Seriously?! Even Shugo's smelly socks too?"

"Hey, don't jab at me!" her older brother shot back. Zumi stuck her tongue at him with a playful look.

"Who cares? Come eat!" Ryo beamed, offering a roasted fish. Its skin was charred, but the meat inside was chewy, just the way Reiji preferred. She accepted the fish, taking a bite.

"Hm... it was an elderly creature," she observed. "But still tasty. Thank you, Ryo."

"You're being weird, Rei!" Ryo laughed at her.

"You're the weird one, Ryo," Takeshiro said before sipping from a bottle.

"He says as he drinks wine straight from the bottle," Shugo teased. Ushizumo giggled.

"Alcohol is so nasty, Takeshiro!"

"Actually, it is apparently Blue now," Reiji chimed it. Takeshiro glared.

"Only Ryo is allowed to say that."

"Aye-aye, Captain Blue sir!" Shugo solutes, nostrils flared. His little sister pointed and laughed.

"How was your nap?" Takeshiro asked, changing the subject. Reiji swallowed the last of her fish rather quickly.

"I was not asleep, it was the spell," she began, wiping her mouth. "Michele came to me."

"She did what?!" Zumi blurted out. "I didn't know she knew magic!"

"Indeed she does. And she has bracelets similar to my rosary," the green haired demon replied. The others listened quietly as Reiji summarized the dream. Michele's history with the bracelets and the rosary, the entity connected to the bracelets, and the killing the host's enemy as a "gateway" to the world. The whole group was silent when Reiji finished. Not even Ryouichi had a humorous thing to say.

"Needless to say, we are not friends. But as of now, she is the only one who understands what I am going through," Reiji concluded.

"You would've been its host no matter what, huh," Shugo said. "That's insane to think about."

"Pretty corny, being chosen by a cursed jewel," Ryo commented, biting into his chicken lizard leg.

"I'll drink to that," Takeshiro murmured, taking another swig.

"All the more reason to take this beast!" Ushizumo declared.

"I'm not sure I can," Reiji wilted. "I can barely get it—her to talk to me properly.." Ryo rested his hand on Reiji's shoulder.

"What better way to learn than with dark guild mages?" he asked. Reiji frowned sadly.

"Only because of the jewel. Without it, I'm nothing..."

"And without you, the Jewel is trash," Ryo said. "I couldn't have used power with you backing it up. If anything, the Jewel needs a host more than a host will ever need it. You're so much better than Riki!"

"Yeah, you're the one fighting, that thing is just a ghost," Shugo smirked.

"Are we fighting, singing, or testing endurance next?" Takeshiro asked. Reiji already knew he heard her answer.

"Song next," the green haired female replied with a hopeful smile.

Day 8

08 October X820

The next day, Reiji wake up in her own bed, shower in her own bathroom, and prep her own food for breakfast. No more nagging males, for now. Reiji decided to treat this day as a better day than the last. Anything to keep from dwelling on the corpses. The dark skinned demon was especially eager to start the day with her brand new sight and smell heightened. She brushed and flossed, put on her favorite boxer shorts and matching undergarment top, then dressed in a blue skirt with a white petticoat. The green haired female couldn't decide between another sweater or something else, so she chose to eat breakfast in her undershirt.

As she chewed a bite of a burrito, there was a knock at her door. She smelled the air; the scent of sweet soap wafted from the door. A lock of dark green hair stretched across the living room, unlocking the door for Ushizumo. The ginger female smiled brightly as she walked in. Her brother was absent this time.

"Did you come all this way by yourself, Zumi?" Reiji asked.

"I did, and I'm so excited, Rei-tara!" the ginger female jumped up and down with delight. All her life, Ushizumo never went anywhere far without her brother Shugo nearby, due to a childhood incident in the prison. It was the same incident that led to the eye patch constantly covering her right eye, and the nameless dead female. But today, she hit a milestone after 16 years of growth!

"I'm so proud of you, Zumi," the green haired demon smiled. "I made breakfast burritos."

"Two, please!" Zumi replied. She kicked her shoes off, then plopped down on the couch. "And I think I found the perfect song that'll blow Snowblood's socks off!"

As Zumi chatted, Reiji heated up two burritos on a pan already sitting on the stove.

"It's a human-made song from Earth-R," the ginger demon continued. "It's called "Say Yes to Heaven." Do you know it?"

"I do not really know music in or outside this world," Reiji professed. Sure, she heard music on radios, on missions, otherwise in passing, but she never sat down and listened to a full length album or playlist.

"Ah, what? You're missing out, Rei-tara! Here, I even brought my music pod." Ushizumo pulled a small, rectangular object from her pocket. She plopped down on the couch, pressing a button on the side of the device. A screen came to life, then Zumi started tapping away. Reiji walked out of the kitchen with two warm burritos. She leaned over Zumi curiously.

The screen contained several tiny bubbles with labels underneath each one. She read "SoundCloud," "U-Tube," and other apps with foreign symbols and such. Then, Ushizumo went into SoundCloud. The cloud shaped logo popped out of the screen like a hologram. Reiji gasped in awe, slowly lowering the plate to her coffee table. The cloud showed an image of the song: a human woman standing in a field, her fingers entwined together in prayer with her eyes closed. She wore all white with gold jewelry. Then, the song began with the chords of a guitar.

If you dance, I'll dance. And if you don't, I'll dance anyway.

Give peace a chance. Let the fear you have fall away;

I've got my eye on you... I've got my eye on you...

Say yes to Heaven

As the song went on, Reiji stared off, feeling oddly somber listening to the mellow tune. As she sat next to Ushizumo began to think about recent and past events. The comforting embrace of Michelle Imitatia, the fleeting memory of Otto, and the few other people who broke her heart. None of them were as special as Michele, the one who broke her heart with a smile.

If you go, I'll stay. You come back, I'll be right here.

Like a barge at sea, in the storm, I stay clear.

'Cause I've got my mind on you... I've got my mind on you...

Reiji began to tear up. She didn't really understand the purpose of "Heaven" in the song. It simply struck a chord in her she didn't know was there. The song was barely over three minutes of aching sadness. Ushizumo put the music pod away, then held her hands.

"Rei-tara, what do you think?" the ginger asked. "It's okay if you cry, it's supposed to sound sad and stuff."

"I, I'm not s-sad," Reiji mumbled through tears. She wiped her eyes, sniffing back snot. "It, it's just... profound, I think? It felt like every single heartache and loss..."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Ushizumo frowned. "I didn't mean to make you cry. We can learn a different song."

"No, no, it is a beautiful piece," the green haired female reassured her friend. "Perhaps Snowblood will want to hear something like this, Purgatory based or not."

"Really? It's a good song?" Zumi's eyes lit up with excitement. "Thank goodness! It spent hours searching my playlists for the perfect assessment piece!"

"You've all been so helpful, I'm glad," Reiji smiled sheepishly. "You all give me a little more hope."

Zumi hugged her tightly, squealing with delight. "Ooh, I love you so much, Rei-tara!"

Reiji chuckled lightly, patting her hair. "Thank you, Zumi. I love you too."

Ushizumo got up from the couch. "Enough chit chat, vocal lessons begin now!" she declared.

To be continued

- ML